A Round Up of Really Great Links

There have been a lot of really great articles and blog posts in the past week that I've been reading, and I'd like to share them with you all in case you've missed them! While I'd love to devote a post to every one to reflect on each of them, I realized that I had quite a few and that was never going to happen. So please, even though I know it means clicking away someplace else and taking some time to read, check them out!


1. Why we still need to “Watch our language” from Breastfeeding Medicine (physicians blogging about breastfeeding)

• Breastfeeding is not an "optional extra credit assignment for over-achievers," it is the "biologic norm." The writer encourages physicians to tell their patients that there are risks to formula feeding, but not to say that breastfeeding is the "best" "optimal" or "ideal."

2. PhD in Parenting shares a Fox News video on Bed-sharing (or Co-sleeping) that is, maybe surprisingly, very well-balanced, honest, shocking, informative, and eye-opening. 

• Many are saying all bed-sharing is dangerous, because a few babies have died. What is the one factor that all bed-sharing death situations shared in common? Adult had been drinking, Other children in the bed, Baby was Formula fed, or Adult and baby were sleeping on a Sofa? The answer may surprise you! 

3. Doulas are for Women Who... Want Epidurals. Birthing Beautiful Ideas is posting several "Doulas are for women who..." series posts this month for International Doula Month. 

• Many women believe that they will not need a doula if they plan on getting an epidural, because they think that doulas are only for women who want an un-medicated birth. This isn't true! This post talks about all the great ways a doula can provide support for mom and dad who plan on getting epidural anesthesia during birth. 

4. Manly Men and Blundering Dads: On Men's Guides to Childbirth from First the Egg

• Molly is a doula, a feminist scholar, and has a PhD in English. In this post she analyzes several men's guides to childbirth that she read and how they focus on "maintaing masculinity" in the birthing room which is an "unsettlingly feminine" place. One shocking quote: "Lloyd and Finch claim that, if a man expresses emotional needs, he must have a “huge vagina” (90-1). They treat the female body as so alien and incomprehensible that they literally refer to the cervix as the “wombhole.” Click over to read more!

5. Dou-la-la writes a long post on Dr. Wonderful, an obstetrician who trusts birth! He is an incredible and caring doctor who goes above and beyond. The story and photos about him are amazing. 

6. A Message to Dads-to-Be on Taking a Natural Birth Class from Banned From Baby Showers

• What's the point of sitting through and paying for a 12 week natural birth class? Haven't women been giving birth since the beginning of time? Number one best reason: "It is not just another day in your life. It does matter how the baby gets here" -  I highly recommend you read this one - its full of really great points! 

7. Doulas are For (Women Who Have) Birth Partners, another one from Birthing Beautiful Ideas

• Along a similar thought-process as the above post - Moms and Dads-to-be may wonder why they need a doula... Haven't women been giving birth since the beginning of time? This post puts forth all the great things that I've tried to say here on my blog about the importance of doulas even with a partner present, ie Doulas Support Partners as well as Laboring Women, and more, such as a Doula can help you have a more intimate birthing experience, etc. Clicky!