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Water Baby

Water can be a calming force of nature. Water is the source of origin for continued life. Without water we cannot survive. Aside from the first parents, all human beings begins life’s journey through water. My daughter was no different, she spent the first nine months of her in utero life in warm life sustaining and protecting water. She knows the security of water as much as she knows security in my arms. With this understanding of the importance of water to my daughter’s life and my own pain-relieving comfort from water, I chose to birth my daughter in a … Continue reading →

Our Daughter’s Birth

My contractions were coming hard and fast. I had only been in the birthing pool for about ten minutes when I had the incredible urge to push. While maintaining my breathing, I started to push. At first I pushed very cautiously with short gentle pressure, but the urge to push was not subsiding. I moved into a squatting position, my husband, our midwife, and her nurse were around the birthing pool, but I was not really aware of their presence because I was focusing on my contractions, my breath, and pushing. The period of transition was not what I remember … Continue reading →

Our Tenth Prenatal Visit

It has been one short week since our last prenatal visit with our midwife. This visit was a little different than our previous visits because it began with a thirty six ultrasound. Our midwife likes to have a quick ultrasound done at around thirty six weeks to check the baby’s position and the amniotic fluid level. Thus, our tenth and first weekly visit began at the ultrasound clinic. Our midwife met us at the clinic. All four of us headed into the exam room (although it seemed more like a nice sitting room). The technician began the ultrasound and immediately … Continue reading →

10 Reasons Why We Chose a Midwife

My quest for a midwife was largely motivated by my dislike of shots, needles, drugs, and hospitals. After reading a large number of books and several articles comparing and contrasting birthing options, the benefits of using a midwife for the pregnancy and birth of our son was undeniable and 100% desirable. Here are our top ten reasons for choosing a midwife in no particular order: Reason Number One — More Control: Instead of being a passive participant with things happening to me, I was actively seeking to ensure the best possible outcome for both pregnancy and birth. The midwives supported … Continue reading →

How Water Helped Me Achieve a Natural Childbirth

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I was able to have a natural childbirth experience with my first child. Though my labor lasted about fourteen hours, I never felt as though the pain was unbearable or that I needed any medication to take off the edge of the contractions. However, labor with my second child was a different story. Almost from the start, labor seemed more intense and painful than my first one had been. I was in for my check up the afternoon I went into labor and my doctor told me that I was already four centimeters dilated. I was so excited and thought … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Acupuncture During Labor

A new study of pregnant women in the ob/gyn journal shows that acupuncture can speed labor in most women. Although the women probably did not deliver the baby any sooner than they otherwise would have, it dramatically reduced the active phase of labor for most women in the group. This could translate to significant pain relief or less pain altogether for a laboring woman. The following quote is derived from the medical journal Acta Obstretricia et Gynecologica, 2006;85:1348-53: In a study of 100 pregnant women who were about to give birth, 48 were given acupuncture while the remainder had standard … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review for Jan 27 – Feb 2

Time flies when you are pregnant. With the pressures of work, other children and family responsibilities, it’s easy to get busy and miss some of the articles posted in the Pregnancy Blog. This weekly review is an easy and fast way to get caught up on your reading. Saturday, January 27 Let’s Talk About Water Birth: Fluid Pain Relief Sara Denomme talks about the magical experience of her daughter’s home water birth. Sunday, January 28 If you are planning to breastfeed your new baby, you will need a good book as a resource. Check out Great Breastfeeding Books for some … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Offsetting the Financial Squeeze of Parenting

What every parent-to-be needs is a list of inspiring ways to assure them that their new little bundle of joy won’t suck dry the retirement fund. Well, I can assure you that you don’t have to be a millionare to raise a family comfortably. Here are the ways our family does it: Tax Credits The federal government has created ways to ease parents’ burden via a tax bill signed into law in May 2003 that gives parents a larger tax write-off on minor children. The child tax credit is now $1,000 for each child under age 17, as long as … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Touch During Labor

Skin is the largest organ of our bodies, and touch is a very powerful thing. For your infant, it will be one of their most-used tools for discovering the world around them. For you, it can be the best or the worst part of your labor. Learn how to use the power of touch to your benefit while laboring. Women who are touched in a loving and supportive way during labor report that their pain is less intense. Touch will give the laboring woman a way to center her concentration and focus her mental energy away from pain. Some women … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Water Birth: Fluid Pain Relief

My second daughter was born at home via water delivery. Today is her three-month birthday. Today I rejoice in her magical birth. I had planned a water birth at home from the very beginning. I knew that having a water birth would probably be the best thing for me to do, and I was very excited about it. I only wish that I had delivered my first in the same way, but being a young first time mother, it wasn’t something that I knew enough about. In the almost five years before becoming pregnant again, I had come across the … Continue reading →