Choices In Childbirth

Wow.  The CDC just came out with the numbers for 2008:
32.3%
of all babies born in the U.S. last year were born by Cesarean section.

12th consecutive year that the Cesarean rate has increased
the total number of births decreased 2% from 2007 to 2008

See that dip when the rates went down a bit?  That was in the [...]

By the time we get to second stage of labor (aka pushing) in the Childbirth Ed class I teach I have already stressed how important it is to move around in labor, listening to your body. When we get to second stage I get another opportunity to talk about how important changing positions, using gravity, [...]

One of my favorite down-time things to do is peruse my ever-growing list of birth blogs.  Today I can across this great post on Pitocin by Christine Fischer,  a traditional Midwife who blogs at Midwifery Ramblings.
The more I am around birth the more I have opportunity to see that these interventions we have can be [...]

I’m currently prepping for tonight’s Childbirth Ed class on Variations and Complications in labor.  We talk about many of the situations couples encounter in the few weeks before and during labor, and we spend a lot of time discussing their options in each of these situations.
Some of these situations we cover are  not necessarily dangerous [...]

In the past few weeks, Illinois has released its Public Health Hospital Statistics. Today the Tribune ran a brief piece on Cesareans, the reasons behind them and the rates of some of the local hospitals. You can view Julie Deardorff’s article here: Illinois Hospital C-section rates

In honor of  World Breastfeeding Week (Aug 1-7),  I thought I would highlight a few of the amazing benefits that breastfeeding provides not just to moms and babies, but to the whole family.
First of all, it is the most perfect food for your baby.  Breastmilk changes to meet your baby’s needs.  If it is really [...]

Being pregnant with twins does not automatically determine that you will give birth prematurely, probably by cesarean section, to two low-birth weight babies who will have to spend some time in the NICU.
Moms who have excellent nutrition (read naturally colorful food that remembers where it came from – no super processed, corn-syrup laden, trans fat [...]

As I work in the birth world as a childbirth educator and a doula I see many women who are frustrated because they find that their options are limited.  Not because their provider does or doesn’t handle  a certain situation in a certain way but more often than you’d think, because their insurance or medical [...]