Birthing a baby

[Goddess_girl]

I was just reading JinjeeÂ’s birthing journal (good read).
She has 2 paragraphs called “The Myth of "Pushing"“
I understand that the body automatically knows what to do and there is No need to “PUSH, PUSH,PUSH”.

Do you feel our primal instincts have been pushed aside by the medical field.
Has anyone had a “natural” child birth? If so can you share?

Is "back to basic's" a good move for women in childbirth?

[Punky]

I was just reading JinjeeÂ’s birthing journal (good read).
She has 2 paragraphs called “The Myth of "Pushing"“
I understand that the body automatically knows what to do and there is No need to “PUSH, PUSH,PUSH”.

Do you feel our primal instincts have been pushed aside by the medical field.
Has anyone had a “natural” child birth? If so can you share?

Is "back to basic's" a good move for women in childbirth?

I haven't read Jinjee's birthing journal -but will now after you mentioned it.
I have had 2 vaginal births with my sons:
1st one- typical epidural birth; complications from the Pitocin given
to me to hurry it up because the doctor on call was wanting to go home.
I was very ignorant about birthing then. an awful experience.

2nd birth, was an all natural waterbirth at a birthcenter. Beautiful experience; not easy though--the labor and all.
Your body will automatically start pushing after it finishes dilating...
it was the weirdest thing..i was laboring over a toilet for a while
(it's a good labor position); i went from a 6-10 '' dilating in about 20 min.
My legs automatically started making these movements without me
doing it....kinda hard to describe...they just took over...my midwife rushed me to the tub because I wanted a waterbirth. Now at that point I did have to conscously push as well. I was in a squating position...when the baby starts to crown, etc.. I had to push....now my babies both have kinda gotten stuck..my hubby thinks I have some kind of lip or something on my cervix or somewhere and they get kinda stuck coming out...so I was pushing with all my might.
I'm not sure if that's answering your questions or not; so Yes the body knows
what it is doing and it is instinctual but there is pushing involved.
I will go read Jinjee's journal if it is free axcess and see what she is referring to...
So to sum it up, I am really into natural births and if I have another will go that route. Birthing on one's back is very un-natural. No one I know (very rare anyways) chooses to birth on there back laying down thru a natural birth..
I instinctively went into a squatting position without any guidance from anyone. My friend I met at the birth center birthed her baby standing up/squatting holding onto the poster bed pole. Medical docs like you on your back in hospitals to make it easier for them....
sorry for rambling...
i'll stop now.....

but I would be curious to see how different my labor is eating a raw vegan
diet thru pregnancy compared to my last labor...
I have a difficult time with labor pain...not a happy camper!

[VeggieGirl]

I am one of nine kids, and the only one that was born at home. My 4 older sisters got to witness my birth (they were 10, 8, 6, and 2 at the time) and it was a transformational, life-altering experience for all of them - hence they have all given birth either at home or at a birthing center (except those who actually had medical issues requiring intervention, such as Fetal Surgery for the Repair of Spina Bifida!!).

Not being able to speak from my own experience YET, I will say that my sisters and mom have taught me that birth is a natural experience that women have been doing for THOUSANDS of years without any medical intervention. Squat in the field, give birth, wrap up your baby and put it on your back and keep on workin'... you know?? ;)

So under the best/most informed circumstances, birthing on one's back is the worst position ever and I have heard that the lithotomy position (on your back with feet in stirrups) came from a French king who wanted to see his son being born. Men were banned from births back then and he arranged to have his wife in this position so he could see the birth from a hiding place in the balcony. Now whether that's true or not I don't know... but anyway...

My sisters have labored on those big yoga balls (giant bouncy balls), squatting on a kidney-shaped stool, in a birthing tub, and also lying on your side with someone holding/supporting your top leg. Almost always it's squatting, which makes a whole lot of sense to me. Your body knows instinctively when to push. Your body knows instinctively just about everything!!

VeggieGirl

[Autumn]

I have read an enormous amount of literature on natural child birth, water birth, unassisted birth, home birth, etc. I have also read Jinjee's birthing journal and thought it was wonderful.

I was then and am still now convinced that every procedure in a hospital setting birth is for the convenience of the doctor and nurses ONLY. It is not necessarily for your best interest, the health of you or your baby, you or your baby's comfort, peace of mind, etc.

