Preparing for your birth……

The midwives at Natural Beginnings Birth Center  believe in education and informed decision making.  Many people ask us what resources we recommend for pregnancy information and birth preparation so we thought we would compile a few here on our blog.  Most of these books are helpful even if you are not planning an unmedicated birth.  We encourage all expecting moms to have a basic knowledge of labor and birth and some coping measures just in case pain relief isn’t immediately available.  We also encourage partner preparation!

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MOVIES:  

The Business of Being Born
**This movie can be viewed with a Netflix subscription or rented on Amazon Video.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS:

 Ina May Gaskin

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

• Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta

• Spiritual Midwifery

• Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding

  **Ina May’s books contain very powerful birth stories that are excellent reading especially for those desiring an unmedicated and/or birth center birth.

Barbara Harper

Gentle Birth Choices

**Barbara Harper is a water birth expert and teaches water birth practice world wide.  We are fortunate to have been able to train with her when we opened NBBC.

 

Sarah Buckley

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering:A Doctor’s Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices**Sarah Buckley is a physician in Australia who has studied natural birth practices from many different points of view.  She encourages informed decision making in all choices regarding birth and early parenting.

Penny Simkin

• Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn(4th Edition): The Complete Guide

• The Birth Partner  **The Birth Partner is great for partners and anyone who is going to be present at the birth to help you labor.  

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NBBC word for 2016 – OPTIONS

It’s a new year at Natural Beginnings Birth Center and we are looking forward to everything that 2016 has to offer.  We are honored to serve the women of our community in the various aspects of their lives and we “resolve” in 2016 to continue to work to provide the platinum standard of care for our patients.

Our core values state:

Natural Beginnings Birth & Wellness Center Provides holistic individualized gynecological care throughout the life, maternity care, mother-baby wellness education and a family centered, supportive environment for birth.

 

We feel that one of the most valuable things that we do for our patients is offer them OPTIONS.  At NBBC, we consider ourselves to be in a continuous and compassionate partnership with you.  This means that you play a major role in the decisions regarding your care.  We want all of our patients to feel that they are making informed decisions so we have a strong focus on education and evidence based information.  Along with that, we respect your experience and your knowledge.  We know that many of our patients have done extensive research before they come to us.  Many of them have had experiences in the past  with medical care that they felt were not empowering to them and they are looking for something different.  We look at each woman as an individual and seek to find OPTIONS and solutions that fit her particular needs.

WE HONOR THE NORMALCY OF WOMEN’S LIFECYCLE EVENTS. WE BELIEVE IN:

• Watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal processes
• Appropriate use of interventions and technology for current or potential health problems
• Consultation, collaboration and referral with other members of healthcare team as needed to provide optimal healthcare

We want women to know that we are proud to offer OPTIONS that fit a variety of scenarios.  We believe that women should be active participants in their decisions regarding their care. Here are some examples of what having OPTIONS looks like in our practice:

• a natural, unmedicated birth without interventions in our birth center or in the hospital
• waterbirth in our birth center
• elective induction if desired after reviewing risks and benefits
• the availability of the midwifery model of care even in many pregnancies that are labeled “high risk”
•  an empowering birth with an epidural or narcotic pain relief
• wireless, waterproof monitoring in the hospital to support movement and hydrotherapy(laboring in a tub or shower) during labor
• support and encouragement for many women desiring vaginal birth after cesarean(VBAC) – current VBAC success rate is 87%
• several different methods of induction including a Cook Catheter 
• IV antibiotics for Group B Strep when birthing at the birth center as well as the hospital
• smooth transition to the hospital from the birth center if necessary without having to change providers
• encouragement to have family or doula support during the birth process if desired
• breastfeeding and lactation resources
• referrals to a variety of professionals and professional services
• and many, many more!!!!

Call us today with any questions you may have about the options available to you through NBBC.  You can also visit us at http://www.naturalbeginningsnc.com or attend our next Meet The Midwives event.

We wish everyone an abundant and prosperous 2016!