How an Eagle Chooses Her Mate

In one of my childbirth class meetings, following the suggestion of Pam England in her excellent book Birthing from Within, parents take clay and shape it into the form of an animal whose parenting skills in the wild they admire. This simple artwork and the discussion of it is often revelatory. This week, a mother in my class created an eagle, and then explained why by telling this story, which comes from the Wintu tribe in California:

HOW THE FEMALE EAGLE CHOOSES HER MATE
(As told by the Wintu Tribal Elders of California)

When it comes time for the female Eagle to choose her mate, she prepares herself for many suitors. And many come before her. She looks them over quite well and then picks one to fly with for awhile.

If she likes the way he flies she finds a small stick, picks it up and flies high with it. At some point she will drop the stick to see if
the male can catch it. If he does, then she finds a larger stick and flies with it much higher this time. Each time the male catches the
sticks, she continues to pick up larger and larger sticks. When she finds the largest, heaviest stick that she herself can carry, the stick is at this point almost the size of a small log! But she can still fly very high with this large stick.

At any time in this process, if the male fails to catch the stick, she flies away from him as her signal that the test is now over. She begins her search all over again. And when she again finds a male she is interested in, she starts testing him in the exact same way. And she will continue this "testing" until she finds the male Eagle who can catch all the sticks. And when she does, she chooses him, and will mate with him for life.

One of the reasons for this test is that at some point they will build a nest together high up and will then have their Eaglettes. When the babies begin to learn to fly, they sometimes fall instead. It is then that the male must catch his young. And he does! 


This is a beautiful story, which I am still thinking about. I wanted to share it in case it might be meaningful to anyone else.

Advice for Cesarean Birth from Experienced Moms

A cesarean birth is every bit as meaningful as a vaginal birth. It becomes an intimate part of a family's story and life journey together. Everyone who is pregnant needs to be aware of what's involved in a cesarean because sometimes conditions arise in childbirth which necessitate cesarean for the sake of mother's health, baby's health -- or both.

Women who have experienced emergency, planned and repeat cesarean have shared their thoughts and insights about how to prepare here: http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/csections/polltips.htm/. Read their wise words out as you create your birth plan so that you can be aware of what you do and do not want in case of cesarean birth.

The Millbanks Study (2008)

I recently found the Millbanks Study, "Evidenced-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve," online. I recommend it to smart mamas and papas with time to read as well as all health care professionals involved in childbirth, especially medical doctors and OB/GYNs. Read the report here:

http://www.milbank.org/reports/0809MaternityCare/0809MaternityCare.html

Risks of Medical Induction of Labor

Did you know that medical induction of labor is the leading cause of late pre-term birth and poses serious risks to mother and child? that "low uterine fluid" and "pregnancy induced hypertension" are common reasons doctors order inductions? That these conditions can often be prevented with good hydration, nutrition and heart-rate raising exercise? Learn more at

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/240_20202.asp

http://www.hencigoer.com/articles/elective_induction/

Sister Birth Blogger

My friend Vivian just sent me the link to Molly Remer's blog, and I want anyone interested to have it, too:

http://talkbirth.wordpress.com/

Great resources are available at this site!

Waterbirth

One of my favorite books about childbirth in general and waterbirth in particular is Barbara Harper's Gentle Birth Choices. As Barbara Harper shows from study and lived experience, when women labor in water, the water reduces the pain of contractions. When they give birth in water, their pelvic floor muscles relax and so there is significantly less perineal tearing. For a longer list of benefits, check out: Benefits of Waterbirth.

Recently, I headed off to the West Suburban Homebirth Meet-up, where the topic was waterbirth. The meeting was facilitated by Christina Oser, CNM and homebirth midwife at Genesis Family Midwifery, who shared from "Waterbirth Basics." This essay was written by Barbara Harper and originally published in Midwifery Today Magazine (Summer 2000). To read it online, click: "Waterbirth Basics."

What I found most fascinating about this essay was the explanation of how a baby, who gets oxygen through the blood of the cord while in utero, begins to breathe air and get oxygen from the air once the baby emerges into the world. In the minutes directly after birth, the baby is still getting oxygen through the blood of the cord even as the baby's lungs begin to take in air. Here, miraculously, is how the change takes place:

"The shunts in the heart are closed; fetal circulation turns to newborn circulation; the lungs experience oxygen for the first time; and the umbilical cord is stretched, causing the umbilical arteries to close down."

So a baby who previously swallowed amniotic fluid and had it present in the lungs ... now breathes air. The baby is now not an aquatic mammal but a land mammal! The transformation is astonishing.

Babies safely make the journey from the inside of their mothers' bodies into the world in water because the cord continues to nourish them until their skin makes contact with the air and then, gradually, their bodies make the shift that allows them to take their first breath.

Jane Beal, PhD
Childbirth Doula, Counselor & Educator
christiandoula.net

Birth Works Philosophy

• The knowledge about how to give birth already exists inside every woman. Women's bodies were designed to give birth. 

• The nutrition of a pregnant woman has a great impact on the health of her baby from its life as a fetus through adulthood and that breastmilk provides optimum nutrition for the newborn baby. 

• A woman will labor the best wherever she feels the safest and most secure. For some that may be a hospital; for others it may mean at home or in an alternative birthing center.   

• Birthing a baby requires integration of the mind, body, and spirit.  

• Birth is one of the greatest challenges life has to offer. It provides an opportunity for personal growth. 

• While cesarean sections may be necessary at times, the current rate is too high. 

• In most cases, VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) is a safer alternative to routine repeat cesareans. 

• Birth Works is a process, not a method.   Birth Works seeks to facilitate a woman's or a couple's personal process in childbearing, not to impart a preconceived method of labor and birth.  There is no one right way to give birth.  Each birth is unique. 

• A woman in labor deserves an environment in which her privacy, autonomy, and emotional security are protected, and her mobility is encouraged. 

• Expectant parents should have access to information they need about obstetrical procedures. They should participate in decisions regarding the judicious use of obstetrical medications and procedures. 

• A woman's beliefs influence her birth. Exploring her beliefs heightens self-awareness, serving as a catalyst for positive change. 

• The emotions of a birthing woman have profound effects on the birth outcome. Women must be allowed to express all their birth-related feelings. 

• The practice of Human Values builds character and instills confidence in birth and life.  

• Love is the foundation upon which positive birthing begins, and that one must have love of one's self in order to love others.

***I love the Birth Works philosophy and the recognition that human values do, indeed, shape childbirth experiences around the world.

The Bradley Method

I took my first Bradley class in 1993, and I am taking a Bradley class again now. Dr. Bradley established his method of natural childbirth in the 1940s, the era of "knock 'em down, drag 'em out" obstetrics (as he calls it), and, along with Lamaze, his method became well-known as he developed a curriculum, trained instructors, and offered classes to expectant parents around the U.S.. Bradley emphasizes:

*a nutritious diet with plenty of protein

*exercises to strengthen a woman's pelvic floor muscles

*the involvement of the woman's husband (the "coach") in pre-natal care, labor, and delivery

*a drug-free, natural childbirth

*relaxation techniques in labor to reduce pain and anxiety

When Bradley first started working in obstetrics, husbands were not allowed in American labor and delivery rooms. Now they are almost universally. So he effected a radical change in the culture of hospitals that has had positive benefits for mothers and children.