4 Ways to Tell if Natural Childbirth Is Right for You

dinsdag 17 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 14 hours ago

If you're pregnant and curious about natural childbirth, it's easy to walk away from all the beautiful birthing stories thinking that natural is the only way to go. But is it? Some of the crunchiest moms I know will admit it's not for everyone. If you're thinking about attempting natural childbirth, you have to get past all the idealism and politics and take a good hard look at reality. There's your aspirations, and then there's you, with all your life experiences, your circumstances, your strengths, and your limitations.

Lots of women plan on natural labor only to change their minds and get that epidural after all. Plenty of other women plan on being medicated and then deliver so quickly there's no time. Labor is unpredictable like that. But if you want to try out natural childbirth, there's a few questions you need to ask yourself.

1. How do you feel about your body being out of your control? The fewer interventions you have, the more control you're handing over to your body's own natural processes. That may sound great, especially when people say things like "trust the wisdom of your own body." But it can be terrifying. Think of all the other times you have not been in full control of your body. How did that feel? Scary or thrilling? Of course, the idea that you're in full control even with a medicated birth can still be total fiction -- but it still feels different.

2. How do you handle pain, really? How soon do you reach for meds when you have a headache? Try holding a cube of ice in your palm. How long do you last? As long as the average contraction? Because a contraction is going to be a hell of a lot more intense and painful.

3. Do you have time to train? For best results, you really do need to actively prepare for natural childbirth. You should prepare for any childbirth, actually. But going unmedicated works best when you can work with a doula, midwife, or labor coach beforehand and really learn techniques for managing pain and working with your body. It's not necessarily as intuitive as you'd think.

4. Do you have the right support team? You're going to need your significant other to be on board. And you're going to need your midwife, labor nurse, doctor, any anyone else helping you to be supportive of an unmedicated labor. It takes a lot of support.

By the way, as far as I'm concerned, any labor that results in a baby is "natural." So however your baby arrives in this world, you should feel proud of yourself.

How else can women find out if natural childbirth is right for them?

Image via Lindsey Turner/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

Nuestros 10 libros favoritos en parto Natural

vrijdag 13 september 2013

To is invalid
Parameter name: to
por Adriana Vélez hace 1 hora

¿Pensando en el parto natural--no medicado, parteras? Tiempo para leer! Nos hemos reunido una biblioteca de los libros más populares de parto natural para inspirarte e informarte. Lea todo sobre las experiencias de otras mujeres con parto natural y enfoques, métodos y consejos comprobados.

var UGC_HOST = "http://ugc-01.cafemomstatic.com"; var current_slide_num = 1; var slideshow_url = "http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/161101/our_10_favorite_books_on"; var short_url = "/ embarazo/161101/our_10_favorite_books_on"; var slide_id = ""; var from_social = ""; var current_slide_id = '109984';

Clásico de Ina puede Gaskin llenado de historias de partos naturales administrados por partera ha sido actualizado con nuevas historias de una generación más joven de las madres. Ver también de Ina May guía para el parto.

Sobre el autorAdriana Velez

es un escritor que recrea en alimentos, crianza, noticias, Entretenimiento, biología molecular y nada más que eso salta a la cabeza. Ella vive con su hijo de edad escolar primaria en Brooklyn, tierra de chacras urbanas y artesanal todo.

Más
?

reacties | | Read More...

8 Natural Ways to Make Baby's Vaccinations Less Painful

maandag 9 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 2 hours ago

I can't be the only mom who has a love/hate relationship with vaccines. I love that they protect my child from deadly diseases. I hate that they make her scream bloody murder because they HURT!

And preventing that pain isn't easy. Every time you turn around, another over-the-counter pain reliever has been recalled. So what's a mom to do when her baby is going to get his shots? When in doubt, go natural!

Here are some easy natural pain relievers -- approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics -- to make immunizations a little easier on your little guy or girl:

1. Dip the pacifier in sugar. I'll admit this one surprised me, but it turns out Mary Poppins was right! A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down -- or, at least, a sucrose solution on the pacifier does! Mix one packet of sugar in 10 ml of water to get the solution right. You can also use a syringe to put the solution directly in the mouth.

