Unassisted Childbirth, by Laura Kaplan Shanley

This Sacred Life by Zuki Abbott

Birth Reborn, by Michel Odent (anything by Michel Odent, a French OB who helped
to get that country into the midwifery model of care.)

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, by Henci Goer (I love Henci, she is doing phenomenal work)

Heart and Hands by Elizabeth Davis

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr. Sarah Buckley

Energetic Pregnancy, by Elizabeth Davis

Birthing From Within, by Pam England and Rob Horowitz

Mind Over Labor, by Carl Jones

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth Ina May Gaskin (anything by Ina May Gaskin, a Tennessee-based midwife who delivers at the Farm, even though she is very hands on.)

Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskin

Unassisted Homebirth An Act of Love, by Lynn M. Griesemer

The Birth Book, by the Sears

Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally, by Janet Balaskas

Childbirth Without Fear, by Grantly Dick-Read

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, by Susan McCutcheon

HypnoBirthing The Mongan Method, by Marie F. Mongan

Special Delivery, by Rahima Baldwin

The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth, By Laurie Morgan

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Birth, by Sheila Kitzinger

The Labor Progress Handbook, by Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta

Emergency Childbirth: A Manual, by Gregory J. White, M.D.

Birthing Normally, by Gayle Peterson

Transformation through Birth

Sacred Birthing, Birthing a New Humanity, by Sunni Karrl


More childbirth and labor preparation books.

I would love to hear your reviews and other recommendations!

I compiled this from different sources and am reposting this here from the Bornfree! forum so I can reference to it.



***
GBS= Group B Streptococcus, a bacteria found in the genital, urinary,
and/or digestive tracts of some women. It comes and goes.
This 'germ' is one of several related species, including strains of
Group A Strep that is the germ usually responsible for what we
commonly call 'Strep Throat'.

A woman can be a carrier of Group B Strep without having any
symptoms. The concern with this bug is that when baby passes through
vagina during birth, s/he will be exposed to it, and could possibly
get an infection. Because babies have such immature immune systems,
the fear is that newborns are at risk to die from this infection--and
this does happen very occasionally.

Because of that risk, doctors like to treat women with antibiotics to
kill the GBS: some give antibiotic pills during the final weeks of
pregnancy, then also give IV antibiotics during labor. There are
variations on this theme--and there are 2 problems with this: one is
that the antibiotics do not always work; some babies get infected
anyway. The other is that due to all this antibiotic use, doctors are
creating super germs that are resistant to antibiotics. Yes, there
are now fewer GBS infections in newborns, but now there are MORE
infections with antibiotic-resistant strains of e.coli. There are
also long term negative effects of antibiotics on the health of
mothers and babies both, including thrush/yeast, GERD and other
digestive issues, other things.

If your baby is at least 37wks along, and/or at least 5lbs, and is
otherwise healthy in general, the risk of infection is very low.
VERY VERY LOW. And we will never eliminate risk in birth or life; if
you intend to UC then you had better be prepared to face life and
death decisions. In my opinion, GBS testing, and especially the use
of antibiotics, is solely a way that doctors try to reduce one risk, only
to create a few more risks. Yes, GBS may kill a few babies per
10,000. Far better that, than to create more super bugs who will kill
a high % of those who come in contact with them!

***
Extremely few full term otherwise normal/healthy babies (37wks or more) who weigh more than 5lbs will get an infection, EVEN if the mother is a GBS or e. coli carrier, and even if mom did not take antibiotics. Even fewer babies who are born at home will get infected (with a healthy mom and a planned homebirth), than those born in the hospital--home is just healthier for the family in so many ways. However, if your baby has any symptoms then do get medical help since GBS is known at times to kill newborns in just a matter of hours without antibiotics.

There are numerous reasons to avoid antibiotics for any condition, and any person no matter what their age, etc! Tons of research on the dangers of antibiotic overuse is now out there--they are so dangerous to us and to life! However, though I do not recommend antibiotics for pregnant women with GBS, it is true that for women who get abx (antibiotics), there are fewer babies who get infected w/GBS. Just to correct an assumption--I have only just been updating my research on this for my client info files. Some babies get infected even if mom had abx during labor; and of those w/no abx for mom, no more babies die than when the mom did get abx. Just so you also know that if you don't take abx, your baby has no greater chance of dying from the infection, just a slightly higher chance of getting an infection in the first place...still, we are talking extremely low numbers here.

The approach to reducing or eliminating GBS (or E. coli, yeast, or gardnerella....) in your vagina is 2-fold: one is to try to kill the unwanted critters; the other is to make your system UNfriendly to pathogens and VERY friendly to beneficial organisms. So, we can use herbs, abx, other stuff to try to kill some of the pathogens...but they will just come back if we don't also re-introduce the beneficials and make our bodies more acceptable to their health. Remember that what you think of as 'your own body' is actually composed of countless types and numbers of other microscopic organisms--some are needed for our bodies to function, some are more or less 'neutral', some hurt us if they get too numerous.

