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Finding Common Ground on Home Birth

support@mybirthteam.com (Amy Romano, CNM, MSN) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:14:40 +0000

I attended the Home Birth Consensus Summit, along with our Director of Programs, Carol Sakala, late last week. The meeting was the result of several years of planning by a multi-stakeholder group of maternity care leaders. It was led by facilitators from Future Search, a theory and planning strategy designed around having the “whole system in the room” to find common ground on complex or divisive issues. (The Common Ground statement will be posted on the Home Birth Summit web site by November 1.)

Birthing A New Concept

support@mybirthteam.com (Cyndi Gross) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:28:42 +0000

Since the time I started my career as a labor doula in 1992, alternative birthing models of care have remained the minority of choice in mainstream women.

Birthing Twin Tigers

support@mybirthteam.com (Melanie Tongren) — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:35:25 +0000

There are four attempts at writing out my babies birth story on my computer. None of them even get to the birthing part because each time I start trying to write it out I get bogged down in the telling. Each time I end up first going on for pages and pages about my relationship and work with birth, the way I had wanted to deliver my children, and apologizing for the choices I ultimately ended up having to make. Yet my heart knows that until I figure out how to tell my story, I can’t finish healing it and I can’t trust in birth. So here it is, in the only way I can tell it.

Interviewing an OB/Gyn Provider

support@mybirthteam.com (Rena Koerner) — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:24:13 +0000

Choosing a care provider is one of the most important first steps after confirming your pregnancy. I’ve interacted with hundreds of pregnant women and one of the first questions I’ve asked during our conversation is; “How did you chose your care provider?” This was met with a puzzled look upon their face.

What's the Best Spacing Between Children?

support@mybirthteam.com (Juliann Allison) — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:08:04 +0000

I am the eldest of nine children and mother of four, so I didn’t immediately realize that the perennial issue of “optimal spacing between children” really means “the best time to have a second child.” This interpretation is perfectly reasonable for most parents in the United States, where the widespread availability of affordable contraception has enabled parents to control family size so successfully that the average American family currently includes just over three members. [http://tinyurl.com/USFamilySize]

Is Embryo Donation Right for You?

support@mybirthteam.com (Craig R. Sweet, M.D.) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:44:51 +0000

Is Embryo Donation right for you or someone you know? Approximately 400,000 embryos are cryopreserved in the United States, according to a 2003 report by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the nonprofit research institution RAND (Fertility & Sterility, May 2003, Vol. 79, No. 5).

These embryos are created through in vitro fertilization after a woman takes hormonal medications to stimulate the production of multiple eggs for fertilization by her partner’s or donor sperm. In order to minimize multiple pregnancies, excess embryos are frozen (cryopreserved) in liquid nitrogen for future use. Most of those are used for expansion of the patient’s family through frozen embryo transfer procedures.

Are we all Invisible Mothers?

support@mybirthteam.com (Cyndi Gross) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:43:19 +0000

As Mother's Day is approaching, I wanted to share a heartfelt story that was sent to me from a wonderful colleague of mine. It really spoke to my heart and I am quite sure that it will speak to everyone of you who are mothers, wives, sisters, daughters,grandmothers, aunts, friends, employees, employers and/or trailblazers for a cause! I share this MUST READ to ALL of you with love, inspiration and unspoken gratitude! -Cyndi

Your Right and Responsibility

support@mybirthteam.com (Justine Arian) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:14:58 +0000

I’ve heard so many people say they do what the doctor says because, ” they are the expert”. When I first became pregnant I thought that way too. I figured I’d do what everyone else does, listen to the doctor and go to the hospital and have my baby. Thank goodness I was raised in a family who taught me to ask questions.

Through my own process of exploration during my pregnancy I learned a few things. I learned even more when I became a Certified Bradley Teacher and Birth Doula. One of the most important things I learned that I like to share with my clients and students is to never just accept something because someone says it’s so, even if they are an “expert”. Shoot, don’t even take my word for it. Do your due diligence. Educate yourself, ask questions, get answers and go within.

Pregnant, Paranoid and Feeling Past My “Use-by” Date

support@mybirthteam.com ( Angel La Liberte) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:16:23 +0000

I’ll never forget the day I signed on the dotted line at the age of 44, consenting to an amniocentesis, and feeling like Christopher Walken in the 1978 film Deer Hunter, putting a gun to my head while in a smoke-filled den during a big stakes game of Russian (Miscarriage) Roulette.

I couldn’t help feeling sordid when the hospital counselor handed me the pen to put my name to what Frank later called their “Cover Our Ass” contract. Committing to the procedure was just like pulling the trigger, uncertain if the baby-bullet was in the next chamber, even as I agreed to waive liability to the hospital in the event it hit home.

Autism: Three Key Messages for Every Newly Diagnosed Family

support@mybirthteam.com (Dr. Robert W. Sears) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:08:07 +0000

Autism has become one of the most widespread childhood epidemics in recorded history. Yet amid the uncertainty and confusion, there is hope. There is so much we know about how to treat autism and how to help children recover. Here are three key steps every new parent can take with their child to get started down the road to recovery.