This guest article was provided by Emily Graham of MightyMoms.net. Photo via Pexels
 
When you have kids, pretty much everything in your life changes. One area that many people might assume doesn’t change much is driving. However, new parents often find themselves worried about both the danger and the cost that comes with relying on a car for their family’s transport. Luckily, there are things you can do to address both.
 
Buy the Car You Need
 
Parenthood can send a lot of people into a car-driving frenzy, opting for models that are bigger and more expensive than what they really need. Time to be a smart shopper; stick to an affordable model that covers your basic requirements. According to Kelley Blue Book, some of the best affordable family cars include the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek and the 2022 Honda HR-V.
 
Review Your Car Insurance
 
See if you can save money on your car insurance. For example, if you are buying a second car (or already have one), you could get a multi-car discount, as long as all the cars on the policy are passenger vehicles garaged in the same household, with at least liability coverage. You can also bundle your auto and home insurance.
 
Go Hands-Free
 
A sobering 14 percent of all fatal car accidents in the U.S. involve the use of a mobile phone. If you are still guilty of the occasional peek at a text or work email, it’s time to eliminate this habit for your family’s safety. While smartphones obviously need to be hands-free while driving, they can also be a great navigational tool. That’s why a car charger is not only just what you need to keep from running out of juice before you reach your destination, but it’s also a great way to keep your hands off that phone and on the steering wheel.
 
Get a Convertible Car Seat
 
Convertible car seats involve a higher upfront cost than infant seats, and they are bulkier. However, they are cheaper in the long run, as you only ever have to buy one seat. Babylist has several recommendations for the best convertible car seats on the market, including a great budget option for $134.99. Remember: You should never buy car seats second-hand, and do not reuse car seats older than five years if you have more children.
 
Know What Maintenance Your Car Actually Needs
 
According to Reader’s Digest, there are several maintenance “rules” that are actually quite outdated. Most modern cars, for instance, don’t require regular tune-ups or lube jobs. You should, however, change the brake fluid every four or five years and get foggy headlights fixed professionally. Additionally, always read your manual; knowing your specific car’s needs will ensure you maintain it safely without wasting money.
 
Have a Winter Emergency Kit
 
If you don’t have a winter car emergency kit yet, now is the time to get one. This doesn’t have to be expensive. The priciest thing is a pair of jumper cables (under $30 at retailers such as Autozone) or some extra oil and antifreeze. The rest—food, blankets and extra clothes—can be brought in from home. Should you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your emergency kit, it’s important to remain calm. You can use deep breathing techniques to help you remain calm and clear headed. This will help you respond appropriately in emergency situations.
 
Not only is it necessary to protect your family from the elements, it’s a good idea to do the same for your vehicle by parking it in a garage. If you do not have one, now is a good time to consider building one. Not only does a garage help your auto avoid damage from weather and other things such as falling limbs, it’s one of the most attractive amenities of a home when it comes time to sell. 
 
Parents worry about two things all the time: their children’s safety and how expensive having children is. Don’t let your car be yet another source of these anxieties. Driver safety doesn’t have to be expensive, and saving money on your car should never compromise your family’s safety. As long as you keep these two things in mind, you will be able to maximize driving safety while minimizing driving costs.
 
Serenity Birth is South Bay's Pregnancy & Birth Concierge offering a holistic approach to pregnancy & birth. Patricia is an Experienced and Certified Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Prenatal Yoga Instructor in Los Angeles.
 
For more information, please visit our website or contact us today!
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As a birth doula and pregnancy yoga teacher, I know pregnant women have a boatload of questions as their due date approaches. Hopefully, you had a chance to  ask these questions BEFORE even choosing your doctor. So often, mamas fail to plan ahead and get their questions asked until they're huffing and puffing in labor. And trust me. This is NOT the best time.

To help out pregnant readers, I've prepared a list of the questions I believe it's in your best interest to get answered well in advance of when labor ensues. Knowing the answers to these questions will prevent disappointment, frustration, and unmet expectations. So print out this list, take it to your next doctor's appointment, and make sure you feel comfortable with the answers you get.
After all, it's your body, your baby, your health, and you deserve to receive the kind of care you desire.

