Posts Tagged ‘VBAC’
Cervical Exams are a Mile Marker, not an ETA
What the laboring mom wants to know is how much longer will it be until she is holding her baby in her arms; exams don’t give this information. Imagine driving on the highway and seeing a sign that tells you what town you have entered. Without knowing how quickly you’re driving, knowing where you are…
Read MoreMore “Never Punch a Hole in a Wall When You Can Go Out a Door”
There’s so much to say about how to increase your chances of having a vaginal birth that I’m blogging about again. Here’s my new post at babyMed. Oh and if you’re wondering about the title of this post, that’s a quote from a firefighter who took my childbirth class a few years back. He told…
Read MoreNever Punch a Hole in a Wall When You Can Go Out a Door
I’ll always remember a dad I had in childbirth class who was a firefighter. He told me he was in favor of vaginal birth whenever possible because “you never punch a hole in a wall when you can go out a door.” While I hope I say it a bit more eloquently in my blog…
Read MoreWorking with Women and Families Towards a Midwifery Model of Childbirth Education, by Julie Brill, CCCE, CLD
I started my formal education as a birth professional twenty-two years ago this month, when I began a yearlong study course with the Massachusetts Midwifery Alliance. It was a great foundation for what would develop into my career as a childbirth educator and mentor of other childbirth educators. Since then my work has attempted to…
Read MoreCut, Stapled, & Mended, By Roanna Rosewood, Reviewed by Julie Brill, CCCE, CLD
Yes, research and statistics are important, but sometimes as childbirth educators and doulas the best gift we have to offer a pregnant woman is a story. We crave the I-know-about-a-woman-similar-to-you-who-did-it stories. Cut, Stapled, & Mended: When One Woman Reclaimed Her Body and Gave Birth on Her Own Terms After Cesarean, by Roanna Rosewood, is such…
Read MoreEating in Labor FAQ, by Julie Brill, CCCE, CLD, CAPPA Faculty
Q. Should I eat in labor? A. In a word: yes! Labor is hard physical work, that’s why they call it labor. You and your baby will be better equipped to handle this work when you are well nourished and hydrated. Fasting in pregnancy is not advised, and that includes during the last hours when…
Read MoreCervical Exams: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, by Julie Brill, CCCE, CLD, CAPPA Faculty
“Is this something I have to do?” is a question about vaginal exams frequently asked by my childbirth students. The short answer is no. Especially in teaching hospitals, women are often examined frequently, without even knowing why. The most important question to ask when considering an exam, like any other test, is “What will we…
Read MoreWhy the Science of Birth Doesn’t Matter
I recently got to hear Joel Salatin speak. For those who don’t know, Joel is a farmer and an advocate of the right of American consumers to purchase raw dairy, meat, eggs, and vegetables from small, local farmers. He says that if our Founding Fathers could have imagined that this right would ever be taken…
Read More