Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
natural childbirth
Natural Delivery OK in Cases of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Feb 5th
Waiting for natural birth is as effective as inducing labor in pregnant women with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a new study shows.
IUGR, which affects about 10 percent of pregnant women, means that the fetus is much smaller than normal. At birth, these babies are more likely to have low blood sugar, an abnormally high red blood cell count and trouble maintaining their body temperature. These babies are also at increased risk for jaundice, infections and cerebral palsy.
Later in life, people who were restricted-growth babies may be more prone to behavioral disorders, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Currently, doctors have two main approaches for women with suspected IUGR who are nearing delivery. Some doctors induce labor because they're concerned about complications, while others await natural delivery.
This study compared the effectiveness of the two strategies among 650 women in The Netherlands. The researchers found that median birth weight was significantly lower among babies born after induced labor (2,420 grams) than among those in the spontaneous delivery group (2,560 grams). Both groups of babies had similar rates of adverse post-delivery outcomes.
The findings show that waiting for birth is equally as effective as inducing labor, the researchers concluded.
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The world’s SECOND pregnant man is due to give birth next month
Jan 26th
A transgender couple have revealed they are expecting their first baby in a month's time.
Scott Moore - thought to be only the second 'pregnant man' to go public - is due to give birth to a boy in February, with husband Thomas by his side.
The couple were both born girls and have undergone surgery to transform their sex.
Scott, 30, who is legally married to Thomas because he still has a female birth certificate, says he is eagerly looking forward to giving birth.
They have decided to call the child 'Miles'.
‘We know some people will criticize us but we are blissfully happy and not ashamed,’ Scott said.
The couple, from California, already have two children - Gregg, 12, and Logan, 10 - who Thomas had with a previous female partner.
The case is similar to that of Thomas Beatie, from Oregon, who made headlines around the world in 2008 when he gave birth to a girl.
Scott, who started out in life as a girl named Jessica, first realized he wanted to be a man when he hit puberty aged 11.
‘When I told my family they thought I was crazy but they gradually realized I was serious and allowed me to start taking male hormones when I was 16 years old,’ he said.
His parents paid £4,600 for Scott to have his 36DDD chest removed. However, he could not afford the gender surgery, so still has female organs.
Thomas, who used to be called Laura, had a hysterectomy and gender reassignment surgery last year.
They met in 2005 at a support group meeting for transgender men but lost touch – but saw each other again in 2007.
‘We knew we had to be together,’ Scott said. ‘Two months later I gave up my job to live with Thomas and the boys.
‘Now they call me “dad two”.’The couple, who live in a four-bedroom house, decided in December 2008 to try for a baby.
Scott was inseminated with the sperm of a male friend and fell pregnant in June 2009.
‘We were so happy we did what all gay men do when they get excited - we went shopping,’ Thomas said.
The couple have dismissed concerns that Miles might be teased at school, saying they are confident they can deal with it.
‘We've been through it already,’ Thomas said.
‘My son Logan was bullied but now he just says to teasers: “You may have a problem with my two dads but I don't so you're not hurting me”.’
Scott plans to have a natural birth at their local hospital. Their doctor and obstetrician have told the medics at the local hospital.
‘We didn't want everyone to be shocked when a man turns up to give birth,’ Scott said.‘We found it very difficult to get a doctor and midwife at first. It was hard when people didn't want to treat me.
‘No pregnant person should be denied healthcare just because they are a man.’
Thomas said: ‘We want to show the world that trans-families can be healthy, loving and nurturing.’
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A Natural Birth: Seamus’s Story
Jan 26th
My story starts back in 2006.
I have a history of miscarriage. I had two early losses before giving birth to Noah, but for some reason had thought it would not happen again.
We decided to start trying for another baby in December 2005, and got pregnant right away. However, this pregnancy sadly ended in a miscarriage at the end of January, a very traumatic loss.
Since this was my third loss, despite not being consecutive, I talked my GP into referring me to the hospital for further testing. I had a ton of blood taken for various different tests, however by the time my appointment came along to see the consultant to discuss my results I was already pregnant again, after suffering a chemical pregnancy the cycle before, it turned out this time the baby was going to stick. I had about 8 scans as they monitored my pregnancy very closely this time.
However, things were not to go completely smoothly, as at 16 weeks I consented to having the triple test done for Downs/Edwards syndrome/Spina Bifida, something I regret doing as I feel very strongly against abortion apart from in extreme medical circumstances. This test came back with an elevated risk for Downs Syndrome, at 1 in 200. (The risk for my age, 29, should have been 1 in 1000.) Due to my loss history I refused an amniocentesis. The risk for losing my baby was double the actual risk of it having Downs and I could not accept those odds. So I opted for a detailed scan instead. The scan showed no soft markers for Downs and confirmed what we already suspected was true, that I was carrying another little boy.
At 34 weeks, I had another scan which also showed no markers for Downs. The consultant tried to talk me into an amnio at that stage, which I refused, as I could see little point. She said,
Do you know what risk you are taking?
