You know you’re a childbirth educator when…

…you come in from getting the mail and this is what you see:

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Three Hours into 1.5 Minutes??

I most often write blog posts directed at pregnant women, not birth professionals (though I hope the pros find my posts useful as well!). Via the excellent Passion for Birth blog this morning, I read this article that is very relevant to childbirth educators.
The article addresses how educators/presenters can attempt to cram three hours worth [...]

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And Even More Birth Quotes

Continuing my semi-regular addition of birth quotes I’ve used on the Talk Birth Facebook page recently.
“When women understand what’s available to us at birth, then we won’t ever give that over to an ‘expert’ the birth power, the orgasmic power that’s in our bodies” –Christiane Northrup
“Women have the inner power and the inner knowledge of [...]

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Birth Talk

As I have referenced several times before I have a special interest in the language of birth. That is part of the reason my blog/business is so-named—because is it is a blog that “talks birth” (as in, “let’s get together and talk birth!”), but also because the way you talk about birth matters. I have [...]

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Birth as a Rite of Passage & ‘Digging Deeper’

I’ve posted about the idea of birth as a rite of passage before and want to share some additional quotes from The Pink Kit:
Whatever the culture, when a woman surrenders to the process, accepts the intense sensations, works through each contraction, and digs deep within herself to achieve the end goal–giving birth–she is touched by [...]

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Pelvic Bodywork

I’ve added a new option to my single night class offerings. I am also available to give this session to small groups (doulas, etc.) The following is the class description:
Use external bony landmarks on your own pelvis to “map” your pelvis and explore the types of birthing positions that work best for your unique body. [...]

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Let labor begin on its own…

One of my blog posts that gets the most hits and is a consistently searched for topic is one that I wrote called “how do I know I’m really in labor?” I revised it recently for participation in a blog carnival at Science and Sensibility about letting labor begin on its own. Let Labor Begin [...]

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How do I know I’m really in labor?

When I was in early labor with my first son, I spent quite some time upstairs in our computer room googling, “how to know you’re really in labor” or, “signs of true labor,” or “the difference between false labor and real labor,” or, “how do I know I’m in labor,” or, “how to know I’m [...]

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Favorite Birth Class Videos

The question of “what are your favorite teaching videos?” has arisen on several email lists I belong to recently. I decided to re-post my answer here, since I had it freshly typed up!
I have quite a few birth DVDs now and I don’t show them in class anymore, but I offer the selection to my [...]

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What to Expect When You Go to the Hospital for a Natural Childbirth

I’ve been debating about whether to share this post or not. I’m concerned that it may come across as unnecessarily negative, pessimistic, or even “combative” or “anti-hospital.”  However, I do think it is honest and I’ve decided to share it. There is a fairly “normal” course of events for women having a natural birth in [...]

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