Celebrity Moms & Natural Birth

Ricki Lake's Business of Being Born documentary was an eye opener for many and brought an incredible amount of awareness to natural childbirth and a woman's options when it comes to giving birth.

After releasing her book Your Best Birth, Ricki launched the My Best Birth online community where people can share experiences and stories on their pregnancy, natural birth and holistic parenting.

Celebrity Mamas Alyson Denisof, Cindy Crawford & Melissa Joan Hart were all interviewed by Ricki for the My Best Birth Celebrity Webisodes in regards to their birth choices and experiences.

It is wonderful to see celebrities opening up on the benefits of natural birth! Check out My Best Birth to watch the interviews and be sure to join this amazing community.

Abortions Can Cause Complications In Future Births

Canadian researchers have found that having an abortion increases the risks of premature births or to children with a low birthweight in later pregnancies.

The review of 37 case studies found that women who had undergone more than one abortion had a 72 per cent increased risk of having children with low birthweight and a 93 per cent increased risk of having a premature baby.
It also found that women who had an abortion in the first or second trimester had a 35 per cent increased risk of giving birth to a low-weight baby and a 36 per cent increased risk of having a premature baby.
The authors of the study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, stress that further studies are needed to assess the impact of new ways of carrying out an abortion, such as non-invasive treatments where women take a combination of pills to trigger a miscarriage.
Commenting on the study, Professor Philip Steer, editor-in-chief of BJOG, said: “This study highlights the need to assess and improve techniques in order to make termination of pregnancy safer for women.
“There is no question that ToP remains an essential part of women’s healthcare. However, it is important to evaluate the risks and benefits of different techniques in order to ensure safe procedures and healthy future pregnancies for women.”

Pregnant in America: A look at the exploitation of pregnancy and birth

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Pregnant in America examines the betrayal of humanity's greatest gift--birth--by the greed of U.S. corporations. Hospitals, insurance companies and other members of the healthcare industry have all pushed aside the best care of our infants and mothers to play the power game of raking in huge profits.

His wife pregnant, first-time filmmaker Steve Buonaugurio sets out to create a film that will expose the underside of the U.S. childbirth industry and help end its neglectful exploitation of pregnancy and birth.

Pregnant in America is the controversial story of life's greatest miracle in the hands of a nation's most powerful interests.

Labor pain may be a good thing according to male professor

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An associate professor in midwifery at the Nottingham University, Dr Denis Walsh is now saying that pain during childbirth is a good thing. He describes it as a "rite of passage" which often helps to regulate childbirth as well as help to strengthen a mother's bond with her baby, thus preparing her for motherhood.

Dr Walsh, who wrote on the subject in the journal Evidence Based Midwifery, agreed that in some cases epidurals were very useful.

But he said epidural rates had been rising over the last 20 years, despite the fact that alternative, less invasive ways to manage pain in labour were available.

He said pain in labour was known to have positive physiological effects, such as helping to establish a rhythm to childbirth.

It also triggered the release of endorphins which helped women to adjust to pain.

Dr Walsh said epidurals were known to increase the risk that hormone treatment would be needed to boost contractions, and that devices such as forceps would be needed to complete the birth successfully.

He said: "I am concerned that if we increase epidural rates we do not know the long-term impacts of that."

But he warned that a culture had emerged where most hospitals effectively offered women epidurals on demand.

Figures show the number of women receiving epidurals is on the rise. The have gone up from 17% in 1989 to 1990 to 33% in 2007 to 2008.

Dr Walsh said the NHS should encourage alternative ways to deal with pain such as yoga, hypnosis, massage and birthing pools.

I agree with many of Dr. Walsh's points however his colleague Ms. Longton's words mirror my own thoughts on the matter.

She said: "It is very difficult to talk about this unless you have been through it. Childbirth is such a different experience to breaking a leg, or breaking an ankle, and it is different for every woman.

"So anybody saying you must not do anything is unwelcome."

Ms Longton said it was vital that women who asked for an epidural were not made to feel they had failed in some way, as that was very likely to damage the bonding process with their baby.

Natural childbirth is not a common choice these days with C-sections, inductions, and epidurals considered the norm. I strongly suggest researching both sides before making a decision on your birth. I had both of my children without any form of pain medication and both births were empowering, life changing experiences.

The following is a video showing what happens during an epidural "What Happens during an Epidural".

Source: BBC NEWS

Source: Growing your Baby

Stress from Cesarean sections may alter DNA

Swedish researches are now saying that babies delivered by c-section may experience changes to the DNA of white blood cells. This could explain why they're at increased risk for immunological diseases such as diabetes and asthma later in life.

"Delivery by C-section has been associated with increased allergy, diabetes and leukaemia risks," said Dr Mikael Norman, a paediatric specialist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. "Although the underlying cause is unknown, our theory is that altered birth conditions could cause a genetic imprint in the immune cells that could play a role later in life."

Norman and his colleagues analysed blood samples from 37 infants taken just after delivery and samples taken three to five days after birth. The blood was analysed to assess the degree of DNA-methylation in the white blood cells, which are a key part of the immune system. In DNA-methylation, DNA is chemically modified to activate or turn off genes in response to changes in the external environment.

The 16 infants born by C-section had higher DNA-methylation rates immediately after delivery than the 21 infants born by vaginal delivery, according to the report, in Acta Paediatrica. Three to five days after birth, both groups of infants had similar levels of DNA-methylation.

More research is needed to determine why babies born by caesarian section have higher DNA-methylation rates after delivery.

"When babies are delivered by C-section, they are unprepared for the birth and can become more stressed after delivery than before. This is different [from] a normal vaginal delivery, where the stress gradually builds up before the actual birth, helping the baby to start breathing and quickly adapt to the new environment outside the womb."

Source

Breech Vaginal delivery is the better option

I was so excited to see this article in the Globe and Mail the other day!

C-sections have always been the way to deliver breech babies. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada is now launching a program for physicians to teach breech vaginal delivery.

Cesarean sections have always been a risky choice as the incisions which are made can lead to increased chance of bleeding and infections. It can also cause complications in later pregnancies. Many people don't realize that it takes the mother longer to heal from a Cesarean section then it does for vaginal delivery.

The national average for babies delivered via cesarean section in Canada is 25 per cent.

Physicians should no longer automatically opt to perform a cesarean section in the case of a breech birth, according to new guidelines by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.

Since 2000, C-sections have been the preferred method of delivery in breech births. Studies suggested that breached births were associated with an increased rate of complication when performed vaginally.

As a result, many medical schools have stopped training their physicians in breech vaginal delivery.

The problem now, according to Dr. Lalonde, is that there is a serious shortage of doctors to teach and perform these deliveries.

With the release of the new guidelines, the SOGC will launch a nationwide training program to ensure that doctors will be adequately prepared to offer vaginal breech births .

The new approach was prompted by a reassessment of earlier trials. It now appears that there is no difference in complication rates between vaginal and cesarean section deliveries in the case of breech births.

The SOGC stresses that because of complications that may arise, many breech deliveries will still require a cesarean section.

“The safest way to deliver has always been the natural way,” said Dr. Lalonde.

“Vaginal birth is the preferred method of having a baby because a C-section in itself has complications.”

"Breech presentations occur in 3-4 per cent of pregnant women who reach term. That translates to approximately 11,000 to 14,500 breech deliveries a year in Canada."

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