A Gift From Life

Gisele Bundchen blogs about her amazing birth!
March 8 was International Women's Day and the Brazilian beauty chose to launch her new website on this special day and share her pride in being a powerful woman. The 29-year-old model mom will continue to share information and raise awareness for environmental issues, childbirth, motherhood, health, spirituality and so much more. Here's Gisele's first blog entry, entitled A Gift From Life:http://blog.giselebundchen.com.br/?p=772&lang=en

A Wake Up Story

A Wake up Story by Healthy Child Healthy World
A Wake-Up Story is a must-see video for every parent and anyone that cares about the health and development of children. Watch it. Share it. Join the movement. Awakeupstory.org

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

10 Tips to Avoid a Cesarean Section

10 Tips to Avoid a Cesarean Section

Did you know that the United States has a 31.1% Cesarean rate?

Did you know that the hospitals in our area have an even greater rate...40-50%?!

We need to realize that cesareans are major abdominal surgery and that includes all of the risks that go along with major surgery. To name a few: longer hospital stay; longer and more painful recovery; higher risk of infection, organ damage, adhesions, hemorrhage, embolism, and hysterectomy; higher chance of a complication with the next pregnancy; less initial contact with the baby; less success breastfeeding; higher risk of respiratory problems for the baby; and the most catastrophic complication of all: maternal death.

In Susan J. Buckley, M.D.'s book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, she states, "Studies show that the risk of the mother dying after cesarean surgery, although low overall, is around four times higher than after vaginal birth, even considering maternal health conditions."(1-3)

Wow! So what can we as women do about this? The following list is a compilation of tips to help any expectant mother avoid the possibility of major abdominal surgery...a Cesarean section.

10 Tips to Avoid a C-Section

1.Choose a doctor who is supportive of normal vaginal deliveries and one who believes cesareans ought to be avoided.


2. Choose a spontaneous labor.


3. Hire a doula, or labor assistant.


4. Choose to move in labor. Upright positions generally give the best results.


5. Choose intermittent fetal monitoring instead of continuous.


6. Choose an unmedicated birth. If you choose an epidural, wait until you are dilated at least 5 cm to get it. Taking a Childbirth Education Class or HypnoBirthing Class can offer many options for non-medicated births.


7. Learn about different pushing positions and talk to your doctor about this.


8. Take good care of you and your baby during pregnancy. Eat 80 to 100 grams of protein daily.


9. Learn about optimal fetal positioning. http://www.spinningbabies.com/


10. Stay at home until you're sure it's labor.

Educate yourself. Know your options. Ask questions. Know the benefits and risks of various procedures.

THE BIG THREE:
*ALLOW LABOR TO START SPONTANEOUSLY
*STAY AT HOME UNTIL YOU'RE SURE IT'S LABOR
*WAIT UNTIL 5CM IF YOU GET AN EPIDURAL

Afterthoughts: We must realize that in some cases a cesarean is needed in order to have a healthy mother, healthy baby. We are thankful for the technology we have today for those few cases that truly need that kind of intervention. If you do find yourself in this category, there is still hope. Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) is a safe and empowering option. You can find out more information and support at the following website: http://www.ican-online.org/


References:
1. Harper MA, Byington RP, Espeland MA, Naughton M, Meyer R, Lane K. Pregnancy-related death and health care services. Obstet Gynecol. Aug 2003;102(2):273-278.
2. Enkin M, Keirse M, Neilson J, et al. Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2000.
3. Deneux-Tharaux C, Carmona E, Bouvier-Colle MH, Breart G. Postpartum maternal mortality and cesarean delivery. Obstet Gynecol. Sep 2006;108(3 Pt 1);541-548.

Childbirth Classes New York & New Jersey

Birthing Wisdom –Childbirth Classes

Please register early as the spaces fill quickly.
It's recommended that you sign up for a childbirth course three months prior to your due date.

This is a comprehensive 8 week series of childbirth and parenting education classes.
Extensive lectures in the birth process, birthing options and numerous relaxation techniques are taught. Other topics include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, cesarean section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care.

The philosophy of the class is based on the belief that birth is a normal and natural function of the human body. Expectant women/couples need to understand the process that lies ahead but also and more importantly, to prepare for this journey physically, mentally and emotionally. With the knowledge gained from the classes, many fears regarding birth and parenting are diminished and or relieved allowing an expectant mother to understand and trust the physical sensations she experiences.
The coach or birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey.

