Be Ready to Birth!

Be Ready to Birth!: Between Mother's Day and Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:19:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Between Mother's Day and Father's Day: I have been teaching Baby Basics courses for a long time. People naturally want to know how to diaper and swaddle and burp and bathe. Easy e...

Between Mother's Day and Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:19:00 +0000

I have been teaching Baby Basics courses for a long time. People naturally want to know how to diaper and swaddle and burp and bathe. Easy enough and I am sure ( although I haven't checked ) anyone can find very detailed instructions on a variety of websites. Grandparents want to know how we "do" things these days because times bring change. Babies don't sleep on their tummies anymore. So now, I have begun informing grandparents, in special classes designed just for them, how to get current on the latest in childcare, in the twenty-first century.

I used to be amazed that there were actually folks out there who didn't know. Now, I have changed my tune. It's wonderful that dads and grandpas want to get it right. Taking care of an infant was almost exclusively "woman's work" just a generation ago. And most of us learned from our moms. In fact, dads were known to consider caring for their kids ( on those rare occasions ) as babysitting. Well, not anymore!

In this decade alone, the numbers and demographics of stay-at-home parents has changed dramatically. It used to be that a dad in the park or carpool line was an aberration. I would congratulate a dad in the grocery store for doing such a great job with his baby. No more. I see just as many dads and almost as many grandparents caring for young children.

In the sixties we fought for gender equality. But it was mighty difficult to teach little boys how to parent when it was done by mom, and not dad. Now the lines have blurred between Mother's Day and Father's Day. Hallmark may have to design cards for Parenting Day. In fact, everyday should be recognized as a day that celebrates parenting as a unisex activity.

Once we get unisex parenting down, we can move on to community parenting day and then hopefully, realizing that it indeed takes a village, we will understand that in every country on the planet parenting is a responsibility that is our best insurance plan for the future. Only by doing, will we truly appreciate what a monumental job taking care of children 24/7 for eighteen or so years really is. And how vital it is that everyone participate in the care and raising of the next generation. "Teach your children well" is done by doing not telling. Happy Parenting Days......

Be Ready to Birth!: That First Developmental Task

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:33:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: That First Developmental Task: I tell my patients to go to sleep after they receive an epidural. For those of you who do not want medication, resting between contractions ...

That First Developmental Task

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:33:00 +0000

I tell my patients to go to sleep after they receive an epidural. For those of you who do not want medication, resting between contractions is very important. Why does this always come up in my sessions? Because labor is very hard work ( hence the name ) and you must reserve stores of energy for the rest of the labor and pushing, for sure. Obvious. It does no good to wait for the next contraction, anticipating the worst. So rest, or if you are able, sleep. Fearing what lies up the road is really a an exercise in a lot of wasted energy. No matter what we may be fearing.

Get ready for your baby's very important first developmental task. Your baby ( as all newborns since the beginning of time ) must be bright- eyed after birth, able to engage you and invested in convincing you to "keep" him. You will remember that animals abandon offspring that is flawed or weak or just plain funny looking.
So your precious baby is going to put on a show, right away, to not only insist that you "keep" him but also that you feed him!!

Just as your body was born to perform this miracle of procreation, your baby was born to survive. So take the few short hours after birth to remain in the labor and delivery and recovery room suite, just to allow that infant to show you his stuff. It's not the best time for other family members ( except siblings ) or friends to descend on the hospital and interrupt this special attachment time. I am all for calling everyone to visit after you have been moved, as a family, to the postpartum unit and then the party can begin. If you are exhausted, wait until after you have had a nap and ready to watch that swaddled kid passed like a football.

Remember to remind visitors that they should be fully inoculated for pertussis ( whooping cough ) and the flu. And to wash their hands or use the hand sanitizer found outside the room or in the doorway. Dads, this is a good time to be present and aware of mom's energy level. If she is nodding off, it's permissible to ask for a shortened visit. Ask your visitors to stop at Costco to buy a pizza and a case of diapers, and to call before they come to visit you at home.

Be Ready to Birth!: The Case for Breastfeeding or Not

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:52:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: The Case for Breastfeeding or Not: Those of you who know me and/or my blogs know that I believe you should feed your baby. I say that babies have thrived on breast milk for ...

