Classes Start Soon

The winter childbirth class series at Journey Birth Services begins on Thursday, February 5th at 6pm. Classes meet every week for seven weeks, and are 2.5 hours long. For more information or to register for the winter series, please visit Journey Birth Services.

Journey Birth Services Mom's Group

Come to Amy's house and meet other moms on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings start at 11am and end at 2pm. Bring lunch or something to share. Children are always welcome!

Where:
52 Marshall Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342

When:
Wednesday, January 14th 11am to 2pm

New Book: The No-Cry Nap Solution

The No-Cry Nap Solution:
Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems

Foreword by Tim Seldin, President, The Montessori Foundation; Chair, International Montessori Council
Introduction by Meir H. Kryger, MD, Chairman of the National Sleep Foundation

~~^~~^~~
Will your child only nap in your arms, in a swing, or after elaborate rituals? Does your child take cat naps -- or none at all? Let world-renowned, trusted parenting author Elizabeth Pantley help you. She’ll guide you with the same sensitive expertise and gentle approach used in her other No-Cry bestsellers about sleep, discipline and potty training.

Research proves that daily naps improve health, mood, growth, intelligence and well-being. Yet children often resist the naps they need and parents don’t know how to make them happen. The results are fussy, crying babies and cranky, grouchy kids who also have trouble sleeping at night!

In The No-Cry Nap Solution Pantley explains to parents of children ages newborn to kindergarten the importance of napping to both behavior during the day and sleeping during (and through!) the night. She then shares with you her gentle, loving child-friendly techniques--tested on families of all sizes and circumstances--and shows you how you can customize her solutions for your own family.

Pantley addresses issues such as children who resist naps, dealing with schedule changes, turning short naps into longer ones, helping a child go from needing motion for sleep to “stationery” sleep, nursing at naptime, daycare-related napping problems, newborn “in-arms” or “in-sling” napping issues, and much more.

More info here!

C-Section too Early Risks Baby's Health

A team of researchers lead by Dr. Alan Tita from the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined the results of 13,258 women who had a scheduled, repeat C-section that was planned for no other medical reason than the fact that the woman had previously had a C-section.

The researchers found that, compared to babies delivered by C-section at 39 weeks of gestation, those born at 37 or 38 weeks had a higher rate of breathing problems, blood sugar problems and serious infections. Moreover, those babies were more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Read more...

Birth by the Numbers

There is a very interesting video on the Orgasmic Birth website about Birth in the US and the statistics around it. If you have about 20 minutes check it out here - very informative!

Last Mom's Group of 2008!

Come to Amy's house and meet other moms on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings start at 11am and end at 2pm. Bring lunch or something to share. Children are always welcome!

Where:
52 Marshall Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342

When:
Wednesday, December 10th 11am to 2pm

Pregnant in America

A new documentary about the state of childbirth in the US is going to be released on DVD on December 16th! Pregnant in America examines

the betrayal of humanity's greatest gift--birth--by the greed of U.S. corporations. Hospitals, insurance companies and other members of the healthcare industry have all pushed aside the best care of our infants and mothers to play the power game of raking in huge profits.
His wife pregnant, first-time filmmaker Steve Buonaugurio set out to create a film that will expose the underside of the U.S. childbirth industry and help end its neglectful exploitation of pregnancy and birth with help from producers Betsy Chasse and Straw Weisman.
Pregnant in America is the controversial story of life's greatest miracle in the hands of a nation's most powerful interests.

Watch the trailer...

Expecting parents: What is a doula?

Since they focus solely on non-medical care, doulas can spend their energy comforting and encouraging the mother and her family and helping them navigate the slew of questions and decisions that often need to be addressed during labor and delivery. “When I’m working with parents as a doula I want my role to be uncomplicated by the clinical aspects of birth,” says Young. “I’m there to meet their emotional needs, physical comfort needs, to help them with information.”

Read more...

Home Births are on the Rise

Births in New York’s hospitals, where pediatricians are able to check babies immediately for potentially dangerous conditions, it should be noted, still vastly outnumber those in its homes — in 2006 home births accounted for only one-half of 1 percent of the city’s 125,506 reported births.

But local midwives say they have been swamped with calls and requests in recent months, in some cases increasing their workload from two, three or four deliveries a month to as many as 10. (New York health department statistics for this year will not be available until 2010.) Several certified nurse midwives who have home-birth-only practices said they had gotten so many more requests in recent months that they have begun referring pregnant women to midwives in Rockland County, Long Island and New Jersey.

Read more...

Mom's Group at Journey Birth Services

Come to Amy's house and meet other moms on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings start at 11am and end at 2pm. Bring lunch or something to share. Children are always welcome!

Where:
52 Marshall Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342

When:
Wednesday, November 12th 11am to 2pm
Wednesday, December 10th 11am to 2pm

Journey Birth Services is adding retail!

