• Last updated 6/2/10 by Mothering Editorial

Remember that your due date is just an estimate. Nine months is an average. Each baby has her own length of gestation. Try to set a range rather than a date as the time to expect the baby. Instead of “The baby is due on December 20th,” say, “The baby is due in late December.” Add a couple of weeks to your due date so you can relax and not be inundated by well-meaning phone calls toward the end of your pregnancy. Here’s a visualization exercise you can use if you’re worried about the due date of your baby. Find a place where you can sit quietly for 15... read more

• Last updated 3/9/10 by Mothering Editorial

An affirmation is a positive thought that you consciously introduce into your thinking. You do this so that your thoughts will support you and not undermine your confidence. Here are some affirmations to write down and read or say aloud. You can make audiotapes of the affirmations you like or make up your own affirmations to listen to as well. Notice that the affirmations progress from pregnancy to birth. Pregnancy is a natural, normal, healthy and vibrant state for my baby and me. My baby and I are loved and supported. It is... read more

• Last updated 8/14/09 by Mothering Editorial

Raspberry leaf tea is the most popular herb used during pregnancy, and is particularly useful during the third trimester. Its astringent and stimulating properties strengthen and tone the uterine and pelvic muscles, while its soothing properties relax the uterus. Raspberry leaf tea also tones the mucous membranes, soothes the kidneys, allays diarrhea, stops hemorrhage, quells nausea, sedates, and relaxes.Raspberry leaves have been used throughout history to encourage safe, easy childbirth, to speed recovery from birth and to stimulate milk production... read more

• Last updated 8/24/09 by Mothering Editorial

As pregnancy draws to an end, you will be full of thoughts. Find a time and place where you will be able to relax and let your mind travel freely. Write your thoughts down in your journal if you like. Ask yourself these questions? How can I savor my pregnancy, my new life? How can I embrace the changes?What do I need to do to keep in touch with my friends and relatives before and after the baby is born?Will my interests and avocations change after the baby is born? How can I create a vibrant support system in my community that will... read more

• Last updated 9/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

When you see photos of indigenous women, they are often squatting to cook a meal or to grind grain. As modern women, we’re not as used to squatting, but it increases the mobility of the pelvic joints and strengthens the muscles of the inner thighs and Achilles tendons. Squatting is also a great position in which to give birth, but it can be uncomfortable unless you get some practice. Stand with your feet about hip width apart and your heels on the floor. Keeping your back straight and your weight equally distributed between your heels and toes, squat... read more

• Last updated 7/20/09 by Mothering Editorial

This is a simple yoga posture that you can even do on the floor of a hospital room. It strengthens the buttocks, which relieves lower back tension and also stretches the front of the thighs.Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your arms out to your sides with your palms up. Keeping your feet planted, lift your hips off the floor. Stretch them to the left a few inches, then put them back down. Inhale, take your feet off the floor and draw your knees to your chest. As you exhale, rotate your knees to your right side... read more

• Last updated 4/2/10 by Mothering Editorial

Exercise, especially walking and swimming, stimulates circulation, strengthens your body during late pregnancy, and gains you precious sleep. If you haven’t incorporated walking or swimming into your pregnant life yet, it’s not too late. Walking is a great exercise for the last trimester, and even during early labor. Choose a beautiful place for your walk - a park or a natural setting near your home or office. Make a ritual out of your walk - consider it a time to be with yourself during these last few months before the baby joins you. Start with a... read more

• Last updated 10/12/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Joanne RendellWeb Exclusive - January 8, 2007 Homebirth and Terminator movies are an unlikely double feature. Women don’t usually give birth to the strains of gun fire, screeching wheels, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “I’ll be back.” It’s an odd, perhaps ridiculous, scenario. Nevertheless, it’s what I did. So how, exactly, did a blockbuster action flick factor into my son’s birth? I suppose it started with the woman warrior. If I’d never seen that drawing his arrival would probably have been a more run-of-the-mill affair. I can’t remember exactly where I first spied... read more

• Last updated 10/13/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Norman Brier Web Exclusive Miscarriage--defined as an unintended ending of a pregnancy before the twentieth week of gestation--is a relatively frequent event that often produces a strong sense of bewilderment and marked feelings of distress. A woman who miscarries experiences several losses: the special attention and care she had been anticipating or receiving as a pregnant woman; the feeling of being one, a unity, with the developing fetus; the feeling of bodily adequacy related to the ability to bringing a pregnancy to term; and, especially, the times that were to... read more

• Last updated 10/12/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Stacy Fine Web Interview - June 29, 2007 In August of 2003, the VBAC birth of my second child began at the Farm Midwifery clinic in Summertown, TN, attended by Pamela Hunt and Ina May Gaskin. I'll never forget the gold full moon of that soft humid night, and the natural sounds churning in the surrounding forest. My experience was deep and sexy. I was encouraged by the midwives to embrace labor's contractions as rushes. Indeed, this suggestion was transformative—pain turned to pleasure! While this labor progressed nicely, after 14 hours Ina May and Pamela said my... read more