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Birth Dreams

Jun26

I’ve always been interested in the birth dreams that women have. During my first pregnancy, I only had a couple of birth/baby dreams and they were very odd/unrealistic (because I didn’t know physically what giving birth was actually like). I did have one very vivid and scary miscarriage dream. Between that birth and my pregnancy with my second son, I had TONS of birth dreams. A common theme was that I gave birth to a baby boy and would say to my husband “now we have three sons!” (even though we only had one son at the time and I wasn’t even pregnant). I also dreamed I had twins, dreamed I had a very premature baby at about 20 weeks who then died, and several others. These dreams were very vivid and real-seeming and have stuck with me as meaningful for a long time.

Then, during my second pregnancy, I had seven dreams in which I gave birth to a boy and thus I was convinced I was having a boy (I did). Some of these dreams were exceedingly realistic, down to length of labor and time of birth. Seven of them revealed/confirmed that he was a boy (in the only girl dream I had during that pregnancy, my husband was the one giving birth to the baby, so both genders were “switched”). One of them was extremely vivid and was that he was born on a specific date and time. I was in the living room on my hands and knees. The birth took four hours and when he was born I said, “I KNEW he was a boy, I KNEW it would be a fast labor, and I KNEW he would be born on a weekend.” As it was, he was not born on that day (two weeks later) and he was born at a different time (within a few hours of the dream time). He was a boy and it was a fast labor (two hours, not four). He was born at 2:45 a.m. on Memorial Day morning, so it was actually a Monday, but it WAS a holiday weekend. He was born in the living room by the green chair on my hands and knees, just like in the dream.

During my third pregnancy, I didn’t really have any birth dreams, and then had one vivid miscarriage dream the night we found out the baby had died. I did have one ultrasound dream in which he was a girl (he wasn’t). After he was born, I had a vivid placenta dream and then I only have had one other dream about him since he was born—I halfway expected to have several birth dreams or “still pregnant” dreams as a way to kind of “psychically” close out his pregnancy, but I didn’t (which in a way was comforting—like my subconscious has “processed” the loss completely). That single dream I did have post-loss was kind of a miscarriage re-do dream in which the birth proceeded exactly as it really had, but instead of all the blood following the baby, I was able to spend a LONG time looking at him and making hand and footprints.

As I mentioned, one of my vivid birth dreams after my first pregnancy, but before any others, was about giving birth to a premature baby (one of the aforementioned “third sons”) and trying to nurse him at least once before he died as well as remembering to smell his head so I would never forget his own unique baby smell. In that dream, I named the baby Noah, which is what in fact we did name our third son when he died early in my second trimester.

After my second baby was born, but before I was pregnant with my third, I had many, many vivid birth dreams about a specific birth position to give birth (half kneel/half squat) in to avoid tearing as well as the idea of making a “birth nest” for myself to have the baby in, rather than having it in the living room and then having to get up to go lie down somewhere else. I feel like the position dream is a strong message from my subconscious about how I should plan to give birth—something I’ve been working over in my unconscious or something and I’m giving myself a “tip.” As it turned out, that baby was born much earlier than expected and I ended up giving birth standing. I did, in fact, make myself a “birth nest” as my dreams had suggested and would do the same again.

During my fourth pregnancy I had two brief miscarriage dreams and since the pregnancy ended quickly, there was no time really to have any other dreams. However, the whole reason I knew I was pregnant in the first place was because I dreamed that I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. When I woke up from that dream, I took one and it was positive. During my fifth pregnancy (so far), I’ve had quite a few “bleeding” dreams and one miscarriage dream.

Then, this week, I had the first birth dream that I’ve had in AGES!

I was in a birth pool in our the living room and the baby was born in the water. The focus of the dream was on the placenta really, not the baby—though I think it was a boy. Placenta was perfectly heart shaped (and small) and had strange “bands” of tissue on it, which I decided meant it was a “circumvallate placenta” (a term I had just heard referenced for the first time the day before in a blog post). The experience of pushing the placenta out was VIVID. It is weird how the body remembers the feeling so clearly and can reproduce it in a dream, when my brain cannot conjure up a daytime memory of how exactly it feels to have the placenta bloop out—and then there was quite a bit of blood with the placenta that diffused/clouded through the water, just like it really would. It was very clear.

