Last night in our Free Monthly Prenatal Group, we got to talking about HypnoBirthing and Hypnobabies. These are the two most common “brands” of childbirth hypnosis, and they are getting increasingly popular as a method of preparing for birth. I’m a trained “hypno-doula”, meaning I’ve taken continuing education for supporting couples who are planning to […]
Women birthing with medical care providers such as doctors and registered midwives often have vaginal exams performed every 2-4 hours during a woman’s labour, depending on the care provider and birth location. I could go on and on about cervical exams and how important I believe it is to be extremely cautious with both choosing if or […]
Our baby boy decided to land on the earth under the star of his choice, Wednesday September 5th at 3:07am, at home on Bowen Island. 8.1 pounds, and not a day overdue at 43 weeks. Onyx Ganada (Raven) Davidson, Your pregnancy and birth has given me the vitality, strength, power, wholeness, and spiritual awe I’ve […]
My last baby was posterior. Will that happen again? What can I do to prevent it?” – This question is something I get asked at least once a month and see posted in birthing groups on what seems like a weekly basis. It’s my observation that MOST first babies are posterior for at least part of the […]
Breech birth, a variation of normal human birth that occurs in 3-4% of births, is something that has become a bit of a lost “art”, if you can call it that. There was a period of time where, based on a study that has long since been debated (the Term Breech Trial), it was thought […]
If you follow my blog or facebook page regularly, I think it is obvious that I think normal, natural childbirth is beautiful, amazing, and powerful. But the most important thing to me is that women have access to honest, accurate information so they are able to make informed decisions about their childbirth options. I will always […]
There is a lot of information out there on what your options are during childbirth. If you are out there getting yourself informed, you likely will have armed yourself with information on the common interventions and procedures that are standard practice during birth: fetal heart rate monitoring, cervical exams, induction, pain medication, etc. But do […]
The placenta is one of the most amazing organs of the human body. Whenever we can, we try to show our doula students a real placenta in doula training. Check out this video tour of the anatomy of the placenta, amniotic sac and umbilical cord! If you are interested in our Wise Woman Way of […]
Birth story as written by a Birth Takes a Village Client, and Wise Woman Way of Birth Doula herself! I look over the records. That bottom section for Comments – ‘if not normal’. And under it, in Midwife’s script, “Unattended Home Birth.” Diary Entry: Thought I was in labour on Saturday – then again on […]
Did you hear about the 3D ultrasound clinic in Canada that seems to have been giving EVERYONE a printout of the SAME baby?! We always knew our low-tech, non-invasive, guaranteed risk-free simplistic method of giving families photographic memories of their babies’ development was better! If you missed the CTV news article, here it is: Ultrasound […]
Encouraging your baby to turn head-down: Medical procedure for turning a baby: ECV (External Cephalic Version) Video of ECV Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on Vaginal Breech Birth: “In Canada, it was common for most breech babies to be delivered through a caesarean section (C-section). With this method, the baby is delivered through incisions made […]
I had always thought I’d have a hospital birth. After all, I wanted to make sure that my baby and I would be safe…where could be safer than a hospital? My sister Jessica is a birth doula and she told my husband and I that research shows home births are safer. But not until we began talking about […]
Where can I have a water birth in Vancouver? There are many advantages to having a water birth. You can easily water-birth at home if you have a bathtub, or you can rent or purchase a birthing pool. What about having a water birth in a Vancouver hospital? Some of the hospitals have tubs […]
“I’m sharing this story to create more awareness around how being an active decision maker in your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period greatly influences your ability to have a positive experience through each of these stages.” ~ Jen Reddish Birthing On My Own Terms: Some background: After a lot of research and changing of plans, […]
