first bath

this is so incredible, 

and makes me wish she would give me a bath!

a much different visual then we see in North America.

what hasn't changed about motherhood in 50 years

checkout these gorgeous photographs taken by Ken Haymen, 

discovered after emptying out his storage facility. He found a box entitled "Mothers"

Beautiful and relevant, somethings about motherhood never change. 

these are a few of my favourites, check out more here

celebrity home birth

I don't normally post things like this, 

nor would I make this kind of decision based on what a celeb was doing or did but

good to see home birth getting some positive press 

here's 14 celebrity mom that had home births

“I had the opportunity to experience the natural process of birth and it was one of the most life changing experiences for me and very very special!,” she said. “I believe it’s a woman’s right to make the decision about how she’s going to give birth to her child. And it’s also her right to have access to the information she needs so she can make that decision from a place of awareness, and not a place of fear.”

                                                                           - Gisele Bundchen

also happy to see a couple of Canadians made the list!

why do women give birth on their backs?

This is an interesting article exploring why 85% of UK and 90% of American women

(no stat on Canadian women although I'm guessing it would be inline with these figures) are still giving birth on their backs! It's true though, when you think of a woman giving birth most of us envision a women laying on her back in a hospital bed. Anything and everything else is considered  'alternative'...

I have to admit, I was one of them- during my pregnancy with Oliver I knew I wanted a natural birth (because the thought of samurai sword of a needle inserted into my spine was far more terrifying than pushing a baby out of my vagina), I gave some thought to different positions to labour in but not really about what position I would birth in and for the majority of my pregnancy I felt that hospital would be safer and I would feel more confident and comfortable there. Then my midwife asked me a simple question WHY, why did I feel this way? and I couldn't answer it, not very coherently anyway. And so I went home and thought about it. The answer was because I didn't know birth any other way. My mom gave birth to me in a hospital and her mother gave birth to her there too presumably both on their back. While I didn't have a fear of birth or of having a terrible, painful experience but when I thought about birth I pictured a woman in the hospital on a bed. That was just what you do, part of our culture. 

It wasn't until after that conversation that I really explored the option of home birth, watched births online, movies etc and created a new vision for myself that I could really open myself up to it. And then came time to pre-admit at the hospital. Ugghh, from the second I stepped foot in the door the misery at the front desk taking my information managed to put me in my place. Rained on my I'm a soon to be first time mama  parade and treated me like I was a waste of time, an annoyance and so my conviction of a hospital birth as the place I would feel more comfortable and confident
birthing at quickly changed. 

While home birth may never be the right choice for some and vice versa for hospital, let's get back to birth positions and changing our cultural norms of the vision of what birth looks like. Having done it both ways, I would always opt  and encourage other woman to go for upright! Let gravity work for you instead of fighting against it, yes my pushing stage was likely to be shorter regardless of position for my second and third child but coming in at about 7 and 5 minutes compared to 1.5 hours the first time is saying something!

It's reasons like this that I share my birth stories, not for accolades or praise or to one up anyone. But to help change the vision of birth for anyone that might be interested. To let woman know that if birthing on your back in a hospital isn't right for you, it doesn't have to be.

and so I'll end with a link to this birthphotography site,
with the most beautiful photos of all different types of births.
The new vision of what birth is or can be.

this post

attention all pregnant, soon to be pregnant or maybe sometime in the future to be pregnant ladies. 

this post is a must read for a healthy pregnancy and delivery! 

that's right what got you into this will also benefit you throughout, well the rest of your life but definitely improve the next nine crucial months!

Benefits of sex for a healthy pregnancy, labour and delivery

Pregnancy

- boosts immune system

- you are less likely to have many GBS outbreaks since semen 

contains anti-biotical properties effectively killing the GBS!

- it helps you sleep and not just from the physical act tiring you out but the release of oxytocin mixed with any melatonin present brings on the sweet slumber!
-prepares your perineum by encouraging good circulation and elasticity of your perineal tissues
- healthy PC muscles allow for a more controlled pushing stage and less chances of tearing. Having sex throughout pregnancy will mean well oxygenated, more toned and conditioned PC muscles. Also be sure to do lots of squats (how to add squats to your life coming in another post!) or better yet squats while having sex... ensuring the muscle is toned, long and elastic not bulky and rigid
-the prostaglandins in a man's semen help to soften and ripen the cervix which will mean its prepped and ready for dilation when the time is right.
-keeps the intimacy alive! beside the science of releasing specific hormones and their effects on the body, a loving and healthy relationship is so important as you embark on the next chapter ... parenthood.

