Birth & Labor Articles The Stages of Labor and Birth • Atypical Labor • Birthing Options •
Birth Planning I would also like to point out that some practitioners believe that birth plans are useless, or worse, that they are a directive to the practitioner, so they resent the interference! I prefer to think that they are a wish list to remind people of what you would like, in a perfect world.
Birthing Options Birthing Options: Hospital, Home, or Birth Center? Midwife or Doctor?
Books About Childbirth Books about childbirth. Mostly for expectant parents, a few for professionals.
Breathing to Help You and Your Baby A special way of breathing is something you can do to help yourself and your baby during labor and birth. To become comfortable with the different types of breathing, practice often.
Childbirth Planner Use this handy checklist to remember what you and your baby need (post delivery)to leave the hospital.
Deep Relaxation For Childbirth Deep Relaxation For Childbirth is a full-length audio CD or cassette program that aids women in the childbirth process. Deep Relaxation For Childbirth helps women to control their mind to RELAX during the birthing process and CONTROL the PAIN involved in having a baby.
Do You Need a Birth Plan? A birth plan is a couple’s ideal image of the birth experience. In part, it is a statement of philosophy. In a birth plan, the couple articulates the kind of setting they want and their preferences about pain medications, intravenous fluids, episiotomies, etc.
Episiotomy • Why are episiotomies performed? • Are there reasons not to have one? • Will I be able to choose whether to have one? • Will it hurt?
Giving Birth In Water GMCHA was originally incorporated in 1989, as Waterbirth International, in order to facilitate maternity care reform by helping parents and practitioners institute policies for the use of warm water immersion during labor. Our chartered purpose is to preserve, protect and enhance the well-being of women and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and early childhood.
Guide To Packing For Your Birth The following items are ones you may need during your labor. You should begin packing your birth bag well in advance of your due date (by your 34th week at least) This way you can be assured even if you go into labor early you will have everything you need to make you comfortable.
Is This Really Labor? Your body will usually give you clue that labor is beginning. You need to familiarize yourself with these signs.
Need for CAUTION When Using Vacuum This is to advise you that vacuum assisted delivery devices may cause serious or fatal complications, and to provide guidance to minimize the risk.
Newborn Tests & Procedures During pregnancy we focus so much on the actual birth preparation sometimes we don't devote enough time to other topics, including newborn testing.
Pain Relief for Episiotomies and Tears If you have an episiotomy, extensions, or tearing, you may want to try some of the following to help ease the pain.
Perineal Massage The better you prepare your perineal tissues for the stretching of birth, the less they will tear, and the better they will heal.
Push...Don't Push? Physician Michelle Harrison (personal correspondence) states that the physician's basing of judgment concerning readiness to push on the arbitrary standard of full cervical dilation eliminates the more physiologically efficacious possibility of basing such judgment on the woman's urge to push.
Sources of Pain During Labor and Birth The big question in everyone's mind is, "How much pain will there be for me during labor?". While we can't answer that question specifically, we can help identify some of the causes of pain and methods to deal with them.
The Birth During the last trimester, you should start to make the final preparations for your new baby's arrival. Babies don't need very much a place to sleep, blankets, and diapers, undershirts, sweaters, and caps for at least the first 6 weeks. You will also need bottles for water, and if you don't plan to breast feed, for formula also.
The Slow Labor The first is that the standard for labor progress doesn’t give you nearly enough time before you are declared over the line. Doctors base their standard on studies from the 1950s and 60s supposedly of normal labors, but many women had interventions that could shorten labor such as oxytocin (trade name: Pitocin or “Pit”) or forceps delivery.