Pauline Nardella shares with her expectant families 20 plus years experience as a Maternal Child health Nurse and 17 plus years as a childbirth and parenting educator.

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date & Time: April 27th – June 15th on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm
For further information contact:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA
Clinical Nursing Professor
Certified Childbirth Educator
Board Certified Lactation Consultant
845-323-1830
info@BirthingWisdom.com
www.BirthingWisdom.com

HypnoBirthing® Classes in New York/ New Jersey

HypnoBirthing® -The Mongan Method

Birthing Wisdom

Please register early as the spaces fill quickly.

This is a comprehensive 5 week series of childbirth, parenting and self hypnosis education classes.
Hypnobirthing® is as much as philosophy as it is a technique. It is a rewarding, relaxing, stress-free method of birthing that is based on the belief that when a mother is properly prepared for birthing physically, mentally, and spiritually, she can experience the joy of birthing her baby in an easier, more comfortable manner.
The method is based on the belief that severe discomfort does not need to be a natural accompaniment of labor.
The aim of the program is to build confidence in the mother and for her to have confidence in her own ability to birth her baby. The philosophy of the Hypnobirthing® program is to educate the mother about the wonders of her body, to eliminate fear, as well as teach her the skills to work with the birthing process rather than fight against it. In many cases it is fear that undermines the mothers confidence in herself. The mother is introduced to techniques of self hypnosis utilizing controlled deep breathing, visualization and imagery to produce deep relaxation.

The coach and birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey. Extensive lectures in the birth process, birthing options and numerous self- hypnotic & relaxation techniques are taught. Other topics include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, c-section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care.

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date & Time: March 9th - April 13th Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:30pm
For further information contact:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA, CCE
845-680-0385
info@BirthingWisdom.com
www.BirthingWisdom.com
National website for HypnoBirthing: www.HypnoBirthing.com

Postpartum Depression Strikes Fathers, Too

Postpartum Depression Strikes Fathers, Too
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/health/08mind.html

