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/

This point is made in a very dramatic way if you watch hospital birth videos side by side with home birth videos. Thank you Laura!

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.

Author: Jamie McMillan

Ever thought about having a natural childbirth and then scared yourself with thoughts of how painful it will be? Well, here’s a new concept - Birth Hypnotherapy. The concept of hypnotherapy during labor is to naturally anaesthetize your body into thinking it feels no pain during labor. Utilizing hypno-birthing, more and more mothers are able to have natural childbirths at home, or in the bath tub making it a truly relaxing and wonderful experience.

You may be thinking “will I be asleep during labor?” The answer is no. Normally you would associate hypnosis with being in a sedative state, not knowing what’s happening around you, but with the hypno-birthing techniques, you are in complete control of your surroundings, and are experiencing little or no pain.

“According to Dr. Dick-Read, use of hypnosis during labor helps laboring women break what he termed the “Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome” which makes labor more difficult. He believed the syndrome actually caused blood to flow away from nonessential organs such as the uterus to large muscle groups in the legs. He theorized that relaxation achieved through hypnosis would prevent that from happening.” Health.discovery.com

Each pregnancy and deliver is different. There’s no way to anticipate exactly what will happen. There is, however a way to prepare your body to be calm and relaxed. While under self-hypnosis, you allow your body to naturally bring your baby down the birth canal. Being in a relaxed state during pregnancy will help reduce fatigue so you can be fully involved in the delivery process.

You should start preparing yourself for birth hypnosis somewhere around the 5th to 7th month of pregnancy. Listening to tapes and reading hypnosis scripts will help in preparation. Your body will become aware of “cues” that will allow a quick transition into the hypnotic state when you need it during labor.

Check into some home-study hypno-birth courses as well as classes you can attend with your birthing partner.

“Hypnosis for childbirth teaches a woman how to enter into self-hypnosis instantly, and create her own natural anesthesia whenever and wherever she needs it. This is important as any drugs taken by a laboring woman can be dangerous for her, and especially her baby. She has total control over her body, and is an active participant in her birth process. ” Childbirthsolutions.com

• Buy the Hypnobirthing CD
• Find a Hypnobirthing practitioner
• Find books on Birth Hypnotherapy
• Find more information on achieving a pain-free pregnancy

About the author:
Jamie McMillan is a stay at home mom that runs a website at
http://www.w5481.net/ selling How-To information on various
topics

Macari makes an excellent argument for all women to explore within to find their Divine Feminine and take that to their pregnancy and birthing experience in order to have ‘Spirit’ present at the birth rather than “reducing it to a bodily function”, which unfortunately is exactly what happens in the majority of births today.

Reducing childbirth to a mere bodily function requires the same level of disconnect that casual sex requires, according to Macari. If women were to understand their value and worth, have self esteem and confidence, then they could stand up for themselves in childbirth and take back the right to choose and “demand respect, choices and freedom”.

Macari also explores pain in childbirth and never denies that childbirth has extreme sensations that some may call painful, but she continues to reiterate the idea that we do not have words in our language to describe these sensations. They are overwhelming and yes, sometimes painful, but they can also be pleasurable if women do not have preconceived notions about pain.

Macari describes childbirth as a rite of passage into womanhood, motherhood and more. Part of what makes childbirth a rite is courage in the face of pain and even compares it to walking hot coals that requires courage and the support of others to get through the rite and the very act of facing your fears and making it through to the other side is the magical, spiritual and transformational part of childbirth that is so often taken from us when our babies are violently taken from our drugged bodies in a hospital setting.

Macari also goes on to credit pain with being the very thing that makes birth possible. Without the contractions, the baby will never leave it’s mother’s body. She is adamantly opposed to the use of pain relief in childbirth, not because women should feel pain, but because of what it takes away from childbirth such as a woman’s instincts and inner strength to know what is right for the birthing process as well as the endorphins that create the natural “high” that is only present in natural births.

