The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS,
a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
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you can still catch the mini-segments: Birth Orgasms: Women Speak Out - Is it possible to have an orgasm during childbirth? Women Who Prefer Home Birth - For some, delivering a healthy child doesn"t involve a trip to the hospital. [Note - the associated article says, "Modern medicine means not having to go through childbirth alone." It"s more accurate to say "Responsible modern medicine means reserving risky interventions for when the benefits outweigh the risks." I know lots of responsible women who give birth at home with the perfect birth team . . . their partner, their midwife and their doula. They are definitely not alone, and they have all the medical assistance they need, just like a woman giving birth with a midwife in a hospital! Savvy people know the difference between midwife-assisted homebirth and unassisted birth.] The Orgasmic Birth web site
also has a lot of great information about birth in general:
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From: C-reuters@clari.net (Reuters) Subject: Hormones may point to pregnancy danger Organization: Copyright 1997 by Reuters Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 17:01:25 PDTLONDON (Reuter) - British researchers said Friday they may have found hormone tests that could warn doctors a woman is suffering from pre-eclampsia, a dangerous condition in pregnancy.
A team at Oxford University's John Radcliffe Hospital said inhibin A, activin A and proalphaC-containing inhibins, molecules that all have a role in regulating hormones, were all higher in women with pre-eclampsia.
In a preliminary report in the Lancet medical journal, they said their findings could point to a test for the condition.
Pre-eclampsia affects seven percent of first-time mothers and can suddenly send a pregnant woman's blood pressure soaring to dangerously high levels.
It can lead to eclampsia -- seizures that can be fatal. It also creates a risk of premature birth and of small babies at risk of a variety of complications.
The researchers said tests in 20 women with pre-eclampsia, and 20 healthy pregnant women, showed those with the condition had higher levels of the molecules.
Wednesday, U.S. researchers said they had discovered a defect in the placenta that could cause pre-eclampsia.
In a normal pregnancy, the placenta sends out into the uterine wall finger-like projections of cells, called cytotrophoblasts. They begin to mimic the cells that are found inside blood vessels, and eventually they break down the vessels, allowing the mother's blood to nourish the fetus and carry away waste.
But in pre-eclampsia, the placenta does not invade the uterus adequately
and the cells do not manage to mimic blood vessels, the researchers at
the University of California at San Francisco said.
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