Childbirth Pages
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Informed decision-making is the goal of this site, all is included to give you the best that I can offer
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Eating right is one of the most important things you can do for your baby and yourself
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Just the facts ,Ma'am... what to expect during labor and delivery
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How much does it hurt and is there anything I do about it?..
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Birth is natural and it has predictable stages of progress
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These just might be a mother's best friend, for a good birth experience...
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What you can do to promote a quick recovery and get back to your best self..
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Facts that contribute to knowing more about healthy birth and babies...
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We all have them, some common sense suggestions.
The Midwife, a Mother's best friend
I highly recommend that a pregnant woman hire the services of a midwife. Although they deserve a professional wage, many of them are practicing for the pure love of helping their fellow women (and sometimes are willing to receive only that!) After experiencing birth with the help of a midwife, I realized how much of a difference this form of support makes in the birth and, especially, recovery. There are different types of midwives, but ANY of them would be an inestimable asset in a hospital birth. So much is going on and the nurses energies are often spread so thin on the (sometimes overwhelmed) hospital floor, that the help of your personal advocate can facilitate everyone's efforts. It frees your husband to be by your side, participating in the excitement of the birth rather than overwhelmed by the hospital demands.
Often midwives are experienced in ways that doctors are not: using techniques to stretch the perineum to eliminate the need for an episiotomy, is one example. When there is no episiotomy or tearing, recovery is so much quicker and pleasant. A midwife can help a great deal in giving comfort during labor, applying warm compresses, suggesting a different position during delivery, the list is long and varied. The aftercare in your own home is something that modern medicine doesn't supply. In fact, in the Netherlands, the country with one of the lowest mother/baby mortality rates in the world, they have a system which provides for mothers helpers to come and help with postnatal care. For an inexperienced new mother, the support must make a huge difference in her ability to focus on the care of her new child. Here, in the States, we could duplicate that with the services of Doulas and Midwives.
- Doula
- A support person,
during and after delivery - Lay Midwife
- experienced, but not certified midwife. She may be highly qualified, but restricted by state laws.
- Certified Midwife
- a midwife whose state offers certification. She has passed certain tests.
- Certified Nurse Midwife
- A registered nurse who has completed her degree in midwifery.
- Considering a Midwife?
Helpful Things
Try These Good Books
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition
by Susan McCutcheon
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised)
by Sheila Kitzinger
