The one to help start to lower the astronomical c-section rate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aEk–fIZAo

Preconception Question

Not sure if anyone is really out there reading, but I have a question from a friend and I don’t have an answer.

She is wanting to lose weight before trying to conceive. She spoke with her Ob/Gyn and he just pulled out the BMI chart and said, “you need to weigh x amount.” No ideas, tips, advice, encouragement, anything.

The only thing I could really find re: ‘dieting’ was a book entitled The Fertility Diet.

Any one have any ideas/suggestions?

thanks!

To be or not to be, that is the question….

and with whom? (who? and who with? whatever…)

Certified, that is.

My original plan was DONA, why? Because everyone knows DONA.

Then my doula suggested ALACE. I had planned on attending the local workshop, but for various reasons, couldn’t.

Then, pondering what to do, I came across Childbirth International. It seems completely legit – but I can do it “all” (meaning ‘course work’) at home? I work so much better that way…is it for real?

And with DONA and ALACE, you need to pay every year to keep up your certification…? Really? With CBI, a one time fee and that’s it?

And I love that with CBI, you can go on and do CBE (Childbirth Education) certification as well.

So, enlighten me…

Weekly Links

I read quite a few birthing/nurse/midwife/doula blogs and “star”so many items in my google reader. I’m hoping to get the majority of them posted on here (the links to posts I have found interesting, informative, enlightening, encouraging, etc…) I’ll try to do this every weekend, but I’ve learned from my other blogs, I’m not good about forcing myself onto a schedule…so, it’ll show it when it does

Jen at VBACfacts.com shared her labor note cards (cheat sheet!) I’m hoping to get these all onto note cards myself soon.

Catherine at Giving Birth Naturally (a blog & site I just discovered, thanks to Kathy at Woman to Woman Childbirth Education) has a great article on Pushing. I think I’ve read it about 5 times this week.

Back in June, Hypnobabies Blog posted some info on delayed cord clamping.

Nursing Birth put together a list of “Resources Every Woman Should Know About“

We’ll stop there for the night! I’m also going to get a blog roll going of birthy blogs, let me know if you’d like yours included!

C-section.

My first birth as a doula ends in a c-section (or will, tomorrow at 10:30am). To encourage myself, my 2nd birth that is lined up, is a mom who is attempting a VBA2C!

We’re still praying for this little guy to flip, but, he is so stretched out, transverse, it’s unbelievable. I’ll be going up there, per mom & dad’s request later in the day to encourage, offer advice (from my c-section) and to help with nursing…oh, and to get my hands on that sweet boy

My heart is breaking for the mom. She is ok with this decision, and knows that the safety of her baby is of the utmost importance. She’s still praying, as am I!, for that baby to turn head down.

Any advice on how to encourage after a c-section?

Cholestasis

My first mama has this (find a summary here). It’s been interesting to learn about it over the past couple months, as she had it with her first pregnancy, so she knows what to expect. This time, she opted to take Milk Thistle and Apple Cider Vinegar for it and see if that helped. Her itching went away and her ‘numbers’ looked great for a couple months!

Unfortunately, Sunday (36/4), her itching returned.

Right now, “what to do” has come to crunch time.

Her baby is transverse (was breech until Friday). She’d been trying everything we could think of to get him to turn – chiropractics, swimming, pelvic tilts, inversion, elephant walking, flashlights, cold packs, heat packs, talking, visulization, even a manual version on Friday morning (that afternoon he went on his own to transverse). I read on Spinning Babies that “An interesting point is that a breech baby may move to the transverse lie for a couple days before finishing the flip to head down. If your transverse baby was just recently breech wait a couple days before worrying, and keep up the techniques you are using to help baby into a head down position.”

That’s what we’re hoping for!

Unfortunately, they want to induce or schedule a c-section for 37 weeks — which is tomorrow.

Not sure what else we can try…

Will I?

I have my first birth coming up “any day now.” Hubby is wondering if I’ll come home and ask 100 question if I did this or that while I labor/birthed my son. I don’t think I will. Will I?

Some background (the obligatory first post) :)

I have two boys…

My first son, Z (who is currently a few days shy of 27 months) was born via emergency c-section in April of 2007 after 36 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing and an epidural.

I was devastated with the way things went and felt like I had failed greatly.

When we got pregnant when Z was about 6.5 months old, I was determined to do everything in my power to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean).

August of 2008 rolls around, I’ve preapred myself by reading tons of material (to be shared later), switching from a traditional OB to amazing midwives, and armed myself with 2 doulas (one was a friend needing certification hours, but still a huge help!)

After 23 hours of labor (6 of which was stalled) and 1 hour of pushing, we welcomed C into the world – our all natural VBAC baby!

How I felt my body had redeemed itself! I felt I could take on the world!

I knew then I had to help encourage and empower other women, especially those who had had a c-section and were desiring a natural birth.

So I’m starting on this journey…

Join me for the ride…