So, do birth dreams predict anything? Basically, I feel like my dreams, while not exactly “predictive,” do have some signs/intuitive information within them. I also think dreams often have symbolic (rather than literal) meaning. And, obviously some dreams are simply related to day-to-day happenings (or fears, like with the bleeding dreams) and do not have “deep” meaning at all. With that second baby, I really felt strongly that he was “telling” me he was a boy. My first child was a boy and I felt like the second baby wanted me to never even entertain the notion of “wanting a girl.” I knew I was having a boy and so THAT was the baby I wanted 🙂

When I say vivid, I mean really vivid—the feeling of pushing the baby out is JUST what it really feels like, the sensation of holding the new, slippery baby, etc. I think it is a “body memory” thing and the whole feeling of giving birth comes back vividly during dreams in a way that it doesn’t in just plain memory. While, the memories of my actual sons’ births ARE extremely vivid and I DO feel like I remember what it feels like to birth (I know some people say “you forget how it feels, that is why you can do it again,” but I do not feel like that is true for me), that visceral body-feeling isn’t really there in memory (for me), the way it is in dreams.

Another logical reason for all my birth dreams is that I’m a childbirth educator and writer and read/write about birth constantly. Makes sense that that is what I dream about! 😉

Practical Ways to Enhance Knowledge for Birth

Jun24

Related to my previous posts about information vs. knowledge, I want to share a couple of ideas from an article I wrote some time ago for the International Journal of Childbirth Education. Obviously, I don’t have all the answers, but these are some of my ideas/tips about transferring information into knowledge that will be meaningful to parents when their birthing time comes:

  • Use “The Ice Cube Minute” exercise from Family-Centered Education: The Process of Teaching Birth. In this exercise, couples hold an ice cube in one hand for one minute and see what coping measures spontaneously arise for them. I do this exercise fairly early in my class series, before we’ve done a lot of formal talking about coping measures. It is very empowering for couples to discover what tools and resources come from within as they try the ice cube minute.
  • To illustrate the potency of the mind-body contraction, practice two pretend contractions while holding ice. One contraction has an accompanying “stressful” paragraph read with it (“your body fills with tension…it hurts! Oh no!”) and the second contraction has a soothing paragraph read with it (“you greet the wave….it is YOUR power….”). This illustrates the fear-tension-pain cycle viscerally.
  • Use a five minutes series of birthing room yoga poses to begin the class—birth happens in our bodies, not our heads. Practicing the poses opens space to simultaneously discuss and practice: squatting, pelvic rocks, optimal fetal positioning ideas, healthy sitting, pelvic floor exercises, leg cramp prevention, back pain alleviation, and more.
  • Role playing cards-—talk through various scenarios. I’ve found that couples are more receptive to talking through the cards than actually getting into a role and playing it through. The activity that seems to work best for actual role play is the labor simulation series available on the Transition to Parenthood site.
  • Values clarification exercise—participants cut out values from a list and arrange them in a grid to help them figure out if they are in alignment with each other and with their caregivers.
  • Leg stretch exercise to explore the use of vocalizations and other coping mechanisms during labor.
  • Ask plenty of open ended questions that stimulate discussion and ideas, “what have you heard about XYZ?” or “what is your experience with…?”
  • Use birth art processes to “switch” parents from linear, logical, left-brain thinking into the right-brain mode they will also enter in “laborland.”
  • Media portrayals of birth—show two contrasting clips, such as a birth from a popular TV show (I often show Rachel’s birth from the show Friends) paired with an empowering birth from a film like Birth as We Know It and then have students discuss the two. Sometimes this more clearly brings into focus the influence of our culture on birth practices than a simple discussion does. Since I originally wrote this, the film Laboring Under an Illusion was released which does exactly this—contrast media portrayals of birth with how birth can be. It is a great resource for birth classes.

In classes, I also incorporate the idea of mother-baby symbiosis through:

  • The use of affirmations—“my baby and my body work in harmony to make birthing easier.”
  • A discussion of cardinal movements with an emphasis on how the baby moves to help itself navigate the pelvis (thus, helping you have a smoother birth).
  • Visualization exercises that encourage “seeing” and connecting with the baby while in the womb.
  • “Belly Mapping” to get a sense of the baby as a person positioned in the uterus. Talking about what baby is like in the womb—when does it kick more, when is it quiet, does it like music, poke you back with you touch it, etc.
  • Impressing upon participants that it is not selfish to want both a good birth and a healthy baby (I actively challenge statements about, “well, in the end, all that matters is that the baby is healthy”). Laboring women have a basic right to humane care, which supports both a happy, satisfied mother and a healthy baby. I use examples during class to show how these are intertwined—for example, a stressed, unhappy, unsupported, tense mother may have a baby with heart decels and accompanying distress.