2. Don't stress. Kids feed off our fears, even babies. According to one study, at 6 months, maternal behavior accounted for 26 percent of infant pain behavior. If you're calm about their shots, they will likely be less stressed ... and less likely to notice the pain.

More From The Stir: 5 Tips for Helping Your Kids Deal With Pain From Injuries

3. Apply pressure. Pressure right at the injection site has been shown to reduce the pain. It's as simple as using your finger. Hey, it works on a bug bite, doesn't it? So why not a shot? To be therapeutic, you should keep your finger in place for at least 10 seconds at the site.

4. Ask for the shots to be given at once. If baby is getting more than one shot and there are multiple practitioners available, ask for it all to be done at once rather than one at a time. Studies have shown this helps reduce the pain.

5. Ask for a topical anesthetic. There is no perfect anesthetic to dull all the pain, but they can help. There are even some devices now that buzz on the skin rather than applying any sort of cream.

6. Distract them. Believe it or not, it can be as simple as making sure baby doesn't see that needle going into their little thigh.

7. Breastfeed. This goes along with distracting baby, but it also plays into something that little ones already find soothing. Bonus: one study indicates breastfed infants are less likely to suffer fever after their shots.

8. Pop in the pacifier. Whether you use the sucrose solution mentioned above or not, simply sucking on a soother is, well, soothing!

How do you comfort your baby during their shots?

Image via Army Medicine/Flickr

Click the "Like" button below to get Natural Parenting stories on Facebook. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

8 Natural Ways Women Can Manage Pain During Labor (PHOTOS)

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Sasha Brown-Worsham 9 hours ago

The pain of labor is something that we have been trying to manage for women since the dawn of time. Whether it was cool rags on the forehead of a laboring woman or a stick to bite down on, helping women ride the contractions and make it through to the other side when they are holding their baby has long been the subject of research.

For many women, pain management really just means getting the epidural as soon as humanly possible. And that's fine. But for others who want to experience all the pain of labor without medication, there are other ways to manage and mitigate it without the use of drugs.

The Stir spoke exclusively with Lacreshia Laningham, a massage therapist and doula, as well as Jenny Skoog, who is a pre- and postnatal fitness trainer, birth coach, childbirth educator, and star of Pushing It. See their ideas for natural labor pain management for women below:

How did you manage labor pain?

Image via eyeliam/Flickr

var UGC_HOST = "http://ugc-01.cafemomstatic.com";var current_slide_num = 1;var slideshow_url = "http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/160424/8_natural_ways_women_can";var short_url = "/pregnancy/160424/8_natural_ways_women_can";var slide_id = "";var from_social = "";var current_slide_id = '109772';

TENS Units override the pain signal to the brain through electrical impulse. The results are immediate, and yes, some women use them in labor. With most, the woman controls the pulse width, pulse rate, and intensity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

8 Natural Ways to Treat Heartburn During Pregnancy

donderdag 15 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

During both of my pregnancies, I was relatively lucky when it came to symptoms for the most part. I didn't have huge amounts of morning sickness, hemorrhoids (thank God!), or many of the other things I dreaded. The one thing I did have though, I had bad -- heartburn.

Before I was pregnant, I honestly had no idea what heartburn really was. Oh, I'd heard of it, but I'd never experienced it. It was baptism by fire -- serious fire. I turned to antacids when I really needed to, but I wanted to keep my pregnancy as drug-free as possible, so instead I sought out natural remedies, many of which worked as well if not better. Since then I've come across many more that I wish I knew about then. Here are eight natural ways to treat heartburn that are worth a try.

1. Fresh Pineapple

Though citrus can cause heartburn in some cases, people swear by this remedy. Apparently pineapple contains bromelain and enzymes that help minimize inflammation.

2. Coconut Water

It's delicious, and it contains natural acid neutralizers.

3. Ginger

Whether freshly grated on food or in ginger ale, many women find this plant to be helpful for nausea as well as heartburn.

