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.
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Homeopathy and Pregnancy

Homeopathy is an option that most women don’t know is available to help them cope with some various complaints of pregnancy. It’s an art all it’s own, and I have had good luck with using it on myself for some basic pregnancy complaints- headaches, nausea and even colds. Learning how to use homeopathy so that it works for you can be challenging, but even the most basic level of understanding (plus being of an experimental nature) makes it worth it since it is one of the safest ways to “treat” pregnancy challenges.
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The Truth About Birth in the U.S.

Do you know the truth about birth in this country?

If you were asked where the US ranks in terms of infant mortality, what would your guess be?

I have a feeling most people would assume that with our doctors and our technology that our babies have the best chance of survival in the first month. Don’t you just assume that the US would be one of the safest places to be born? Other countries, like Canada and Sweden don’t have nearly as many baby specialists or as easy access to neonatal units as we do. But still they outrank us!
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The Beauty of 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!

Maybe it’s the births I have had the privileged of attending, or my own impending third labor and birth. But there is very little about the whole process that I don’t see as beautiful now. It’s in the laboring woman the entire way through, even when she is at her “worst” because of the natural way she’ll choose to do everything, even talk or move.
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32 Weeks Pregnant

32 weeks pregnant. I’ve been this way before (twice before) and I am always amazed how nothing has been the same twice. Sure, my baby is growing and so am I. I now have days where I feel great, followed by a day where I just want to feel tolerable! But, due to something (I don’t know what, my midwifery studying? Or maybe just the wackiness of a third pregnancy?) I have learned so much this time about dealing with the aches and pains of the last few weeks.
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C-Section = 3 Times the Risk of Death

Here’s the question of the moment for me:

Why are pregnant woman choosing c-sections over vaginal birth?

I’m all about birth choices, really. I am admittedly a passionate supporter of homebirth, (whenever I read about the c-section rate I think, “Why doesn’t everyone want a homebirth? You can’t get a c-section at home”), but I am not that naïve and I actually support a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and her baby. But, there is a big “but” here. You owe it to yourself to do your own research on this issue, and don’t take anyone’s word for it!
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