I try to build a sense of confidence through:

  • Opening each class with a brief series of “birthing room yoga” poses to help couples become comfortable using their bodies and moving from “head space” into “body space.” Birth is a physical process and I am convinced that it is vital to include physical movement during every class to bring that message home. Additionally, the poses I teach can all be used while in labor (thus, building confidence in coping “tools” for labor).
  • Emphasizing active birth—freedom of movement through labor helps baby rotate and descend and helps mother feel more comfortable.
  • Encouraging active birth on all levels: First, the physical level–being active during the actual physical process of birth. Second, the mental level–mentally engaged with labor. Third, a cultural level—a perspective that sees women as active birthgivers, not victims of birth. Birth is something women do, as opposed to something that “gets” them.
  • Giving couples plenty of time for hands on practice of labor support and coping measures. I have a personal motto for classes of, “talk less, learn more.” Practicing support tools in class helps them develop a sense of confidence in having a well-stocked toolbox for labor, instead of being a victim of pain.

Recommendation: Luna Protein Bar

Jun23

So, I’m a big one for recommending books, but not usually so big on recommending other products. I am also very careful about what samples/product information I give out during my classes. There are ethical issues with distributing just any old sample that someone sends you because you are a childbirth educator. However, I do have a snack recommendation for today! I regularly get samples of mini Luna bars to give away during my classes. I like putting them into my client packets—they make them look exciting and “goody”-ish :)—and, I also like putting a little pile of them on the table for people to snack on during class. (I also bring them to my various mother’s group meetings for the same purpose.) Some time ago, Luna Bar sent me a single full-size sample of their new Luna Protein bar. It was really quite good and since then I have bought them at the store when I’m grocery shopping and start casting my eye towards the candy bar aisle. The Luna Protein bar actually has a candy-bar-ish appeal (kind of “nougat” in the center and chocolate on the outside), but is made from mostly organic ingredients and things with actual nutritional value and is good for you as well as pretty tasty. So, I was VERY excited today to see UPS arrive with my regular shipment of mini Luna Bars AND, surprise!, a big box of full-size Luna Protein bars for my classes! They included three different varieties (cookie dough, chocolate peanut butter, and chocolate cherry). <happy dance> 🙂

Baby In Utero Pendant

Jun22

For quite some time, I’ve wanted a really cool silver “baby in the womb” pendant that is available online, but is out of my price range (I do have a smaller, less detailed version). Two years ago, I found a different version made by a company called Sacred Body Designs (they make various types of “anatomical jewelry” meant for healing purposes—so, a pendant of a heart for someone who has heart problems to wear). This one was a more affordable $30 (also sterling silver and with really great detail—LOVE the visible placenta and cord and the hair on baby’s head) and my husband got it for me for Christmas that year.

Now, two years later, I have been suddenly prompted to post about it, because it occurred to me that there may be other birthworkers like me out there who wish for the more expensive pendant and would delight to find a very cool alternative version that is less pricey! Of course, I can’t tell from looking at the website if they are still in business (looks like it hasn’t been updated for a long time), so I may just be teasing you—“look what I got! Don’t you wish you had one too?!” 😉

How Do Women Really Learn About Birth?

Jun16

April 2015 123“I usually claim that pregnant women should not read books about pregnancy and birth. Their time is too precious. They should, rather, watch the moon and sing to their baby in the womb.” –Michel Odent

Related to a previous post about the difference between information and knowledge, I have been pondering how women really learn about birth. Where does birth knowledge they can really use when they need it come from? Is it from birth classes, reading, or from other sources? Though I teach birth classes and believe that childbirth education has important value, I continue to return to thought that what women truly need to give birth does not come from (traditional) classes and it doesn’t come from books either.

Ever since I posted the above quote from Michel Odent on my Facebook page, I have been reflecting back to my pregnancy with my own first baby. Personally, I love books–-of all sorts-–and reading is the top way for me to learn about anything. I think some of the best preparation I did before having my first baby was to read and I always give a recommended reading list to my clients. And, while I “hear” the sentiment in the quote and honor it, my personal opinion is that in our current birth culture it is nearly impossible to go into birth just planning to “go with the flow” and let labor unfold without expectation (if you are birthing in the hospital that is—because the hospital is FULL of expectations and those will often run right over your flow).