Top Questions To Ask Your Doctor
1.     Will you be the one delivering my baby?
2.     What's your C-section rate compared to your hospital's average?
3.     If I don't go into labor on my own, how long will you let me stay pregnant before inducing my labor?
4.     If I think I'm in labor or my water bag breaks, should I call you or just come to the hospital?
5.     How many people can I bring with me to the hospital?
6.     If I want to walk around, eat, or take a shower during labor, will I be allowed?
7.     Does your hospital limit how late in labor you can get an epidural?
8.     Do you routinely cut episiotomies?
9.     If necessary, do you prefer using forceps or a vacuum?  How long will you let me push before breaking out the forceps or vacuum or proceeding to C-section?
10. If my baby has any unexpected complications, will the baby be kept with me at the hospital or transferred somewhere else?
11. What is your cesarean rate? What factors do you believe contribute to that rate? What is your VBAC rate? What are your standard protocols for VBAC mothers?
12. Will I be able to choose the position in which I will push and give birth such as, side-lying, all fours or squatting?

Other questions you might want to ask, depending on the kind of delivery you desire, include:

1.     How do you feel about professional labor support such as a doula or massage therapist joining my birth team?
2.     Are midwives available at your hospital, and would you mind partnering with one if I choose to work with one?
3.     Are you supportive of natural childbirth?
4.     Will a lactation consultant be available to help me with breastfeeding?
5.     If I require a Cesarean, will you do a double-layer suture?

Knowing the strengths, limitations, and opinions of your doctor will help you avoid conflict when you've got other, more important things to worry about - like delivering a baby. To learn more about evidence-based childbirth education and a more wholistic approach to labor and deliver, contact me for a private class or learn about my semi-private group sessions. Remember, if you do not know your choices, then you do not have none.

Knowledge is power.  Empowering you to take your childbirth into your own hands.

Benefits of Yoga for Preconception & Fertility
 
Constant stress can negatively affect our health and wellbeing.  For a woman, the consequences of having cortisol and adrenaline constantly pumping through her body impacts her viability to conceive.  These ‘fight or flight’ hormones, in excess, compromise the ability to get and stay pregnant.  Think of it this way, if you are constantly running from the imaginary Saber-tooth tiger your body has the instinct to survive and stay alive.   In the presence of stress, it is as if your hormones as saying, “Quick, close and secure the doors to the precious ovaries.  It is NOT safe to release an egg here.”  Make sense? 
 
Unfortunately, stress is a part of everyday life.  Thus, a woman (and men for that matter) would greatly benefit from the practice of  Yoga.  Yin classes like Prenatal and Restorative Yoga brings a fresh supply of oxygen to the body and also calms the mind to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.  Yoga also allows the mind and body a chance to recover from being overloaded by the ‘flight or flight’ mode and thus enhance the hormones of fertility and conception as well as maintain a healthy pregnancy.
 
For women preparing to conceive and wish to practice yoga to assist in their fertility efforts, can seek classes in Restorative, Yin, Iyengar and gentle Hatha yoga.
 
By no means do we suggest doing yoga is the one and only tool to assist with fertility, but rather it can be used effectively in concert with other modalities such as acupuncture, herbs, proper nutrition, and sometimes the assistance of fertility medical treatments.  No matter your journey through conception, the benefits of yoga are countless.
 
Although there's no research showing a direct link between yoga and fertility, some studies have found that yoga does have benefits for those who are trying to conceive. Yoga relieves stress, which can negatively impact your ability to get pregnant. Some experts also believe that specific poses can help promote baby-making by increasing blood flow to your pelvis, stimulating hormone-producing glands, and releasing muscle tension.

A compelling study by Alice Domar, PhD, of Harvard Medical School at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital supports this notion of increasing fertility by reducing stress. In 2000, Domar conducted the study on a control group and found that 55 per cent of infertile patients were able to conceive and later give birth within one year of participating in her 10-session program, which included introduction to yoga and meditation, along with other relaxation techniques and acupuncture. In a control group, just 20 per cent of participants were able to have babies. Domar later opened the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health.

