Nest and Nurture,LLC

06/04/2026

Breast milk is digested quickly, which is why babies feed so frequently (it’s not because your supply is low).

Your breast milk is specifically designed for your baby and contains enzymes like amylase and lipase that aid in digestion. Breast milk is also absorbed better than formula due to its perfect composition. 

Babies are meant to feed frequently. It’s the way to guarantee lots of contact with their primary caregiver, which is beneficial for bonding, temperature regulation, and reducing stress! It also has a protective component, keeping them from going into too deep of a sleep (helping prevent SIDS).

Best of all, frequent breastfeeding helps baby gain a good amount of weight, and establishes and maintains a good milk supply.

06/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H56u5nDEC/

ACOG. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 766: Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth. Obstet Gynecol 2019;133(2):e164-e73.

https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2019/02000/acog_committee_opinion_no__766__approaches_to.44.aspx

05/14/2026

Want to know more about doulas? This month’s Resource Library article will discuss the doula research, explain how doulas can help during labor, answer common questions about their care, and, most importantly, offer tips on choosing the right one for you.

https://hencigoer.com/what-can-a-doula-do-for-you/?utm_source=Facebook

05/14/2026

One sentence.
And women carry the weight of it for years.

I’ve sat with mothers who believed their bodies were broken because labor slowed down.
Because dilation stalled.
Because they ended up with interventions they never planned for.

But here’s the part many women are never told:
Mammals do not labor well when they feel watched, unsafe, threatened, stressed, or afraid.

Think about that.

A woman can labor beautifully at home for hours, then suddenly “stop progressing” the moment she enters a bright room with strangers, questions, monitors, interruptions, pressure, timelines, and fear.

And yet we often blame her body.

Birth is hormonal.
Oxytocin, the hormone responsible for labor, thrives in safety, privacy, calmness, connection, and support.

Adrenaline can interrupt that process.

That doesn’t mean every stalled labor is caused by environment alone.

Sometimes intervention is needed.
Sometimes complications happen.
Sometimes babies need help being born safely.

But women deserve to know that birth is not simply a mechanical process where the body is either “good at it” or “bad at it.”

The environment matters.
The energy matters.
Support matters.
Fear matters.
How a woman is spoken to matters.

And maybe if we taught women this from the beginning, fewer mothers would walk away believing their bodies failed them when, in reality, their bodies may have been responding exactly the way human bodies were designed to respond under stress.

05/14/2026

The most dangerous thing a woman can do in pregnancy is blindly trust that everyone knows what’s best for her.

That sentence makes people uncomfortable.

Good. It should.

Because somewhere along the way, women were taught that asking questions in pregnancy means they’re “difficult.”
That researching is “going down rabbit holes.”
That advocating for themselves is being “noncompliant.”

Meanwhile, informed consent is supposed to be the foundation of maternity care.

Women deserve to know:
• WHY something is being recommended
• the risks and benefits
• alternatives
• what happens if they wait
• what happens if they decline
That’s not being rebellious.
That’s being informed.
And no, this doesn’t mean all doctors or hospitals are bad.

There are incredible providers who deeply respect women and practice evidence-based care.

But providers are human.
Hospitals have policies.
Fear of liability exists.
Convenience sometimes influences decisions.
And not every recommendation is automatically the only safe option.

Women deserve education, not intimidation.

Because a woman who understands her options is not harder to care for.
She’s empowered.

And birth outcomes are often better when women feel safe, respected, informed, and involved in decisions surrounding their own bodies.

The goal should never be blind obedience.
The goal should be collaborative care.
That conversation alone could change birth culture.

05/14/2026

A lot of women think they have a low pain tolerance until they give birth in an environment where they actually feel safe.

Read that again.

Because what many women call “I can’t handle pain” is often:
• fear
• tension
• lack of support
• being dismissed
• feeling out of control
• bright lights and constant interruptions
• people making them panic during contractions

Birth is physical, yes.
But it is also deeply mental and emotional.

A supported woman labors differently than a terrified woman.
And yet so many women go into labor more prepared for newborn photos than for understanding how fear affects the body.

When we’re afraid, the body tightens.
Breathing changes.
Stress hormones rise.
Pain intensifies.
That’s not weakness.
That’s physiology.

I’ve watched women who swore they “could never do unmedicated birth” labor calmly once they felt educated, supported, and safe.

And I’ve watched strong, confident women completely unravel after being ignored, pressured, or made fearful.

This is why support matters.
This is why environment matters.
This is why the way women are spoken to during labor matters.

Because birth is not simply about “how high your pain tolerance is.”

It’s about whether a woman feels safe enough to surrender to the process instead of fighting against fear the entire time.

05/14/2026

Continuous fetal monitoring is in every labour ward in the world. Most women assume they’re being recommended it, because it works.
The research tells a different story.
Four decades of randomised controlled trials. Same result every time. No reduction in baby deaths. No reduction in brain injury. But a consistent rise in caesarean rates.
That doesn’t mean CTG is wrong for everyone. It means you deserve to understand what it does - and doesn’t - do before you go into that room.
Ask the questionds to fully understand your options.
(Source: Cochrane Review, Alfirevic et al. 2017. Dublin Trial, MacDonald et al. 1985.)

05/14/2026

05/14/2026

My blog post today explores an important ethical principle that should underpin decisions in maternity care, but isn't often discussed.

The precautionary principle.

It once played an important role in health care, but its use seems to have been eroded as the culture of maternity care has changed.

In my blog post, I look at what the precautionary principle is, how it used to function, and what its erosion means for women, babies, and those who care for them.

Read it at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/whatever-happened-to-the-precautionary-principle/

05/13/2026

A review of the research reports that putting a little sugar water in an infant’s mouth, especially in combination with sucking on a pacifier, reduced pain during blood draws. As one of the reviewers put it: “Parents may be surprised to learn that something as simple as a few drops of sugar solution can make a real difference to their baby’s comfort during blood tests. This is a low-cost, safe intervention that works within minutes.” Unfortunately, though, the article notes that despite being recommended in multiple guidelines, this pain relief measure isn’t always used.

Henci comments: The pain relief benefits of suckling while tasting something sweet isn't new news. Forty years ago, my newborn needed a heel prick to test for jaundice. I knew back then to put her to the breast before they did the prick. She didn’t so much as twitch, let alone cry. Now that you know, you can insist on doing the same or request that sugar water and a pacifier to be given if a blood draw needs to be done.

https://bit.ly/4whXAjG