I yawned and stretched. I’d gone to bed too late the night before – thirsty to soak up every last drop of time I could with my daughter and my granddaughters – but I’d still managed to rise early enough to start out on my twenty-two hour drive at a decent time. My girls were yet asleep,[…]
Brenton Moses Woodard Named in honor of his late grandpa, Brent Woodard Weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and measuring 20.25 inches long Born to Paul and Megan Woodard 9:53 Tuesday evening, August 22nd, 2017 Paul intended to catch his son himself, but Brent decided to plunge into life with his feet first and his[…]
Women in American society seem more and more to be suffering a myriad distressing symptoms that markedly disrupt their ability to enjoy their lives. These symptoms range from exhaustion to difficulty controlling weight, from errant hormones to clouded comprehension and concentration, from moods askew to impaired immunity to aching, sub-functioning bodies. Too often, once a[…]
Tomorrow is my granddaughter’s first birthday! In celebration, I’ve decided to re-post the story of her birth! We: Hannah, Jesse, Sarah (friend and photographer), Heather (friend and midwifery apprentice), and Kim (friend and mom and grandmom and midwife) have made a collective attempt to tell the tale of little Evangeline’s birth on Monday, November 9th, 2015, from[…]
As tomorrow, 10/13/2015, marks what would’ve been my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with Brent Woodard, my first husband and the father of my two children, I thought it would be appropriate (and fun!)(Brent was so much fun!) to honor his memory by telling a bit about him and our two homebirths. Brent and I had a[…]
My first week in Michigan this summer I was blessed with the privilege of attending three births with my daughter, Hannah! The first of those births I also attended with Sarah Donahue, a client, a friend, and now, thanks to my son’s recent wedding, family. I had to include both photographs here since we couldn’t get the babies[…]
Once upon a time, on a snowy winter’s evening, I met Josie Lane Hiday. Little Josie was hidden away, safe and snug and deep within the love of her mother and her father, Lillian and Alex. On that magical January night, Josie’s presence was scarcely discernible – her tiny heart pattered only faintly in our[…]
I was going to write a little more about Rose and Ned this week, but after finding myself in a conversation that left me troubled and thinking – and, actually, finding it the mirror of a previous conversation that left me troubled and thinking, I decided to write about something else instead. I’ve decided this[…]
This article is from my book, Nourish & Thrive: Happy, Healthy Childbearing. A sentiment expressed in the 2004 documentary, “What Babies Want” moved me to tears. It’s the idea that even babies need our love and our respect, that babies aren’t only conscious participants in their births, they’re more acutely conscious through and around the time of[…]
So, after months of anticipation, nine weeks with my children and new grandbaby happened and have come to a close. I drove everyone to the airport yesterday morning, then surprised myself by crying brokenheartedly all the way home, and nearly all the rest of the day. But, with a little help from Steven (thank you,[…]