Labour and Birth
Hormones – If you’ve met me, you will be aware that I keep harping on about hormones. I don’t know that I put it quite as succinctly as others, but there is so much information now that it is difficult to ignore the importance of the hormonal (and other cool chemical) flow, or cascade, in pregnancy , labour and birth. If you want the long and the long of it, read Sarah Buckley’s recent publication Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing. Actually that link has the long and the short of it, take your pick. Other fabulous authors who’ve added to the knowledge about labour hormones include Michel Odent, and Kerstin Uvnas Moberg (sorry Kerstin, I haven’t found the umlauts yet). Kerstin doesn’t write about birth much, but she does write about oxytocin, which is one of the key hormones, and, in my humble opinion, The Bomb.
Labour supports: Acupressure can be very helpful for some people when in labour. Debra Betts has a wonderful downloadable pdf on her website which you might like to have a look at and work through with your partner and/or support person.
Recommended book list – Now, I know that not all books resonate with all people, so don’t try reading all of these! (If they are listed here, I have a copy which you can borrow if a) I am your midwife and b) you promise to give it back.) How about: Gentle birth, gentle mothering, by Sarah Buckley, or one of Ina May Gaskin’s books – such as the oldie but goodie Spiritual midwifery, the more recent Birth matters, or one of her other books. I am a total fan of Michel Odent. He’s written Do we need midwives, and The functions of the orgasms, and Childbirth in the age of plastics, and Birth reborn, to name a few. His latest contribution is The birth of Homo, the Marine Chimpanzee. There’s no point in my linking to each book as there are so many suppliers. Here’s my search. Then there’s also the totally fabulous Sheila Kitzenger, a famous birth anthropologist who passed away recently, but won’t be forgotten, as she was a prolific writer. I think her most famous book would have to be The new pregnancy & childbirth. Again, emphasis on “prolific”.
Are you interested in, or a little bit curious about, birthing at home? Start here, at the Home Birth Aotearoa website. From there, you can find your local connections, find out the “why” of it, and see if anything resonates for you. Also check out the links for dads here. Here is the Natural Birth Southland (previously Southland Home Birth Association) page, which includes information about pool hire. You can hire a pool for $80 (plus $50 refundable bond), which also gives you access to other resources.
If you have any recommendations of your own, I’d love to hear from you: send me a message with the details of a book, website or other resource, and why you liked it.