Giving birth is an important decision every woman has to make. It’s a life changing experience that can be either for the better or for the worse. With the continuing increase of hospital costs and development of new alternative methods, some mothers prefer to give their baby a natural birth.

Natural childbirth was prevalent in the 60’s and 70’s. It is still being practiced today especially in provinces where medical help is limited. In some countries the care of pregnant women is delegated to midwives. This is where homebirths are still being practiced.

Having a child nowadays has a lot of impact in the different aspects of a household. It affects both the mental, physical and emotional health of the parents. It also signals a new financial obligation.

Giving your baby a natural birth has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

The goal of natural childbirth is to reduce medical intervention. It seeks to avoid the use of anesthetics and surgical operations.

Anesthetics were believed to have effects on the mother and the child. It also helps the mother to be relieved from post-operational discomforts. Mothers would be able to recover much faster. They don’t have to recover from a major surgery due to a caesarian section. They don’t have to undergo an episiotomy. It also relives them for the side effects of anesthetics such as a headache or backache. It can also serve as an economical choice since it can be done at home with the assistance of a midwife.

Mothers also feel a sense of empowerment during a natural childbirth. It also gives them control over their body during the delivery.

Cons

Unfortunately, there are circumstances when medical intervention is needed. They also help the mother for a less exhausting and painful delivery.

Anesthetics are primarily used to relieve pain. Labor and childbirth can be a painful process. Predisposing factors and complications are the reason why medical intervention is needed. Drugs such as Oxytocin induce contractions to help the mother. Other mothers don’t have the pelvic structure for a natural childbirth that’s why a caesarian section is needed. Compromised health condition of the mother also indicates the need for the operation.

Due to this natural pain management methods have been devised. Labor support is given by a doula. They serve to help the mother through the delivery process. Breathing, visualization, massage, touch, hot and cold therapy is also used. In some cases they use hypnosis and acupuncture. Proper positioning can also help reduce pain and ease the delivery.

Although these methods might work they do not guarantee the total relief of pain. Without the help of anesthetics, mothers will still feel the discomfort of giving their baby a natural birth. Even though natural childbirth discourages episiotomy, chances are the perineum will still tear due to delivery.

Types of natural childbirth

Home Birth

From the word it self it’s giving birth to a child at home. It can be either assisted or unassisted. Assisted homebirth is done with the help of a midwife or a physician. This is ideal for low risk pregnancies. According to research planned and assisted homebirth is as safe as childbirth in a hospital. Of course unassisted homebirth is done without any medical help. The mother and her partner will have to work together to delivery the baby in a suitable environment. When things go wrong during a homebirth the consequences can be devastating. it is therefore safer to give birth with the proper caregivers.

Water birth

Childbirth is done in a bath tub or suitable container full of warm water. It’s an alternative to standard delivery. The warm water relives labor pain during delivery. It also eases the passage of the infant from the womb through the birth canal and to the outside world. Studies have shown that it is a safe alternative adapted by 300 hospitals in the United States.

Giving your baby a natural birth will depend on your needs. The mother will have to choose what the best is for the child and for her. No matter what the soon to be parents choose it’s important to consult a doctor first. Natural childbirth may not be applicable to all aspiring parents. If you’re ready to endure the pain with a low risk pregnancy then you can opt for a natural childbirth.

For more information on pregnancy and natural childbirth, please go to:
http://www.hypno-beginning.com/products.htm
http://www.drnathaliefiset.com

During pregnancy many women who live a holistic lifestyle are interested in learning about natural childbirth help that they can receive during labor. Many women who see a doctor of obstetrics are also interested in learning about how nature intended women to have babies and feel that they can have a healthy delivery with the support of a doula or another companion who is a committed naturist. From the time morning sickness starts until the time of the delivery, there is much to read in the way of pregnancy advice. However, there is no troubleshooting guide, tutorials, or FAQ that can address every woman’s needs or every potential problem. The only true tutorial is labor itself and many women find that childbirth self help is possible with the help of hypnosis.

