During a prenatal visit with Ann and Roger, a first-time mom and dad, the pediatrician asked about their childbirth education experiences. Ann said the classes were like a lecture, and there was little time to get questions answered. “As we went through the meetings and learned about things that might happen, we began to feel really nervous. The educator said it was best for the baby if the mother received no medication, so she suggested natural childbirth. I’m willing to try going without pain medication, but Roger doesn’t want to see me in pain. Could I ask your opinion about a doula?”

Dr Wagner followed the mother’s question with her own: “That sounds like an interesting idea. Tell me what you know about doulas.” Ann replied, “Not much. I’ve only heard the name. You know, we recently moved here.” Dr Wagner responded, “Well, Roger, let me tell you something that I have found exciting. In the last year, four fathers have come for their baby’s first visit and have told me how great it was to have a doula. It was the third baby for one of them. He couldn’t wait to tell me what a rewarding experience it was for him and his wife compared with their earlier experiences. I thought that there must be one fabulous woman in our community working as a doula, but all the fathers had a different doula!

The fathers said that the doula assured them that she would be with the couple through the whole labor and the first 2 hours after delivery and that the fathers could leave at any time if tired or hungry. The doulas showed the fathers what they could do to help the mother.”

Roger interrupted, “That sounds great, but Ann and I thought we could manage by ourselves. I’m not sure about having a stranger in the room with us.” Dr Wagner replied, “These four men and their wives met with the birth doula in their homes 1 or 2 times in the month before labor began. As a result, they knew her and liked her and then were relieved to see her when they went to the hospital.

Let me be frank with you. There is a lot that goes on in a modern maternity hospital that will be new to you. There are strange smells and sounds, nurses and physicians rushing about, a lot of unfamiliar hospital lingo. There is a nationwide nursing shortage, and due to managed care most hospitals have found it necessary to cut costs drastically. Therefore, each nurse has to care for more than 1 patient at the same time. Obstetric care in the United States has become more intensive. From what I have learned from my patients about their labor and delivery experiences, it seems to me that every laboring woman needs a doula. And I say that knowing that there are many more important reasons for having continuous doula support. I am going to do some research about the doula, and then I will get back to you with what I learn.”

Six weeks later when the parents brought their new daughter for her first office visit, Dr Wagner was surprised at the change in their confidence and enthusiasm. Ann said, “We can’t thank you enough for finding a doula for us and telling us the good effect she would have. From the time of our first meeting with our doula, Maria, I stopped feeling so nervous. She told Roger and me she would meet us when we came to the hospital in labor and would be with us until 2 hours after delivery. Maria wanted to make sure that I had the baby skin to skin on my chest right after birth and let the baby self-attach to my breast. And she did stay the whole 9 hours of labor plus the 2 hours postpartum! Maria was so strong that I could really relax. I could never have gone through that labor without her. I mean it.” Roger interrupted, “She was terrific! She stayed the whole time and showed me what to do to help Ann. I think she helped me even more than she did Ann.”

If you have decided against homebirth for some reason but still want to try to have a “natural” birth in a hospital then GET A DOULA. I just cant stress this enough. Just do it. They are proven to decrease dangerous and unnecessary interventions. You will find that a doula is much more supporting, like a friend, than your OB or midwife is and I have never heard of anyone regretting hiring a doula. (And plenty of women regret hiring their OB or midwife). Speaking from personal experience, my childbirth was a living nightmare but I believe it would have been nothing short of living hell if my doula had not been there for me. I am still very grateful for her presence. Obviously in the future I will only choose unassisted childbirth unless I have a medical reason to deliver in a hospital but for those of you that aren’t sold on UC, then I repeat, GET A DOULA.

Find a doula at:
www.doulanetwork.com

Author: Martin T. Stein, MD
About the author: For more information on a birth doula visit MotherMeDoulas.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/11708783/

If you are pregnant for the first time, the idea of childbirth can be frightening and a bit overwhelming. Typically, a pregnancy takes anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks. Though many first-time mothers indicated that their babies were delivered past their due date, it is always best to be ready and prepared for what is to come during childbirth.

