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Whether you're trying to conceive, or pregnant with your
first or your sixth, this is both an exhausting and
exciting time! First let me tell you CONGRATS! (on
either your decision to get pregnant or your current
pregnancy.)
Please use the pages within this section to educate
yourself on what is, in my mind, the single most
important and life-changing thing that you will ever
do...becoming a parent.
There are many many options out there for pregnancy and
birth these days, so my biggest advice to you is EDUCATE
YOURSELF!! It's unwise to go blindly into such an
important circumstance without first learning all your
options...especially in this day and age when so much
free info is available right at your fingertips online!
Sure there are people who do not learn a thing about
what they're getting themselves into and things turn out
just fine, but there are also many people who have
things happen that they could've avoided and so why risk
it? Educating yourself and your partner is such an easy
thing to do, as long as you can read...and if you're
reading this now, obviously you are capable of that.
*grin* So take a little time out of your busy life every
day to learn a little more about this new life you have
or will have growing in you and what you can do to help
create the healthiest and happiest beginning for your
little one's (and your new family's) life.
**And in our c-section-happy culture, you really need to
read this study before you
consent to a c-section. Print it out and take it to your
doctor! A quote from this study:
"Delivery
by caesarean section in the first pregnancy could
increase the risk of unexplained stillbirth in the
second. In women with one previous caesarean delivery,
the risk of unexplained antepartum stillbirth at or
after 39 weeks' gestation is about double the risk of
stillbirth or neonatal death from intrapartum uterine
rupture."
Let's put this in
perspective...If you have had a c-section, and have
attempted to have a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean),
you know how hard it is to get local doctors to agree to
let you vbac. VERY HARD. The vast majority of local
doctors (with only a very few exceptions) will simply
not do vbacs because, they say, of the risk of uterine
rupture. (This is a whole other topic of debate, because
my research has shown that vbacs
are very safe compared to the standard procedures out
there these days, but I digress...) Interesting, don't
you think, that it is hard to get a doctor to do a vbac,
something that has HALF the risk, but yet they will do a
c-section for ridiculous reasons with no thought at all
to the possibility of a future stillbirth? This is why
you must educate yourself. Doctors are not evil, I do
not for a second believe that...but they do come at
birth from a different perspective than the parents and
you need to advocate for yourself and your babies.
I share all this with you
because I am one of those statistics...I had an
unexplained stillbirth after a previous c-section. Fullterm. When I learned of this study I was LIVID. No
one told me this...if I had known that my chances of
stillbirth went up so significantly I would NEVER have
consented to a c-section! My first c-section was
unnecessary...due to "failure to progress", which really
is "failure to be patient." Just keep all this
information in mind and be educated, mamas!
Below you'll find a description of the information that
is, or will be, contained in the "Pregnancy & Birth"
pages of FresnoFamily.com...
Trying to Conceive Resources:
Local, nonlocal, and online info
on infertility & fertility issues, conception info,
natural family planning and more.
Pregnancy & Birth
Resources: Local, nonlocal,
and online info on having a healthy pregnancy, preparing
for birth, finding the right doctor/midwife/doula,
preparing for breastfeeding, general birth, natural
birth, vbac (vaginal birth after caesarian), homebirth,
doulas, midwives, and more.
Pregnancy & Birth Links:
Online links to some great resources on pregnancy and
birth!
Pregnancy & Birth Shopping:
Local and nonlocal shopping for pregnancy and birth
related products!
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
(VBAC):
Info on the safety of vaginal birth after cesarian...and
what you, as moms-to-be can do to get the birth both you
and your baby deserve.
Your New Baby:
Local,
nonlocal, and online info on breastfeeding, diapering,
sleep issues, support and more.
Pregnancy Loss:
Local,
nonlocal, and online info and support on miscarriage and
stillbirth. |
