General Resources

Here are some links to different websites and papers that offer interesting food for thought regarding pregnancy and childbirth issues. You may or may not agree with what you read, but it is worth seeing something from a variety of perspectives. Please let us know if a link is dead or is no longer pointing to the right website.

Conception Information-

Ovulation Calculator
Cervical Observation

Finding a careprovider-

Questions to Ask a Prospective Midwife
Midwives Association of BC

Misc. and Interesting Pregnancy/Childbirth Information-

Canadian Perinatal Health Report 2008
BC Trends in Vital Events 2009
Perinatal Services BC
Home Birth after 3 Cesareans (movie)
hay motivo (a thought provoking Spanish spoof showing some of the vulnerablities of childbirth)
History by the Minute: Midwife
Robbie E. Davis-Floyd (a collection of articles written by a leader of woman-centred childbirth)
Long-held Prenatal Beliefs Challenged
Consortium for the Evidence-Based Practice of Obstetrics
Effects of Hospital Economics on Maternity Care
The Visible Embryo
Birth Story in 100 Pictures
The Development of an Embryo (Carnegie Stages)
Monty Python - Hospital Sketch (the clip of the Monty Python movie showing some of the absurdaties in obstetric care)
Born in Brazil (a movie showing the pressures of modern society & how our reliance on technology & fear of the unpredictable influence childbirth) * subtitles

Understanding "Due Dates"-

Due Dates
Calculating Due Dates and the Impact of Mistaken Estimates of Gestational Age
Better Way to Predict Pregnancy Term

Pregnancy Discomforts-

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe nausea)
Nausea/Morning Sickness
Pregnancy Discomforts - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Pelvic Pain
Sickness, Chocolate Improve Pregnancy Odds: Study

Benefits of Doula Support-

How Do I Get the Labour Support I Need? Labour Support Options

Homebirth-

Home vs. Hospital Deliveries (from BMJ No 7068 Volume 313)
Corroborating Citations on the Safety of Homebirth
Hospital-Aquired Infections and Resistant Bacteria
Homebirths Safe as Hospital births: Study
The Revolution in Maternity Care: The Diverse Strands in a Complicated Tapestry
Home Delivery - Today's Parent
Safest Birth Attendants: recent Dutch evidence
Safety of Alternative Approaches to Childbirth
The Battle is in the Mind - Jan Tritten
Homebirth as Safe as Hospital Delivery for Low-Risk Pregnancies (BMJ Study)

 

Nutrition-

Calcium - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Iron - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Protein - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Water - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Dial-A-Dietitian

Labourade Recipe:

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1-2 calcium tablets, crushed
• Enough water to make 1 litre.

 

Optimal Fetal Positioning-

Optimal Fetal Positioning - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Optimal Fetal Positioning - Get your baby lined up!
Spinning Babies

Normal Variations in Pregnancy-

Heads Up! All About Breech Babies
Prenatal Breech Issues
Breech Delivery

 

Prenatal Testing-

Questions to Ask Before Taking Any Test - Island Childbirth Education Handout

The Safety and Use of Ultrasound
Ultrasound: More Harm than Good?
FDA Cautions Against Ultrasound "Keepsake" Images
Ultrasound: Weighing the Propaganda Against the Facts
Ultrasound may affect fetal brains: study

The Glucose Tolerance Test
The Usefulness of Standard Management of Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes

AFP and Triple Screen Testing

Group B Strep
Group B Strep Guidelines (written by a midwife in Massachusetts)
Strep B Holistic Approach (written by Gloria Lemay)
Group B-Strep

 

Vaginal Birth-

Animation of What Occurs in Normal Vaginal Birth
Less Pelvic Floor Damage Associated with Uncoached than Coached Pushing During Labor - Medscape (must register to view article)
Pushing for First-Time Moms

Induction Information-

Bishops Score - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Misoprostol (Cytotec) for Labour Induction: A Cautionary Tale
Counting Down to the Birth
Misoprostol (marketed as Cytotec) Information - USFDA

 

Electronic Fetal Monitoring-

Electronic Fetal Monitoring: References
Routine Electronic Fetal Monitoring of Fetuses is Challenged in Study

Comfort Measures-

Comfort Measures Summary - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Why Have Natural Childbirth?
Birth Drugs Could Prevent Bonding - BBC News

