Why settle for a cookie-cutter, conveyor belt birth? The kind that has been shown NOT to be the safest or gentlest–or the most personalized for you or Baby? You have options! If you don’t know what your choices are–you really don’t have any. In this short clip, Kathryn shares her experience of changing the course […]
Claiming Your Own Birth
It may seem that the small, private experience of giving birth would hardly make much of a difference in the world. Yet, this whole period in a woman’s life has an important effect on her as a mother and on the kind of woman that she will emerge from all of this as. This entire […]
Calling Real Men
Not all women have a real man to stand beside them. The world needs more great men, who are willing to learn about all of this and to be an enthusiastic participant in their child’s life, beginning with their birth. You are also going through one of the most life-changing experiences of your life, one […]
Facing Fears
Birth is a normal function of the body, just as digesting food is. Seldom is there a problem when we eat something. Bad food or stress can give us an upset stomach, but usually digestion works as it was created to. So does birth. Yet, in our culture we are terrified of birth. Think about […]
Where Will You Choose to Give Birth?
Where you give birth is one of your most important decisions, and something you will want to give real thought to. That initial decision will also be fundamental in determining what kind of subsequent choices you will be making from here on out. Think for a moment about what your ideal birth would be like. […]
Hospital Birth Exposed: I Can’t Stay Quiet Any Longer
Doulas who serve in different types of birthing rooms have a rare view of birth in our culture. This is a new Facebook page by a nurse who has served in a variety of hospital labor and delivery rooms. She has also served as a doula at many homebirths. Her unique perspective of the […]
AWC’s Valentines Gift to You
Something oh-so delish and easy for your doula-get-together luncheon… or to serve with salad and/or a creamy potato, sausage, and kale soup for a Valentines supper- Garlic Parmesan Artichoke Loaf 1 loaf French bread 1/2 cup butter 6 cloves garlic crushed 2 T Sesame seeds 1 ½ cup sour cream 2 cups cubed Monterey jack […]
Positioning Baby for Easier Birth
One of the best-kept secrets: Birth is generally so much quicker and easier when Baby is in an optimal position! http://www.spinningbabies.com/baby-positions
Ina May Gaskin
So many great quotes by Ina May Gaskin, one of the leading midwives in the US today, on her Facebook Page. “If a woman doesn’t look like a godess in labor, then someone isn’t treating her right.” (Laboring women are truly gorgeous!) “Even if it hasn’t been your habit throughout your life so far, I […]
Hello Baby
A very well-done book for your older children if you are considering a homebirth. My children have enjoyed this book. It’s lovely. http://www.bookdepository.com/Hello-Baby-Jenni-Overend/9781845071103
Faith in the Future of Midwifery
I’ve been listening to midwives speculate, and sensibly so, on the financial ins and outs of the forthcoming changes in US health care and the resulting places various types of midwives will find themselves. Calculations by reliable sources… predict overcast and dismal skies for women wishing for something beyond the average, ordinary, common place birth. […]
My Birth Day
“Do you know the story of you birth?” Suzanne Arms asks on her DVD Giving Birth. https://www.birthinternational.com/products/digital-video-disc/giving-birth-suzanne-arms-dvd My 42nd birthday is tomorrow and I was reminded of Suzanne’s question. As a birth professional, I’ve of course contemplated my own birth day. Years later, after I had been a birth professional for sometime, my mother, who had […]
Visual Cues to Assess Cervical Dilation
I’ve been reading about using the Red/Purple Line as a means of assessing how dilated a birthing woman is, discarding any reasons for interrupting her labor with unnecessary vaginal exams. Leave moms alone! This is a good article: http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=5547 And below is a post from Helping mothers give birth joyfully without fear A doula in […]
Doctor Uses Midwifery Model of Care
It just makes sense! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nzMssamopLk ~ J ~
Cesarean, The Most Common Form of Surgery in the US
A post from the past–and still relevant today. Time for a change, what do you think? http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-20-c-sections_N.htm Let’s just say that cesareans bring in a whole lot of money for U.S. hospitals! ~J~
Obstetric Lie #100- Failure To Progress
Well said! Failure to progress. Oft named as a reason for cesarean. Oft mentioned to the supine mom in the hospital as she is encouraged to get her epidural and “relax”. By the naysayers in the natural birth community, it is often renamed, Failure to be Patient or just, “Doc must leave to make […]
“Why wouldn’t you hire a doula?”
“It can also be comforting to both the father and mother to know that they have an ally, someone who helps birthing families often, a woman who can help them get more of the kind of birth they are hoping for…. ….Frequently, couples state that they were much more satisfied with the births in which […]
Birth Is No Reason to Go to Hospital, Review Suggests ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012)
"…the U.S. is consistently ineligible for placing within the top twenty countries. There are many countries in which it is safer to give birth to babies than here in the United States. (Population Reference Bureau 1996) Could the failure that United States obstetrics is experiencing actually (and ironically) have to do with the technology […]