The vagina and urinary tract in a healthy woman is fairly acid by nature, whereas the blood, for instance, is just about neutral pH...and the digestive tract is even more acidic...we have varying 'pH environments' within our bodies. And guess what, the beneficial organisms thrive in an acidic environment. You've heard of ACIDOPHILUS...ACID ophilus...yep, this is a brew of freeze-dried ACID loving and acid CREATING organisms mainly in the lactobacillus family that also grows in yogurt, tempeh, some other cultured foods. Interestingly and sensibly enough, acid loving organisms give off acidic by-products, which helps them to create and maintain a sufficiently acid environment to thrive.

GBS, e. coli, yeast, gardnerella on the other hand, are ALKALINE ('base') loving critturs. It is believed by an increasing number of 'natural health oriented practitioners' that it is our widespread over consumption of sugars and refined carbs (white rice, white flour, etc) that has helped promote more alkaline conditions in the urinary tracts and vaginas of women. Along with this, is the vast overuse of antibiotics, which kill off the pathogens AND the beneficials in our bodies...harming digestion and absorption of nutrients, changing pH, other stuff. This in turn has made it easier for the alkaline loving organisms to thrive, harder for the acid lovers to thrive.

So, while it can be helpful to use such things as goldenseal to kill the pathogens, and echinacea to boost the immune system, these things will not help unless we also replace the beneficials and then help them to live by re-establishing the properly acidic pH of vagina and urinary tract. And so:

Acidophilus tabs inserted nightly, high into the vagina can help, as can eating PLAIN, high quality yogurt every day (a tablespoonful or 2, a couple times a day is sufficient). Or yogurt sex, yep, use plain yogurt as a 'lube' on your insertable 'toy' of choice...and have fun! I personally like Dannon because it has no seaweed or other thickeners; it's just milk, milk powder, and lactobacillus orgs. Even the organic brands contain lots of additives--they may be 'natural additives' but for this purpose, you want the yogurt very plain.

Drinking vinegar... eating unsweetened pickles, vinegar and oil salad dressing, or just a tablespoon or 2, a couple times a day will help acidify generally BUT, vinegar is among the few acid substances that remains acid in the body. Citrus fruits, etc, only make the body produce alkaline for digestion...neutralizing the acidic property of those foods. Mild vinegar douching can also help--1/4 cup in a quart of water, gentle douche.

Reduce intake of sugars and refined carbs--this means ALL sugars, not just 'table sugar'...dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, maple syrup, dried fruits...read labels. If you have a strong sugar craving then you may be protein deficient, mildly depressed, and/or you may have a lot of yeast/other pathogens in there, demanding their favorite feast!

You can also take one clove of garlic as due date approaches, and peel it; insert into vagina at night, take it out in the morning. this helps kill pathogens without harming beneficials. Do this every other night for about 2weeks. Can be alternated w/acidophilus.

Get a cranberry extract pill: cranberries have a substance whose name I forget that actually prevents pathogens from attaching to our mucus membranes. Also, eating cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, will help this way as well.

You can even do a gentle douche of plain sterile water in early labor, if waters are intact. It has been studied--this 'plain rinsing' can wash out colonies of the undesirables, thus reducing the chance of GBS transmission to your baby. The more colonies of pathogens inside you, the greater the chance your baby will pick it up on the way out; the fewer the colonies in there, the less chances.

***
Signs of neonatal GBS infection:

Respiratory distress: grunting with each breath (not 'humming', as some babes normally do, but definite grunts with every breath). Breathing is effortful, not easy, rate of breaths per minute will likely be greater than 60. Retractions: you will see the baby's belly retract (like when you suck in your gut) deeply enough for his/her ribs to stick out, also with every breath. It is normal for some babies to have little variations in their breathing that pass momentarily or pretty soon--we are talking about constant things here. Some newborns also breathe fairly rapidly for the first few days (transient tachypnea of newborns)...this is fine if they have none of the above symptoms, JUST a breathing rate above 60per minute. But that should resolve to 40-60per min within a few days, or it could indicate some problem even if not GBS.

Color--may or may not be an indicator, but any blueness that goes beyond fingertips/nailbeds (which can be normal) is a suspicious, if baby seems to be warm enough. Yes, possibly pallor (looking white/pale) but color doesn't always change w/infection in any way.

