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Birth takes longer than 50 years ago-- read this article

Parents need to carefully consider and educate themselves about all the options in childbirth. Read all of this article. More inductions are being done for 'non-medical' reasons, (I"m tired of being pregnant, or I want to have the baby when my favorite doctor will be there") 'pushing' a woman into labor, before her body is ready, causing longer, more difficult labors, ending in more cesareans.

HypnoBirthing Classes in Lynchburg

WSET runs story about HypnoBirthing Classes at Best Start

Minimizing the Negative Effects of Epidural Anesthesia

While the negative effects of epidural anesthesia are often discussed—whether they are evidence-based or experience-based—it’s important to recognize that there are occasions when an epidural is desired or needed. Clearly, an epidural or spinal anesthetic is preferable to general anesthesia for a cesarean birth, but there are other occasions during labor when an epidural may be a wise choice.

Mothering the Mother: The Importance of Postpartum Care
Other countries take special care of new mothers after giving birth. Could our lack of proper care cause severe problems and affect the health of the mother?

Easier Childbirth with Fetal Positioning: Spinning Babies.com

Did you know your activity and positions can make a big difference in getting your baby in the best position for birth? It can make a difference in the length of your labor and ease of birth for both mother and baby.

Don't be pushed into an early birth

Click here to read: Pushed into an early birth for no medical reason? Request one not knowing the risks? Early elective birth is on the rise, and breastfeeding is one of its many casualties.

Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth

Founded upon six care practices that support normal birth, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth is an evidence-based resource for new and expectant parents and childbirth professionals. Use this site to find credible, relevant and useful information and discover how to come together with normal birth advocates in your community.
www.lamaze.org/institute

Fantastic Videos from Lamaze.org:

Lamaze Video Library

Healthy Birth Your Way

Watch the videos on ALL 6 Health Birth Practices

#1 Let Labor Begin On Its Own

#2 Walk, Move and Change Positions

#3 Have Continuous Support

#4 Avoid Unnecessary Interventions

#5 Get Upright and Follow Urges to Push

#6 Keep Your Baby With You After Birth

Find out what other countries do that gives them better birth outcomes -- healthier mothers and babies and fewer deaths than in the United States.

Delayed cord clamping or premature cord clamping?

What should you choose for your baby?
When should the doctor/midwife clamp your baby's umbilical cord?
Do you know that it is giving your baby oxygen and needed nutients for the minutes it pulses after your baby is born?

Click here to see a medical 'Grand Rounds', Nicholas S. Fogelson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USC School of Medicine discussing the implications of cutting the baby's cord too soon. Share this link with you doctor or midwife.

http://academicobgyn.com/2011/01/30/delayed-cord-clamping-grand-rounds/

Why do

Why do obstetricians and midwives rush to clamp the cord?

Article in the British Journal of Medicine by David J. Hutchon, retired obstetrician, published November 10, 2010

http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c5447.full

How to have a healthy pregnancy

There are all kinds of chemicals surrounding us now in everyday products. Did you know BPA has been found in the cord blood of babies?What you are exposed to affects your baby at his/her most volnerable time of life. BPA and phthalates are two of the most in the media. Check out these websites for more information about products to avoid and what you can do to reduce your exposure.

Guide to less toxic products:

http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=personal

Listen to this great pod cast from The People's Pharmacy.

Many of the products we use every day, from non-stick frying pans to plastic toys like rubber ducks, expose us to chemicals. How safe are they? Phthalates and BPA are endocrine disruptors. Do we get enough in day-to-day life to make a difference?

Two Canadian environmentalists decided to find out. They ran the experiment on themselves, and what they discovered is disconcerting

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2010/09/18/784-death-by-rubber-duck/

Many personal care products contain phthalates, chemicals that can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the reproductive system. New research also links phthalates to feminized genitals in baby boys.

http://www.biggreenpurse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=70

Food Safety for Moms-To-Be-- FDA website

What do you eat when pregnant? There are many concerns about mercury in some fish, but women who cut out all fish run the risk of not getting enought omega 3s which has been linked to post partum depression.

Here you'll find top line points about food safety during pregnancy. It's a great reminder of ways to keep you and your baby safe!

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/ucm081785.htm

Mayo Clinic informaiton:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-and-fish/PR00158

Omega 3s and Post Partum Depression

http://21months.com/firstyear/omega3-post-partum-depression.cfm

International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA)

ICEA is an organization of over 4,000 members from throughout the United States and 42 countries who believe in freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.
www.icea.org

The first hour after birth: Why is this important and what do you need to ask your doctor/midwife to do that is important for you and your baby?

Click here for article

HypnoBirthing®

HypnoBirthing® - The Mongan Method, is a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth education, enhanced by hypnosis techniques, providing the missing link, that allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing in a way that most mirrors nature. Emphasis is placed on both pregnancy and childbirth as well as on HypnoBirthing®. As a birthing method, HypnoBirthing® is as new as tomorrow and as old as ancient times.
www.hypnobirthing.com

Click on the link below to watch amazing videos about HypnoBirthing

The HypnoBirthing You Tube Channel

Does HypnoBirthing Really Work?

Our local TV station did a report on our HypnoBirthing Classes on 1/8/12 : See it on our YouTube channel here

"I've hired a doula. Do I really need a lactation consultant?"

Click here to read Marsha Walker's article

Henci Goer

Henci Goer, award-winning medical writer and internationally known speaker, is the author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Her previous book, Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities, is a highly-acclaimed resource for childbirth professionals. An independent scholar, she is an acknowledged expert on evidence-based maternity care. Goer has written consumer education pamphlets and numerous articles for magazines as diverse as Reader's Digest and the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. Previously appearing on ParentsPlace.com as the "Birth Guru", she is currently a resident expert on Lamaze International's website, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth. Now concentrating on writing and speaking, Goer was a doula (labor support professional) for over 20 years and a Lamaze educator for ten.
www.hencigoer.com

Birth Matters

To bring together members of the community for the purpose of sharing information about pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. We value childbirth as a significant event. Its impact reaches beyond the individual and into the community. Decisions made during this time require careful consideration and an understanding of the scientific evidence.
http://birthmattersva.org

What is a safe birth?

There is an overwhelming array of information available to expectant parents, and it can be difficult to know where to start. This website is dedicated to guiding parents through learning which questions to ask, and knowing what kind of answers they should hope to hear back from their care providers.
www.safebirth.org/sb

BOLD - Birth On Labor Day

Birth On Labor Day is...
- a global movement to make maternity care mother-friendly.
- grassroots events that use the arts to get communities to educate themselves, speak their truth and take action on maternity care issues.
- an awareness-raising and fundraising opportunity for groups, organizations and individuals to support mother-initiated dialogue and solutions to maternity care.

Why BOLD?

Playwright Karen Brody wanted to find a way to honor mothers’ birth experiences, get communities talking about their local birthing issues, and raise money for organizations and small groups who are working to make maternity care mother-friendly. “One woman dies every minute throughout the world from a pregnancy or childbirth-related cause,” says Brody, “As a writer I wondered, why are we not telling this story? And as an activist I wondered, how can we tell this story in a way that will make a difference, that will shift the model of maternity care for women to the mother’s needs?”
http://www.birthonlaborday.com/