• Last updated 9/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Diana Korte Issue 89, July/August 1998 Although VBACS--vaginal births after cesarean--have been occurring all over the US in small numbers for most of this century, the medical profession now welcomes them with unprecedented enthusiasm. In 1995 (the latest available year), 35.5 percent of US women who had previously given birth by cesarean had vaginal births subsequently--almost six times the rate of the previous decade.1 And the number of vbacs in this country keeps climbing, pushed upward by some combination of medical research, consumer... read more

• Last updated 7/22/10 by Mothering Editorial

July 21, 2010 In a press release on July 21st The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced that "Attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is a safe and appropriate choice for most women who have had a prior cesarean delivery." Stating that the US cesarean rate is "undeniably high", president of ACOG Richard N. Waldman, MD cited this concern as one of the reasons for the organization loosening its restrictive stance on VBACs. 1 Cesarean rates in the US have been climbing for decades, with recent numbers soaring to over 30% of... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

The New York Times, as well as dozens of other media outlets, is reporting this week that a new review of studies shows that infants born at home have a higher rate of death than infants born in the hospital. This is a strange way to spin a review of studies that, according to the authors, actually shows that in every other index measured, women who give birth at home have equal or more positive outcomes than women who give birth in the hospital. According to the study’s abstract, women who give birth at home: “are less likely to experience... read more

• Last updated 1/5/11 by Mothering Editorial

Hi, my husband and I need help considering a third baby. We have a 5 year old son and a 3 year old daughter who co-sleep with us. This was not our original intention, but after 8 months of sleeping in 15 minute blocks (our son nursed multiple times an hour), I brought him into bed with us on Christmas Eve at my in-laws (after carting his bassinet there with us), and I laid him on my chest and we slept for 2 hours straight for the first time. After returning home, we realized that he and I needed to be together in order for either one of us to sleep. (FYI - he only took... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

This post is the first by several mothers who, in a monthly series, will chronicle their relationship with environmental toxins during pregnancy and breastfeeding. To see the article that spawned these posts read “The Toxic Truth: How Everyday Products Threaten Healthy Pregnancies.” —– Post by Connie Glambos-Malloy If you’re like me, you spent much of your pregnancy (and some time beforehand) learning about all the different ways your lifestyle choices could affect your child-to-be. I knew I had to give up my red wine, but I wondered about eating... read more

• Last updated 7/14/10 by Mothering Editorial

How would you like to:        Reduce your labor time by 25 percent        Reduce your chances of having a cesarean by 50 percent        Reduce the likelihood that you will need interventions such as pitocin, forceps, or vacuum extraction by up to 40 percent        Reduce the likelihood that you will ask for pain medication or an epidural by as much as 60 percent        Decrease the likelihood that you will experience postpartum depression        Improve your bonding experience with you baby        Learn to breastfeed with greater ease        Feel that you have had an... read more

• Last updated 7/12/10 by Mothering Editorial

This is a great exercise for relieving backache and gas, and for readjusting the baby’s position later in pregnancy. It also improves posture and strengthens the abdominal muscles. There are several different ways to do it. Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Inhale as you contract your abdominal muscles and flatten the small of your back on the floor. Hold this for a count of five as you exhale. Repeat five times. To make sure you’re doing it right, put your hand under the small of your back as you... read more

• Last updated 10/13/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Allison GehlhausWeb Exclusive Here it is, I thought, the ultimate paradox of motherhood. The word “mother” ushers in images of fullness, of bellies, of breasts, of arms. Then there’s the flip side, the side that doesn’t get much play time, the side that holds the endless tracks of losses - of small babies, of innocence, of good intentions. Once you experience the love, the immense volcano of love a mother has for her children, even her unborn ones, you can never be truly happy again. You’re too afraid to lose it. Yeah, I thought, watching my friend push her eggs... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

A Team of Doctor Perform a C-section (the doctors are huddled around the woman's abdomen working to extract the baby, the mom's view is blocked by the blue barrier sheet) I was at my friend A.’s birth two years ago. After laboring all day and well into the night, A. was getting exhausted. The fetal monitor showed that the baby’s heart beat was dropping during contractions and the labor nurses, who called the doctor (she was at home sleeping), were starting to act worried. The doctor made the call: A. needed an “emergency” C-section. The... read more

• Last updated 1/8/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Lisa LimIssue 97, November/December 1999 Our second child, a boy, was born on a Saturday afternoon last fall. The sky was blue, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the clouds floated along as I labored. The midwife arrived at our home at 2:30 p.m. I was dilated 2.5 centimeters, very excited, and a little scared. We went for a long walk in the neighborhood, and in a little over two hours, at 4:49 p.m., Kai James Lim was born in our living room. His eyes were a dark blue, his hair tinged with red, and he weighed a bouncing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. I chose to stay in... read more