The Case for Breastfeeding or Not

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:51:00 +0000

Those of you who know me and/or my blogs know that I believe you should feed your baby. I say that babies have thrived on breast milk for millenia and formula for at least since the end of World War II. Babies had fed from breasts other than their mother's ( as in wet nurses ) and from plain old cow's milk or goat's milk or sugar water, if necessary. The pendulum swings back and forth depending on fashion and personal preference and sometimes a huge guilt factor. In order to be really successful at something like breast feeding, you have to be tenacious and sometimes courageous and often instructed. Even if you think you really need or want to breast feed, sometimes you can't. Women who have had breast reduction usually can't breast feed. And sometimes you have a sick baby in the NICU and two kids at home and it just isn't for you this time. This is an intensely personal decision. But you have no choice, one way or another, you must feed your baby.

Now breast feeding mother's are posing for covers on national magazines. Is there no other news? Isn't Greece on the verge of financial collapse? Isn't Syria an inch from all out civil war? Aren't there children starving and being abused and suffering with incurable diseases? Do you care how long someone decides to breast feed their baby? Do you need to hear the argument for why you should breast feed for three or seven or ten years? Or why not?

Human milk is a great thing for human babies. And according to a very informative article in the latest Discovery magazine, the componets of human milk may be important for preventing disease and enhancing performance. If we can isolate how milk does what it does for premature babies, we may be able to bring those principles and mechanisms of action to formulate milk- derived drugs that could benefit infants, children and especially adults who are ill or aged and need the microbiomes that human milk provides to starve out bad germs.

Amazing stuff. Human milk. But spare us the propaganda and the sales pitch. Spare us the judgements and random opinions, please. I repeat these sentiments every year or so, using different prose and spurred on by some media hype. I do believe that the campaigns to educate and promote breast feeding are a very good thing. But I also believe that choosing to use formula to nourish an infant is acceptable too. There are many factors at play in this very personal decision. But, I am sure that you must feed your baby.

Be Ready to Birth!: I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts: I am taking the liberty of borrowing an article that was sent to me circuitously by Christy Turlington. If you have gotten it from some othe...

Be Ready to Birth!: I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:01:00 +0000

I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:59:00 +0000

I am taking the liberty of borrowing an article that was sent to me circuitously by Christy Turlington. If you have gotten it from some other source ( Time, Amber Puline, however ) it bears repeating and also passing on. This is crucial to any celebration of Mother's Day. Last year I blogged Everyday is Mother's Day and this says that in a slightly different way.

No Mother’s Day? Why Model Christy Turlington Burns Wants a Boycott
Turlington Burns is calling on mothers to honor "No Mother's Day" instead, to raise awareness of the 358,000 mothers who die worldwide from pregnancy or childbirth complications each year.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/03/no-mothers-day-why-model-christy-turlington-burns-wants-a-boycott/#ixzz1uQay30Z5.

Be Ready to Birth!: How Long is Too Long

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:12:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: How Long is Too Long: One of the most commonly voiced concerns these days is, " How can I avoid a cesarean section? ". As the C-section rate continues to increas...

How Long is Too Long

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:10:00 +0000

One of the most commonly voiced concerns these days is, " How can I avoid a cesarean section? ". As the C-section rate continues to increase exponentially, more and more studies are looking for answers to this prevalent question. One- half of all cesarean sections are performed for "failure to progress" or cephalopelvic disproportion at a point in labor that is early, not even active phase. More than twenty-five percent of first time moms, ( with spontaneous onset of term labor with a head-down fetus ) had a cesarean section at five centimeters or less. With more than fifty percent of induced labors concluded with cesarean section at five centimeters or less.

Labor with midwives and no interventions ( oxytocin, epidurals or instrumental vaginal extractions ) does indeed take longer and the outcome is good. It is shown in studies that labor overall is longer these days than it used to be and still there are good outcomes with no major medical interventions. Setting the standard as one centimeter per hour as abnormally slow progress ( 6 hours from 4-10 centimeters! ) means medically augmenting first-time mothers' labors faster than the average rate: failure to progress and a cesarean section waiting to happen. Major intervention and the subsequent potential for complications may be incentive for some women to start examining the data and insisting on choice.