I have not had a natural birth, but I planned for a water birth. At the end it didn't happen. My husband and I were hit by a drunk driver at 6:00 a.m. while we were on our way to work. I was 32 weeks pregnant and went into labor and the "experts" took over. I have no idea if taking things naturally would have change the outcome, but as it happened, my daughter died. I have had several miscarriages before and after that pregnancy and each time planned for a natural childbirth (changing my mind back and forth between a home birth and the water birth). Because I am considered high risk, none of the doctors I was seeing at the time supported my decision. But I was adamant that if I ever got another chance to give birth, it would definitely be a natural birth.

So to answer your question, "Is "back to basic's" a good move for women in childbirth?"

Absolutely. Definitely. What totally AMAZES me is how far we've gotten away from all that is natural!

[Goddess_girl]

Autumn,
I am so sorry that has happened.
I am trying for a baby, but need to lose some weight to balance my hormones.
I am sure we will ~both~ have a chance to experience child birth!
;)

[Naturallynice]

I had two natural births. My first one was at hospital with no medical intervention just a bit of gas and air for pain relief. I was slim and very fit at that time, and vegetarian. My body didn't take over. I felt like pushing for a while then it stopped and I had to push when my midwife said so. (By the way, births in england are attended only by midwives, the doctor comes only if there is a complication).

For my second birth I wanted a homebirth but because the baby was breech (coming with the bottom first instead of head first), we went to the hospital. I had a marvelous "radical" midwife, had no pain relief whatsoever and gave birth to a baby boy on my side with the midwife supporting my leg. My body just took over and I was pushing and grunting and couldn't stop it or control it at all. It was almost an out of body experience, it was just my body, not me there. My two children were 14 and a half months apart.

I am 30 weeks pregnant now, high raw but not 100%. I have planned a homebirth. I wil tell you how it will go.

I have a good friend who had her children approximately the same time with me. Her first, she had to push when told. The second, the body took over. The third, 3 months ago, was a hard one and she had to do what the midwife was telling her. They say the second baby is easier than the first, but the third birth can be complicated.

They also say that if not much time elapses between the births (how much is much?) the body remembers what to do.

I don't know. Each birth is different, each baby is different and each woman is different. I would be hesitant to put it down to good diet alone.

My two pennies worth

Esther

[lane]

I wanted to give birth to my daughter last year at home. My husband was really uneasy with this, so we compromised by having a natural birth at the hospital. Luckily, I was working with a doctor who understood my views regarding allopathic medicine, etc.. and backed me up when the nurses insisted on certain monitoring procedures- and suggested certain medications. Labor was 6 hours- no anesthetics of any kind- and although I (honestly) reconsidered that decision at several points throughout the labor- I resisted- and, of course, it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life! My body knew exactly what to do and when....every other animal on this Earth births alone, and although the support is appreciated when your going through it, I think we would do just fine flying solo as well.
-lane

[greeninlosangeles]

I Had a natural birth at the hospital with midwife and doula. Yep, your body knows the best, you can not not to push if you need to, believe me! I told my husband in advance, that if he will tell me to push, I will kick him out of the room. Not just pushing - don't waste your money and time for breathing classes - you will know the best way to breathe. That is, if your birth is natural, if nobody tells you to what position to be in, if you can drink(I drank probably a gallon of water during pushing stage of 2.5 hours).
The birth was great, but I hated hospital stay, because the whole day they would not let me sleep through all the tests(I birthed at night), so next time, if I birth in thre hospital, I am going home right away.
My dream though is to have unassisted home or even outside birth. But will see - we did not decide yet to have a second baby.

[Ariella]

we have had 2 babies at home. the first one with a midwife, the 2nd one was supposed to be with a midwife but baby came so fast she didn't get there in time so it was unassisted. the first time I was really nervous about the whole thing so I didn't listen to my body as much as I did the 2nd time. The 2nd time, I was able to really listen to what my body wanted and what was going to birth teh baby the best. She ended up being birthed over the toilet, but she pushed herself out! It was really amazing. She just came out. There was definitely no pushing on my part. Also I was amazed at how intuitively I seemed to know which positions I wanted to be in this last time. It was truly an awesome experience. I do think your body can do it, but I think you have to be willing/able to listen though too.

Both labors were relative short though. First one 6 hours with a couple hours of hard pushing. Had i not been on my back maybe this would have gone quicker? who knows. but my baby was so big 9 pounds 4 oz. that he would have ripped me a lot had he not come slowly like he did. My 2nd baby - there was also like 5 hours of labor but it was so light, only like under 5 minutes of active labor. really it was amazing.