One of the most useful parts about “She Births” are the meditation and journaling sections at the end of each chapter. These are wonderful both for expecting women to really explore their feelings and perceptions about childbirth, but it also allows women who were robbed of their rite to find some comfort and perhaps some peace from what went wrong.

There is also a decent sized section in the book that contains natural childbirth stories which are always great to read and none are the gruesome medical childbirth stories that we dread. Some might even bring a tear to your eye. “She Births” is empowering and enlightening and will encourage any women who instinctively knows that childbirth is much more than a medical event to stand up and take back childbirth.

“She Births” is not a “how to” manual for natural childbirth but it does answer the question “why have a natural childbirth” from a fresh perspective. Childbirth is so much more than the physical act, and women have the unique and unparalleled opportunity to be the vessel that the spirit travels through to bring a new life into the world.

I would recommend this book for any woman who felt something intangible was missing from a previous childbirth or who knows that their rite of passage was taken from them during a previous childbirth. This is an excellent resource to work through childbirth trauma and find forgiveness. Even more importantly, this book should be required reading for any woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant and understands that there is an intangible spiritual side to life, birth and death that we can either deny or embrace fully to provide ourselves and our babies with the best, most joyous, fulfilling Birth possible.

If you would like to learn more about Marcie Macari and Shebirths, visit shebirths.com
Buy the book: She Births: A Modern Woman’s Guidebook for an Ancient Rite of Passage

Even though the mother is on her back, she is clearly in control of the situation, no one is messing with her body (no interventions) and she is clearly ecstatic to see her new baby. It is an absolutely beautiful video and I love it. It is heartwarming and wonderful.

By: Heather Hill

The best childbirth tips for an expectant mother are listed below. These tips are all based on relaxation. You will see why this is so important for your body. I hope you will find these labor tips for your natural childbirth helpful.

Relaxation is one of the most helpful techniques for pain relief during childbirth. Let your body do what it is supposed to do. While your uterus is contracting, relax the rest of your body so your energy isn’t working against you. Relaxation is something that should be practiced throughout your pregnancy. There are several different ways to do this. Work with your labor partner throughout your pregnancy to find out what works for you. For me, it was to have my husband stroke my hair. For someone else is may be massage. It’s funny to think that relaxing is a skill. The following are some suggestions to try for relaxing.

• Massage
• Bathing or showering
• Listening to music
• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Yoga poses
• Visualization

MASSAGE

Massage is a wonderful labor tip. Having your partner give you a massage not only relaxes you but it also gives your partner a chance to be a part of the labor process. It promotes closeness and intimacy. And also, as I said above, relaxing takes practice, so that means that you’ll also have to practice massage. You need to find out what works for you and what relaxes you. And heck, asking for practice massage is a good way for you to get a massage every week or so through pregnancy!

BATHING OR SHOWERING

Bathing is an obvious labor tip. I shouldn’t need to explain how wonderful a bath feels even if your aren’t in labor. Just having the feeling of the water on your body is an instant massage. Not the mention the buoyancy of the water takes the pressure off Mom, especially if she is having back labor. I have to say that taking a shower was the best way for me to deal with my labor pain. I just didn’t ever want to get out of the shower. This is one of the primary reasons that so many women are choosing waterbirths over dry births. There is no need for a big waterbirth setup. You can simply fill your own bathtub if you are having a homebirth or lounge in your own tub as long as you can prior to going to the hospital.

MUSIC

Music can be such a relaxing medium. It can take you to another plane of consciousness. It can also evoke such memories and choosing the right music that puts you in the place of total relaxation is a powerful feeling. This is something too, that should be practiced throughout your pregnancy. Experiment with different types of music and see what mood it puts you in. Try something new, you may be surprised. Another benefit of doing this is that having music surround you that comforts you during your pregnancy will make you a happier and more content pregnant woman. And we all know that a happy preggers makes for a happy baby. Your little one can also benefit from the tunes. There are even music and meditation CDs available that are specifically designed for pregnant women. Use whatever soothes you, whether it is Classical, Jazz, Indian flute, piano music or Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons.