Problems with New Induction Brochure

http://www.thefamilyway.com/home/archives/233

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has published a new consumer brochure on labor induction. Unfortunately, this brochure is poorly written and misleading. One would think from reading the brochure that elective induction is a completely innocuous procedure that is fine for any woman who is “uncomfortable” (their word!) towards the end of her pregnancy. Just recently the National Center for Health Statistics released released a report on the rise of late preterm births in the U.S. and placed part of the blame on obstetric interventions such as induction and scheduled cesarean surgery. When we all should be working together to reduce unnecessary inductions, I am shocked that AHRQ has published such a misleading brochure.
Here are my strong objections to this brochure:
1. Inside Front Cover: Fast Facts – The second fact, “A cesarean section (c-section) might be needed if there are problems with labor. This is true for labor that is induced and for labor that starts on its own” implies that there is no difference between risk of cesarean surgery for those who are induced and those who begin labor on its own. This is misleading.
2. Inside Front Cover: Fast Facts – The fourth fact, “The risk of C-section with elective induction depends on if you have ever had a baby before” is true. However, the more important fact for consumers is that the risk of C-section is doubled for first-time mothers if labor is induced. This fact is conveniently left out.
3. Page 2 – A consumer brochure published by a “scientific” agency of the government should include the fact that misoprostal (Cytotec) has not been approved by the FDA for use in labor and that, in fact, the FDA has issued a strong warning about its use in labor.
4. Page 3 – Under the reasons why someone might not want to induce labor, there should be more information about the risks of iatrogenic prematurity. This pamphlet is written at a low literacy level. Unfortunately, we know that women from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to delay getting prenatal care. Without an early ultrasound to confirm the due date, there can easily be a 2 to 3 week error in calculating the due date.
There is also no mention of the possible benefits to the baby of allowing labor to begin on its own. Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School believe that it is the baby who initiates labor once the lungs are fully mature. Neonatalogist Dr. Lucky Jain said at the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference: Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request in March 2006 that:
“In summary, physiologic events in the last few days of pregnancy, coupled with the onset of spontaneous labor, play a critical role in fetal maturation and preparation of the fetus for neonatal transition.” (last paragraph on page 104 of the conference papers)
5. Page 5: Statement of bottom of page – “ Research can’t tell us if any one woman’s chance of having a C-section is different is she chooses to be induced rather than waiting labor to start on its own.” This statement infuriates me. Yes, it’s true (for any one woman), but it minimizes the increased risk of cesarean with an induced labor. Why include this statement unless the intent is to downplay the risks of induction?
6. Page 6 – The statement, “Research shows that inducing labor does not mean that babies have a higher chance for a newborn breathing problem…” is also misleading. According to Dr. Lucky Jain (see #4 above) there are important physiological benefits to the baby in allowing labor to begin on its own. And if the due date is off and the baby is born late pre-term, then there is compelling evidence that the baby is at higher risks for respiratory and other problems.
7. Page 6 – The statement “Research doesn’t have the answers about the effect inducing labor can have on the use of pain medications, length of hospital stay, breastfeeding problems, and problems for the baby during labor” is also misleading. Earlier in the brochure, the authors acknowledge that induced contractions may be stronger and more painful earlier in labor. I don’t think that there is any doubt among healthcare professionals that induced contractions are more painful and that women who are induced are more likely to request epidural analgesia. For the first-time mother whose risk for cesarean is doubled with induction, there is a greater risk for longer hospital stay, breastfeeding problems, and problems for the baby if cesarean surgery is required.
8. Page 8 – Things to Think About: Question: Am I more likely to have a C-section if I have my labor induced? The first line of the answer, “Research can’t tell us if inducing labor makes having a C-section more likely than waiting for labor to start on its own” is untrue for first-time mothers. The second line of the answer, “But your chances of a C-section are higher if you have never had a baby vaginally before” may be a little confusing for some readers and fails to include the important information that the risk for cesarean surgery is doubled for first-time mothers who are induced.
9. Page 8 – Fourth Question: The correct and appropriate answer to “How can I improve my chances of having a vaginal birth?” is to allow labor to begin on its own. This brochure addresses only elective induction!
10. Page 9: Questions to Ask Your Doctor or Midwife – Most of the questions do not provide the information needed to make a true informed decision. None deal with the potential risks of elective induction.
I certainly hope that you will not distribute this brochure in your childbirth classes and that you will consider voicing your own objections to this poor use of taxpayer dollars which has the potential of increasing requests for elective inductions; increasing the risks for unnecessary cesareans; and increasing medical complications for both mothers and babies.

Delayed Cord Clamping Should Be Standard Practice in Obstetrics

http://academicobgyn.com/2009/12/03/delayed-cord-clamping-should-be-standard-practice-in-obstetrics/
Delayed Cord Clamping Should Be Standard Practice in Obstetrics
December 3, 2009Nicholas FogelsonLeave a commentGo to comments
There are times in our medical careers where we see a shift in thought that leads to a completely different way of doing things. This happened with episiotomy in the last few decades. Most recently trained physicians cannot imagine doing routine episiotomy with every delivery, yet it was not so long ago that this was common practice.

Episiotomy was supported in Medline indexed publications as early as the 1920s(1), and many publications followed in support of this procedure. But by as early as the 1940s, publications began to appear that argued that episiotomy was not such a good thing(2). Over the years the mix of publications changed, now the vast majority of recent publications on episiotomy focus on the problems with the procedure, and lament why older physicians are still doing them (3) (4). And over all this time, practice began to change.

It took a long time for this change to occur, and a lot of data had to accumulate and be absorbed by young inquisitive minds before we got to where we are today, with the majority of recently trained OBs and midwives now reserving episiotomy only for rare indicated situations.

Though this change in episiotomy seems behind us, there are many changes that are ahead of us. One of these changes, I believe, is in the way obstetricians handle the timing of cord clamping.


For the majority of my career, I routinely clamped and cut the umbilical cord as soon as it was reasonable. Occasionally a patient would want me to wait to clamp and cut for some arbitrary amount of time, and I would wait, but in my mind this was just humoring the patient and keeping good relations. After all, I had seen all my attendings and upper level residents clamp and cut right away, so it must be the right thing, right?

Later in my career I was exposed to enough other-thinking minds to consider that maybe this practice was not right. And after some research I found that there was some pretty compelling evidence that indeed, early clamping is harmful for the baby. So much evidence in fact, that I am a bit surprised that as a community, OBs in the US have not developed a culture of delayed routine cord clamping for neonatal benefit.