Ariella

JUICE PLUS+
www.juiceplus.com/+dj73561

[RawTruth]

I gave birth to my son at home 19 yrs. ago using the Bradley method (which uses how animals birth as a model for us -- none of that huffing and puffing, in fact it's very internal and, from the outside during much of it, just looks like quiet meditating). It was a long birth, and I did have a doctor there (for insurance purposes) but he spent most of the night sleeping on the couch while my coach and I handled the labor. When the dr. did get involved, he wrecked havoc -- he preferred me on my back and slipped in an episiotomy against my adamantly-expressed wishes despite perineal massaging having worked wonders. Aaackk!! If I had it to do over again, there'd be no doctor.

I definitely advocate home births -- the medical establishment continues to view pregnancy and childbirth as an illness to be managed. And they manage it for their convenience -- despite tons of studies that show fetal monitoring slows labor, oftentimes leading to inducing using pitocin which then causes unnatural harsh and unmanageable contractions which lead to giving drugs and even cesearians (sp). It's totally insane.

Good luck and best wishes in taking control of your own body and your own experience. Be prepared and strong to handle the winds of dissent and horror that many people will blow at you when they hear of you doing such a "radical" thing!!!

By the way, natural and homebirthed babies are visibly so different -- calm yet alert.

[Jamie]

HI,
Definitely your body know what to do. I have had 6 children and 7 is due in Sept. I have had 2 homebirths and the last was my first water birth. It was AMAZING!! I would be scared if I could not have that tub again. I have never had any drugs during labor/delivery, but I"m sure being in water is much like having something. It took so much of the pain away and really helped me relax. I HIGHLY recommend it!!
Now, I have not been raw with any of my pregnancies but am trying hard now to stay at least 90% raw to stay healthy.

Best of luck to you!!
Jamie :)

[Punky]

I gave birth to my son at home 19 yrs. ago using the Bradley method (which uses how animals birth as a model for us -- none of that huffing and puffing, in fact it's very internal and, from the outside during much of it, just looks like quiet meditating). It was a long birth, and I did have a doctor there (for insurance purposes) but he spent most of the night sleeping on the couch while my coach and I handled the labor. When the dr. did get involved, he wrecked havoc -- he preferred me on my back and slipped in an episiotomy against my adamantly-expressed wishes despite perineal massaging having worked wonders. Aaackk!! If I had it to do over again, there'd be no doctor.

I definitely advocate home births -- the medical establishment continues to view pregnancy and childbirth as an illness to be managed. And they manage it for their convenience -- despite tons of studies that show fetal monitoring slows labor, oftentimes leading to inducing using pitocin which then causes unnatural harsh and unmanageable contractions which lead to giving drugs and even cesearians (sp). It's totally insane.

Good luck and best wishes in taking control of your own body and your own experience. Be prepared and strong to handle the winds of dissent and horror that many people will blow at you when they hear of you doing such a "radical" thing!!!

By the way, natural and homebirthed babies are visibly so different -- calm yet alert.


Hey Rawtruth ,
we used the Bradley Method for our second child too;
except I do not know how "calm" I was...my midwife kept on saying
that I was NOT accepting the pain! My husband was my crutch.
She made him walk me till I broke and finally accepted the pain....
not sure if I ever did...just too worn out to vocalize it, hee hee, so for a while
there it was meditative...
Turns out, I go thru active labor (both babies) with little
progression on the cervix...somehow my babies heads do not put
enough pressure on my cervix. Finally after many hours of labor
(10+--2nd baby) my midwife was like, what's up with you? 2nd babies
are suppose to come quicker...she had to readjust my cervix so the babies head put more pressure on it, than
low and behold I went from a 6 to a 10 in 20 min.
But yes, all in all loved the Bradley Method, and my hubby employed
a lot from it to help me thru labor. We highly recommend it.

Sorry to hear about the episiotomy; had that with my 1st hospital birth,
but not even a tear with my 2nd. It made a difference with my recovering quicker. And the pitocen they gave me with my 1st birth, put my son
under stress and almost had a c-section. Never again; live and learn.

Love the birth stories everyone; keep them coming!

[yamsy]

You've probably seen these two websites -

http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/uc/catch.html

http://www.birthjunkie.com/uc_stories.html

I'm past birthing but reading these stories really made me wish I wasn't!

[Sheryl]

Thanks for the links - what great stories. I liked the one best Banana Bread Baby of the baby being born while making banana bread! Too funny!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Lauradee]

i think
the woman should do what's best for her.



take care :)

laura

[Goddess_girl]

You've probably seen these two websites -

http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/uc/catch.html

http://www.birthjunkie.com/uc_stories.html

I'm past birthing but reading these stories really made me wish I wasn't!

