Posted by Sarah Meder on Monday, May 6, 2013,
In :
Caesarean Section
There is no other major surgery of it's kind where you will be handed a newborn baby immediately afterwards and expected to care for it, and there are very few other major surgeries where you will be wide-awake and fully conscious of what is taking place.
A c-section is a very remarkable and sometimes overwhelming experience for both the mother and the father, so having a familiar, caring presence with you during surgery can offer immense relief to both parents. While many medical professional... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Monday, November 12, 2012,
In :
Caesarean Section
You may have longed and hoped for a natural birth, but fate had something else in store and an elective c-section has become the fabulous life-saving technology it was always intended to be! While you can be glad of this option to delivery your baby safely, you may mourn the loss of a powerful natural birth and some of the benefits it offers, such as immediate skin to skin and delayed cord clamping. How can you bring these special elements into an elective c-section?
Posted by Sarah on Saturday, October 13, 2012,
In :
Interventions
In this guide to the natural induction of labour, I will go
through methods that are often recommended from innocuous suggestion of eat
certain foods to more extreme methods in the form of castor oil.
The first thing which can help you determine if any kind of
induction will be successful is to know your Bishop Score. You would need a
doctor or midwife to assess what your score is, but you should have a score of
above 8 for an induction to have a good chance of suc...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Sunday, October 30, 2011,
In :
Interventions
These days women in South Africa have become a lot more clued up on the high c-section rate and the benefits of opting for a natural birth. Studies done internationally have shown that the saying "Too posh to push" may have been somewhat of a myth and that many women were instead being pressured by their care provider to opt for a c-section, rather than choosing it themselves from the outset. Certainly in South Africa, women have become much more informed on the subject and will be choosing t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Sunday, October 30, 2011,
In :
Active Birth
A birth stool is a great addition to your options when having an active birth. It's probably one of the oldest birth tools around, as even the Goddess Isis is depicted in ancient carvings as giving birth on a birth chair, or stool.
In fact, the modern origin of giving birth in the Lithotomy Position (ie. flat on back, legs apart) was the result of a certain King who found it to be the optimal position for his mistresses to give birth in for his viewing pleasure. As the role of birth moved fro...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Sunday, October 30, 2011,
In :
Interventions
This Obstetric Gel is now available in South Africa. It is essentially a lubricant for the birth canal and has been found to assist in easing childbirth and protecting against damage to the perineum.
Posted by Sarah Meder on Thursday, October 28, 2010,
In :
Pregnancy
What are the earliest
signs of pregnancy?
The early signs of pregnancy can often be difficult to
detect, and can often be confused with certain illnesses as the symptoms are
rather general.
The most obvious and accurate sign of pregnancy is a missed
menstrual period, but many women would like to know if they are pregnant even
before this. Here are some tips for seei...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Sunday, October 17, 2010,
In :
Pollitics
When autumn comes to New Mexico, the aroma of green chile being
roasted fills the air. Locals buy big burlap sacks of chile which are
poured into a big drum that turns over a fire until the chile is charred
(which then allows the skin to be peeled off).
Chile is mild, medium, hot, or very hot! Locals know enough to
ask, “How hot is your chile?”
One day a newcomer to New Mexico stopped at the Grocery Emporium
on Girard Boulevard and bought a bag of roasted Chile. The aroma made
her ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, October 13, 2010,
In :
Unassisted Birth
This is a beautiful story of an unassisted homebirth by a woman living in South Africa. It contains photo's and also the most fantastic video of the little boy following the birth, who is very alert and peaceful!
Unassisted Homebirth Story (this link will take you do a different website - please use your browser "back" button to return)
Posted by Sarah Meder on Monday, September 20, 2010,
In :
Doula
"If a
Doula were a drug, it would
be unethical not to use one" - Dr John Kennell
Doula is an ancient Greek word for a woman in
service of another woman, but today it has come to be know as a woman
who supports a couple through labour and birth. A doula should also be a
trained professional who has completed a training program and continues
to update her knowledge on a regular basis.
In South Africa, a Doula is also referred to as a Birth
Companion and most professional Doulas wi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Sunday, July 25, 2010,
In :
VBAC
VBAC is an acronym for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean and is pronounced "vee-back".
In the 1980's when medical interference with birth was at it's very highest and c-sections were being overwhelmingly common, there was no real research on the safety of having vaginal birth after the uterus had a scar on it. It was then that the saying "once a cesarean, always a cesarean" became known.
Today things are a little different. During the 1990's began the start of a movement where women started re-explo... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Friday, June 25, 2010,
In :
Pregnancy
1. Continuity of Care
Obstetricians/Gynecologists often work in teams. While you might still get to see your doctor for each of your prenatal visits, when you go into labour you will see whoever is on call at the time (which might be anywhere between 1 other, to 3 or 4 other doctors). In some cases, where a woman would like to guarantee that her doctor is the one delivering the baby an elective c-section will often be encouraged.
It's completely understandable that you would want the same perso... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Tuesday, December 1, 2009,
In :
Pregnancy
The Due Date - That special date when you get to meet your precious new born child!
This will often be one of the very first things you will found out following a positive pregnancy test and it's the first thing people want to know when they discover you are pregnant.
