The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
|
An interactive resource for moms on easy steps they can take to reduce exposure to chemical toxins during pregnancy. Other excellent resources about avoiding toxins during pregnancy These are easy to read and understand and are beautifully presented. |
This is a collection of birth stories from a number of different distribution lists.
These stories are included here so that caregivers can get a better sense of the tremendous power they hold - for good or evil. Attending birth is a sacred trust, and compromising client care out of ignorance, inexperience, fear or selfishness is a sacrilege. Each of us has a responsibility to serve each and every woman, baby and family to the best of our abilities, and if our abilities aren't up to the task, we'd better improve them or refer.
Some stories include details of a triumphant birth, some are horror stories. I've tried to title them in a descriptive fashion so that pregnant women aren't exposed to horror stories they would rather avoid.
Naitre_enchantee
- "Enchanted Birth" - beautiful, birth using low toning and vibrations.
I wish our midwife-attended births in the US could be this hands-off, but
our licensing requirements make us "offer"/impose frequent monitoring (every
2-5 minutes during pushing) of the baby's heart tones. Still, we
can have similar births, except for the monitoring.
The Midwife Next Door
- A blog discussing midwifery, normal birth, and modern obstetrics - from
birthsense.org
Women in Charge
- Blog of Maria Iorillo, a homebirth midwife in San Francisco. She
also has links to other birth blogs.
20
Years of Birth Stories - Barbara Hernadez, California midwife
Have a Natural Childbirth
- This blog is created by a coalition of doulas, midwives and other natural
childbirth advocates to help you explore and discover the joys of natural
childbirth
Stuff Birth Junkies
Like - Here is the place where you are invited to post comments on
anything physical, spiritual, or emotional that you love about birth, birthing,
attending birth and beyond.
You can also look for midwifery blogs on Blog
Talk Radio, the worlds largest social radio network. Create your own
internet radio show. Listen to thousands internet radio shows and podcasts
live each day.
Motherhood Matters
- Insight into matters of motherhood and thoughts about why motherhood
matters.
Jacquie Munro is a
doula in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Her birth blog will remind
you of everything that's right about birth!
PTSD After
Childbirth Blog by Jodi Kluchar
If you have an inspirational birth story to share, consider submitting it to some of these print publications, in addition to web sites:
Fit Pregnancy: They pay $300. Their focus is overcoming challenges. It is great if you can tie in a health and fitness related aspect.
Homebirth Birth Stories from childbirth.org
Unassisted
Birth Stories - a collection from Bornfree
- The Unassisted Childbirth Page
You
can download short video clips of different "kinds" of births here,
including a homebirth and waterbirth. I'm weeping.... :-)
And now for something completely different . . . The
Birth of Grey Forest Walt ~ an outdoor birth
The
Midwife's Journal - by Joy Johnston. This is a terrific collection
of musings from the midwife's point of view.
How Homebirth Mom Handled Long Pushing Stage
A Midwife's Apprentice Tells Her Birth Story
Matthew's
Birth Story - A Homebirth after Two Hospital Births
Homebirth Transport for Section - Felt Betrayed
by Midwife
Homebirth Testimonies
- (A collection of letters from homebirth parents to their midwife.)
Being Born
Blessed (born in the rain) -by Leilah McCracken - this birth fantasy
is based on Leilah's personal birthing experience, and she does a wonderful
job of articulating the joy that is inherent in birth.
Waterbirth Stories
- a collection from Karil Daniels' Waterbirth
Website. You may also want to check out the Waterbirth
Photo Gallery.
Waterbirth
Birth Stories from Waterbirth International.
A Semi-Unassisted Waterbirth - My favorite waterbirth
story - this mama is so strong!
The
Water Birth, Starring Tom Digby Simpson - this is a very nice summary
of a labor, birth and immediate postpartum, with a nice timeline
and comments from the birth attendants.
Nikelle's
Story - As Told from a Mother's Heart - great photos!
Waterbirth of Ten-Pound Baby with No Tears
- Great description of the feelings of transition, and an account of the
use of the Gaskin Maneuver to resolve shoulder dystocia.
Waterbirth with lots of great
pictures
A Home Waterbirth with Sibling
OK First Birth and Dream Waterbirth for Second
Birth
See also: Unassisted Childbirth
Unassisted
Birth Stories - a collection from Bornfree
- The Unassisted Childbirth Page
Unassisted
Childbirth & Pregnancy Australia from purebirth-australia.com
homebirth.org.uk
has quite a few unassisted birth stories
A Picture of Faith,
Love, Trust, Blood, and VICTORY -by Katie Scribner
[Ed: birthlove.com is not available at this time.]