With the advent of modern science and technology in childbirth and childcare, many modern women are afforded more advantages with regards to information about childbirth than their older counterparts had, and many of these women take advantage of these opportunities. Instead of spending 38 to 42 weeks getting all worked up about childbirth, take the opportunity to learn and educate yourself on the beautiful process of birth as well as how to care for your newborn.

Many hospitals and communities offer prenatal classes to prepare you for childbirth during the third trimester. Not only that, libraries as well as the Internet, offer a wealth of information on matters concerning childbirth and child care. Remember though, even with all the preparation every woman’s childbirth is different and unique.

It is important to remember that Calm Preparation for Childbirth can equip you with knowledge and this will make you well informed. Knowing that millions of women have been successfully giving birth since the dawn of time offers little consolation to most women. This is because the fear of the unknown is terrifying.

Ample knowledge can provide a small sense of control over the whole situation. Now women are actively involved in their birthing plans and inform their doctor or midwife how they would like the childbirth to be carried out if all is well with the baby. Although complications can limit your childbirth choices, there are various options that you can choose from for your birth plan.

To prepare for childbirth you can opt to take up childbirth classes, hire a doula or labour coach, and read up on the subject. Even though the idea of childbirth and labor can be scary for a first-time mother, in the end it will all be worth it. Once the baby is placed in the mother’s arm, all the pain and discomfort will become nothing but a vague memory.

By learning and understanding the labor and delivery process, you can help prepare yourself for the childbirth. There are many women who claimed that attending Lamaze classes eased their mind as they know what to expect. Having a labor coach, be it your spouse, a partner, your best friend or even a doula can greatly help you throughout the whole process.

More and more women are choosing Unassisted Childbirth and there are others out there who choose a waterbirt or assisted home birth. The thing that ties them all together is the fact that each labour and delivery experience will be different for all women.

While you may have had a rough idea as to the type of experiences you would likely have during the birth of your children, take note that there are many other issues and factors that could have an effect on that idea. Remember that the most important thing about all of this is the end result, having a beautiful healthy baby which will make it all worthwhile.

Author: Juzaily Ramli
About the author: Juzaily Ramli is the owner of Pregnancy Website , Pregnancy Signs andPregnancy Stages Find out why it is so important to be prepared for your pregnancy.

Image source: http://flickr.com/photos/bframe/406052093/

Source: www.PRWeb.com

7 Alternative ways to prepare for childbirth and cope with the intensity of labor.

Carlsbad, CA (PRWEB) — As the shift toward self-education continues to grow, large numbers of American women are choosing alternative ways to prepare for childbirth and cope with the intensity of labor. Instead of waiting for the doctor to tell them what they need to know, women are doing more research on their options and exploring ways to make pregnancy and birth less painful.

Here is what they are choosing:

1. Birth Networks – These organized, regional groups of pregnant women and birthing professionals meet regularly to educate, empower and support each other and advocate for the improvement of maternity care in their communities. What started as a grassroots movement has exploded across the county.

Evidence of a growing trend: Amy Romano of Lamaze International estimates that the number of birth networks has doubled in the past year. Since 2004, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth has awarded grants to form and expand birth networks. It also offers organizational resources for birth networks through their website, www.normalbirth.lamaze.org.

2. Birth Stories – Expectant women are hungry for information on labor and birth, and the mainstream media is responding with birth stories. These stories offer much more than entertainment; they provide information on birth options, tools, classes and techniques. The impact of birth stories on expectant parents is quickly coming to the attention of the birth professionals, and many are actively discouraging patients from watching the highly-dramatized birth programs on cable television. Because the level of fear in a laboring woman directly impacts the progression of her labor, birthing professionals are directing patients to read only empowering, inspiring birth stories, such as those found in Journey into Motherhood:
Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth http://www.journeyintomotherhood.com (White Heart Publishing, 2005).

Evidence of a growing trend: There are now 7 programs on cable television that highlight the experience of labor and delivery. Most pregnancy magazines now feature birth stories on a regular basis, and many birth networks and childbirth educators now sponsor birth-story nights.

