Support Each Other to Succeed: An Interview with Debbie Young
Debbie Young is the current President-Elect for the 2022-2023 ICEA board. Hailing from Colorado, she is certified as an ICCE, ICBD, ICPD, MSL, CLC, and a LCCE. Learn about her […]
Category: Blog
Listen As Much As Possible: An Interview With Emily Mason
Emily Mason is serving as the newest Director of Postpartum Education for ICEA. Located in Iowa, she became a Postpartum Doula in 2018. Learn more about her unique journey below! […]
Navigating the Transition to Parenthood
Beth Goss Certified Gottman Educator and Training Specialist Tenured Faculty, North Seattle College Sarah and Daniel were excited to become first time parents. They took all the birthing classes, had […]
Breastfeeding Information on the Internet
by Donna Walls, RN, BSN, IBCLC, ANLC Many, probably most new mothers are looking for information and answers to their concerns on the internet. The internet is often the first […]
Why Perinatal Oral Health is Important
Providing pregnant women with counseling to promote healthy oral health behaviors may reduce the transmission of bacteria from mothers to infants and young children, thereby delaying or preventing the onset of caries.
Why Perinatal Oral Health is Important
Shared by Susan Rollason, RDH, CDHC, Public Health Dental Hygienist Pregnancy is a unique period during a woman’s life and is characterized by complex physiological changes, which may adversely affect […]
The Family Counselor Program Certification: A Collaboration Between ICEA and the Healthy Children Project
This collaboration grew out of discussions over many years between Dr. Abla Al Alfy’s team, an Egyptian pediatrician with the Ministry of Health and Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, and the Healthy Children Project’s team.
Five Reasons Why You Should Use a TENS Unit During Labor
Using a TENS unit during labor offers a drug free option to pain relief. The word TENS is short for transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation which involves the use of low current electrical currents to treat pain.
Open Doors
It may take time to see the fruits of your labor, but when you do, it makes the work worth the effort. Look around. Do you see any open doors?
Maternal Early Warning Signs
As with maternal deaths, many cases of maternal morbidity can be avoided. How can we, as Childbirth Educators and Doulas, address this issue and provide the best care to clients and their families? The answer is two-fold: education and follow-up.
How did I get here? Are you Next?
I am the current ICEA Board Treasurer. It’s hard to believe but this is my fourth and final year in this role. It’s been a blast. That said, I was an unlikely candidate. When I started my first term, I had never been on a board, and I was a new ICCE. To quote one of my favorite songs, “How did I get here?”
ICEA in Kyrgyzstan
Cultural differences may seem to divide us, but the underlying care and concern for our families is one of those universal considerations that draws us together.
The “Missing Piece” Of Childbirth Education
Everyone has a unique microbiome. This is a microscopic ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms that live on and in us. The vast majority of these microorganisms are either harmless or actually beneficial to human health.
Nestle Into Your Nursing Nest
Building a nursing nest in the early-to-middle part of the third trimester can be a special ritual in preparing for baby and breastfeeding. The early preparation helps moms immensely, especially for those early days after baby’s arrival when babies typically nurse frequently and moms feel exhausted.
Reducing Fear in Expecting Families During COVID-19
Childbirth educators are in a unique position to help families reduce and manage fear because we are experts in the three E’s: Education, Empowerment, and Encouragement.
Two Beautiful Children’s Books To Use In Your Classroom
Both of the these books are a good resource in any childbirth educator’s library. The books could also be sent home with parents who are wanting to encourage an understanding to older siblings.
Teaching Safe Sleep
When it comes to safe sleep, it’s not enough to teach expectant parents the important concepts. Today’s parents must be able to address all the aspects of safe sleep with their own parents–and aunts and grandparents and any other older adult who may be caring for the baby.
Kansas Mom Saves Her Baby Using Count the Kicks
Count the Kicks, an evidence-based public health campaign, educates and empowers expectant parents to track their baby’s movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. Research shows a change in a baby’s movements could be the earliest, and sometimes only indication that something may be wrong with a pregnancy.
Making an Informed Decision on Vitamin K Prophylaxis
In 1961, the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending all newborns receive a vitamin K injection as part of routine newborn care. The recommendation was made after review of research which confirmed the administration of vitamin K as an effective preventative treatment for Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB).
Charitable Human Milk Donations to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa
Healthy, lactating women with surplus human milk have choices for it. They produce plenty of milk to feed their own infant(s) and have extra. They can donate it to a non-profit milk bank like the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa, donate or sell it peer-to-peer, donate or sell it to a for profit company, do a combination of these or discard it.
Two Important Lactation Care Questions Answered
Every corner of the world can face an emergency: wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, snowstorms, and the resulting disruptions to infrastructure — like unsafe drinking water — can impact our daily routines. Having a plan for how to care for your nursling during challenging times can help reduce everyone’s stress and keep your family healthy.
COVID-19 Education: Prevention and Symptom Recognition
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the care provided in childbirth centers across our nation. The question: “What are the chances of me getting infected with COVID-19 while I’m pregnant?” is a question that is brought up weekly in my virtual childbirth classes.
Eight Strategies for Breastfeeding During a Natural Disaster
Every corner of the world can face an emergency: wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, snowstorms, and the resulting disruptions to infrastructure — like unsafe drinking water — can impact our daily routines. Having a plan for how to care for your nursling during challenging times can help reduce everyone’s stress and keep your family healthy.
Breastfeeding and the Environment
Each year the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy (WABA) chooses a theme for World Breastfeeding Week celebrations around the world which is celebrated every year August 1-7. For 2020 the theme is “Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet.”