Natural Childbirth

C Section Video

Natural Childbirth — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:01:51 +0000

Here is a nice short c section video to add to our childbirth video library. It is very clear from this c section video that a cesarean section is not simple or painless. It is major abdominal surgery. Just because the mother is anesthetized, does not mean she will not suffer after the surgery.

The newborn will also suffers because he will not experience the benefits of traveling through the birth canal such as natural suctioning of the nasal passageways which increases his chances of respiratory damages. He will also be at risk of a number of risks of preterm delivery since he was not allowed his full time to develop in the uterus.

Please know your facts before you let your doctor mutilate your body for his or her convenience and profit.

Note: This entry has been edited because numerous mothers who have had or are planning cesareans found it offensive. While we find the cesarean rate to be deplorable, we blame the medical industry who is capitalizing on the trust and fear of women. We do not in any way blame the mother or think that a cesarean makes you “less of a mother”. If anything, we believe that women who experience an unnecessary cesarean are victims (whether they realize it or not). That said, we do not want to add to the pain and suffering of victims and are not in the business of causing pain, rather we want to educate women so they know that homebirth is the best place to be if you want to avoid a cesarean in the first place (or second place or third place). Peace to all birthing women and mothers everywhere.

Prevent Cesarean Surgery Video, Winner Birth Matters Contest

Natural Childbirth — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:13:35 +0000

The following movie is the winner of the Birth Matters Video contest. Here is what the celebrity judges had to say about it:

* “Such great myth-busting and important information for all women, I loved your use of natural scenes. I’d love to see this video getting lots of airplay in the public arena.” –Dr. Sarah Buckley, MD
* “The directness and statistics worked well together…” –Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein
* “Very well done.” “One of my favorites. Talk about evidenced-based care; this really motivates someone to take action.” “This really puts it out there. Cesareans aren’t pretty.” “This was so emotional for me. The film does an excellent job questioning the idea that c-sections are easy, normal, and no big deal.” –from the BMV Judging Panel

This movie addresses the question “Why should we try to avoid unnecessary cesareans?” It also presents advice for how to increase the chance of having a normal safe vaginal birth based on recommendations from organizations such as the World Health Organization, Lamaze International, and the Childbirth Connection.

Cesareans and Prematurity

Natural Childbirth — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:30:53 +0000

The rate of premature birth has been increasing for 2 decades and researchers are now blaming part of the increase on unnecessary cesarean sections. The cesareans are accountable for almost all of the of the increase in “late preemies”, meaning birth during weeks 34-37, when the brain and lungs are not fully formed, but the odds of survival are high. Late preemies face increased breathing and feeding problems and are at an increased risk of SIDS. Take home message? Don’t let them cut you or induce you without a valid medical reason and if you decide to let them, wait until know you are at term. Learn more at MSNBC.com

AMA, Homebirth and Free Publicity

Natural Childbirth — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:20:11 +0000

The AMA recently passed a resolution to “ban homebirth” as a response to the Ricki Lake documentary, The Business of Being Born. The AMA is a medical association designed to protect the interests of medical doctors (not birthing mothers) so not only is there a blatant and inherent conflict of interest in their wishes, but they simply do not have the authority to ban anything. Seriously, are these yahoos going to try to tell us where we can have sex too? The only thing their resolution is going to accomplish is to bring more attention to the subject of homebirthing. Thanks for the free press guys! Read more about this nonsense at:

Antibiotics for Episiotomy Health

Natural Childbirth — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:10:52 +0000

A new study by researchers at Stanford and Santa Clara Medical Center concluded that women who receive antibiotic injections after bad tears or episiotomies have a better outcome with fewer infections. That is unfortunate since many, if not almost all tears are caused by unnatural birth positions, drugs to induce labor and forced pushing. In addition, even in the event of a tear or episiotomy, there are most certainly ways to prevent or manage infections without destroying the poor mother’s entire ecosystem with antibiotics such as raw honey or breastmilk, which should be in ample supply at that time. Read more at: ChicagoTribune.com

Hypnotherapy for Childbirth

Natural Childbirth — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:59:20 +0000

“HypnoBirthing® provides the missing link that allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing. Emphasis is placed on pregnancy and childbirth, as well as on pre-birth parenting and the consciousness of the pre-born baby. ” Hypnobirthing.com

Author: Jamie McMillan

Ever thought about having a natural childbirth and then scared yourself with thoughts of how painful it will be? Well, here’s a new concept - Birth Hypnotherapy. The concept of hypnotherapy during labor is to naturally anaesthetize your body into thinking it feels no pain during labor. Utilizing hypno-birthing, more and more mothers are able to have natural childbirths at home, or in the bath tub making it a truly relaxing and wonderful experience.

