Here is a reply I left to an article by an OB regarding unnecessary c-sections.
Article here:
http://academicobgyn.com/2010/07/27/the-myth-of-the-unnecessary-cesarean/
Dr. Fogelson,
I don't have time to read all the replies, but since you seem to be reading the comments, I will leave one for you. I am very happy to see you mention:
"I completely agree about looking at the factors that promote normal birth:
here’s a few:
1) avoiding unindicated inductions
2) control of gestational diabetes
3) delaying hospital admission until the onset of active labor"
In my area in WV, virtually all OB attended hospital birthing women are induced, and are thus in the hospital the entire labor. We also have the 5th highest rate of c-sections in the nation, and are running about a 50% chance of induced women getting c-sections. The only women I know who escape this are the homebirth moms I know, and the VERY rare lady who refuses induction despite enormous pressure from her doctors. These are done for the convenience and scheduling of the doctors, and always occur PRIOR to the due date!
I can not figure out why women in my area do not question the insanely high c-section rate. They happily go in for their scheduled inductions implicitly trusting that the doctor has their best interests at heart. How have humans managed to survive if so many women are incapable of birth?
I am a natural birth advocate, having had one birth center birth, and two homebirths (one unassisted.) I realize emergency care is sometimes needed, and I am very thankful we have such care available. However, treating all births like emergencies, intervening from beginning to end, causes the very problems women think they are being protected from.
If women are left alone to labor and birth as they choose, almost all will birth fine, and free from any complications. The best thing we could do to greatly minimize c-sections and other things like forceps or vacuum delivery and episiotomies, etc., for women who choose hospitals to birth, is to leave them alone! Give them peace, quiet, and privacy, and minimize interruptions. Let them labor as they choose, freely walking or moving as desired. Let them birth in whatever position desired. I've never known any women who actually chose to birth flat on their back, which hinders birthing efforts, as it narrows the pelvis and compresses blood and oxygen to the baby, often resulting in fetal distress. Keep the dreaded continuous electronic fetal machine away, shown to actually CAUSE unneeded c-sections. A doppler every 30 minutes or so should give plenty of reassurance that baby is well. Also, get rid of the timeline which says if a woman doesn't produce a baby in a certain amount of time, she has "failure to progress" and winds up with a c-section or a forced vaginal birth (forceps, etc.) Do not use pitocin to either induce or hasten labor.
The typical hospital scene however, treats women as cattle, herding them in and out as quickly as possible. Induction, pitocin, labor in bed, "failure to progress," c-section. I hear this story of induction to c-section all the time from women I know.
What's needed is a midwifery model of care for most women. Let labor begin and proceed on it's own. Let the woman do what her body innately knows it needs to do. Tragically, this scenario is the opposite of what most women encounter. Therefore, you will continue to have women who feel violated and cheated, and yes even medically raped.
Birth is a very special, sacred experience in a woman's life, which is not at all respected in our current obstetric model of childbirth care. Not only are most women cheated out of a positive birth experience, the aftercare of the newborn is deplorable. Separating the mother and baby after birth tremendously interferes with the natural bonding hormones and breastfeeding. So many women report feelings of detachment towards their infants, which they very often attribute to a labor and birth in which they were at the mercy of doctors and staff, who completely took over their labors and performed unneeded c-sections. Many of these women have found later healing in homebirth, which is infinitely more peaceful than a hospital birth.
I hope you will continue to advocate lowering c-section rates among your colleagues, and also seek to advocate for a far less interfering approach to childbirth, which will result in far fewer c-sections. Thank you.
Showing posts with label Homebirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homebirth. Show all posts
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Our Second Birth (at home!)
When Joshua was three years and eight months old, I was due to give birth again. One of the midwives on staff at the birth center where he was born, Angy, had started her own practice doing homebirths! I was so excited. I looked forward to puking in my own toilet. Vomiting on oneself while having hard labor in a speeding car is no fun at all! I love her attitude as she is all about natural birth and non-intervention.
She gave me lots of choices that I was not given with the birth center, such as not making me have the IV antibiotics during labor. For every decision, she gave me the risks, pros and cons, and let me decide. I really appreciated that, and her trust in a woman's body to give birth by itself. I declined most of the routine tests, including ultrasound, so we didn't know if we were getting another boy or a girl.
Two days after my "due date," I woke up at 4 AM after only 4 hours sleep, and proceeded to pace my house for about the next 10 hours while listening to a Christian worship CD nonstop. Being January and very cold, I didn't have many options for places to walk, so I just did laps around my kitchen table and back and forth through the living room. I occasionally tried to sit down, but was very quickly pacing again. I suppose this was the early stage of labor that I didn't really experience the first time when I essentially went straight to hard labor. I wasn't in much pain at all, but just couldn't stop moving.
I then spent the next several hours in my bathtub. The tub is a regular size, (no deep jacuzzi this time), so I had to mostly lie down or lean forward while sitting to keep the water on my belly. I kept adding hot water every so often, while draining off some cold.
Joshua stayed with me practically the whole time I was in the tub. He started out on the other side, then sitting on the edge, then stuck his feet in, and eventually wound up in the tub. It was really sweet and funny. I said, "I can't even labor by myself." He would rub my back and say comforting things. I didn't mind him being there at all. I just breathed through my contractions since I didn't want to be loud and scare him.
Angy came over after I was in the tub, and I asked her to check my cervix, which she only does upon request, not routinely. She says dilation is not a good indication of when the baby will be born, so there is really no reason to check. Plus, it can introduce germs. A woman can very quickly fully dilate from 0 to 10 cm., or walk around for weeks very dilated like I did with my first baby.
I should have left well enough alone, because after an already lengthy labor, I was discouraged to hear I was only 2 cm. I had her check me once or twice more during my very long soak, and don't really remember what I was, but it wasn't enough to make me get excited. She even wanted to feel my belly once during a contraction to make sure they were the strong, productive ones since I was being the silent type. I just breathed through each contraction, concentrating on them one at a time, and reminding myself I was that much closer. As during my first labor, I allowed myself to squeeze my hands together, but made the rest of my body stay relaxed, as I didn't want to fight my body's efforts by tensing up. Angy reminded me to keep my face relaxed along with my body and not to grimace. I asked her at one point how much longer did she think it would be, and I think she said an hour. I can't quite remember when I asked her, though, so I'm not sure of her accuracy!
Everyone always said that second babies come faster, so I was discouraged with how long this was taking, and after my lack of sleep, many miles walked, and then the harder stage of labor, I was so tired, and just wanted to go to sleep, which of course is not possible when you are getting ready to have a baby.
My husband, Matt, would pop in and out of the bathroom checking on me, as would Angy. It was mostly just me and my little boy. Right when it got tough, Matt came in and stayed. He seemed to know when I needed him, and when I was ok alone. I basically wanted to be alone. We had called our families around 4 PM, but I had them all stay out of the bathroom. I told our family that I wanted to labor alone, but they could come in for the birth. Labor is an unbelievably intense time, and I didn't want to be distracted. I needed my full concentration for each contraction. I kept the lights off and burned candles and continued to listen to the same worship CD, (Russ Jones: The Worship Project), which was a huge help. It kept my mind focused on God.
I remember an intense mixture of emotions of pain, and love for my family, and God's presence just before transition. I cried from these overwhelming feelings of love. One song (Revelation Song) I repeatedly listened to that has been so special to me ever since. The chorus says, "Holy! Holy! Holy! is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings, You are my everything, and I will adore You."
Angy had come in to stay about then, and I needed to get out of the tub to throw up. Angy said that getting out of the tub would help move things along, too. It really did, as now the contractions came one on top of the other. I was on the floor, the toilet, leaning on Matt, all over the place. Transition was a blur, it was so intense and painful, though quick. I finally wound up on the toilet again, and my mom came in. She couldn't take being outside anymore, and held one hand, and Matt held the other. I had maybe a couple more contractions like this.
