So let’s talk about some of these complications, and why they happen. Not only are women being induced unnecessarily, and often too early, but normal labors that have begun on their own are being augmented (artificially sped up, often using the same methods used for inducing labor) constantly. And often for no reason other then—you guessed it—time. Here I will include some risks associated with these procedures, and why they happen:

Fetal Distress - The drugs (such as pitocin, cervidil, prepidil, cytotec) used to induce labor are powerful. They tend to make your contractions stronger, longer, and irregular. This can be extremely stressful on the baby, leading to abnormal fetal heart rate, cutting off oxygen supply for long periods of time to the baby (also called fetal asphyxia, which could result in long-term breathing problems later), and could keep the baby positioned unfavorably (which would also lead to a longer and more painful labor for the mother). Because the mother will most likely be in too much pain due to these drugs, she will often request medicine for pain (such as an epidural) which brings on another set of risks and possible interventions. The idea here is that one intervention has already led to another–the more interventions you are given, the more risks you are acquiring for yourself, and the baby. If the water is broken artificially (also call an amniotomy), the baby has no cushioning against these strong contractions, further leading to fetal distress. Early rupture of membranes can also lead to infection (read my article on amniotomy risks here).

Premature Baby/Breathing Problems/NICU Risks - This one is simple. Your baby hasn’t sent the signal to your body that he/she is ready to be born yet. Therefore, under most circumstances, your baby is just not ready to be born! They still aren’t finished developing in the womb, and aren’t ready for the world. The lungs are the last organ to be fully developed in a fetus. One of the last things the lungs will do is begin producing a surfactant that will give the baby the ability to breathe on its own outside of the womb. Studies have actually found evidence that this surfactant in the lungs of the fetus contains a protein that is released, and initiates a chemical event to trigger the start of labor. So it is quite possible that if you haven’t gone into labor past your due date (and contrary to popular belief, you are not considered overdue until after the 42 week mark), your baby’s lungs just may not be ready to function at their fullest yet (and this could be a long-term problem if induction occurs before this time).

A premature baby often has medical issues, mainly breathing problems. With a premature baby, your practitioner may have guessed your due date incorrectly (or just feels it is ok to induce before 40 weeks), only leading an even earlier birth. This is why due dates should not be set in stone—they are just estimates, “guess dates”. When your baby is premature, he/she will be spending time in the NICU, giving you less time to be with and hold your baby. This can interrupt bonding and breastfeeding.

C-Section - Remember, labor inductions don’t always work! The drugs may bring on the contractions, but that might be all that they do. Time may pass with no sign of the baby coming. At a certain point, they will not send you home from the hospital, and will want to get that baby out. And by now, there is only one way—a cesarean section. An infection through the performance of an amniotomy may also be the cause of the cesarean. Fetal distress and/or unfavorable positioning of the baby caused by the drugs used for induction are a huge reason for c-sections.

Uterine Rupture/Placental Abruption - Drugs to induce labor can cause hyperstimulation of the uterus, causing it to tear open and possibly expel the fetus, placenta, and blood into the mother’s abdomen. This can be life threatening to both mother and the baby. The placenta can also prematurely separate from the uterus before the baby is born due to this hyperstimulation of the uterus (called placental abruption).

ACOG (The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) has even recently revised their labor induction guidelines. The main reasons for labor inductions listed in their most current pamphlet include:
* Your pregnancy is postterm (more than 42 weeks)
* You have high blood pressure caused by your pregnancy
* You have health problems that could harm you or your baby
* You have an infection in the uterus
* You have placental abruption
* You have premature rupture of the membranes (your water has broken too early)

Unfortunately, induction methods are used beyond the above listed, even with all of the risks they carry. Often, a doctor will induce right at the due date, or only 7-10 days beyond–just “because”. Or they will perform social inductions based around their schedule, or the schedule set by the mother having the baby. Of course there are times when these methods are medically warranted, so it is a good thing that they exist. When the risk of the mother or baby is high enough in which one or both of them would be considered safer if the baby is born, then this is absolutely necessary. The problem is, our medical system is not using this as a last resort, or for medical emergencies only. They are using it on mothers who are having healthy pregnancies, healthy babies, and normal labors.

