Babies!

I LOVE newborns. Not only are they simply amazing with all of their special reflexes but, they are also very cute!
This is a really fun photo series of some brand new babies by photographer Thierry Boutet. (Via A Cup of Jo.)

Women on the Border

I've know a few midwives who have spent time at the Holy Family Birth Center in Texas. From what I've heard it's a pretty amazing but grueling experience. Someday, I would love to have the opportunity to spend some time with these midwives, mothers and babies.

Weslaco, Texas is located on the boarder of Mexico and Texas and serves a large population of undocumented immigrants. This is their mission statement:

The mission of the service is to provide maternal and infant care within the context of the family. Services shall be rendered in a God-centered atmosphere of compassion. Every individual, as God's creation, has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations. The individual has the right to self-determination, to adequate information, and to achieve participation in all aspects of care.

A friend recently passed on to me a wonderful photo essay by S. Smith Patrick of this birthing community. Please take a look at these photos and read about more about the Holy Family Birth Center.

Moms in the news

It's usually pretty nice to see all the attention that pregnant celebrities are getting...
I thought that M.I.A. was particularly noteworthy, as of late.

And then there is this grand multip mom. I have to admit, I think this whole thing is pretty creepy. I'm all for the wonders of fertility technology but, it makes me think about litters of kittens and tadpoles.
**Update: this is probably one of THE scariest pregnancy photos ever. Proceed at your own risk.

Femme Fatale

Have you ever experienced this? (article from today's New York Times article about how terrible women are to each other in the work place?)

I have.

"If we really want to clear one of the last remaining hurdles to gender parity and career success, let’s start treating one another not worse or better, but simply as well as we already treat the guys — or better yet, the way we want our nieces, daughters, granddaughters and sisters to be treated."

Visual

Time in California, with the Ginko trees and sunshine provided a nice break from the New York tempo of things and a bit of time away to gain some perspective and inspiration.
I saw one of these Justine Kurland photos in an art book I was browsing through and remember a New York Times article form a couple of years ago and the images that so stirred me.

Much in my midwifery journey has been done fairly quickly in the past year, I think I overwhelmed my self a little bit. Just as in labor, patience and time are necessary and valuable components of any journey. Being too impatient can often lead to rushed conclusions or exhaustion. In attempting to take a step back, I've decided to go back to the very beginning- the images that I studied in Art History: images of pregnancy and nurturing, women in their domestic spaces, virgins and saints.

Sweet treats

2 sweet links for you all:
This portrait (from Soule Mama)
and these stamps!
Voila!

FRONT PAGE NEWS!!!

Check it out! Home birth makes front page New York Times (well, on line at any rate). Several awesome members of the New York Birthing community are featured. Yes!
Read the article here and accompanying slide show here.