Here is a list of a few poses, which are beneficial for fertility:
 
1) Upavistha Konasana and Parsva Upavistha Konasana – Improves circulation to your pelvis, regulates menstrual flow and stimulates the ovaries.
 
2) Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)* – Regulates emotional stability and balances the hormones.
 
3) Viparita Karani – This pose calms the nervous system, brings blood flow to the abdomen and balances the endocrine system.
 
4) Baddha Konasana – Brings blood flow to the ovaries and alleviates heaviness in the abdomen.
 
5) Bhujangasana (Cobra)* – This is an important asana that strengthens your back muscles while stimulating hormone production in the uterus. Lie on your stomach. Later, lift your upper body portion by putting your weight on your hands. Raise the upper body and look up.
 
6) Janu Sirsasana (one-legged forward fold) – Janu Shirasana is useful during pregnancy as it will strengthen your lower back muscles. When properly executed, this yoga pose is very relaxing and releases tension from the lower back. It effectively stretches the calves and the hamstrings, making them very supple. 
 
7) Adho Mandukasana (Frog)* - The benefits include an increased openness in your hips and reproductive area, not to mention much-needed grounding and centering. Frog pose is a fertility tune-up. Stay in this one for a while and breathe through your nose. Focus at a spot in between your thumbs and just breathe.
 
8) Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (supported bridge)* - This is a tough yogic pose. This asana requires you to lift your pelvic region up while keeping your buttock muscles firm. When the pelvic area is thrust upwards, both the energy and blood flow get circulated to the uterus and ovaries. 9) Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold)* - stimulates the ovaries and uterus. The forward bend stretches the muscles at the lower back, hips and hamstrings.
 
10) Uttanasana (standing forward fold)* - Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression. Stimulates the liver and kidneys. Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips. Strengthens the thighs and knees. Improves digestion. Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause. Reduces fatigue and anxiety. Relieves headache and insomnia.
 
11.) Utkata Konasana (Goddess pose) and Malasana Squat - is a very empowering pose. It is essential for your fertility yoga practice, as it stimulates the reproductive areas by increasing the energetic flow (chi) to your hips and pelvis. It makes you proud to be a woman.
 
12) Savasana – Corpse pose relieves anxiety and nervous tension. It can calm the nervous system allowing the body to move into rest and digest mode, which encourages an internal environment for conception.

Pranayama: Bhramari Pranayama (Bee breath): The Bee breath instantly relieves the body of tension, anger and anxiety. The chances of conception are better with a more relaxed body and mind.
 
Note: While some of the poses are considered great Restorative poses, the poses marked with an asterisk (*) should not be done in pregnancy. Some poses can be done with props and support.

For private yoga for Fertility sessions please contact me Patricia@serenitybirth.com. To learn more about how to improve your own fertility or for yoga teachers, sign up for the Preconception/InFertility Module at Beach Cities Yoga schedule for April 2020.

Module 3: Preconception/Infertility (8 hours) $275Saturday 4/4 12-8 (8 hours) 

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My friend, Maysa, and fellow Yoga teacher shares her inspiring birth story with me. A little background, Maysa is a doctor and also just completed her prenatal yoga teacher training, the Khalsa Way, through Gurmukh. I also went through that training, based on Kundalini Yoga, many years ago. Thus you will hear Maysa describe some aspects of birth with medical terms and also with a very spiritual lens.  Grab your latte' or tea and sit back. Here it goes!
<Story and photos posted with Maysa's permission. >
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Maysa’s Home Waterbirth Story – Baby Girl, Jasmine, weighed 7lbs. 11 oz. Jasmine was born on November 15, 2020, a little after the sunrise.

"How do you begin to describe the ineffable, most defining moment of your life, the most powerful natural high of labor and motherhood? It feels as though it happened yesterday but I've been slow to put words to this beautiful experience, knowing they could never do true justice.

Our state's window for a midwife-assisted home birth (42 weeks) was fast approaching. We had been coaxing Jasmine to join us earth-side for a few days, when like clockwork, at midnight November 15th she began her exit/entrance exactly as we had rehearsed... right into full-on, in-your-face active labor. My entire pregnancy, since her conception, we have had a dialogue. Her birth was no exception. She delivered perfectly on her big debut, our first dance. I had rehearsed with her the motions she would go through. "Head down, chin tucked, corkscrew, crown and out!" I made my request for a "quick" home birth in the birth pool.