I felt the baby coming, and then squatted in the floor in front of the toilet, and said Matt's mom and sister better get in here, as I knew they were hoping to watch the birth. So, crowded into our tiny bathroom was me, Matt, his sister, our moms, Angy, and her assistant Jennifer, who is also a midwife.
Birth was quick and seemingly effortless. I say that because I didn't have to push hard like I did before. In fact, I didn't push at all. After all that long labor, it only took three contractions as my body pushed our baby out. He was ready to be born, and I squatted in the floor, and out he came.
I did get noisy during birth and I think it scared Joshua, so my father in law took him outside. He had left the bathroom before transition, and I'm glad since I was obviously in pain. I was crying out to Jesus when the baby came out!
I caught our baby's head and Matt caught his body. He turned him over and announced, "It's a boy!" It was very special with Matt and I catching our son. I had a very tiny tear, but we were in great shape. I liked it a lot better being in my own house doing whatever I wanted. Even though I had a midwife there, she watched the birth unobtrusively.
We didn't cut the cord until after it stopped pulsating, and I donated the cord blood. I wanted to do these with my first birth, but didn't get to. I sat on the toilet holding our new son until after we cut the cord and I birthed the placenta, then I got in the shower and felt great.
Everyone was surprised that he weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces, and that he had a head full of very dark hair. He was 21 inches long, born on 1-16 at 6:48 PM. He was very content while we all loved on him, and welcomed him.
He was a little slow to get the hang of nursing, but caught on sometime that first week, and just like Joshua, nursed strong for almost two years. I've thought that lots of women would have thought something was wrong and just used formula instead. Especially since hospitals often push formula instead of encouraging breastfeeding.
We debated for a week on his name, and finally decided on Matt's original first choice, Daniel Isaiah.
I have a stepson, too, Gabriel, so Matt has had one in a hospital, one in a birth center, and one at home. Home is his favorite and mine. He was serving up pie and coffee during my labor! I cannot fathom trying to labor and birth in a hospital. I pray I never have anything to cause me to have that experience.
For something so incredibly private and intense, home is definitely the place to be.
Our Third Birth (at home unassisted!)
Our third birth was by far my easiest and fastest labor, and my favorite birth. Since our older boys were overdue, one by a week and one by 2 days, I figured this one would be late, too. I had a thought about this one coming a week early, but I must have forgotten that because I decided to replace my bathroom floor the week before he was due. My nesting instinct always seems to manifest itself in major home repairs. Our floor was rotted and we had a sewer smell at times. The smell got really bad, and I did not want to be in labor with that nasty odor.
I was planning a homebirth like I had with my last son. About ten days before my "due date," we took out the sink and toilet, and I spent the next couple of days ripping out the old floor and rotten wood. We live in an old house, and with each pregnancy I was doing lots of major renovations.
On Monday morning, (all my labors started on Mondays), I went to Lowe's to buy new wood. While there, I began to have back pains. Although they were mild, I had not previously had back pains. All my braxton-hicks contractions were always just in my belly. I even cried a little, hoping I wasn't going into labor at Lowe's. I was there about an hour and a half and had to ask questions of various salespeople about our project. I was really distracted trying to talk to these people, and when I finally checked out, I tried to give the cashier both cash and a debit card. I told her I was sorry, and that I had a lot on my mind.
I went home and carried my wood up my 38 steps, and then asked my husband, Matt, if he thought he would have cell phone service where he would be working that day. I told him I didn't think I was in labor, but I kept having these back pains. I told him several times to go on to work as I didn't think it was labor.
Actually, I was in denial. He knew I was in labor before I did. He said he could see it in my eyes. He stayed home and began urgently cutting boards for the floor, which is what I had planned to do that day. I remembered the acupressure points for labor I had found on the internet and decided to try them just in case I was really in labor. The first points I saw were for hastening labor. Since I did not want to be in labor, I passed on those and found some for pain relief. I was not in much pain, but I began to press on those points every time I had a back pain. The back pains kept coming, but I kept hoping I was not in labor. I did really like those points though. They made the back pains really short and they never got very painful. I was way too busy to try and time them.
I cooked breakfast and helped Matt with the floor, even going under the house through a hole in the floor to help hold some boards. The whole time, I just kept holding the points for the pains, which kept coming. I began to think maybe I was in labor and was not sure what to do. We were so unprepared to have a baby that day. We had no bathroom, the house was in shambles, the kids were sick, and I had not been to the store and was out of many basic food items. There was so much to do. The nest was not ready!
I asked Matt if I should clean or work on the floor. He said clean. I wandered from room to room, not knowing what was more important, the kitchen, bedroom, laundry? I decided to make our bed and sweep our bedroom floor as I was planning to fill a pool with water for labor, and I planned to put the pool in our bedroom. I then got out the pool and began to fill it with air. I kept thinking I wished it was already filled with water as I'd really like to get in! Our boys, Joshua and Daniel, were so excited that I was inflating a swimming pool in the house, and kept chattering and peppering me with questions. I finally managed to get the thing blown up, and told Joshua to tell Dad to bring in the hose to fill the pool. I didn't feel capable of getting the hose from outside and hooking it up by that point.
I felt like things were moving fast. Matt took a break from the floor to get the hose, and he hooked it up and began filling the pool. He wanted to call his dad to come help him with the floor, but I told him I didn't care about the floor right now! I had to throw up, which I did in both my previous labors. I went outside and threw up, and then came back in. Matt asked if he should call our midwife, Angy, and I said yes. He had asked me earlier, but I had said no. She laughed and said she was an hour away and probably wouldn't make it, but we knew what to do. I managed to brush my teeth and felt like I had to poop.
I got our temporary toilet, which was a five gallon bucket with our toilet seat on top, and a garbage bag and newspapers inside. I set it in my bedroom by the pool, and sat down on it. My water broke and I felt the baby moving down. I told Matt to bring me the coconut oil, then a spoon to dig it out with, which I then rubbed on myself to help avoid tears. With each contraction, I said, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." Just like my second birth, I had three contractions as the baby came down with no effort or pushing on my part. On the third one, our new baby was born! Matt turned the baby over and announced, "It's a boy!" I had not had any ultrasounds, so we didn't know what we were getting.
Matt caught our baby wearing his work boots and covered in pressure treated sawdust. We had not even washed our hands as we had no idea the baby would come so fast. He got a bulb syringe from the closet (not new or sterilized, of course) and sucked out his nose and mouth, and a bath towel, which we covered him with as he lay on my lap. I told Matt he could turn the water off now! We called Angy and our parents to share our good news.
We were shocked. I had only realized I was in labor maybe an hour or so prior, and there we were with a baby! He let out a little cry just after he came out, and then just looked at us. He also nursed, peed, and pooped.
Joshua, who was about six and a half years old at the time, went outside when I sat down on the bucket, but Daniel, who was two years and nine months old, stood there and watched the birth. He got a little scared from all the blood, but we told him I was fine, and he got in the pool to play. Then Joshua, who had been outside whooping like an Indian, came in and got in the pool. Matt boiled some scissors and string, and after the placenta came out, he cut and tied off the cord. There probably wasn't much point in sterilizing anything by this time, though. Then, I got off the bucket and got in the pool with the baby, after having the boys get out, to get cleaned up. The water felt wonderful, and the baby really seemed to like the nice, warm water. At least I got to use the pool for something!
The midwives showed up about the time I was getting in the pool, which was about 45 minutes or so after the birth. I was glad it worked out that way. I had told Angy previously that I might not call anyone until after the birth. I had been reading a lot about unassisted birth and really liked the idea of an intimate family birth.
I only had a tiny tear, more like a scrape, and didn't need any stitches. I never had any long contractions and they never got very painful. I had natural childbirth with the other boys, so I know what those long, painful contractions are like. Now, I tell pregnant women about those acupressure points! I found them at
http://childbirthsolutions.com/articles/acupressure-techniques-for-use-during-childbirth-and-pregnancy/.
