The Importance of Prenatal Education

By Mali Schwartz There are many prenatal programs that have been developed over the years to help women cope with childbirth.  The first childbirth education programs in America were conceived by men such as Dr. Fernand Lamaze, a French Obstetrician who introduced The Lamaze Method in 1951 through observing birthing techniques in Russia.  Dr. Grantly …

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Book Review: New Mother by Allie Chee

Reviewed by Jane Beal, PhD, CD(DONA), CCE(BWI) & CLS Allie Chee, author of New Mother: Using a Doula, Midwife, Postpartum Doula, Maid, Cook or Nanny to Support Healing, Bonding and Growth (Hestia Books & Media, 2012), is clearly an extraordinary person. She gave birth to her first baby at the age of 42 at home …

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How Caregiver Inquiry Can Shape Prenatal Care and Birth Experiences

By Anna Holder, CCE(BWI) “What’s your cesarean section rate?” “What is your episiotomy rate?” “May I eat and drink during labor?” “May I have a doula/ lots of family/ a photographer at my birth?” Women and their partners are often encouraged to ask these and similar questions when selecting a care provider for their pregnancy …

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Supporting Women Without Epidurals

Presentation at the Virtua Voorhees Hospital by Cathy Daub,  PT I recently gave two presentations on “Supporting Women Without Epidurals” at Virtua Voorhees, the local hospital in Marlton, NJ. The hospital has approximately 5,500 births per year and a 43% cesarean rate.  New Jersey and Florida have the highest cesarean rates in the country.  My …

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Birth Panel

  by Anna Holder CCE(BWI) Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures. – Han Suyin The fourth annual Hudson Valley Birth Options panel took an especially hard look at the truth this year. As in previous years a number of childbirth educators, doulas, midwives and mothers form a panel for local families to explore …

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The Power of a Birth Circle

  By Molly S. Wales CCE(BWI) Our small town of Athens, Ohio is home to a consumer birth group called The Birth Circle.  Over the ten years since it began, The Birth Circle has grown from a handful of mothers who got together to share their birth stories, to a powerful community organization that has …

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Silence In Labor

by Mali Schwartz     Why is it so important to create a quiet, peaceful atmosphere during labor?   And how can women take charge of creating a peaceful environment no matter where they choose to give birth? The Leboyer Method, established by Dr. Frederic Leboyer in the 1970s was proven to minimize the trauma and stress …

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Women Face the Risk of Pelvic Organ Prolapse after Childbirth

Elizabeth Carrollton writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com. One of the main reasons pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs is due to childbirth. The stress of birth can, in some cases, shift the organs in the pelvis from their normal positions. The most common organs affected during childbirth are the bladder and …

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Exploring The Home Birth Option

“I really want a home birth but…” How doulas and childbirth educators can help expectant parents explore the home birth option. By Monica Basile, CPM You might be wondering, is it a good idea to have home birth? How many times as a doula or childbirth educator have you heard someone say, “I really want …

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Please don’t hesitate to reach us, happy to be in touch.

Cristin Tighe
Executive Director & International Coordinator
info@birthworks.org
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