Preparing For Birth

In westernized countries, television and the internet have almost completely replaced the generational teaching and learning found in the “circles” of the past. Women would gather over sewing, quilting, canning, and life events including pregnancy and childbirth. They offered support, told their stories, spoke of family life, shared their everyday knowledge, wisdom and expertise while [...]

There is much awareness and conversation of what the routine interventions are that can occur during the labor and birth process within the hospital environment.  These interventions can include induction, augmentation with Pitocin, epidural, or cesarean. In all my professional and personal roles, I am privy to a great amount of pregnancy and birth stories. [...]

There is an incredibly disturbing trend regarding “advanced maternal age” mothers being a hostile uterine environment for their babies. They are being subject to weekly Biophysical profiles or Fetal Non-stress tests tests that are normally reserved only for high-risk mothers and babies from as early as 32 weeks in pregnancy.  On top of the scans, [...]

It never ceases to amaze me why women are induced for labor.   I have compiled a list of commonly heard “reason” for an induction occurring.  Interestingly none among them is true.  The true reasons for induction is a very short list (shown at the end of the post) and only a small percentage of women [...]

Labor induction is increasingly on the rise, however, even ACOG has a limited statement on what is a defines medically necessitated labor induction.  This is generally defined as gestation or chronic hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, diabetes, premature rupture of membranes, severe fetal growth restriction, and postterm pregnancy (postterm dates are defined generally after 42 weeks gestation [...]

Here is the radio interview I did with Debbie Hull of the Whole Mother Radio show.  We talked about the current percentage of cesareans, VBAC availability, where to obtain support, ways to prevent an unnecessary cesarean and much more! http://archive.kpft.org/mp3/090803_063001wholemother.MP3

ACOG recently updated guidelines for fetal monitoring in labor.  They call it a refinement.  Very interesting. Directly from the press release “Since 1980, the use of EFM has grown dramatically, from being used on 45% of pregnant women in labor to 85% in 2002,” says George A. Macones, MD, who headed the development of the [...]

ACOG released a press release today regarding a new practice bulletin revising labor induction guidelines.  Though the practice bulletin is not available on the ACOG site, a detailed review is available by Medpage today.  I hope to soon have the full copy to share. Some high points I found in the explanation and review of [...]

In recent days there has been much chatter in the birth and consumer worlds about the use or rather misuse of the synthetic oxytocin drug Pitocin (ICAN, unnecesarean, nursingbirth, daytondailynews). Pitocin is used very commonly in the United States before labor to induce, during labor to augment the process and post birth for the purpose [...]

So the idea that women just aren’t the same these days and no longer able to spontaneously go into labor or birth in our society has been bounding around in my head for weeks spurned by re-reading an inspiring story written by a local doula. I have read this story many times and each time [...]