Take the time to really think about all of these risks if your doctor is pressuring you to set an induction date. It might be worth withstanding the last few weeks of your uncomfortable, but healthy, pregnancy. Consider the reasons your care provider is scheduling an induction—are they truly medical reasons, or does it just sound like a protocol/convenience issue? If you are really at odds with making a decision about an induction, you can use the Bishop’s Score to predict how likely you are to achieve a successful induction leading to a vaginal birth. The Bishop’s Score grades the patient based on five components of a vaginal examination:
* Cervical dilation
* Cervical effacement
* Cervical consistency
* Cervical position
* Fetal station

Remember, this is your baby, and your birth. You have the right to say when and who, yes or no.

The show went on to question whether or not a home birth is worth the risk when complications arise. They opened up with a couple who hired a midwife to attend their home birth. After four days of laboring, their daughter was finally born–without a heartbeat. The midwife rushed to perform CPR, and they called 911, but the doctors could not bring the baby back. Apparently the baby was strangled by its own umbilical cord. This was definitely a tragic incident, and I truly feel for that family. I don’t know the entire story, only what was presented on television, so it is hard to give a fair comment. But I am confused why after four days of laboring, no one saw a red flag. And I do know that a lot of babies are born safely with their cord around their necks (my son was). Again, I am unaware of the complete details of this particular birth. And this is only one story.

I am in no way attempting to downplay the story of that family at all. I just don’t like the idea of television using it as a scare tactic against home birthing. The truth is that babies die in the hospital everyday. In fact, the 2005 statistics show that out of every 1,000 births, more babies die in the hospital then they do at home. Not to mention the amazing statistics provided by Ina May Gaskin, world-renowned midwife, who has attended out of hospital births on her farm for over 25 years. Click here to read Ina May’s birth statistics

There has been a 27% rise in home births over the past decade. The women who are choosing home births are doing so based on intense research, facts, and medical statistics—not because it is “the trendy thing to do” as the Today Show put it. They went on to talk about some of the celebrities that have given birth at home (Cindy Crawford, Meryl Streep, and Demi Moore to name a few). The Amercian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) says that “childbirth decisions should not be dictated or influenced by what’s fashionable, trendy, or the latest cause celeb.” Another doctor was mentioned stating that he “thought home birth had become the equivalent of a spa treatment for women–that it was this sort of hedonistic concept of birthing.” I was appalled and offended at these comments. I personally gave birth to my son at home with a midwife in August of 2008, and had a spectacular experience. I didn’t do it to win a medal, or to make a fashion statement (and I certainly had no idea at the time that the celebrities mentioned above had done it as well). I did it because after doing an insane amount of research on birthing while I was pregnant, I felt it was the safest option for us. Birthing, while empowering, was very hard work—a far ticket from a spa treatment! I find these statments insane, especially in a culture where the c-section rate is 31%, and hospitals are often showcasing their birthing suites to appear as if it’s a room at a five star resort.

Home birth advocates believe that “hospitals often treat normal births like medical emergencies out of fear of malpractice lawsuits, and wind up performing unnecessary c-sections that have risen more then 50% in the past decade.” Marsden Wagner, former director, Women’s And Children’s Health, World Health Organization states, “If you go to the hospital to have a baby, many unnecessary things will be done to you to stimulate your labor, to hurry up the process. And there is a one in three chance that you will end up with a cesarean section.”  One of the reasons I chose a home birth is because I felt that there are warning signs for most emergencies, and that hospitals seemed to cause more emergencies in an otherwise healthy labor with all of their interventions.

At the end of the segment, they did show a clip about a couple that had a safe, successful home birth with a midwife. The mother gave birth to a 10 pound baby boy in April in her Brooklyn apartment and said, “It was always the way that I dreamed of it. You know, I was aware, baby was aware, and we were just finally meeting one another for the first time.”  Her husband comments, “I was really able to see the simple, miraculously amazing aspect of childbirth.”

Although ACOG says that “…the safest setting for labor, delivery…is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex”, a new study has recently been published showing that a planned home birth with a registered midwife is just as safe as a hospital birth. Click here for full article on “Planned Home Birth With Registered Midwife As Safe As Hospital Birth, Canadian Study Finds”.

Home births are set aside for low-risk pregnancies. But no matter what type of birth you choose, always question, do your research, put together a birth plan, and interview providers ahead of time (whether they are OB’s or midwives). You don’t always know what will come of your birth, but just because one home or hospital birth went bad, it doesn’t mean that this will be your story too.

