• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Doula Giuditta Tornetta Web Exclusive Your question: I'd love to have a natural homebirth, but I feel safer in the hospital. What do you suggest I do to create a homebirth environment at the hospital? Will a doula help me at the hospital? Answers: Many people believe that doulas work with homebirths more than hospital births. Truth is 95 percent of the births I attend are at the hospital. In fact I'd say the majority of doulas work in hospitals, helping women have natural, home-like childbirth experiences. There are five steps to help you realize... read more

• Last updated 12/5/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Wendy PonteIssue 144, September/October 2007 When I tell someone I am working on a story about the escalating rate of cesarean sections in the US, it often leads to a conversation that goes something like this: "C-section rates are up to 50 percent or higher in some hospitals," I say. "Doctors often feel they must do a C-section to protect themselves from a malpractice suit. And many of them seem to feel that a C-section is actually better than vaginal birth. A lot of women are being given unnecessary surgery." "I had a C-section," my acquaintance will say. "But... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

When we were researching unassisted childbirth before Baby Leone was born, I read Laura Shanley’s book, Unassisted Childbirth, from cover to cover, flagging pages for James to read as well. I borrowed the book from my friend Jenny (who’s pregnant with her fifth baby and probably wants it back). I dutifully returned all of Jenny’s other childbirth books right after the birth, but have held onto Unassisted Childbirth for an extra long time. It’s so full of wisdom and fascinating stories that I’ve found myself re-reading parts of it several times. So I’m... read more

• Last updated 3/12/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 13, 2010 In a press release dated March 12th, 2010, Amnesty International called for actions to improve maternal health care for American women. A recent report entitled "Deadly Delivery" from Amnesty International showed that the US ranks 41st in the world for a risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications. Amnesty International has outlined several key areas that need addressing, stating that as many at half of the maternal deaths in the US could have been prevented with improved maternal care. Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA executive director,... read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

I just spent the first part of this week at the National Institutes of Health VBAC Conference in Bethesda, Maryland.  If you you’ve read a newspaper or listened to NPR in the past couple of days you may have read about the conference panel’s major finding: that the medical evidence suggests most mothers who have had a cesarean should be able to safely deliver their next baby vaginally. This is BIG news because, as most mothers who have had a c-section know, currently less than 10% of mothers in the United States are having VBACs (a severe decline from... read more

• Last updated 3/11/10 by Mothering Editorial

Along with raspberry leaves, blue and black cohosh have been used in later pregnancy for hundreds of years to prepare women’s bodies for childbirth. They are not safe to use during early pregnancy, but can be safely consumed in tea form during the last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. Like raspberry leaves, blue and black cohosh have both stimulating and relaxing properties which facilitate childbirth. Blue cohosh tones the uterus and promotes regular and effective contractions. Black cohosh is a powerful painkiller specifically for nerve and muscle pain.... read more

• Last updated 3/10/10 by Mothering Editorial

The United States reportedly spends more money on childbirth than any other nation, yet it has one of the world's worst records for infant mortality and maternal mortality. With modern medicine treating childbirth more like a medical illness than a natural event, and Cesarean birth at an all time high of 32% of all births, more and more women are making the choice to give birth at home. Yet, while most choose a midwife to attend their birth, a growing number of women are making the decision to birth at home without the assistance of a medical professional. Mothering... read more

• Last updated 3/6/10 by Mothering Editorial

I am 27 weeks pregnant and was aware that Rogham shots are routinely given to RH -ve women during the 28th week and 72 hours after birth of the baby. My husband is RH +ve. I was reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth where she mentions that there could be potential side effects of this vaccination. I was looking at some of the articles here in mothering.com, which mention a link to autism and RH -ve women who took the Rogham shots. Can you please let me know if it is really necessary to take this shot now in a couple of weeks and also after birth of the baby? What if I... read more

• Last updated 3/1/10 by Mothering Editorial

When giving birth to my daughter, I had excessive bleeding. I lost six pints of blood & needed two blood transfusions. I was considering having another baby but I wasn't sure if it was the best idea. I was wondering if you could give me your expert advice as to whether I should try and have another one. I am scared I'm going to bleed to death, however I know nothing on this subject. All I know is what I was told. Is it safe to have another baby?It is a difficult question. On the one hand the best way to prevent a bleeding would be to give birth with nobody around you,... read more

• Last updated 9/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan Warnings that marijuana causes birth defects date back to the late 1960s.1 Some researchers claimed to have found chromosomal abnormalities in blood cells taken from marijuana users. They predicted that young men and women who used marijuana would produce deformed babies.2 Although later studies disproved this theory,3 some current drug education materials still claim that genetic damage is passed on by marijuana users to their children.4Today, researchers look for a direct effect of THC [for tetrahydrocannabinol, either of two... read more