• Last updated 10/18/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Nancy Stiefel Web Exclusive You've already had one child, so conceiving the second should be no problem, right? Not necessarily. Many women face infertility when trying for a second child. And although doctors can sometimes pinpoint medical causes for such "secondary infertility," the reasons often remain a mystery. For these women, not being able to understand why compounds their misery. My own history is a case in point. I conceived my first son easily, and my husband and I expected the same results three years later. A year went by with no pregnancy,... read more

• Last updated 3/18/13 by Melanie Mayo

Related Articles: Sidebar: Medical Indications For Inducing Labor By Nancy Griffin It was a sunny Friday afternoon, and Tracy was three days past the due date for her first baby. After finishing up the tenth call of the day from well-meaning but anxious friends and relatives, she headed out the door for her weekly checkup with her obstetrician. "If you don't go into labor by your next appointment, we may have to induce you," her doctor had advised. Tracy wondered if the slight menstrual-like cramps she'd had the past few days meant that something was happening... read more

• Last updated 1/9/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Judith Wynhausen Web Exclusive "I didn't know women your age could have babies," the young woman blurted out. We were both looking at crib quilts at a church bazaar, and she had asked me who was going to have a baby. "I am," I replied, thinking she couldn't miss my pregnant belly, swollen large in the eighth month. Yes, admittedly my hair was quite gray for my 49 years, but I didn't feel that old. After that encounter, I went to the beauty shop and had my hair dyed. At least then I didn't look 50 at first glance, and everybody didn't immediately assume ... read more

• Last updated 12/20/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Kamyar M. Hedayat, MD Web Exclusive - September 01, 2009 IntroductionIf I asked you to describe pregnancy, would one of the words you used be fragrant? Probably not. If you think of ways of describing pregnancy, scent is probably not one of them. When women do remember the scents of pregnancy, they tend to use such words as putrid (after throwing up from morning sickness) or acrid (from acid reflux) or hircine (i.e., goat-like; from the smell of amniotic fluid and afterbirth). It would seem that there’s nothing fragrant about being pregnant or delivering a baby.... read more

• Last updated 12/20/11 by Mothering Editorial

During the moments directly after birth, you need plenty of time to rest quietly with your baby. Don’t let anything stand in the way of that.If you give birth in a hospital, there may be some pressure from nurses who want to take the baby to a warming bed in the nursery or to an examination.Your midwife or doctor will want to see that your baby is in generally good health. It should be possible, however, to do all that is necessary while you are holding the baby. These factors will be checked: The baby’s weight and length at birth The baby’s air passages. Many birth... read more

• Last updated 12/20/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Dawn Francis-Pester Web Exclusive - October 17, 2008 Jonah's Birth It had been two years since Jonah was born. The family marked the occasion in a quiet, relaxed manner: two candles on a vegan carob cake, a few balloons, and a small gathering of relatives. Around this time, Carrie also decided to honor Jonah's placenta that had been sitting in the freezer since his birth. Carrie describes the birth as "powerful, calm, and beautiful." She refused painkillers, along with the drug Syntometrine, which is routinely used in England to speed up the delivery of the... read more

• Last updated 12/20/11 by Mothering Editorial

In interviewing a potential doula, the following list of questions might come in handy. Remember, your doula should be someone you like, since she will be with you during one of the most intense experiences you will ever have. Are you certified? By what organization? What kind of training have you had? How long have you been in practice as a doula? How many births have you attended? What care providers have you worked with? How many homebirths have you attended? In what hospitals have you attended births? Tell me about some of the births you’ve... read more

• Last updated 12/20/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Anne Nicholson WeberWeb ExclusiveWhen my friend Sandra was pregnant with her second child, she had a blessingway instead of a baby shower. Eight of her closest women friends came together one afternoon, each with an offering for a birth altar: a fan (to symbolize opening), a candle shaped like an egg to burn during labor, stones and feathers and talismans of all sorts. Each woman spoke in turn, placing her offering in the center of our circle and explaining its meaning. Some brought poems or other readings. We ate good food, and Sandra told us she felt strengthened to... read more

• Last updated 12/1/11 by Mothering Editorial

 By Sara Schley Web Exclusive “Birth has a purpose for the mother,” my friend, home-birth midwife, and teacher Terri Nash told me as I sat on her screen porch on a late summer morning, three months pregnant with twins, my feet in her lap. “It initiates her into the next phase of her spiritual development,” Terri continued. “For the deepening of her soul.” A few weeks ago Terri’s words would have made no sense. After five years of infertility treatments, I was finally pregnant. Forty-one-years-old, I was also more physically ill than I had ever been in my... read more

• Last updated 12/1/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Marsden WagnerIssue 118, May/June 2003 Recently, a woman in Iowa was referred to a university hospital during childbirth because of possible complications. At the university hospital it was decided that a cesarean section should be done. After the cesarean section was completed and the woman was resting in her hospital room, she went into shock and died. An autopsy showed that, during the cesarean section, the surgeon had accidentally nicked the woman's aorta, the biggest artery in the body, which led to internal hemorrhage, shock, and death.1 A cesarean section can... read more