johncsnider

Not a Pre-Planned Birth During this blogging experiment, I have been planning and awaiting the arrival of Baby #3. She was due 8/24/12. Like my other babies, that due date came and past. My other two births were pushed along before my body went into labor. For this birth, I was worried that my husband would not be able to make it from work in time. My last labor was only 3 hours and I was thankful that we lived near my husband's work. Now we are in the suburbs and my hospital was even further away (a two hour trip from his office to the hospital). I could use a closer hospital but there is nothing closer that has midwives. So I tried to "plan" the birth! The day before my due date, my husband took the day off and went to my midwife appointment with me. We hoped that she would strip my membranes and send me into labor. Unfortunately the baby was not low enough yet and she worried that the cord could get in the way. So instead we had a "date" and went out to lunc...

Your birthing class , should have given you great information but I have a few little notes to add: If you think of a woman about to give birth, you will notice that gravity naturally works in her favor while she is standing or squatting.  While you are in labor, you should try various positions that feel comfortable in the moment. Moving your hips in a circular motion while in some sort of supported upright position will help your hips and pelvis widen to help the baby move down for birth.  I always alternate positions as the labor progresses but especially liked slow dancing with my husband or leaning over a chair (while getting a back massage for my back labor). Sadly, most hospitals around here like to hook up monitors and IV tubes that confine a woman to her bed. If a woman gets an epidural then she is bedridden and does not get to have gravity and natural hip movements help the baby get into position. This is one of several reasons while epidurals can cause a lot of othe...

In the movies it seems like a woman goes into labor, runs to the hospital, lays on her back and then has her baby. In reality, most women have an early labor that lasts for hours (and often days) in which it is in their best interest to stay home and work through their labor before going to the hospital. So what do you do at home?  Well a good birthing class will teach you what to do during each stage of labor and delivery. Most importantly, birthing classes give moms and partners the self confidence that they need and the tools to empower themselves. I am sure that most of you reading this are looking for a natural un-medicated birth and a good class will teach you how to be in control of your body and not experience "pain." There are several options that you should investigate to see what is the best option for you. image: www.123rf.com ronen Doula For my first birth, I had a doula who came to our home and gave my husband and I private birth preparation classes. ...

image: http://www.freeimages.co.uk What is a birth plan? A birth plan is a list of what you want during labor, delivery and postpartum. It is helpful for you to sit down and decide on what decisions you want made in advance so you are not having to make spur of the moment decisions in between contractions and no details will be forgotten.  During my first pregnancy, I had so much to learn and found it useful just to read through the options that my doctor never told me about. I became very educated by just researching what those options meant! Free birth plan template. This one is really good from Earth Mama Angel Baby:  http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/free-birth-plan Should I create a birth plan? During my first pregnancy, my doula had me review all the birthing options. She was adamant about me not being too set on a fixed "birth plan" because she wanted me to be flexible and not get too disappointed if my dream birth did not happen. Since my doula was at my side the ...

I had no clue what a doula was. Then two moms both raved about their doula. As soon as my husband heard the other husbands rave about their doulas, he was sold and instantly made me call her and hire her. The story that got me was the couple that went for the cessation with a breach baby. Of course that was not in their birth plan but they said that the doula kept them both calm and turned it into an embracing and positive experience where it would have been horrifying without her. I had a doula for my first birth and she was priceless.   And of course she shared her wonderful pregnancy tea recipe with me! I will speak more about her when it is my turn to tell my birth story. For my second birth, my midwife told me not to have a doula because she (psychic or really talented?) predicted how fast my labor would be and told me that as soon as my contracts started, I needed to run to the hospital and that she would be at my side the entire time! It was true! Here is some information ...

Here is the stereotype: Back in the old days, women used midwives and almost always gave birth at home (true).  Then modern medicine came along in the 20th century and doctors provided a supposedly healthier way of giving birth in hospitals. Now we are in the 21st century and only crazy hippies would use a midwife so they could give birth at home without medical support.  THIS IS SO WRONG!  GET THIS OUT OF YOUR HEAD NOW! Don't get too comfy with your OB. One of the most common things that I hear from women is that they love their pre-pregnancy OBGYN so they stick with that care provider because they feel comfortable.  Or they know one friend who just gave birth with an OB so they use that doctor.  Although this makes sense to these moms, I challenge all of you pregnant moms to look at the data and hear the birth stories of women on both sides of the caregiving spectrum. Lower your chances of a cesarean by using a midwife! The World Health Organization says that ...