Yoga Moves to Relieve Pregnancy Pain

On Monday I shared a list of positions that can help ease pain during labor. As a follow-up, I thought I’d share some of the moves that I’ve learned in prenatal yoga that can help with some common aches and pains during pregnancy. One of the biggest complaints in pregnancy is pain in the bladder/round ligament reason. My daughter set up shop on top of my bladder once I was about four months along, and it’s been her favorite spot ever since, much to my discomfort. I’ve learned a number of moves in class that really help when I’m having … Continue reading →

Yoga Positions for Early Labor

The other day my doula visited our home to show us some techniques we’ll use for pain management during early labor. Our goal is to do as much of the labor at home as possible – we’re more comfortable at home, and thus more likely to be relaxed here – and so these are some moves and positions Jon and I can do to help me get through the pain. If you get a book like The Birth Partner or other books about/that have sections on natural childbirth, these positions might be familiar to you. I don’t know exactly what they’re … Continue reading →

Maternity Care in the U.S.

The recent birth of the royal prince cost $15,000. That sounds like a lot, right? It is, but it’s only half the cost of a birth in America. That’s right: the average price of a birth — in a normal hospital, not a luxury wing — in the U.S. is $30,000. That makes us, according to an in-depth article by The New York Times, the nation that pays the most for maternity care. Yet, we also have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world. It seems like these two things should counter one another, but in … Continue reading →

Should You Create A Birth Plan?

Should you create a birth plan? It can be a helpful tool for making your wishes known both to your healthcare provider and the labor & delivery staff, but it also seems a little silly to plan something like one’s labor: after all, if we could control it, we would all have easy births. When I first heard about birth plans, I decided that they weren’t for me. I’m a very Type A person; I get stressed if even my silliest of plans get messed up, if they’re ones I’m excited about. Trying to plan my baby’s birth, and everything … Continue reading →

Know Before You Go – Hospital Policy on Human Milk

If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, there is something that you may want to check on as far as hospital policies and procedures are concerned. I would never have thought to check on this particular thing, and I never did check on it. An experience following the delivery of my second son made me realize that I wish I had done some more research regarding which hospital I would deliver in. Anyways, the issue that I would like to discuss today is related to breastfeeding. I nursed my then two and a half year old son all through … Continue reading →

Have You Considered a Home Birth?

During my second pregnancy, my husband and I decided that we wanted a different prenatal care and birth experience than we had with our first son, who was born in the birthing center of our local hospital. We found a pair of wonderful home – birth midwives, and we worked with them throughout the pregnancy until I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and my care had to be transferred to a hospital. Even though we did not get to have the home birth that we had wanted, the care that we received up until the transfer to the hospital was much … Continue reading →

Mental Preparation for Labor and Delivery

While it may be tempting to think of labor and delivery as a primarily physical experience, it is important that you do not underestimate the mind’s role in the process of birth. Mental preparation for the birth of your baby is important, and preparing yourself for success can help you to have a smoother labor and delivery. Here are a few things that you can do to mentally prepare yourself for the big day. Read positive birth stories. When I was pregnant, I used to avoid hearing birth stories because many of the ones that I had initially heard were … Continue reading →

Preparing for Your Home Birth

When you plan to have your baby at home, part of preparing yourself for the birth of your baby includes preparing your home so that you have a safe and comfortable place to give birth. As your pregnancy progresses, why not gather up everything that you will need and place it in the area where you would like your birth to take place. The biggest item that you will need is the birthing tub, if you would like to have a water birth. Tubs can be purchased or rented, so ask your midwives about what options there are in your … Continue reading →

Water Birth

When I was pregnant with my first son, part of my prenatal care included attending childbirth classes at the birthing center where Dylan was going to be born. During one of the classes, we toured the birthing center and one of the midwives showed us all of the things that were available for us to use during labor and delivery. While bouncing around on a birthing ball sounded interesting and the birthing stool looked like it could certainly be effective, the thing that I remember most about my birthing center tour was the birthing tub. As soon as I saw … Continue reading →

Things to Know Before You go (to the Hospital) – Vitamin K

As you prepare for the birth of your baby, you are likely to be preparing yourself in many ways for your baby’s arrival. While being prepared may not help you to navigate every possible thing that might happen during and shortly after the birth of your baby, there are a few things that you can think about and plan for ahead of time. One of these things is deciding whether or not to allow your baby to be given a dose of synthetic Vitamin K shortly after birth. Vitamin K is routinely administered to newborn babies in the United States … Continue reading →