Natural to NICU at The Birthing Inn

The Birthing Inn in Lansdowne, VA is a wonderful place offering everything from a natural birth to a NICU. http://www.thebirthinginn.org/ The only thing that takes place at this center is births. It is much nicer to go to a place where births occur and not to a hospital where everything happens. By being in a birth center instead of a hospital you can avoid a lot of sick people which can only be better for both mom and baby. I am a fan of a natural birth but I am also a fan of having access to advanced medical care if it is needed. Not only do you have a full range of services but the nurse-midwife pratice that I go to delivers here. http://www.lcmidwives.com/ (I will discuss the idea of midwives in another post)

Another birth center in the Northern VA area is http://www.birthcare.org/ - located in Alexandria, VA. I am not familiar with this center but thought I would share it anyway since there are a limited number of birth centers in my area and in most areas.

Feel free to share information about Birthing Centers in your area.

Why wait to potty train?

I came across a website about EC (Elimination Communication) - http://diaperfreebaby.org/. I had never heard of EC before this. I didn't realize that children do not have to wait until they are 2-4yrs old to be potty trained. It is possible for children to learn how to control their urge to use the bathroom and for parents to understand their children's needs. I did more research on the subject and discovered that EC is a normal way of life in many countries around the world. It is a practice that has been around for ages.

I wondered why it is not a normal practice in the US and the only conclusion I can come to is that it is not convenient or easy. A lot of the changes in maternity care and parenting seems to have been shaped around convenience. It might be more convenient and easy to have children in diapers but it is probably not the best way for children to understand their elimination needs. We teach children to eliminate in their diapers but then at a young age try to change that teaching and teach them that it is wrong or an accident to eliminate in their pants. That has to be confusing for a child. Besides being confusing for children diapers are a pollutant to nature. An infant can use as many as 10 diapers a day - that is a lot of trash. If parents are able to reduce or completely eliminate diapers then it is one step closer to saving the earth from unnecessary trash. Another solution to the use of diapers is cloth diapering (I will discuss this in another post). However, limiting the time and use of diapers all together is not only better for nature but also easier for the child to understand their elimination needs.

I plan to practice EC once I have children. I know it will be a challenge like most things when it comes to raising children but I feel that it will be worth it for many reasons.

Do you EC? Would you consider it now after learning about it?

Some Recommended Reading

After doing a lot of searching for a book that would give me information about different types of interventions in birth I found "Creating Your Birth Plan" by Dr. Marsden Wagner. It is very well rounded giving pros and cons to all types of birth interventions. All of the information is backed by extensive research. The book gives you information so that you can make an educated decision on whether you want a certain intervention or if you really need a certain intervention. I feel that the best way to make a decision or to consent to something is to know all of its benefits and risks. It is so easy to just agree with your healthcare provider but I think that it is much more important for women to know why they agree or possibly disagree with their healthcare provider's recommendations.

"Pushed" by Jennifer Block is a book that I am currently reading and can't put down. This book really goes through the history of obstetricts in the US. It discusses the changes from normal birth to medicalized birth and the pros and cons of each advancement in technology. I really love reading books that back up opinions with research. The best part is all the research is current and relevant. There is tons of eye opening and thought provoking information. I can't wait to finish the book and find another one.

Have you read either of these books? If so, what do you think? Do you have any books that you can recommend and why?

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog.

My hopes for this blog is to share my thoughts on what I have learned about pregnancy, birth and motherhood. It is also a place where other women can share thoughts, resources and help educate each other with all the options that are out there. I feel that we as women need to empower each other so that we understand why we make the decisions that we do and feel good about those decisions. There is no wrong way as long as you have an understanding as to why you have chosen that way. Otherwise we are chosing a misinformed way.

Please feel free to comment, send information, send links, share your experiences and give advice.

Thank you for helping empower others.