You may be thinking “will I be asleep during labor?” The answer is no. Normally you would associate hypnosis with being in a sedative state, not knowing what’s happening around you, but with the hypno-birthing techniques, you are in complete control of your surroundings, and are experiencing little or no pain.

“According to Dr. Dick-Read, use of hypnosis during labor helps laboring women break what he termed the “Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome” which makes labor more difficult. He believed the syndrome actually caused blood to flow away from nonessential organs such as the uterus to large muscle groups in the legs. He theorized that relaxation achieved through hypnosis would prevent that from happening.” Health.discovery.com

Each pregnancy and deliver is different. There’s no way to anticipate exactly what will happen. There is, however a way to prepare your body to be calm and relaxed. While under self-hypnosis, you allow your body to naturally bring your baby down the birth canal. Being in a relaxed state during pregnancy will help reduce fatigue so you can be fully involved in the delivery process.

You should start preparing yourself for birth hypnosis somewhere around the 5th to 7th month of pregnancy. Listening to tapes and reading hypnosis scripts will help in preparation. Your body will become aware of “cues” that will allow a quick transition into the hypnotic state when you need it during labor.

Check into some home-study hypno-birth courses as well as classes you can attend with your birthing partner.

“Hypnosis for childbirth teaches a woman how to enter into self-hypnosis instantly, and create her own natural anesthesia whenever and wherever she needs it. This is important as any drugs taken by a laboring woman can be dangerous for her, and especially her baby. She has total control over her body, and is an active participant in her birth process. ” Childbirthsolutions.com

Buy the Hypnobirthing CD
Find a Hypnobirthing practitioner
Find books on Birth Hypnotherapy
Find more information on achieving a pain-free pregnancy

About the author:
Jamie McMillan is a stay at home mom that runs a website at
http://www.w5481.net/ selling How-To information on various
topics

Video: Another Cesarean Section

Natural Childbirth — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:55 +0000

Today is the last day of April and the last day of cesarean awareness month. Yes, cesareans are valuable in a very small number of instances such as placenta previa but those cases account for somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-5% of births. Most cesareans are simply lining the wallets of obstetricians while allowing them to be home for dinner (and conveniently dodge lawsuits at the same time).

Want to avoid a cesarean? If you are a healthy, low risk woman, then have a homebirth. Nobody is going to slice into your uterus in your own home. Don’t go to the hospital unless there is a problem.

Video: Cesarean Section Part2

Natural Childbirth — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:00:07 +0000

Think you can avoid a forceps delivery by opting for a cesarean section? Think again. Babies do not slide out any easier when pulled from your abdomen than when they are naturally expelled through your vagina. If you watch enough cesarean videos, you will see doctor after doctor pulling babies out by their heads, using forceps and dragging on the babies skull with all their might.

Why don’t you check with your chiropractor about the damage babies incur when dragged out of the womb by their heads vs being gently pushed out through a uterine contraction/gravity combo.

How to Prepare for an Unplanned Cesarean

Natural Childbirth — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:40:09 +0000

Most women wish to avoid a cesarean despite popular opinion that women are opting for surgery vs. vaginal birth. The unfortunate reality is, however, that if you choose to give birth in a hospital, you are going to subject yourself to arbitrary labor timelines and harmful interventions and monitoring that will increase your chances of having a surgical birth. If you are going to deliver in a hospital, no matter what your intentions, you should always be prepared for the very real possibility of a cesarean delivery.

Author: Elizabeth Mcgee

Recent research shows that c-sections today account for almost 30% of all births. If you’re an expectant mom, you may want to think about that. Many c-sections are planned due to medical conditions, some c-sections are even a choice women make to avoid childbirth pain, however many occur in the wake of complications during labor, and these are the c-sections that catch moms off guard.

For a mom planning a vaginal birth it can be a mental and often emotional shock to know that your birth expectations won’t be met. Instead you’ll be confronted with anesthesia, catheters, surgery, a longer hospital stay and a host of potential complications.

Without careful thought and planning, you are left with your doctor and hospital staff making decisions for you that can leave you feeling out of control and emotionally compromised. Whether a c-section is expected or unexpected, you still need to be prepared. Statistics show that women suffer a lesser degree of emotional stress and depression from having a c-section if they are prepared for the process by fully understanding why it is needed and take part in the decisions being made.

