What two things you should look for in a Prenatal Chiropractor

Pregnancy is that chapter in a woman’s life that is filled with excitement, wonderment, expectations, fear, hope and love.  It can also be a time with the challenges of aches and pains, low back discomfort, sciatica, sleep issues, restless leg syndrome, leg cramps, headaches, sciatica, breech position and lets just say it…constipation.

It is my personal and professional goal to inform all expecting moms that...

Interview with Maggie G - Chicago Motherhood Photographer

Q1: What inspired you to dive into birth photography, and how has your journey unfolded?

Maggie: The inspiration came from the belief that birth is a powerful, transformative journey worth documenting. My journey into birth photography started with a desire to capture the raw, unfiltered beauty of these moments. From those early days to now, each birth has been a unique story, a chapter in the larger narrative of life. Of course, my...

Mercier Therapy, named after me, Dr. Jennifer Mercier, is a specialized form of pelvic visceral manipulation. My work focuses on enhancing the function of the pelvic organs, improving blood flow, and releasing tension within the pelvic area. This work is non-invasive and is performed by therapists trained by me who use gentle hands-on movements to promote optimal pelvic health.

The Benefits of Mercier Therapy for Infertility

Improved Blood Circulation: Mercier Therapy aims to enhance blood...

Den of Zen for Labor

 Labor and birth are full of mystery. They are intense, beautiful, raw, and everything in between. To help ease a laboring mother into her birthing space is to create a Den of Zen, which helps her feel calmer.

When a woman in labor feels safe in her birthing space, she is much more able to let go and move through her labor with more efficiency.

Let’s go through how the birth companion can help create this Den of Zen.

Lighting

Turn off all the lights. Set up...

Stress + Pregnancy: A Chiropractor’s Perspective

“Relax.”

“Just breathe.”

Easier said than done, right? It can be hard. Women are pulled in a thousand different directions in a day. As a pregnant woman, your body is changing physically and hormonally at a such a significant rate, in addition to the daily stressors of life. Additionally, there may be concerns about your labor and delivery, bringing home the baby, and the new experience of motherhood.

Many...

Using the gift of “touch” in my practice and life. First and foremost, I am a mama to three incredible boys, a wife, a sister and a friend. I have been lucky enough to find my gifts early on and share them with others.

I am the owner/creator and sole practitioner at the Heart of Touch Massage & Birth Support. Early on in my life, I realized that I was NOT cut out for the corporate world. I became a LMT 23 years ago & birth doula 14 years ago. BEST life choices ever!
Helping...

 I am really honored by the invitation to share my journey to midwifery and becoming a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM).

I am dedicating this story to my Mom, Dina, who taught through example that growing and birthing babies is sacred, intuitive, and hard work. It is something we “just do.”

She never spoke about birth with fear and she always made it clear that her births belonged to her. She would (and did) fight to be left alone to move, labor and birth her way. My...

I was 3 weeks postpartum and finally starting to emerge from the new mom haze. My soreness was starting to subside, and despite my engorged and leaky breasts, I felt the motivation to resume my standard and familiar workout routine which was corroborated at my 6 week postpartum visit when I was given a greenlight to resume the exercises I was doing before. As a Women’s Health Physical Therapist, I knew I couldn’t just jump back into regular workouts, but I really didn’t know...

When you’re a planner like I am and you’re ready to have a baby, you plan for it. So I went to a presentation at a nearby hospital where a panel of OBGYNs were offering conception advice. One of the tips was to buy some ovulation predictor strips to figure out when you were ovulating. I ordered some online and got to work testing, but for several months they never picked up that I was ovulating. I finally called my OBGYN’s office and spoke with the nurse to tell her my...

I put up a strong resistance to teaching my Puberty For Boys Workshop for years. I know that’s a strange way to start off a blog designed to be a “humble brag” about a program that people rave about, but I like to keep it real and I’m nothing if I’m not honest. It’s true. I am a Women’s Health Physical Therapist who prides myself for staying in her own lane.

When I wanted to branch off to teach Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates, that made...