This will be my 4th and final tip for having a successful natural childbirth.
If you are just catching up I have already gone over writing a birth plan, eliminating fear, and having comfortable surroundings. My final tip, but probably most important, is that you have to do your research. I could give a million tips of how to have a successful labor, but I am not a doula, doctor, or midwife. I have only done this thing once before.
However, I did find a blog called Birthing with Guinever and I have gotten a lot out of it. She has an article about the top ten things you should do to have a natural birth. It is very helpful and since she is a doula, a birth class educator, and has had 5 natural births herself I would trust her guidance.
Here are some other resources that maybe helpful if you are interested in an unmedicated birth.
indie birth .com- A young fresh approach to natural childbirth. They describe the purpose of the site as
“Firing up the minds of modern-day mamas, so that they are inspired, educated and aware of all the choices surrounding them concerning their pregnancies and births.”
The site is multi faceted with videos, natural parenting tips, and cold hard facts. I didn’t know about this site when I was pregnant, but I will definitely be frequenting it next time.
baby center .com- This is was my “home within the home” for 9 months. I checked baby center daily. They have forums where you can chat about birth with other moms, and they send you weekly emails about the stages of your pregnancy. I went to this site to watch all kinds of birth videos. It is an unbiased website so you don’t HAVE to be all natural to glean from it.
the business of being born -I have to mention Ricki Lake’s documentary “The Business of Being Born” because although I have not seen it myself my mom and friends recommend it! I just watched the trailer and almost cried… again.
Videos, books, and websites are great, but the bulk of your knowledge may come from an actually person. I learned so much from my midwife and childbirth classes. Make sure you choose a health care provider that wants take time with you to explain everything and answer all of your questions. My midwife was 100% available for me. Not only during pregnancy and birth, but a month ago when my son and I had thrush she walked me through it for the couple weeks that it lasted. Her website also has a lot of useful content and if you live in the DFW area I would highly recommend her. blessings of birth .com
2 comments:
Natalie- thanks again for blogging on this topic! It is definitely important that women know they have options. One thing that annoys me, which you touched on, is how "one side" (as if we have to be on different sides) will demonize the other. Although I still recommend watching this interesting documentary, The Business of Being Born does demonize modern medicine, hospitals, OBGYN's, etc. Just as fear can be used to convince you that you can't birth without an epidural, it can be used to convince you that modern medicine is out to get you. This just isn't true. In fact, it was down right insulting to my incredible and amazing OBGYN of many years, when I told her that this documentary implies that having your baby in a hospital means that you and your child's health are not most important. We discussed the topic a bit and she brought up a very good point. Nature is not perfect (even though God's design is good...we live in a fallen world). Much of this whole discussion comes down to just that in my mind. I question the underlying assumption that a woman's body was made for birthing, we should be able to do it naturally. My body was made for many things that it might never achieve due to the burden of man's fall. Just some thoughts, this is getting way too long for a comment!
And no....I've never birthed before, nor do I see it in my near future. (Can you guess which route I'll take?)
Thanks for posting Chelsey, I love the feed back! I actually did watch the business of being born since then and I agree there are some parts that are a little over the top. Finding what works for you and finding a balance is the best position to be in. I have an OBGYN and a general practitioner that are considered "midwife friendly" and support and work along side more homeopathic approaches. Some of my dearest friends and family work in hospitals and practice medicine. I did touch on the topic of God's design (fall of man) when I made the comparison to someone that can not walk or lift weights due to a disability. In my opinion this is the exception not the rule and a woman's inability to give birth without intervention can be taken way over board. Girl, you really had me guessing up until you said you don't see birth in your near future :)
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