Category: Uncategorized
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A Very Brief Memoir: Insufficient Milk Supply and GERD
It was 2010 and I was deep in love with my first baby, a son we named Sam. I birthed him with no pain medication, and felt such a mountaintop high initially, but as I descended that mountain, things were not all that well. Things went awry in the hospital. At first latch, things were…
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A Very Brief Memoir: Lactating After Surrogacy
Recently I’ve been reflecting on my 4 postpartum experiences I’ve been through, and writing about breastfeeding in particular. After one of my births, I didn’t breastfeed, however. Instead, I expressed milk — by hand and with breast pumps. For 6 weeks. Why? The decision not to breastfeed the baby wasn’t my choice. He wasn’t my…
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2026 Update… what has been happening in my life personally the past 2 years
A couple of years ago, I was riding a new high as a doula. I had figured out how to be in network for TriCare (military insurance) as well as FL medicaid plans. I landed a position teaching childbirth education at Gentle Birth Center in Royal Palm Beach. I was busy and loving it. Then,…
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Who is the expert in your birth?
Recently, a Wall Street Journal opinion piece connected the comments of Anthony Fauci during the Covid-19 pandemic to the explosion of NASA’s Challenger in 1986. …, reminding us that the decisions made and advice offered by so-called experts should be taken with a grain of salt. Nature will have the final say. Famed physicist Richard…
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Book Review: This is Your Brain on Birth Control
Most of the books I review on the tremendoulas blog pertain specifically to the childbearing journey — getting pregnant, being pregnant, birthing, and postpartum. Today I will make a slight diversion into the territory of preventing pregnancy. WHY THIS BOOK This is Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the…
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Book Review: Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols
I was thrilled recently when a client shared with me her copy of Real Food For Pregnancy by Lily Nichols. Looking at its cover alone makes me salivate, and since I’m going through my 4th pregnancy at the moment, it feels a very opportune time to see what the latest evidence is on diet and…
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Book Review: Home Birth on Your Own Terms by Heather Baker
Today I’m sharing my thoughts about the book Home Birth on Your Own Terms: A How To Guide For Birthing Unassisted (2nd edition, 2019) by Heather Baker, and I am so excited to be writing this review! The book is catered to parents who would like to have an unassisted childbirth — meaning with no…
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Gratitude Journaling for Maternal Mental Health
The following is adapted from a blog piece that was originally published November 27, 2015, on PlacentaPalmBeach.com, a collaboration between myself and a local colleague, Cher Kay. Women are often attracted to having their placentas encapsulated after hearing testimonies of women who seem to have prevented postpartum mood and anxiety disorders with the consumption of…
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Could placentophagy help prevent breast cancer?
The following blog piece was originally published October 30, 2015 on PlacentaPalmBeach.com, a collaboration between myself and a local colleague, Cher Kay. By Christine Frackelton In 1954, some researchers had the insight to run an experiment trying to increase the milk supply of women with hypogalactia (insufficient milk supply). Although the study did not meet standards…
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Suicide Prevention in the Childbearing and Postpartum Years
The following blog piece was originally published September 12, 2015 on PlacentaPalmBeach.com, a collaboration between myself and local colleague, Cher Kay. By Christine Frackelton Today is the culmination of a National Suicide Prevention Week, and though the awareness topic is a regrettable one, I am thrilledto share what progress I have noticed in the time since…
Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, West Palm Beach, FL 