At a birth center, great trust is placed in the laboring woman and her ability to give birth without intervention. That trust is truly empowering. Is giving birth at a birth center right for you?  Read More…

1 Comment | Posted in Birth, Preparing for Parenting

Prenatal yoga is a wonderful exercise and form of stress relief for a pregnant woman. It balances posture, allowing her chest to expand more easily as her growing belly impedes on breathing. As her joints relax, yoga’s gentle strength training movements strengthen the muscles around those joints and in her core to support her growing baby and swaying back. Yoga improves …  Read More…

6 Comments | Posted in Birth, Healthy Living, Keeping Active, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

While reading Misconceptions – Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Wolf, I don’t think I’ve ever been so angered and yet so pleased with a book at the same time. This is a very insightful look at one woman’s journey through pregnancy and delivery, her experiences, and the sometimes hidden, and not so hidden agendas of doctors, hospitals, children’s product companies and more.  Read More…

1 Comment | Posted in Activism, Birth, Feminism, Fertility, Natural Parenting Products, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting, Reviews and Giveaways

I am a huge supporter of home birth, and a believer in the idea that we should trust the natural process of birth. I do not believe that a normal birth is a medical event, and I feel that in most cases, medical intervention is a detriment rather than a help. I also birthed in a hospital. I sincerely wanted a home …  Read More…

25 Comments | Posted in Birth, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

Instead of treating birth as a normal, natural event, it’s a crisis from the get go. The most important thing we can do to change birth practice in America is to stop inducing pregnant women. We must get back to the normal process of childbirth.  Read More…

6 Comments | Posted in Activism, Birth, Body Image, Feminism, Fertility, Healthy Living, Holistic Health, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

Attachment Parenting International‘s first principle of parenting is to “prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting.” API says: Pregnancy offers expectant parents an opportunity to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for parenthood. Making informed decisions about childbirth, newborn care, and parenting practices is a critical investment in the attachment relationship between parent and child. Education is a key component of preparation …  Read More…

12 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Birth, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Holistic Health, Parenting Philosophies, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting, Safe Sleep

I would obsessively check my timing as I ran, wondering, “Can I stop yet? Can I? Only halfway! No. I thought I was much further along. Drat.” And during the cool-off walks, I’d be thinking, “Surely I can walk for longer, yes? Oh, shoot, I’m already over my time!” Today I was thinking how this relates to birth. Bear with me here.  Read More…

5 Comments | Posted in Birth, Healthy Living, Keeping Active, Preparing for Parenting

As soon as we found out we were expecting, I did what many pregnant American women do: I started watching “A Baby Story” religiously. The dozen or so episodes I watched left me with a relatively unpleasant impression of labor and delivery. Doctors, speaking with an impatient and detached authority, often paint their laboring patients as helpless and at the …  Read More…

2 Comments | Posted in Birth, Holistic Health, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

If you are interested in a natural birth and want to avoid unnecessary medical interventions,1 there are several steps you can take to increase your odds of having your desired birth experience. Some of the steps advocated by Childbirth Connection are to: a) find a supportive midwife or OB (and one that has low rates of intervention), b) develop a …  Read More…

6 Comments | Posted in Birth, Holistic Health, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

The Cascade of Interventions, Part 31 5. Cesarean Sections So what is the “cascade of interventions,” exactly? Think of it as a domino effect: one unnecessary medical intervention leads to a long chain of interventions, ending in a traumatic birth and an unhealthy mother and newborn, which in turn can lead to even more long-term problems for both. Maybe that …  Read More…

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