Lethargy--too sleepy to eat, nursing poorly/weakly. Some newborns might sleep 4-6 hrs or so in the first 12-24hrs of life. Never let them sleep more than 6hrs; wake em up thoroughly to nurse, to avoid low blood sugar. And this need should pass off soon, with baby waking to nurse every 1-4hrs normally...some babies might sleep as much as 4-6hrs ONCE in 24hrs even in earliest days/weeks, but most will want to nurse every 1-3 hrs, even if they immediately go back to sleep again.

Fever--esp above 100 (farenheit..not sure what that is, in celcius). Any temp (even below 100) that does not resolve in 24hrs is suspect. or, temp below 97.

Also, check this research
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab000115.html

***
http://rixarixa.blogspot.com/2008/01/group-b-strep-information.html

http://www.moondragon.org/mdbsguidelines/strepb.html

http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/172/1/Treating-Group-B-Strep

http://www.mothering.com/treating-group-b-strep-are-antibiotics-necessary

***
Protocol for positive Strep. test:


ORALLY:
500-1000 mg Vitamin C with bioflavinoids, twice per day.
Vitamin C is water soluble and extra is excreted by the kidneys.

Eat cranberries and garlic daily; or take cranberry capsules and garlic pearls three times per day.

Plenty of live culture yogurt; or Acidophilus capsules daily.

Bee propolus; or tincture.

Echinacea is very Strep specific, according to one source. As a preventative, use 10-15 drops of tincture in a glass of water twice a day for a minimum of five days. [As a curative, use two cups of E. infusion daily for five days followed by one cup daily for another five days. Continue for a full ten days. If only the tincture is available, use 1 drop per two pound of body weight. (ie.. 150 pound Mama = 75 drops.) Repeat the dose three to four times a day until fever abates, then two times a day for an additional week.]

Estragalus tincture ½ tsp or one dropper full 2 times a day. Can use equal parts with Echinacea tincture.

Note: Tinctures can be purchased in either a glycerine or alcohol base. Might have to special order glycerine based tinctures.

VAGINAL RINSES FOR GROUP B BETA STREP:
Do not douche in pregnancy. Rinse. Go easy. Separate labia and spray externally. Rinse anal area also. Remember to treat your partner.

1. Thyme, Rosemary, Calendula, Yarrow: Mix equal parts of herbs in a bowl.
Take 6 tablespoons of mixture and add 1 quart of boiling water. Infuse in covered
container 4 hours. Strain into a clean jar. Discard herbs.
Use 1 ½-2 cups per time as a rinse.
Optional: Add ¼ cup sea salt, 10 drops of lavender oil, 1 oz Echinacea tincture.

2. Echinacea infusion.

3. After 37 weeks, use Golden Seal gel capsules, deep in the vagina, if possible up
behind the cervix (not in cervix). Can cause uterine contractions.You can use these infusions for Sitz baths too.

4. Some practitioners recommend a very dilute solution of Hibiclens (an over-the-counter product which has in it an antimicrobial skin cleaner), Hydrogen Peroxide (food grade), or a very dilute solution of bleach: one teaspoon in a quart of water as a genital area rinse.


VAGINAL SUPPOSITORY RECIPE:
Place 1 cup Echinacea agustifolia root, cut; 1 cup Usnea lichen, cut; and 1 cup Calendula flowers in a quart jar.
Melt 8 oz. cocoa butter with 16 oz. coconut oil; pour over herbs.
Heat-infuse by placing the covered jar in a crockpot; add water to immerse the jar three-quarters of the way; set on low and cook 12-24 hours. Cool and strain.
To 1 cup of the infused oil add 1 tablespoon of these herbs: Slippery Elm Bark, Comfry Root, and Marshmallow Root.
Add 20 drops of these essential oils: Lavender, Rosemary and Tea Tree.
Chill slightly in an ice cube tray. When blocks are solid, cut them into quarters.
Insert one small cube into vagina before bed.


MISCELLANOUS CONSIDERATIONS:
Use cotton underpants.
Use vinegar or baking soda in the rinse cycle of washing machine when washing your
underpants.
Change your underpants (or panty liner) if damp. Best to go without - to air out!
Use warm water wash from squeeze bottle after pooping, then pat yourself dry.
Beta strep can be more prevalent in conjunction with urinary track infection. Urine should be checked for B-strep in this case.
Yeast infection conditions can give rise to increased Beta strep population.


