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labor there more comfortably, feel more in control of the process and can more easily avoid interventions. Many moms seek out a midwife’s services because they don’t want to repeat the conventional hospital experience that accompanied their first baby’s arrival. When actress Ricki Lake gave birth to her second child in her home bathtub with the assistance of a mid- wife, she felt empowered by doing it on her own terms. “Giving birth wasn’t an illness, something that needed to be numbed. It was something to be experi- enced,” she says. When women let their bodies nat-


By 2006 Cesarean


delivery was the number one surgical procedure in American hospitals.


~U.S. Centers for Disease Control


feeds off of her feel- ings and emotions. “The more we can feel at peace with ourselves and in- corporate the baby into our being, the more we feel a con- nection and union,” she says. “It’s vital


that you let your body’s innate wisdom be your guide and respect any cues it may give.”


Campbell guides expectant mothers through a yoga practice that embraces the changes occurring each trimester. For example, a more physical practice in the second trimester utilizes the surge of energy to build stamina and strength, while opening the heart, hips and pelvis.


urally lead, labor can last as little as 20 minutes or as long as two weeks, and the spectrum of pain intensity is equally broad. A healthy prenatal lifestyle that prepares a mom-to-be for a natural physical, emotional and spiritual expe- rience of childbirth is highly beneficial.


Compassionate Self-Care “Pregnancy’s not the time to overexert yourself; let go of the temptation to over- achieve and instead practice breathing and mindfulness,” advises Campbell. “If you’re experiencing morning sickness, try to embrace it and how it serves you. By doing so, you’ll be more in tune with your body. These lessons are gifts you can take with you into labor.” She reminds women that the baby


is always getting nourishment from all that mom eats and breathes in, and also


Complementary relaxation tech- niques for labor include breathing practices, visualization, meditation and massage. When a mother isn’t connect- ed to monitors and tubes, she’s free to experiment with positions and props such as balls, bars and pillows, plus a warm shower or bath. If a hospital birth is planned, Gaskin notes that labor often slows once a woman leaves the comfort of home, and recommends laboring at home as long as possible. There is no way to predict the course of labor and delivery when women let nature take the lead. Camp- bell, a mother of three, says, “I tried to focus on the intention of what I wanted for my birthing experience, while also surrendering expectations, knowing that I would have whatever type of birth I was supposed to have.” She adds, “The breath is the most important thing—it


Conscious Childbirth Resources


The Yoga of Pregnancy Week by Week: Connect With Your Unborn Child through Mind, Body and Breath by Mel Campbell


Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds by Cynthia Gabriel


Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin


Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin


Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein


The Business of Being Born a film by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein


Mothering Magazine’s Having a Baby, Naturally by Peggy O’Mara


keeps us in the moment, helps us to relax and supports us through labor.” While the home birth option is


important to America’s new genera- tion of trailblazing women, it’s also significant on a macro level. Gaskin explains, “It’s hard for staff to change routine practices in hospitals but home births make innovation possi- ble.” Home births demonstrated that women don’t require routine episiot- omies and have shown how maternal mobility and position changes can help labor progress and free badly stuck babies (earlier methods often injured mother and child). Gaskin has found, “Wherever and


Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.


~W. Clement Stone


however you decide to give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, mind, body and spirit for the rest of your life. No one should have a home birth who doesn’t want one, but it must be one of the choices.”


Meredith Montgomery publishes Natural Awakenings of Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com).


28 Twin Cities Edition NaturalTwinCities.com


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