Our little guy weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. In the midst of all the excitement, we didn't look at a clock when he made his appearance, so we tried to determine the time of birth based upon when Angy's phone showed Matt called. We put 1:25 PM on the birth certificate, but I think we were off a little. I think it was probably between 1:20 and 1:25.
When he was almost three weeks old, and after much discussion, we finally put a name on his birth certificate, Christopher Joseph. Naming a person is very difficult!
Even though I wanted him to come later so I could get the bathroom done and go to the store and have the house nice and clean, we were so thankful it all happened the way it did. We still kept working on the house, only with a new, sweet little baby in it!
I was planning a homebirth like I had with my last son. About ten days before my "due date," we took out the sink and toilet, and I spent the next couple of days ripping out the old floor and rotten wood. We live in an old house, and with each pregnancy I was doing lots of major renovations.
On Monday morning, (all my labors started on Mondays), I went to Lowe's to buy new wood. While there, I began to have back pains. Although they were mild, I had not previously had back pains. All my braxton-hicks contractions were always just in my belly. I even cried a little, hoping I wasn't going into labor at Lowe's. I was there about an hour and a half and had to ask questions of various salespeople about our project. I was really distracted trying to talk to these people, and when I finally checked out, I tried to give the cashier both cash and a debit card. I told her I was sorry, and that I had a lot on my mind.
I went home and carried my wood up my 38 steps, and then asked my husband, Matt, if he thought he would have cell phone service where he would be working that day. I told him I didn't think I was in labor, but I kept having these back pains. I told him several times to go on to work as I didn't think it was labor.
Actually, I was in denial. He knew I was in labor before I did. He said he could see it in my eyes. He stayed home and began urgently cutting boards for the floor, which is what I had planned to do that day. I remembered the acupressure points for labor I had found on the internet and decided to try them just in case I was really in labor. The first points I saw were for hastening labor. Since I did not want to be in labor, I passed on those and found some for pain relief. I was not in much pain, but I began to press on those points every time I had a back pain. The back pains kept coming, but I kept hoping I was not in labor. I did really like those points though. They made the back pains really short and they never got very painful. I was way too busy to try and time them.
I cooked breakfast and helped Matt with the floor, even going under the house through a hole in the floor to help hold some boards. The whole time, I just kept holding the points for the pains, which kept coming. I began to think maybe I was in labor and was not sure what to do. We were so unprepared to have a baby that day. We had no bathroom, the house was in shambles, the kids were sick, and I had not been to the store and was out of many basic food items. There was so much to do. The nest was not ready!
I asked Matt if I should clean or work on the floor. He said clean. I wandered from room to room, not knowing what was more important, the kitchen, bedroom, laundry? I decided to make our bed and sweep our bedroom floor as I was planning to fill a pool with water for labor, and I planned to put the pool in our bedroom. I then got out the pool and began to fill it with air. I kept thinking I wished it was already filled with water as I'd really like to get in! Our boys, Joshua and Daniel, were so excited that I was inflating a swimming pool in the house, and kept chattering and peppering me with questions. I finally managed to get the thing blown up, and told Joshua to tell Dad to bring in the hose to fill the pool. I didn't feel capable of getting the hose from outside and hooking it up by that point.
I felt like things were moving fast. Matt took a break from the floor to get the hose, and he hooked it up and began filling the pool. He wanted to call his dad to come help him with the floor, but I told him I didn't care about the floor right now! I had to throw up, which I did in both my previous labors. I went outside and threw up, and then came back in. Matt asked if he should call our midwife, Angy, and I said yes. He had asked me earlier, but I had said no. She laughed and said she was an hour away and probably wouldn't make it, but we knew what to do. I managed to brush my teeth and felt like I had to poop.
I got our temporary toilet, which was a five gallon bucket with our toilet seat on top, and a garbage bag and newspapers inside. I set it in my bedroom by the pool, and sat down on it. My water broke and I felt the baby moving down. I told Matt to bring me the coconut oil, then a spoon to dig it out with, which I then rubbed on myself to help avoid tears. With each contraction, I said, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." Just like my second birth, I had three contractions as the baby came down with no effort or pushing on my part. On the third one, our new baby was born! Matt turned the baby over and announced, "It's a boy!" I had not had any ultrasounds, so we didn't know what we were getting.
Matt caught our baby wearing his work boots and covered in pressure treated sawdust. We had not even washed our hands as we had no idea the baby would come so fast. He got a bulb syringe from the closet (not new or sterilized, of course) and sucked out his nose and mouth, and a bath towel, which we covered him with as he lay on my lap. I told Matt he could turn the water off now! We called Angy and our parents to share our good news.
We were shocked. I had only realized I was in labor maybe an hour or so prior, and there we were with a baby! He let out a little cry just after he came out, and then just looked at us. He also nursed, peed, and pooped.
Joshua, who was about six and a half years old at the time, went outside when I sat down on the bucket, but Daniel, who was two years and nine months old, stood there and watched the birth. He got a little scared from all the blood, but we told him I was fine, and he got in the pool to play. Then Joshua, who had been outside whooping like an Indian, came in and got in the pool. Matt boiled some scissors and string, and after the placenta came out, he cut and tied off the cord. There probably wasn't much point in sterilizing anything by this time, though. Then, I got off the bucket and got in the pool with the baby, after having the boys get out, to get cleaned up. The water felt wonderful, and the baby really seemed to like the nice, warm water. At least I got to use the pool for something!
The midwives showed up about the time I was getting in the pool, which was about 45 minutes or so after the birth. I was glad it worked out that way. I had told Angy previously that I might not call anyone until after the birth. I had been reading a lot about unassisted birth and really liked the idea of an intimate family birth.
I only had a tiny tear, more like a scrape, and didn't need any stitches. I never had any long contractions and they never got very painful. I had natural childbirth with the other boys, so I know what those long, painful contractions are like. Now, I tell pregnant women about those acupressure points! I found them at
http://childbirthsolutions.com/articles/acupressure-techniques-for-use-during-childbirth-and-pregnancy/.
Our little guy weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. In the midst of all the excitement, we didn't look at a clock when he made his appearance, so we tried to determine the time of birth based upon when Angy's phone showed Matt called. We put 1:25 PM on the birth certificate, but I think we were off a little. I think it was probably between 1:20 and 1:25.
When he was almost three weeks old, and after much discussion, we finally put a name on his birth certificate, Christopher Joseph. Naming a person is very difficult!
Even though I wanted him to come later so I could get the bathroom done and go to the store and have the house nice and clean, we were so thankful it all happened the way it did. We still kept working on the house, only with a new, sweet little baby in it!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Why I chose homebirth
I recently threw in my two cents on a midwife friend's Facebook discussion board, which asked the question, "Why did you choose homebirth?" I wrote one of my "novellas," which is what my husband calls my lengthy Facebook comments, and I thought this would be great to share here as well. Time to get on my soapbox! :)
I have so many reasons for choosing to birth at home! My first was born in a birth center, but I wanted to birth at home then, too. I asked the birth center if they did homebirths when I very first called them, and they said no. I didn't know anyone else or any idea how to find any homebirth midwives, and at that time, I didn't even consider birthing without a midwife. So, I went the birth center route, and was very happy with the midwives, and my overall experience. I never considered wanting pain meds even during hard labor. It just seemed to me that labor is what you go through to have a baby. I did wind up with an episiotomy, and in retrospect, after 2 homebirths, I think it is because my labor was interfered with. I was sitting on the toilet when my water broke. The midwife, nurse, and doula suggested I get on the bed and had me on my back, which I hated, but was too tired to say so! I've never heard of the stranded beetle position that Sarah mentioned, but that sounds like how they had me! On back with legs up and pulled back while pushing for a long time, maybe an hour, I think I was told. Yuck! Anyway, baby's heart rate got too low and they had to cut me to hurry up and get him out for his safety. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck the next day, but did feel fine the following day. I am convinced that if they would have left me on the toilet, I would have birthed fine, and not had to have an episiotomy. Another thing that I didn't like was that they immediately cut his cord. I had wanted to wait until it stopped pulsating, but didn't even have a chance to say anything as it all happened so fast. I'm still surprised and disappointed by that. With his low heart rate, he especially needed his cord blood, although all babies should have their cord blood, except for when an actual dire emergency demands immediate separation, which is very rare.