3. Hypnosis for Childbirth – Since a 1999 segment on NBC’s Dateline featured hypnosis for childbirth, interest has steadily grown. The HypnoBirthing Method and Hypnobabies are two of the oldest and most popular programs, but with the growing interest in this method, there are now several different programs available, as well as supplemental products such as Journey into Childbirth: Hypnosis for Empowered Birthing by Sheri Menelli. While no program promises a pain-free birth, this is a frequent result.

Evidence of a growing trend: In the late 19990s there were only a few hundred educators, and as of this year, there are over 3000.

4. Prenatal yoga – Prenatal yoga strengthens and stretches the muscles that are used in childbirth, and teaches breathing and focusing techniques that help women through labor.

Evidence of a growing trend: In San Diego, California, prenatal yoga instructors are reporting an increase in class attendance of approximately 50% over the last three years. Much of the increase is attributed to growing support from doctors, midwives and childbirth educators who send their clients to yoga classes to relieve back pain, reduce tension, and cope with high blood pressure. A number of prenatal yoga videos are now available to women who prefer to practice at home.

5. Water-assisted labor – Widely known as “nature’s epidural,” warm water can ease the discomfort of labor by helping a woman relax. A “birthing tub” counters the effect of gravity on her contracting muscles, and even a warm shower can provide soothing comfort to tired and tense women.

Evidence of a growing trend: In the last 10 years, water-assisted labor has grown exponentially. In 1995 there were only three hospitals in the country that offered it. Now it is offered in more than 260 hospitals – 15% of all U.S. hospitals. In the last year alone there was a 4% increase, and this number is expected to grow in the coming year.

6. Doulas – A doula is a professional who is trained to provide emotional and tactical support a family through pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn care. Studies show that the presence of a doula reduces the need for medication, as well as the possibility of a Cesarean-section birth.

Evidence of a growing trend: Every doula organization reports phenomenal growth in membership, and in the number of students in doula training classes. Doulas of North America (DONA), just one of several doula organizations reported a 10-fold increase in the number of certified doulas in the last 7 years.

7. Pregnancy Massage – A specialized form of bodywork, pregnancy massage addresses the specialized needs of a rapidly changing body. It enhances the function and alignment of muscles and joints, improves circulation and muscle tone, and relieves mental and physical fatigue. These benefits translate to lower levels of stress hormones, as reported in a study by Dr. Tiffany Field at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Evidence of a growing trend: Instructor Elien Alexander from The School of Healing Arts in San Diego, California, reported a 10-fold increase in the number of students becoming certified in pregnancy massage in the last 5 years.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/amandabel/2302960016/

Source www.PRweb.com

Moms: Do you really need that C-section or epidural? Registered nurse and midwife Breck Hawk, author of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” reveals why these procedures are often unnecessarily prescribed during labor and shares how you can
avoid them.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) — Studies show birth is most common Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Is this just coincidence or is it a contrived effort by providers to control personal schedules?

Pregnant women are encouraged to welcome the chance to have their baby on a scheduled date for the convenience of their provider. But often they’re not told the risks and side effects involved. They don’t realize that some interventions – such as pain medications, epidurals, C-sections, or birthing the baby with forceps or vacuum extraction - may not only be unnecessary, but also dangerous.

“Moms-to-be may blindly trust providers, thinking everything suggested is good – but this isn’t always true,” says registered nurse and midwife Breck Hawk, author of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” (Metropolis Ink, www.HeyAnyway.com). “Unless it’s anatomically necessary, women deserve and need to be told they probably birth babies vaginally and naturally.”

Hawk has over 27 years experience as a midwife, doula, prenatal instructor, and registered nurse specializing in maternity and neonatal intensive care. She has helped hundreds of women give birth. Here she reveals how to avoid common interventions and have a successful birth.

-Hire a doula or professional labor support person.

-Exercise during pregnancy. This strengthens muscles and prepares your body for the long stress of labor.

-Consider a birth center or having a homebirth with a midwife.

-Attend childbirth classes that teach non-pharmacological methods of pain relief such as yoga, HypnoBirthing, Lamaze, and others.

-In the hospital, ask to be assigned to the nurse who is the strongest supporter of natural childbirth.

