Climate of Confidence, Climate of Doubt

Recently I finished reading (and reviewing) the new book Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy & Birth. In the opening chapter, they identify a concept that I have *felt* for some time, but hadn’t really put a finger on. The authors refer to it as a “climate of confidence” and a “climate of doubt.” I love this [...]

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Will I need an episiotomy?

The short answer is no, you do not “need” an episiotomy. Women rarely (if EVER) actually “need” an episiotomy. An episiotomy is a surgical incision made in the perineum to enlarge the vaginal opening as the baby’s head is being born. This procedure is rarely necessary and you should ask your care provider how often [...]

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Why “Woman-Centered” Childbirth?

I refer to my approach to childbirth education as “woman-centered.” Why? I believe woman-centered birth supports normal birth. The two are inextricably linked. According to the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators, “woman-centered childbirth recognizes the primary role of the mother, and allows labor to progress according to the mother’s natural rhythms.” As an [...]

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More about normal birth

I recently read on the Passion for Birth blog that the Maternity Care Working Party in the UK has a new consensus statement called Making Normal Birth a Reality. It is difficult to arrive at a consense definition of normal birth (which I define as “physiological birth”). They describe it as a women whose labor ”starts spontaneously, progresses [...]

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Evidence Based Care

Simply put, evidence based care is care that is based on the best available evidence (research, studies, accurate, up-to-date published materials) and upon the individual woman’s unique situation. Any interventions are applied judiciously and with consideration of true medical indication and also the needs of the woman. Evidence based care is different than “routines” or [...]

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What Do I Mean By Normal Birth?

I realized I have used the term “normal birth” several times without explaining what I mean. First, I wish to be clear that there is no value judgment in the phrase normal birth–it simply refers to the physiologically normal process of birth. It is birth as it is biologically programmed to happen and allowed to [...]

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What is Holistic Childbirth Education?

A definition I like is one from midwife and author, Penfield Chester:
“The holistic model holds that birth is a normal, woman-centered process in which mind and body are one and that, in the vast majority of cases, nature is sufficient to create a healthy pregnancy and birth.”
My certifying organization, ALACE, uses the word holistic to [...]

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What is Active Birth?

One of the single session classes I offer is specifically about Active Birth. I received a question asking what I mean by active birth. Active birth is an approach to birth that emphasizes movement and the use of gravity to help during labor and birth. It is a way of “describing normal labor and [...]

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