You can watch the segment from the Today Show here

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A study was performed on 4,893 women in 2007 aiming to compare the length of a woman’s labor who received an amniotomy versus a woman who did not.  There was no statistically significant difference in length of time found in the first or second stage of labor whether you had your water broken artificially or not. (Click here to read about this study)

Yet, there is evidence that amniotomies can lead to fetal distress, fetal heart rate complications, umbilical cord compression (because the baby’s cushioning against contractions is gone), and umbilical cord prolapse—which would all ultimately require an emergency c-section.  These risks are intensified if an amniotomy is performed before the mother is in active labor, the baby is not engaged, and/or the mother is not at full-term.  An amniotomy may also increase the risk of infection in the mother (especially if she is receiving vaginal exams after the water is broken).  In a hospital setting, once your bag of water is open, they usually have a time limit (sometimes 12 to 24 hours) for you to deliver before they will want to perform a c-section (this is due to the previously mentioned worry of infection).  So once an amniotomy is performed, labor almost becomes a “race to the finish line”—meaning there is a lot of pressure put on the mother to have the baby much faster then the baby may actually be ready to come.  This can lead to further medical interventions.

So why are they so commonly performed?  The most common reason is because providers see it as a quick and simple procedure that they hope will speed labor without needing to use chemical methods.  The belief is that the prostoglandins in the amniotic fluid will bathe the cervix, making contractions stronger and closer together.  Yet, studies are showing that even if amniotomies do increase the speed of labor, it is only by an hour or two at most.  A number that doesn’t sound significant enough to give an indication for this intervention.  Some nurses may want to use internal electronic fetal monitoring for a more accurate heart rate reading (where scalp electrodes are placed on the baby’s head).  This can only be done if the water is broken.  Internal fetal monitoring poses its own risks of infection to the mother and baby, and should only be used if the benefits truly outweigh the risks.  In other more severe cases, they may want to get a sample of the baby’s blood, or get a sample of the amniotic fluid due to a concern of presence of meconium.  In cases like these, there were probably already early concerns of fetal well-being during pregnancy, and before labor began.

The bottom line is, an amniotomy shouldn’t be routinely performed in a healthy labor just to speed things.  It should be saved for cases of real medical concerns.  Consider alternative methods to speeding up labor such as getting into upright birthing positions, moving around in labor, and relaxation techniques (such as hydrotherapy).

Click here for full article on “Epidurals—Real Risks for Mother and Baby ”

Birth plans are probably most useful for hospital births.  But it is not a bad idea to put one together even if you are birthing at home (or in a freestanding birth center).  You want to make sure that everyone knows what kind of experience you are looking for.  Also, if you are planning a home birth, putting a birth plan together is a great idea in the rare possibility of needing to have an emergency hospital transport.

The top of your birth plan may list your name, the name of your doctor/midwife, the location you are birthing in, the baby’s name, and who will be present for the birth (spouse, partner, doula, etc).  You want to keep your written plan clear, concise, and organized.  Consider labeling each section with a topic such as “Labor”, “Pain Medication”, “Monitoring”, etc., and list all of your requests underneath each section.

Some things to consider for laboring: Do you want to wear your own clothes, or a hospital gown?  Do you wish to be able to move around freely during birth, and not required to stay in bed on your back with legs in stirrups?  Would you like to use natural forms of pain relief such as use of a birth ball, water, or jacuzzi tub?  Would you like the lights in the room to be dim?  Should you make staff aware if someone may be taking photos and/or video during and after the labor/birth?  Do you want an IV, or would you rather be allowed to stay hydrated through drinking water, and only be required to have an IV if you become dehydrated?  Do you wish to eat during labor if you are hungry? Do you want minimal vaginal exams to prevent infection, or would you rather get checked every hour or so to hear your progression?  During every vaginal exam, do you want to be told your dilation, effacement, and station of the baby?  If you are looking to have a natural birth, you might want to request to be put in the care of nurses who support this.  How do you feel about medical students, interns, or residents observing or delivering your baby?

Under “Monitoring”–Would you prefer intermittent fetal monitoring rather then continuous fetal monitoring (if there is a problem with the baby’s health, this might not be an option).  With continuous fetal monitoring, you are often tied to the bed, and may have a hard time moving into positions that may be most comfortable to labor in.

Now let’s think about what might happen if your labor isn’t progressing as quickly as the hospital staff would like to see (this doesn’t necessarily present a problem–babies often progress at their own speed, some are just faster then others).  What do you want to do if your care provider brings up augmenting the labor/inducing?  Are you ok with artificial/chemical methods of attempting this (such as cervidil, pitocin, amniotomy, cytotec), or would you prefer to let nature take its course and labor for as long as your baby needs?  You can request natural methods of augmentation first, such as changing positions and nipple stimulation.