Awakening By Bethany
Fitzpatrick - This is an amazing personal essay about the experience of
a mother's developing a relationship with her baby/becoming a mother after
a cesarean birth. The focus is not on the mechanics of the birth or even
how this mother got to that point in her birth journey - it's about being
in the moment with herself and her baby in the aftermath.
C-section, VBAC, HBAC . . . Ecstasy? - "I
believe that our increasingly joyous birth experiences have been
a
real blessing to him and to us as a couple. "
Anita Plans Homebirth after A Cesarean And a Horrible
VBAC
War Story - Cesarean Poetry (Angry)
Poetry about Anguish from Cesarean
Kristi
- Our Miracle Baby - Mom Ignores Medical Advice to Abort A Troubled
Pregnancy and Births a Healthy Baby. Kristi was also one of the first
babies born naturally to a mother with multiple previous cesareans.
VBAC Success - Story and Rates
Jenny's Tale - Saga of a Birth Gone Wrong
or Yes, It Can Happen To You
Jenny Strikes Back - A Set of Letters and a Meeting
about the Unnecessary Cesarean
Horrible First Birth and Dream VBAC for Second
Birth
Mom with Previous Myomectomy Declines Unnecessary
Cesarean
Paralyzed woman watches helplessly as her unborn
baby is surgically removed!
Unnecessary
Cesarean with General Anesthesia resulting in severe postpartum depression
Eight Hours of Torture - Horrible Epidural Experience
Ends in Cesarean
Traumatic scheduled c-section for breech...VERY
LONG!!!
Marriage Problems after Cesarean
Telling Husband About Anger from Cesarean
The Pain Continues - How A Cesarean Birth Can
Affect a Marriage
Donna Young (Protect Babies web
site) and two other mothers have shared their birth stories in a peer-reviewed
medical journal, Medical Veritas. Contact
Donna for a copy.
Three Births - Hospital, Birth Center, and
Home - a dad writes about his children's births.
Face Presentation with Mentum Posterior
A Nice Hospital
Birth Followed by Two Fabulous Homebirths - by Sheryl Wright in New
Zealand
Four Posterior Births - Plans Next One As Waterbirth
Horrible Birth for Very Young Woman
The Radical Fringe
Mothering Page
Wonderfully supportive Web page written by a woman who was transformed
by her birthing experiences. It includes her two beautiful birth stories.
First Birth in the Hospital, Second Birth At
Home
Forceps, C-Section, VBAC, Homebirth
Importance of Husband's Support
Another Story on the Importance of Husband's
Support
General Anesthesia Horror Story
Attending Best Friend's Horror Birth - Coincidentally
Face Presentation
Second Birth Helped Heal from Trauma of First
Birth
Many pregnant women cannot get enough of other women's birth stories. Although we are not expanding this site, I encourage you to visit these other sites and contribute your birth stories as appropriate.
Positive Birth Stories - Reclaiming birth, story by story
TrufeLife Pregnancy Stories from pregnancycorner.com
Birth Stories from Lisa Bobrow's site
Ways of birthing and birth stories at Women of Spirit
Birth Story Diaries: real births, real pictures
Babies Online Birth Announcements
There is no faster way to introduce your new baby to the world than
the internet. Babies Online provides proud parents with the opportunity
to announce the birth of their newborns on the WWW by creating their very
own web page -- AND IT'S FREE!!
Birth Stories - This is a site full of birth stories. There are over one hundred birth stories on it now. Very diverse. Hospital births, birthing center births, home births and even a car birth! Some later updates on the kids. You can also add your own birth story.
ParentsPlace.com - a very large collection
Homebirth Stories - a collection from kjsl.com
Homebirth Birth Stories from childbirth.org
Waterbirth Stories - a collection from Karil Daniels' Waterbirth Website. You may also want to check out the Waterbirth Photo Gallery.
Unassisted Birth Stories - a collection from Bornfree - The Unassisted Childbirth Page
Another collection of Unassisted Birth Stories from Holistic Health and Life's Pregnancy Pages
Robin Elise Weiss' pages - Birth Stories
Birth Stories from The Revolutionary Passion of Mothering [Ed: birthlove.com is not available at this time.]
Ananda Lowe is collecting stories about "long" but healthy second stage (pushing) -
You can also submit your birth stories (either as a mom or as a midwife
to Midwifery Today - editorial@midwiferytoday.com. You may want
to read their
submission guidelines.
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