Labor Has Many Unknowns

This is often one of the scariest facts for pregnant women. Women want to be in control of the process nature developed for having children. However, they are concerned about all of the complications that could arise and feel like they will not be in control when the time for delivery comes.

Why Women Seek Natural Childbirth Help

Labor and delivery can be intimidating. A pregnant woman often hears horror stories about difficult labors and painful deliveries that leave her frightened about the experience that she is going to have to endure.

The Danger of Medical Interventions

As any qualified doctor of obstetrics will tell you, once you have one medical intervention it is a slippery slope that could start the ball rolling toward more medical interventions. For example, if your labor is induced with pitocin then you have a greater chance of having to have an epidural and if you have an epidural there is a greater likelihood that you will need an intervention such as forceps or a vacuum delivery.

Of course, there are situations when medical interventions are necessary and if your doctor believes that it is safer for you and / or your baby to take drugs or receive other medical support then you should trust his or her opinion. The ultimate goal is a happy and healthy mother and child so you should not be disappointed if your doctor believes that medical interventions are necessary to achieve that goal.

Labor Support

The support of a trusted companion or a professional doula can help many women achieve the holistic birthing experience that they want. Yet, the support, however well meaning, will not be enough if the mother is not committed to a natural birth and does not believe that she can do it.

Hypnosis Support

Self hypnosis recordings can help you develop the confidence and the skills that you need to have a completely natural birth. You will learn relaxation techniques that can help your mind control the pain in your body. The best reward is that you can be an alert and active participant in the birth of your child and will have the happy memory of his or her birth with you forever. Hypnosis makes natural childbirth help available and it is so rewarding for the women who decide to have a drug free delivery.

J. Seymour is a writer with Self Help Recordings. ‘Handle Natural Childbirth’ is an excellent recording by Steve G Jones, who offers twenty years of experience through these recordings. To find out more, visit Natural Childbirth Help. A range of other self hypnosis products can be found here - Childbirth Self Help. All of the recordings on Self Help Recordings are backed by an impressive sixty day guarantee, so to find out more simply click on the links.

Did you know that some maternity units actually have more staff available during periods of full moon?

I’ve always been fascinated by the moon’s effect on nature, so when a friend’s wife conveyed to me what her midwife had told her during the birth of their daughter, I decided to find out more about childbirth, full moon and a possible link.

On speaking to various medical staff involved in natural childbirth, the first thing I learned was that expectant mothers often experience false signs of labor during full moon.

Contractions known as “Braxton Hicks” — sometimes noticeable to the mother and sometimes not — become more pronounced and many travel to the maternity unit in the belief that “it’s time”. Disappointed — or perhaps relieved — they return home, the pains having subsided and with no dilation of the cervix.

While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the reason why extra staff are needed, the major difference is found in the number of women whose amniotic sac — the water — breaks.

Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it’s most likely to happen.

In order to discover for myself whether this could be true, I asked several female friends how their births had started. Those who responded with “the water breaking” were then asked the date of the birth. On checking this against a moon phase chart, I discovered that almost all had given birth on, or very close to, a full moon.

The theory is that the moon’s gravitational pull effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and even the water that’s otherwise found in our bodies.

As a woman’s body prepares for natural childbirth, the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point where it will easily burst if put under pressure. Under normal circumstances, the pressure of labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon’s effect on the water inside the sac can cause the same things to happen, but without the accompanying contractions.

When this happens, natural childbirth doesn’t always move forward and with no other signs of labor present, the obstetrician may decide to induce the birth. During my own study of this phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose births started with the water breaking at full moon, 5 of them had no accompanying contractions.

A coincidence? Perhaps. But surely midwives wouldn’t prepare themselves for an increase in natural childbirth activity if there wasn’t some truth in this?

One midwife told me that when it comes to planning childbirth, full moons should always be looked for around the time of the expected delivery. If there’s one within a few days either side, the chances are your baby will be born on that day.

Discover the fun and easy way to view the phases of the moon — past, present and future. Visit http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases.

Pregnancy birth or pregnancy labor begins with the onset of contractions and changes in the uterus, namely effacement. This is the shortening or thinning of the cervix and dilation, which is the opening of the cervix by about 5-6 centimeters. In a normal birth the cervix dilates up to 10 centimeters, when it is considered said to be “completely dilated.”