From Heart and Hands:

1. Take twice a day, with breakfast and dinner:
2 capsules lactobacillus acidophilus (2 billion per capsule---try Nature's Plus)
1 capsule echinacea, 350 mg
1 capsule garlic, 580 mg
1 capsule or gel vitamin E, 500 mg
Also place one clove peeled, unnicked garlic in vagina every other night, remove in
morning.
*Does not say how long this regimen should be followed

2. Each day:
6 capsules EHB by NF Formulas (an antibacterial supplement)
Tea tree oil suppositories (soak cotton ball or small cotton tampon with fifty-fifty
blend of tea tree oil and olive oil), every four to six waking hours
500 mg vitamin C every four waking hours"
*This is to be followed for 10 days close to term


***
The CDC guidelines also say that the attack rate for early onset GBS in the newborns of untreated GBS + women who do not have other risk factors (less than 37 wk pregnancy, membrane rupture longer than 12 hr, fever greater than 99.5 degrees) is 5 per 1000. The fatality rate for early onset disease in newborns is 4%, which would calculate to 2 per 10,000 in untreated GBS + women without the risk factors listed above.
 
***
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/542430_4
"Vaginal cleansing with chlorhexidine reduces vertical transmission of GBS to the same degree as intrapartum antibiotics and may be significantly cheaper and easier to implement in settings where skilled providers are lacking. Additionally, the antibacterial action of chlorhexidine extends beyond GBS to a broad spectrum of potentially invasive pathogens."

Today we had a wonderful guided walk through the Cape Perpetua historical area. Ours led us down to the ocean, passing pioneer remnants and Native American artifacts. I now also know that I have some edible berries in my yard after our guide showed us all the berries natives ate, as well as some that natives used to color their hair!
  
Taken from the top of Cape Perpetua, the highest view point on the Oregon Coast.

From Wikipedia:
For at least 6,000 years Native Americans hunted for mussels, crabs, sea urchins, and clams along the coast near Cape Perpetua. Evidence of their lives can still be found in the huge piles of discarded mussel shells that lay along the shore near the Cape Perpetua Visitors' Center.

These are called middens. The Native Americans who left the one we saw, were called Alsi.  I hope to walk down tomorrow and get a picture of it. Here a picture and some more info because I am a nerd like that:


To see this one bigger click on it, and zoom your screen :)


   
Tide pooling treasure:

Sea urchins. I love those! We may need to have a glass blown treasure float made to keep these in... We love going here and watching Bob blow glass. Last year, he made us a float while we were watching and the kids chose the colors and all. Aaron loves glass blowing himself, and I can see Rachel getting into bead making one day!


Then we took a little hike to Cape Cove to go agate hunting.




Cape Cove Agate. A tiny piece. Native Americans used this to make arrow heads. Agates are beautiful, translucent rocks. Before the Ice Ages, silicates, oxides and metals were squeezed into existing earth forms to create these quartzes, also known as chalcedony. More oxides and minerals create the red, amber and blue tones, sometimes forming a banded or mottled pattern. Some agates contain fossilized clams, snails and shark's teeth.


About the name Perpetua:

Several early explorers sailed past the cape. The first recorded passage was by Bartolome Ferrelo in 1543; then came Sir Frances Drake in 1575 and Martin d'Aguilar in 1605. The cape was named by Captain James Cook on March 7, 1778 as he searched for the Pacific entrance to a Northwest Passage. Cook named the cape Perpetua because it was sighted on St. Perpetua's Day.

I think an Orthodox Chapel there is in order! The guide was very happy to know that St. Perpetua was still commemorated.  

In 1933, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was built at the foot of the cape just north of Cape Creek near where the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center is located today. The CCC constructed Cape Perpetua campground, a network of trails, and the West Shelter observation point near the top of cape. 

The CCC boys at Cape Perpetua completed a number of projects within the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area including construction of the campground and numerous trails. The most well known CCC project completed is the West Shelter located on top of Cape Perpetua. The stone shelter was built for recreational purposes, as it provides a spectacular view of the Oregon coastline. Today, it is a popular viewpoint for whale watching.

So much more to read about the history of this area. I love it. We have been coming here every year for 6 years now and each year we learn more and more. The kids are really getting into it as well now that they are getting older. They loved the guided tour and the info.

Some more pics of our days were added here. Click on next to see a pic of us in the canoe and us hunting for agates. Thomas was once again naked...

An atheist was walking through the woods.


"What majestic trees!"
"What powerful rivers!"
"What beautiful animals!"
 He said to himself.


As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling
in the bushes behind him.  He turned to look.





A 7-foot grizzly bear charging towards him.


The man ran as fast as he could up the path.  He looked
over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on
him. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was
even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground.  He rolled
over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on
top of him, reaching for him with his left and raising his
right paw to strike him.





At that instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my God!".


Time Stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.


As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out
of the sky.  "You deny my existence for all these years,
teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to a
cosmic accident..  Do you expect me to help you out of
this predicament?  Am I to count you as a believer?"


The atheist looked directly into the light and said, "It
would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat
me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the
BEAR a Christian?"


"Very Well", said the voice.


The light went out..  The sounds of the forest resumed.
And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws
together, bowed his head & spoke:





"Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy
bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen."