Welcome to Indie Birth Natural Childbirth…
Welcome to the Indie Birth Natural Childbirth website. Inside, you’ll find a growing resource full of information about natural childbirth, homebirth, natural parenting and more.
Here are some quick links to get you started:
Natural Childbirth Movie: the birth movie
There is and always has been a divide between those who try to live powerfully in their own lives, accepting responsibility and making the best of the path life takes, and those that don’t. The subject of “birth” and natural childbirth is no exception; it is often a heated and personal debate no matter what the focus is. The birth movie was created to provide education and support so that women know they have a choice about their birth; and to provide them with enough of the above so that they too, can make an educated and informed choice about what is right for them. Please watch it and pass it around to everyone you know.
Natural Birth Stereotypes and the Hippie Midwife
In blog posts, videos and everyday conversation, I am often comparing the two seemingly opposite worlds of “medical/hospital birth” and “holistic/midwifery care/homebirth”. I have been focusing, as you may know, on the differences in actual healthcare between the two, as well as reasons to consider one or the other…
The Beauty of Natural Birth
I have to admit, I didn’t always think of birth as beautiful. There are no pictures or video clips that captured my first labor or my daughter entering this world. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. Not to mention all the information out there about what’s “ugly” about birth-you know, bodily fluids and looking at the placenta, oh dear…
10 Homebirth Facts No Ones Telling You
If you’re newly pregnant, chances are you have never heard the truth about why homebirth is a safer choice for low-risk pregnancies. And if you’re not newly pregnant, it is never to late to consider your options and give birth to your baby at home. “The first intervention in natural childbirth is the one that a healthy woman does herself when she walks out the front door of her own home in labour.”— Michael Rosenthal, OB/GYN
You Can Be Your Own Ovulation Calculator
With all the technological tools out there to help a woman get pregnant, it seems we have forgotten that our bodies have the necessary tools to be our own ovulation calculators! Learning about how the body works, and how exactly pregnancy can be achieved (besides the obvious:) takes some education and may not be as “quick” as using an ovulation predictor or calculator. But the rewards of understanding your cycle, and in particular, ovulation, can be very rewarding and help you become successful in getting pregnant…
Breastfeeding Tips
Nursing is the best way to feed your baby, and the benefits you will both get from this relationship are numerous! But if you think breastfeeding is a piece of cake, don’t be discouraged when it proves to be harder than it looks. Educate yourself ahead of time by reading books and talking to other nursing moms. Here are just a few pointers to get you started in the right direction…
Labor Pain: Do You Need It?
Pain in labor has a purpose. Really. There are so many ways to view labor pain, whether it is in actual physical/biological terms, or from a more psychological angle. Some see the pain as having a religious, or spiritual purpose. Some women see it as a cultural difference. In any case, it’s helpful to know on a biological, instinctive level why our body needs pain in labor. Thinking of the end result first really helps me appreciate how the body works. After a natural, non-interventive birth, mom and baby are able to bond and nurse and typically feel really good. If the goal is this kind of scenario, then it is interesting to see how pain actually helps get there…
Ways to Induce Labor Naturally
As a homebirth midwife in private practice, I am lucky enough to work with some of the healthiest pregnant women around! Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on if you are the pregnant woman in question or not!), healthy women carry their babes to term and often beyond; so, I am often faced with questions of how to induce labor…