As the process of pregnancy birth progresses, the contractions increase in number and intensity. A woman undergoing normal labor usually starts getting around 3-4 contractions in a span of 10 minutes, with each contraction lasting up to 60 seconds. Labor also begins with the breaking of the amniotic sac or “breaking of the water”. The process of “pushing” where the baby and the placenta are delivered out of the vagina follows this.

Women, who experience pregnancy birth for the first time, may face a longer labor time of around 13-14 hours, as compared to women who are experiencing their second or third pregnancies.

Usually pregnancy labor starts anywhere between 37-42 weeks of pregnancy. However in some cases labor has to be induced, like if the baby gets too big or the 42 week pregnancy period has crossed. Pain induction involves the artificial onset of labor but this is also risky and is best avoided unless circumstances deem it necessary.

Types Of Pregnancy Birth

A natural pregnancy birth means a birth without the use of either drugs or surgery. Most doctors are in favor of this type of childbirth, as it is believed that a natural pregnancy birth enables the mother and baby to bond significantly while enabling them to remain off drugs at the same time.

In cases where unforeseen complications may arise during the process of pregnancy birth, the doctor resorts to a C-section or a caesarean delivery. This is a surgical procedure whereby an incision is made in the abdomen and uterus through which the baby is delivered. This usually happens if the mother suffers from a medical condition like hypertension, etc., the cervix stops dilating or the baby’s heartbeat drops drastically.

Apart from these a water birth can be opted for, where pregnancy delivery takes place in a birthing pool of warm water. Else one can choose to have an active pregnancy birth where the woman is made to move around and deliver in an upright position.

Pregnancy birth can take place at a hospital, a birth center or at home. The main issue to be kept in mind is the safety of the mother and child. A hospital is considered the safest place for the birth of a baby as any sudden complications can be dealt with here, immediately. If one opts to deliver at home, arrangements should be made for at least two experienced midwives and a supply of oxygen.

The process of pregnancy birth is a culmination of nine long months of effort and anticipation for the mother. Hence, one should choose one’s doctor, environment and type of delivery with careful consideration in order to ensure the birth of a healthy baby.

Pregnancy birth is a complicated process and the stages of pregnancy labor could be different for different women and pregnancy complications. Pregnancy Period provides all the information you seek about pregnancy and childbirth.

Here are 10 things you can do now to get on the road to attempting a VBAC.

1. Don’t assume your doctor is being honest with you. He/she may very well believe in VBACs, but their liability insurance company or even the hospital’s insurance company may not permit them to offer VBACs. The doctor isn’t likely to share this information with you. You’d be surprised to know how much of our medical care is regulated by insurance companies, not by doctors. We were never told our hospital didn’t allow VBACs. We only learned of their policy after doing extensive research.

2. Don’t completely believe them if they say, “Sure, you can have attempt VBAC!” Research research research! Has your doctor had any VBAC patients who were successful? Does the hospital even allow VBACs? Your doctor may tell you, sure, you can VBAC, but may then find “problems” later and schedule you for a c-section. They know, by that time, it will be too late for you to find a new doctor. My obstetrician told me I could attempt a VBAC. Months later, after I’d fired him, the hospital called me to schedule a consultation with their anesthesiologist for my “scheduled c-section.” A ha!!

Also, when a local reporter asked our nearby hospital, who refused to say they wouldn’t allow VBACs, when their last VBAC was, they didn’t answer the question.

3. Know your doctor’s or hospital’s possible financial motives. It costs a LOT more to have a c-section in a hospital than it does to have a natural birth. Hospitals and doctors would much rather bill your insurance company $10K or more, rather than half that much.

4. Know your doctor’s or hospital’s possible convenience motives. It’s a lot easier, and often faster, for a hospital to schedule an appointment, cut you open, and stick you in a recovery room. Labor often takes a long time, involves a variety of medical specialists who need to be available around the clock, and is completely unpredictable. Rather than allowing your body to do what it knows how to do, some in the healthcare field would rather take complete control of a perfectly natural process, for their own convenience.

