Dr Michel Odent on his WombEcology website says: “An overview of the “Primal Health Research Data Bank” will convince anyone that our health is to a great extent shaped in the womb. We have now compiled hundreds of studies detecting correlations between states of health in adulthood, adolescence or childhood and situations when the mother was pregnant.
There is also an accumulation of data suggesting that the way we are born has long-term consequences, particularly in the fields of sociability, aggressiveness, or, otherwise speaking, capacity to love.”
Read more from WombEcology…
Gallery of Easy Childbirth Video
A collection of easy childbirth video clips.
Induction
All too often someone rings me wanting me to induce her baby.
Most are panicked – rather than wanting to fit in with husband going away mother coming, holiday period looming. Most likely candidates for an induction (extraction of baby prior to body signaling ready)
WHAT IS THE RUSH?
The doctor says so?
Why?
Is it dangerous in there?
IS FIRST BABY really due on the ‘due date’?
It used to be EXPECTED (as in EDD)
Not all ovens cook at the same speed . . . .
Not all babies walk at the same time
Not all toddlers start talking in the same week/month . ..
IF THIS US YOUR FIRST, studies and observation show that it can take up to 12 days longer for the AVERAGE pregnancy to come to term.
Orgasmic Birth
What would happen if women were taught to enjoy birth rather than endure it?
In answering that question, Orgasmic Birth poses the ultimate challenge to our cultural myths.
Filmmaker Debra Pascali-Bonaro reveals a revolutionary approach to birth that is statistically safer and healthier for both mother and child than the birthing and delivery methods that are standard in many parts of the world today.
Follow this link to see what it should be like. www.orgasmicbirth.com
The physiological reference
During labour the fetus must suddenly adapt to dramatic alterations of its environment. It must protect itself, in particular via the release of hormones such as noradrenaline and endorphins. Long before the industrialisation of childbirth, all cultures have disturbed the birth process and therefore the in-labour intrauterine environment, even if only through beliefs and rituals. This is why we must first refer to the physiological perspective. Physiologists look at what is universal and cross-cultural. They offer a sort of reference point. Then the effects of the most common deviations from the physiological reference will be more easily interpreted.
Read more …
Out of the laboratory: Back to the darkened room
Read this enlightening article on the state of modern birthing from Midwifery and Infant Care (MIDIRS) Midwifery Digest
Men’s Role In Woman’s Business
Throughout the ages, where people lived in groups, it is likely that men and women had rituals, traditions and expectations. As we share experiences, it is also likely that those who had birthed before were those called upon to sit with those who found that their time was nigh – for comfort, support and the gained wisdoms.
In today’s world, due to many factors, the experiential side of this primal event seems to have been hijacked by deeply held fears . . .
Read more about men’s role . . .
The 7 Secrets of Being A Home birth Dad
All Dads to be are nervous or at least skeptical when their wife/partner first mentions the idea of having a home birth.
Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! There is so much to think about. With EVERY step along the way there are decisions to be made. Choices to be explored. Research to be examined.
Keep in mind there are pros and cons with EVERY choice along the way. The main thing for you to do is explore your options and then weigh up the risks and the benefits of your choices, with reference to your own family needs and values and that which you believe is best for you and your baby. A great acronym to remember is BRAN – Benefits, Risks, Alternatives and Nothing. In other words: what are the benefits of doing this, what are the risks of doing this, are there any alternatives to this choice and what happens if we do nothing at all.
Read More about Decision Making for Home Birth…
Post Cesarean
. . . living in your body.. birthing in all its glory
Our bodies are not just a collection of physical structures with a personality wired into them. We are also present as many fields of energy, grids and layers of consciousness, separate to our physical body and our thinking mind. These together allow us the depth and full experience of being here.
Read more about . . . living in your body..
“Birthing” and “Massage” DVDs
This is an extract from Heather’s DVDs, available on Massage – What Dads Can Do.