Tag Archives: labor

The Birth of Ethan

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A new and powerful birth story today! With humor and insight, Mama Amanda shares the story of her journey to a natural birth with her first child at a local hospital. Amanda began her pregnancy staunchly in favor of an epidural, but as the time of her birth drew near, something unexpected changed her mind. Her story is a moving illustration of the value of knowledge, and of how empowering an informed birth can be!

Amanda, thank you for sharing your wonderful and beautifully-written story with us!  Though Ethan is now a toddler, his birth-day is still so very worthy of celebration!  Congratulations!

(And remember, you can read all of the birth stories in our Local Birth Story series here.  Hospital births, home births, birth center births, births with OBs, births with midwives — all are represented!)

THE BIRTH OF ETHAN

My son’s birth really begins with my own. I was born at 8:40 in the morning, only an hour after my mother woke up after a night of pleasant dreams about rolling over waves in the ocean. The midwives, who had worked with my mother on hypnosis as a mechanism for dealing with contractions, made it to the Memphis hospital just in time to catch me as I flew excitedly into the world. I grew up hearing this story A LOT. My mom used midwives who encouraged her to create her own birth experience. She was in labor all night and managed to sleep through it. She gave birth completely intervention free. To my young ears, it all sounded charming, in a hippie-dippie sort of way. In my mind, I had my doubts. I’d seen the videos in high school health class, I’d watched sitcoms, and I’d seen many a baby born in movies. I knew from an early age that birth was going to involve a long stay in a hospital, as many drugs as I could legally get my hands on, and a lot of screaming. There was no way that birth could be the way my mother described it. I grew up with the distinct impression that my mother, while strong, smart, and supportive, was completely wrong about giving birth. If she was right, why had every other image about birth I’d ever been shown involve screaming women clawing into their husbands and begging for an epidural? In the battle of media vs. my mother, Continue reading →

Links for Thought (Dec 26)

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A weekly roundup of helpful and thought-provoking links for mothers and mothers-to-be!

::  Stages of Labor and Collusion.  In every childbirth book and class, labor is described as having three discrete stages (latent, active, and transitional) — but rarely do women experience those stages distinctly, in the textbook-prescribed manner.  In this thoughtful post, an Australian midwife calls for the elimination of The Myth of Stages of Labor and explains the negative consequences of continuing to maintain it.  (Rachel Reed, ACM Midwife, PhD candidate, Midwife Thinking)

::  A Proactive Approach to Breastfeeding.  From one of my favorite blogs: a wonderful list of ways to ensure a successful breastfeeding experience, starting with choices that can be made during pregnancy, to decisions about labor and delivery options, to actions that can be taken in the postpartum period.  (Rixa Freeze, PhD, Stand and Deliver)

::  Pushing for First-Time Moms.  Having had my first experience with pushing just two weeks ago, I was fascinated by this midwife’s description of the phenomenon and of ways that caregivers can best allow it to unfold in a first-time mom, simply by monitoring the mother’s external signs of dilation and progress — no need for vaginal exams or direction.  (Gloria Lemay, Midwifery Today)

::  Too Much Fun: Preventing Overstimulation in Infants and Toddlers.  Holiday festivities can be great fun for little ones, but quickly can become overwhelming for them, too.  This post offering suggestions for preventing meltdowns — together with this excellent related post on identifying and interpreting your baby’s engagement/disengagement cues – will help you know when the time is right to slip away with baby for a quiet break from the party bustle. (Dr. Jane Heinig, PhD, IBCLC, Secrets of Baby Behavior)

::  Mom’s Voice Plays Special Role in Activating Newborn’s Brain.  Put down the iPhone, turn off the TV, and talk to your babies, mamas!  Your voice is special to them and to their developing brains. A recent study revealed that when a baby hears an unknown woman’s voice, only the voice recognition parts of the baby’s brain are activated.  But when a baby hears his mother’s voice, the brain regions for language learning and motor skills light up bright! (Physorg.com)