My next 2 babies were born at home (I had found a homebirth midwife by then, although the last baby arrived before the midwife did!) I did whatever I felt like doing during my labors. I didn't push either time, but both were born in 3 contractions (after reaching the "pushing" stage) on their own as my body moved them down and out. (We also waited, while I held our new babes, until their cords turned white to cut them.) Again, I was sitting on a toilet with one and squatting in front of a toilet with the other. If I would have gone and laid down on my back when my body was trying to birth, I would have greatly thwarted my body's innate ability to birth. I also felt great right away after those births.
So, there's a little background on my birth experiences. For my many reasons to choose home, let's see...
1. Labor and birth are VERY intense experiences. If I am going to have a VERY intense experience, OF COURSE I'm going to want to be HOME where I feel safe and comfortable! Just like if you're sick or dying (varying degrees of intense experiences), you want to be HOME. I can not fathom WANTING to give birth in a hospital. It's not a fun place.
2. You MUST be relaxed to birth. Mammals will only give birth when they feel safe. If a laboring mammal is disturbed, she will stop laboring until she feels safe again. How on earth can any laboring woman feel safe and relaxed in a HOSPITAL of all places?! You'd be much better suited to birth in a quiet field or forest than in a hospital filled with strangers popping in and out, machines, bright lights, noise, and bad odors. This is absolutely NOT the safe, relaxing environment necessary to birth. Stress and tension, which a hospital is full of, directly interferes with the opening of the cervix, which is a sphincter muscle. We are all familiar with another sphincter muscle, and readily understand that this one only opens when a person feels safe and relaxed and alone, or at least with only very trusted people nearby! The cervix is the same, yet we expect a woman to be able to tune out the many incredible distractions in a hospital, and birth that baby. It is no wonder women wind up with so many interventions in hospitals. Think of all the times a laboring woman arrives at the hospital, and labor stops, and then she gets pitocin to artificially cause contractions, which are so strong they can cause uterine rupture! Think also of all the times women wind up with c-sections due to "failure to progress." These are all results of the same cause: SHE DOESN'T FEEL SAFE AND SHE CAN"T RELAX!!! Personally, I am amazed by women who have natural birth in a hospital.
3. No interventions at home! If laboring women are left alone to do whatever their body wants them to do, almost all will have a normal, uncomplicated birth. The reason why there are so many interventions in a hospital is BECAUSE of the interventions. Inducing labor, which seems to be the way OBs treat every woman nowadays, is ASKING for further interventions! Except for the few homebirth moms I know, every single pregnant lady I know of is induced BEFORE her due date! It would be bad enough to induce at all, but BEFORE the due date?!!! The baby is NOT READY TO BE BORN!!! Now that you've got labor off to a horrible start, go ahead and throw in some continuous fetal monitoring (nothing like a sharp corkscrew in baby's head to get him ready for a mean, cruel world), and confine the woman to the bed (lying down, of course), prohibit any food or liquids (let her have a few ice chips so you don't seem like a completely heartless ogre), give her an epidural (which causes chronic back pain for 20% of women, and may numb the wrong half of her body or give her a killer, incapacitating headache for a week, and always removes her body's ability to push out her baby), give her some pain killers (which makes for a very groggy, drugged baby who will likely not want to nurse), and after you've squashed all natural ability to birth, give her an episiotomy and use forceps to get that baby out, or better yet, do a c-section. Hey, why even bother with all the trouble of labor anyway? Let's just schedule a c-section when it's convenient for everyone! Ahhh... nothing like the miracle of birth! (Don't forget lots of formula to feed the groggy baby who is too tired to nurse.)
4. As if all the above weren't enough, hospitals are full of GERMS! I've read horror stories of women (and their new babies) contracting staph infections while in a hospital to birth. We hear all the time of people going into a hospital for one thing and getting some sort of infection FROM the hospital. Why have a newborn baby in a place full of deadly disease?
5. The "agony" of childbirth is far overrated. Natural childbirth is not some superwoman feat of amazing achievement. Giving birth is a totally normal physiological function, which God perfectly designed our bodies to do well. People watch these fake TV shows with a woman acting like she's being tortured while in labor. Our society has the idea that childbirth is at least equal to torture and who could ever be expected to endure something so horrendous? Well... how have women managed to give birth every day for thousands of years with no drugs? Our bodies are perfectly capable of giving birth! Sure, it can hurt, but I'd take a day of pain (more like a few hours) anytime over a lifetime of pain! Remember the 20% of women with chronic back pain following an epidural? Also, people endure far worse pain and live through it. Many people live with excruciating, chronic pain. Labor pain is temporary and very doable. The longest contractions are 60-90 seconds. Anyone can stand some pain for a minute! You just take one contraction at a time, and then you get a baby! By the way, I had fantastic results with my last birth using acupressure points: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/acupressure/index.php/. I never had any hard labor, and all my contractions were very short and not very painful at all! I used BL 32 only and held the points myself during each contraction, but there are many other points described in the article. Then there are the many horrible effects upon baby from the pain meds. I don't want to drug my baby so I can avoid pain.
6. Baby is MUCH safer! Not only does the hospital want to interfere with mom, they want to get their hands on the new baby! First, they immediately cut the cord, which deprives baby of much oxygen rich blood, just when he is taking his first breaths! They separate baby from all he has ever known, Mom, to do whatever kind of tests and observation they think he needs, when what he really needs is MOM! They put some sort of stinging stuff in his eyes to protect him from Mom's STDs, whether she actually has one or not! They give him a Vitamin K shot, a hepatitis vaccine (which has killed babies), and half of the boys have part of their penises removed, which is excruciatingly painful and traumatic. Unless Mom is adamant, baby will most likely be given formula and pacifiers and kept in the nursery at least part of the time so Mom can "rest." Hospital staff can be very intimidating to parents who want to protect their babies from these routine interventions. I've seen new parents threatened that their baby was going to get invasive digestive tract tests if they couldn't get a groggy c-section baby (induced labor) to consume more formula. I read about a man holding his new baby who was zapped with a tazer by a security guard for daring to try and take his child home before the hospital said they could leave! I think I'd be a nervous wreck trying to protect my new baby from the typical hospital procedures.
7. Birth is NOT an emergency! Hospitals, doctors, and machines are not needed! True complications and emergencies can arise, but they are very rare in un-interfered with natural labors. It's such a blessing that we have hospitals IF we need them. They are major overkill for most births and cause the very emergencies they are intended to prevent! I find it ridiculous that women who are trying to birth are told to wait for the doctor! What?! Any one of the nurses, or mom or dad could catch the baby!!! You'd have to be drugged not to birth when it's time! When my last 2 came out on their own, I sure couldn't have stopped them!
Well, I guess I about covered everything! I am now a huge proponent of un-interfered with natural birth, preferably at home or another comfortable place. I strongly believe that if a woman is left alone and doesn't fear birth (which would interfere with the necessary relaxation of the muscles and of the mind), then her body will instinctively know what to do.
Indeed, a peaceful birth is such a special experience for a woman and her family. The non-drugged, alert baby being gently welcomed into the world with love by his parents and family, and held closely and showered with kisses and smiles and tears of joy, still connected while his cord continues to give him oxygen rich blood, is a very sacred time. There's no comparison between that scene and a typical hospital birth. I think that if people knew the facts, many more would choose homebirth.
Happy birthing! :)
P.S.
