Wednesday, August 31, 2011

5 Ways Pitocin is Different than Oxytocin


By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide

The numbers of inductions of labor using artificial means like Pitocin and other medications has gone up dramatically in the last few years. A hospital in my area says that 90 of the women have their labors induced. Since science shows us that inducing labor can increase the numbers of complications in the labor and with the baby, you might be surprised to note that many of the inductions are not for medical reasons, but rather reasons of convenience, practitioner or mother, known as social induction.

To read the rest of this wonderful article click here.

Friday, August 26, 2011

The Placenta Cookbook


For a growing number of new mothers, there’s no better nutritional snack after childbirth than the fruit of their own labor.

By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian

Jennifer Hughes’s placenta was delivered ten minutes after her first child, just before midnight on March 31. It was on the large side, with a liverish texture and a bluish tinge; it measured nine inches in diameter and weighed a pound and a half. Placentas are considered biohazardous waste by the medical Establishment and are usually disposed of accordingly. Some hospitals send the afterbirth in formaldehyde to a pathology lab for analysis before it is carted off by a tissue-disposal service; others toss it out with bloody miscellany in special containers.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

13 Ways To Include Your Partner in Your Pregnancy


Posted by laurenhartmann on Babble.com

One thing I’ve noticed about pregnancy is that it is a very individualistic experience in many ways. I am the one growing a tiny human inside of me and I will be the one to birth said tiny human. I alone experience the symptoms of this pregnancy: headaches, bloating, nausea…. It is up to me to remember to take my prenatal vitamins and to remember that I can no longer eat that scoop of raw cookie dough (blasted raw eggs!). It’s hard not to feel like you’re going it alone sometimes.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Monday, August 22, 2011

BOLD's 5th Anniversary Live Performance & Webcast of Birth, A Play by Karen Brody



We can hardly believe it ourselves, but BOLD is turning 5. Our little toddler is growing up and we want you to be at the BIRTHday party. There are just a few seats available to see the show live - and plenty of FREE seats for you to watch the performance from the comfort of your home via webcast.
"If you don't already know about her play, you should. Seeing the play and hearing the panel discussions that follow have been eye openers for thousands of women around the world."
~ Henci Goer, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

By attending on September 5, you'll get to see a performance of Karen Brody's acclaimed play Birth. It will be aired live via webcast and play live for free a second time in September.

Come to the live event at the brand new Museum of Motherhood.

After the show, you'll be there to watch as BOLD honors the BOLD5 -- The 5 people or organizations that have made creative contributions to improving childbirth choices for mothers in the last 5 years, including:

* Debra Pascali-Bonaro (Orgasmic Birth)
* Kirstin Kreutzer & Anna Van Wagoner (Where's My Midwife?)
* Abby Epstein & Ricki Lake (Business of Being Born & My Best Birth)
* Christy Turlington (No Woman, No Cry & Every Mother Counts)
* White Ribbon Alliance

At the event you will also:

* Be among the very first to see the new script performed live. In this version, there is a new birth and it's a VBAC!
* See Ina May Gaskin as we honor her with the 1st-ever BEing BOLD Lifetime Achievement award.
* Receive a limited edition, collectable, autographed program. (Only 100 are being printed.)
* Hear from the BOLD5 and playwright Karen Brody in our post-show talkback.
* Have a chance to contribute your thoughts about BOLD to the 5th Anniversary DVD that we'll be filming that night.
* Enjoy a slice of birthday cake and a round of Happy Birthday to BOLD, at an intimate post-event reception.
* Help create more mother-friendly maternity options because the proceeds from the show will go to help BOLD, Birth Focus, and the Museum of Motherhood.
* Sit right up front and rub knees with playwright Karen Brody, Ina May Gaskin, Debra Pascali-Bonaro - Orgasmic Birth, Abby Epstein - Business of Being Born, Desirre Andrews - ICAN President, Lisa Reagan - Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine, Elan McAllister - Choices in Childbirth, and other, to-be-named legends of the Birth World. *Available to "BOLD Patrons" only.
* And so much more! (There are some cool surprises firming up right now so we can't tell you about them yet, but we know this is a night people will be talking about for years to come!)

Can't make it to New York? Register for the webcast. Even if you can't be there, we want you to see this show. That's why we're broadcasting the performance live on September 5th and rebroadcasting at a future date which has yet to be determined. It's free, but if you choose to donate, any amount you contribute will be used to help keep BOLD productions happening for another 5 years and beyond.

When you register for the webcast you will:

* See the Internet debut of the play BIRTH and be among the very first to see the new script performed. In this version, there is a new birth and it's a VBAC!
* Watch for free or have the opportunity to enjoy the show even more by making a donation!
* Access the broadcast from wherever you are -- alone or have a BOLD Party. (Save us some cake!)
* See Ina May Gaskin as we honor her with the 1st-ever BEing BOLD Lifetime Achievement award.
* Hear from the BOLD5 and playwright Karen Brody in our post-show talkback.
* Be the first to find out about the date of the rebroadcast of the webcast.
* Get a coupon for the 5th anniversary DVD we are making. Get one for yourself or give it as a gift.
* And much more! (Register - even if you can't attend - so we can keep you in the loop about the rebroadcast time.)