5. Listen closely. Your doctor may give you a long, scary diatribe about how dangerous a VBAC can be. He/she may even say something like, “No mother in their right mind would risk their baby’s life by having a VBAC!” The release forms are often downright horrific.

But, has he/she even mentioned the dangers of a c-section? Studies show more can go wrong with a c-section than a vaginal birth - even a VBAC. Sure, you can die during a VBAC, but you can also die during a c-section.

6. Find a provider that absolutely supports VBACs. You can find midwives in your area by searching online. Some midwives will know doctors who support VBACs. Also, ask your primary care physician (not your Ob/Gyn) or his/her nurse or secretary to help you find an obstetrician that allows VBACs. My primary care physician first found a hospital (an hour away - not bad) that allowed VBACs and then found an Obstetrician in that town who also supported VBACs.

7. Consider giving birth at home. Studies show giving birth at home can be just as safe as giving birth in a hospital. Hospitals use interventions that can affect a successful, safe vaginal delivery. In fact, the more interventions they use, the worse things can go wrong. A domino-effect can occur. If you give birth at home, on your own terms, you can avoid these often unnecessary interventions.

IMPORTANT! Studies show that chemically inducing labor can increase the risk of a ruptured uterus in a VBACing mom!

8. READ! READ! READ! The most inspirational book I read about natural childbirth was Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553381156/thewritemarket). Another great one that gives a lot of detail about how the medical industry can affect midwives and birthing moms is Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743219341/thewritemarket). I couldn’t put that one down.

9. Believe in yourself and your body’s ability to do what it was created to do! Just because a doctor tells you can’t or shouldn’t do something doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do it! Almost every woman who has successfully had a VBAC (studies say 60%-80% of women who attempt a VBAC are successful) encountered resistance, not only from doctors and hospitals, but also from their own family and friends!

10. Know you’re not alone. Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time. There are countless women across the globe who are pregnant at the same time you are. There are women in labor when you are in labor. There are women attempting VBACs while you’re attempting your VBAC. You are NOT alone and you can do it! For support, you can come to my blog and share your story. See: http://vbac.angelahoy.com

That said, you should know the possible risk-factors for a ruptured uterus, including the type of incision used during your previous c-section, certain drugs physicians (and some midwives) give to induce/enhance labor, and more. You absolutely MUST research VBACs (and c-sections) thoroughly so you will not only make the best decision for you and your baby, but also so you’ll know if a healthcare practitioner is about to do something to you that may affect your and your baby’s health…and even life.

Angela Hoy was stunned when she was told she could not birth her fifth child vaginally after having a previous c-section. Baby Mason was born naturally, the old fashioned way, on June 22, 2006. Angela Hoy is the author of eight non-fiction titles, including DON’T CUT ME AGAIN! True Stories About Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) (http://www.booklocker.com/books/2845.html).

Pregnancy can take its toll on a woman. By the time they reach their ninth month, pregnant women are exhausted; they have endured months of swollen feet, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue. As the due date nears, they will do anything to wind it up and give birth to their child. Although there are many methods, remedies and even medicines that could be used to induce labor, Acupressure is revered above all of them; it comes without the risks of the other methods and it has no side effects.

Acupressure is an all natural method that may be used to induce labor in women who have passed their due dates, to reduce the pain associated with labor, or to help to speed up a labor that is progressing slowly.

Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, only acupressure uses the pressure of the fingers and thumbs as opposed to using needles. One of the best features of acupressure is that it is very effective at inducing labor in pregnant women, as well as reducing the pain often associated with labor.

Acupressure points such as “Adjoining Valley”, “Shoulder Well” and “Big and High” are associated with using Acupressure for labor.

In Adjoining Valley, the points used in acupressure will stimulate the large intestine meridian. First, locate the part of the hand between the thumb and forefinger. In the area known as webbing, press firmly. The correct area will feel tender. Apply pressure to the Adjoining Valley point is useful technique to get relief from labor pains too.