Don’t have a partner to stroke your hair or massage your back? Get a doula! A doula will do all that and more. A doula might provide music and candles, help you breathe, maintain focus and offer suggestions and tips to ease your labor. Doulas are absolutely wonderful and no one should attempt a hospital birth without one.

DEEP BREATHING

An often overlooked labor tip, breathing, is something that also needs practiced often during your pregnancy. Deep breathing can do wonders for a stressed out or nervous mom in labor. In Yoga it is called Pranayama breathing. Breathing correctly or concentrating on your breathing will help oxygenate your blood which in turn oxygenates the baby. I think this is such an important tool to use. Make sure to practice real deep breathing. You do not want to do the counterproductive rapid “whoosh whoosh whoosh” breathing that women are often encouraged to do to get through each contraction. This depletes your oxygen supply (and oxygen available to your fetus) because you are not breathing from your diaphragm. The only thing that fast, contraction style breathing does is distract you until your contraction is over. Fill your body and your baby’s body with oxygen. Breathe slowly and deeply.

MEDITATION

Meditation is a deep form of relaxation. Being able to be still and concentrate on positive images instead of dwelling on pain can not only help with pain relief but can also help you along in your labor. For you,the laboring mom, to be able to be totally relaxed and to have a grip and feeling on what your body is doing and feeling can only speed up labor and have the body do what it knows how to do. Letting your mind relax and give your body the chance to do the work. Meditation can be anything from just sitting in a quiet room with peaceful thoughts, listening to soothing music, practicing the Pranayama breathing, or actually doing yoga. There are aids out there to help you practice meditating. Meditation is a learned skill. If you practice meditating daily throughout your pregnancy, you should be able to use this very powerful method of relaxation very effectively during childbirth.

YOGA POSES

Practicing yoga during pregnancy can give you the tools you need to help with pain relief during labor. As stated above, the breathing techniques are of high value and if you have done yoga in the past you know the feeling you get right after your practice. You have a feeling of peace and inner strength. One of the most important poses to do during pregnancy is the cat or the Bidalasana pose. A variation of this pose is similar to the pelvic rock exercise. This position is so important because of the benefits to your body which in turn, benefit your baby. This exercise relieves pressure on the lower back, increases circulation and can improve digestion. But most important, is that this position gives the baby the most room for movement and can sometimes help in repositioning the baby from a breech position. This pose is also very helpful in labor. This pose was one that helped me the most. This pose is done by getting down on your hands and knees, knees spread shoulder width. Now, arch your back and then release, tilting your pelvis while doing this. During labor, just being in this position can help the pain, this position was very helpful to me during my labor.

VISUALIZATION

Visualization is a form of meditation. This should be practiced often as should all of these forms of relaxation. Try to pull out a memory of something positive, run this story over and over through your mind. Make this memory a trigger for you feeling peaceful and centered. Think about the first time you met your partner and the things that made you get those butterflies… think about your favorite vacation when you were truly relaxed and content. Perhaps you can picture how you will feel when that precious little life is handed to you for the very first time. Many women find it helpful to visualize their baby descending through their pelvis into their waiting arms. If you do this in conjunction with silent communication with your baby, your baby will actually be in your arms before you know it.

Sheryl’s comment: Relaxation is imperative to a smooth birthing process. Being tense, terrified or in agony can stall the birth process and force unrelenting birth attendants to do terrible things to you and your baby to “get things going again”. Unfortunately it can be tough to relax if some nut is torturing your baby out of your body with Pitocin or repeatedly jamming their hands inside you. Relaxation is one of many arguments for homebirth. Sorry ladies, I don’t care who is massaging your lower back. You just cannot truly relax in a hospital setting. Period. You can’t. Nobody can. There are a thousand reasons why you can’t. The best thing you can do is try to minimize your bodies naturally reaction to the violations and trauma with hypnosis, deep breathing or yoga. None of that is really necessary in a peaceful homebirth. You will not have to “force” relaxation if nobody is doing terrible things to you.

