Tag Archives: birth plan

A Doula’s Advice: “Routine Interventions” vs. “Medical Solutions”

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Mare
Patricia Madden, Doula

Guest post by Patricia Madden, DONA-Certified Birth Doula “Routine interventions versus medical solutions.” I heard this phrase many years ago, and I’m pretty sure it came from Pam England of “Birthing from Within” fame. In my 14 years of experience, I’ve noticed that this is the kind of phrase that relaxes couples and doctors alike. Most of my clients are very dedicated to having a natural birth, but as we talk more they come to understand that what they really want to avoid is routine interventions that can snowball into surgery. When a birth mother puts that simple sentence in … Continue reading →

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My Un-holistic Mama Birth Story Part 5

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Mare

My OB finally came back around 2:15pm. She said, “Okay, let’s see what ya got!” (Until that day, I 100% loved my OB – she is always ready to laugh and says words like, “va-jay-jay.”) There followed a struggle between us where I wanted to push on my side and she said, “No, it’s just easier for all of us if you push this way [with your legs in the air].” ‘Us’ was a huge team of nurses from the NICU – they just kept coming in until there were 8 total strangers in the room. When my water broke, … Continue reading →

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My Un-Holistic Mama Birth Story Part 2

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Mare

At first, the pain wasn’t too bad. The contractions were almost pleasant, but that was probably because I was just happy to finally be in labor.  Then gradually, the pain became breathtaking. And not in a good way. It felt like someone was jackhammering the lower part of my tailbone with a drill bit, and for the duration of the contraction, I would desperately hold onto the bars of my hospital bed, sweating and swearing and screaming through gritted teeth. Looking back, I now know that what I was experiencing is called “back labor.” This occurs when the baby’s head … Continue reading →

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My Un-Holistic Mama Birth Story Part 1

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Mare

Lately I’ve been swapping birth stories with other holistic Moms. I’ve listened with some degree of envy to their tales of giving birth in a bathtub at home, in a warm, serene, and welcoming environment. My own un-holistic Mama birth story can be summed up in 5 words: “Nothing went according to plan.” Or, “I’m never giving birth without a doula again.” The plan was for a “natural” hospital birth: no drugs, baby put immediately on my chest after birth for breastfeeding and APGAR scoring, no injections, no erythromycin, and vaginal delivery. The last part – vaginal delivery – was … Continue reading →

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