making room for babies

Cry Baby

Carol Gray Babies, Bodywork, Infants, Postpartum, Wellness August 31, 2021August 5, 2024babies, bodywork, carol gray, colic, colicky baby, craniosacral therapy, cry baby, crying baby, infant sleep, making room for babies, pacifiers, pain coping practice, parenting, tantrum, unmet needs, white noise

I recently had a conversation with parents about crying babies and toddlers. They were apartment dwellers who were concerned about disturbing the neighbors.

CRYING! It is, after all, a distress call. It’s disturbing — like having a shrieking smoke alarm in your living room. It’s supposed to attract parental attention. Crying is one of the baby’s main survival skills. It helps a baby tell parents/caregivers that they have an unmet need. Sometimes crying is a pain-coping practice. Other times it is a form of release. Read more

The Developmental Derby

Carol Gray Babies, Bodywork, Infants, Wellness August 18, 2021August 5, 2024attachment parenting, babies, babies rolling over, bodywork, breastfeeding, carol gray, climbing, crawling, emmi pikler, evolutionary parenting, gratitude, infant seat, infant seats, johnny jump up, loczy, magda gerber, making room for babies, natural motor skill acquisition, our own school, parenting, resources for infant educarers, respectful caregiving, RIE, sitting babies, standing babies, the developmental derby, tom forrest, tummy time, tummy time controversy, walkers, walking babies

In 1975 I moved back to LA. My first husband and I had spent three years away while he fulfilled his military obligation. Army life was hard on me. We lived in officer’s housing on an Air Force base in an isolated desert location. My husband was a research engineer assigned to NASA. He never wore a uniform. I was a misfit among the officer’s wives in my neighborhood. I was glad to be done with it and so happy to be home. The first person I met in my new LA neighborhood was a woman named Susan. She had a two year old daughter. I had a two year old son. Read more

Things We Do (After Birth) to Prevent Babies From Moving

Carol Gray Babies, Bodywork, Infants, Wellness August 10, 2021August 5, 2024babies, baby swings, bodywork, bottle nursing, brachycephaly, breastfeeding, bumbo seats, carol gray, cradleboards, craniosacral therapy, developmental delay, fetal constraint, hip dysplagia, infant car seats, infant care, infant constraint, infant furniture, infant seats, infant sleep, johnny jump up, jolly jumper, jumperoo, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, motor skill acquisition, parenting, plagiocephaly, play mats, primitive, primitive reflexes, science, sleep, strollers, stuck babies, swaddling, walkers

I can’t leave The Stuck Baby Series without describing baby immobilization and container lifestyle. In this article I outline the most significant ways in which we prevent our babies from moving after they are born. It seems like the perfect preparation for a sedentary life in a recliner in front of a screen. Read more

How Fetal Constraint Affects Babies: Things We Notice After Birth

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Infants, Pregnancy, Wellness August 3, 2021August 5, 2024autonomic nervous system, babies, birth outcomes, birth preparation, bodywork, breastfeeding, carol gray, club foot, colic, cranial nerves, craniosacral therapy, fetal constraint, hip dysplasia, infant sleep, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, optimal fetal positioning, parenting, prenatal care, primitive reflexes, reflex integration, rooting reflex, science, scoliosis, stuck babies, torticollis

This is part six of the six-part Stuck Baby Series. In part one, My Baby Dropped!, I explain why engagement is pathology. In part two, Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?, I describe the maternal factors that cause babies to get stuck. Part three is Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck. Part four explores Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies. Last week, in part five, I looked at How Fetal Constraint Affects Labor and Birth. Today I’m going to describe how fetal constraint or lack of Optimal Fetal Positioning adversely affects the babies themselves — the things we notice at birth and beyond. Read more

How Fetal Constraint Affects Labor and Birth

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Infants, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Wellness July 27, 2021August 5, 2024asynclitic, babies, birth outcomes, birth plans, birth preparation, bodywork, breastfeeding, carol gray, cervix, craniosacral therapy, epidurals, fetal constraint, fetus ejection reflex, intrapartum care, labor, late babies, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, military presentation, occiput posterior, OP, optimal fetal positioning, overdue, overdue babies, oxytocin, pitocin, post dates, prenatal care, science, self care, stuck babies, uterus, yoga

