New Earth Mama Baby, birth classes and emotional wellbeing for moms

10/02/2026

Have you ever wondered how the placenta works?

09/29/2026

09/23/2026

Q: I’m past 41 weeks and I still haven’t gone into labour.
Everyone is asking how the doctors have let me go this far. Why haven’t I gone into labour yet? What is wrong with me?

A: This is the graph of human gestation. 40 weeks is the middle of the bell curve, with the majority of births happening between 38 and 42 weeks, and a small number of births happening at 36 or 37 weeks, and 43 or 44 weeks at the other end of the curve. The date of 40 weeks used to be called EDD (estimated date of delivery). Over time, that term got shortened to “due date”, which is a misnomer because due date means after that date it is overdue.

The problem lies not in your body and your ability to go into labour. The problem lies with the incorrect wording and the cultural phenomenon that has ensued, where everyone is now pressuring you.

The appropriate response to all those people is to tell them to f off.

It is completely normal for gestation to last 42 weeks, and for some women, who may have a longer natural gestation, it can last 43 or 44 weeks and baby can be totally healthy.

When the baby’s lungs are fully developed, the baby gives off a hormone to signal to the mom’s body that it is ready for life outside the womb. If the mom is ready for labour, her body will produce a cascade of hormones to start labour.

Where the issues lie, are when women are experiencing some level of stress. Adrenaline can inhibit oxytocin, so stress can inhibit labour from starting, even if the baby is ready to be born.

Ironically, all the people asking you “haven’t you had the baby yet?” are causing you stress, that can inhibit your labour from beginning, even if your baby is actually ready.

So, again I say, the best course of action, is to tell all those people to f off.

Then what you can do, is spend the next few days, going deep within yourself. Pampering yourself. Loving yourself. Deeply enjoying these last liminal days of the sacred time between your pre-mother state and your mother state. Your body is a portal to access heaven and earth. Honour the sacred temple of your body and go within. Your baby and your body know exactly what to do. Sink into the depths of yourself, breathe, and completely relax. When you are deeply relaxed, your body is most open to beginning labour. The mammal needs to feel safe in order to begin labour. If you feel like having a relaxing bath, or getting a massage, do that. Do whatever makes you feel good.

09/22/2026

Amazing facts about breastfeeding

09/22/2026

The Epistemology of knowledge is, how knowledge gets known. Who decides what knowledge makes you an expert in a field? How did a bunch of people who have never experienced birthing become the “experts “ in the field of birthing?
They are not. They usurped power 100 years ago from the people with the true knowledge and wisdom, the true experts. The people who actually experienced their own birthing and journeyed with other women who were doing the birthing.
Anyone who thinks they are an expert, yet has no knowledge of this sacred knowledge that is the accumulation of thousands of years knowledge passed down and re-experienced, is delusional.

09/09/2026

Drinking love

09/05/2026

Accurate

06/08/2026

Evidence for why Raspberry Leaf Tea has traditionally been recommended for pregnancy, PMS, menopause etc…

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18o94isBu9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

THE ESTROGEN MEDIATOR.

In the dense forests of the Carpathian mountains of Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia, village midwives — called "moaşă" in Romanian — have brewed red raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus) tea for women through pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and again through menopause for at least five centuries. The custom is consistent across the entire mountain range, suggesting a much older origin probably predating written records. Modern obstetricians in Eastern Europe still mention it as standard care alongside prenatal vitamins.

The chemistry of raspberry leaf is unique among medicinal plants.

The leaf contains fragarine, a uterine-toning alkaloid, and a complex of phenolics including rutin and quercetin. The combination has documented effects on smooth muscle tone (toning the uterus during pregnancy and labor) and modulates estrogen-progesterone receptor sensitivity in the female reproductive system. This makes raspberry leaf valuable across the entire hormonal lifecycle: PMS, fertility support, pregnancy preparation, labor coordination, postpartum recovery, and perimenopausal hormone balancing.

A 2018 review in the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health analyzed multiple trials of red raspberry leaf in pregnant women. Findings included: shorter second stage of labor (by an average of 9.6 minutes), lower rates of forceps and vacuum delivery, lower rates of premature rupture of membranes, and slightly higher rates of intact perineum. The herb was safe in trimesters 2 and 3 at doses of 1-3 cups daily.

For perimenopausal women, the herbal mechanism is different. The fragarine and quercetin appear to modulate estrogen receptor binding, providing a gentle adaptogenic effect — supporting estrogen action when low, dampening it when relatively excessive. Progesterone, which falls before estrogen in perimenopause, is supported indirectly through reduced inflammatory load on the corpus luteum and stress reduction.

Big Pharma's offerings for perimenopause are limited and risky: synthetic hormone replacement (with documented cancer risk in long-term use), SSRIs for hot flashes (questionable efficacy), and surgical options. None of them address the root issue of relative progesterone deficiency. Red raspberry leaf, free in most Eastern European farmers markets, addresses the upstream cause.

The Carpathian midwives' protocol was simple: 1 tablespoon of dried red raspberry leaf in 250ml hot water, steeped for 10 minutes, drunk 1-3 times daily. Throughout fertile years, raspberry leaf supports cycle regularity. Through pregnancy (2nd-3rd trimester), it tones the uterus. Through perimenopause, it gentles the hormonal transition.

For modern women, the protocol remains nearly identical. Loose-leaf organic red raspberry leaf (Frontier Co-op, Starwest Botanicals, Mountain Rose Herbs brands) at 1-3 cups daily, sustained for 3-6 months for measurable hormonal effect.

This is not a cure-all. It is one of several supportive herbal practices that have served women's hormonal health for centuries. The midwives knew. The pharmacology is catching up.

Did anyone in your family use red raspberry leaf during pregnancy or menopause? 👇

📚 Reference: Raspberry leaf in labor outcomes (J Midwifery Womens Health, 2018)