RESOURCES: Circumcision

Myths About Circumcision You Likely Believe
When I was pregnant with my first child, I just thought that circumcision was what you did, no big deal, and that every man was circumcised.  Then one day I saw a picture of a baby being circumcised, and everything changed. Read more...

Ask Dr. Sears, Weather of Not to Circumcise Read more....

Circumcision Causes Lifelong Harm, Concludes New Research
U.S. attorney warns doctors, "The foundation is well laid for lawsuits." 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: Evidenced Based Maternity Care

Consumer Reports
When it's time to bring a new baby into the world, there's a lot to be said for letting nature take the lead. The normal, hormone-driven changes in the body that naturally occur during delivery can optimize infant health and encourage the easy establishment and continuation of breastfeeding and mother-baby attachment. Read more...

Study: Two-Thirds of OB-GYN Clinical Guidelines Have No Basis in Science
Majority of ACOG Recommendations for Patient Care Found to Be Based on Opinion and Inconsistent Evidence, Read More....

Birth Advocates are always saying that obstetricians shouldn't be doing such-and-such routine procedure anymore, because it is not the best for mother and baby.  Complete with references, here are 10 Common Obstetric Procedures Not Supported By Science, Read More...

Childbirth Connection
Despite good intentions of many dedicated health professionals and very large expenditure of resources, the U.S. maternity care system has many shortcomings. Many women and babies receive poor quality maternity care, including many procedures, drugs and tests that are not needed — "overuse" — and failure to get many beneficial forms of care — "underuse". Read more...

World Health Organization, Care in Normal Birth
The report addresses issues of care in normal birth irrespective of the setting or level of
care. Its recommendations on those interventions which are or should be used to support the processes of normal birth are neither country nor region specific. Enormous variations exist worldwide as to the place and level of care, the sophistication of services available and the status of the caregiver for normal birth. This report aims simply to examine the evidence for or against some of the commonest practices and to establish recommendations, based on the soundest available evidence, for their place in normal birth care. Read more....

Mother Friendly Childbirth - Highlights of the Evidence
Citizens for Midwifery and BirthNetwork National have developed this summary of the research findings regarding the Ten Steps of Mother‐Friendly Care. Read more...

The Journal for Perinatal Education
In this column, the author presents summaries of four current research studies that further support the benefits of normal birth. The topics of the studies address the benefits of the hands-and-knees position in labor, postmenopausal urinary incontinence, the impact on perinatal outcomes of coached versus uncoached pushing during the second stage of labor, and the impact of the duration of breastfeeding on the likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes later in life. Read more...

Our Bodies, Ourselves
The existence of two separate approaches to the care of pregnant women began in ancient history; ultimately it led to the development of the two professions of 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....

Practice guidelines by specialist societies are surprisingly deficient 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: Induction of Labor

Rates of labor induction are on the rise in the United States. This trend is fueled by increases in the number of women having high-risk pregnancies and more frequent use of labor induction for non-medical or social reasons (sometimes referred to as elective induction). There is confusion and disagreement about the safety and appropriate use of labor induction. Read More...

March of Dimes
Some women may prefer to have an induction, even without medical need. Inducing labor may appeal to both the woman and the health care provider because it helps them plan their schedules. The March of Dimes recommends that labor be induced only when the health of the woman or baby is at risk. Read more...

Induction can be a complex topic for many first time mums to understand….but it is so important that you are able to understand each part of the procedure, the possible sequence of events and the overall big picture of what induction can mean for your labour experience. Read more...

Pitocin induction and augmentation are common in the US, but are they safe?
Pitocin is the synthetic form of oxytocin.  Oxytocin is a natural hormone - produced by your body - that stimulates uterine contractions.  Read more...

Bishop score, also Bishop's score, is a pre-labour scoring system to assist in predicting whether induction of labour will be required. It has also been used to assess the odds of spontaneous preterm delivery.  Read more...

Isolated term oligohydramnios, as defined by an amniotic fluid index (AFI) of less than 5 cm, has not been shown to be associated with poor maternal or fetal outcomes. Management may be individualized based on factors such as parity, cervical ripeness, and patient preference (SOR: B). Read more...

Pitocin, Package Insert, Full Prescibing Information Read more...

ACOG’s 2009 Induction Guidelines: Spin Doctoring Misoprostol (Cytotec) 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: Comfort Measures for Labor

Creating the Labor & Birth Environment
The June 2009 issue of Birth contains the results of a pilot study gauging the effects of modifying the labor room to encourage mobility, reduce stress and anxiety, and discourage routine medical intervention. Read More...

The Nature and Management of Labor Pain: Part I. Nonpharmacologic Pain Relief
Although management of labor pain plays a relatively minor role in a woman's satisfaction with childbirth compared with the quality of the relationship with her maternity caregiver and the degree of participation she has in decision making, it is an important topic for women and their caregivers. Read More...

Comfort measures are strategies designed to help you cope with the pain of labor. A good childbirth preparation class should teach you an assortment of ways to cope, as will many books.  Read More....

What is the Double Hip Squeeze and How Do I Do It?  Read more...

Guided Imagery and Visualizations for Labor and Childbirth: I’ve collected these visualizations from various people and websites throughout the years Read more...

Imagery and Meditation for Child Birth, Read more...

Epidurals: Dr. Leonard J. Corning, a neurologist in New York, was the first physician to use an epidural. In 1885 he injected cocaine into the back of a patient suffering from spinal weakness and seminal incontinence.
Today, epidurals are by far the most popular method of pain relief during labor in U.S. hospitals. Mead more...

Acupressure Techniques for Use during Childbirth and Pregnancy 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: Our Favorite Sites

Henci Goer: Informed Choices in Childbirth

Spinning Babies: Easier Childbirth with Fetal Positioning

Midwifery Today: The Heart and Science of Birth

Sarah J Buckley, MD: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering

Mama Birth

Kelly Mom (breastfeeding)

Best for Babes Foundation

The Leeky Boob

Giving Birth With Confidence

The Birthing Site

Pregnancy & Baby

Penny Simkin

Faith Bontrager, A Healthy Pregnancy

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 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.