If you are planning a natural birth, you might want to request that staff not offer you pain medications, and that you will ask for them if you feel a need for them.  Also, as a part of charting requirements, the nurses might ask you what level of pain you are experiencing throughout your labor (such as on a scale of 1-10).  Will this just annoy you, or is it no big deal and you are happy to answer?

When it comes time for pushing, do you wish to birth your baby in any position that is comfortable for you (hands and knees, squatting, or standing)?  How do you feel about forceps or vacuum extraction?  Would you prefer to push when you feel the urge rather then be coached on pushing because you are 10cm dilated (just because you are fully dilated doesn’t always mean it is time to push yet).  Do you want to push as you feel the need, or would you rather have the nurses count for you?  Would you rather tear naturally and use methods to avoid an episiotomy (warm compresses, perineal massage)?  Do you want a mirror available and the ability to touch the baby’s head as he/she is crowning?  Do you want the baby put on your chest immediately after the birth?

Immediately after your baby is born, do you prefer to birth your placenta when it is ready to separate on its own rather then having the doctor tug on the cord?  Do you want to wait until the cord has stopped pulsating before cutting it, or do you want to cut and clamp immediately?  Who is going to cut the cord?  Are you doing cord blood banking?  Would you like the baby to be evaluated in your presence?  Do you want to know your baby’s Apgar scores?  How do you feel about the doctor administering a Hepatitis B and Vitamin K shot to your newborn?  How about eye ointment/drops (erythromycin)?  If you do want the eye drops given, would you prefer that they are delayed until after the initial bonding?  Do you want to see your placenta?  Would you like to keep it, and take it home (possibly for encapsulating or burying)?  A lot of hospitals administer a routine shot of pitocin to the mother after the delivery.  Do you only want to receive this shot if medically necessary?  What about where your baby stays?  Do you want to make sure your baby rooms in with you at all times?

When it comes to breastfeeding, there are things to consider so that nothing gets in the way of initiating this relationship.  You would want to get that baby latched on as soon as he/she seems ready after the birth (the sooner the better, usually within the first hour of birth).  It would be important to write about bottles in your birth plan.  If you are wanting to exclusively breastfeed, and get that baby latched on properly, you may want to consider asking that none of the staff give the baby a bottle, unless truly medically necessary (this bottle may contain glucose water, plain water, or formula).  You can also request no pacifiers be given to your baby.  Do you want to meet with a lactation consultant to help with the breastfeeding process?  Perhaps you might consider asking if the hospital has an IBCLC on staff (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant).

If there is a real emergency that warrants a cesarean, you have options (but you can also mention in your birth plan that you would like to do anything possible to avoid a cesarean).  Who do you want in the operating room with you?  How do you feel about having your arms put in restraints during the procedure?  Do you still want to delay the umbilical cord cutting until it has stopped pulsating?  How do you feel about the erythromycin if it wasn’t a vaginal delivery?  Do you want to be given sedatives after the procedure (very often a common practice), or would you prefer to stay awake (especially to initiate breastfeeding/bonding)?  If the baby is healthy, is it possible to start nursing him/her on the operating table while they sew you up?  Or can they give the baby to your partner?  Also, if the baby is doing well post-surgery, and if there are enough neo-natal nurses on staff, you can request that they tend to him/her right there (instead of away in a nursery) so that there is no family separation during recovery.  If the baby needs to go to the nursery, do you want your partner to go with the baby?  Do you want someone to come take your partner’s place in the OR if this occurs (so you continue to have support)?  Do you want the IV required for surgery to be put in your arm vs. your hand (the IV will need to stay in for a day or two after surgery, and having it in the hand can make nursing difficult)?  What kind of incision do you want (such as bikini)?  What kind of repair do you want (double closure or single closure sewing up of the uterus)?

This article listed some of the most common options you will face in a hospital setting.  You don’t need to include every single one in your personal birth plan–choose what is most important to you (but it is more then ok if you feel the need to include all of it).  There is no room to go over all of the pros and cons of each procedure or request you may have in this article (they will be discussed in later articles).  The hope is that you will become aware of procedures and options after having read this, and research each one on your own before you make a decision.  It is important that you go over your wishes well in advance with your care provider, birth partner(s), and hospital staff so that you are confident everyone is going to support your requests.  If you are planning a hospital birth, schedule your hospital tour earlier then later so that you know if they support your plan (you want to have time to find a new hospital or provider in the even that they will not go along with your wishes).  Make sure that everyone has a copy of your birth plan ahead of time, and bring extra copies to the hospital when you are in labor to give to all of the nurses on staff.  The internet is a great resource for finding sample layouts of birth plans.  Good luck to you, and happy birthing!

