I believe there's something profound happening in labor beyond the physical. God has designed this process not only to bring forth new life but also to prepare us for the sacrificial nature of parenting itself. In labor, we lay down our own comfort and ease to bring forth our child. This is agape love—Christ-like, sacrificial love. And this laying down of self is very much a part of mothering and parenting in general. It is a sanctifying process through which we learn so much

A common misconception involves what drives labor progress. Many people believe that if a laboring mother becomes exhausted, her labor will stall or fail to progress. This misunderstanding can create unnecessary anxiety and even lead to premature interventions. The truth is that labor does not progress by maternal energy or willpower. It is driven by an internal force of the uterus working in combination with fetal positioning. Labor is not a voluntary process that you can so

In the age of instant information, it's easy for expectant parents to become overwhelmed by stories, statistics, and well-meaning advice about birth. One area where I see significant misunderstanding is around cesarean section and when it becomes necessary. Today, I want to address some common misconceptions and offer a perspective grounded in both medical reality and faith. What Cesarean Section Really Is There's a fundamental misunderstanding many people have about C-sectio

There's so much to birth that we need to be in awe of. In our modern world, birth has become something treated lightly—just another physical phenomenon, a medical event to be managed and controlled. But what if we're missing something profound? What if birth is actually one of the most magnificent privileges we could ever experience? More Than a Physical Process When a woman carries a child, she's participating in something that transcends the merely physical. God is knitting

The Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Act passed the House unanimously by voice vote on November 17, 2025, requiring the TSA to provide clearer guidelines, better training, and improved communication for screening breast milk, formula, and feeding gear to prevent contamination and mishandling, ultimately becoming law in early December 2025 to make air travel easier for parents. Key Provisions of the BABES Enhancement Act: Clearer Guidelines: Di

Introduction Natural birth, or unmedicated childbirth, represents a profound and intricate biological process. For this reason, it will also be referred to as physiologic birth in this article. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) formally defines physiologic birth as "spontaneous labor and birth at term without the use of pharmacologic and/or mechanical interventions for labor stimulation or pain management throughout labor and birth". 1 This defi

By Marie Farver RN, IBCLC October 28, 2025 Hey mama! If you're like most new parents, you've probably worried at some point about whether you're making enough milk. Don't worry, that's totally normal! With so much information (and misinformation!) out there, it’s easy to get confused. But guess what? Making breast milk is a beautifully simple, demand-and-supply system, and once you understand the amazing Breast Milk Feedback Cycle , you’ll feel so much more confident! Forget

Marie Farver RN, IBCLC 10.28.2025 ABSTRACT New parents commonly deal with concerns about milk supply. Having effective education regarding this issue will help allay concerns, and set parents on better footing for breastfeeding their newborn. Marketing strategies often take advantage of these fears to sell products with unproven claims to increase milk supply. Having an effective tool to educate parents may protect them from falling prey to such false advertising. The Breast

Marie Farver, RN, IBCLC 10.27.2025 Abstract Lanolin has long been recommended as a standard treatment for nipple soreness in breastfeeding mothers, yet recent evidence questions both its efficacy and safety. This review synthesizes current research examining lanolin's effectiveness in alleviating nipple pain and its association with increased infection rates, while exploring coconut oil as a superior alternative. A comprehensive analysis of systematic reviews, randomized cont

By Marie Farver Updated October 2025 Introduction Preeclampsia remains a significant threat to maternal and fetal health worldwide, affecting 1-8% of pregnancies and causing approximately 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths annually (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2021). In California, preeclampsia and eclampsia together constitute the second leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Since delivery remains the only curative treatment for preeclampsia, identifying

Birth is a competently designed physiologic function of a competently designed woman's body. It is not inherently dangerous. It is not...

Executive Summary Pharmacological interventions for pain relief and labor augmentation, such as epidural analgesia and opioid analgesics,...

A Case for Patient - Centered Care Grounded in Current Research For decades, the immediate response to spontaneous rupture of...

The takeaway: trust babies, support parents

The human body’s intricate design poses significant challenges to the theory of Darwinian evolution.

Michel Odent, a French obstetrician, is a pivotal figure in the natural birth movement. His work at the Pithiviers hospital in France...

Navigating the world of baby feeding is more than just a necessity; it’s an exciting adventure. As parents, we naturally want our little...

Birth is a competent physiologic function built into a woman's body.

Before reading this prayer, I will share some information about Matthew Henry that will make it all the more weighty for you. He writes...

Being in labor can be like being in a storm raging about you. You are experiencing powerful forces of nature that are not in your...