Disparities In The Quality of Pre-natal Care

I wanted to share with you all an interview that I came across while searching for a new topic to blog about. This is an interview OB/GYN Dr. Michael Lu. The excerpt that I am posting focuses on the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities as it pertains to prenatal care. It stresses how private insurance and medicaid does a disservice to women by voiding them of proper and essential childbirth education.

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/preconception-and-womens-healthcare-an-interview-with-dr-michael-lu-part-five/#comments

In the introduction of this 5th installment of Dr. Lu's interview there is a link directing you to the last four parts. They are just as insightful!

A really exciting progression!

I found a link while on twitter and thought it was amazing enough to share.

I am currently training to become a doula and childbirth educator and it is imperative to point out the benefit of having a doula involved in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.

This is really exciting!
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/11/21/area-advocates-for-safe-childbirth-applaud-recent-grants/

Please read and share!

Back To Vlogging

So I'm retrying this whole vlogging thing ;) Check out my intro please and stay tuned for more!

Coming to Terms With an Ever-Changing Body

I've always felt that a woman's femininity was partly tied to her body's appearance. I don't mean the in the way a woman dresses her body, but the way her body is shaped. It's what physically distinguishes a girl from a woman. In my mind.

I've always been slim and short. All of the women in my family (on both my mom and dad's side) were all "thick" women. Hips, thighs, butt, and breasts. All a testament of their womanhood. Physically. Being the slim and short girl that I was at the time caused me to long for the day where I'd finally fill out and resemble the women around me. So imagine the disappointment I felt when I realized that I may forever remain the same short (something that absolutely wouldn't change), skinny, now, woman without a curve to bare.

Things began to look promising for me during each postpartum period after my pregnancies. Slowly but surely I was "growing" into the ideal woman that I wanted to be physically.

Now let's fast-forward to the present!

My youngest child is 3 years old now. I stopped breastfeeding a few months after she turned 3.

Now that I'm no longer breastfeeding my breasts have become saggy and so much smaller.
They've always been small but definitely a lot perkier (sorry for the tmi lol).

While breastfeeding, they were about 2 cup sizes bigger and gave me this feel of confidence. Not because I wanted to be looked at. Rather because it represented femininity and womanhood. Yes, I know these things can be achieved without a bigger bust size, but again it does represent those things... To me.

While I've learned to love my body during it's many changes this is one change that I don't like and can't quite come to accept. I feel really self-conscious now because of it.

Are there any other moms who feel the same way?
How did you get over the feeling if so?