The Shoulder Well is another great acupressure point to use during labor. Apply pressure to the highest point on the shoulder muscle. To locate the area, use four fingers and measure from the joint of your shoulder, moving in towards your neck. This area will be very tender, and is also effective for managing pain during labor.

The Big and High point is located directly above the back of your heel. It’s located between the Achilles’ Tendon and your ankle. Apply pressure directly to this spot for the most benefits.

Be assured, labor will progress using these natural methods of inducing, but you will not have the risk of side effects or negative reactions. However, it is important to only use acupressure for inducing labor when you are due or past due and not during your earlier months of pregnancy.

Article by Lena Leino, mother and acupressure specialist. Lena shares her knowledge and experience on how to start labor naturally at home and manage labor pains safely on her page on acupressure for labor at http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com.

When it comes to considering whether you should induce your labor naturally or choose medications you need to be informed. There are some rare pre-existing medical conditions that could require medical induction in a highly controlled environment. It is, however, important to carefully consider the potential risks, as compared to the benefits, that labor induction may have to the mother or the baby. There are many natural methods for encouraging the labor to start naturally and their benefits far outweigh the seriousness of risks that are involved with medical induction.

First, you should realize that natural methods for inducing labor work. Therefore, they should never be used during the early trimesters of your pregnancy, and should not be attempted without the approval of your midwife,. Although natural labor methods are powerful, when used appropriately, they have less side effects then medication. Never use natural induction methods during the early months of pregnancy because they could lead to miscarriage.

When you are past 40 weeks pregnant and need to induce labor, natural methods have far less risks when compared to medication. Natural labor inducing methods include acupressure, walking, sexual intercourse, herbs, stripping the membranes, and nipple stimulation. These methods help to start labor through different mechanisms; for example nipple stimulation help increase natural hormones that stimulate labor, such as Oxytocin and Prostaglandins.

Medications used to stimulate labor are synthetic forms of the naturally occurring hormones, Oxytocin and Prostaglandin The brand name form of Oxytocin is Pitocin and the brand name forms of Prostaglandin include Cervidil and Prostin E2. These medications are associated with serious side effects and risks.

First, Pitocin is known for causing uterine contractions that are extremely intense, painful, and last for a long duration. Some other side effects associated with Pitocin include vomiting, nausea, cramping, and stomach pain. More serious side effects have also been reported. These serious side effects and risks include an irregular heartbeat in the mother, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, swelling, headaches, blurred vision, and seizures. There is also a chance that after childbirth the mother may develop severe bleeding.

Unfortunately, Pitocin may also cause serious side effects in your newborn. These include irregular heartbeat, jaundice in the eyes and skin, bleeding in the eyes, and seizures. If you notice any of these side effects in the baby, you must notify your doctor immediately.

The drug Dinoprostone is also known as Cervidil and Prostin E2. Synthetic forms of Prostaglandins, such as these, also have negative side effects. These come in suppository form and when inserted, you must lay down for at least two hours to ensure that he medicine softens the cervix. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat the procedure for up to two days.

Nausea and vomiting are common adverse reactions to Cervidil and Prostin E2. Common side effects include lightheadedness, dizziness, fever and chills. Some women may develop diarrhea and a fever as well. More serious side effects include trouble or difficulty breathing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Many pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart disease, kidney and pelvic infections, and diabetes, may increase the occurrence of negative side effects.

Before you or your doctor consider medical induction, it is important that you are informed about the risks and side effects of the medications. One of the worst, and definitely the most disheartening, side effect of medical labor induction is that it could still take days for labor to begin. In some cases it does not even work. Another choice over medication, is using a natural method to induce labor. Most of these methods do not come with the negative side effects.

Maternity Acupressure is a natural way to start labor. Find out the techniques to naturally induce labor without the negative side effects or risks of medications. Learn these techniques and how Maternity Acupressure helps the cervix to dilate, strengthens contractions and more at http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com.

When you conceive and become pregnant, your body begins to prepare for giving birth and, at the same time, it nurtures the fragile fetus growing in your womb. Full-term pregnancy is considered to last 38 or 40 weeks. When the length is calculated from the estimated day of fertilization, the pregnancy period is couple of weeks shorter than that calculated from the start of the last menstruation.

