Morning sickness and nausea are two of the most common complaints of the first trimester of pregnancy. Some women will experience just a bit of queasiness when they first wake up. Others might experience it at a different time of the day. Some women will feel sick enough to vomit at times. Still others will notice that they have very marked food likes and dislikes during this … [Read more...] about Nausea in Pregnancy
Pregnancy and Birth
Vaginal Breach Birth
Little did I know, when I witnessed my first vaginal breech delivery at a small county hospital in middle Tennessee in 1972, that I was seeing a physiological process that was being rapidly phased out in the US. The birth was to a mother having her first baby. She had planned a homebirth, with me as her midwife. I discovered in early labor that the baby was a frank breech … [Read more...] about Vaginal Breach Birth
How Yoga Eases Labor
Yoga is an incredible boon to a woman in early and active labor. Consciously breathing and moving your body can help you feel more comfortable, focus your mind, and help the baby shift positions and move lower into your pelvis. Moving around can also increase your sense of control and may decrease or prevent the need for analgesia (drugs for pain relief). A few beneficial yogic … [Read more...] about How Yoga Eases Labor
Homeopathy for Childbirth
Although I am in favor of natural childbirth and letting Mother-Nature take its course, I realize there are times when a woman may need medical assistance before, during or after labor and delivery. Familiar with the wonderful results of natural medicines, my first choice for childbirth is to try homeopathy. EFFECTIVENESS OF HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy is a form of holistic … [Read more...] about Homeopathy for Childbirth
Rehearsing Your Birth
Start rehearsing the birth of your baby in the 32nd week (beginning of the eighth month) or, if you’re carrying twins, in the 28th week. You can do this exercise every day once a day (or more, if you wish) until the baby’s birth. Do it during your lunch break, when you can take time to rest and reconnect with your baby—and do it only after you have made contact with your baby us … [Read more...] about Rehearsing Your Birth
Into the Womb Visualization
Think of it. Your baby is growing inside of you. You are her first environment, the ocean in which she swims. Every change in you registers as a ripple or a storm in that ocean. Every experience you have affects her. Your baby is not developed enough to be verbally conscious, but she is experientially conscious. Your baby senses and feels. She is physiologically in tune with … [Read more...] about Into the Womb Visualization
Nathaniel’s Homebirth
Watch this moving slideshow of the birth of Nathaniel at home one hot summer night on the east coast. His mom wrote up the story of his birth, "Why I Chose a Home Birth." Nathaniel's birth was attended by Paige Eastman Dickinson, CPM, of Birth Care Midwifery in Bedford, MA. Anne Hurlbut is a natural light, lifestyle photographer whose passion is birth photography. Th … [Read more...] about Nathaniel’s Homebirth
Midwife: A Birth Film
Here is the trailer for Allison Kuznia's documentary, Midwife, which follows Minnesota homebirth midwife, Sarah Biermeier during her first year as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). The documentary quietly shows the life of a homebirth midwife, from prenatals, to births, to postpartums, while also examining what the birth environment is like in states where home … [Read more...] about Midwife: A Birth Film
Homebirth: Safe and Sane
My parents were born at home in 1921, as were most in their generation and by the 1940s, when I was born, 44% of births still took place outside of the hospital. But, by the time I was ready to have babies myself, things had changed dramatically and few births took place outside of the home: less than 1.00% in 1969. This percentage stayed pretty much the same through the … [Read more...] about Homebirth: Safe and Sane
Birth and The Wild Woman
My pregnancy lasted 41 weeks and 4 days. Then our little one arrived and transformed everything with light. Through the birth of my first child and the subsequent opening of the deepest parts of my heart, I came to see that the balm for my pain entailed a loving return to the wounded place. EARLY LABOR At first, the contractions were mild enough. I moved through my … [Read more...] about Birth and The Wild Woman