Labour and Birth
- being sexually active in pregnancy will allow you to reap the benefits during labour, your toned pelvic floor will be aligned with the pelvic basin, your perineum will be sinewy and relaxed. Your cervix will be prepped and soft, your immune system at its best and you'll be ready to embrace the hormones of labour.
-create an ambiance as you would in the bedroom, low light, gentle sounds, music.
-touching, kissing, nipple stimulation, skin to skin contact are all beneficial during labour
-movement is key, allow your body to open up just as you did to create the baby,
use it to help get the baby out! Going on all fours, squatting, forward bend,
move your hips to help align baby into the right birthing position

to read the full post click here

funnies

a little Tuesday birth humour

microbirth

Please take a moment (or nine minutes rather) and watch this trailer. 

it's about a feature length documentary looking at birth through the lens of a microscope. It explores the latest scientific research into the microscopic events that occur during and immediately after birth. 

"This compelling, brand new science is starting to indicate that if the natural processes of childbirth are interfered with or bypassed completely, this could have devastating consequences for the long-term health of our children. Just to be clear, this film is not calling for an end to interventions as many times they are essential and they can be life-saving. But as this new science is starting to indicate, the use of synthetic oxytocin to induce or speed up labour (Pitocin / Syntocinon), antibiotics, C-section, the routine separation of mother and baby immediately after birth and formula feeding, could significantly raise the risk of our children developing serious disease later in life. And as the film shows, the medicalisation of childbirth could even be contributing to a potential global human catastrophe predicted to happen by the year 2030. 

This catastrophe could have a devastating impact for the future of our species.

The clock is clicking down to an event that we have been describing as "global warming for the species".

But there is hope. "MICROBIRTH" suggests a potential solution. For this new science is presenting us all with a golden opportunity. For if we act now to make change happen, we could improve the life-long health of our children and we could even put the brakes on this impending global disaster.

This is a factual, scientifically rigorous documentary featuring academics from, amongst others, Ivy League universities and leading institutions from the United States, Canada and Europe. 

We believe this film is the most important film we will ever make. But we need your help to get the film finished and seen around the world. So that together, with your help, we can make change happen. 

We believe this is a moment in history.

The choice of what happens next is a choice that belongs to all of us."

 via One World Birth

Please check out their indiegogo campaign to find out how you can support this incredibly important film!

what we learned about having babies in 2013

this is a great article by the Huff post summarizing key research published about having babies in 2013. While there is so much information out there, it can hard to sift through and process all of it. But having knowledge is power and the key to making the right decisions for you and your family. 

8 things we learned in 2013 about having babies

"When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, it seems like parents-to-be often fall into two camps: Those who devour every bit of information they can get their hands on about what to expect and how to prepare (heh), and those who take a less-is-more approach when it comes to the latest research.
But really, keeping up with all the information being thrown at you -- at the same time that you're doing the very hard work of growing your family, or trying to -- can be overwhelming. That's why we assembled this list of eight of the biggest health research findings about preconception, pregnancy and childbirth to come out in the last 12 months -- with the caveat that science is a process and any finding requires replication and verification before it's considered definitive. Because while we at HuffPost Parents support anyone's decision to put their heads down, ear-buds in and do this whole baby-having thing their own way, we also believe that being informed can help parents-to-be make decisions that feel right to them -- in consult with their doctors, nurses, midwives, etc.
So with that in mind, here are just eight of the most interesting things researchers learned about making and having babies in 2013:

1. Sleep and diet can affect fertility.


What makes one couple particularly fertile, while another struggles for months or years to get pregnant is, in many cases, a mystery. And though infertility is often due to factors that are entirely out of a couple's control, more and more research suggests that, in some cases, certain lifestyle factors, like sleep and diet, can make a difference. One study found that women who do shift work (working outside of the typical 8 to 6 framework) may have disrupted menstrual cycles and reduced fertility, while another found that getting between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night was linked with the best outcomes among patients undergoing IVF. In terms of nutrition, one preliminary study suggested that women with polycystic ovarian syndrome hoping to conceive may benefit from eating a large breakfast and a smaller dinner in order to help with insulin levels, which can affect hormones.

2. Specific fertility treatments lead to more multiple births.
 
A major report that delved into why the number of twins and other multiples in the U.S. is so much higher now than it was four decades ago found that a third of all twin births, and more than three-quarters of all triplet and higher-order births (i.e. multiples of three or more) were due to the use of some form of fertility treatment. But notably, the report also found that in vitro fertilization -- often singled out as the main culprit -- was, in fact, no longer the greatest contributor to the rate of multiples. Instead, other treatments, such as ovulatory medications, were the top cause.