Every labor and delivery is different. How long the labor lasts and how fast or slow it progresses differs from woman to woman and from birth to birth. Some women experience very distinct signs of labor, while others do not.

There are several early symptoms that reveal that your labor is about to start and your baby is going to be born. Among these early labor symptoms are loose bowel movements. The intestine commonly empties just before labor starts. A quick decrease in the level of hormone progesterone is being considered for causing this effect. Another early sign of labor is a feeling of shivering or trembling that you might experience without any sensation of cold or weakness. Passing blood tinged mucus discharge from the vagina is a common early sign of labor, as well. This may happen one day or several weeks before labor begins, or after a vaginal exam. Labor can also start with a trickle or gush of water from the vagina. This means that the bag of water, meaning the amniotic sac that surrounds the baby, has broken.

No one knows exactly what causes labor to start or why so many pregnancies become overdue. One of the recent studies published in European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology (Vol. 132, June 2007) revealed that when the level of specific mRNA molecules in mother’s blood circulation increases, the labor is about to begin. What is interesting is that these molecules are of fetal origin. Could it be so that the baby sends a signal to the mother’s body that it’s time to deliver? What if the mother’s body doesn’t recognize this message? Could that be one of the reasons why so many pregnancies become overdue and EDD are passed?

Holistic approaches aim to maintain an ideal balance and help our bodies to function better in various situations of life. This is how these methods help the mother’s body to be more sensitive to mutual communication between the mother and the baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery.

Maternity Acupressure is a natural holistic method that helps the mother’s body to prepare for childbirth. Maternity Acupressure is beneficial, also, for the baby because it helps the baby to take the optimal position for the birth and to be engaged into the mother’s pelvis. Maternity Acupressure method can also be used to induce the labor naturally if the pregnancy is already overdue. Because of the high success rate, Maternity Acupressure has quickly become a popular natural labor induction remedy used by many professional pregnancy and labor caregivers. As Maternity Acupressure uses only application of pressure on specific spots on the skin, it can be safely used at home with basic instructions.

Studies prove that over 83% of pregnant mothers using acupressure to induce labor naturally experience a normal and natural childbirth with significantly less medical interventions than pregnant mothers who don’t use this method. Additionally, their labor time was shorter without signs of distress or hyperstimulation of the womb. On the contrary, acupressure seems to avert the mother and the baby to become distressed during labor and delivery.

Thus, holistic methods, such as Maternity Acupressure, might have a remarkably beneficial effect in preparing the mother and the baby for the birth that occurs at the right time in the most optimal manner.

Article by Lena Leino, a Maternity Acupressure specialist and mother. Maternity Acupressure is a safe natural labor induction method which you can use to start labor naturally at home, help cervix to dilate and stimulate labor contractions. If you are overdue and tired, visit her site http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com for more information.

Waiting for labor to start can be a very unnerving time. Many expectant mothers experience more anxiety as the due date gets closer. When that date has come and gone, you it is not unusual to listen to anyone’s advice on ways to start labor naturally. However, this must be done with caution. Do not allow impatience or excitement to blind your judgment; always consider the risks before you try to induce labor. Although advice is given with the best intentions in mind, there are some methods that may be harmful to the mother and unborn child.

A great example of this is natural herbs, rather in tablet or a tincture form. Using herbs is a common way to start labor, but if you don’t understand the risks, you may be putting yourself and child in harms way. In fact, just because a medicine or remedy is “all natural” doesn’t mean that it is without harm, risk, or side effects. Great care and caution should be used whenever anyone attempts to start labor naturally.

Black and Blue Cohosh are two widely used herbs used to start labor naturally. However, what you may not be aware of is that Black Cohosh is commonly associated with bleeding. Excessive bleeding during labor has resulted in many blood transfusions. By using Black Cohosh as a natural labor inducer, many women experienced too much bleeding during labor. This can be dangerous when caesarean section becomes necessary and is not a wise idea for women who are struggling with anemia or low iron counts. Before using Blue or Black Cohosh or other herbs to induce labor, always consult with your healthcare provider.

