All Posts Tagged ‘epidural’
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Waves, Surges, or Really Big Pain
Monday, January 30th, 2012Decades ago when Dr. Fernand Lamaze wrote the book “Painless Childbirth” the natural childbirth movement was born. Thousands upon thousands of women diligently learned their breathing techniques and prepared themselves for their births. Unfortunately, what many women found out was that labor and birth actually did hurt for them. A lot.
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Managing Labor Pain
Monday, September 19th, 2011Labor is a natural — although challenging — process. No two women have the same degree of labor pain, and no two labors are exactly alike. Ultimately, you need to choose the pain relief option that’s right for you.
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A Humorous Perspective On Letting Nature Happen
Monday, October 4th, 2010Every now and then I come across something that gives a “spot on” reminder of how trying to control the outcome of birth can take away the wonder. This is a humorous video on just that.
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Pain Medications for Labor and Birth
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010Many types of medication can ease pain during labor and delivery. Here is a brief outline of the most common types of medication offered.
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Yes, I Am Picking On Ricki Lake. A Little Background.
Thursday, February 4th, 2010I might be just about done with this but seeing Ricki Lake on a recent talk show and still hearing women elevate her to near sainthood for “returning us to homebirth” has just steamed me once again. I really don’t have anything personal against Ms. Lake. I am just so very bothered by celebrities; – actresses, models, etc. taking personal stances on whatever their favorite subject is and using their ability to reach a mass audience to promote their cause. It is exploitation of the worst kind.
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Back To The Homebirth Discussion
Sunday, January 24th, 2010After last week’s blog I received quite a few emails and a post here responding to the article I discussed about Tracey Hermanstorfer in Colorado who nearly lost her life during childbirth. A few of them responded by saying that her respiratory and cardiac arrest were actually the “result” of her being in the hospital.
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When Things Don’t Go As Planned: Preeclampsia
Monday, October 5th, 2009As I continue the discussion on home-birth I’d like to share with you my experience with Alexander’s birth. It is an excellent example of how unexpectedly things can change.
I was really healthy during my pregnancy. A week before my December 24th due date, my water bag broke in the Christmas card aisle of our local drugstore (that’s another story) and within a few hours I was in booming labor. However, when I arrived at the hospital, my blood pressure was extremely high, 180/120. My normal blood pressure is about 90/60. I had noticed my feet were pretty puffy but did not realize that I had gained 9 pounds (in fluid) since the previous day. Shockingly and randomly, I had preeclampsia and was developing something called HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, and a low platelet count) syndrome, the most severe complication of preeclampsia.