Birth Ball Labour Positions - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Positions for Labouring Out of Bed - Island Childbirth Education Handout

Drugs Not FDA Approved for Obstetrics
FDA Approved Obstetrics Drugs- their affects on mother & baby

Animation of Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia
Reported Side Affects of Epidural Anesthesia
Epidurals 'Hamper' Breastfeeding

The Nature & Management of Labor Pain - Nonpharmacologic Pain Relief
The Nature & Management of Labor Pain - Pharmacologic Pain Relief

 

Waterbirth-

Waterbirth International
Waterbirth Website
Waterbirth: A 10-Year Retrospective by Barbara Harper, R.N.
Waterbirths: A Comparative Study
Influence of Alternative Birth Methods on Traditional Birth Management

 

Perineal Information-

Perineal Massage - Island Childbirth Education Handout
Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities: Episiotomy
Perineal Protection/Avoiding Tears and Episiotomy
Perineum Healing
Routine Episiotomy Harms and Offers No Benefits to Women

 

Cesarean Section-

International Cesarean Awareness Network
Warning Over Cesarean Births - BBC News
Animation of Cesarean Section Procedure
What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section
Childbirth down after Caesareans - BBC News article
UBC Researchers Query Source of Cesarean Section Increase

VBAC Safety: A Closer Look at the 2002 JAMA Study

VBA3C Video - homemade video of a mom having a homebirth after 3 cesarean births.

Fetal Oxygen Monitors No Help For Newborns: Study

 

Newborn Procedure Options-

Apgar Test - Island Childbirth Education Handout

Baby airway suction little value

Newborn Eye Ointment

Umbilical Cord Issues/Delayed Cord Clamping
Early or Late Cord Cutting?
Care of the Umbilical Cord - A review of the evidence (WHO)
Neonatal Resuscitation (long but interesting)
Delayed Cord Cutting Aids Babies - BBC News

Administration of Vitamin K to Newborns
Vitamin K - An Alternative Perspective
Vitamin K in Colostrum and Breastmilk

Breastfeeding is Analgesic in Healthy Newborns

The First Hour Following Birth - Michel Odent
New Moms & Newborns Need Privacy, Study Shows

 

Postpartum Depression-

Postpartum Depression
Dad's Can Suffer Post-Natal Depression, Too
Postpartum Depression: Patient Information Sheet
Online Postpartum Depression Support Group

 

 

Circumcision-

Neonatal Circumcision Revisited - Canadian Pediatric Society
Circumcision
What Happens During Circumcision?
The Prepuce - an education film showing the purpose and benefit to the foreskin
The Medicalization of Circumcision (slide show that considers that circumcision is a solution searching for a problem)

Breastfeeding-

Breastfeeding
La Leche League International
Breastfeeding Benefits From Top to Bottom
Comparison of Human Milk and Formula
101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child
Infact Canada
A Natural Age of Weaning
Breastfed Babies More Likely to Survive
Is Breast Best? Beyond the Immediate Impassioned Responses
One Long Experience
Breastfeeding Associated with Lower Risk of SIDS - Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

Hand Expression of Breastmilk - a short video that demonstrates how easily hand expression can be learned.

Dr. Jack Newman.com - an online breastfeeding resource
Common Sense Breastfeeding Topics - Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC

An Easy Guide to Breastfeeding for American Indians & Alaska Native Families - a great PDF for First Nations families (and all families!) with clear information and support.

Breastfeeding Pharmacology - Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph, Ph.D

Breastfeeding & Frenulums - Brian Palmer, DDS
LLLI Responds to AAP Policy Statement on SIDS

 

Baby's Weight Gain-

Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies
Weight Gain & Growth Patterns
Obesity & Infant Feeding Patterns
WHO to Define Ideal for Child Growth
WHO Growth Charts for Breastfed Children

 

Baby Wearing & Attachment Parenting-

The Continuum Concept
Ten Reasons to Wear Your Baby
The Science of Attachment: The Biological Roots of Love
Kangaroo Mother Care

Cord Care-

Umbilical Cord Stump Care
Alcohol vs. natural drying for newborn cord care

 

Family Bed-

Co-Sleeping: Yes, No, Sometimes?
The Benefits of Co-Sleeping
Sharing a Bed with your Baby - UNICEF
James McKenna - Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory

 

This list is always growing and updating... Please let us know if a link is dead or no longer pointing to the right website.