I think that this is a part of our culture that should change. This evidence is compelling enough that I feel like a real effort should be made in this regard. So to do my part in this, I am blogging about it.

As this is Academic OB/GYN, of course I am going to lay out this evidence I speak of. But before I do that, I want to present some logical ideas under which this evidence ought to be considered.

Prior to the advent of medical delivery, and for all time in animals, it has been the natural way of things for a baby to stay on the umbilical cord for a significant period of time after delivery. Depending on culture and situation, the delay in cord separation could be a few minutes or even a few hours. In some cultures the placenta is left on for days, which of course I find excessive and gross (5). But whatever the culture and time on cord, the absence of immediate cord clamping allows fetal blood that was previously in the placenta to transfuse back into the baby. Studies have demonstrated that a delay of as little as thirty seconds between delivery and cord clamping can result in 20-40 ml*kg-1 of blood entering the fetus from the placenta (6).

Considering this data, I have to think about evolution and function. I am a strong believer in evolution, but even under creationist thinking I have to believe that if the system meant for babies to have been phlebotomized of 50-100 cc of blood at birth, we would have been born with higher hemoglobins. Clearly the natural way of things is for this not to happen.

So does this mean that early cord clamping is necessarily harmful? Absolutely not. But what it means is that the burden of proof is on us to prove that early cord clamping, which amounts to planned fetal phlebotomy, is a beneficial thing. Otherwise, all things being equal we ought to give the tykes a few minutes to soak up what blood they can from the placenta before we cut’em off.

So the question is whether or not there is strong data either way.

It is easy to imagine a randomized study of immediate vs. delayed cord clamping, with quantitative analysis of fetal lab values and clinical outcomes. So easy in fact, that it has been done many times – and in just about every study, there is a clear benefit to delaying cord clamping, even if it is just for 30 seconds after delivery. These benefits include important outcomes such as decreased rates of intraventricular hemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates. Furthermore, aside from some intermittent reports of clinically insignificant polycythemia and hyperbilirubinemia in term infants, there appears to be no harm that can be linked to delayed cord clamping. It feels like being a doctor 10-15 years ago looking to see if there is any data about episiotomy, and finding that there’s a lot, and it says we’ve been doing it wrong for awhile now.

So here’s the data:

Delayed cord clamping in very preterm infants reduces the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis: a randomized, controlled trial(7)

Randomized 72 VLBW infants (< 1500 grams) to immediate or delayed cord clamping (5-10 vs. 30-45 seconds). Delayed cord clamp infants had significantly less IVH (5/36 in delayed group vs. 13/36 in immediate group, p = 0.03) and less late onset sepsis (1/36 vs. 8/36, p = 0.03).

The Influence of the Timing of Cord Clamping on Postnatal Cerebral Oxygenation in Preterm Neonates: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (8)

Randomized 39 preterm infants to immediate clamping vs. 60-90 second delay, and examined fetal brain blood flow and tissue oxygenation. Results showed similar blood flow between groups, but increased tissue oxygenation in the delayed group and 4 and 24 hours after birth.

Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping on iron status in Mexican infants: a randomized controlled trial(9)

Randomized 476 infants to immediate or 2 minute delayed clamping and followed them for 6 months. Delayed clamped babies had higher MCVs (81 vs. 79.5), higher ferritins (50.7 vs. 34.4), and higher total body iron. Effects were greater in infants born to iron deficient mothers. Delayed clamping increased total iron stores by 27-47mg. A follow up study showed that lead exposed infants with delayed clamping also had lower serum lead levels than immediate clamped infants, likely due to iron mediates changes in lead absorption.

A randomized clinical trial comparing immediate versus delayed clamping of the umbilical cord in preterm infants: short-term clinical and laboratory endpoints(10)

Infants delivering at 30 to 36 weeks gestation randomized to immediate vs. 1 minute delay. Delayed group had higher RBC volumes (p = 0.04) and hematocrits (p < 0.005), though there was no difference in RBC transfusions. There was a small increase in babies requiring phototherapy in the delayed group (p = 0.03) but no difference in bilirubin levels between groups.

