Diet
Gentle Birth Advocates
Robbie Davis-Floyd: cultural anthropologist, author and gentle birth advocate. Her writings on how our technological culture informs our birthing practices is most enlightening.
Ina May Gaskin: world renowned midwife, esteemed author of “Spiritual Midwifery,” and passionate advocate for the rights of birthing families.
Joni Nichols : doula, birth educator, midwife apprentice extraordinaire!
Henci Goer: award-winning medical writer and internationally known speaker, is the author of The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth.
Penny Simkin: author of “The Birth Partner,” doula, birth educator, sexual abuse counselor; find articles about having the best possible c-section, describing a breech external version and how a doula can help, how to write a “win-win” birth plan and more; view presentations about OP babies and labor, inductions and more. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse and are now pregnant, this site will offer encouragement, hope and good resources.
Dr. Marshall and Phyllis Klaus: authors of “The Doula Book,” “Your Amazing Newborn,” “Bonding” and “Mothering the Mother.” Read about the tremendous importance mother- and baby-centered newborn care and their research with maternal/infant bonding.
Waterbirth International: a non-profit dedicated to making waterbirth available for all women in any birth setting.
Ask Dr. Sears: America’s family pediatricians, co-authors of “The Baby Book.”
Dr. Sarah J. Buckley : Gentle birth, gentle mothering, the best possible start. “Sarah Buckley is precious, because she is bilingual. She can speak the language of a mother who gave birth to her four children at home. She can also speak like a medical doctor. By intermingling the language of the heart and the scientific language she is driving the history of childbirth towards a radical and inspiring new direction,” Michel Odent. Author of “Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.” She speaks eloquently about the importance of physiologic cord clamping and the importance of respecting the mother throughout the labor process, especially during the third stage of labor, all from a strongly research based perspective.
Dr. Marsden Wagner: “Humanizing birth means understanding that the woman giving birth is a human being, not a machine and not just a container for making babies. Showing women—half of all people—that they are inferior and inadequate by taking away their power to give birth is a tragedy for all society. On the other hand, respecting the woman as an important and valuable human being and making certain that the woman’s experience while giving birth is fulfilling and empowering is not just a nice extra, it is absolutely essential as it makes the woman strong and therefore makes society strong.”
Ronnie Falcao, licensed midwife. Her web site has an enormous amount of good information about birthing practices.
Remembering the Mothers
The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project
Safe Birth Around the World
UbuMama: a Zulu word for motherhood, and an arts-based project dedicated to bringing mothers’ stories of giving birth in the developing world into public view, to honor the lives of mothers and to increase the commitment to saving the lives of women dying in childbirth.
Safe Motherhood: Every minute of every day, somewhere in the world and most often in a developing country, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. That is 515,000 women, at a minimum, dying every year. Nearly all maternal deaths (99 percent) occur in the developing world–making maternal mortality the health statistic with the largest disparity between developed and developing countries. Almost all of these deaths are preventable.
When Research is Flawed:
Critiques of Influential Research Studies
Birth
Opening your mouth (open mouth, open for birth)
Mothers Naturally a helpful site for those interesting in the midwifery model of care.
Birth Without Boundaries : lots of great blogging, art, info about freedom and birth (watch a puppy homebirth youtube, as well as lots of human homebirths)
Birthing Naturally : a wonderful resource for all things related to natural childbirth, find out about the stages of labor, about staying healthy while pregnant, how to naturally manage labor pain and even play virtual labor games, and much more.
Birth Planning Tools at Birthing Naturally: super helpful for doulas, cbes, and pregnant people.
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
Mothering magazine on the web
Pushed Birth: A pushed birth is one that is induced, sped up, and/or heavily medicated for no good reason, and all too often concludes with surgery, invasive instruments, an episiotomy, or a bad vaginal tear — outcomes you don’t want. Decades of research show that the healthiest birth for you and your baby — and that means your partner, your family, and your community — is a normal, vaginal birth with minimal intervention and maximum support.
Vbacs (vaginal birth after a cesarean section)
Unnecesarean.com : Learn more about the cesarean epidemic.
Prevent an unnecesarean.com.
Traumatic Birth experiences support
Cervical Scarring information This info is so important to have if you have ever had medical procedures on your cervix.
2nd Stage, Pushing
What is pushing like? from BirthingNaturally
Pushing position and the pelvic floor, from Childbirth Connection (a great evidence based resource)
Birth Plans
A free birth plan template from Earth Mama Angel Baby
How far dilated am I (without an internal exam)
The Myth of the Vaginal Exam
Non-pharmaceutical Induction
Group B Strep
Biophysical profile tests (commonly done to assess fetal well-being post-due date)
Gloria Lemay’s Blog about BPP and low amniotic fluid and induction a must read for any mother contemplating this test
Pain in pregnancy
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction: Read to find out if this is why you are hurting, and find some good solutions.
