Labor & Childbirth
The Apgar Test: Baby's First Test
Are you ready for your baby's first test? This screening test is administered to newborns at least twice, at one minute and five minutes after birth. The Apgar test was developed by Virginia Apgar who was an anesthesiologist and...
How To Time Contractions
Everybody experiences labor a little differently, and unless your water breaks, you may not be sure you are actually in labor. Your doctor or midwife can guide you with information about how to know when you are truly experiencing...
Is a Home Birth for You?
Once upon a time, home births were the only types of births. Not until the early 1900's did women give birth in hospitals. It was considered a natural event not a medical one. Increasingly, medical professionals took over the proc...
Birth Plans & Preparing for the Unexpected
Every pregnant woman knows the value of a birth plan. It is a blueprint to your perfect, ideal birth experience. You are preparing for the best possible circumstances for your baby's arrival. The birth plan is a document to share ...
Moms Talk: What Does Labor Really Feel Like?
Come on, face it. Women like to talk about their labors and deliveries. It doesn't matter how old our children are; bring up the subject of childbirth, and we all have a tale to tell. I asked several young mothers to tell me about...
What to Expect When Your Water Breaks
You've seen it on TV and in movies dozens of times. A pregnant woman clutches her enormous pregnant belly, belts out, "It's time!" and then we hear a gush of water hitting the floor. The scene is so common, many people think that'...
To Induce or Not to Induce?
Toward the end of a pregnancy, most mothers are weary of the wait. If a scheduled C-section is not planned, the uncertainty of your baby's birth date can be unnerving. What if you're at work when your water breaks - or in the midd...
After the Baby Arrives: Handling Visitors and Protecting Your Privacy
After months of expectant waiting, the baby has finally arrived and everyone who knows you, or sometimes merely knows of you it seems, wants a glimpse of your newborn. In years past, new mothers stayed in the hospital longer tha...
Breathing for Labor and Delivery: Strategies that Work
Gone are the days of complicated textbooks on how to breathe through every stage of labor, with absolute right and wrong ways and confusing patterns. The idea previously was to train mothers how to do precise breathing patterns an...
Preparing for Labor: A To Do List
After months of pregnancy you figure you'd be all set for the big day. However, when time has a way of slipping by and before you know it someone asks have you packed your labor bag or did you pre-register at the hospital yet? And...
Going Past Your Due Date: What Now?
So that magic date circled on your calendar so many months ago has arrived...and passed without the arrival of the much-anticipated bundle of joy? You've probably endured countless, “Are you still pregnant?” and “Shouldn't you hav...
Online Childbirth Classes: Are They for You?
Childbirth classes come in all kinds of configurations. Hospital-sponsored and centered. Bradley Method. Lamaze. And now thanks to the internet the option of taking a childbirth class at home and online is a reality. While a va...
Questions to Ask When Deciding Where to Deliver Your Baby
While the majority of births in the US take place in hospitals, families today do have choices. You may opt for a traditional hospital birth, a birthing center or a homebirth.First things first, however. You must know what your pr...
Packing Your Labor Bag
Most experts recommend you have your labor and hospital bags packed and ready to go from the eighth month on. There will be some items you have to wait until the last minute to pack, so have a list of those items written and on t...
Birth Centers for Labor & Delivery
For those longing for a more family-focused, homey atmosphere for their birth experience, birth centers may be a great option. A birth center emphasizes one-on-one care with limited medical interventions and a staff dedicated to y...
Three Stages of Labor
First Stage of Labor This is the longest of the stages of childbirth, lasting anywhere from several hours up to days, especially for first-timers. It begins with the cervix dilating, and ends when the cervix is fully dilated at 1...
Epidurals - What You Need to Know
Epidurals are the most popular form of pain relief, and are used in over half of all hospital births. They are regional anesthetics, not total pain blockers, but rather meant to be pain relievers. They work by blocking nerve impul...
Cesarean Section: What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know
We make our birth plans, pack our hospital bag, and visualize the perfect labor and delivery. While things may not go exactly as planned, for an estimated 30% of American women the baby will be delivered by cesarean section. So w...
