When birth doesn’t go as planned…

Some time ago I was talking to a mother whose birth hadn’t gone as planned. She said that she knew that she needed a cesarean, but that she also knew she had missed out on a “very cool experience in life.” I think it is definitely possible to accept the need for a cesarean, while [...]

Read Full Post »

Can I really expect to have a great birth?

I received a comment via another blog asking “given my limited situation, can I really expect to have a great birth today?” (homebirth, midwife, and doula were all not options for the person asking the question). I think the answer is a qualified “yes.” The question really got me thinking about ways to help yourself [...]

Read Full Post »

Birth Wisdom: Your Inner Voices

It is International Birth Wisdom Week and I want to share something from The Pink Kit about  inner voices during labor. The book says that many women have two voices present during labor–one is a supportive, “managing” voice and the other is a “negative” voice. The first voice gives guidance, makes suggestions, tells you what [...]

Read Full Post »

Personality and Birth

From Sheila Kitzinger’s book The Experience of Childbirth:
In a normal, straightforward labour a woman’s attitude of mind, her approach to the task that awaits her, and her preconceptions concerning the nature of the work that her body has to do, are more important than any sort of physical preparation she can make in advance. Whatever [...]

Read Full Post »

Thoughts about Pushing

Also from Fathers at Birth, some quotes about pushing:
Powerful, authoritative, and wise energies assist in releasing the baby from the womb. Go with them.
Many women experience the work of pushing and the sensations of the internal movement of the baby as it moves and rotates through the birth canal as intensely gratifying. But some women [...]

Read Full Post »

Births & Marathons

A parallel is often drawn between giving birth and running a marathon. There was a great article called “The Gift of Leaping” in the most recent issue of the International Journal of Childbirth Education (available to download as a pdf here) that was based on this theme.
In it, the author discusses how in both experiences [...]

Read Full Post »

Perceptions of Pain

Some time ago I wrote several posts about pain in labor, one of which addressed needing more words for pain. In the book Birthwork, there is an interesting list of possible perceptions of pain in labor:
–‘Satisfying pain‘–enjoyable labour
–’Positive pain’–it is birthing the baby
–‘Constructive pain’–it is doing a good job
–‘Functional pain’–acceptance of the process
–‘Okay pain’–it hurts [...]

Read Full Post »

Just Relax?

Most approaches to birth preparation emphasize “relaxation” and being able to “relax” during contractions. Some people have noted that the word “relax” isn’t very descriptive to women in labor–or, it can irritate them (”Just relax?!”) while at the same time not really giving them anything specific  to work with. I recently finished a really incredible [...]

Read Full Post »

Birth as a Rite of Passage

Part of my philosophy of birth is that it is a significant rite of passage for women, men, and families, not a medical event, emergency, or health crisis. I recently finished working through The Pink Kit and the little book that came with it had some thoughts to share on this subject in the “final [...]

Read Full Post »

Pain, Power, & Accomplishment

I love this section from Giving Birth with Confidence (Lamaze). It explores the role of pain in labor and its relationship to personal power and accomplishment:
The pain of labor, like most pain, is protective. Responding to pain with movement, including walking, rocking, and position changes, not only helps the baby rotate and descend through the [...]

Read Full Post »