I would never suggest that any women go against her providers directives. But I will suggest that individuals do their homework, interview midwives and physicians and know their options before making choices. An average first labor may be sixteen to eighteen hours before the cervix is complete and second stage can take up to three hours, after that. Labor is a process of wellness. Labor is not a disease that must be medically managed It's wonderful to have the medical back-up necessary but it's essential to have the patience to let the body do what it was born to do.

Be Ready to Birth!: Pain Management

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Pain Management: The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group is consumer driven. They have recently identified pain relief as a topic of utmost importance to...

Pain Management

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:41:00 +0000

The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group is consumer driven. They have recently identified pain relief as a topic of utmost importance to women in our country. They state that women experience pain associated with childbirth in varying degrees of intensity. This pain is experienced quite individually and is influenced by physiological and psychosocial factors. Ultimately, maternal satisfaction with the birthing experience should lead to less post partum depression and better coping with and adjustment to motherhood. They funded a study to provide an evidence-based summary of the safety and the efficacy of pain management. Evidence was collected from 312 randomized, controlled trials.

Fifteen childbirth pain managements were identified for this study. They include: no treatment/ placebo, hypnosis, biofeedback, sterile water injection, water immersion, aromatherapy, various relaxation techniques including yoga and music, acupuncture and acupressure, massage, reflexology, TENS, inhaled analgesia, opioid drugs and non-opioid drugs, local nerve blocks and epidural. Effect of the interventions were included and ranged from satisfaction with pain relief ( based on intensity of pain ), sense of control in labor and satisfaction with the entire childbirth experience. Safety of interventions ranged from effect on infant/ maternal interaction, breastfeeding, assisted vaginal birth, cesarean section, adverse effects on both mother and baby, admission to NICU, Apgar score at less than five minutes and poor long-term infant outcomes.

More studuies of pharmacological as opposed to non-pharmacological interventions were included. Pharmacological methods did relieve pain and did have side effects. Epidural, combined spinal epidural and inhaled nitrous oxide and oxygen relieved pain better than opioids. Epidurals are associated with risk of low blood pressure, urine retention and fever. Increased use of forceps, shivering, tinnitus, and respiratory or cardiovascular depression may occur. Effect on breastfeeding was found uncertain. Combined spinal epidurals provided faster relief than traditional epidurals but caused increased itching, sweating and tingling. Inhaled nitrous oxide was found to cause nausea and drowsiness but showed minimal toxocity and was eliminated from both mother and infant rapidly. Non-opioids, like NSAIDS relieved pain for short periods of time. Opioids cross the placenta and showed to provide less relief than epidurals. They cause variable fetal heartrates, decreased awareness, neonatal respiratory depression and hypothermia. They cause maternal sedation, hypoventilation, urine retention and impaired capacity for decision making.

Non-pharmacological methods are seen more with midwife-led births and where there is continual intrapartum support. These methods are meant to break the fear-pain-tension cycle and to work within the framework of the idea that childbirth associated pain is normal and that coping skills and management is appropriate. Studies of these non-pharmacological methods are lesser and more incomplete than pharmacological studies.

The conclusion is that as part of a childbirth preparation program, clients should be made aware of all methods of pain management and their efficacy and side effects. Women should be made to feel free to choose methods based on information, physiological and psychosocial perceptions of the experience and should lead to maternal satisfaction and good maternal and fetal outcomes.

Be Ready to Birth!: Less is More

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:36:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Less is More: I am late in blogging this week. I have been cleaning house. Amazing what a person can accumulate. Of course, my children don't want my good...

Less is More

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:59:00 +0000

I am late in blogging this week. I have been cleaning house. Amazing what a person can accumulate. Of course, my children don't want my good stuff; so it's being boxed and labeled for grandchildren. Someday, they may open a box and have a memory of me and be so glad that I put that good stuff away for them.

And this week I have been asked to facilitate a Grandparent's group, so what a coincidence. You may want to forward this on to your folks. Who said that grandchildren are the reason we have kids? A genius. As the parent of adult children, the golden rule is "keep your doors open and your mouth shut". Talk about walking on eggshells! Don't want to alienate the kids. But they seem to come around when they need something and a babysitting grandparent is a very good thing to have at their beck and call.