When I was pregnant the first time and approaching my first birth, I was hungry for birth information and keenly felt the mystery and unknowableness of the challenge I was about to face. I described it as feeling like I was preparing for the biggest test of my life, but without knowing what the test was. So, how did I learn what I needed to know about giving birth? AND, perhaps most importantly, what had I learned before birth that actually spoke to me while in labor? What did I use and how did I learn about that? Obviously, women are different and have different learning styles and each birth is different, but reflecting on these questions, several things arise as most helpful for me in real preparation:

  • Other women’s experiences—these were frequently what floated through my head during labor and were what I drew on for information and guidance, not “technical” childbirth books, but the stories and opinions and reflections I had read in birth stories and from the participants of the newsgroup misc.kids.pregnancy.
  • Birth art—I created a series of needle felted birth goddess sculptures during my pregnancy that had a “message” for me (that what I needed to give birth—that wild, intuitive knowledge—was already inside me).
  • And yes, reading (and to some extent, classes). I didn’t necessarily use or remember things that I’d read (other than other women’s “voices” through birth stories), but reading definitely helped me prepare—so, while I was not necessarily conscious of book or class-knowledge when I was actually in labor, I was informed by it, yes. During all my reading what I really wanted to to figure out and know was, how am I going to do this? This is the same question that most women who come to my classes have (and my answer is really, “you just will”). The books that were of most value to me were Birthing from Within and An Easier Childbirth. These were the books that had “right brain” lessons to share, even though it was the “left brain” books that I “studied” harder.
  • Yoga—I spontaneously adopted poses used in prenatal yoga during my first labor without even knowing it was “prenatal yoga.” It was an example of how the knowledge already existed inside my body and spontaneously arose when given the space to do so. I also used yoga poses during my other births—not consciously (“I think I’ll try child’s pose now”), but spontaneously and instinct-driven.
  • My blessingway experience/memories—particularly the chant Woman Am I, which I hummed over and over again during my first labor.
  • Voice—talking to myself (inside my head or our loud), verbally coaching myself.
  • My husband—his presence just there with me. I felt like we were one person. This isn’t something I feel like you can “train” for. It too was naturally arising and just pure.
  • Holding a fused glass touchstone and having my favorite pillow (in my third labor, it was holding my goddess of Willendorf pendant).

For me, it all came down to FREEDOM and space for me—I was not in an institutional setting, I was in my own “nest” and that was very key for letting my own body’s wisdom unfold and find expression.

——

A powerful pre-birth lesson in my body’s wisdom actually came from an assassin bug (of all things!). Assassin bugs have very potent, poisonous bites (and in some countries carry hideous diseases). During my first pregnancy I was bitten multiple times in the night by one of them. I had bites on my face (lip) as well as in a row on my arm. The bites caused swelling, ongoing stabbing pain, and joint aching (as well as intense palm-of-hand and sole-of-feet itching when they first occurred). I turned this into a practice experience for myself in coping with labor—figuring that, like labor, this was something uncomfortable and out of my control, but that would eventually pass and that my body would take care of without my needed to actively do anything about it. The stabbing pain was also intermittent (like a pulse), so I thought that was good practice too. I practicing “softening” around the sensations and “being” with the discomfort. I reminded myself that my body knew what to do and that it would heal itself. And, guess what? It did. Each day as the bites healed, I would marvel, “look how much my body knows! Look what it can do without me even knowing what or how it is doing.” Of course, it took several days of stabbing and aching pain for this process to occur, whereas my first labor involved only 5 hours of intense sensation as well as several preceding hours of totally manageable sensation and my subsequent labors only involved 2 hours each of fairly intense sensation. This experience in watching my body take care of itself using its own inherent wisdom was a potent (and unexpected) lesson for me in approaching my first birth.

One Woman Awake

Jun12

Several years ago,  I received a card from the National Association of Mothers’ Centers with the following poem printed on the front:

One Woman Awake
Awakens another,
The second awakens her next door neighbor.
And three awake can rouse the town,
And turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake
Can raise such a fuss
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One woman up,
With dawn in her eyes,
Multiplies.

