GBS is a colonization of bacteria that lives in up to one-third of pregnant people’s intestinal tracts, and can be completely normal and without any impact on the pregnant person at all. However, if pregnant, this group of bacteria can have some pretty serious complications for baby.

The 5-5-5 Postpartum rule is a guideline to follow during the postpartum period, which can help new birthing parents take care of themselves in a way that allows their body to heal while promoting and supporting crucial bonding time with their new baby.

In today’s hi-tech world, helping your baby develop sensory awareness is as easy as popping them in front of a sensory show once or twice a day, but for those who don’t want their babies exposed to too much (or any!) screentime, there are options that have worked for years before the tech takeover.

Right around the 13-22 week mark, you might notice that your precious bundle of joy who was only waking up once during the night for a quick feeding is suddenly wide awake well past what you thought was their bedtime. Or, perhaps you finally got your baby to sleep, had a successful transition to their own crib or bassinet, and within the hour they’re up and crying. Screaming. Hyperventilating. This, my friends, is the 4 month sleep regression in action…

Many medical professionals recommend taking some sort of birthing class during your pregnancy. There are a number of medical, social, and emotional reasons to work a class like this into your pre-baby plans!

There might be nothing worse to experience than a baby who’s teething. The low grade fever, bright pink cheeks, and perpetual discomfort is enough to drive your baby into a screaming, crying frenzy if left unchecked…

Specifically, Witching Hour refers to the stretch of time at the end of the day, roughly 1-1.5 hours before mealtime, where everyone is transitioning from their day into evening.

While cold and flu season can certainly put a damper on your winter day to day, know that as long as you are careful and keep an eye on symptoms, this too shall pass. If you need support throughout pregnancy or the fourth trimester with tips and tricks for safe and healthy pregnancies and births, discuss strategy with your doula! We’re happy to talk about ways to help keep you and your family safe and comfortable this cold and flu season!

With winter creeping up on us here in the Northern Hemisphere, our little ones are at the most risk when exposed to the cold. If you live in an area like New England, the Midwest, or Canada, cold temperatures are part of life in the winter. Even if you aren’t in parts of the country where there’s feet of snow and below zero temperatures, the days get crisper and the nights can drop to below freezing, and you and your family need to be prepared.

A cause and effect that may become more apparent over time as we adjust to this new lifestyle of remote work is the malpositioning of babies due to less lifestyle movement overall. Sure, getting up and down to grab something off the copier a few times a day may not seem like much, but when you’re brewing a baby in your belly, every movement counts!

Here at Beautiful Births and Beyond, we believe that a fed baby is a happy baby, and we understand that most likely all babies will utilize a bottle at some point in time. Whether you formula feed or pump to bottle feed, one of the techniques that can help mimic nursing and is proven to have multiple benefits for your baby is Paced Bottle Feeding.

Today, there are many different options for children’s books that are inclusive of race, sexuality, gender, and ability. While classics like Strega Nona and The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar are timeless stories for anyone’s shelf, we’ve got some suggestions if you want to bring your baby’s story time to a more contemporary place.

Let's be clear - being a parent is one of, if not the hardest job out there. A stay at home parent doesn’t need to work in order to be validated or valuable within society. However, if it makes financial sense for someone in your family to stay home with your baby instead of paying for child care, sometimes that parent feels like they wish they could contribute to the family in a different way. If you’re one of those stay at home parents wishing there was a way to contribute financially, communally, or intellectually to your family, this list is for you!

However cute and sweet baby showers may be, one thing is for certain: bringing the perfect gift can be a challenge. Of course, most folks nowadays register their wishlist with something like Amazon or Zola, so choosing a gift doesn’t have to always be a headache.

One of the toughest parts of having a baby (besides the actual birth and adjusting your whole life around this new tiny human) is choosing a name. Do you want it to be classic? Do you want it to have meaning? Maybe it’s a family name that you’ve always loved, or tribute to a loved one since passed on? No matter how you slice it, a name is certainly an important step in the baby process.

We have compiled some stories from parents to share for when you need a laugh or some validation that you are, in fact, not alone in this. Parenting is one of the toughest jobs out there, and we’re all just doing the best we can from day to day, moment to moment sometimes!

While we are returning to some semblance of “normal”, or what we can consider our new normal, we are still feeling some of the lasting effects of the COVID crisis. One that has been recently concerning for those at home with infants is the current Formula shortage.

You did it. You gave birth. You went through hours of labor, pushed your body to the absolute limit, and brought your beautiful new baby into this world. You both get some rest, falling into a deep sleep for the first 24 hours or so. You may often wake to check on your baby to make sure they’re still there. They're still breathing. They’re still the perfect little bundle of joy you created and brought into this world just the day before.

And then, your baby wakes up. And it seems like they may never sleep again.

Fertility. A word that carries a lot of weight in our world. If you think of something being fertile, what comes to mind? A lush field full of vegetation? Rich, dark soil full of nutrients? A life that’s full of beauty, love, and abundance?

An old wives’ tale that perhaps your grandparents’ generation may remember is “if you stand up too much after giving birth, your uterus will fall out.” While the reasoning behind these instructions may be a myth, the intention of taking it easy and resting for an extended period of time after giving birth is proven to be beneficial for the birthing parent and newborn baby