Support Midwives….NY midwives depend on it

    by Serena on 9/22/11 | 0 Comment(s)

    For many women, midwives are an important part of the birthing process but they aren’t always supported or even understood in our health care system. To help support midwives, raise awareness and raise funds for this cause, the NYC Chapter of American College of Nurse Midwives & Choices in Childbirth is holding the 9th Annual [...]

    Updated: LLLs in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn List

    by Karen on 9/08/11 | 0 Comment(s)

    Nursing isn’t easy for everyone. That became apparent to me when I attended my first La Leche League (LLL) meeting when I was 9 months pregnant. I’m so glad I got clued in by some very honest women in the group before I gave birth.  After my son Birch’s birth, I went back to a [...]

    Giving Birth: Who Takes Care of Your Older Child?

    by Serena on 7/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)

    Most of us don’t live near family, so what do you do when you give birth and have an older child at home that needs to be watched? I wondered that when we were faced with that question. I knew my MIL would not come down to help out in the middle of the night, [...]

    Which birth control now?

    by Karen on 7/04/11 | 2 Comment(s)

    My first visit to the OB/GYN after I gave birth was so anticlimatic. I wanted to talk about the labor and all its details, but my OB/GYN was only interested in asking “what are you going to use for birth control?” I had been out of the market for birth control for so long that [...]

    Healthcare for Uninsured: NY has options

    by Jimmy on 3/21/11 | 0 Comment(s)

    There are thousands of working, uninsured adults in New York. Some of them have families. Chances are good that you know someone in this category: the guy delivering your pad thai, a friend,  your nanny or maybe….you. Running around without insurance can be scary, especially if you get sick or have a major medical incident. [...]

    Moms Groups debut- working moms, toddler and new moms

    by Karen on 1/19/11 | 0 Comment(s)

    If you’re a mom in Brooklyn, chances are that you know about BabyBites Brooklyn and their seminars, lunches and workshops. People often think of the events as being only for new moms, but that’s not the case -they have potty training seminars, holiday parties…and now they are doing facilitated moms groups for 2nd time moms, [...]

    Tribeca Parenting has a full roster of classes now in Brooklyn

    by Karen on 1/04/11 | 1 Comment(s)

    When Realbirth closed this May, many of the educators and recently, Realbirth’s founder, moved over to a now 6-month-old group called Tribeca Parenting.  The collective move helped jumpstart Tribeca Parenting which has become a hub of parenting information.  With Erica Lyon, the renowned Childbirth educator, author and founder of Realbirth, as their Consulting Director, they [...]

    A doula and massage therapist: a fab combo

    by Karen on 11/17/10 | 1 Comment(s)

    It’s a rarity to find a doula who specializes in pre/postnatal massage, and really, why wouldn’t you want that combination? Imagine: you are in labor, getting massaged alternately by your doula and your labor partner- who has been taught by your doula how to massage you properly.  Ahhh…it’s beginning to sound like birthing might not [...]

    New study: peanuts and pregnancy

    by Karen on 11/09/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    When we found our that our second child, Willow, had a peanut allergy, I wondered “why?”: why did she get it and not my son? Why does my nephew have it and not his siblings? My theories have run from pesticides in the food I consumed while pregnant to my walnut allergy, but I didn’t [...]

    Help for new and expecting parents: and with a deal!

    by Karen on 8/19/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    I am really excited about one of our newest Directory Listings: Birth Day Presence. I’m excited because I’ve gotten to know them over the last 4 years while creating this blog and I think they are part of what makes the Brooklyn birthing community so special.  They care a lot about parents- and I’ve seen [...]

    Vitamin D: Why you and your kids need it NOW

    by Jill on 7/29/10 | 1 Comment(s)

    This morning at breakfast, I remembered that the kids and I hadn’t taken our vitamins since before vacation, a week ago.  Not really a big deal, though with all the press that vitamin D has gotten lately, I made sure the kids and I took ours today. What can happen if we don’t have enough [...]

    Questions about nursing? Join this group

    by Karen on 7/11/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    Do you have some questions about nursing? Breastfeeding circles or support groups are some of the best places to go to get them answered. There have been great reviews about the lactation consultant Andrea Syms-Brown, who leads a nursing support group at GUMBO in Boerum Hill. If you can’t make her group, there are other [...]

    Pregnant? New online network has resources for you

    by Karen on 6/23/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    I have always liked the Choices in Childbirth guide: Guide to a Healthy Birth. Sometimes it was hard to find, but I always treasured it as a real resource for childbirthing and all mom-related needs. I still have mine from 2006, dog-eared and highlighted. (They now have it available online). I guess I can throw [...]

    Tribeca Pediatrics announces Tribeca Parenting

    by Karen on 6/17/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    Back in May we wrote about one of our favorite parenting resources, Realbirth,, closing.  We got wind that a new entity called Tribeca Parenting was going to open up with some of the former Realbirth teachers. This week we got an email from Tribeca Pediatrics about the launch of Tribeca Parenting. Good luck and great [...]

    Winner! Stroller Strides classes + 1 free class for everyone!

    by Karen on 5/21/10 | 1 Comment(s)

    We have a winner! I picked the winner using random.org (a number generator) and the winner is….Sara! Hooray Sara- you won a free month of classes from Stroller Strides, the #1 Stroller exercise program in the country. You lucky duck- you’ll be back to flat abs in no time! Okay, if you’re bummed that you [...]

    Realbirth makes the news official

    by Karen on 5/17/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    We wrote about Realbirth closing almost 2 weeks ago. It was sad news for the devotees of the respected childbirth education center, but as we reported, there is some good news behind it. It seems a new entity is forming where a lot of the Realbirth instructors will be teaching. Today, Realbirth sent out an [...]

    RealBirth is closing

    by Karen on 5/04/10 | 5 Comment(s)

    I was totally surprised by the news I heard today that Realbirth, a respected New York resource for pregnancy, childbirth preparation and drop-in supportive activities, is closing. In the last year, they had paired with Tribeca Pediatrics in Williamsburg and Park Slope to bring their classes to Brooklyn. I tried to call Realbirth multiple times [...]

    Ban on liquids and solids in delivery room to be lifted?

    by Karen on 1/27/10 | 0 Comment(s)

    Were you told not to drink or eat during labor? And, did it make you want to scream: “give me that _____ now!” It was like running a marathon with no food or water. That might be changing in the delivery room.  A recent small study found that there weren’t any risks to consuming liquids [...]

    Cesarean Section rate for New York Hospitals

    by Karen on 12/07/09 | 1 Comment(s)

    Ever wonder what percentage rate your chosen hospital has for cesarean sections? I know I did. I was alarmed to find my hospital rate’s had gone up by 10% over 7 years! It seems that that trend is fairly common. The only two hospitals whose percentages have gone down are: Roosevelt Hospital (2.3%) in Manhattan [...]