Preterm Labor
No one is certain why preterm labor occurs; however, there are some steps that can be taken to help prevent preterm labor from occurring, especially for those women who are at higher risk for the condition. What is Preterm Labor?...
Signs of Labor
In the movies, pregnant women know they are going into labor because their water suddenly breaks, and usually at the most inopportune time. In real life, however, things aren’t always so simple and straightforward. Th...
Online Childbirth Education - A New Way to Prepare for Your Baby's Birth
Childbirth education plays a vital role in how positively you later view your birth experience. The more childbirth education you receive, the more likely you are to view your birth experience positively. This becomes especial...
Pain Relief for Labor & DeliveryGeneral Anesthesia
General Anesthesia is administered to the mother by IV or via gases administered by mask/endotracheal tube intubation. They are generally used for cesarean births. What will this do for me? Complete relief of painQuick induction o...
Pain Relief Options for Labor & BirthSpinal
Spinals are administered for use with a forceps delivery as well as for cesarean births. What will this do for me? Complete relief of pain from upper abdomen to toesWhat are the disadvantages? Administration may be uncomfortab...
Pain Relief for Labor & DeliveryEpidural
Epidurals are administered during active labor and for cesarean births. What will this do for me? Very good pain reliefprovide pain relief without sedationallows woman to be fully alert during labor/birthWhat are the disadvanta...
Pain Relief for labor & Delivery Pudendal Block
A Pudendal Block is an agent injected bilaterally through the vaginal wall, usually in the second stage of labor. It may also be used for when forceps are used What will this do for me? Provides pain relief throughout perineumN...
Pain Relief for Labor & Delivery Local
Local anesthetic are administered in the second stage of labor, as well as for episiotomies and/or stitches for tears associated with birth. What will this do for me? Local Pain relief without systematic effectWhat are the Dis...
Pain Relief for Labor & DeliveryAnalgesics
Analgesics are given to mothers in the active stage of labor. They are also administered for cesarean births, and postpartum pain. What Will This do for me? Analgesics will relieve pain associated with labor and delivery. I...
Pain Relief for Labor & DeliveryTranquilizers
What will this do for me? Tranquilizers are given to promote relaxation in the mother. It will also enhance the effects of analgesics. And it will treat nausea, which sometimes occurs in the active phase of labor. What are th...
False Labor & The Need To Urinate
#btitle#Q#etitle#. I started experiencing false labor last night along with the contractions came he urge to urinate every five minutes (literally). Should I be concerned? My contractions have subsided, but the urinating has not,...
When Will a Doctor Induce Labor?
Q I am almost full turm, and worried that the baby will be late. What happens if my due date comes and goes and the baby is still not here? At what point will doctors want to induce labor? A This is one of the most common questi...
Q&A: Can I deliver VBAC Successfully?
Q I am currently pregnant with my second baby. When I delivered my first, everything started out fairly normal. By the 12th hour of labor, I was given a Pitocin drip, had my water broke, and my membranes stripped. Still no baby. A...
Q&A: What Does the Doctor Mean?
Q My daughter is in her 34th. week of pragnancy (due date 6/20/00). She was having some contractions, and her doctor checked her. He said that she is 1+,and 50%, and high. What does all this mean? Is it possible she'll be having ...
The Difference Between "Breaking Your Water" & "Stripping The Membranes
Q What is the difference between "breaking your water" and "stripping the membranes" as a measure to speed labor along? A "Breaking your water" is a process whereby an instrument, called an amniohook, plastic or metal, is ins...
Q&A: When Can I Expect My Baby To Be Born?
Q This is my first pregnancy and I understand that you can have the baby 2 weeks before or after your due date. Do you know what the percentage rates are for each? A A healthy full term baby can come anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks...
Q&A: Is This Real Labor?
Q How will I know for sure if I'm in real labor? I have contractions that are real strong all the time. Is there a difference in the way they feel or are they in different areas of my body? A The contractions that you are experie...
Pain Management During Labor
Pain management is, no doubt, the number one topic when it comes to labor and delivery. After all, when you try to envision the feat your body will perform, you'll be glad you did your research. Some natural childbirth advocates ...
