• Created on 7/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Jill MacCorkleIssue 110, January/February 2002 For updated information about ACOG's stance on VBACs read "ACOG Recommends Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) as Safe and Appropriate," July 23, 2010. The July 5, 2001, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contained a study by Mona Lydon-Rochelle et al.1 and an accompanying editorial by Michael F. Greene, MD,2 which together generated much media attention and discussion of the risks of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Although the study actually contains little new or groundbreaking information and relies... read more

• Created on 12/31/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Rachel GathercoleIssue 110, January-February 2002 When I tell people I had a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and did it at home, they are often incredulous. "Is that safe?" they ask. "Did they know you'd had a cesarean before?" Perhaps in their minds they ask other questions: "What kind of quack let you do that?" "Are you crazy?" The truth is that many women have had home VBACs. And, although some people believe that we sacrificed safety to have our babies at home, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I believe that being at home actually made my... read more

• Created on 5/31/09 by Mothering Editorial

Common Signs of Pregnancy: Some women will have guessed they are pregnant even before taking any tests. Trust yourself, if you feel like you may be pregannt take your body seriously. Symptoms of pregnancy can appear quickly and may include any of the following, but many women will experince none of these. Common signs of early pregnancy: Missed Period Breast Tenderness (similar to menstruation) Dizziness or Feeling of Being LightHeaded Fatigue Frequent Need to Urinate Runny Nose or Watery Eyes Constant Thoughts About Pregnancy or Baby, or the "Feeling" of... read more

• Created on 5/8/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Joanne RendellWeb Exclusive - September 22, 2008 Over the last few years, the publishing industry has given birth to a new genre: mommy lit. Jennifer Weiner's Little Earthquakes, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic and Baby, Jane Green's Babyville, Emily Giffin's Something Blue, and Risa Green's Notes from the Underbelly (to name a few) have arrived in bookstores with their glossy covers and tales of pregnancy and contemporary motherhood. Whether the authors like it or not, their books have been given the moniker mommy lit—usually by reviewers who see such works as an... read more

• Created on 2/19/11 by Mothering Editorial

Once you are having regular contractions, you are considered to be in true (or active) labor. The duration and distance between contractions will differ from labor to labor, but they may be around 5 minutes apart or less. You cervix will, at this point, probably be dilated to about 3 or 4 centimeters. You are entering the first stage of labor. The first stage of labor continues until it is time to push the baby out, which is the second stage of labor.Throughout history, women have given birth in upright postures: sitting, standing, and mostly squatting. We know this is... read more

• Created on 2/13/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Erika-Marie S. Geiss According to the December 2007 report "Births, Preliminary Data for 2006" issued by the National Vital Statistics System at the Centers for Disease Control: "The cesarean delivery rate in the United States increased in 2006 to over 31 percent, a new record high and further evidence pointing towards a nationwide change in obstetric practices. The cesarean rate has increased more than 50 percent over the past decade." Among the mitigating factors for planned or scheduled caesarean deliveries are multiple births, obesity, and other health... read more

• Created on 2/19/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Kathryn Valdal FourieWeb Exclusive - June 12, 2006 While this might be a little known subject in most birthing circles, birth art has been used for centuries: to honor the mother and her transformation, to help women confront their fears with creative energy, and to help enrich the birth process by tapping deep inner resources. Today, you can create and explore your own birth art to do the same. Whether through drawing, painting, sculpting, writing, dancing or singing, your birth art can help you understand how you envision birth at the deepest level. Like dreams,... read more

• Created on 12/2/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Susan Yoder Ackerman Web Exclusive The blizzard howled as if it wanted to strip the tin roof from our log house. "Here, Robby darling, take this aspirin," I whispered, trying to hold my bathrobe closed across my pregnant belly. My husband turned to glare at me, his breath coming in short, rasping gasps. Let me wake up from this nightmare, I thought. This stranger is not my husband. He rolled the pills around on his fingertips, then swallowed them and slipped back into fevered sleep. I crawled under the covers beside him, but there was no sleep for me. All that... read more

• Created on 1/13/11 by Mothering Editorial

As you prepare for your baby’s birth, the third trimester is a good time to start observing a Soul Day, a holy day for your family. In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is a day in which things are to be left as they are, a day for being- not doing. Follow this tradition or embellish your own. Choose one day of the week to be your family’s Soul Day. Do whatever you feel like doing. Stay in your pajamas all day. Don’t answer the phone or go anywhere. Turn off the television. Putter around the house and eat small meals all day long. Take a long nap.... read more

• Created on 1/13/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Peggy O'Mara Nausea and vomiting, the most common conditions of pregnancy, affect up to 80 percent of all pregnant women. Commonly called “morning sickness,” nausea and vomiting can occur throughout the day. Rarely does this cause problems for mother or baby, and most often it resolves itself around the 12th week of pregnancy, when levels of the pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) plateau. Ninety percent of nausea and vomiting is relieved by the 22nd week of pregnancy. For a small percentage of pregnant women, however, there is no relief.... read more