Pregnancy through the First Year

Resource Guide
Written By Mackenzie McNamara

RESOURCE GUIDE – Pregnancy through The First Year 

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Favorite Resources for Family Wellness

  • www.icpa4kids.org – resources, research on chiropractic care, articles on family wellness lifestyle, Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, and information about Webster Technique, and database to find Webster-certified, and advanced pediatric & perinatal certified doctors in your area. (ICPA = International Chiropractic Pediatric Association)

PREGNANCY, BIRTH, & POST-PARTUM

No-Push Birth / Birth Without Active Pushing

  • Fetal Ejection (Ferguson) Reflex – the culmination of all of your contractions à given proper position & time+space, your uterus itself can push the baby out (You didn’t think it’d leave you without help at the end of the journey, did you?). *Always follow your body’s innate wisdom and intuition, pushing, or not pushing, or any combination*

  • Birth Without Active Pushing (SOURCE) - This article discusses the anatomical and physiological explanation of the second stage of labor and "Birth Without Active Pushing." A few of my favorite parts:

"The back of the baby’s head contacts a nerve plexus at the front of the pelvis, where the bladder and urethra join (this is known in the feminist literature as the G-spot).This triggers the backward movement of the rhombus of Michaelis and the fanning open of the wings of the ilia, which makes more space in the pelvic cavity. Then the following actions occur (although these are written as a sequence, they tend to happen simultaneously):

  • The mother reaches upward to find a firm object to grasp

  • She allows her body to sag forward and knees to roll out

  • Her back arches and she begins to wriggle her lower body

  • The uterus contracts and forces the baby’s body down"

Love this quote from the introduction too: "their uteri were quite capable of managing by themselves"

  • More Resources - Natural Birth & Not Pushing

 

Great Local Home-Birth Midwives (CPMs) our practice members have loved working with:

  • Jennifer Konkol - http://www.peacefulbeginningsmidwife.com

  • Barbara Gremaud - https://www.sacredgardenmidwifery.com

  • Jen Jester - https://birthwisely.com

  • Julie Guttman

  • Allison Dougherty

 Other Local Practitioners & Resources:

“Home birth is not a trend, it is a return home.”
Mothers tapping into this depth of primal, sacred wisdom, only accessible in the portal of birth, hold the hope + consciousness for the future, literally (physically) and spiritually speaking. EVERY new life - the future of humanity- comes through one woman at a time. SHE + her birth experience MATTER infinitely more than we’ve been conditioned to believe. – Dr. Mackenzie

 

Intact Care, Circumcision

 

Breastfeeding & Lactation

Lip Tie / Tongue Tie Resources Does my baby need a lip or tongue-tie revision?

  • This requires a team-approach. Ideally you have a pediatric chiropractic and an IBCLC on your team.

  • Our practice members have seen stellar results from the care (revisions) provided at Newman Family Dentistry in Indianapolis, IN.

 

Milestones- https://pathways.org

 

Homeopathy

Baby-Wearing

Bumb-oh-no - Baby-Holders, Jumpers, etc - Developmentally these are better left on the shelves. Why? When babies’ bodies are neurologically and structurally ready to load their joints, they will begin exploring those movement & postures on their own. Basically, once they are ready and structurally sound/safe enough to be in a position (that a baby-holder/device would put them in), they’ll have no interest in it because they won’t want to be restrained while doing it. Floor time on the tummy and back are great ways to allow baby’s body and spinal and neurological system to develop as optimally as possible. Did you know baby lifting his/her head and looking around is what develops a healthy cervical curve, neck mobility, and joint health? And lifting their rear-end begins to develop a healthy lumbar curve? See your local pediatric chiropractor for neurological and structural support. We’re here to help!

  • Great blog post HERE.

Additional Resources

Mackenzie McNamara
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Holistic Health & Wellness