Safety of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) affirms the safety of vaginal birth after a cesarean. In a statement released July 6, 2001, the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) urged that a recent study shoul...
Episiotomies
One of the most controversial procedures in delivery rooms today is the episiotomy. The surgical incision in the perineum (the area of skin between the vagina and the anus) is seen by some as necessary or routine and by others ...
Episiotomies: What You Should Know
While you may not know exactly what it even is, you probably wince at the very thought of it: we're talking about the episiotomy, a surgical cut to the perineum (the muscular area between the vagina and the anus) made during pushi...
The Nesting Syndrome
I thought I would take a few minutes away from rearranging furniture, cleaning my ceiling fans, and scrubbing the walls, to share with you some of the "mystery" behind nesting. The nesting instinct is common among most animal...
Prepare for an Easy Delivery
Pregnancy brings on a lot of new changes in your body. Whether or not it took you a long time to conceive - you are no doubt excited about finally being pregnant and looking forward to the day that your baby will be placed into ...
The Labor Partner's Role
The role of your labor partner is not easily defined. He or she can be many things to a woman in labor, including friend, listener, go-between, gopher, support person, and coach-to name a few. If you attend any type of childbirt...
Childbirth Classes
Fewer changes in life bring as much anticipation and awe as awaiting the birth of your baby - especially if you've never trodden this path before. Most of your entire pregnancy you are, no doubt, excited and looking forward to t...
Labor and Birth…What They Don't Tell You
Let me begin by noting that I could write a book on the information people tend to leave out, when "educating" you about labor and delivery. However, I will do my best to condense this information into easily readable, frank, a...
Your Options: Hospital vs Home Birth
Pregnant women have many different choices these days from deciding whether to breast or bottle feed, cloth or disposable diapers and where to give birth. Since the beginning of time women have given birth in an array of places - ...
Natural Ways to Induce Labor
As your due date approaches (or passes) and you begin to feel increasingly uncomfortable, you will be anxious to start the next chapter of the process: motherhood. There are several safe methods for inducing labor naturally....
A New Way To LaborHypnobirthing
You may be surprised to know that there are many methods and techniques to labor and childbirth, some of which you may have never heard of. One of these techniques is called "Hypnobirthing." It may sound a bit bizarre at first, bu...
Cesareans - What You Should Know
Every pregnant woman has a chance of needing to have a cesarean. The most important thing I can suggest is that if you are pregnant - then educate yourself. Read, read, read, read. Read all you can about pregnancy and childbirth, ...
What Can You Expect on"Labor Day"?
Labor day is a big mystery to a lot of women. Whether you've had a baby before or not, each labor is different. The number one question on all pregnant women's mind is 'what to expect on labor day?' Labor comes in stages and how ...
Preterm Labor & How To Avoid Preterm Labor
Before a woman can determine how to avoid pre-term labor, she must understand what it is, and what causes the condition. Pre-term labor is diagnosed when labor begins before 37 weeks gestation; 3 or more weeks prior to the due d...
Choices In Childbirth
I left journalism for midwifery because my own pregnancies and births were so enchanted that I was bewitched. Having a child of my own every couple of years was not a reasonable possibility, so I sought another means of spending ...
Beach Imagery
Close your eyes. Let your body relax and become heavy. As you listen, take long, gentle cleansing breathsuntil soft natural breathing takes over. You are standing on a silent road at the edge of an empty beach. There are no peop...
Using Guided Imagery to EaseThe Pain of Childbirth
What is guided imagery? Guided imagery, using the mind to create a setting or visualization, has many utilizations. We most likely use it without even realizing. The early stage of labor can be difficult for a birthing mother. She...
Laughter: The Best Medicine for Labor
When it comes to getting babies out of birth canals without resorting to forceps, vacuums, salad tongs, or the "jaws of life," nothing beats laughter (except of course faith, patience, and sex). According to an article in the Boul...
