Natural Childbirth
Because you deserve to feel happy and respected with the safe and reasonable birth choices you make. So I don't care what side you're on - Gabrielle Volkmer
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I Don't Care
I don't care if you had a natural birth. I don't care if you had an epidural. I don't care if you got induced in week 40 or if you went 10 days past your estimated due date.
I don't care if you pushed a baby out of your vagina or had one delivered through an incision in your abdomen. I don't care if you breastfeed for one day or two years.
I don't care if you use Johnson & Johnson products or Burt's Bees. What I do care about is that you are fully educated and informed about the choices you make.
What I do care about is that you have access to unbiased, accurate information and that no one pushed their personal agenda over your…
Resources
Natural Birth: The Most Amazing Experience Ever
The main myth about giving birth is that birth is painful and dangerous so you have to be drugged and put in the hospital in order to give birth. Women have given birth for centuries and millennia and I have met many Asian women who still prefer to give birth at home.
Why We're So Obsessed with 'Natural' Childbirth
A new history of Lamaze explains the origins of the mythology.
Birth As a Crucible
You thought birth was going to be beautiful. You thought you would come out of it empowered and strong. Instead, you have come out defeated. Scarred. Depressed. But you take hold of your pain. It's OK to feel hurt. It's OK to feel angry -- for weeks, months, years.
Caesarean or natural birth – which is safer?
Women should formally have the right to choose to give birth by caesarean section – but they must also be offered counselling to help them make their decision, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has decided. But what are the risks?
Caesarean Vs Natural - An Agonising Choice?
Will new guidelines, giving women the choice to have a C-section over natural should they want one, present expectant mothers (particularly of first children) with an agonising dilemma?
How to Have Natural Childbirth in the Hospital
Though I am a huge advocate of homebirth with a trained midwife (having just had my second successful homebirth), I also know that it is not for everybody. I was delighted when Emily offered to write a guest post presenting another angle on natural births and how to have a beautiful birth experience in the hospital.
Labor, Interrupted
Cesareans, “cascading interventions,” and finding a sense of balance.
Mommy Wars: The Prequel
Ina May Gaskin and the battle for at-home births.
Natural Birth Options and Tips
As I prepare to assist at the births of several of my doula clients, I thought it was fitting to write a post about tips and strategies for a natural labor.
Natural childbirth is much, much more than a Brooklyn fad
If you thought watching Ricki Lake give birth in a bathtub was too tame for television, Lifetime has the show for you. Born in the Wild is a forthcoming reality series that will follow a handful of women who claim to be giving birth in the most "natural" way possible — alone, in a forest.
Natural Childbirth Is Not a Cult
The mommy wars over how to ‘correctly’ birth a baby need to stop. No one wins. Mother shaming is not OK.
So You Want a Natural Birth
You want a natural birth. Maybe you're a first-time mom, tentatively facing the new world of birth that's suddenly opened up before you. Maybe you've already had one or two with an epidural and you want to try another way. Unmedicated birth can be intensely empowering and fulfilling, but it is also very difficult -- that's part of why it is so rewarding when it is achieved. Plan, prepare and educate yourself and you'll be on the road to a wonderful birth experience.
The cult of natural childbirth has gone too far
A report condemning midwife ‘musketeers’ of Morecambe Bay brought back memories of my own emergency caesarean. Being bullied into a natural birth is not what I call feminism.
The Pros And Cons Of Natural Childbirth
While most first-time mothers in the United States choose to give birth in hospitals that offer epidurals and additional medical assistance, a growing number of women are opting for drug-free, natural births, often at home. Here are the leading arguments for and against natural childbirth...
The Truth About Epidurals
To proponents of natural childbirth, epidurals (and other pain-relieving drugs—epidurals being the most common and effective) contribute to the over-medicalization of motherhood.
I Don't Care
What I care about is that every woman and every baby gets a shot at the best possible outcomes from pregnancy, labor and birth. Because in the end, isn't that all that matters?
10 Tips and Tricks That Prepared Me for a Natural Birth
I made a list of some of the things that helped me most in preparing for my natural birth, and I hope you’ll find them helpful as well.
12 Tips for Creating a Successful Natural Birth Plan
Birthing your child without drugs isn't easy, but it is possible. Follow these guidelines to up your chances of having a successful natural birth.
ImprovingBirth
Our Mission is to inform, support, engage and empower consumers, community leaders and providers with tools to improve birth.
Microbirth
Microbirth is a multi-award winning documentary exploring the latest science about the ‘seeding and feeding’ of a baby’s microbiome during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. The film features scientists behind the ground-breaking research that reveals the critical role of mothers’ microbes for optimal training of the infant immune system and lifelong health.
Positive Birth Movement
We are a global network of free to attend antenatal groups, linked up by social media. We connect pregnant women together to share stories, expertise and positivity about childbirth. We aim to challenge the epidemic of negativity and fear that surrounds modern birth, and help change birth for the better. Join us as we meet up, link up and shake up birth!
Au Naturale
I created this blog as a way to house natural childbirth stories in one place. Un-medicated childbirth, though it may be unpopular, is another option that women sometimes exclude because they think they could never do it, and finding support is difficult because so few of their peers have experienced it. I wanted to create this blog as a way to gather the stories of women who chose this option and hear their advice to others.
Birth Boot Camp
Birth Boot Camp specializes in preparing couples for an amazing, natural birth and breastfeeding experience. Through comprehensive online childbirth classes, incredible in-person childbirth classes, and our quickly growing doula program, we are able to reach couples around the world.
Birth Without Fear
Birth Without Fear began as a simple passion to let women know they have choices in childbirth. It then evolved to become an inspiration and support to women and their families through their trying to conceive, pregnancy, birth and post partum journeys.
Birthrights
Birthrights is the UK’s only organisation dedicated to improving women’s experience of pregnancy and childbirth by promoting respect for human rights. We believe that all women are entitled to respectful maternity care that protects their fundamental rights to dignity, autonomy, privacy and equality.
BradleyBirth.com
What is the difference between The Bradley Method® and other types of childbirth classes? The Bradley Method® is unique. Our classes stress the importance of Healthy Baby, Healthy Mother and Healthy Families. We attract families who are willing to take the responsibility needed for preparation and birth.
Childbirth International
Childbirth International is a unique organization. With a global outlook and a strong belief in the "education is power" philosophy, we provide training for doula, childbirth educator and breastfeeding counselor students all over the world.
Freedom for Birth
FREEDOM FOR BIRTH tells the story of the Hungarian midwife, Dr Agnes Gereb, who was imprisoned for supporting women who gave birth at home.
Giving Birth Naturally
Our mission is to encourage each woman giving birth naturally to make informed decisions and to stimulate open, honest discourse with care providers to improve outcomes for the families they serve.
Hypnobabies
Information about having an easier, more comfortable birth with hypnosis, and about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and newborn parenting choices!
International Childbirth Education Association
The International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) is a professional organization that supports educators and health care professionals who believe in freedom to make decisions based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.
Mothers Naturally
Mothers Naturally is a public education program from the Midwives Alliance of North America. The goal of Mothers Naturally is to increase the number of safe and positive births by educating and informing the public about natural birth options and empowering women to make pregnancy and birth choices appropriate for their lives.
Natural Family Site
A natural birth (also known as an unmedicated birth) is just that - it is the delivery of a baby without using drugs or surgery during birth. A common phrase heard when talking with people about natural birthing practices is, "birth is a natural process, not a medical procedure." In today's society this is definitely a radical concept for most doctors, but it is true nonetheless.
American Pregnancy Association
Labor and Birth Issues.
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