RESOURCES: Birth Videos & Stories

"I’d like to document and describe the ways that I walked, moved, and changed positions throughout my labor,  Worth noting is that for most of my labor, I just followed my body’s signals and natural instincts when changing positions.  Sometimes, I also changed positions based on what my doula suggested.  And for the entire time, I found my labor to be an intensely powerful, empowering, and healthy experience." Read more...

Whoa: we had a surprise twin double-breech roadside vaginal birth after Cesarean.  I was measuring consistently ahead in fundal height early on and just before the mid-point of my pregnancy my midwife referred me to an obstetrician to have an ultrasound Read more...




Be Warned, these videos show the whole deal - BIRTH IN FOCUS.


Note from betterbeginnings: This is a hospital birth in which the mother delivers on her knees with her arms and head leaning on the back of the hospital bed.  The video is not edited much, so you can get an idea of time between contractions.  The attendants do appear to pull on the baby after the head is our, this appears to have been unnecessary, because there is no indication the baby is in distress.  Notice that the mother can move between contractions and how quickly she transitions from the intensity of pushing to the joy of holding her newborn.  You may also notice the wet sounding cry from the baby.  The nurses at this hospital are not quick to "suction" the baby and it appears that he makes the transition without the need for suctioning. See the video here...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

RESOURCES: Multiples

Natural Childbirth of Twins and Triplets Watch video...


A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

RESOURCES: Birth Protocols & Procedures

Vaginal Exam
The vaginal exam is an over-used procedure that is a disruption of the laboring woman's process.  The internal exam to check cervix dilation is one of the most common procedures done on a laboring woman. Its usefulness is rarely questioned.Read more...

Nuchal Cord
The presence of a nuchal cord is a very common occurrence during birth. Around a third of all babies are born with the umbilical cord around their neck. How and when it ends up there will be different for individual babies, Read more... 

This article shares information about the common practice of checking for a nuchal cord during the second stage of labour, and unlooping or cutting the cord – interventions that are not evidence-based and can cause birth trauma. Read more...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

RESOURCES: Choosing a Care Provider

Two professions: midwifery and medical obstetrics. Each of these disciplines is based on a different understanding of the nature and significance of pregnancy and childbirth  Read more...

Citizens for Midwifery
Pregnancy and childbirth involve every part of you. Your feelings, hopes, fears, physical and practical needs, and spiritual or religious beliefs can all affect your pregnancy and birth. A midwife providing the Midwives Model of Care addresses all of these aspects to help you give birth naturally, safely and confidently. Read More...

The Birthing Site
In choosing a hospital birth, it is likely that you first choose a prenatal care provider who is connected with the hospital you were told you would be birthing at (this was surely the case for me.)  It is essential that you now learn as much as you can about your care provider’s practices regarding prenatal care and testing, labor, induction, and c-section practices. Read more...

Warning Signs To Look for in Your Care Provider
We need to shift our beliefs about childbirth in order to choose an appropriate care giver.
If you desire a natural childbirth then you need to find a care provider who works in an environment that supports natural childbirth. Read more...


An overview of research and statistics released today by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Division of Standards and Practice shows that women who receive the care of a midwife reap tangible benefits, including reduced infant mortality rates, decreased risk of cesarean section, and higher satisfaction with care. Read more...

The Myth of A Safer Hospital Birth for Low Risk Pregnancies: Since the beginning of hospital birth, research supporting its use for low risk women has been lacking. The last 15 years has produced 17 studies all supporting attended planned homebirth as safer for low risk women.  Read more...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

RESOURCES: Preterm Labor & Rupture of Membranes

Preterm Labor & Preterm Rupture of Membranes

"DALLAS (Feb. 9, 2012) — In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that suggest that induction of labor in patients who suffer a rupture of membranes between the 34th and 37th week of gestation (before the onset of labor) does not reduce the risk of infection or respiratory problems in the newborn." Read more....

Cochrane Summaries:  Bed rest in singleton pregnancies for preventing preterm birth, Read more...