Immediate versus delayed umbilical cord clamping in premature neonates born < 35 weeks: a prospective, randomized, controlled study (11)

Randomized 60 infants to clamping at 5-10 seconds vs. 30-45 seconds. Delayed clamping infants had higher BPs and hematocrits. Infants < 1500 grams with delayed clamping needed less mechanical ventilation and surfactant. Trend towards more polycythemia in delayed group, but not statistically significant.

And that’s just some of it. I’ll be happy to send you an Endnote file with a pile more of you’d like it. If the burden of proof is on us to prove that immediate clamping is good, that burden is clearly not met. And furthermore, there is strong evidence that delaying clamping as little as 30 seconds has measurable benefits for the infant, especially in premature babies and babies born to iron deficient mothers.

So basically, we should be doing this. I’m going to try to effect some change in my department, but there are a lot of things that need to happen for us to change as a general culture. It can’t just be the OBs. L and D nurses and pediatricians need to buy in as well.

Some people will argue that premature babies need to be brought to the warmer right away for resucitation. I don’t know the answer to this, but it’s worth study. One might think that it is important to intubate a very premature baby right away, but I have to wonder if that intact cord will be better at delivering oxygen to the baby for 30-60 seconds than the premature lungs. Particularly in cases of fetal respiratory acidosis, there is strong logical argument that a baby might be better resuscitated by unwrapping the cord and letting it flow a bit than trying to oxygenate it through its lungs. Until that placenta is detached, you have a natural ECMO system. Why not use it? Certainly there are exceptions to this logical argument, abruption being the biggest one, and perhaps even severe pre-eclampsia and other poor feto-maternal circulation states.

I wonder at times why delayed cord clamping has not become the standard already; why by and large we have not heeded the literature. It is sad to say that I believe it is because the champions of this practice have not been doctors, but midwives, and sometimes we are influenced by prejudice. Clearly, midwives and doctors tend to have some different ideas about how labor should be managed, but in the end data is data. We championed evidence based medicine, but tend to ignore evidence when it comes from the wrong source, which is unfair. It is fair to critique the research and the methods used to write it, but it shouldn’t matter who the author is. In this case, Mercer and other midwives have done the world a favor by scientifically addressing this issue, and their data deserves serious consideration.

To quote Levy et al (12) “Although a tailored approach is required in the case of cord clamping, the balance of available data suggests that delayed cord clamping should be the method of choice.” We ought to heed this advice better. Like episiotomy, this change in practice may take awhile, but we should get it started. I’m going to work on it myself. How about you?

1. Martin DL. The Protection of the Perineum by Episiotomy in Delivery at Term. Cal State J Med 1921 Jun;19(6):229-31.

2. Barrett CW. Errors and evils of episiotomy. Am J Surg 1948 Sep;76(3):284.

3. Rodriguez A, Arenas EA, Osorio AL, Mendez O, Zuleta JJ. Selective vs routine midline episiotomy for the prevention of third- or fourth-degree lacerations in nulliparous women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008 Mar;198(3):285 e1-4.

4. Gossett DR, Su RD. Episiotomy practice in a community hospital setting. J Reprod Med 2008 Oct;53(10):803-8.

5. Westfall R. An ethnographic account of lotus birth. Midwifery Today Int Midwife 2003 Summer(66):34-6.

6. Weeks A. Umbilical cord clamping after birth. Bmj 2007 Aug 18;335(7615):312-3.

7. Mercer JS, Vohr BR, McGrath MM, Padbury JF, Wallach M, Oh W. Delayed cord clamping in very preterm infants reduces the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 2006 Apr;117(4):1235-42.

8. Baenziger O, Stolkin F, Keel M, von Siebenthal K, Fauchere JC, Das Kundu S, et al. The influence of the timing of cord clamping on postnatal cerebral oxygenation in preterm neonates: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 2007 Mar;119(3):455-9.

9. Chaparro CM, Neufeld LM, Tena Alavez G, Eguia-Liz Cedillo R, Dewey KG. Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping on iron status in Mexican infants: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2006 Jun 17;367(9527):1997-2004.

10. Strauss RG, Mock DM, Johnson KJ, Cress GA, Burmeister LF, Zimmerman MB, et al. A randomized clinical trial comparing immediate versus delayed clamping of the umbilical cord in preterm infants: short-term clinical and laboratory endpoints. Transfusion 2008 Apr;48(4):658-65.

