Raise your hand if you were told a whole bunch of horror stories about childbirth when people found out you were pregnant. Not you? Then you’re one of the lucky ones. For some reason, some women just love to relate how much pain they had, often frightening first time moms.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Some mothers manage labor and delivery quite well, others need some help. The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with needing some help. Before you’re in that situation though, you should find out what your options are. Speak with your doctor or midwife about what …read more

In mid-June, I posted on how Ricki Lake was being taken to task by the American Medical Association (AMA) about her stance on home birth (Tsk, tsk Ricki Lake).
Meredith, our resident doula (Womb Within has its very own doula) sent me this “President’s editorial” fro the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA). I am publishing it with permission. It’s a very interesting answer to the AMA’s close-minded point of view.
AMA Seeks to Deny Women Choices in Childbirth
*President’s Editorial *
July 11, 2008
Geradine Simkins
president@mana.org
888-923-MANA (6262)
info@mana.org
http://www.mana.org
One wonders what process the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates used to determine that *”Resolution 205 …read more

Dads and Doulas
(Womb Within has its very own doula)
Susan had been thinking about hiring a doula to support her goal of an unmedicated, low-intervention birth. Her husband, Jeff, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. He felt like having a stranger at what he considered an intimate experience would be intrusive. He didn’t want someone taking his place. He believed he could support Susan during labor just fine, and didn’t know what a doula could do that he couldn’t. After all, he was going to childbirth classes with Susan, and he could do that ‘hee-hee-hoo’ business just as well as …read more