By Walker Karraa, MFA, MA In 2010, ACNM published a position paper supporting group prenatal care which states that “group prenatal care offers an evidence-based model of prenatal care that can improve health outcomes for childbearing women and their infants.” Combining prenatal care and childbirth education into one setting has garnered increased attention in recent years, adding to the growing literature on alternative models of prenatal care beyond the 2.0 model. For example, the Centering...

by Shannon K. Valenzuela, PhD, LCCE As we continue our series on mothering the mother of many, I want to dive right into the first challenge: finding “quiet time”. Quiet time gives moms a chance to step away from their myriad responsibilities and just be…alone. This is an opportunity for meditation or prayer, relaxation, gentle exercise – basically, for refilling the well. It’s important for moms to have a daily routine that incorporates quiet time, especially in the time just before and af...

by Shannon K. Valenzuela, PhD, LCCE I remember so clearly the moment when I realized that the usual script for self-care before and after birth wasn’t written for me any longer. I was in the last trimester of my fifth pregnancy – my first pregnancy under the wonderful and loving care of a group of nurse-midwives. My midwife and I were chatting about preparing for birth. Because I’d already had four babies, our conversation centered on mental preparation and the need to limit stress so that I ...