When your waters break early: information for you:  Your unborn baby is surrounded by fluid or ‘waters' contained within a membrane bag. Breaking of the waters is also known as rupture of the membranes. Normally your waters break shortly before or during labour. If your waters break before labour at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy, this is known as preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM). 2 out of every 100 pregnant women (2%) experience this. Read more...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

RESOURCES: VBAC

Vaginal birth can be OK after multiple C-sections: Read more...

VBAC Facts
After a cesarean, most women have two choices for future births: a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) or a repeat cesarean section (RCS).  There is a lot of misinformation about these two options.  Let’s review some quick facts.  Read more...

ICAN
The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization that was founded by Esther Booth Zorn and many other motivated women in 1982.  ICAN has now grown to over 170 chapters throughout the United States and worldwide.  Read More...

Cesarean Rates
CesareanRates.com is a snapshot of online cesarean rate reporting in the United States as of January 2012. The site compiles the most current hospital-level data accessible to the public online, whether reported directly by a state’s department of health or gathered from state hospital association web sites via pull-down menus. Read more...

A Woman's Guide to VBAC
In addition to examining the current evidence related to VBAC and offering recommendations for future research on this topic, the NIH panel concluded that VBAC was a "reasonable option" for most women with a cesarean section.  Read more...

Cesarean Section and Birth Trauma
For many women childbirth is a joyous, fulfilling and empowering experience. For others it can be one of the most traumatic events of their lives. Memories of childbirth can be vivid, deeply felt, and last many years perhaps even a lifetime. Read more...

Emotional Healing After a Cesarean
Women’s emotional reactions and adjustment to cesarean birth vary widely. Although some women recover fairly quickly and accept the surgical birth as a necessary step to a healthy baby and to becoming a mother, others experience various degrees of sadness, disappointment, anger, violation, loss of self-esteem, guilt, depression, and sometimes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read more...

C-Section by Request
Some women may prefer to have a cesarean section instead of a vaginal birth, even without medical need. It may be appealing for both the woman and the health care provider to consider cesarean because it helps them plan their schedules. Some women ask for c-section because they are worried about the pain of vaginal delivery. Read more...

BJOG release: Do we need to revisit VBAC guidelines for women with three or more prior caesareans? New research to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that women with three or more prior caesareans who attempt vaginal birth have similar rates of success and risk for maternal morbidity as those with one prior caesarean, and similar overall morbidity (adding vaginal births and emergency caesareans together) as those delivered by elective repeat caesarean. Read more...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

To Moms Approaching The Final Days of Pregnancy,

 

You are made for growing, birthing, and nurturing your baby.  Everything you need is already inside you, part of the unique individual that you are.  During our time together (if you are a client) you tuned into your own intuition.  It can be a quiet, shy voice calmly guiding you through life, or maybe a booming presence hard to ignore.  Trusting and listening to that inner voice will guide you through labor, birth, and mothering. 

As you approach labor, birth, and mothering your baby, know that your decisions will be the right ones—right for you, right for your baby, and right for your family.  Find peace in the empowerment that allows you to make informed decisions.
 

As you move through the final days of pregnancy, treasure the moments.  They are fleeting.  Mothering is wonderful work, but there is something indescribable about literally being full of life.  

Be present—in this day, this moment, this page.  Judging yourself and others for past actions, words or situations is futile.  Let it go.  The future isn’t here yet.  It will happen how it happens.  Your labor might not start how you imagined on our meditations and visualizations, or it might be exactly what you hope. 

Arrange your life to build you up.  Change what you need to change; whether that means care providers, job situations, or something about yourself.  Seek resolution and peace.  Set your intention to be positive and actively involved in this birth.  It will serve you well now and always to be fully present.

You are built to give birth to your baby.  You are strong.  You are a mother.  You are not entering into this experience blind.  You will continue to seek information & guidance from trusted sources and make the best decisions for your family.  

 You will move mountains.
 - Kate Fillingim, LCCE