Creating a Positive Birth Environment
Labor and birth, of course, are very physical. Not only will the mother expend much energy during this time, but also her senses can be heightened. These perceptions, although sometimes overlooked, can add to or detract from her c...
Soak Your Labor Worries Away
What is "hydrotherapy for labor and birth"? "Hydrotherapy" is the use of a heated water bath or pool by a laboring woman during labor and birth. Many women in labor find that being in water helps them relax and helps relieve pain....
Is Doula Care For You?
....A Doula "is a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth." (Klaus, Kennell & Klaus, "Mothering the Mother.") As the...
Are Childbirth Classes Necessary?
Pregnancy is such an exciting time and with the changes that accompany pregnancy also come a lot of questions. We often rely on family and friends for answers to our questions, but are they always accurate? Since each pregnancy an...
The Labor Partner's Role
Many partners don't feel prepared for pregnancy or their baby's birth, especially when it is their first baby. It is natural to feel ambivalent about money, becoming a parent, or what the future holds. The best solution to solvi...
True Vs False Labor
Signs of Pre-Labor You may experience certain changes that indicate the onset of labor is near. These may be: Increased frequency of Braxton-Hicks ContractionsLightening - Relaxation of uterine ligaments allowing baby to settle ...
Seven Beliefs of Women WhoBirth From Within
1. Pregnancy and birth is a rite of passage, not a medical event (even when birthing in a hospital). 2. Connecting with other mothers and women for support and guidance is an essential part of preparation for birth and mothering...
Medications For Labor and Childbirth
A variety of drugs can be used during childbirth. To best understand their impact on you, it is your responsibility to talk with your caregiver about the types, dosages, and effects of medication you may be given. The falowing is ...
The Instinct of Birth
When a woman is in labor, a little fight goes on in the woman's brain. One part of her brain, the intellect, will tell her that she should do certain things. Perhaps those are things that she learned in childbirth classes; perhap...
The Truth About Labor Pain
I often begin with an exercise called "Scaling Pain." I want to find out what parents believe about labor pain. I ask the class, "On a scale of 0 to 100, with zero being a painless birth and 100 being the most intense pain you can...
Q&A: Can labour start weeks before birth?
Q. Can a woman be in labor for weeks? I'm currently 39 1/2 weeks and was told last week that I'm 4 cm dilated. I have contractions some days for an entire day then the next day nothing. It's been going on like this for 3 weeks no...
Q&A: Labor Induction
QCan you give me your opinion on trying to induce labor for 8 continuous days using pitocin. Labor had not started on its own. A Induction of labor using pitocin is a relatively common practice. Pitocin is actually the same thing...
Q&A: What Does My Doctor Mean by My Cervix is Soft?
Q: The doctor says that my cervix is very very soft. What does that mean? Is it different than thinning? A: There are five parameters that we use to assess a pregnant woman's cervix in order to determine if the patient woul...
Q&A: When Will I Go Into Labor?
Q Im 37 weeks and dilated at 1 and my cervix is thining out. This is my fourth child. Does it seem that I will go to my due date? A You have touched upon one of the most frequently asked questions among obstetrical patients, whic...
Q&A: How Does It Feel To Be Pregnant With Twins?
Q This is my second pregnancy, with my first I gained 40lbs but did not show until 4 months. This time I'm only 7 weeks and I' ve gained 5 lbs and 5" just in my belly. It very round and firm. ( I'm a very thin person) I was hoping...
Q&A: Will My Second Labor Be Fasterand Easier?
Q I have a two year old boy and I am pregnant again. I had quite an easy delivery although I was extremely afraid, it lasted 6 hours. I would like to know if second sons have more possibilities to be easier than the first and what...
Q&A: What Should We ExpectFrom Our Doula?
Q Hello, we just hired a doula, however, we are not sure what to expect. Just yesterday I was in the hospital for labor pains, and decreased activity in the baby. Is this something I should expect the doula to attend? Would it be ...
Q&A: What can I do to make having a natural birth easier?
Q What can I do to make having an natural birth easier? A There are many things you can do to make your goal of a natural birth easier to cope with! Position changes Especially early on in labor, keep moving. Laying in bed can sl...