In the words of Dr Michel Odent, “The hour following birth is undoubtedly one of the most critical phases in the life of human beings.” There are two reasons for this. Firstly, it is during the golden hour after birth where the bonding hormones peak in both mother and baby to help them fall deeply […]
Birth
Time To Throw Away the Clock?
I recently read a widely publicised Norwegian study (Adams et al. 2012) which found that the fear of childbirth can prolong labour. It concluded that fearful women labour for about an hour and a half longer than other women (about eight hours compared to six and a half hours). My first thought was “Great, this is a really important […]
Life As a Doula
“All forms of birth—physical, intellectual, spiritual, or emotional—bring one to the depths. The power to give birth originates in the creative life spirit birthing all, the seen and the unseen. According to Joseph Campbell, the source of life is beyond gender and the duality of male and female. However, when symbolizing the power that creates, […]
Protecting the Pelvic Floor During Childbirth
Protecting your pelvic floor during childbirth Vaginal birth is currently considered the safest way to birth for low risk mums. Reducing vaginal and pelvic floor muscle injury begins in pregnancy with maintaining strong pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and after 35 weeks preparing the pelvic floor with massage for the journey ahead. When labour is under […]
What Your Physician Hasn’t Told You About Pain and Medication During Labor and Birth
By Connie Livingston There are many questions that arise during pregnancy, and one of the most vital topics for pregnant mothers is that of the pain of childbirth. On television, in books, on the internet – all avenues of media cover childbirth pain in some way or another. Most of the time, however, it is […]
A Natural Easy Birth – Can Hypnosis Help?
Would you like to experience a more natural birth with less need for medication, medical intervention and that is better for you, your baby and your partner? This article covers the increasingly popular option of hypno-birthing, how it works and the benefits for everyone involved in the birth. Childbirth has to be painful, right? If […]