Natural Birth

     

Natural childbirth is a philosophy of childbirth that is based on the belief that women who are adequately prepared are innately able to give birth without routine medical interventions. Natural childbirth arose in opposition to the techno-medical model of childbirth that has recently gained popularity in industrialized societies, and is a childbirth philosophy that attempts to minimize medical intervention, particularly the use of anesthetic medications and surgical interventions such as episiotomies, forceps and ventouse deliveries and caesarean sections. A woman's definition of 'natural' may range from no intervention at all to birth which includes any intervention deemed appropriate. The application of this philosophy may occur during a physician or midwife attended hospital birth, a midwife attended homebirth, or an unassisted birth.The term "natural childbirth" was coined by obstetrician Grantly Dick-Read upon publication of his book Natural Childbirth in the 1930s, which was followed by the 1942 Childbirth Without Fear.

Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding.

A practitioner of midwifery is known as a midwife, a term used in reference to both women and men, although the majority of midwives are female.In addition to providing care to women during pregnancy and birth, many midwives also provide primary care to women, well-woman care related to reproductive health, annual gynecological exams, family planning, and menopausal care.

Midwives are specialists in low-risk pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, although they are trained to recognize and deal with deviations from the norm as well as certain high risk situations. Obstetricians, in contrast, are specialists in illness related to childbearing and in surgery. The two professions can be complementary, but may be at odds in some countries, where obstetricians are taught to "actively manage" labor, while midwives are taught not to intervene unless necessary. Most midwives are familiar with the process of physiological management and the use of gravity in aiding the process of labor.

Videos

• Online film series about normal, natural woman-centered birth

• The Business of Being Born-The Business of Being Born is a 2008 documentary film that explores the contemporary experience of childbirth in the United States. Produced by Ricki Lake, it compares various childbirth methods, including midwives, natural births, epidurals, and Cesarean sections.

• More Business of Being Born- watch instantly (four part DVD series that continues their provocative and entertaining exploration of the modern maternity care system.)

• Birth into Being

• Born in the USA

• Birth Day

• Gentle Birth Choices

• It's My Body, My Baby, My Birth

• Orgasmic Birth

Choices In Childbirth
Birthing from Within
The Bradley Method
Lamaze International
HypnoBirthing
Blissborn
HypnoBabies
www.sheilakitzinger.com
www.hencigoer.com
www.hencigoer.com


BIRTH MATTERS:

• Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

• Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner, MD, MS

• Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis Floyd, PhD

• Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD

• Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block

• Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy

• Cesarean Voices published by ICAN

• Birth Reborn by Michel Odent, MD

• The Cesarean by Michel Odent, MD

• Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner, MD & Stephanie Gunning

• Birthing from Within by Pam England, CNM & Rob Horowitz, PhD

• Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic and Birth by Suzanne Arms

• The Thinking WomanÅfs Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer & Rhonda Wheeler

• Obstetric Myths vs. Research Realities by Henci Goer

• Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper & Suzanne Arms

• Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth

• The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth,by Sheila Kitzinger

• (Knopf,2003).

• A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth,by Murray Enkin,et al.

• (Oxford University Press,2000).

• The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence, Judith Lothian and Charlotte De Vries (Meadowbrook,2005).

• Simple Guide to Having a Baby, by Janet Whalley, Penny Simkin, Ann Keppler

• Your Amazing Newborn by Marshall Klaus and Phyllis Klaus

• The Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon

• Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America, Expanded Edition by Richard W. Wertz and Dorothy C. Wertz

• Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Childbirth by Giuditta Tornetta (Meadowbrook,2005).

• Ending Female Pain by Isa Hererra, PT renew-pt.com

• Childbirth without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth by Grantly Dick-Read and Michel Odent

• Mothering Magazine http://www.mothering.com

• Brain Child

• Midwifery Today

• Cookie

• Mindful Mama Magazine

Groups/Reference/Sources

Keep Calm Birth Affirmation - Free printable

Goshen Birth Center

Michiana Birth- list of birth professionals

American Association of Birth Centers (AABC)

Childbirth Connection

Waterbirth International


Tips for Your Postpartum Transition Postpartum Depression

NATURAL CHILDBIRTH CLASSES

6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. over 3 weeks with add-on breastfeeding workshop available. Held in the home of an expectant couple or at Northern Nutrition in Shipshewana For couples planning childbirth at home or in a birthing center. Limit 7 couples per series. Stephanie Price, teacher, mother, midwife’s assistant, doula Call Stephanie Price, Childbirth HELPS, at (574) 333-4903.$100 for the 3-week class. Fee covers everything. Hosts pay half. Should Steph be at a birth and have to cancel, she will call class participants’ voicemail by 1 p.m. the day of the class. Bring: a pen, a bed pillow, anything special you need, and a snack to share for the LAST CLASS. 

We are an education center offering Childbirth Preparation, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Care classes for the pregnant mother and her support person. We also provide a community of support with many classes (baby sign language, cloth diapering, baby wearing), support groups (traumatic birth healing), and activities for parents and their babies during the transition into parenthood.

www.birthmatters.com

BOOKS
MAGAZINES