Recommended Books
"Pooping During Labor?"
Pooping in labor is not a topic at the top of your list to discuss at a dinner party or over coffee, but it is an anxiety many women bear alone when preparing for their birth. Read personal stories of pregnant women, their partners, and birth professionals of their anxiety of pooping during labor. Learn about the physiology of pushing, why pooping happens, and how it is managed during birth. This book will help relieve your anxiety, prepare you to completely let go of the fear of pooping, and add a little humor to your mind as you approach labor.
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The classes I teach incorporate Birthing From Within® principles. Birthing From Within® is a holistic approach to childbirth that examines this profound rite-of-passage not as a medical event but as an act of self-discovery. Exercises and activities such as journal writing, meditation, and painting will help mothers analyze their thoughts and face their fears during pregnancy. For use during birth, the book offers proven techniques for coping with labor pain without drugs, a discussion of the doctor or midwife’s role, and a look at the father’s responsibilities. Childbirth education should also include what to expect after the baby is born. Here are baby basics, such as how to bathe a newborn, how to get the little one to sleep, and tips for getting nursing off to a good start. Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a process of continuous learning and adjustment; Birthing From Within provides the necessary support and education to make each phase of birthing a rewarding experience.
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The integrative model of childbirth described in this book will provide women with the information needed to prepare for birth, how to think and feel about labor, and how to tell their story. During their childbearing year, women traverse two paths at once: an inner path of psychological and spiritual awareness and an outer path of practical approaches to birth in modern-day culture. The book combines scientific research with meditation, ceremony, art, and mythic stories, which not only prepares childbearing women to go beyond their edge into uncharted territory but to find their way home again. The underlying message throughout is not to strive for a perfect birth but to be mindful of the mythic journey, of all the mothers who have come before—an awareness that leads not only to the birth of a child but to the birth of a new self.
BuyDesigned to transform the experience of childbirth, this manual calls upon the use of the timeless and powerful symbol of the labyrinth in 12 simple meditations and ceremonies. Ideal as a tool for centering the self and calming the body and mind, this guide ushers readers through the inner journey of the childbearing year—from pregnancy and labor through the postpartum stage. A variety of labyrinths—including four childbirth-related labyrinths from the Hopi and Papago cultures in the American Southwest and two others from India—are presented in this handbook and cover topics that include helping mothers focus on their emotional and spiritual state preparation for birth, aid in calming the mind and steadying breathing during birth, and allowing parents to fully process their experiences. Instructions for drawing a classic labyrinth, ideas for personalizing the design, and labyrinth "seeds"—start-up patterns for six variations of labyrinth—are also included. The timeless and powerful symbol of the labyrinth forms the core of this collection of 12 simple meditations and ceremonies designed to transform the experience of childbirth. The inner journey through the childbearing year—from pregnancy through labor and postpartum stages—is enhanced through the use of labyrinths as a tool for meditation and centering. Studies show that walking or finger-tracing a labyrinth slows down and balances brain waves, calms the body and mind, and helps access intuitive knowing. During pregnancy, labyrinth meditations help the mother focus on her emotional and spiritual preparation for birth and mothering. In labor, the labyrinth helps to calm the mind, steady the breath, and ease pain. Postpartum, the Birth Story Labyrinth helps parents process and integrate their experience in labor.
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