A supported and empowered birth experience may allow some women to begin motherhood feeling confident and exuberant about caring for their children. And feel assured about the power and abilities of her body.

An experience where the mother was not able to feel a part of her birth or participate in decision making may leave her questioning…

The transition to motherhood is so important.  Honoring, empowering, and supporting women  through this transformative phase cannot be over done.

How do women experience birth?  In fear, in love, empowered…

Are women encouraged to think about birth as an amazing, beautiful, wonderful experience.

Certainly, labor and birth can have challenges, but childbirth is so much more.  The experience of childbirth is enriching and valuable.

Suggestions

• Write down your vision of birth

• Select people who believe in you to be at your birth

• Choose caregivers and a birth place where you feel positive energy

• Ask questions and learn as much as possible about giving birth

What do you really want when you give birth?

Is it the satisfaction of knowing that you can!  The experience of giving birth to your child is important.  The birth vision that you hold should be affirmed.

Childbirth varies. Each woman has her own different experience.

Here are some steps to having a natural birth.  You are not crazy or underestimating yourself.

Of course you can do this…How long have women been giving birth?

I had both of my children without medications, and I am not particularly strong. Support made all the difference in my success.  My birth team listened to me.

One – Organize a birth team

These are the people who believe in you!  They are positive.  They are patient. They understand the process of natural birth.  They are able to be with you the entire time during your birth.  They should be familiar with comfort techniques so when you face any challenge during birth their assistance will guide you.

Two – Educate yourself

Take a class and learn techniques that you can use on your own.  Also, you want to understand how your body works during the labor process.  Understand about the benefits, risks, and alternatives of medications and procedures done during labor.  Most important, learn how to advocate and communicate your desires to your care providers, including how to refuse treatment that you are fully informed about, if it is not medically necessary.

Three – Trust your body

Knowledge is power.  Take out quiet moments to reflect on how your body grows a baby perfectly! The development of human life is complex, and your body doesn’t miss a beat.  This same body will birth perfectly as well.

Four – Consider your birth place

If you give birth in the wrong place your vision may have no real opportunity to be realized.  Learn as much as possible about your birth place.  Will you be comfortable in this place?  If not find another place to have your baby.  A woman that is stressed when giving birth, will have a tough time.  You might have to change doctors or spend more money than you budgeted, but it will be worth it, if you truly desire to have a natural birth, a water birth, etc.  Really think about what you need and find a way to have your birth vision realized.

To all my friends on facebook,  the birth community, fellow moms, and my family, you’re appreciated!

Let’s spend time together face to face, soon.

If you can meditate, when you are looking at the view from, how high up are we?  Well, anyway that is where you ponder or try not to ponder just how it is possible for you to see this view.

I just love my job!  It doesn’t seem like work, although, my kids tell me, mom you’re always working.  I have made peace with the fact that children are greedy and selfish for your time.  I homeschool my kids, and we are always together, but you know I guess from a child’s perspective, mommy should do nothing but give you everything.

I understand the perspective of my children, which is why I have this incredible job as a childbirth educator.  It allows me to work evenings, some weekends, and tailor my schedule so that I can give my children as much of my time as possible.

Childhood is brief.  My oldest will be ten this year, I am halfway through, Yeah!

My career as as childbirth educator, doula, and birth yoga instructor is fulfilling and enriching.  The biggest perk is everyone is always glad to see you.  You can be like Oprah every day, making people happy and helping them become all there meant to be.

I get to travel around the world.

I meet incredibly talented people.

I am never bored with the work I do.

I continue to grow and use my skills in challenging ways.

My concern after being in the birth field for 12 years, is the need to educate girls that this is a career option.  I often meet women in midlife who are desiring to enter this field, but what if young women entered high school knowing they wanted to be Midwives, Doulas, or Childbirth Educators.

There are a lot of perks to being a birth professional.

I asked her why she felt that way.  She did not really have an answer, she simply felt it.

Of course, you guessed it, she had a cesarean.

Women giving birth now a days have higher than a 1 in 3 chance of giving birth by cesarean, definitely.  Their odds are excellent, and everyone knows someone that has had a cesarean.  It seems like ancient history that in the United States of America the c-sec rate was 5.5% in 1970, and in 1999 it was 22%.  The 2007 rate was 31.8%. What is happening? Have women’s bodies changed in recent years?  The body, hormones, uterus and vagina of millions of women have become incapable.  What is the terminology for this condition?

See ACOG cesarean rates history

The government of the United States is concerned about the growing cesarean rate see Centers for Disease Control.

Reports researching this issue are not lacking and no one has observed that the cesarean rate should remain at 32%. Download and read the entire CDC report it breaks down the rates by state.  Women living in Alaska or New Mexico have the lowest chance to have a cesarean birth.  If you are planning to move, these statistics may help you decide where to relocate.  New Jersey is the most likely place in America where a woman will have a cesarean, with a rate in 2007 of 38.3%.

If only cesareans had as many benefits as they do risks.  That is why the WHO, World Health Organization recommends that an acceptable rate is 10-15% allowing for the benefits of the surgical procedure.

The statistics show that lives are not being saved by cesareans see CDC reference. And in 2005, the United States ranked 30th in infant mortality, falling below countries that don’t have as high a cesarean rate.

There is some discussion that because VBAC’s have decreased, that has pushed up the overall cesarean rate.  Some hospitals, physicians, and insurance companies have banned or do not allow women to have VBAC’s.  See this permissable VBAC listing of hospitals and this link about the banning of VBAC’s.