Grandchildren give us the opportunity to watch all of human evolution in our living rooms. We marvel over a baby finding her fingers. Grabbing his toes. Uttering a first word. Taking a first step. Sure we took pictures and clapped when our kids amused us but mostly, it was "hurry up", "finish your homework", "be in by eleven", and grow up already. And they did, in the blink of an eye, they are doing just what they are supposed to do and flying the coop. One is not, after all, a model of parenthood if the kids don't leave.

As grandparents, we have the good fortune to appreciate how finite our time with these kids really is. We can say "yes" a lot more than parents can ( in good faith ). We can laze away a whole day watching clouds and butterflies. Dusk in my garden brings bats up high and lightnin' bugs close enough to touch. Forget bedtime, seven books in grandma's bed and then a midnight snack of their own design. Cracking eggs for omelettes in the morning and using "real" butter knives to spread on a thick layer of nutella or apple butter or rosy, red jam. All by themselves, their choice.

Playing ball, shopping for shoes, savoring a frozen yoghurt covered in gummy worms and M&Ms. Swinging, bathing, joking, learning, with all the time in the world, no deadlines to keep. It's a mutual, reciprocal love-in, every time. Funny how they don't have tantrums and do as they are told and mind their manners and we never had a kid like that. What fabulous parents they must have to raise kids so sweet. Who raised them?

No matter how many times everybody tells you to enjoy your family because they grow up so fast, you will be rushing them out the door before they miss the bus, driving the carpool to the practice where your kid never hits the ball, worrying why they can't seem to bring home their math book, again. It's a parent's job to do all that and juggle work and laundry and grocery shopping and paying the bills too. Some how the time flies and you are crying over the cereal aisle ( like I did ) when your baby is gone to an out- of -state school and you don't need to buy the Cap'n Crunch ever again.

Not until your kid says "no Cap'n Crunch for my children" and you find yourself in the cereal aisle, again and low and behold! Cap'n Crunch is whole grain now! Sit down and have a bowl with your grandchildren and plan how many things you can do today. Time flies, they grow up in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, they will be opening those boxes that you packed away today, hoping they will remember what you can never forget.

Be Ready to Birth!: You Think You Want a Water Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: You Think You Want a Water Birth?: In order to consider a water birth, you must first find a provider and a facility that is prepared to offer that to you. You will be asked t...

You Think You Want a Water Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:16:00 +0000

In order to consider a water birth, you must first find a provider and a facility that is prepared to offer that to you. You will be asked to sign a consent similar to all the other consents stating that you have been informed of the risks. You must be attended at all times by a reliable adult while you are actually in the tub. Before entering the tub, you will be monitored for about twenty minutes to achieve a reactive strip ( three accelerations meeting standards ). Then fetal and maternal vital signs will be intermittently reassessed. Not doulas nor dads are allowed to make any decisions about when the tub is appropriate; only your provider makes that decision. And you will be asked to agree to all directions given to you by the the provider, including exiting the tub.

You must be aware that there are contraindications that will disqualify you from this experience such as prematurity, significant bleeding, hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure, maternal infection, active genital herpes, HIV, hep B antigen, positive hep C antibody, any abnormality during monitoring ( fetal distress ) or any condition ( such as meconium, pitocin ) that requires continual monitoring. The list continues: multiples, high risk pregnancy, large baby, VBAC, malpresentation, narcotic use for analgesia during labor and delivery, epidural and most importantly, anything that the provider considers disqualifying at any time, at her discretion.

What might you hope or wish for while considering a water birth? A staff that accepts your preferences in a professional and caring manner. Contaminated water will be bailed. Use of doplar after every contraction. Baby immediately surfaced. Help exiting tub and delivery of placenta in bed. Immediate inspection and necessary repair of perineum. A shower soon after that. Immediate bonding for dad.

So how does one decide after meeting all the qualifications for water birth, that this is indeed your wish? There are purported benefits for the baby: a more natural transition from amniotic fluid into water, familiar environment ( dark and warm ), perhaps less birth trauma, And maternal benefits: warmth, comfort, constant support, ease of movement, perineal support, reduced sensory stimulation, increased relaxation, vasodilation = effective oxytocin release which is supposed to mean fewer contractions.