I must add more info on an excellent reason to choose natural birth that I only briefly mentioned earlier, the effects of a drugged birth upon the baby. Please read this superb article on the lasting effects of birth upon people. For instance, drugged babies are more likely to become drug addicted adults, and babies who suffer violent births are more likely to become violent criminals. All babies deserve peaceful births.
http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/birth-and-the-origins-of-violence.html
I have so many reasons for choosing to birth at home! My first was born in a birth center, but I wanted to birth at home then, too. I asked the birth center if they did homebirths when I very first called them, and they said no. I didn't know anyone else or any idea how to find any homebirth midwives, and at that time, I didn't even consider birthing without a midwife. So, I went the birth center route, and was very happy with the midwives, and my overall experience. I never considered wanting pain meds even during hard labor. It just seemed to me that labor is what you go through to have a baby. I did wind up with an episiotomy, and in retrospect, after 2 homebirths, I think it is because my labor was interfered with. I was sitting on the toilet when my water broke. The midwife, nurse, and doula suggested I get on the bed and had me on my back, which I hated, but was too tired to say so! I've never heard of the stranded beetle position that Sarah mentioned, but that sounds like how they had me! On back with legs up and pulled back while pushing for a long time, maybe an hour, I think I was told. Yuck! Anyway, baby's heart rate got too low and they had to cut me to hurry up and get him out for his safety. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck the next day, but did feel fine the following day. I am convinced that if they would have left me on the toilet, I would have birthed fine, and not had to have an episiotomy. Another thing that I didn't like was that they immediately cut his cord. I had wanted to wait until it stopped pulsating, but didn't even have a chance to say anything as it all happened so fast. I'm still surprised and disappointed by that. With his low heart rate, he especially needed his cord blood, although all babies should have their cord blood, except for when an actual dire emergency demands immediate separation, which is very rare.
My next 2 babies were born at home (I had found a homebirth midwife by then, although the last baby arrived before the midwife did!) I did whatever I felt like doing during my labors. I didn't push either time, but both were born in 3 contractions (after reaching the "pushing" stage) on their own as my body moved them down and out. (We also waited, while I held our new babes, until their cords turned white to cut them.) Again, I was sitting on a toilet with one and squatting in front of a toilet with the other. If I would have gone and laid down on my back when my body was trying to birth, I would have greatly thwarted my body's innate ability to birth. I also felt great right away after those births.
So, there's a little background on my birth experiences. For my many reasons to choose home, let's see...
1. Labor and birth are VERY intense experiences. If I am going to have a VERY intense experience, OF COURSE I'm going to want to be HOME where I feel safe and comfortable! Just like if you're sick or dying (varying degrees of intense experiences), you want to be HOME. I can not fathom WANTING to give birth in a hospital. It's not a fun place.
2. You MUST be relaxed to birth. Mammals will only give birth when they feel safe. If a laboring mammal is disturbed, she will stop laboring until she feels safe again. How on earth can any laboring woman feel safe and relaxed in a HOSPITAL of all places?! You'd be much better suited to birth in a quiet field or forest than in a hospital filled with strangers popping in and out, machines, bright lights, noise, and bad odors. This is absolutely NOT the safe, relaxing environment necessary to birth. Stress and tension, which a hospital is full of, directly interferes with the opening of the cervix, which is a sphincter muscle. We are all familiar with another sphincter muscle, and readily understand that this one only opens when a person feels safe and relaxed and alone, or at least with only very trusted people nearby! The cervix is the same, yet we expect a woman to be able to tune out the many incredible distractions in a hospital, and birth that baby. It is no wonder women wind up with so many interventions in hospitals. Think of all the times a laboring woman arrives at the hospital, and labor stops, and then she gets pitocin to artificially cause contractions, which are so strong they can cause uterine rupture! Think also of all the times women wind up with c-sections due to "failure to progress." These are all results of the same cause: SHE DOESN'T FEEL SAFE AND SHE CAN"T RELAX!!! Personally, I am amazed by women who have natural birth in a hospital.
3. No interventions at home! If laboring women are left alone to do whatever their body wants them to do, almost all will have a normal, uncomplicated birth. The reason why there are so many interventions in a hospital is BECAUSE of the interventions. Inducing labor, which seems to be the way OBs treat every woman nowadays, is ASKING for further interventions! Except for the few homebirth moms I know, every single pregnant lady I know of is induced BEFORE her due date! It would be bad enough to induce at all, but BEFORE the due date?!!! The baby is NOT READY TO BE BORN!!! Now that you've got labor off to a horrible start, go ahead and throw in some continuous fetal monitoring (nothing like a sharp corkscrew in baby's head to get him ready for a mean, cruel world), and confine the woman to the bed (lying down, of course), prohibit any food or liquids (let her have a few ice chips so you don't seem like a completely heartless ogre), give her an epidural (which causes chronic back pain for 20% of women, and may numb the wrong half of her body or give her a killer, incapacitating headache for a week, and always removes her body's ability to push out her baby), give her some pain killers (which makes for a very groggy, drugged baby who will likely not want to nurse), and after you've squashed all natural ability to birth, give her an episiotomy and use forceps to get that baby out, or better yet, do a c-section. Hey, why even bother with all the trouble of labor anyway? Let's just schedule a c-section when it's convenient for everyone! Ahhh... nothing like the miracle of birth! (Don't forget lots of formula to feed the groggy baby who is too tired to nurse.)
4. As if all the above weren't enough, hospitals are full of GERMS! I've read horror stories of women (and their new babies) contracting staph infections while in a hospital to birth. We hear all the time of people going into a hospital for one thing and getting some sort of infection FROM the hospital. Why have a newborn baby in a place full of deadly disease?
5. The "agony" of childbirth is far overrated. Natural childbirth is not some superwoman feat of amazing achievement. Giving birth is a totally normal physiological function, which God perfectly designed our bodies to do well. People watch these fake TV shows with a woman acting like she's being tortured while in labor. Our society has the idea that childbirth is at least equal to torture and who could ever be expected to endure something so horrendous? Well... how have women managed to give birth every day for thousands of years with no drugs? Our bodies are perfectly capable of giving birth! Sure, it can hurt, but I'd take a day of pain (more like a few hours) anytime over a lifetime of pain! Remember the 20% of women with chronic back pain following an epidural? Also, people endure far worse pain and live through it. Many people live with excruciating, chronic pain. Labor pain is temporary and very doable. The longest contractions are 60-90 seconds. Anyone can stand some pain for a minute! You just take one contraction at a time, and then you get a baby! By the way, I had fantastic results with my last birth using acupressure points: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/acupressure/index.php/. I never had any hard labor, and all my contractions were very short and not very painful at all! I used BL 32 only and held the points myself during each contraction, but there are many other points described in the article. Then there are the many horrible effects upon baby from the pain meds. I don't want to drug my baby so I can avoid pain.
6. Baby is MUCH safer! Not only does the hospital want to interfere with mom, they want to get their hands on the new baby! First, they immediately cut the cord, which deprives baby of much oxygen rich blood, just when he is taking his first breaths! They separate baby from all he has ever known, Mom, to do whatever kind of tests and observation they think he needs, when what he really needs is MOM! They put some sort of stinging stuff in his eyes to protect him from Mom's STDs, whether she actually has one or not! They give him a Vitamin K shot, a hepatitis vaccine (which has killed babies), and half of the boys have part of their penises removed, which is excruciatingly painful and traumatic. Unless Mom is adamant, baby will most likely be given formula and pacifiers and kept in the nursery at least part of the time so Mom can "rest." Hospital staff can be very intimidating to parents who want to protect their babies from these routine interventions. I've seen new parents threatened that their baby was going to get invasive digestive tract tests if they couldn't get a groggy c-section baby (induced labor) to consume more formula. I read about a man holding his new baby who was zapped with a tazer by a security guard for daring to try and take his child home before the hospital said they could leave! I think I'd be a nervous wreck trying to protect my new baby from the typical hospital procedures.
7. Birth is NOT an emergency! Hospitals, doctors, and machines are not needed! True complications and emergencies can arise, but they are very rare in un-interfered with natural labors. It's such a blessing that we have hospitals IF we need them. They are major overkill for most births and cause the very emergencies they are intended to prevent! I find it ridiculous that women who are trying to birth are told to wait for the doctor! What?! Any one of the nurses, or mom or dad could catch the baby!!! You'd have to be drugged not to birth when it's time! When my last 2 came out on their own, I sure couldn't have stopped them!