——

It has been hanging on the wall behind my computer since 2007 and it still gives me chills to read it. Of course, it can be applied to many elements of women’s lives, but I look at it through the lens of birth advocacy. I always say that what I want to do with my life is simply to transform the birth culture in the U.S. A lofty goal maybe, but if many awakened women raise enough of a fuss, it could happen!

Pain Pie Exercise for Birth Classes

Jun9

I address the issue of pain in several ways during my classes. I have struggled with doing this—by mentioning pain do I plant the seed that their births will be painful? etc. I’ve eventually come to a place where I feel like it is important to mention pain directly and to look at it head-on. Many people have the perception that birth is THE most painful thing ever and essentially the most painful thing anyone could ever imagine. So, I feel like by not talking about pain in class, I would be ignoring the elephant in the room of THE (cultural) pinnacle of pain. While I have no doubt that birth can be very painful for some women, I deeply feel that our current birth culture and manner of treating birthing women makes birth painful for more of them.

A very useful tool in exploring sources of pain is the “Pain Pie” idea from Teaching Pregnancy & Birth: A Childbirth Educator’s Perspective by Marcy White (published by ICEA).  With this tool, you create a red circle with the word pain on it and a separate set of white wedges (pie pieces) each containing a supportive element, such as “movement” or “relaxation techniques.” Each piece of pie covers up a portion of the red “pain”—as elements of the pie are removed, the pain piece gets bigger and bigger (an alternative presentation is to add pieces, so that the pain gets smaller).

I mention that too often women in our society are left feeling as if they “couldn’t do it” or that their bodies failed them, but in reality their coping pieces of the pie were stripped away from them (sometimes forcibly). I also talk about how sources of distress to the mother during labor: lack of emotional support, disrespect, ignoring of needs, repeatedly offering medications when none are desired, and restriction of movement, often have little to nothing to do with pain, but instead to what is happening around her (environment and caregivers).

WomanSpace

Jun2

Yesterday, a friend/colleague and I toured a possible studio space to rent in Rolla. We do not have a particularly clear idea of what we’d like to do exactly, but we have both long felt the desire to create a “women’s resource center” as well as to have a dedicated “birth studio” for our birthwork (she is a doula and I’m a birth educator and soon to be prenatal yoga teacher). The space felt perfect and was in our exact price range. I left feeling tremendously excited and inspired about the possibilities. Later that evening, the doubts, realities, and fears started to crowd in—I do not want to live a fear-based life, but I also want to be “practical” (which can be a handicap as well as an asset). I have too much to do already, etc., etc. In February, after my miscarriages, I took a personal renewal retreat in which I kept my computer off for 5 days and spent the time nurturing myself and doing those many things I always say I “really want to do.” During that time, I spontaneously wrote a description in my notebook of the women’s center I envision. So, this morning I opened up my notebook and re-read my “vision” there. I want to share it now and continue to explore the possibilities angle of the studio opportunity, rather than get bogged down in fears and self-doubts:

I visualize a center. A place where women can come together to learn, to talk, to develop, to grow. A safe place. A nurturing place. A supportive place. Hostess to LLL meetings, book clubs, birth circle, birth info nights, prenatal yoga classes, birth classes, birth art workshops, pregnancy retreats, journaling workshops, craft classes, crafty mamas meetings, a miscarriage support group, postpartum mamas support group, birth counseling/consultation sessions, dancing for birth, prenatal bellydance, drop-in support chats, blessingways, red tent events, meet the doulas night, Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal groups, women’s spirituality circles, playgroups, baby massage classes, baby/tot yoga, girls’ coming of age classes, an ICAN chapter, Friends of Missouri Midwives meetings. A gathering place. A woman’s place.

It will have a large, open meeting room, access to a bathroom and another, smaller room that could be an office, consult room, or playroom. We will have counter space to plug in some minimal cooking implements (like a microwave). There will be comfy couches, chairs, toys, a lending library of books and films as well as perhaps toys/games/puzzles. There will be big pillows on the floor and beautiful art all over the walls. Other women wishing to have groups/classes for women, could also use the space for their groups/events.

Think we can do it? (And, if so, what can I not do to make space in my life for it? 😉 )

In a way, my vision is that this will be that classic “room of one’s one” that every woman needs access to. WomanSpace.