-Before taking pain medication, ask for a vaginal exam. See how far your cervical dilation has progressed. You may be further along than you thought and decide to forgo the medication.

No matter what’s on your provider’s personal agenda, remember it’s your body and your baby and it’s your right to have the last word regarding your baby’s birth!

How birth-savvy are you? Take the 12 Question Quiz for Moms-to-Be or purchase your copy of “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?” at www.HeyAnyway.com.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/s4xton/1791633553/

Click here to read the full article

Sheryl’s comments:
And people think unassisted birth is uncivilized??? This is a classic example of why using a midwife is no guarantee of a natural birth. Even the best intentioned midwives frequently interfere with the natural progression of birth.

Midwives have financial incentive to avoid sending the birthing mother to the services of an obstetrician and they often have to adhere to an arbitrary legal birthing time line so to avoid a hospital transfer for “time reasons” midwives often do all sorts of things to women to “speed things up”. Midwives are also trying to avoid lawsuits and many are admittedly in as much of a rush to go home to their family as any obstetrician.

Some midwives, particularly “medwives” (CNMs who practice in a hospital setting and fancy themselves obstetricians) also engage in the barbaric and insane practice of immediate cord clamping. In a natural birth when the cord is done pulsing and the baby has received their life giving oxygenated blood and the baby has successful transfered to pulmonary oxygenation (lung breathing) and the baby begins breastfeeding and oxytocin floods the mother’s brain (not from a poisonous shot of Pitocin) then the placenta will naturally detach. There is simply no need to yank on the cord!

DO NOT LET YOUR OB-GYN OR MIDWIFE CUT OR CLAMP THE CORD IMMEDIATELY!

Up to 1/3 of your baby’s blood (that belongs inside your baby’s body) is still contained in the placenta. This is the leading cause of infant anemia. This final blood transfusion is a backup plan for delayed breathing or complications and provides critical oxygen before the oxygen from breathed air hits the baby’s brain.

It absolutely infuriates me that these birth attendants are in such a damn rush that they can’t let the baby have its own blood and oxygen. If I am fortunate enough to have another child and unfortunate enough to have another person in attendance, I will knock them out cold before I let them touch the cord.

If you are going to let someone else attend your birth then please:

1. Make him or her sign the birth plan stating that you insist that they do not touch the umbilical cord until it is done pulsing
2. Do not let him/her convince you that they will “give you two minutes”. It takes 10-20 to stop pulsing.
3. Threaten legal action if he/she clamps the cord, even for a cesarean
4. Get a new OB-GYN or midwife if they refuse to let your child keep the oxygen/blood that is rightfully theirs. How on earth can ten minutes of that person’s time be worth blood and oxygen from your baby’s body? Ten lousy minutes when they are making thousands of dollars off of you. Are you willing to risk a lifelong birth injury from oxygen deprivation to your baby’s brain? Your midwife or OB-GYN is certainly willing to risk it unless you stop them.

Or you can make the civilized choice and try unassisted childbirth or homebirth with a midwife who values cord blood, to ensure that no one inflicts this harmful procedure on your innocent and helpless child.

The midwife in attendance does not touch the baby, violate the mother or hinder the birth in any way. If something (God forbid) precludes me from having an unassisted birth the next time around then I swear that I am going to fly to the Netherlands to give birth because those midwives seem to understand the birthing process better than any other midwife I have seen.

Notice how easily the baby comes out. Notice how the mother’s vagina opens naturally with gravity helping out (and not a mutilating episiotomy). Notice how the baby turns naturally, all on its own. Notice how there is no blood. Notice how the midwife does not need to yank the baby out by its head. Notice how there is no epidural but the mother almost sounds like she is having an orgasm.

How can anyone even consider having a hospital birth after watching how perfect, natural and wonderful this birth is?

Why an Unassisted Childbirth (UC) or Homebirth is the Superior Choice over Hospital Birth for the Vast Majority of Women.

A woman in the United States today has three options for giving birth.

