Resources
Please see local resources for providers in your area.
Pregnancy & Prenatal Resources
Spinning Babies
www.spinningbabies.com
Spinning babies is about easier birth through fetal positioning. Gail explains how we, as moms, can help our babies to get into better fetal positions to aid in an easier delivery. Her site is easy to navigate and her descriptions are clear. Have fun reading and finding the position of your baby.
Birth Resources
Childbirth Education
Please also see the local resource list for childbirth educators in your area
- Birthing From Within
www.birthingfromwithin.com - Bradley Childbirth
www.bradleybirth.com - Hypnobirthing
www.hypnobirthing.com (click cancel when login box appears) - Lamaze
www.lamaze.org
Penny Simkin’s Website
Articles, handouts, and presentations from Penny Simkin (author of “The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions” and “When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on the Childbearing Woman”)
WHO: Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care (.pdf)
World Health Organization document that provides evidence-based recommendations to guide health care professionals in women’s care during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and newborns during their first week of life.
Home Birth
Homebirth Safety Studies
British Medical Journal study shows that homebirth is as safe as hospital birth for healthy women with a normal pregnancy (Links courtesy of gentlebirth.org):
- Summary of the study (click cancel when login box appears)
- Abstract
- Full text
Doulas
DONA International
www.dona.org
DONA is an international association of doulas who are trained to provide the highest quality emotional, physical and educational support to women and their families during childbirth and postpartum. DONA International is the premier doula organization founded by Marshall Klaus MD, Phyllis Klaus, John Kennell MD, Penny Simkin and Annie Kennedy in 1992. Evidence based certification programs are offered for both birth doulas and postpartum doulas. Membership in DONA International includes over 4,700 birth and postpartum doulas.
The Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators (ALACE)
Supporting Women’s Choices in Childbirth
www.alace.org
ALACE believes:”Knowlegeable childbirth educators and labor assistants/birth doulas can do a great deal to provide pregnant women with information and practical atlternatives so that they may give birth with confidence, strength and joy. Laboring women who feel confident and supported are much more likely to achieve satisfying outcomes than are women without such support.”
Cornerstone Doula Trainings
http://www.cornerstonedoulatrainings.com
Doula certification program that incorporates a business-building skills component while understanding the deep emotional and psychosocial aspects of birth.
Midwifery
Citizens for Midwifery
cfmidwifery.org/index.aspx
Citizens for Midwifery is the only national consumer-based group promoting the Midwives Model of Care. CfM works to provide information and resources that promote the local midwife, as well as midwives and midwifery care across the country.
Vaginal Birth and Cesarean Section
Cesarean Education
Every expectant mother should inform herself about cesarean sections.
The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN)
www.ican-online.org ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).
Henci Goer
www.hencigoer.com
Henci Goer specializes in birth issues. This site has a wonderful link to her books and many articles that Henci has written on pregnancy and birth.
Childbirth Connection
childbirthconnection.org/
Childbirth Connection ™, formerly Maternity Center Association, is a non-for-profit organization that has worked to improve maternity care for mothers, babies and families since 1918.
The link below is the one for the research cited on the labor page- parents need to register in order to view the research:childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10272&ClickedLink=200&area=2
Kangaroo Care
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/birth.htm
This site explains the research behind the benefits of skin to skin care for all newborns.
Postpartum Resources
Doulas
DONA International
www.dona.org
DONA is an international association of doulas who are trained to provide the highest quality emotional, physical and educational support to women and their families during childbirth and postpartum. DONA International is the premier doula organization founded by Marshall Klaus MD, Phyllis Klaus, John Kennell MD, Penny Simkin and Annie Kennedy in 1992. Evidence based certification programs are offered for both birth doulas and postpartum doulas. Membership in DONA International includes over 4,700 birth and postpartum doulas.
The Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators (ALACE)
Supporting Women’s Choices in Childbirth
www.alace.org
ALACE believes:”Knowlegeable childbirth educators and labor assistants/birth doulas can do a great deal to provide pregnant women with information and practical atlternatives so that they may give birth with confidence, strength and joy. Laboring women who feel confident and supported are much more likely to achieve satisfying outcomes than are women without such support.”
Postpartum Depression
Here’s a very good online resource for PPD – the feelings checklist is very effective for helping moms see if they have something going on that warrants more immediate attention from their healthcare provider. The checklist can be found at www.pndsa.co.za/ms-fc.htm
Traditional MExican Healing rituals
The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy
La Matriz Birth Services
http://www.lamatrizbirth.com/postpartum-sealing/
parenting
AskDrSears.com
www.askdrsears.com
A fantastic general resource covering from pregnancy and birth to nutrition, behavior, development, sleep issues, childhood illnesses, and beyond.
Babywearing
The Baby Wearing Resource Guide
www.TheBabyWearer.com/mothering
Breastfeeding
Breastfeedingonline.com
www.breastfeedingonline.com
Breastfeedingonline.com hopes to help empower women to choose to breastfeed and to educate society at large about the importance and benefits of breastfeeding.
iBreastfeeding.com
www.ibreastfeeding.com
A bookstore -publisher and provider of comprehensive resources in the field of lactation Great downloadable free pamphlets like, “Breastfeeding and Working.”
Kellymom.com
www.kellymom.com
Evidence-based information on breastfeeding, sleep, and parenting, featuring an active online community.
La Leche League International
www.lalecheleague.org
The La Leche League International mission is: To help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
The Importance of Breastfeeding as it Relates to Total Health
www.brianpalmerdds.com/bfing_import.htm
Researcher and Presenter: Brain Palmer, D.D.S. The nutritional, immunological, emotional and psychological benefits of breastfeeding should be enough to encourage mothers to want to breastfeed their newborn, and for all health care providers to strongly encourage breastfeeding. If not, this presentations addresses even more benefits of breastfeeding that can have a significant impact on total health.
“The Significance of the Delivery System During Infant Feeding and Nurturing”
This article accurately articulates why the delivery system for breastmilk matters. The article begins, “Lactation specialists provide the most important service of all the health care providers. I make this strong statement because I believe breastfeeding is the key to the best and cheapest form of health care. The ramifications of NOT breastfeeding are significant. Many are concerned only with the contents of the delivery system. I believe one must also be concerned with the “delivery system” itself since it will have a significant impact on the developing occlusion (the way the teeth meet) and on total infant development. There is no delivery system or artificial content that will ever replace the act of feeding human milk direct from the breast. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the important issues as to why the “delivery system” itself must be evaluated. The side effects of an improper delivery system will also be addressed.”
Co-Sleeping
Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame
www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/
James J. McKenna, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Anthropology; Director, Mother-Baby Sleep Laboratory, University of Notre Dame. Provides extensive information regarding co-sleeping.
Frequently-Asked Questions
For Frequently-Asked Questions about co-sleeping, seewww.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/faq.html#safesleep.
“Baby’s Second Night”
A great article for new parents, “Baby’s Second Night” offers some tips for the second day in your newborn’s life.
Skin Product Safety
Skin Deep
Skin Deep is a cosmetic safety database. Click here to see Baby Care Products.
Tonantzin Birth Services 