It’s important to remember that there are no guarantees when it comes to birth – after all, your baby is an active participant in labor and has not done the same preparation you have! – but you can certainly do a lot to stack the odds in your favor and maximize your chances for a … Continue reading “Ten Tips for a Better Birth”
Category: Pregnancy
How to Say No To Your Care Provider
During any health journey, but especially when you’re pregnant, you need to be an active participant in and a vocal advocate for your care. You choose the care provider most aligned with your own health care philosophy (to the greatest extent possible within the health care system we have) and ideally, of course, there should be a … Continue reading “How to Say No To Your Care Provider”
Birth Preparation Checklist
No question about it: there is a lot to think about when you are pregnant. It’s an exciting and wonderful time, but it can also be a little daunting. Here I offer a Birth Preparation Checklist for those list-makers out there (like me) who like to see at a glance all they want to (or … Continue reading “Birth Preparation Checklist”
Ways to Turn a Breech Baby
Sometimes you get the news that baby is not yet in a head-down (vertex) position but rather that baby is breech. For many, this news makes them fear that baby cannot be born outside of a hospital or that baby’s presentation is an automatic reason for a cesarean. It doesn’t need to be this way. … Continue reading “Ways to Turn a Breech Baby”
Amniotic Fluid Flavored by Mom’s Diet
This category of posts addresses questions people have asked me in class or questions typed into google which somehow landed people on my blog, to which I did not know the answers or wanted to find out more details. What a fun way for me to learn something new and to share it with you! … Continue reading “Amniotic Fluid Flavored by Mom’s Diet”
Creative Art Therapy for Birth Preparation, Birth Trauma or Pregnancy Loss
Not an artist? Think you don’t have a creative bone in your body? Don’t worry – you don’t need that to be able to get some healing and comfort from creative expression. In fact, it’s a very powerful tool for many women as they prepare for birth and want to face any fears they may … Continue reading “Creative Art Therapy for Birth Preparation, Birth Trauma or Pregnancy Loss”
The Pregnant Patient’s Bill of Rights
Prepared by Doris Haire ©2000 American Foundation for Maternal and Child Health Many pregnant women are not fully aware of their right of informed consent or of the obstetricians’ legal obligation to obtain their patient’s informed consent prior to treatment. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) first publicly acknowledged the physician’s legal obligation to … Continue reading “The Pregnant Patient’s Bill of Rights”
You’re Giving Birth WHERE?
So you’ve decided on a birth team and birth place and you’ve started to share your decisions with family, friends and colleagues. Their response? “You’re giving birth where??” Or maybe you get the wide-eyed stare. Or the laughter! Or the jaw drop. Or even the very concerned brow furrow. Immediately you feel as though you … Continue reading “You’re Giving Birth WHERE?”
Ten Holistic Ways to Prepare for the Intensity of Birth
By Virginia Bobro, Certified Childbirth Mentor, Doula, Lactation Consultant and Managing Director of Birthing From Within There are many ways to prepare for childbirth. We fill our brains with information, facts and research about it. We hear others’ experiences and opinions, which can often be overwhelming to a pregnant woman! We prepare our body for birth by … Continue reading “Ten Holistic Ways to Prepare for the Intensity of Birth”
Beneficial Herbs For Pregnancy
Nettle (Urtica Dioica) For those who have wandered into woodlands near water, stinging nettle will be a familiar memory. Nettle is a popular table green still today, eaten much the same way as cooked kale or spinach. Rich in chlorophyll, nettle is a world favorite for all urinary tract problems. Contains: Chlorine, chlorophyll, formic … Continue reading “Beneficial Herbs For Pregnancy”
Childbirth Education: Finding a good fit for you
Congratulations! You’re pregnant! Now what? Suddenly everyone from your mother-in-law to your neighbor to the random lady in the grocery store has some advice (or wacky anecdote) to share with you. How do you get the information you need to make the decisions and choices that are right for your family? Childbirth education is, I … Continue reading “Childbirth Education: Finding a good fit for you”