It's a date that women think of with great excitement in the beginning, and towards the end of the pregnancy it torments them because it either feels like they'll never reach it or they have to deal with disappointment when they ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, October 21, 2009,
In :
Pregnancy
Birth Plans have, over the years, been highly promoted by birth activists as a way the pregnant mother can take control of her birth and have her needs heard, instead of just being treated as a sick patient. While the intention of creating a birth plan is great, when it comes to the practical application of this, the plan generally gets thrown out the window.
As a Birthing From Within mentor we do not generally advocate the use of a birth plan, as we know just how unpredictable birth can be an... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, October 21, 2009,
In :
Inspiration
This is a pose used in Yoga and it is called “The Tree Pose” or in
Sanskrit “Vrksasana”.
When using this pose, a person should be like a tree, with roots
holding them firmly to the earth but still able to bend and sway in
harmony with the breeze or mighty gale.
A similar mindset is needed to
face childbirth, where you are firmly grounded and can have a sense of
inner peace and calm while being able to adjust and accept any
obstacles that may arise.
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, October 21, 2009,
In :
Interventions
According to this article:
"If
a blood pressure gauge is placed on an unclamped umbilical cord, it will pick
up pressure rises as high as 60 mm Hg with each uterine contraction. This
indicates that these contractions are intimately involved in the transfer of
placental blood through the cord. A striking pressure rise, which persists
through the first few hours of life, is also evident in the baby's vena cava
and right atrium of the heart. All studies on this indicate a sign...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, October 21, 2009,
In :
Caesarean Section
First, make sure you check out the article called "A c-section, but naturally"!
Penny Simpkin is an American author of several books and is an outspoken birth activist since 1968.
If you find yourself in place where a c-section has become the best and safest option for the birth of your child, then this is the document for you. This download is aimed at helping you take charge of your birth and offers suggestions on how to best deal with the birth by c-section. Mothers having a c-section need t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Friday, October 16, 2009,
In :
Caesarean Section
This is a new term that is gaining popularity as it provides
a very different approach to Ceasarean Surgery.It offers parents, and their baby, some aspects of a vaginal
birth that are not normally associated with ceasarean birth.
During the traditional method of ceasarean surgery, the
doctor tries to perform this as quickly as possible. The baby is pulled from
the mother uterus as soon as possible after the incision is made and then
whisked away to be evaluated, then swaddled and brought...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Thursday, October 8, 2009,
In :
Orgasmic Birth
For most people the idea of having an orgasm during childbirth is inconceivable. It might even seem "wrong". The truth is that childbirth is simply another part of women's sexuality and that some women do experience orgasms during childbirth.
For more information on this fascinating and little known facet of childbirth, please visit the following website which is dedicated to this subject.
Posted by Sarah Meder on Thursday, October 8, 2009,
In :
Newborns
Although breast is best, there are cases where bottle feeding is necessary. It can be very daunting to figure out which brand of bottle to use - there are just so many and each with their own special purposes!
Some top tips for choosing a bottle:
Don't choose what bottle you will use before your baby is born. The chances are that you might go through 3, or 10, or 20 different bottles and teats before you find out which one your baby likes most. So it's your baby that actually chooses in the en...
Posted by Sarah on Tuesday, September 8, 2009,
In :
Caesarean Section
These days your biggest worry about the your baby's birth might be whether it should be by c-section or by vaginal birth. However, it was only as long ago as when your own mother was born (or maybe your grandmother) that the biggest concern for a pregnant woman was whether she would live through the experience.
Three things we can be very grateful for these days: Modern Medicine, Good Nutrition, and C-sections! It is because of these three things that the potential deaths of women and their ba... Continue reading ...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, July 15, 2009,
In :
Lotus Birth
This is where a mother choses not to cut the umbilical cord
following the birth, and instead, allows the cord to dry out and fall
off naturally (as it would in the case of the small stump that is left
when the cord has been severed). This means that both the cord and
placenta will remain attached to the child until it falls away
naturally.
For people who are not familiar with
this idea, the initial reaction will be one of slight shock and perhaps
some disgust as they immeadiately assume...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Wednesday, July 15, 2009,
In :
Waterbirth
A waterbirth can take place, in the home, in a
hospital, birthcentre or even outdoors in a ocean tidal pool or other
natural pool.
The first question
that people always ask is "But doesn't the baby drown when it's born
under water". The answer is an emphatic "NO!".
The
baby has been surrounded by water, or more specifically amniotic fluid,
for nine months. The baby "breathes" through the placenta and umbilical
cord and continues to do so until the cord is severed. Another
fascinat...
Posted by Sarah Meder on Monday, July 13, 2009,
In :
Hypnobirth
Hypnobirth is method developed by an american woman which helps
labouring women enter a state of deep relaxation in order to diminish the pain
of childbirth. This technique can be used whether you choose vaginal birth or c-section. Women who have had emergency c-sections have reported finding the technique very useful in such a stressful situation.
Posted by Sarah Meder on Friday, July 10, 2009,
In :
Unassisted Birth
This is when a woman decides to have a baby, at home,
without the help of a medical professional (ie. Doctor or Midwife).
Sometimes there may be assistance from a partner/friend/sister/doula
and other times to woman may choose to have here baby in complete
privacy.
The reasons a woman may
choose this option are many and varied. It may simply be the case that
the woman does not have access to a medical professional who is able to
attend a homebirth, or perhpas there are no Birth Centres ...
This is a pose used in Yoga and it is called “The Tree Pose” or in
Sanskrit “Vrksasana”.
This section of the website contains information on different ways of giving birth, including information from magazines and videos.