WONDERFUL SITES

THANKS

[lavendarJ]

Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful and inspiring stories..they give me hope for my heart's desires

[choleblack]

My only child was a planned unassisted birth.

I can say from experience that without someone there *telling* me to do something I was able to follow my body 100% in every aspect, including being able to birth on my hand & knees, not being told to "push" & nursing DD before the placenta was birthed. I feel blessed to have had such a perfect birth. I actually fear that another birth couldn't be as good as my DD's was.

In specific regards to "pushing" I don't think I physically could have pushed. It was more like a turning inside out sensation than pushing. I will always describe the feeling of birth as being like eating really really bad chineese food. Not painful, more like everything inside you wants out. Which if you think about it, something inside *does* want out, LOL.

Chole

[Punky]

I will always describe the feeling of birth as being like eating really really bad chineese food. Not painful, more like everything inside you wants out. Which if you think about it, something inside *does* want out, LOL.

Chole

Your one of the lucky ones were labor isn't as much painful,
I've met others like you, LOL...
...me...
well I definately would describe birth as PAINFUL, but also joyful & empowering...
don't regret a thing and am glad I went natural....

[choleblack]

Punky, I've always attributed DD's "pain free" brith to 2 things.

1. birthing when where, why & with whom I wanted. Unassisted was really the only way for me to go. I was fortunate enough to meet with a home birth Dr. 6 weeks into my pregnancy for an "interview". During this interview (mind you no test were run etc, just talking in the office) I had a severe panic attack. I've never been a Dr. kind of person, they are for, as my SO says, death & gun shot wounds. After about 5 minutes and only a few questions the Dr. says to my SO & I, "you know you can go home & do this yourselves". We walked out of there and 36 weeks later I had my wonderful birth. I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I had not given birth unassisted I would have had the same panic attack & birth would have been near impossible.

2. prepairing myself mentally that it wouldn't be painful. I instituted a rule for my life, never tell a pregnant woman anything bad about birth. I couldn't believe how many people hear someone is expecting & instantly start with the horror stories, week long labor, emergency c-sections, you name it. I had to focus very hard while pregnant not to hear those negitive things. I really believe that what we think we become. So if we're expecting something to be painful, even if it isn't, it will be beacuse our brains are expecting it. I'm trying to apply that same focus to my raw lifestyle too. Think positive, be positive.

all this thinking about birth is making me need to hug my kid...

Chole

[Boysenberry]

Jamie,

I have 6 and am expecting my 7th around mid October. I would love some support being raw during the process...

As for pushing... My first baby was a c-section and the rest have been natural. Pushing happens. Your body knows when. I found I wanted to start gently pushing before I was fully dialated. It helped relieve the pain and helped that last little bit to open up. The docs generally don't want you to do that because they say you can make your cervix swell up by pushing too soon. when I had the urge, I pushed, gently, but I did, it just felt better.

Sami

[Bretta]

.
But yes, all in all loved the Bradley Method, and my hubby employed
a lot from it to help me thru labor. We highly recommend it.



Oh, yeah, love the Bradley Method! Had my first two babies in Australia, typical hospital births, drugs and all (19 & 16 years ago). Had my third one here (11 years ago) in the U.S. at home with my doctor and her nurse attending, all-natural and using the Bradley method. All my labors were long (20+ hours), and so was the last one but it was also incredible. It was so peaceful and stress-free, really, with all the attention on the internal and how natural what was happening in my body was. Like RawTruth says, you would hardly know what was going on by looking at a peaceful mommy. The remarkable thing was that this son weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds 4 oz. His head was perfectly round and my doc looked at me and said, "wow, I wonder how big a baby you COULD have..." LOL! I did have some complications after because he was so big, but the labor was amazing and yes, gravity is a fantastic assistant to birth...a birthing stool made a huge difference when #1 baby was born. Your body does naturally know what it wants to do! Loving these stories too.

Bretta

[Jamie]

Sami,
I sent you a PM. So nice to meet you on here! How great that we are both expecting #7 at the same time!!

I look forward to hearing from you and sharing our pregnancies together!

Jamie :)

[RawFoodieMom]

HI,
Definitely your body know what to do. I have had 6 children and 7 is due in Sept. I have had 2 homebirths and the last was my first water birth. It was AMAZING!! I would be scared if I could not have that tub again. I have never had any drugs during labor/delivery, but I"m sure being in water is much like having something. It took so much of the pain away and really helped me relax. I HIGHLY recommend it!!
Now, I have not been raw with any of my pregnancies but am trying hard now to stay at least 90% raw to stay healthy.