I felt that was completely ridiculous, as whatever abnormalities my child might have had, we would just deal with whatever came up. I would love my child no matter what and strongly believe that we got given what we can handle and no greater than that. My gut told me though that my child was healthy and I clung onto this.
We started to plan the delivery, our local hospital had recently upgraded their birthing pool so that mothers could actually give birth in it rather than just laboring in it and then getting out before the birth itself. I fully intended on using this pool, especially after researching it and finding out that a warm bath is the second most effective form of pain relief after an epidural!
I had an epidural with Noah’s birth which had not taken properly (just down one side) and I had some horrible side effects (nausea and shaking). I was determined not to have one this time.
A good family friend of ours, Joana, is a midwife and had delivered Noah, we had her on call whenever I went into labor, although she would need some assistance as this would be her first waterbirth.
At 39 weeks, 4 days, I woke up to mild contractions, timed them as coming every 10 minutes.
As the day wore on though, they did not intensify, or get any closer together. By the time Gary got home from work I was getting very frustrated and at that point not even bothered if they stopped, I just wanted SOMETHING to happen or let me get some rest. At 9 p.m., I decided to try and get some sleep so went to bed. It was difficult as I was woken with every contraction, but I was determined I would need some sleep if I was going to have any energy to deal with labor.
Somehow I managed to get to sleep and the next thing I knew, it was 1 a.m. and I awoke having a very intense contraction. I lay there timing them again, and noticed they were coming about 3 minutes apart and lasting about 50 seconds each. I woke DH and we both got up, rang the in-laws. I got dressed and headed over to the hospital. I rang Joana on the way over.
At this point my contrax were 3 min apart, but every now and again I would have an extra one in between; they were painful but manageable. When we got there they had the pool all ready for me and they checked me before I hopped in. Joana was shocked to find I was already 9cm dilated – so I had already gone through most of labour at home!
I got into the tub and as soon as I hit the water I hit transition and started to lose it. Seconds after, I felt a huge pop and my waters broke. (Great timing!) I managed to focus on the contractions, which were getting really intense.
About 10 mins after I started to feel the urge to push, my body just took over – this part always freaks me out, how the body just does things with no input.
With my last labor, the pushing had been very, very difficult, as I was on my back wired up to machines after having an epidural, and it took over 2 hours to get him out.
This time though, I was able to get right into a good position and let gravity help me. Still, I was nervous. I also tore badly last time and was worried about it happening again.
In the end though I just realized the faster I get him out the sooner the pain is over and just pushed along with my body. I knew he was coming soon. I could feel the infamous “ring of fire”.
Joana called the other midwife in. They got me to squat right in the center of the pool as low as I could and as he came out, they told me not to touch his head, as it might stimulate him to breathe. His head popped out and very soon after the rest of his body.
When they told me the time was right I brought him up to the surface and laid him on my chest. I remember thinking how soft his skin was and what a big boy! He didn’t even cry and soon pinked right up nicely.
Seamus weighed on at 8lbs, 4oz, born at 4.50am (45 minutes after reaching the hospital) on the 24th February 2007. Perfectly healthy.
Written by Claire Louise. Read more details of the story here.
Four amazing childbirth stories from 2009
Jan 5th
-Southwest Airlines is often recognized as kid-friendly, and last year the airline proved that they're even equipped to deliver a baby. In December, a woman gave birth on a flight en route to Salt Lake City. When the woman went into labor, the pilot diverted the flight to Denver but this baby wanted to make a grand entrance at 30,0000 feet and was born in the back of the plane with the help of a doctor and two nurses who happened to be onboard.
-Think childbirth in an airplane sounds exciting? How about delivering in a helicopter? Natasha Watahomigie lives in the remote Supai Village at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where the only way out on land is by horseback. In December she went into labor several days early and a chopper came to the rescue. Her baby popped out on the short flight to a hospital. Natasha isn't the only member of her family to be born in a helicopter. Her sister delivered in a helicopter on Christmas day over 11 years ago.
-A playwright unexpectedly starred in his own drama when he helped his wife deliver their baby girl in the back seat of a Manhattan taxi last fall, according to the NY Post. Addison Proctor, and his wife, Sally Schuiling, were in a cab speeding from their Upper West Side apartment to NYU Medical Center when the baby's head popped out. "I scooped her up and put her on my chest, and she was breathing right away," Schuiling told the Post.
-Milwaukee mom Annmarie Schulte already went through three cesarean sections, and she was determined to have her fourth child naturally, according to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinal. Some doctors told her it shouldn't be done. Vaginal births after two c-sections are considered risky because they can cause uterine rupture. But Schulte found two midwives who agreed to work with her and a hospital where she could deliver. Only Schulte never made it to the hospital. She and her husband were caught in rush-hour traffic after her contractions started and they got in the car. In the front passenger seat of a 1998 Toyota Corolla, Schulte delivered her baby herself--can you get more natural than that? Schulte named her baby Cecilia Freeway Schulte.
Do you have an unusual birth story?
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