Archive for the ‘Birth’ Category
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What is a Lotus Birth?
Most babies will have their umbilical cord severed immediately after birth. Delayed cord clamping, where the cord is left attached for several minutes after birth, or until the cord stops pulsating, is a practice that is gaining popularity – it allows the blood that was left in the placenta when the baby was born to reach the baby, and also means the placenta will continue to provide oxygen to the baby for a while after birth. A small group of people, mostly unassisted birth families as far as I can tell, chooses to take delayed cord clamping one step further. These people choose a Lotus Birth, and never cut the cord at all.
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Misogyny and male OBs
“You’d be surprised how many women want to have a homebirth. Then they whine when we explain to them that it is not good. They just won’t understand. And the most absurd thing is, then when they give birth in our hospital, they don’t want to leave when the time comes to go home.”
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Pregnancy and birth checklist of fear
Issa at Love Live Grow, recently published a thought provoking post about fear. Specifically, she made a whole list of the “obligatory” things that people do to help them keep safe. Many of the points on her checklist of fear consist of “common wisdom” that circulates around society, and that is supposed to keep danger at bay. They range from “when walking in the street, be aware of whether anyone is behind you” to more obscure things like “beware of Halloween candy, it may contain hidden razors”. Issa’s point is that these things, when taken together, do not keep us safe but prevent us from living our lives instead. This is the pregnancy and birth edition of the checklist of fear.
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Lies my OB told me
No, not mine. This is a list of arguments commonly used by medical birth advocates. Why do medical birth advocates propagate against natural childbirth, against what they see as a backward and flawed ideology, and the need of women to place their own needs above those of their baby? Those are questions we can ask, but it is not possible to make conclusions, because the motivations wildly vary. Advocates of medical birth often care about women and babies, and want the best possible outcomes, but in the process they ignore the very real needs that many of us have. They often feel compelled to invent their own reasons about why women make the choices they do, and why they are wrong. What are they?
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Does the “birth experience” matter?
People who are committed to having a “natural”, or medically unhindered birth often prepare for this in great detail in the months leading up to their baby’s arrival into the world. Steps that are likely to make what is commonly referred to as the “birth experience” more pleasant as well as safe are undertaken by many. Birth is certainly an experience, but I am not sure I like this term much, unless the experience is specifically being discussed, as opposed to the physiological process of birth. Why? Medicalized birth advocates frequently claim that for mothers opting to give birth at home, or without certain routine medical interventions – simply put, women who want a “natural birth”, whatever that may mean – the “birth experience” is more important than the needs of their baby. This claim is, in my opinion, groundless and ridiculous.
The events that take place during labor and birth, and the immediate postpartum period, can and do have long-term implications for many women. There is no need for medical birth folks to be so cynical about this fact. Indeed, being in labor and giving birth is about having a baby. But how women perceive their own births matters. Choices matter. Physical autonomy matters. Respect matters.
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The semantics of childbirth
Debates about childbirth can get quite heated, as I am sure readers of this blog notice on a regular basis in many places, be it in real life on on the internet. Depending on your personal choices or preferences for childbirth, you are likely to use certain words to describe events related to labor, birth, and babies. It is often these very words that become offensive to those who disagree with our particular views. Words matter, just like birth matters. Let’s have a look at the “hot” ones commonly used, and commonly disputed.
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Staying hydrated in labor
Staying well-hydrated is important throughout pregnancy for countless reasons, and can play a large role in preventing pregnancy complaints like morning sickness, constipation, diarrhea, and edema. During labor, hydration is also of crucial importance. Along with that, keeping blood sugar levels up so that the laboring mother does not lose energy is essential, especially for women who have long labors. What are the best drinks to stay hydrated during labor? And how about snacking in between contractions?
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Are childbirth education classes useful?
Childbirth education classes, such as those organized by Lamaze, Bradley, hospitals, or sometimes midwives, are attended by many pregnant women. They apparently serve to prepare expectant mothers for labor and birth – good childbirth education classes give information about the physiological process of childbirth, and help women learn about coping methods (patterned breathing techniques during labor, for instance). Are these classes really useful?
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Childbirth – is it time to live and let live?
Childbirth is, undoubtedly, an extremely political topic. The political questions surrounding something as individual as giving birth to a new life are quite possibly the reason birth is something many people – myself included – never get bored with the topic. But unfortunately, discussing birth choices is rarely any either than discussing topics that are apparently no more controversial than how you bring your baby into the world, including for example the war in Iraq, tax policies, or immigration. Should not birth choices, unlike the subjects mentioned above, ultimately be personal choices?
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Witch hazel during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
Of all the herbs that are available for pregnant women, during labor and birth, and in the immediate postpartum period, witch hazel is a very handy one to have around the house. Witch hazel, used in various ways, is so versatile that it deserves a lot of praise. What are the uses for witch hazel, and how is it used?
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