When the time came it was game on. We worked each contraction, making the most of each intense moment and like Savasana between postures in a Bikram hot yoga class, found stillness and surrender between the rapid fire waves of sensation. My partner prepared the pool as my doula applied counter pressure and third eye rubs to help me relax. "Allow the contraction do its work," she said. "Allow the pressure to become part of you." In the bathroom I willingly did some toilet laboring knowing this, though extra uncomfortable, would speed the labor. Cat/cow in the warmth of the bathtub sent waves of shivers from pure endorphins through my body. I took the cue to shake and shimmy, putting my prenatal belly dancing to use. Eventually the porcelain tub became painful on the knees and it was time to move to the birth pool in the library. Jeffrey supported my walk there.

Finally fully submerged in warm water and soft surfaces I felt more comfortable. My midwife arrived shortly after. I examined myself thinking I was complete and found myself with an anterior cervical lip and zero station. "OOOOOPEN," I told my cervix. With each contraction, using sound, my mind and pressure from my fingers to help her relax open.

So I'm on my back in the birth pool, my fingers on the 12 o'clock position of my anterior cervical lip, the last bit of cervix that remains before I can push. I'm applying cervical acupressure through the contractions to speed dilation. It's making it more painful in the short term, the most powerful of my contractions thus far. Having delivered my fair share of babies during residency, I was no newb to the wiles of the anterior lip, often the last, most resistant bit of cervix. What was unique was being the one to diagnose it and the only person to examine my cervix during my entire labor. So there I am praying to the "Lord," all kind and benevolent sentient beings, Angels, my spirit guides, all women across all time, my ancestors and my cervix, for help. "Oh Lord, help me Lord" kept escaping from my lips. I am asking Jasmine and myself to remember all the past lives that we've been born and birthed. I'm calling on that knowing to help me deliver here and now. At some point I looked at my partner Jeffrey and I say, point blank "Get in the tub." I know exactly what I need in every moment. We held eyes for a contraction. He later described it as very, very intense. Holding eyes for that contraction was as though we had held eyes for a thousand of them, present, past and future. Like any psychedelic trip, time has very little meaning here, but at some point I sensed it was the hour of my morning Sadhana: me and baby's daily morning practice. Starting at 5am for the last few months I had been doing this sequence of meditations, movements, and chanted prayers. We started with Japji, the prayer that guru Singh of the Sikh tradition sang upon waking from a meditative state in a river. He was thought to be dead. After 3 days he awoke singing this prayer. The soundtrack continued...Triple Mantra, Adi Shakti, Ek Ong Kar Sat Guru Prasad, Puta Mata Ki Assis, Kirtan Kriya, and finally Long Time Sun. Unbelievable to all I began singing these mantras in labor. They summed up all my prayers baby: for her protection and health, for her ultimate liberation, and for the miracle of birth to occur. So I left my body and sang...
 
Between squatting contractions, I would collapse backward into Jeffrey's arms and take respite in a brief Savasana. I would quickly feel another begin to build, grabbed my Rebozo, which was hanging from a thick bamboo shaft propped between two speaker stands, and Jeffrey would give me a shove up into squat. In this final hour my body entered these alternate states of consciousness to do the sheer work of pushing. Baby girl would come down with each push, then slide back up, slowly stretching the birth canal. That went on for some time. Jeffrey told me there were lots of contractions I swore were then last one. "She's coming on this one, here she comes!" I am an optimist, even in labor it seems. I stood up, waist just above the water, and suddenly a gush of water. “My water bag broke!” I had imagined Jasmine being born with a bag around her but she had other plans.
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Then everything sped up even more and the time between contractions was no longer pain free. The pressure was now persistent during what used to be my interval of rest! "She's in the pelvis and trying to go under your pubic bone." This was like the video my midwife Sally sent me, though I never watched, showing a woman's pelvis and tailbone change shape during labor. I could feel it all. "The pressure is persisting in my back between contractions!" In that moment and with every final push I understood why a woman might accept and epidural or have only one child. No judgement reigned supreme. I applied perennial pressure and urethral pressure praying my parts would stay intact. I felt like I was tearing in two from the inside out. "Accept the pressure as part of you, allow the contraction to do its work" I heard my doula Melanie say as I breathed into the contraction, visualizing my entire pelvis expanding open. I exhaled release. The uterine squeeze is the strongest muscular contraction of the human body and I was feeling it in full effect. On my back in happy baby there came a moment, gripping my hamstrings tucking my chin, when I knew the end was near. "RING OF FIIIIIRE!!!" I yelled. Her beautiful round head, in it's full, glorious circumference was making it's final exit from my bodily orifice. At this point the fire, or "burn," is real. Now between contractions she did not slide back up the canal. Her head sat there, stretching me open.