The Birth-Breastfeeding Continuum

May28


Birth professionals have long been aware that there is a connection between birth and breastfeeding, but in recent years experts are making this link more explicit and the inextricable nature of the two experiences is becoming clearer. Birth and breastfeeding exist on a continuum. They are not discreet events. As speaker and author Dia Michels says, “we need a new word—birthandbreastfeeding.” Human women are mammals and the same things that disrupt bonding and breastfeeding for other mammals also apply to women. Darkness, quiet, no disruptions/interruptions, safe, upright, mobile, easy access to food and drink as they choose….these things support healthy births for female mammals! In brief, a normal, healthy, undisturbed birth leads naturally into a normal, healthy, undisturbed breastfeeding relationship. Disturbed birth contributes to disrupted breastfeeding.

New mothers, and those who help them, are often left wondering, “Where did breastfeeding go wrong?” All too often the answer is, “during labor and birth.” Interventions during the birthing process are an often overlooked answer to the mystery of how breastfeeding becomes derailed. An example is a mother who has an epidural, which leads to excess fluid retention in her breasts (a common side effect of the IV “bolus” of fluid administered in preparation for an epidural). After birth, the baby can’t latch well to the flattened nipple of the overfull breast, leading to frustration for both mother and baby. This frustration can quickly cascade into formula supplementation and before she knows it, the mother is left saying, “something was wrong with my nipples and the baby just couldn’t breastfeed. I tried really hard, but it just didn’t work out.” Nothing is truly wrong with her nipples or with her baby, breastfeeding got off track before her baby was even born!

Problems with breastfeeding often start before baby is born. According to Linda Smith, BSN, FACCE, IBCLC, co-author of the book Impact of Birthing Experiences on Breastfeeding (2004), birth practices that impact breastfeeding include:

  • Mechanical forces of labor (positioning of baby, positioning of mother, etc.)
  • Chemicals (drugs) used in labor
  • Injuries to mother or baby
  • Treatment of mother during labor
  • Treatment of mother after birth
  • Separation from mother after birth
  • Procedures that alter behavior

Linda Smith also notes that a mother’s confidence and trust in her body’s ability to give birth is related to her confidence in her body’s ability to breastfeeding. There are several birth related risk factors for breastfeeding problems (please note that not all babies with risk factors will actually have problems):

  • Induction of labor
  • Epidural and/or narcotic medications
  • Cesarean
  • Instrumental delivery (forceps or vacuum)
  • Post birth suctioning of baby’s airway

Additional procedures that affect baby’s ability to breastfeed if they are done before baby’s first breastfeeding include:

  • Separation of mother and baby for any reason.
  • Weighing and measuring
  • Vitamin K injection
  • Metabolic tests
  • Circumcision
  • Infant hypothermia

According to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (www.bfmed.org), “unmedicated, spontaneous, vaginal birth with immediate skin-to-skin contact leads to the highest likelihood of baby-led breastfeeding initiation.” Immediate skin-to-skin contact restores the biologic continuum begun during conception.

When I was in graduate school, one of my professors used the following analogy to make a point and I now use it with my own students:

There is a river running through town. Daily, emergency workers are called upon to rescue people from the river who have fallen in and are floating downstream drowning. Day after day they pull the gasping people back to land until one of the workers suddenly realizes, “maybe we should go see what is happening upstream and try to stop these people from falling in to begin with?”

My professor then encouraged us to always remember to go “upstream” when working in the helping professions rather than only addressing the immediately presenting problem. Childbirth professionals are in an “upstream” position when it comes to protecting the birth-breastfeeding continuum!

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For more about the value of keeping mothers and babies together following birth, check on Healthy Birth Practice Six: Keep Mother and Baby Together – It’s Best for Mother, Baby, and Breastfeeding from Lamaze.

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References:

If my mom were a platypus: what we can learn by studying mammal lactation, presentation by Dia L. Michels, La Leche League of Missouri Conference, November 2007.

Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby Continuum. Mary Kroeger and Linda J. Smith, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.; 1 edition (February 2004). ISBN-13 978-0763724818.

Mother-Baby Togetherness, presentation by Dr. Nils Bergman, La Leche League International Conference, July 2007.

The Power of Touch, presentation by Diane Wiessinger, La Leche League of Missouri Conference, November 2007.

Winning at Birth, presentation by Linda J. Smith, La Leche League International Conference, July 2007.

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This article is adapted from “Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week and the Birth-Breastfeeding Continuum” by Molly Remer, MSW, ICCE, published in the International Journal of Childbirth Education, June 2008.