And what might be considered risks? Difficulty in monitoring fetal well-being and labor progress, difficulty in intercession with intrapartum complications, increased risk of fetal aspiration ( slippery baby ), increased risk of infant infection, difficult infant temperature regulation, APGAR scores will be delayed if baby is born underwater.

I say welcome to parenthood a lot, don't I? Well, I am saying it again. If you wish for a water birth, if you meet the qualifications, if you understand the risks, then you get to decide if you want to try for a water birth. Remember that hopes and wishes are just that. Every labor and delivery is different and ultimately it's what happens in the moment that will encourage your provider to proceed or change the plan. But you have to know all about water birth before you can make an informed choice. I hope this helps.

Be Ready to Birth!: They're Eating It.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: They're Eating It.: I guess you've heard. I must be falling behind the times in twenty-first century birthing trends or back to the sixties. They're doing it ...

They're Eating It.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:55:00 +0000

I guess you've heard. I must be falling behind the times in twenty-first century birthing trends or back to the sixties. They're doing it in New York City and they're doing it in L.A. January Jones ( I don't know who she is, but I am sure that you do ) came out in People magazine and she said she's telling all her friends to do it. Jennifer Mayer of Brooklyn Placenta Services calls them happy pills. You got it! Placenta capsules made from your baby's very own placenta.

It's not really a revolutionary concept. Mammals have been eating placentas forever, to get nutrition, says OB Maggie Blott. Fried with onions. Roasted and added to spaghetti and pizza. Truffles, smoothies, tinctures for tea. Chili, stir-fry. It's vegan-friendly, soy and nut free, gluten free, kosher and FREE. And now you don't have to do anything but pop a "happy pill " that is dehydrated placenta, ground up and stuffed into capsules. You get about eighty, I am told from a good sized organ. The internet, bless it's heart, is full of recipes.

If you don't want to ingest your baby's placenta, you can have it made in to a salve for smearing on whatever or made into a commemorative keepsake bottle, How about a print, suitable for framing? You can just take it home and hang it from a tree, plant it in your garden or under your home, float it down a river or reserve some of the tincture for your menopausal mom.

It is supposed to be full of vitamins, minerals, hormones and proteins: Gonadotropin, Prolactin, Oxytocin, TSH, Cortisone, Interferon, Protaglandins, Hemoglobin, Urokinase inhibiting factor, factor XIII, gammaglobulin and I don't know what else. Touted as assisting in preventing "baby blues", postpartum depression and promoting breast mil production. It is purported to increase energy and contribute to a feeling of general wellness. The earlier mentioned Dr. Blott says that since people in a position to pay for the preparation of the placenta are usually very well nourished and therefore " there is no reason to do it."

Something to consider when you are working through your birth wishes. The doctors I have spoken to personally add that the hospital keeps the placenta for a week. It may be needed for pathology studies and then it won't be released to you. Otherwise, go get it, if that's what you want. In their opinion, there have not been enough documented scientific studies to warrant ingesting the placenta. Some birth doulas are offering to facilitate the retention and usage of your baby's placenta, for an additional charge. It's in the news. The latest buzz in my world.

Be Ready to Birth!: Why Do I Need a Birth Plan>

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:55:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Why Do I Need a Birth Plan>: Birth plans are for you. They give you the opportunity to learn about what you don't know about, what you do or don't want for your "perfe...

Why Do I Need a Birth Plan>

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Birth plans are for you. They give you the opportunity to learn about what you don't know about, what you do or don't want for your "perfect" birth experience. You probably have chosen your providers and hospitals because you trust them. So trust them and know that they will guide you in decision making when it comes down to the bottom line. They don't have a birth plan for you and your birth plan isn't for them. Birth plans are for you.

Take your classes. Read a book. One good book about labor and delivery, not ten books. Go to one good and responsible, informative website ( maybe Mayo Clinic ) and don't take advice or suggestions from friends and family. Speak with a childbirth educator and your providers. Know what the facility where you will deliver has to offer you. Midwife vs. doctor? Birthing suite with private bath? Water Birth facility? Kangaroo Care?