This is part five of a six-part series. In part one, My Baby Dropped!, I explain why engagement is pathology. In part two, Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?, I explore the maternal factors that cause babies to get stuck. Part three is called Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck. Last week I wrote Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies. Today’s post is about the fetal constraint downsides for labor and birth. Next week I’ll write about how fetal constraint adversely affects the babies themselves — the things we notice after birth. Read more

Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Pregnancy, Wellness July 20, 2021August 5, 2024babies, baby lifters, birth outcomes, birth plans, birth preparation, bodywork, breech babies, breech birth, car seats, carol gray, cesarean preparation, COVID-19 in pregnancy, craniosacral therapy, cultural factors, engagement, epidurals, fetal constraint, home birth, intrapartum care, labor, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, maternal factors, midwives, optimal fetal positioning, palpation, pandemic, postpartum preparation, pregnancy fitness, pregnant, pregnant exercise, prenatal yoga, science, seated lifestyle, seated occupations, self care, sobada, stuck babies

This is the fourth installment of the stuck baby series. Last week I described the fetal factors (ways babies get themselves stuck). The week before I discussed maternal factors. Three weeks ago I covered engagement and explained why it’s pathology. Next week I’ll go over how fetal constraint affects labor and birth. Stay tuned!

Today I’m going to discuss cultural factors that reduce babies’ opportunities to move in utero and cause them to get stuck. This is the category we can actually do something about because the factors are under our conscious control — if we know enough and if we care care enough. Read more

Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Pregnancy, Wellness July 13, 2021August 5, 2024amniotic fluid, babies, birth outcomes, birth preparation, breastfeeding, breathe, cardinal movements, carol gray, cesarean birth, cord around the neck, craniosacral therapy, fertility drugs, fetal constraint, identical twins, intrapartum care, IVF, making room for babies, non-identical twins, nuchal cord, optimal fetal positioning, pregnant, prenatal care, primitive reflexes, science, stuck babies, twins, umbilical cords, VBAC

There are many things that contribute to fetal constraint (stuck babies). Any one of them can operate independently, but usually there are multiple causes for less than optimal fetal positioning that have synergistic or additive effects. As I continue to explore the multiple causes, I will provide examples of how these things can work in concert to prevent babies from moving into more ideal positions for their continued gestation, birth and a comfortable, functional life in their bodies outside the womb. Read more

Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Infants, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Wellness July 6, 2021August 5, 2024abdominal organ mobility, asynclitic, babies, birth outcomes, birth plans, birth preparation, carol gray, cesarean scar, craniosacral therapy, epidurals, fetal constraint, fibroids, iliacus, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, optimal fetal positioning, pelvic floor, pregnancy fitness, pregnancy yoga, pregnant, pregnant exercise, prenatal care, prenatal yoga, psoas, science, self care, SI Joints, stuck babies, uterine mobility, uterus, yoga

When I consider how babies fit into — and through — a maternal pelvis I view it from three perspectives: midwifery, bodywork and yoga. As a midwife I generally know more about birth than many bodyworkers. As a bodyworker I know more about how, anatomically and bio-mechanically, a baby fits into and ultimately through a maternal pelvis – more than than some midwives. This is about optimal fetal positioning – or lack thereof. Read more

My Baby Dropped!