Well, I guess I about covered everything! I am now a huge proponent of un-interfered with natural birth, preferably at home or another comfortable place. I strongly believe that if a woman is left alone and doesn't fear birth (which would interfere with the necessary relaxation of the muscles and of the mind), then her body will instinctively know what to do.
Indeed, a peaceful birth is such a special experience for a woman and her family. The non-drugged, alert baby being gently welcomed into the world with love by his parents and family, and held closely and showered with kisses and smiles and tears of joy, still connected while his cord continues to give him oxygen rich blood, is a very sacred time. There's no comparison between that scene and a typical hospital birth. I think that if people knew the facts, many more would choose homebirth.
Happy birthing! :)
P.S.
I must add more info on an excellent reason to choose natural birth that I only briefly mentioned earlier, the effects of a drugged birth upon the baby. Please read this superb article on the lasting effects of birth upon people. For instance, drugged babies are more likely to become drug addicted adults, and babies who suffer violent births are more likely to become violent criminals. All babies deserve peaceful births.
http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/birth-and-the-origins-of-violence.html
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Circumcision info
I want to issue a disclaimer first. I am not sharing this info to make any one feel guilty or to judge anyone. I want to share this primarily for parents who are trying to decide whether or not to circumcise their sons, and for parents who need concrete information to show those who are pressuring them to circumcise. Sometimes one parent wants to, and the other doesn't. Or, relatives and friends may be insisting that "it's no big deal" and "he should look like his dad."
When you actually research the issue, it's painfully obvious that it is a very big deal. We tend to be rightfully outraged when we hear of female genital mutilation around the world. Yet, Americans still routinely circumcise (which is male genital mutilation) their newborn sons. About half of American baby boys are circumcised soon after birth.
I have three intact sons. I never even considered removing part of their perfect penises. Man can never improve what God creates. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am thankfully free from the Law, which required circumcision. The Bible tells us that what we truly need is spiritual circumcision of our hearts. Like many events in the Old Testament, physical circumcision was used both to set Jews apart as God's chosen people, and to foreshadow the coming of the Messiah, who would cleanse us from our sins. We are absolutely not required to circumcise to follow Christ. I Corinthians 7:19 says, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters."
I invite you to browse the links below, but be warned, the truth about circumcision is extremely disturbing.
This website contains a plethora of learning resources: many articles, recommended books, video clips, and tons of links to other informative websites. This is an incredible site that also includes lots of info on other aspects of "peaceful parenting," such as breastfeeding and co-sleeping, and also exposes the "cry it out" technique of popular parenting.
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/are-you-fully-informed.html
Learn about the incredible value of the foreskin, both as protection against contaminants and as the most sexually sensitive part of the penis here: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html
Here is great site: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
Another very informative site:
http://www.stopcirc.com/
Another great site on natural parenting info:
http://iinformedparenting.blogspot.com/2010/01/male-circumcision-more-excellent-info.html
This site has more links and also a reply by me to the blogger's post, in which she described her extreme guilt over circumcising her sons. In my reading, I found many more such letters by anguished parents, who can never undo a choice they made that they deeply regret.
http://onedayatatimenicole.blogspot.com/2010/05/circumcism.html?showComment=1275677894912_AIe9_BEmXuafDv-Hy_OQA-MlM-tnIWNSegya1n8ycxaoLyQBjYlqNNOr23B4STeMXT72AVXbh03s-MxEgGohAQajKcYEIpFBhcxtBZ4B7JoZsibeVioxLaDFrvxStK8Hqao9CiZQQ-oSNnEtH9pCB1nmXccpiHCyruMYM3QJ0BtaK9zSExNwLmNUBsV_8Syy2gB9w7bkwadxSL78O4liugW-nzEr-A9vi3B_dAJhgbnllxmq2ffUzYg#c3283016944928089809
Here is my reply to her post:
Thank you for sharing. I've read before that "we make the best choice we can with the information we have at that time." We can't change the past. You've surely saved many baby boys from the same fate by speaking out about a heartbreaking topic that so many Americans never even consider.
We have three intact sons. My husband and stepson are circumcised. Initially, my husband wanted to circumcise our firstborn. He was concerned about him being "different" from himself. There was no way I was going to allow my brand new, perfect baby to have part of his penis removed!!! My husband didn't have strong feelings one way or the other at the time, so thankfully, he was willing to leave our son intact.
My husband has since said many times that he wishes he still has his foreskin, and our intact boys are mortified at the thought of part of their penis being cut off. My mother in law told me that when she had her boys, the hospital just automatically circumcised them and didn't even ask the parents!
As we bring this issue into open discussion, many more parents will actually think about it, and hopefully research. I can't imagine how anyone who educates themselves on circumcision could still choose one for their son. This elective surgery still persists as "normal" because many people do not question it and think nothing of it.
Just like baby shots and hospital births, formula and day care, many common child rearing practices are NOT good! Just because "everybody does it" doesn't make it good and healthy for our children.
When we take time to learn about these things, we realize it's best to leave things alone. There is no reason to interfere with what God creates. Momma is designed to grow and birth and feed and care for babies who don't need to be injected with poisons and their body parts removed to be better than they were at birth.
PS
I found another excellent link at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=112410. This is a discussion thread, from moms who regret circumcising their sons. It has been going strong for over five years, and currently has over 560 posts. I do hope and pray that my sharing this crucial info about the truth of what is inflicted upon these helpless babies will save babies from this horrendous fate.
When you actually research the issue, it's painfully obvious that it is a very big deal. We tend to be rightfully outraged when we hear of female genital mutilation around the world. Yet, Americans still routinely circumcise (which is male genital mutilation) their newborn sons. About half of American baby boys are circumcised soon after birth.
I have three intact sons. I never even considered removing part of their perfect penises. Man can never improve what God creates. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am thankfully free from the Law, which required circumcision. The Bible tells us that what we truly need is spiritual circumcision of our hearts. Like many events in the Old Testament, physical circumcision was used both to set Jews apart as God's chosen people, and to foreshadow the coming of the Messiah, who would cleanse us from our sins. We are absolutely not required to circumcise to follow Christ. I Corinthians 7:19 says, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters."
I invite you to browse the links below, but be warned, the truth about circumcision is extremely disturbing.
This website contains a plethora of learning resources: many articles, recommended books, video clips, and tons of links to other informative websites. This is an incredible site that also includes lots of info on other aspects of "peaceful parenting," such as breastfeeding and co-sleeping, and also exposes the "cry it out" technique of popular parenting.
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/are-you-fully-informed.html
Learn about the incredible value of the foreskin, both as protection against contaminants and as the most sexually sensitive part of the penis here: http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html
Here is great site: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
Another very informative site:
http://www.stopcirc.com/
Another great site on natural parenting info:
http://iinformedparenting.blogspot.com/2010/01/male-circumcision-more-excellent-info.html
This site has more links and also a reply by me to the blogger's post, in which she described her extreme guilt over circumcising her sons. In my reading, I found many more such letters by anguished parents, who can never undo a choice they made that they deeply regret.
http://onedayatatimenicole.blogspot.com/2010/05/circumcism.html?showComment=1275677894912_AIe9_BEmXuafDv-Hy_OQA-MlM-tnIWNSegya1n8ycxaoLyQBjYlqNNOr23B4STeMXT72AVXbh03s-MxEgGohAQajKcYEIpFBhcxtBZ4B7JoZsibeVioxLaDFrvxStK8Hqao9CiZQQ-oSNnEtH9pCB1nmXccpiHCyruMYM3QJ0BtaK9zSExNwLmNUBsV_8Syy2gB9w7bkwadxSL78O4liugW-nzEr-A9vi3B_dAJhgbnllxmq2ffUzYg#c3283016944928089809
Here is my reply to her post:
Thank you for sharing. I've read before that "we make the best choice we can with the information we have at that time." We can't change the past. You've surely saved many baby boys from the same fate by speaking out about a heartbreaking topic that so many Americans never even consider.