"RING OOOF FIIIIIIRE!" and then out of me darts a scream so high and shrill, my vocal cords remember it for days. "Can you bring the sound down into your pelvis? How about some horse lips?" Sally gently reminds me. I let out some more earthy groans, moans and roars, as the lioness regains composure. I begin blowing air between my lips like a blubbering horse (or, blowing raspberries), to slow things down...I feel her near. I brace my bits for the next contraction and with it, blurring the lines between labor and sex, I yell a resounding "She's COOOOOOMIIIIIIIING!" And with that almighty push her head overcomes my final orifice and I feel...instant relief! "Feel her head" says Sally. I am calm and relaxed. Pain and pressure free, I feel her head floating outside of me in the pool. "Sooo much hair!" I exclaim. My voice is of pure, airy wonder like I'm tripping on mushrooms for the first time. I'm laughing and joyfully delirious. I expected I would be bleary eyed, crying with joy and happiness like I am now, recounting this magic, but that moment the feeling is confident, calm, composed. We rejoice. I feel like the hardest part is over. I inhale and exhale relief. I expand into this long, well deserved break. The final contraction begins to build. "Now it's time to get her shoulders out." I know what I have to do. At the peak of the next contraction, I push my hardest and press my feet against the tub. My knees buckle inward and out she shoots into the pool! My midwife holds her below the surface for us to take everything in. For the first time we see her, still in her habitat of the last 10 months...she is a tranquil marine mammal. We stare at her beautiful, face studying us from under water. Her eyes are WIDE open. She is completely still and is the most peaceful, pure creature I have ever beheld. We give her a few more moments in aqueous home before pulling her to surface. She is quiet & calm in her new atmosphere. Breathing in silent contemplation we behold one another. Finally meeting after 10 moon cycles of bonding on the inside and just under 7 hours of labor, I bring her to my chest, earth-side, and hold my new born daughter. My life is forever changed. And like that, I am Mother."

Credits:
Sally Acosta, Midwife https://www.letitbemidwifery.com
​Melanie Schatz, Birth Doula https://www.nolanesting.com
Photo credits belongs to different members of the birth team whom were present.
See video on how to do 'horse lips' or blowing raspberries, as Ina May Gaskin calls it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ikBlo95IY
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The Cesarean rate in the United States was last report at 32% according to the last report (2017) from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC). The new report is not out yet and I hope the rate might have dropped a bit as more and more women are getting educated about their choices with childbirth. We see more women are hiring birth doulas; attending yoga classes; attending childbirth prep classes; and in general taking a bit more control over their choices. 

I am delighted by ACOG's latest Practice Bulletin 205, published February 2019. This report modifies the treatment of women with prior Cesareans and offers VBAC and TOLACS are possible routes for delivery.
ACOG's overview statement says, "It was once thought that if a woman had one cesarean delivery, all future babies should be born that way. Today, we know that many women can undergo a trial of labor after a cesarean delivery (TOLAC), and many will be able to give birth through the vagina—called a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC). It is important to understand the risks and benefits when deciding to attempt a VBAC. Ob-gyns, physicians whose primary responsibility is women’s health, are best suited to help a woman determine if a VBAC is the right choice for her."

I strongly believe that the support of VBACs and​ TOLACs can further reduce the Cesarean rate in America and also increase a new mom's overall satisfaction with her birth experience.