Buy the CD: Divine Delivery: Guided Meditations for Pregnancy and Childbirth

About the author: Heather Hill is the author of several natural childbirth articles, please visit hip-chick-pregnancy-guide.com
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/johncarleton/289582335/

Kegel exercises are unheard of by many women and yet they may benefit women’s health in a variety of ways. What are they? Kegel exercises are designed to strengthen all the muscles that support your urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum.

In the 1940’s, Dr. Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist, recommended these exercises for his patients to avoid stress incontinence after childbirth. Thus the name, Kegel exercises, persists today. Women often have problems with stress incontinence in the time after childbirth as well as in older age, and Kegels really help keep that in check and even prevent it, since the pelvic floor muscles controlling the urine flow are in shape.

Kegel exercises can also increase circulation to vital areas of your system such as the rectum and the vagina, both of which may become more functional and healthier since blood contains oxygen, and oxygen essentially breathes life into any living body part or organism. Makes sense, right. For women who are pregnant, Kegel exercises can speed healing from an episiotomy done during childbirth. Also, Kegel exercises can reduce the chance of developing hemorrhoids from childbirth.

A Kegel exercise consists of a squeezing and lifting action of your vaginal wall muscles. While doing a Kegel exercise, do not tighten your tummy, buttocks or leg muscles. Hold the Kegel exercise for about 10 seconds then relax for a few seconds.

The exercises need to be done in sets of ten, anywhere from three to four times per day, and more would be better, but you certainly don’t want to be doing them all day. When you first start, just do a few at a time, several times a day, then work your way up to sets of ten.

Kegel exercises will assist a pregnant woman to have an easier delivery as the pelvic floor muscles will be more toned. The likelihood of tearing during delivery will be reduced. While sitting on the toilet, try to stop the flow of your urine in midstream. This is a variation of the Kegel exercise that is very powerful, and can really be a convenient way to do the exercise, completely privately. If you can do this, these muscles are in good condition. If not, try doing Kegel exercises, and you will see a difference.

Here’s another way to think of and visualize the Kegel exercise, envision it as “winking” your vagina, if you will. Another way to “tone the pelvic floor”, which is essentially what the Kegels accomplish, is to change your body position each time you perform the exercise. Try doing Kegel exercises while lying down, sitting up, squatting and on all fours. Prenatal yoga classes and DVDs will often focus on doing kegel exercises during various yoga poses.

Kegel exercises can help women at other times in life than just while they are pregnant. They can make sex with your partner more enjoyable at any time, not just during the postpartum phase. These infamous exercises also may help women prevent or reduce the risk of developing stress incontinence (urinary issues, not just a weak bladder), an overactive bladder which can be a major nuisance, and a prolapsed uterus. If you perform these simple, discreet exercises, you, like other women who do kegel exercises regularly, may come to report better and stronger orgasms as well and be one of the “lucky ones” who can more easily achieve orgasm, a somewhat elusive creature for some women.

Later in life, after menopause, Kegel exercises done as a routine from midlife on, can increase vaginal wall thickness and lubrication. Think the urinary benefit is good enough alone to start Kegels? Kegels also are known to help prevent rectal incontinence, which can be an even worse and more embarrassing problem than urinary incontinence.

It will usually take about 3 or 4 weeks to see an improvement in stress incontinence from a routine of Kegel exercises.

by Danna Schneider
About the Author: Danna Schneider is the founder of Breast Success Review , an online magazine about breast health, and natural breast enhancement and news and Breast News Magazine , which is solely devoted to natural breast beautification.

Buy the Book: Beyond Kegels
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/kevinmerlejr/2310806287/