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My fourth little one was born at home. She was my first home-birthed baby. My first was a c-section due to breech, my second and third (twins) were a breech hospital vbac. With baby four, we decided to go with midwives for the personal relationship and their acceptance of our desire for a natural birth. When the time came, our …
After I married my husband, I often imagined what our future would be like together. I pictured what our home life would be like. A steady stream of chaos with kids going to and fro, countless activities, gadgets littered about the yard, leaving no question to onlookers that kids were being raised there. I thought of what my husband would …
My pregnancy test was negative. I asked my mom what could be wrong with me as I had to pee all the time! She looked me straight in the eye and said, “It is because you are pregnant with twins.” I assured her I was not and asked for other suggestions to determine the cause of my new discomfort. She …
Maybe it was serendipitous, maybe it was Murphy’s Law. Either way, my husband Dan and I were both shocked when my water broke at 4:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. This baby, our second child, was not due until January 4, but here I was on Christmas morning sitting in a puddle of amniotic fluid. When I woke Dan up, he …
[Note to Reader: Please be aware that this story deals with infant loss.] Finally, after losing our first pregnancy we were pregnant again. The weeks went by, tense and scary but we had made it past the risk of miscarriage. We were well into the safety zone and so excited. Our first daughter! My husband had two sons prior to …
Maternity care is changing, especially with the move to fund midwifery under Alberta Health Care. Women have been birthing babies since time began, and looking back in history, one can see that there have always been women there to support other women through childbirth. By the end of the 19th century, however, midwives in the United States and Canada were …
Choosing the right caregiver when you become pregnant can be overwhelming as well as difficult. In the past, financial considerations had often been the deciding factor in choosing caregivers to support you during birth. A doula may cost around $1,000. Hiring midwives used to cost around $3,500. However, midwifery services are now covered within our provincial health care insurance plan. …
Want a natural birth in a hospital setting? 10 questions to ask. Due to a variety of very odd geopolitical realities and bureaucratic idiocies I chose to have my baby delivered by an obstetrician in a hospital. I knew going into it that my choice of birth setting and birth attendant meant that my chances of having a natural birth …
Here’s a list of common diagnosis that can result in cesarean section and the alternatives a mother can try in order to avoid the surgery. Diagnosis Failure to Progress Mal-positioned baby? Change positions to encourage the baby to change too Emotional dystocia? Know yourself, get help and support before and during labour Maternal exhaustion? Ask for a break such as turn off induction drugs or …
A woman I met once told me about an extraordinary place to visit. She spoke about it with such enthusiasm and love that I had craved knowing more about this wonderful place. When I pressed her for more details she said she could not remember much about it! The place was called Labourland, she told me, and she had …