“Women have freedom of choice in America…

but are not free to choose VBAC.” D. Abe ©

The United States government has been concerned about this issue and as part of the 2010 Healthy People goals desired to lower the cesarean rate, but was not able to achieve their objectives, so they have reset the issue for 2020.

Consider the cesarean rate 40 years ago and perhaps the answer to lowering the rate and increasing maternal and infant health lies behind us.  What are the other choices?  If the pace of cesareans continue what will be the future of birth and maternal healthcare?

I cannot surmise why the state of birth today is acceptable.  So many rallies, fundraisers, and marches are held each year to change one disease or another, but for birth the answers to improvement are as old as time.

Perhaps we need to analyze, examine, investigate, scrutinize, evaluate, probe and explore the high and ever increasing cesarean rate further.

Then we should question, march, rally, rebel, revolt, uprise, riot, and simply not allow it to be certain, that women have such an excellent chance of having a cesarean birth.

Of course sometimes babies and mothers need cesareans, but 1 in 3? Also, to learn more about the risks see this link.

An epidural is a medication administered by an anesthesiologist that assists in relieving pain and discomfort during the labor process, however some medical side effects, and risks to mother and baby may occur.

A Doula is a woman that assists in relieving pain and discomfort through offering her constant presence, comfort techniques, and wisdom with excellent results for mother and baby.  Research shows that women who have Doulas during birth, experience less pain and have positive birth experiences.

Doulas usually cost less than epidurals with better birth outcomes, however stats show that 1 out of 10 women having an epidural will have a cesarean birth.

A Doula believes in a mother-to-be and offers her loving support and comfort during a challenging time.

If every birthing woman has access to an epidural and health insurance companies pay for the costs, why can’t every birthing woman have access to a Doula and have insurance companies or hospitals provide this service?

Comparing them studies show that Doulas cost less and are more effective.

There are a few hospitals and insurance companies that are beginning to provide and pay for Doula care.

Does your insurance and hospital liberally provide and cover Doula care or only epidurals?

If you have given birth before, where you asked, “Are you ready for your Doula now?”

Most babies are not born on the date given to the parents, and parents worry that something is wrong when they need not.  It is not possible for a baby to miss it’s Birthday.

When a baby has completed development in the uterus, it will begin to secrete a hormone that interacts with the mother and begins the birth process.  A number of other changes will begin to occur as part of the birth process.  The mother’s cervix will soften, or become ripe.  If you touch the tip of your nose you notice it is firm, that is an unripe cervix.  But, it you touch the middle of your lower lip, you feel it is soft, that is a ripe cervix.

Similar to telling if a piece of fruit is ripe or ready to pick or eat.  Most people do not wish to eat an unripe piece of fruit.  It’s too hard.  And an excellent farmer would never pick the crop before its time.

And there are many other ways to tell.  Such as the baby descending, and so forth.

The body gives proper signals each day:  when to eat, to drink, to sleep, to use the bathroom, if one is ill, etc.  Most people are aware of these signals and act without fail.  The body does not usually fail to make sure we get to the bathroom in time, nor do we miss many meals.

How can it be that our bodies signals do not work properly to let us know when our babies should be born?

The trust we have in our body to signal us to sleep, is the same trust we must have that our body will signal us when our baby is fully developed and ready to greet us.

Read an article about the risks of “Early Births” as a start. Research due dates. The facts might surprise you.  Do you know what Bishop’s score is?

Are you aware of the recent history of childbirth in your own family? One day my mother informed me that she had been born at home, in 1946. She said it so off handily.  Doctors made house calls back then, and it just so happened that he called when she was born.

I am not sure where my grandmother was born. “Note to self to investigate about grandma’s birth.”

It just may be that your mother, grandmother, and a good chance that your great grandmother were not not born in the way births occur today.

It is concerning how in only 60 years, the management of giving birth has changed, and not for the better. Let’s ponder it and discuss these changes and whom they are benefiting.

Please find a clip of the “Face of Birth” a documentary from Australia to be released in 2011. In this film you will find a lively discussion from women who desire to participate in birth and fight to ensure they can give birth however they choose.

Keep up with our blog to find out more.  This film has been added to those we are showing at the family learning center BABIES.  Look forward to seeing you soon and discussing this film.

I began teaching at my local hospital. After having my first daughter, I decided to teach classes in my home, and still at the hospital.  Really I love teaching out of my home, except the cleaning and preparation part.  It would be so nice if I could have a dedicated teaching space, that was a dream within my heart, but I had not taken the time to plan it out.

My living room

Then suddenly this past summer through a chain of events I was able to open BABIES, not just for teaching my own classes, but as a place where other birth educators can also teach and grow in their professions.

BABIES classroom one

BABIES classroom two

BABIES began unintentionally, but is intentionally becoming a gathering place for the birth community of Sacramento.  As a mother-to-be seeking to be ready and fully informed for the birth of my own children, I found it frustrating that outside of my local hospital at the time, there was really no place in Sacramento that I could discuss my hopes for birth.

BABIES is what I have hoped for as an educator and as a mother.

A place in the community to teach birth honestly and holistically.  What I was searching for I have been blessed to create, a place where a birth educator can thrive and grow her business, making an incredible living.

A place where a mother and father are given all they need and more to give birth informed, prepared, and confident.