Click here for full article on “Pit to Distress”

Several studies have shown very promising, positive outcomes from births when a doula was present. Women tend to report a greater satisfaction with their birthing experience, labors are generally shorter, the birth usually has fewer complications, pitocin is less likely to be used, the need for pain meds/epidurals is lowered, the incidence of c-sections are reduced, lower rates of post-partum depression are reported, and the mother is more likely to breastfeed.  With results like these, shouldn’t everyone hire a doula?

Many people don’t seem to know what a doula is.  This is sad because every pregnant/birthing woman deserves one!  Doulas are not the same thing as midwives.  While they are trained in childbirth education, basic breastfeeding technique, and can provide procedural information to their clients, they cannot perform any clinical tasks (such as fetal heart rate checks, vaginal exams, blood pressure, etc.).  Doulas mainly exist to provide you with the physical, emotional, and informational support needed throughout labor, and right after the birth.  Most doulas offer pre- and post-natal support as well.  No matter where or how you birth, a doula can help you achieve the best possible birthing experience.  The word doula actually comes from ancient greek, meaning, “female slave or servant.”  This makes sense, as women have been helping women birth since the beginning of time.  While they may not be considred a “slave” nowadays, they are certainly there to provide uninterrupted support to the birthing mother.

Birth doulas often spend a fair amount of time with their client before the “big day”.  These visits may include getting to know the mother on a personal level (and anyone else attending the birth), helping put together a birth plan, going over comfort measures that will help mom deal with pain in labor (water, candles, massage, aromatherapy, guided imagery, music, etc.), and educating the client on birth information (which can be as basic as “what to expect during each stage of labor”, or as detailed as going over all of the risks and benefits of interventions if the mother is planning a hospital birth).  Lots of doulas will attend a prenatal appointment to go over the details of the birth plan with the mother’s care provider (OB or midwife).  This helps to ensure that the mother has received informed consent, while also putting everyone in agreement of the mother’s birth wishes.  Some doulas can offer childbirth education, basic newborn care, and breastfeeding classes as well.  Doulas usually come equipped with a lending library of birth-related books and videos that they can loan to their clients.

The most imporant role the doula performs is the continuous labor support. She is with the birthing mother through every stage of the game, and generally for an hour or two after the birth (especially to assist in the baby’s first successful latch onto the breast).  When a woman births in a hospital environment, the doctor usually only comes when the mother is ready to push.  If the labor is long, there may be a shift change for the nurses on duty.  But, the doula will always be there.

People often ask–why a doula if their husband/partner is going to be present for the birth?  Doulas are not there to take over the coaching of dad.  Rather, they can enhance his role!  Sometimes husbands may run out of ideas, feel helpless, or become exhausted.  The doula can help build his confidence by demonstrating more comfort techniques he can provide to his wife/partner.  Even though he knows mom best, and is the most important person in the room to her, birthing is probably not his area of expertise.  The doula can be an extra massaging hand when dad’s hands get tired.  She can also run any errands, and provide drinks or snacks so that dad doesn’t have to leave mom’s side.  Many doulas will also take photographs, and possibly videos for the couple, so that dad can just concentrate on being their for his partner.  If the mother decides she wants to write her birth story, the doula can keep a written record of details during labor that the couple just isn’t thinking about in the moment.

Most birth doulas also serve their clients with some basic post-partum services.  This includes home and/or hospital visits after the birth to check in, work through any emotions from the birth, provide mom with further resources that she may need (such as new mom’s groups or lactation consultants), and possibly some light housekeeping.  If the mother feels that she needs more assitance (extra chores, cooking, etc.), she can usually pay her doula a little more, or hire a post-partum doula.

Doulas all come with different personalities, and different price tags.  Interview several, and find the one that is right for you.  Some doulas are trying to build a clientele, so come at a lower cost.  Either way, the birth of your baby shouldn’t be the biggest place to cut corners in your life.

Convinced yet?  To start searching for a doula in your area, visit www.dona.org.  We’ll also be starting a resource section on talkbirth.com that will provide you with recommended doulas in your area.