Best of luck to you!!
Jamie :)

Jamie, I'm due in September too!! :D With baby #2. :) My daughter is now 4 years old.

DD's birth left me with wanting to totally research how it can better this time! I was 2 weeks overdue. They induced me. I was in labour for a day. Had the epidural. Couldn't even feel when the contractions were starting and I was supposed to push. Of course I was on my back. I knew nothing and thought the Doctors and nurses knew best. :rolleyes: I pushed for 4 hours, which is what they will let you push for before they say something needs to be done. I have wondered to this day if I was pushing right. She wouldn't come out. :( They tried the vacuum twice, she still wouldn't come out. The Doctor didn't want to use forceps (thank goodness!) so they sent me for a Caesarean. :( Luckily everything went okay and I healed well and DD is wonderful.

But I SOOOOOO don't want to do that scenario over again. I want to have a natural birth. Maybe I'll have a midwife this time (covered by OHIP in Canada I think) and a doula if I can afford one. I want to experience a natural birth, with me pushing that baby out! :)

Debra

[newyearspromise]

Mine was supposedly "natural" because I delivered vaginally. But I was on heavy drugs because of blood pressure being through the roof.

The thing is, I was so drugged that I thought I was dreaming that I needed to push. I kept having "dreams" that the baby's head was there and I was trying to hold her in. Then finally I just couldn't hold her in anymore and I let it go.

Then I felt something slimy touching my leg.

No one was in the room with me. I pulled the blanket back and my daughter was lying there on the bed between my legs, fully born, looking at me.

This is true, and no, this is not some "Happened in the 1950's story". This happened to me 9 months ago in a totally modern hospital in TX.

After the shock of having my baby without doctors and nurses and while I thought I was sleeping (I now don't think I was sleeping--I think my "dreams" were what was really happening, but I was drugged and a little groggy and confused and couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams), I actually was really glad I had her without the whole pushing drama.

I did not push--in fact, I was trying to hold her in, but the contractions had been too strong and she came out anyway. After her birth, they checked me and I had no tearing and very little swelling. I got up a couple of hours after the birth and took a shower. I was walking the halls later that evening. When I was discharged a couple of days later, the nurse commented that she had never seen a woman who had given birth vaginally with so little swelling. I was even able to go #2 just a few hours after the birth with relatively no pain (and the meds had worn off by that point, so I just was not in pain....).

I was and still am convinced that the absense of pushing was the key factor here.

[Punky]

Jamie, I'm due in September too!! :D With baby #2. :) My daughter is now 4 years old.

DD's birth left me with wanting to totally research how it can better this time! I was 2 weeks overdue. They induced me. I was in labour for a day. Had the epidural. Couldn't even feel when the contractions were starting and I was supposed to push. Of course I was on my back. I knew nothing and thought the Doctors and nurses knew best. :rolleyes: I pushed for 4 hours, which is what they will let you push for before they say something needs to be done. I have wondered to this day if I was pushing right. She wouldn't come out. :( They tried the vacuum twice, she still wouldn't come out. The Doctor didn't want to use forceps (thank goodness!) so they sent me for a Caesarean. :( Luckily everything went okay and I healed well and DD is wonderful.

But I SOOOOOO don't want to do that scenario over again. I want to have a natural birth. Maybe I'll have a midwife this time (covered by OHIP in Canada I think) and a doula if I can afford one. I want to experience a natural birth, with me pushing that baby out! :)

Debra

Debra,
Your 1st birth has many similarities as mine did. Except I didn't even get to push hardly at all. I had an Epidural...than around midnight the doctor on call recommended pitocen to hurry me along so he could go home; I really didn't know much and trusted the doctors advice. So shortly after the pitocen
Logan-baby was going into stress. They put me on oxygen to see if it would help.
Than the doctor came in and told me to push twice while he pulled the baby
out with a vacuum because he was understress and if he couldn't come out
right away they were going to do a C-section. They even had called in an emergancy team and everything. The nurse that was attending even
muttered that was all unnecessary after he had left. I should have never
had the pitocen. After all that the doctor just left with no comments or anything to us (very cold); my husband actually chased him down
in the hallways to ask if the baby was ok...his head was mishapen from
the vacuum and with all the emergancy people in the room he didn't know
what was going on. The doctor acted very cold and just said the baby
was fine, like my husband was an idiot or something.
After all that I researched natural births and
everything I could get my hands on about birthing.
If you can afford a doula I highly recommend them.
With my natural birth I couldn't afford one and I wish I could have.
Best wishes on you preganancy and birth.