As you start to research you will find that one question leads to another and soon you will start to develop what sounds like what you think you want for your "perfect" delivery. Then you go to that special book or trusted site and read a template for a birth plan. Read a few birth plans.

Talk about what you envision with your partner. Interventions? Medications? When you plan on arriving at the birthing center. What you need ( or think you need ) your partner to do for you during labor. Who do you want to labor with you? Do you have your heart set on a medicinally unassisted birth ? Do you want an epidural? Do you know what your options are for pain relief? Who do you want with you while you are pushing and delivering? When do you want the cord cut? By whom? Collecting stem cells? What about the placenta? Do you want it?

See, the list of wants and needs is long. So you have to know what you are talking about to write the plan for your "perfect" birth. You have to go back and read that book and go to that trusted site, really. And then you have to know that the plan is for you. TO EDUCATE YOU, so you know what labor and delivery is like and what may happen and what you can control.

There are very few providers or facilities that really look at, let alone keep your plan. That trusted provider, at that wonderful facility knows all about how a"perfect" delivery should go. They know how to guide you and listen to you, in real time so you get as close to what means "perfect" for you, according to the plan you wrote because you did your homework. But you can leave the plan at home; they don't need it. Your birth plan is for you!!

Be Ready to Birth!: Call it Intuition

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:57:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Call it Intuition: Our bodies were made for one thing only and that is to continue the human race. There would be no more homo sapiens if we did not experience...

Be Ready to Birth!: Gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Gravity: I was rudely reminded of the power of gravity last Saturday as I was walking my dog. I know that you know that gravity is a powerful force w...

Gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I was rudely reminded of the power of gravity last Saturday as I was walking my dog. I know that you know that gravity is a powerful force with a powerful pull. Has to be or the earth wouldn't orbit and apples wouldn't fall out of trees. I fell down. I don't know ifI tripped over the leash or a crack in the sidewalk. Maybe I fainted. Who knows? But I have quite a shiner and a roughed- up face.

It got me thinking. Gravity is very instrumental in the birthing process. I mention it when I teach but I don't think I have ever stressed gravity when I blog. Gravity may be the most important factor when it comes to getting that baby out.

You must be upright to take advantage of gravity when you are laboring. Lying down was for Victorian ladies. Gravity literally forces the baby's head deeper down the birth canal, hopefully while the uterus is contracting and the baby's head is exerting pressure on the cervix. Effacement, Dilatation, Gravity. Gravity.

I use the term "dance" pretty loosely to reminds us all that we must not lie down while laboring. Sitting is okay and rocking is good ( chair or ball ) in a position that still enables gravity to work for us.

Getting on all fours will allow gravity to ease the baby's occiput off the mother's backbone, if she is experiencing "back laoor". And delivering on all fours does the same thing. Gravity.

So it's usually the little things that make the most difference in life. Or while bring forth life. And we should never question the power and force behind this phenomenon we know as gravity, especially while walking the dog.

Be Ready to Birth!: Acupuncture

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Be Ready to Birth!: Acupuncture: There is a new interest in the practice of eastern medical modalities as a complement to our western medical model. Acupuncture has shown an...

Be Ready to Birth!

Be Ready to Birth!: Between Mother's Day and Father's Day

Between Mother's Day and Father's Day

Be Ready to Birth!: That First Developmental Task

That First Developmental Task

Be Ready to Birth!: The Case for Breastfeeding or Not

The Case for Breastfeeding or Not

Be Ready to Birth!: I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

Be Ready to Birth!: I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

I Can't Say this Any Better: Each Mom Counts

No Mother’s Day? Why Model Christy Turlington Burns Wants a Boycott

Be Ready to Birth!: How Long is Too Long

How Long is Too Long

Be Ready to Birth!: Pain Management

Pain Management

Be Ready to Birth!: Less is More

Less is More

Be Ready to Birth!: You Think You Want a Water Birth?

You Think You Want a Water Birth?

Be Ready to Birth!: They're Eating It.

They're Eating It.

Be Ready to Birth!: Why Do I Need a Birth Plan>

Why Do I Need a Birth Plan>

Be Ready to Birth!: Call it Intuition

Be Ready to Birth!: Gravity

Gravity

Be Ready to Birth!: Acupuncture