W

Active birth has been lost in our nation. Women are now taught to believe that their care providers “deliver” their babies for them, rather then the idea that they birth their own babies. The power of the process is being stolen from mothers. What is active birth, and why is it so important? Active birth is not a new idea–in fact, it has been used from the beginning of time. Active birth is just that—being active while in labor. Active birth involves trusting your instincts as you labor, it puts you in control of your birth and its environment. It means getting in positions that are most comfortable for you, and that are conducive to lowering the baby into the birth canal. It requires being in tune with your body and baby, movement, breathing, and trusting. Research has shown that the average woman has a low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancy, and that supporting, rather then intervening, the process leads to healthier and safer results. Birth is normal, birth is natural, birth is physiological. We have developed a mindset where a woman cannot give birth without high-tech equipment, medicine to speed the process, IV fluids to hydrate the mother, narcotics to relieve the pain, and equipment to pull the baby out of the birth canal manually. This is like saying women have lost the ability to birth over the years, and that they cannot go into labor on their own. What you may not know is that most of this “technology” can actually slow the labor process, lead to further complications, increase the risk of c-sections, and can harm your baby.

Why? There will be specifics in further articles on this website detailing each medical intervention, the pros and cons, and when it is best to use or not use them. But for now, simply put–most of these procedures require a mother to be passive, lying on her back in a bed, with little movement. Each intervention carries risks and side effects to the mother and the baby, and often leads to further interventions. For example, pitocin is used to induce labor, but the contractions become so erratic, strong, and painful from this medicine that the mother often requests an epidural. Epidurals can often slow down labor. This usually leads to a balancing act of constantly having to add more pitocin drip, then upping the epidural back and forth. Not to mention that epidurals have a side effect of lowering the mother’s blood pressure, therefore affecting the fetal heart rate, often leading to fetal distress. The fetal heart rate can also become problematic when the mother is stuck laboring on her back in bed, which is often mandatory once a mother receives an epidural. Plus, laboring on her back means the body is working against gravity, therefore slowing the process of the baby working its way down into the birth canal. The mother may not have the urge to push because she is being told to push before it is time (just because the cervix opens to 10cm doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to push yet), or the epidural has taken away this sensation. This often leads to obstetricians claiming the baby is “stuck”, requiring an episiotomy, and possibly forceps or vacuum extraction. To further speed the labor, the mother’s water is often broken manually (called an amniotomy). Now the only cushioning that the baby had against these overly-intense, abnormal contractions caused by the pitocin is gone, causing further fetal distress. This whole process often results in what the doctors like to call “failure to progress” in the mother in labor (when in reality, she probably would have progressed normally if the whole process was left alone, and the mother/baby were allowed to go into spontaneous labor on their own), often times resulting in an “emergency” c-section. If the baby isn’t ready to come yet, the induction will not work.

This is not to say that there is never a time and place for medical interventions. Things don’t always go as planned, emergencies do happen, and sometimes the life of the mother and/or baby are put at great risk. So it is an amazing thing to have modern technology! The problem is that our society sees it the other way around. We constantly intervene in the normal process with all of the technology rather then support the process, and intervene only when truly necessary.

Maybe you don’t mind, and you’re just more comfortable that way. It is still advisable that you do the research. Even if you are ok with this view of birth, and with putting this control into someone else’s hands, you’ll at the very least know what is being done! That is what informed consent is all about. The definition of informed consent reads, “Informed consent is a legal condition whereby a person can be said to have given consent based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and future consequences of an action”. Unfortunately, many health care providers don’t have time to explain all of the details of a procedure to their patient, leaving the mother to just trust that “doctor knows best”. Or they are told that a particular procedure is just “standard measure”, without giving you the power to make the decision on your own. The intent is not to say that you are a bad person if you choose to have an epidural, or a hospital birth vs. a home birth. The point is to get the power of choice back to birthing women.

This website is about explaining your choices of where and how you want to birth (and how to do your best to achieve it), why it is important to make these choices, explanations of tests and procedures (including their pros and cons) done pre-natally, in labor, and post-natally, and providing you with further resources of doulas, midwives, OB’s, and VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)-friendly doctors in your area (plus how to select the best care provider for your pregnancy). Hopefully in the future, this site will contain a section of positive birth stories told by mothers who want to help undue the “birth is scary” myth going on in our culture. Most importantly, this website is about the truth.

Active birth is just as important to a birthing woman as it is to the baby. The transition from womb to world can be a traumatic one. How peacefully we can make this happen for our little ones can help to foster a closer relationship with them, and get them off to the best start in life.