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Infants, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Wellness June 29, 2021August 5, 2024asynclitic, babies, birth outcomes, birth preparation, breastfeeding, carol gray, craniosacral therapy, engagement, fetal constraint, fixation, intrapartum care, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, my baby dropped, optimal fetal positioning, pathology, pregnancy yoga, pregnant, pregnant exercise, prenatal yoga, self care, stuck babies, yoga

“My baby dropped!!” People usually say this with great enthusiasm when it happens. I’ve never really understood why people rejoice about their babies dropping. Read more

Craniosacral Therapy for the Perinatal Period

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Bodywork, Fertility, Infants, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Wellness June 15, 2021August 5, 2024asynclitic, babies, birth preparation, bodywork, carol gray, cesarean preparation, cesarean recovery, craniosacral therapy, CST, fetal constraint, intrapartum care, making room for babies, optimal fetal positioning, postpartum care, postpartum preparation, pregnant, prenatal care, self care

In my other life I’m a bodyworker and bodywork teacher. When I taught in-person prenatal yoga classes, my students often asked me about the benefits of bodywork during pregnancy. They wanted to know more about Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and how it can help. Today I’ll explain it. Read more

Pregnancy Insomnia Help

Carol Gray Bodywork, Pregnancy, Wellness, Yoga April 27, 2021August 5, 2024asana, birth preparation, bodywork, breathe, carol gray, craniosacral therapy, gratitude, help for sleep, insomnia, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, meditation, namaste, online prenatal yoga, pain coping practice, Pranayama, pregnancy yoga, pregnant, prenatal yoga, prenatal yoga safety, self care, sleep, sleep hygiene, yoga

Insomnia is common during pregnancy. It ‘s no joke. Some people say it’s just practice for after your baby is born and they wake you at night. Not funny. There are two main categories of pregnancy-related insomnia: trouble falling asleep and trouble getting back to sleep after awakening during the night. Read more

All About Posterior Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy

Carol Gray Birth, Bodywork, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Wellness, Yoga April 20, 2021August 5, 2024asana, birth preparation, bodywork, carol gray, craniosacral therapy, making room for babies, mamaspace yoga, namaste, online prenatal yoga, pain coping practice, pelvic instability, pelvic ligaments, postpartum preparation, pregnancy fitness, pregnancy yoga, pregnant, pregnant exercise, prenatal yoga safety, science, self care, SI Joints, yoga

How it All Starts

Pain in the posterior pelvis is common during pregnancy. It typically begins in mid pregnancy. Although, it can start at any time. Sometimes it goes away during pregnancy. If it does, that usually happens in the third trimester. Other times it persists long after the birth. Your mileage may vary. Read more

The Truth About Epidurals

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Infants, Pregnancy October 13, 2020August 5, 2024birth outcomes, birth physiology, birth plans, birth power, birth preparation, bodywork, breathe, carol gray, conscious birth, craniosacral therapy, epidurals, intrapartum care, making room for babies, optimal fetal positioning, pain coping practice, physiology, pregnancy yoga, pregnant, prenatal care, prenatal yoga, science, self care, yoga

The Truth About Birth

First a word or two about birth physiology: Labor is almost universally painful for birthing parents and sometimes painful for babies. One of the ways we cope with pain is to produce beta-endorphin. Beta-endorphin is an opiate-like brain chemical – the same one responsible for the so-called runner’s high. It reduces pain. Read more

Cesareans! Emergencies! and Strategies!

Carol Gray Babies, Birth, Infants, Pregnancy, Wellness October 6, 2020August 5, 2024birth outcomes, birth plans, birth power, birth preparation, bodywork, carol gray, cesarean preparation, cesarean recovery, conscious birth, craniosacral therapy, doulas, emergency cesarean, intrapartum care, making room for babies, meditation, pain coping practice, postpartum preparation, pregnant, prenatal care, science, unplanned cesarean

The word “emergency” used to ONLY apply to childbirth. The baby emerges, get it?

Two (Three) Kinds of Cesareans

Lately, I have been hearing an emergent theme in the stories people have been sharing with me about their cesarean births. They divide them into two categories – planned and emergency.Often a parent will say to me that their cesarean birth was not planned. It was an emergency. Yet, when I hear the details of the story it almost always falls into the third and largest category – the unplanned cesarean. It is really a story about a failed induction, a less-then-ideally positioned baby who fails to descend (and emerge), a baby who wasn’t coping well with labor contractions, but didn’t need to come out RIGHT NOW, etc. Read more