• Hospital Delivery
• Midwife Home or Birthing Center Delivery
• Unassisted Childbirth

Although all choices can be appropriate depending on the circumstances, the vast majority of babies can be brought into this world at home without the assistance of a midwife or doctor. We will show it is without question the safest and sanest option.

Hospital Delivery
The first location most people think of for giving birth is of course, the hospital. The hospital is probably the best place to be if you are having a heart attack or if you were in a car accident but the worst place you can be if you are trying to give birth after having a healthy, uneventful pregnancy with no complications.

If you have been told your entire life that the only place to have a baby is the hospital, you probably have a hard time digesting what we are telling you. You may automatically object with scenarios you have been brainwashed with. We were all brainwashed. Don’t feel bad. You have the opportunity through reading this to educate yourself and seek the best possible care for yourself and your child.

What exactly is wrong with a hospital birth? Primarily, interventions. Interventions that are, in the vast majority of cases, totally unnecessary and totally harmful. For some reason hospitals and their personnel only consider something unsafe if it causes death or permanent quantifiable disability or damage (ie: if they can be sued).

Depriving a fetus of oxygen for example can obviously cause damage but since the damage cannot be measured or proven unless they kill the baby or cause a cerebral palsy, unconscionable obstetricians and midwives continue to regularly use interventions that always compromise the babies oxygen.

Picture a neonatal nurse covering your newborn’s face with a pillow two minutes on, two minutes off for twelve hours or twenty four hours or more. Ridiculous right? She would go to jail, lose her job and license. But when medical “professionals” do the same thing to a baby in utero nobody questions them. Pregnant women trust that the doctor or midwife is doing what is absolutely necessary. When in a horrifying percentage of the time they are suffocating the baby for their own convenience.

Interventions include labor induction, fetal and maternal monitoring, epidurals, forced pushing, and C-sections. These are just some of the interventions and all are harmful to the mother, the fetus, or both.

Unfortunately you cannot escape the interventions by using a midwife in a hospital setting. Once you are “on their turf”, just like obstetricians, they feel they can do anything they want to you despite verbal or written directions to the contrary. In a hospital they will induce, perform episiotomies, and pretty much do everything an obstetrician does except a C-Section. They are sell outs, not to be trusted. A midwife in a hospital is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A wolf who didn’t go to medical school mind you.

Keep in mind that the majority of doctors and midwives have been brainwashed as well and they actually believe the bunk they are telling people. This does not excuse their behavior. They are torturing, mutilating, butchering, and suffocating innocent women and children. This is beyond inexcusable. It is outrageous. We would like to think that they pay attention to facts and current studies since it is their livelihood but apparently once they have a belief in place they will cling to it no matter what the evidence.

The most important lesson, therefore, is to educate yourself. Don’t believe anything they tell you. They often don’t know what they are talking about or don’t care that what they are telling you is false.

If you have a normal low-risk pregnancy then please seriously consider avoiding the hospital at all costs. Make the hospital a place to go when something goes wrong, not the place to go to ensure that something will go wrong.

Every time you get in your car you risk getting in an accident. But the overwhelming odds are that you will be safe and accident free. You still drive, you don’t live in fear, you don’t require police escorts everywhere you go, you drive yourself with confidence and you take common sense precautions like using seat belts and not using cell phones. Think of this analogy anytime someone says “what if something goes wrong?” when you talk about home birth.

Midwife Assisted Childbirth
The second place a woman can choose to give birth is a birthing center or at home with a midwife. This option is far and away a better choice than the hospital. Many studies have shown this option to be as safe if not safer than a hospital delivery.

The problem again lies in the interventions when nature should be left well enough alone. Some wonderful midwives have trust in a woman’s body and patience to wait out a natural childbirth. If you know of one of those spectacular women, congratulations. They are a rare and wonderful breed. We mean midwives that are willing to wait days for labor to start without any pelvic exams or “natural” inductions. Those midwives are extremely rare, valuable and very hard to find.

Many midwives will intervene for a variety of reasons ranging from guidelines they must adhere to before sending a client to the hospital to impatience at the birth process. Some midwives even admit they will perform unnecessary and dangerous procedures such as using Pitocin or immediate cord clamping because they want to go home as soon as possible.