11. Kugelman A, Borenstein-Levin L, Riskin A, Chistyakov I, Ohel G, Gonen R, et al. Immediate versus delayed umbilical cord clamping in premature neonates born < 35 weeks: a prospective, randomized, controlled study. Am J Perinatol 2007 May;24(5):307-15.

12. Levy T, Blickstein I. Timing of cord clamping revisited. J Perinat Med 2006;34(4):293-7.

Infant and Child CPR, Choking & Safety

Infant and Child CPR,
Choking & Safety



In the US nearly 400 children under the age of four die every month due to unintentional accidents!
This class presents age appropriate home proofing and safety concerns
inside and outside the home from infancy to toddlerhood.
Learn how to deal with an emergency situation.
Infant/Child CPR and choking will be presented and reviewed by participants
with hands-on return demonstration on sanitary "CPR Dummies".
Safety & CPR handouts are given to each participant for display at home.
Safety packet/booklet also included.

Babies always welcome to attend with their parents

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date: January 23, 2010
Time: 10-12:30 pm
Fee: $30.00/pp
Register: Class fee must be paid in full prior to the class.
Please send check to:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA
2 Pvt. Lovett Ct
Blauvelt, NY 10913

Limited enrollment of 16 participants
Private classes also offered

To receive further information or to sign up for the next class:
email info@BirthingWisdom.com
or call 845-680-0385
www.BirthingWisdom.com

Birthing Wisdom Natural Childbirth Class

Please register early as the spaces fill quickly.
It's recommended that you sign up for a childbirth course three months prior to your due date.

This is a comprehensive 8 week series of childbirth and parenting education classes.
Extensive lectures in the birth process, birthing options and numerous relaxation techniques are taught. Other topics include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, cesarean section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care.

The philosophy of the class is based on the belief that birth is a normal and natural function of the human body. Expectant women/couples need to understand the process that lies ahead but also and more importantly, to prepare for this journey physically, mentally and emotionally. With the knowledge gained from the classes, many fears regarding birth and parenting are diminished and or relieved allowing an expectant mother to understand and trust the physical sensations she experiences.
The coach or birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey.
Pauline Nardella, RN, MPA, CCE,
Certified Childbirth Educator
Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Pauline Nardella shares with her expectant families 20 plus years experience as a Maternal Child health Nurse and 17 plus years as a childbirth and parenting educator.

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date & Time: January 12th to March 2nd on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm
For further information contact:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA, CCE
845-323-1830
info@BirthingWisdom.com
www.BirthingWisdom.com

Natural Childbirth Classes: New York & New Jersey

This is an 8-10 week series of childbirth education classes, which supports the thought that a mother instinctually knows how to birth her baby. These classes teach an expectant mother to focus within, through her labor of life. By gaining knowledge about the journey of pregnancy, labor and birth, fears are diminished and relieved thus allowing a mother to understand and trust the physical sensations she experiences. The birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey.

Extensive lectures in the birth process and numerous relaxation techniques are discussed including breath awareness, massage, visualization, vocalization, aromatherapy, acupressure, movement and positioning. Other topics covered include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, cesarean section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care. Every birth is different for every woman and in many ways an individualized experience. With this said, I also believe that one must have a knowledge base regarding the choices available. Class discussions will include natural, non-pharmaceutical techniques to manage your labor as well as pharmaceutical options. Birth planning and preparation will include the risk vs benefits of medical interventions, that way the expectant mother and her partner make the best decision for their birth as it unfolds. My classes are well balanced with information and hands on practice. These classes will prepare a family for a hospital, birth center or homebirth experience.

It's recommended that you sign up for this course at least three months prior to your due date.

www.BirthingWisdom.com

HypnoBirthing® Fertility Consultant

According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, 6.1 million American women and their partners experience difficulties in conceiving a child. Worldwide it is estimated that 10 to 15% of couples of childbearing age experience infertility.

Many of these families will turn to Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Studies have shown that including hypnotherapy in their treatment can double their success rate.

The Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association reported in 1999 that 42% of women were able to conceive within six months of being taught mind/body relaxation techniques. Additionally, these women were able to affectively decrease their levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Other studies have been conducted, all with similar results.

To find a HypnoBirthing Fertility Consultant near you go to www.HypnoBirthing.com