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August 2, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
Will we see more babies born today – when the moon is full? I am already past my due date and all the unsolicited advice givers tell me that baby girl is going to pop out when the moon is full – so in my case, today. I live in a little village in Italy […]
July 20, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
I watched Orgasmic Birth last night, for the second time during my pregnancy. While I enjoyed it the first time I saw it, watching it yesterday did not result in what I was expecting. Instead of feeling empowered and ready for birth (which is imminent, as I am due in 9 days), I got a bit […]
June 29, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
At my prenatal classes we’ve learnt about the first stage of labor: latent and active, and the second stage of labor. We will now move on to pushing your baby out! PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: The need to push is increasing as the baby’s head descends. Contractions might be further apart. There might be some blood expelled and bowel movements during […]
June 21, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
We learnt about the second stage of labor at our prenatal class yesterday. This was a continuation of the previous lessons, in which we studied the first stage of labor – latent and active. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: The second stage of labor starts when your cervix dilates from 5 to 10 cm. Contractions are stronger and […]
June 7, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
On the one hand it seems like I’ve been pregnant for a long time, on the other hand days are flying for me now, so it’s only logical that I prepare for childbirth. HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method: A natural approach to a safe, easier, more comfortable birthing (3rd Edition) caught my attention and here are my […]
June 6, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
Today during our second prenatal class we learnt about the first (latent) stage of labor (dilation around 1 cm), which can last between a few hours to a few days! If you don’t go to a prenatal class the book Pregnancy Day By Day does a great job at describing what this stage looks like: POSSIBLE […]
June 5, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
An inspirational phrase for pregnancy is my homework for tomorrow’s prenatal lesson. I did read around 15 books on pregnancy so it is quite likely that this sentence came from one of them, anyway, here it is: Conception happens when you make love and birth is part of that love-making continuum. Isn’t that beautiful? When […]
June 2, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
Yes, I’m a freak, I managed to compile 500 songs for my birth playlist. But then I thought – hey, what if I had to make a CD and choose only around 20? So I did it and then I thought – there are really 5 that actually stand out and just make me want […]
June 1, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
FAST – how about getting it over with in 2 minutes? Well it has happened before! A British lady delivered a healthy baby girl in less than 120 seconds after her waters broke. The mother did a lot of walking during her pregnancy and she thinks that the exercise helped the baby’s smooth delivery. No wonder my […]
May 31, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
Although the midwife at my prenatal class said she wouldn’t teach us any particular breathing techniques for labor because our body knows how to breathe, my thirst for knowledge won. I picked up HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method: A natural approach to a safe, easier, more comfortable birthing (3rd Edition) and here’s what I learned about breathing techniques […]
May 30, 2012 |
Alinka Rutkowska |
I started my prenatal classes for natural childbirth today and here’s what I learnt: birthing and being a mom is an event you can prepare for, here are some practical things every pregnant lady should do to prepare: PERINEAL MASSAGE – locate your perineum (it’s the area between your vulva and anus). Wash and dry. Apply […]