4. Almonds

Try eating a handful when you first feel heartburn coming on. The large amounts of oil in the nuts may help combat the acid.

5. Gum

There have been several studies that show how well chewing gum works to prevent heartburn, as it helps force fluids back into the stomach. Bonus -- good breath.

6. Elevate your head while sleeping

Whether you do so with a special pillow or just by putting blocks underneath the legs of your bed, keeping your head slightly elevated while you sleep can help keep acid down in your stomach.

7. Pay Attention to What You Eat

Common foods that cause heartburn include caffeine, chocolate, and fatty dishes, but it can be different for every woman. Pay attention to when the heartburn hits and you can try to eliminate those foods that trigger it.

8. Eat Small, Frequent Meals

A too-full or too-empty stomach can both make heartburn hit hard. Five or six small meals a day are ideal.

What natural remedies for treating heartburn have you found that work?

Image via Tatsuo Yamashita/Flickr

reacties | | Read More...

8 Esmaltes de uñas hermoso, Natural sin los peores productos químicos

dinsdag 23 juli 2013

To is invalid
Parameter name: to
por Abril Daniels Hussar hace 1 hora

Confieso que es algo hipócrita: trato de comer sano, comprar alimentos orgánicos tanto como puede y compartir una especie de visión de Gwyneth Paltrow crack vs queso enlatado (bromeando! una especie de)... y todavía regularmente frotar químicos sobre mi cara y mi cabello, en nombre de la belleza! No estoy dispuesto a renunciar a todos mis productos favoritos, pero estoy empezando a querer explorar más de las opciones naturales, porque realmente hay tantos.

Me sorprendió encontrar que hay un montón de marcas de esmalte de uñas que no utilizan los principales compuestos químicos que se dicen que son carcinógenos. Muchos esmaltes de uñas estos días son de "no libre de 3" (significado ftalato de dibutilo, toluenoo formaldehído), pero otros van más allá de que sea "libre de 5" (significado ninguno de los tres primeros, además sin formaldehído resina o alcanfor), y otros son tóxicos incluso más que eso. Aquí están algunas de las opciones más bonitas!

var UGC_HOST = "http://ugc-01.cafemomstatic.com";var current_slide_num = 0; var slideshow_url = "http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/158746/8_beautiful_natural_nail_polishes";var short_url = "/ beauty_style/158746/8_beautiful_natural_nail_polishes"; var slide_id = ""; var from_social = ""; var current_slide_id = '108968';

Imagen via April Daniels Hussar

Haga clic en "Me gusta" Si te pones una cinta rosa. Sobre el autor April Daniels Hussar

es una chica de California transplantada a la selva de los suburbio de Nueva Jersey y es un escritor amante de zapato, obsesionada con el libro y mamá.

Más
?

reacties | | Read More...

Trial of Natural Diapers and Wipes, Only $5.95 at The Honest Co.

donderdag 11 juli 2013

Trial of Natural Diapers and Wipes, Only $5.95 at The Honest Co.

The Honest Company is offering a free trial of natural diapers or family-friendly household products.

Natural product bundles from The Honest Company save shoppers more than 30% over buying each product separately. New customers can sign up for an account and get a free sample to get started. Just pay $5.95 shipping.

Co-founded by acclaimed actress Jessica Alba, The Honest Company offers an entire range of 100% natural, non-toxic personal care, household, and SAFER baby items like non-toxic diapers.

Because the products are all natural, Honest Company diapers to handsoap are more expensive than big box store name brands. The wipes, for example, are tricky to peel off one at a time. But they are also free of chemicals and dangerous parabens. So, if you want to give them a try, this is a great opportunity!

Diapers Bundle (gentle, non-toxic diapers and wipes)Family Essentials Bundle (shampoo, lotion, hand soap, detergent and balm)Follow The Honest Company banner above.Provide an e-mail address and other personal information.Answer a few brief questions.Pay $5.95 shipping.

The Honest Company is a subscription service. Keep the subscription and be billed automatically each month. Call customer service at 1-888-862-8818 to make any changes within the trial period.

reacties | | Read More...