• Last updated 8/24/12 by Mothering Editorial

When you think of childbirth education classes, you may automatically think about being taught how to cope with labor by learning breathing techniques and how to control pain.Most childbirth education courses offer much more than this. You will find a broad range of them with different focal points and philosophies. Here are some of the things a childbirth class might offer:        Nutrition. You may be taught the basics about eating during pregnancy, or your class might go into a lot of detail about recommended vitamins, calorie requirements, and even recipe... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by emilyfrischmann

I am of course OBSESSED with natural birth.  Everybody really should be, because it is so awesome.  I am on the board of directors for an online birth education company and I teach classes and I blog about natural birth constantly.  But I am just a mom who has had some awesome birth experiences.  I was talking the other day to a doula friend of mine, Alexa Gumm, and asked her what SHE thought was most important for a mom planning a natural birth.  I LOVED her list of tips and wanted to share them with you.  (Of course, I couldn’t help but elaborate and add... read more

• Last updated 10/30/12 by Marcy Axness

Along with the cascade of benefits that most Mothering readers already know comes with vaginal birth, new research from Yale has identified yet another: vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein in baby’s brain cells that optimizes development of the hippocampus — an area central to such “complex behaviors in the adult” as learning, memory, and stress response. C-section delivery may actually impair this protein’s expression. I find it of interest that earlier this year another study came out linking early nurturing by mothers with larger... read more

• Last updated 10/25/12 by AdinaL

Photo by Ceci Jane Massa- There has been some media attention lately on the subject of the birth video.  More and more women are choosing to professionally photograph or record their birth experience.   I was really saddened by some of the comments on some of the mainstream media outlets about birth videos.  Over and over people were saying that they, “Didn’t want to see that!  GROSS!” or “That’s disgusting!”.  Others seemed to think that a woman who records her birth is somehow self-obsessed. For real women who choose to preserve their birth... read more

• Last updated 10/25/12 by AdinaL

From the Improving Birth website: Take Action! – We need women, men and children to come stand in support of evidence based maternity care for everyone on September 3, 2012. The Rally will be held in locations all over the country as the launch to Empowered Birth Awareness Week. The Purpose – The National Rally for Change is to encourage and insist that all maternal healthcare providers practice evidence based care. On average it takes 20 years for proven research to become practice. For the sake of mothers and babies everywhere, we can’t wait... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Melissa Scholes Young Web Exclusive - September 8, 2008 "Oh! When are you due?" The stranger reaches over and grips my belly between both hands. There is rubbing. There is patting. A stranger's finger is caressing my belly button. "Any day now..." I muster a smile and jiggle my five-year-old's hand. I'm sending her a message that now would be the perfect time for an inappropriately loud question or a temper tantrum—anything to get me away from this inevitable conversation. "Is it a boy or a girl?" I want to tell the stranger it's an alien or better... read more

• Last updated 7/23/12 by Mothering Editorial

Ideally, you will begin treatment at about 32 weeks, on confirmation of the presence of beta-strep in a vaginal culture, a urine sample that showed beta-strep, or a rectal sample. (Some doctors will do both a vaginal and rectal swab.) Treatment will include taking herbs orally that strengthen your immune system and applying herbs vaginally that will restore your healthy vaginal flora, that will enable your body to reduce bacterial overgrowth, and also that will directly fight the bacteria. As you enter the last few weeks of pregnancy, from 37 weeks... read more

• Last updated 7/23/12 by Mothering Editorial

Your sense of smell is heightened during pregnancy. You may be intensely attracted to some odors and strongly repelled by others. To keep the air in your home or office appealing, use an aromatic diffuser or simply place a few drops of essential oil in a bowl of water so that they can evaporate, naturally scenting the room. You can also boil a pot of water on the stove and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the pot. To make a recipe effective in alleviating morning sickness and headache, use 3 drops of lavender (Lavendula ... read more

• Last updated 7/23/12 by Mothering Editorial

Ecstatic Birth: The Hormonal Blueprint of Labor By Sarah J. BuckleyIssue 111, March/April 2002 Giving birth in ecstasy: this is our birthright and our body's intent. Mother Nature, in her wisdom, prescribes birthing hormones that take us outside (ec) our usual state (stasis) so that we can be transformed on every level as we enter motherhood. This exquisite hormonal orchestration unfolds optimally when birth is undisturbed, enhancing safety for both mother and baby. Science is also increasingly discovering what we realize as mothers- that our way of birth affects us... read more

• Last updated 7/23/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Taz TagoreWeb Exclusive - September 1, 2009 Music, like birth, is an enigma. Neuroscientists can’t pin down a specific part of the brain that is dedicated to music. Music moves like an apparition through our brain, lighting up neural circuits here, disappearing, then reappearing elsewhere to work its magic. Similarly, we can’t seem to come up with a scientific way to predict how a birth will unfold. Part of the miracle of childbirth is that it is always a surprise. Like childbirth, music’s impact is far-reaching. Music touches our physical bodies, stirs our emotions,... read more