Optimal Positioning for Easier Birthing
Spinning Babies: Learn how to help your baby get into the best position for labor. Learn how to turn a breech or transverse baby.
Birth Supplies
Birthing Stuff: birth art and other cool products
Joni Nichols : Check out her amazing LED birth lights for your hospital birth. They are handmade and amazingly beautiful.
Flame-less LED candles for your hospital birth
Mama Goddess Birth Shop: birthing supplies, gifts, baby stuff, art, homebirth supplies
Birth Methods
The Bradley Method
Birthing From Within
Birth Photos and Films
Birth Diaries: experience a variety of births, from waterbirth to cesarean to vaginal breech, through photos and video.
Birth in 100 pictures: an amazing waterbirth, dad catches baby.
Patti Ramos, doula, CBE, photographer extraordinaire
Epidurals
Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona, on the safety of epidurals
Patti Ramos, Photos of the Epidural procedure: this is excellent for moms who want an epidural and for anyone who is curious about what the procedure might be like. If you are squeamish about needles, etc. you might not want to look.
Epidurals. Please read how epidurals affect moms, babies, bonding and the birth process itself.
Pitocin
Several methods to do a Pitocin induction: really good info for couples contemplating medical induction
Pitocin and Autism, a look at the literature
The Truth About Pitocin…..more info included about autism and other risks of pitocin.
IntraUterine Growth Retardation
2-4-10 study on induction vs. natural onset of labor in babies with IUGR
Group B Strep
GBS review from the Cochrane Database
Hibiclens protocol for alternative treatment to GBS +
Midwifery Model
Advice from a homebirth midwife, especially for hospital birthing mamas
Open Door Midwifery: amazing home, waterbirth photos.
Belly Tales, the diary of a new midwife
Montana Midwives : find a midwife in Montana
Navelgazing Midwife : midwife’s blog
Circumcision
Mothering
Breastfeeding
La Leche League, the world’s foremost breastfeeding support group, find everything you need to know about nursing your baby here.
Bravado nursing bras
Doulas
Statistics
Infant Health Statistics check here to find statistics about U.S. infant and maternal mortality, breastfeeding rates, differences among ethnic groups.
U.S. Infant Mortality Rank the U.S. currently ranks 33 in the world (32 countries have a lower infant mortality rate than we do, including Slovenia and Cuba; 4 countries have about half our rate of 6.3 babies per 1000 births).
March of Dimes stillbirth information page; find information about frequency (1 in 200 pregnancies in U.S.), causes, and more resources.
Waterbirth
Birth Diaries: experience a variety of births, from waterbirth to cesarean to vaginal breech, through photos and video.
Birth in 100 pictures: an amazing waterbirth, dad catches baby.
Yoga
Gurmuhk, author of Beautiful, Bountiful, Blissful, pregnancy yoga and more.
Attachment Parenting
the Peaceful Parenting Blog Full of loving advice for parents who want to attachment parent.
8 Principles of attachment parenting
7 Baby Bs from Dr. Sears
All about Attachment Parenting: from Dr. Sears. Learn how AP can lower SIDS risk, how AP pays off, how fathers can AP and more.
Baby Wearing
Babywearers of Bozeman Blog What an awesome resource for local families! I highly recommend checking out a meeting, trying out some carriers, learning from other mamas and babies, and getting a private consult if you need extra help.
Comparison chart of popular baby carriers.
The Baby Wearer: great advice on carriers, discussion boards, positions to try, good links, etc.
Make your own, no-sew baby wrap!
Maya wraps : above, recommended by a student as the best value for the money. New wraps about $50, gently used for under $30. Doll wraps for kids available too!
Ring Sling
Zolo wraps : above, a variety of different carriers; recommended by a student as a great and very helpful web site for baby wearing.
Beco baby : shown above
Moby Wrap : above, beautiful, soft wraps, for as little as $40. Little ones for your “big” kids to carry dolls.
Sleepy wrap : one of my favorites, because it’s soft, cuddly, versatile and ideal for newborns. Don’t be daunted in learning to use wraps; it’s easier than you think.
Ergo carrier
Nurtured Family: find SlingEZee, Ergo baby carriers, cloth diapering, Bravado nursing bras.
Mei Tai carrier
Pouch sling
La Stella Blu: pouches, mei tai carriers and wraps. Ella Roo, Hotslings, Sprout Pouch, all with free shipping. Plus kids clothes and music.
Diaper Free Parenting
Diaper Free! The gentle wisdom of natural infant hygiene, elimination communication.
An MSN story about elimination communication.