The True Cost of a Cesarean

….may never be known. There are so many different factors — some financial, some health-related, some emotional. While not everyone agrees with this, many studies show a higher death rate for both mothers and babies with a C-section. Some C-sections are done for failed inductions; and the inductions failed because the babies weren’t ready, and [...]

Should men attend the birth of their baby?

There was this article that has recently been printed in which Dr. Michel Odent, world-famous obstetrician, says that he has long thought that men hinder the birth process. One of my fellow independent childbirth members emailed him directly, and he said that the article was not written by him, but by a journalist after a [...]

Checking dilation without a vaginal exam

Yeah, this piqued my interest, too. First, there are many reasons why it would be beneficial or helpful or preferable to be able to check your progress without having a vaginal exam. The most obvious is the discomfort of having someone (as I read on another blog) “search for my tonsils via my lady parts.” [...]

It might have happened — what then?

Women are often told not to eat when they’re in labor. In fact, I heard one story in which a woman was having some early labor, and called the hospital to see if it was “real labor” or not, and while they didn’t say that it was or wasn’t, they told her that if she [...]

And if you don’t believe me…

…then check out this article by a former L&D nurse. (Be sure to click “next” which is on the left-hand side of the screen to read the next page of the article.) She talks about (among other things) why you can’t eat or drink in labor; the downsides of epidurals; why doctors are so quick [...]

Suspected big baby?

What would you do if an ultrasound shows that your baby is big? Many women have to answer that question for themselves. Their options are to plan a C-section, get induced before the baby gets any bigger, or do nothing and wait for labor to begin whenever their bodies and their babies are ready. Some [...]

Ergonomics in Birth

Some years ago, “ergonomics” was all the rage — ergonomic chairs, ergonomic keyboards, even ergonomic juice bottles became permanent additions to our lives. (I still have and love my ergonomic keyboard!) The term comes from two Greek words meaning “work” and “natural laws.” The idea is to minimize what the joints and muscles have to [...]

Breech birth video!

This video is awesome. It’s from Australia, and the woman gives birth to a baby in the footling breech position (the baby’s feet present first, as opposed to the buttocks which is the most common breech position). My thanks to Rixa for posting this link on her blog. :: :: :: :: :: :: :: [...]

The Best-Kept Secret

“What would happen if women were taught to enjoy birth rather than endure it?” poses the website Orgasmic Birth. The answer lies in the film of the same name, which follows eleven women as they give birth. Think orgasmic or ecstatic birth is impossible? I know that birth can be empowering. On another blog I [...]

A near-death experience, courtesy of Cytotec

When independent childbirth educator Nicole D. was pregnant with her first child, she consented to an induction when she went nearly two weeks past her due date. Although she said she was “naive and unprepared,” she did know that she most certainly did not want Cytotec (a.k.a. “misoprostol”, “miso” or “the little white pill”) used [...]