Father's Day got me thinking about just how different different dads are. A piece in Scientific American looks at the various approaches to fatherhood within the animal kingdom. Male marmosets are my top pick and lion dads show room for improvement.

Hey mamas! Today I'll be sharing with you 7 easy things you need to do to prepare your body for an easy labor. Did you know that prepping your body...

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by one of our readers. She explained how every article she reads about pregnancy and birth is about an expecting mom and

The next time you hear someone say we don't need better sex ed in schools, ask them these three questions and see if they get them right.

WHAT IS “OPTIMAL”? What is Optimal Fetal Positioning? Optimal fetal positioning is the act of manipulating a mother’s body through moveme...

Can you truly and fully support choice? Can you get behind someone’s ideals, rationale and beliefs 100%?

A pregnant woman, first baby, came to model Daily Essentials and The Three Sisters of Balance with us at a Spinning Babies® Workshop. She was in her fourth day of prodromal labor. Contractions without progress, yet also with little sleep. Bravely, she ventured to the workshop in the biggest city in Brazil. Calf stretches, squatting, Rebozo Manteado. After this gentle jiggling of her abdomen by the hammock of the Rebozo scarf, contractions became noticeable to our participants. She began to breathe with them. Then she decided she would try the Forward-Leaning Inversion as it came next in our morning curriculum…. “Pop!” As the gentle stretch from the weight of the inverted uterus lengthened the cervical ligaments, the ligaments unwound (hypothetically) and space was made and the head came quickly onto the cervix. The water released right at the workshop! This had never happened before! But then, how many models come four days into contracting at 40 weeks pregnant? She went quickly to the bathroom and my own assessment assured me the waters were clear. Off she went to her midwife! Contractions and dilation followed but not quickly. The next afternoon Jennifer Walker and I were well into our second workshop for Brazilian providers when the midwife’s colleague asked me for more help. The cervix remained at 9 cm dilated and baby remained at -1 station. Minus one? That’s unusual. We’ve described in earlier Provider emails the strategies and protocols of -3 or inlet, of a stall at -2, the misengagement, of 0 Station for either transverse arrest or asynclitism, or +2 for the locked sacrum and even the small outlet… but nothing for -1 Station. I just don’t hear of this particularity coming up. So what is it? Is the midwife’s admittedly subjective assessment measuring a 0 Station higher than the spines… after all I say -1 to +1, giving a centimeter either side of 0 Station just for such subjectivity? Or is the baby posterior and not flexed enough for 0 Station? But baby was palpated at Left Occiput Anterior. Is the midwife measuring low but baby is -2? Not likely if LOA. Maybe the baby is at -1 and the sacrum is not mobile. I haven’t heard of that, but each pelvis is unique after all. It’s just that -1 is typically the spacious area of the birth canal. I began with the protocol with -2 followed by the protocol for +2. Invert with Shake the Apples for the baby won’t come out without a jiggle solution but I stopped myself. This is an intellectual approach, a linear approach to an individual situation. Let’s clear assumptions and expectations. What does this woman need? I asked for her to have a clear room, a new field set for a fresh perspective. I had to consider the next level of technique; the report was they had been doing Spinning Babies Three Sisters of Balance regularly throughout the 27 some hours since her water broke. They also did side lunges. The mother scolded, "Don’t bring me anymore Spinning Babies! I want my baby!" She had done stretch techniques through Sidelying Release, she had fascia jiggle techniques with Rebozo Manteada on her abdomen and buttocks. Letting go of what fills my cup, I internally tuned to the mother. Immediately, I said, "Jiggle her tuberosity." I instructed to cup her sitz bone. Opposite the sore side if there was a sore side, if I had to pick. I just said, jiggle the tuberosity. Pads of the fingertips were on the edge of the sitz bone and the bone was gently jiggled. This is not a vigorous activity but just enough to put the bone in motion - typically, a gentle maneuver in a pregnant body. However, if the sacrum is locked beyond the motion usually activated by Sidelying Release, the jiggle may not be enough. I perceived in this case it was. No need for sacrotuberous ligament release (see blog). 3-4 minutes was the length of time to jiggle the ischial tuberosity. 30 minutes later, her first baby was born. The mother suddenly loved Spinning Babies! I was quite relieved to hear the news, as you might imagine! What was different? The ischium was set in movement from the bottom with a jiggle rather than a stretch. The passive stretch technique of Sidelying Release is usually enough, but rotation wasn’t the issue this time. The level of the pelvis is accessed through the fascia by jiggling since the local anatomy had already been addressed. Jiggle, stretch (though the weight of the uterus, leg, or other body part connected to the anatomy), then jiggle remotely. Balance top to bottom, side to side, and front to back. Balance is not only local but global. Happy Birthing! Enjoy this post? You also might like: The Sacrotuberous Ligament: The Key to Unlocking a Long and Difficult Labor Where OP Babies Get Stuck in Labor and What to Do Birth Detective: Why Didn’t My OP Baby Come Down? Part 2 of 3 Unraveling the Mystery of Non-Engagement Upcoming Workshops

WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT Rebecca Roher's 'Mom Body' comic for Guts Feminist Magazine studies the changes a close friend's body experienced during pregnancy.

I thought I'd share Nolan's birth announcement. Somebody said it was cheesy. Collin's response was "new dad=extra cheesy". I agree. :) We...

The majority of children born with a cleft lip or palate have no other birth defects, and can be successfully operated by plastic surgeons early on in life.

"I was told there would be glowing."

On March 24, Hilary Duff welcomed a new addition to her family, her daughter Mae James Bair. And now four months later, she shared her at-home water birth

If you are considering an elective induction or facing a medical induction with some wiggle room for negotiating a few more days before the induction is determined, it may be helpful to know your Bishop Score. Basically, the Bishop Score is a calculation of 5 components used to evaluate the cervix for readiness for induction.

Courtney Baker from Sanford, Florida, had her now 15-month-old daughter Emersyn Faith photographed as she mailed the letter to the doctor who diagnosed her with Down syndrome.

The Rebozo Manteada for pregnancy and labor comfort is discussed as regards of Spinning Babies® previous use and current stance.

The Waldrop family welcomed sextuplets to their family of five, and the babies just had their first photoshoot.

Let's face it--baby will come when baby wants to come! Sometimes though, we'd like to give them a gentle nudge. You may find yourself looking for natural ways to start labor... You should first know that babies born between 39 weeks and 40 weeks, six days have the best health outcomes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement that changed the definition of 'full term.' That being said, please don't try any of these natural ways to start labor until you're 39 weeks pregnant! Acupuncture (which is also said to help lower c-sections!) Acupressure Sex, because

How many cannons went off when YOU were born? That’s what I thought.

Positive birth affirmations for labor: FREE printable birth affirmations PDF, affirmations for dads, + hypnobirthing affirmations...