You may be thinking that it’s easy to plan for something you expect to happen, but how do you plan for something you don’t expect? “Expect the unexpected”, as they say and plan accordingly. Regardless of whether you expect to have a c-section or it comes as a surprise, be prepared! That means understanding the risks, familiarizing yourself with the procedures, knowing your options and giving careful thought to what you want most for you and your baby. If problems should occur, be familiar with what they are and be ready for how you will respond to them.

Let’s take a look at why c-sections occur in the first place. Planned c-sections typically occur because of things like breech birth, carrying multiple babies, having had a previous Cesarean, age, obesity and other medical conditions that dictate a surgical birth according to the medical model of childbirth.
Sheryl’s comment:
Most of the reasons listed in the previous paragraph are not valid reasons for a cesarean. They are doctor invented, not based in medical science and may protect the doctor but a cesarean is always more risky for both mom and baby. You need to know your facts so you can refuse a cesarean. Any doctor who fillets a mother’s baby from her womb because she has crossed an arbitrary age limit, should be drawn and quartered (in my humble opinion).

For healthy moms that don’t expect a c-section, things like failure of labor to progress, fetal distress or baby isn’t able to successfully pass through the birth canal can also require a c-section. So how do you effectively prepare? You’ve probably heard women say that they didn’t feel their c-section was really necessary or that doctors are often too quick to perform c-sections due to convenience or avoidance of legal issues. This may or may not be true in many cases however; wouldn’t you want to be sure that your c-section was the best choice for you?

Making clear decisions and immediate choices are a lot harder while flat on your back in labor. This is why keeping yourself informed, and having a plan for what may occur is so important. The last thing you want is your doctor and/or hospital staff making decisions for you. This is your baby’s birth and it should be as you would like it.

No matter how you expect the birth of your baby to go, take the time to go over possible complications, understand the choices and be ready emotionally and physically.

Here are some things you should think about and work into your plan:

The anesthesia
There are basically 3 types of anesthesia, spinal, epidural and General. Spinal and Epidural are regional anesthesias which mean they numb a region of your body. In the case of a c-section the region is roughly from the waist down. A general anesthesia puts you completely under. Most c-sections use a spinal or epidural. In case a c-section should occur you should have an idea for which one you would prefer.

The urinary catheter
You will be administered a catheter before surgery. Make sure it gets inserted after your anesthesia as inserting a catheter may ’smart’ a bit.

Where does your baby go after the birth?
Ask your doctor or the hospital about having your baby rest on your stomach after it’s born. Otherwise your baby is often whisked away and never brought back until you are in recovery.

Discuss pain relief with your doctor
Being as pain free as possible is important to your recovery, it also helps get breastfeeding off to a good start. Your milk may be slow to come in so it’s important to get the process going as soon as possible. Staying on top of your pain at all times is important.

How do you envision your delivery to be?
Most hospitals will allow your partner with you in delivery but some hospitals will allow other family members as well. Check with your hospital and doctor to find out what their procedures are and plan according. Also don’t forget to think about pictures and/or videos.

Your Recovery
Hospital recovery takes about 3-4 days. You will be slow and tired for the first few days, but stay focused on moving about as quickly as you can, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

Keep in mind that your recovery at home may not be as easy as it was in the hospital. Make sure your home is set up for convenience before leaving for the hospital. Have childcare for older children taken care of, plan meals and household chores so that you are free to concentrate on other baby related things. Work in a modest exercise plan that keeps your energy up and get as much rest as possible while staying focused on yourself and your baby.

About the Author

Elizabeth is the author and creator of the popular ‘Worry-free-c-section’. Learn how you can avoid unnecessary pain, enjoy a speedy c-section recovery, calm your anxiety and fears, and reduce the undesirable outcomes of having a cesarean section. http://www.worry-free-c-section.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/tomhe/467160618/

Video: Cesarean Section Part 1

Natural Childbirth — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:32 +0000

April is cesarean awareness month so to do my part I decided to only post cesarean section videos for the rest of the month rather than the feel good, warm and fuzzy home birth videos.

Many women in America and around the world are currently under the impression that cesarean sections are somehow cleaner, neater, easier and more civilized. While they can save the lives of women and babies in rare, extreme circumstances, by and large they are unnecessary and overused either to prevent a lawsuit, to fix the damage caused by other interventions or worst of all, for convenience sake.

Hopefully this video, which shows a cesarean in graphic detail will put to rest the notion that a cesarean is better. It is an unnatural start for both mother and baby and women who think for themselves avoid them at all costs.