I am excited to announce that I have added a retail section to my services. Everything I sell is available either at my office in Glen Mills or online. If you are a current or previous customer of Journey Birth Services, you receive a 10% discount on anything you buy - email me for the discount code. Also, 5% of profits from the retail store will go directly to the Rising Moon Birth Fund. Rising Moon Birth Fund seeks to make homebirth a viable option for families with financial obstacles through fundraising, outreach, and education. Clients of any midwives in the Philadelphia and surrounding areas may apply to the Rising Moon Birth Fund. So, feel free to shop! I'm adding new products all the time. If you're looking for something I don't carry, feel free to email me and let me know - maybe I can carry it!

Patient undergoing C-section dies

From the Boston Globe:

The risk of death from a caesarean section is estimated at fewer than 1 in 2,500, according to information on the hospital's website.

That is significantly more than the roughly 1-in-10,000 risk of death during a vaginal birth.

Read more...

Freebirthing on Discovery Health

Freebirthing
Premieres Tuesday, October 21 at 9 pm

Tune In: Freebirthing

A growing movement of women in the US and in the UK are defying medical advice and choosing to give birth with no drugs, no midwife and absolutely no medical support. Supporters claim it's how having a baby was always meant to be. Doctors say this new 'freebirthing' craze carries great risks.

Read more...

Maternity-care failings can be remedied with cost-saving fixes

It's a problem seen throughout health care, but it might be of particular concern when the patient is a healthy pregnant woman: the overuse of tests and potentially risky procedures that, at best, might benefit only a limited number of patients, and the underuse of proven techniques with few or no known drawbacks.

Read more...

Having a homebirth?

Are you due in January and are planning a homebirth? If so, check this out - you might be interested.

My name is Zach Marion and I work at Video Arts Studios in Fargo, ND. We produced the series House of Babies for the Discovery Health Network. Under the guidance of master midwife, Sheri Daniels, at the Miami Maternity Center, the show follows couples during their pregnancy and ends with the delivery of their baby. It was very instrumental in raising awareness about non-clinical birthing practices on a national level.

Recently we have been approached to create a one-hour special on unique birthing practices worldwide. We are looking for families that would like to share their story on camera from pregnancy to delivery. Ideal candidates are expecting mothers due in and around early January that are planning to give birth outside of a clinic or birth center. This includes home births and beyond. The point of the show is to raise awareness about the alternative birthing options in the U.S. with the help of a midwife. Hopefully, the special creates a healthy dialogue among midwives, doctors, to-be parents, and the general public. Stories that are of particular interest are those that include interesting traditions during pregnancy and unique backdrops during delivery. For example, a Hindu family that wants to deliver outside or a family of hippies that are pursuing a home birth in a tent.

As you can imagine, access is usually the greatest struggle. Our presence at the birth goes nearly unnoticed. This unobtrusive nature was learned through experience gained while producing 26 episodes of House of Babies.

Do any clients spring to mind that might want to be a part of this project? Any and all contact leads are much appreciated. Feel free to contact me by phone with inquiries or information. I am available during weekdays between 8 and 5 CST. Thank you for your time.


Sincerely,

Zach Marion
Video Arts Studios
1440 4th Avenue North
Fargo, ND 58102
(701) 232-3393
zach@videoartsstudios.com

Vaccine Talk in Downingtown

Vaccines: Controversies and Choices at the Downingtown Town Library on October 23rd at 6:30 pm, with Nicole and Russ of Bailey Family Chiropractic. It will last about an hour and be very informative. Please let Nicole Bailey know if you plan on coming.

Divas N Babes

When I was pregnant with Henry, I bought a Mei Tai from Divas N Babes. Tonjia was WONDERFUL to work with and her carriers and clothing are just beautiful - check her out! Anyways, she's going to be on WHYY's "Delaware Tonight" segment at 5:30pm. Be sure to tune in! OH, and if you check out her site, you can even see me and Henry (when he was 4 months old!) modeling the Bosom Buddies shirts... now I know you'll be headed over there!

Facebook

Journey Birth Services is now on Facebook! Feel free to come and check it out - you can be automatically notified of events through Facebook.

Mom's Group at Journey Birth Services

Come to Amy's house and meet other moms on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning in October. Meetings start at 11am and end at 2pm. Bring lunch or something to share. Children are always welcome!

Where:
52 Marshall Road
Glen Mills, PA 19342

When:
Wednesday, October 8th 11am to 2pm
Wednesday, November 12th 11am to 2pm
Wednesday, December 17th 11am to 2pm

Free Lecture on Vaccination Choices and Controversies (Media, PA)

Please join the Delaware County chapter of Holistic moms Network for our monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 7pm at Ohm Chiropractic Center, 327 N Middletown Road in Media. This month we will have Dr. Jeanne Ohm from Ohm Chiropractic Center present her lecture Vaccinations - Choices and Controversies.

We had such a great turn out and follow up requests for information on this topic when we presented it back in June that we decided to offer the presentation again for those of you who may have missed it before. Dr. Ohm specializes in prenatal chiropractic care for expectant mothers and their infants. In addition to her time in the office, Dr. Ohm travels internationally and speaks about Vaccinations - Choices and Controversies. She is on post-graduate faculty for numerous chiropractic colleges and is the Executive Coordinator of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. (As always, children are welcome at our meetings, but as an FYI, this presentation will run longer than our typical HMN meetings and will include a PowerPoint presentation shown in the downstairs lecture room at Ohm Chiropractic.)