We have three intact sons. My husband and stepson are circumcised. Initially, my husband wanted to circumcise our firstborn. He was concerned about him being "different" from himself. There was no way I was going to allow my brand new, perfect baby to have part of his penis removed!!! My husband didn't have strong feelings one way or the other at the time, so thankfully, he was willing to leave our son intact.
My husband has since said many times that he wishes he still has his foreskin, and our intact boys are mortified at the thought of part of their penis being cut off. My mother in law told me that when she had her boys, the hospital just automatically circumcised them and didn't even ask the parents!
As we bring this issue into open discussion, many more parents will actually think about it, and hopefully research. I can't imagine how anyone who educates themselves on circumcision could still choose one for their son. This elective surgery still persists as "normal" because many people do not question it and think nothing of it.
Just like baby shots and hospital births, formula and day care, many common child rearing practices are NOT good! Just because "everybody does it" doesn't make it good and healthy for our children.
When we take time to learn about these things, we realize it's best to leave things alone. There is no reason to interfere with what God creates. Momma is designed to grow and birth and feed and care for babies who don't need to be injected with poisons and their body parts removed to be better than they were at birth.
PS
I found another excellent link at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=112410. This is a discussion thread, from moms who regret circumcising their sons. It has been going strong for over five years, and currently has over 560 posts. I do hope and pray that my sharing this crucial info about the truth of what is inflicted upon these helpless babies will save babies from this horrendous fate.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Message to my pregnant friend (TONS of info!)
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13
Here is an e-mail I just sent to one of my dearest friends who is pregnant for the first time. Aahhhh, the miracle of new life. I packed so much info and great links into my message that I thought it would make for a great blog post! After all, natural birth is definitely one of my passions!
Hi Mama!
Here's some links for you to peruse... Several of them have birth stories, which I love! I was always so encouraged when pregnant reading birth stories. Enjoy!
For Angy, the midwife I had for Daniel and Christopher and who worked at the birth center when I had Joshua, her website is: http://www.anmidwife.com/
Acupressure points for labor: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/acupressure/index.php/
More cool links: http://www.wvhomebirth.com/
Local lay Christian midwife I know and much more general birth, etc info:
http://www.midwifeinfo.com/practitioners/view/1987 or
http://www.facebook.com/joyinbirth#!/joyinbirth?v=wall&ref=ts
Great general info: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/index.php/
(This site has TONS of birth videos, which always make me cry! I've posted my birth stories here, but they have Daniel's birth incorrectly titled as a waterbirth. I guess I forgot to mention that I got out of my tub shortly before birth. I was actually squatting beside my toilet!)
More: http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/
And more: http://www.birthingnaturally.net/directory/birth/stories.html/
Still more: http://www.naturalbirth.freeservers.com/
Good article: http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=74/
Great birth video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoIiVszj1EU&feature=player_embedded/
Short but sweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbiSvdH5CLo&feature=related/
Cool thought provoking video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBvSKGBzZd0&feature=related/
Angy also has a monthly homebirth meetup group. I've known about it for years, but have never attended any meetings. I actually plan to attend the next one. It's Saturday, April 24 at Joplin Park in So. Chas and starts at 11 am. It's a family picnic hang out type of meeting with kids welcome, so I thought it would be a great one to attend. Angy will be out of town, but there will be moms there who have had homebirths or are pregnant and planning one. I think they even get people who are neither but plan a homebirth for when they ever get pregnant. Also, there will be other midwives and doulas there.
A doula is someone who helps a laboring woman, by giving her whatever she needs and being with her as needed. I had a doula with Joshua, but didn't feel I needed one with the others. I knew what to expect. When I said I volunteered to stay with you and be your advocate, that's essentially a doula role, to help the mother in any way and be a voice for her if she's in intense labor and unable to fully communicate. This is especially helpful in a hospital setting as the staff may try to push the mom into certain things that she doesn't want, but since she's in intense labor, she can't express her desires clearly. The mom tells the doula her desires for labor and birth beforehand, so the doula can help her stick with her goals even if hospital staff tries to persuade her otherwise. Even at a homebirth, a doula can still help assist the mom in any way by being there for her, offering massage, support, encouragement, etc.
Anyway, if you aren't busy, come with me to the picnic! You'll get to meet lots of other homebirth moms passionate about natural birth. Many moms choose homebirth because they had a bad hospital birth and vow to never do that again. You can have a good birth in a hospital, but it takes a lot more effort and vigilance. Since they tend to treat birth as a "condition" requiring care, they are so bent on interfering at every turn. This constant interference greatly impedes the efforts of the woman's natural birth instincts. For instance, mammals will only birth when they feel safe. If they are threatened, labor will cease and only resume when they feel safe again. We are mammals and it is no wonder that laboring women often go to the hospital only to have labor stall. Well, who would feel safe with all the strangers, machines, noise, bright lights, exams, odors, etc? So, the hospital gives her pictocin to artificially cause contractions. That's also how they induce labor, or cause her to labor before her body is ready. This very often leads to many more interferences and complications. Rates of c-section, foreceps use, episiotomies, and more go way up.
WV has a very high c-sec rate. If you want to avoid a c-sec, stay out of the hospital. If you do go to the hospital, refuse an induction, no matter how much a doctor pressures you! Also, choose natural birth. Epidurals and drugs also greatly interfere with your body's efforts to birth and lead to much higher rates of c-sec, etc. Your body can't/won't push and the baby is drugged and sluggish. Non-drugged babies are alert and typically do not have trouble nursing. Also, 20% of women who get epidurals have lifelong back pain as a result! I have massaged tons of women who said they've had back pain ever since their epidural. I'd take 1 day of pain any day over a lifetime of pain!
A common reason for a c-sec is called "failure to progress." The hospital protocol only allows so much time for the baby to be born. If you take longer to labor or can't relax enough to let your body do what it needs to do, (how could any laboring mom not relax in a hospital setting?) then a c-sec is ordered. Talk about pressure! The mom is told she MUST have the baby within such and such time or she's getting a c-sec. That's going to make her body clam up even more from the stress!
Another thing is that you need to be free to move and do what you want. Hospitals put those insane fetal monitoring devices in the baby's head. It is a sharp, pigtail shaped corkscrew that they literally put in your vagina and screw it into the top of the baby's head!!! I'm not joking! At my birth center birth class, they passed one around to show everyone. The purpose? So, they can monitor contractions!!! Great day! The mom knows when she's having a contraction!!! So, not only do they hurt the baby for a totally unneeded reason, the mom is now confined to the bed! She can't walk around or get into different positions, etc. So, again, she is going to be much more likely to have further problems. Having a baby while laying on your back is the absolute worst position to be in! You are fighting against gravity and the pelvic area is narrowed and the pressure of the baby is on your spine. If the mom is left alone (what a concept!), she will do many things during labor and for the birth will tend to adopt some type of a squat or sitting position. Some women birth on all fours. I've never heard of any woman choosing to lay flat on their back to birth! It's handy for the OB to watch, but not good for mom.
I don't mean to overwhelm you with info. I'm super passionate about natural, un-interfered with birth. The current medical model for birth is to interfere from beginning to end. Doctors don't even wait for women to go into labor. The baby will come when he's ready! By forcing him to come early, that just asks for problems. It's phenomenal that we have hospitals and OBs for actual emergencies. But, if women are left alone to labor as they choose and feel safe, don't fear birth, aren't induced, confined to bed, etc, very few births require emergency care. People think doctors and hospitals are needed to make birth safe. But, really, birth is safe! It's a normal body function. You don't need a doctor to poop! (Hospital germs are a whole other story!) It's all the interventions done by the doctors that cause the problems!