Nipple stimulation is another example of a natural method to induce labor. A natural labor inducer, oxytocin, is produced by the body during nipple stimulation. This is usually effective, but could cause very sore nipples and sometimes over-stimulate the uterus and lead into very painful labor contractions.

Instead, if you are looking for natural remedies to start labor, you should make sure that they have very little or no side effects. A perfect example is walking. Brisk walking has helped many women who are past their due date to bring on labor naturally. Walking puts pressure on the cervix; the more you walk the more pressure is exhibited. As you continue walking, your cervix will begin to efface and that is the first step of labor. The longer you walk, the more you’ll begin to dilate. Labor will soon start and before you know it, your baby will be in your arms.

There is one more method that has been proven to be very safe and effective at stimulating labor and inducing childbirth naturally, and that is maternity acupressure. Not only has acupressure been studied, and shown effective, it is also relaxing. This makes acupressure one of the best and most effective methods available for starting labor naturally.

About the author: Dr. Lena Leino is a mother and maternity acupressure specialists. She enjoys teaching women how to use acupressure not only to induce labor naturally, but to relax during labor. As opposed to other labor induction methods, including medical induction, acupressure is a safe and effective technique. Visit http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com to learn more.

The rate of labor induction has reached an all-time high in the United States, with estimates climbing as high as 33.7 percent of all pregnancies. Inductions may be performed in cases where continuing a pregnancy presents clear health and safety risks to a mother or her fetus.

There are many approaches physicians may take to ripen the cervix and induce labor. One medication that has become popular in recent years for cervical ripening is Cytotec. Typically a pill is broken in half or quarters, and one of the pieces is inserted into the cervix every few hours until the cervix is ready for labor.

Incomplete informationtarget=”_new” href
The problem with this is that many women are not given complete information about the medication before they consent to its use. Labor induction is an off-label use of Cytotec. This means that it was developed, researched and approved for another purpose.

The manufacturer’s label for Cytotec only permits it to be used to prevent stomach ulcers in patients who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin on a long-term basis. When a physician uses a drug off-label, he is determining the safety and efficacy himself as opposed to relying on a large, thorough scientific investigation.

A few investigations have been undertaken that compare Cytotec to other medications that are actually approved for the purpose of cervical ripening and labor induction. These studies have demonstrated that although Cytotec appears to be equally effective as the other medications, there are some serious risks. Although women who have been given Cytotec may sometimes progress more quickly than those who have been given some of the other approved medications, they are also more likely to experience certain complications.

Cytotec causes hyperstimulation of the uterus, which can lead to complications including fetal distress, amniotic embolism, uterine rupture, fetal death and postpartum hemorrhage. The risk of uterine rupture is further increased in mothers who have previously had a cesarean delivery.

Manufacturer warningstarget=”_new” href
Searle, the manufacturer of Cytotec was so concerned about this off-label use that it issued a letter to physicians in August 2000. The letter acknowledged these complications and urged physicians to follow their approved prescribing instructions.

Searle also stated that it “has not conducted research concerning the use of Cytotec for cervical ripening prior to termination of pregnancy or for induction of labor, nor does Searle intend to study or support these uses.”

Get the factstarget=”_new” href
Before you consent to the use of any medication, make sure you know the facts. You should know:

*what all the possible treatment options are

*what the medication is, how it works and how much you will be given

*how long it takes to work and how long its effects will last

*what purpose the FDA approved the medication for

*what side effects the medication is expected to have on you and your baby

*what complications have been documented to occur with the use of the medication

*how much more often the complications occur with this medication as opposed to other medications or no medications at all

If you are ever uncertain, ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you the manufacturer’s prescribing information.

This article is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or as a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be interpreted as recommendation for treatment. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your child, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider before using any health information.

© Christine Climer

Christine Climer is a registered nurse with experience in pulmonary disease, pediatrics, home health, hospice and early childhood education. She specializes in the promotion of child and family health through her private practice, http://www.bestbabynurse.com, in Dallas, Texas. Christine also volunteers as health and wellness editor for http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com.