[newyearspromise]

Oh, I want to add--If we have another one, DH and I want to do it at home in the bathtub. The hospital is only a few minutes away, so if something goes wrong, we'll call an ambulance. But I want to try natural and at home. Those drugs were awful.

[newyearspromise]

Punky-

That doctor is awful! Was that your OB that you had the whole 9 months??

My OB felt horrible...I think the nurses thought we were going to sue or something...

But she was fine, so I just took it for what it was worth and pocketed the wisdom...

NO DRUGS NEXT TIME

NO PUSHING NEXT TIME

[RawFoodieMom]

Punky, thank you for the best wishes.

Unfortunately I had a miscarriage on Monday. I'm very weak and emotional right now, but I'm popping in every once in a while to try and keep my raw journey at the top of my mind. It's hard. I don't think I was well into my journey enough to sustain the lifestyle at a hard time like this and I have fallen to some cooked comfort foods.

But I'm taking it easy right now to try and get some strength back and am taking time to actually READ Alissa's book. So I feel good about that. But I'm sad...

Debra

[JMD]

DEBRA

I am so sorry for your pain..and loss,.my heart and hands are sending you warm hugs...hang in there and lean on the support of others to carry you through...

Fondly,
JMD

[Punky]

Punky, thank you for the best wishes.

Unfortunately I had a miscarriage on Monday. I'm very weak and emotional right now, but I'm popping in every once in a while to try and keep my raw journey at the top of my mind. It's hard. I don't think I was well into my journey enough to sustain the lifestyle at a hard time like this and I have fallen to some cooked comfort foods.

But I'm taking it easy right now to try and get some strength back and am taking time to actually READ Alissa's book. So I feel good about that. But I'm sad...

Debra

Debra, my heart goes out to you; I'm so sorry that you are going thru
this painful time. Take the time to rest and heal and do not beat yourself
up about the cooked food comforts. Yes, reading Alissa's book is inspiring!
We are here to support you back on raw when you are ready.
(((cyber hugs)))

[Punky]

[QUOTE=newyearspromise]Punky-That doctor is awful! Was that your OB that you had the whole 9 months??
/QUOTE]

The doctor on call was part of the OB practice, but not my main
OB. The practice is of 5 doctors, and you have a main OB but rotate and
meet all the OB's becuase you have who ever is on call when your in labor.
Live and learn. Never will do a big practice like that again.
Of course we got the doctor we liked the least too.

[Boysenberry]

Punky,

What part of Texas are you in? I do not want to end up with the same doc! ;) I am still looking for one. I am about eight weeks in and considering delivering at home. My first baby was c-section and all of the others (5 others) have had some sort of complication... so I am nervous about trying it.

[Punky]

I'm in the Dallas Metro-north suburbs
where are you?

[cpinokc]

Here's a great link on homebirthing: ~Kelley's birth stories~ (http://www.entergently.homestead.com/) She is a friend of mine in Virginia. Be sure to read all of them. Each one gets better until finally the 3rd was *perfect*! :) This page has the link to all 3 birth stories.

Kelley also makes the ~Kozy Carrier~ (http://www.kozycarrier.homestead.com/) for those of you who have heard of them. (It's a mei tai carrier, in case you haven't heard of them ;) .)

[theresaann]

I had both my kids at home with a midwife and I can tell you the body totally knows what to do. Later on, I took hypnotherapy training and one of the methods I learned was for "pain-free childbirth" which was about learning to COMPLETELY relax in the labor process and when we do so, we basically stop resisting the process, and the body handles everything. The more we RELAX in labor, the faster, easier, less painful it is. Believe it or not, the pain comes from RESISTING the process (of course being too acidic plays a big part). It does NOT have to be the way we have been taught, not at ALL. BTW-the hospital was the exact LAST place I would've wanted to be. I'd rather be in a taxi-no kidding. I have a medical degree and worked in hospitals for 7 years before kids-I knew what went on BEHIND the scenes, and when people would ask me "arent' you scared to have a homebirth?" I'd say, "are you kidding? I'm WAY more scared to have a hospital birth" because I WORKED there.

I encourage EVERY family to consider natural home birthing and try the hypnotherapy for pain-free childbirth. I wish I'd had it when my kids were born-it's very amazing.