Whatever the reason, these interventions are not in your best interest. They are not in the best interest of your child. Do you care even a little bit about your doctor or midwives schedule? Is their convenience worth compromising the safety of yourself or your child? It is ludicrous to even make that comparison. Of course you can (and should) fight back and argue and kick and scream and yell and rip out IVs and check yourself out of the hospital or fire your midwife at the 11th hour but wouldn’t it be easier to choose the third option?

Unassisted Childbirth
The third option, unassisted childbirth is not new to the world, but the idea is likely new to you. Proponents of unassisted childbirth or UC feel that a woman’s body is perfectly capable of delivering the baby and does best with no interference at all from outside “help”. Childbirth should be a private, magical moment (just like making love to create the life in the first place).

What a delightful and liberating option! It makes so much sense. This may be heartbreaking for those who have already lived through a horrific hospital birth or even a moderately invasive midwife birth. You may feel twice as violated knowing what your gut already told you. Nobody should be staring at your vagina and violating it repeatedly. Unnecessary. Is it really that far off from rape when you know that you didn’t need to lay on your back with your legs spread? The reality is too horrible for many people to face.

If you are pregnant you can still save your privacy, your dignity, and your safety. If you know someone who is pregnant by all means educate them. At the very least tell them this is a possibility. This is without a doubt, hands down the best option.

Read the research, study the evidence. Prepare yourself for contingencies. Educate yourself. Go to Laura Shanley’s fantastic website www.unassistedchildbirth.com for UC stories and empowering information. Better yet buy her book. Get all the books on natural childbirth you can get your hands on. Read Ina May Gaskin and Henci Goer. Watch The Business of Being Born and read the book Pushed. Get them from the library, beg, borrow, or steal them, but just read them.

Plenty of women wish that they would have had this information even as late as the morning of their delivery and they would have NEVER gone to the hospital. It is not too late even if you are already in the hospital. Women have checked themselves out when faced with dangerous interventions and you can too.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/bbaltimore/43118436/

Secrets of having a great birth are uncovered in this newly released book. 48 moms share their stories and wisdom through their own inspirational birth stories.

(PRWEB) — Studies show that nine out of ten first-time mothers are afraid of giving birth and worried about the pain. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Childbirth educator Sheri Menelli has discovered that hearing childbirth “horror stories” can have a profoundly negative effect on pregnant women’s birth experiences. When fear and anxiety about childbirth are passed from woman to woman, these intense emotions create additional stress for the mother and baby. Doctors call this the “Fear/Tension/Pain” cycle.

Menelli set out to collect inspiring stories of successful labor and delivery experiences to help calm women’s fears. “With so much negative media about birth, it is time to bring back positive stories,” Menelli said. “The culture of fear surrounding childbirth in the U.S. is shifting, and women are eager to share their wonderful birth experiences.”

Menelli’s just-published book, Journey into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth (White Heart Publishing, November 2004), offers a collection of 48 true stories of natural birth, told in the mothers’ own voices. As diverse as the women who wrote them, the stories include hospital births, home births, unassisted births, emergency deliveries, births attended by young siblings, outdoor births and more.

These stories describe the strategies and tools that can make birth a much better experience. Journey into Motherhood is filled with proven techniques to help women have a powerful and positive childbirth, including:

• How women can experience painless labor
• Insights and advice from mothers who’ve been there
• Options for easing labor and delivery—including yoga, doulas, hypnosis and water birth
• A resource guide to childbirth classes, magazines, websites and audios/videos

“What a fabulous book. All women and girls need to hear these stories and know, really know, that natural birth is full of magnificent, life-changing wisdom,” said Christiane Northrup,
M.D., author of “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” and “The Wisdom of Menopause.”

Sheri Menelli has dedicated her career to the education and empowerment of pregnant women. As a certified HypnoBirthing educator, she taught hundreds of couples how to have an easier, more comfortable birth. Sheri previously produced and co-hosted a San Diego radio show, “The Real Side of Birth.” She also authored and produced two guided meditation CDs: Light Meditation and Breastfeeding Meditation. A San Diego County resident, Sheri has one daughter and is expecting twins.