Anyway, you've got time to educate yourself and think about what kind of birth you want. It's your birth, and you are in control. If you don't decide beforehand what you do and don't want, you are at the mercy of the doctors, nurses, and hospital. You are always free to change health care providers. It's not too late to switch to a midwife, intended place to birth, etc. Feel free to pick my brain. :)
Oh, and I always tell pregnant women about the acupressure points I used for my last labor. It was like night and day! I had natural labor with all 3 boys, but only found and used the acupressure points with the last. All my contractions were very short and never got very painful, and I never even had any hard labor! With the first 2, I had to totally concentrate on each contraction, and with the last, I was busy working around the house up until birth! I had no idea I was so close to birth since the contractions never got bad. I just held the points with each contraction. That's one thing I could do for you if you want me around to help during your labor. I held my points myself (I used BL 32), but it'd be even better for someone else to hold them.
I love you!!!
Christy
Here is an e-mail I just sent to one of my dearest friends who is pregnant for the first time. Aahhhh, the miracle of new life. I packed so much info and great links into my message that I thought it would make for a great blog post! After all, natural birth is definitely one of my passions!
Hi Mama!
Here's some links for you to peruse... Several of them have birth stories, which I love! I was always so encouraged when pregnant reading birth stories. Enjoy!
For Angy, the midwife I had for Daniel and Christopher and who worked at the birth center when I had Joshua, her website is: http://www.anmidwife.com/
Acupressure points for labor: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/acupressure/index.php/
More cool links: http://www.wvhomebirth.com/
Local lay Christian midwife I know and much more general birth, etc info:
http://www.midwifeinfo.com/practitioners/view/1987 or
http://www.facebook.com/joyinbirth#!/joyinbirth?v=wall&ref=ts
Great general info: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/index.php/
Another super cool site: http://www.birthjunkie.com/
Here are lots of stories of unassisted birth, which are very empowering to read: http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/ucstories/
I love this site!: http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/
Here's another: http://www.birthunassisted.com/
(This site has TONS of birth videos, which always make me cry! I've posted my birth stories here, but they have Daniel's birth incorrectly titled as a waterbirth. I guess I forgot to mention that I got out of my tub shortly before birth. I was actually squatting beside my toilet!)
More: http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/
And more: http://www.birthingnaturally.net/directory/birth/stories.html/
Still more: http://www.naturalbirth.freeservers.com/
Good article: http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=74/
Great birth video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoIiVszj1EU&feature=player_embedded/
Short but sweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbiSvdH5CLo&feature=related/
Cool thought provoking video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBvSKGBzZd0&feature=related/
Angy also has a monthly homebirth meetup group. I've known about it for years, but have never attended any meetings. I actually plan to attend the next one. It's Saturday, April 24 at Joplin Park in So. Chas and starts at 11 am. It's a family picnic hang out type of meeting with kids welcome, so I thought it would be a great one to attend. Angy will be out of town, but there will be moms there who have had homebirths or are pregnant and planning one. I think they even get people who are neither but plan a homebirth for when they ever get pregnant. Also, there will be other midwives and doulas there.
A doula is someone who helps a laboring woman, by giving her whatever she needs and being with her as needed. I had a doula with Joshua, but didn't feel I needed one with the others. I knew what to expect. When I said I volunteered to stay with you and be your advocate, that's essentially a doula role, to help the mother in any way and be a voice for her if she's in intense labor and unable to fully communicate. This is especially helpful in a hospital setting as the staff may try to push the mom into certain things that she doesn't want, but since she's in intense labor, she can't express her desires clearly. The mom tells the doula her desires for labor and birth beforehand, so the doula can help her stick with her goals even if hospital staff tries to persuade her otherwise. Even at a homebirth, a doula can still help assist the mom in any way by being there for her, offering massage, support, encouragement, etc.
Anyway, if you aren't busy, come with me to the picnic! You'll get to meet lots of other homebirth moms passionate about natural birth. Many moms choose homebirth because they had a bad hospital birth and vow to never do that again. You can have a good birth in a hospital, but it takes a lot more effort and vigilance. Since they tend to treat birth as a "condition" requiring care, they are so bent on interfering at every turn. This constant interference greatly impedes the efforts of the woman's natural birth instincts. For instance, mammals will only birth when they feel safe. If they are threatened, labor will cease and only resume when they feel safe again. We are mammals and it is no wonder that laboring women often go to the hospital only to have labor stall. Well, who would feel safe with all the strangers, machines, noise, bright lights, exams, odors, etc? So, the hospital gives her pictocin to artificially cause contractions. That's also how they induce labor, or cause her to labor before her body is ready. This very often leads to many more interferences and complications. Rates of c-section, foreceps use, episiotomies, and more go way up.
WV has a very high c-sec rate. If you want to avoid a c-sec, stay out of the hospital. If you do go to the hospital, refuse an induction, no matter how much a doctor pressures you! Also, choose natural birth. Epidurals and drugs also greatly interfere with your body's efforts to birth and lead to much higher rates of c-sec, etc. Your body can't/won't push and the baby is drugged and sluggish. Non-drugged babies are alert and typically do not have trouble nursing. Also, 20% of women who get epidurals have lifelong back pain as a result! I have massaged tons of women who said they've had back pain ever since their epidural. I'd take 1 day of pain any day over a lifetime of pain!
A common reason for a c-sec is called "failure to progress." The hospital protocol only allows so much time for the baby to be born. If you take longer to labor or can't relax enough to let your body do what it needs to do, (how could any laboring mom not relax in a hospital setting?) then a c-sec is ordered. Talk about pressure! The mom is told she MUST have the baby within such and such time or she's getting a c-sec. That's going to make her body clam up even more from the stress!
Another thing is that you need to be free to move and do what you want. Hospitals put those insane fetal monitoring devices in the baby's head. It is a sharp, pigtail shaped corkscrew that they literally put in your vagina and screw it into the top of the baby's head!!! I'm not joking! At my birth center birth class, they passed one around to show everyone. The purpose? So, they can monitor contractions!!! Great day! The mom knows when she's having a contraction!!! So, not only do they hurt the baby for a totally unneeded reason, the mom is now confined to the bed! She can't walk around or get into different positions, etc. So, again, she is going to be much more likely to have further problems. Having a baby while laying on your back is the absolute worst position to be in! You are fighting against gravity and the pelvic area is narrowed and the pressure of the baby is on your spine. If the mom is left alone (what a concept!), she will do many things during labor and for the birth will tend to adopt some type of a squat or sitting position. Some women birth on all fours. I've never heard of any woman choosing to lay flat on their back to birth! It's handy for the OB to watch, but not good for mom.
I don't mean to overwhelm you with info. I'm super passionate about natural, un-interfered with birth. The current medical model for birth is to interfere from beginning to end. Doctors don't even wait for women to go into labor. The baby will come when he's ready! By forcing him to come early, that just asks for problems. It's phenomenal that we have hospitals and OBs for actual emergencies. But, if women are left alone to labor as they choose and feel safe, don't fear birth, aren't induced, confined to bed, etc, very few births require emergency care. People think doctors and hospitals are needed to make birth safe. But, really, birth is safe! It's a normal body function. You don't need a doctor to poop! (Hospital germs are a whole other story!) It's all the interventions done by the doctors that cause the problems!
Anyway, you've got time to educate yourself and think about what kind of birth you want. It's your birth, and you are in control. If you don't decide beforehand what you do and don't want, you are at the mercy of the doctors, nurses, and hospital. You are always free to change health care providers. It's not too late to switch to a midwife, intended place to birth, etc. Feel free to pick my brain. :)
Oh, and I always tell pregnant women about the acupressure points I used for my last labor. It was like night and day! I had natural labor with all 3 boys, but only found and used the acupressure points with the last. All my contractions were very short and never got very painful, and I never even had any hard labor! With the first 2, I had to totally concentrate on each contraction, and with the last, I was busy working around the house up until birth! I had no idea I was so close to birth since the contractions never got bad. I just held the points with each contraction. That's one thing I could do for you if you want me around to help during your labor. I held my points myself (I used BL 32), but it'd be even better for someone else to hold them.
I love you!!!
Christy
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