Many people feel they can go into labor with no preparation and have the birth they desire – this unfortunately is not true. There are many options when it comes to childbirth, each with it’s own risks and benefits. I encourage you to look into all of your options with an open mind. My class prepares you to make informed choices for you and your newborn. My class focuses on natural childbirth, but the class would benefit anyone preparing for birth.
Here are just a few of the questions that will be answered in my class:
- What tests will be preformed during my pregnancy and what are the risks/benefits?
- What should my diet be like during my pregnancy?
- What can I do to prepare my body for giving birth?
- What are comfort measures I can use during labor?
- What are the stages of labor and what can I expect in each stage?
- Can I tell how far I am in the labor process?
- What is the dad’s role in pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum?
- Where and how will I give birth?
- What are the benefits of breastfeeding?
- What are routine newborn procedures at the hospital?
- What can I expect in early postpartum?
- …And much, much more.
My class runs for four weeks and includes access to my library of childbirth, breastfeeding and childcare books and DVDs. A new series begins approximately every six weeks. I also offer the option of private classes. My class is $175.
*Price subject to change without notice.*
Birth is a beautiful, natural process. It is not something to fear. It is a rite of passage. The beginning of a woman’s menstrual cycle is the passage into womanhood. The process of birth is the beginning of a woman’s passage into motherhood.
Birth has historically been the highest honor a woman could achieve.
A woman’s body is designed to give birth. Her hips widen and ligaments and tendon’s stretch and loosen to prepare for birth. Muscles contract to move the baby through the birth canal.
A woman’s hormones are designed to support a woman during labor:
She gets Oxytocin which is the hormone of love (we also get it during sexual activity, hugging, eating, touching and breastfeeding). This hormone drives labor and prepares the mother and baby to bond with each other. It also keeps the mother from bleeding too much afterbirth.
She gets Beta-endorphin which is a natural opiate. It has properties in common with morphine and Demoral. It is a natural pain reliever as well as giving the woman a feeling of pleasure and connectedness.
She gets Adrenalin and Noradrenaline. These gradually rise so that they peak at the moment of birth. This protects the baby by stimulating it’s circulatory and respiratory systems. It also makes the mother more alert to begin bonding with her baby.
She also gets Prolactin. This is the mothering hormone. It is very important to reset the brain in preparation for motherhood. It is also present in breastmilk and is thought to be very important in proper brain development for the baby.
Medical interventions can block the natural flow of hormones. For example, Pitocin is an artificial form of Oxytocin used to induce or speed up labor. It can change the way that Oxytocin works in your body, increasing your chance of bleeding after birth and may also interfere with breastfeeding. Contractions will be longer, stronger and closer together, which can be stressful for the baby.
Epidurals also interfere with the body’s natural pain relieving hormones and have definite risks for mother and baby, including low blood pressure, high temperature and slowing of labor. Epidurals can also interfere with breastfeeding and perhaps mother-baby bonding as well.
Movement is very important in labor. It helps the labor to progress more quickly. It aids the baby in descending in the correct position which reduces the pain the mother feels. It also keeps the mother’s muscles from getting stiff and aids in blood flow to her body. You are unable to move if you have an epidural.
Information taken from Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr. Sarah Buckley