3. Miscarriage is more common than most people know.


When researchers with Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx polled a group of more than 1,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 69, they found that they grossly underestimated how common miscarriage, or the loss of a fetus before the 20th week is: More than half said it occurs in fewer than 6 percent of all pregnancies, but estimates suggest it actually happens in roughly 15 to 20 percent. Moreover, many respondents wrongly identified the major causes, citing stress, oral contraceptives and physical exertion, when, in fact, chromosomal abnormalities are most often to blame. The study wasn't meant to stoke fear, but rather to point out how much misinformation there is about miscarriage, and how that can leave the women and men affected by it feeling very alone.

4. Maternal exercise benefits newborns' brains.

Exercise is, understandably, the last thing on many women's minds when they're exhausted, sick and can't remember the last time they saw their toes, but one study showed that just a bit of moderate exercise (in addition to helping with things like mood and sleep) might also boost babies' brain activity, by contributing to a healthy fetal environment. Babies born to women who clocked at least 20 minutes of moderate cardio three times a week appeared to be better at processing certain sounds, which may have implications for overall brain development. "Our results show that the babies born from the mothers who were physically active have a more mature cerebral activation, suggesting that their brains developed more rapidly," the study researcher told HuffPost.

5. Junk food addiction may start in the womb.

It was a highly preliminary study done in rats, but an investigation out of Australia nonetheless raised interesting questions about what can happen when women eat a significant amount of junk food during pregnancy. Researchers found that rats whose mothers ate diets high in fat and sugar (think sweet cereals and potato chips) had a greater preference for high-fat foods after birth than those whose mothers ate a diet that was low in fat and sugar -- and the gene expression in the reward pathways of their brains was changed, so that they had a greater predisposition to a junk food addiction later in life. Though it's too early to say if the findings can be extrapolated to humans, the study's main researcher argued that the "take-home message for women is that eating large amounts of junk food during pregnancy and while breastfeeding will have long-term consequences for their child's preference for these foods."

6. Pregnancy interventions are common ... and not always welcome.

Despite the fact that roughly 60 percent of moms in the U.S. who were included in a survey about birth practices and beliefs said they feel giving birth is a natural process that shouldn't be interfered with unless it's absolutely necessary for medical reasons. However, one-quarter of the women surveyed said they had at least three interventions during birth, from taking drugs to speed up or start labor to having a C-section. Twenty five percent of respondents who were induced or had an epidural said they felt pressured at the hospital to do so, as did 13 percent of those who had a C-section. 

7. Midwifery care is linked to better outcomes.

Most women in the U.S. rely on doctors to provide their primary care during pregnancy and birth, but a growing minority rely on midwives, and a Cochrane review lent some serious support to that model. The review found that consistent midwifery care throughout pregnancy was linked to better outcomes for mothers and their babies, compared to women who saw family physicians, OBs, or some mix of health care providers. Women who worked with midwives had lower rates of episiotomy and epidural useand they were less likely to deliver their baby prematurely. None of the studies cited were conducted in the U.S., but the review's lead author argued that the findings are still relevant in this country.

8. Delayed cord clamping has benefits.


The clamping and snipping of the umbilical cord can be a memorable post-birth moment -- particularly for hands-on fathers and partners -- but an investigation released in 2013 suggests its best done at least a minute or two after the baby is born. The review of 15 previously published trials from around the world found that delaying by just one minute can increase a newborn's iron supplies for up to six months post-birth." article source

birth and beyond conference

In just over a week, I'm going to see Ina May Gaskin
speak at the birth and beyond conference
I purchased the tickets months ago and now that it's so close,
my excitement level is through the roof.

She's the founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Centre located near Summertown, Tennessee
which has handled more than 3,000 birth with amazing outcomes, low intervention and cesarean rates. She lectures all over the world and is a champion for women's birthing rights.

check out the Birth Story documentary trailer below to catch a glimpse of the Farm and Ina May!
This documentary is so incredibly good, with archived footage of the midwives giving birth to their own babies in the 70's and 80's.

most popular birthday

As it turns out,  Sept 16 is the most common birthday in the US. 

Based on Harvard University research of birth records in the United States between 1973 and 1999, September 16 is ranked 1st with the most number of births on this day. 

Guess there are lots of holiday celebrations to thank for that!

How popular is your birthday?

 

 

why Finnish babies sleep in boxes

Recently Finland was voted as the best place to become a mother.

Not only do they have one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world,

but for 75 years their Government has provided every expectant mother with box

 containing starter items, like clothing, sheets, a mattress, toys, of course this box that can and is used as a bed and so much more! Regardless of economic background, every baby born in the country is given an equal start. Of course women have the option to accept the box or a grant if they wish to purchase their own items but 95% of women opt for the box! 

and I would too, it's kind of spectacular....

 photo via

check out the full BBC article "Why Finnish babies sleep in boxes"

 so good, wishing this was an option for all mothers!