We are webcasting the performance live around the world for free as a way of increasing awareness about mother-friendly maternity care issues. If that is important to you too, please help us tell everyone.

Finally a request: If you consider yourself a Friend of BOLD, we really want your help spreading the word about the free webcast.

Actually we want to let you in on a crazy secret, we love dreaming about the future when all women will have open access to an empowered birth experience and one of our dreams is to have every pregnant woman see this play.

What if as many people knew about Karen Brody's play BIRTH as they do about What to Expect, When You're Expecting?

How would the world be different?

These are the kinds of questions we find ourselves asking, and we won't find out without your help. Please email, tweet, post, and otherwise let people know about this event. (We're open to Carrier Pigeon or Sky Writing too if that's how you roll, let us know how we can help!)

Tell us your birth network will be watching and we'll be sure to mention you at the performance!

Send your friends, family, clients, partners, and random strangers to register for the webcast at www.GetBOLDAboutBirth.com.

This event is being co-produced by BOLD and Birth Focus of New York City.

Friday, August 19, 2011

25 Things You Should Never Say to A Mom With Postpartum Depression or Anxiety

September 23, 2010 5:25 pm by katstone in Family BlogHer Original Post

This week at my blog Postpartum Progress, I wrote a post called 20 Things I Never Want to Hear or Read Again, Postpartum Depression Edition. I was inspired to write it after reading similar posts from Arwyn at Raising My Boychick whose list focused on parental judgment, and Kristen at Birthing Beautiful Ideas whose list focused on pregnancy and childbirth.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Victoria Secret model Miranda Kerr uses Hypnobirthing to have son naturally


Written by Heather VanNest

Victoria Secret model Miranda Kerr used Hypnobirthing techniques to give birth to her son. She says the daily, relaxation breathing exercises and guided imagery she used while she was pregnant had a lot to do with the calm demeanor of her baby boy.

Hypnobirthing classes don't actually involve traditional hypnosis. Women use specific breathing exercises to relax enough so that they don't need epidurals or medications which are usually given to speed up labor (and can intensify contractions).

Kerr joins actress Jessica Alba who also talked about taking these classes to have a medication-free natural birth. The specific training exercises allow for a more peaceful birthing process.

While natural, medication-free births are common in other countries, it is less likely a woman in the United States would have a natural birth.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Macrosomia Found Inaccurate

By: SUSAN LONDON, Family Practice News Digital Network

VANCOUVER, B.C. – An ultrasound diagnosis of fetal macrosomia at term is inaccurate in the majority of cases, and this inaccuracy may be contributing to unnecessary cesarean deliveries, new data suggest.

In an observational cohort study of 235 pregnancies at term in which ultrasound measurements led to a diagnosis of fetal macrosomia, only about a third of the infants were actually macrosomic at birth. Additionally, these pregnancies with ultrasound-diagnosed fetal macrosomia were more than twice as likely as all pregnancies in the population to end in cesarean delivery, according to results reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

Ultrasound-estimated fetal weight "is not very accurate, and we have to counsel patients on that, when they come to ultrasounds and they are worried that they are going to have this [enormous] monstrosity of a baby," lead investigator Dr. Alese Wagner said in an interview. "You can tell them [that] most of the time, we are off."

She further recommended that physicians keep this new information in mind when it comes to recommending delivery interventions for a pregnancy in which the ultrasound suggests macrosomia.

Surprisingly, the accuracy of ultrasound in assessing fetal weight is similar to that found with simple clinical palpation, according to Dr. Wagner, a third-year resident in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Calgary in Alberta.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Demand Growing for Giving Birth at Home


By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: August 8, 2011

When Kelly Brown gave birth three years ago, she labored for 22 hours, much of the time hooked up to an IV line that restricted her movement. Repeatedly offered pain medication she did not want, she narrowly avoided getting a Caesarean section.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Induction of Labor

Best Evidence: Induction of Labor

Posted by Childbirth Connection

Best evidence: When making important maternity decisions, women should have information from the best available research about the safety and effectiveness of different choices. In general, we can be most confident about results of systematic reviews that summarize randomized controlled trials (or RCTs, a type of study).

To read the rest of this post click here.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The End of Pregnancy…Positive Thoughts


by Birth Without Fear on January 31, 2011

The end of pregnancy can be so hard. You are ready to throw in the towel and give up. Swollen ankles, face and every other body part, stretch marks, feeling like you need a crane to help lift you and turn you in bed, the waddle, pelvic and pubic bone pain, and who knows what else. But you can’t…give up.

To read the rest of this wonderful post click here.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Cost of Childbirth in America


Posted by AngEngland on August 4th, 2011 at 9:30 am on Babble

I was talking to a guy the other day who had two children. In his culture larger families are quite common and I asked if he thought they would have more children later. He said, “No – we are still paying off our second child.”

To read the rest of this article click here.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Celebs, Ordinary Women Embracing Home Birth With Help of Midwives


By YUNJI DE NIES and NATASHA SINGH
Aug. 1, 2011

Before hospitals became part of the basic standard of care, women gave birth at home. Now, it seems that home birthing is back.

Hollywood moms are increasingly opting to have their babies at home rather than in the hospital. Jennifer Connelly, Gisele Bundchen, Alanis Morissette and Alyson Hannigan are all new moms who are part of this growing trend.

To read the rest of this article click here.