Exercising while pregnant may be another way to avoid a C-section birth.

A new study conducted by Spanish researchers at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid finds reduced medical intervention during delivery among the many benefits of regular exercise throughout pregnancy.

The study followed nearly 300 women from the first trimester through delivery. Participants performed a routine of exercises designed by perinatal fitness experts specific to the various stages of pregnancy. Participants started the routine between 10-12 weeks gestation and continued until 38-39 weeks under the supervision of prenatal fitness experts. The routine lasted 50-55 minutes and was performed 3 times per week. Exercises included aerobic resistance, strength training for the muscles most affected by pregnancy, and pelvic floor muscle training. The control group did not perform any regular exercise routine.

While the study measured many factors, the most notable results according to researchers was a marked difference in the rate of instrumental and Cesarean births in the exercising group, leading them to conclude that regular exercise reduces the rate for medical interventions during childbirth. When publicizing their findings, researches stated the belief that a number of difficulties during pregnancy result from poor lifestyle choices: sedentary with poor nutrition and poor posture. The hope is that the study’s findings will encourage women to engage in safe and appropriate exercise throughout pregnancy to improve overall health and quality of life.

Remember these important factors when considering prenatal exercise:

1. Get your doctors approval before beginning any exercise program to be sure you do not unknowingly have a condition that would contraindicate exercise.

2. Look for credentials when starting a class or program. Only do exercise designed by experts for the prenatal population. Consider this: a personal trainer is not a medical professional. Ask for special training or credentials to be sure the recommended exercises are safe for the various stages of pregnancy.

3. Be sure to exercise regularly, a minimum of 3 times per week, in order to reap the cumulative benefits of exercise and to keep your body accustomed to activity, helping to avoid strain or injury.

4. Listen to your body. Your abilities will change throughout pregnancy as your body changes drastically over time. Scaling back activity to accommodate for normal body changes is not a sign of set-back or weakness, it is rather a sign of the progression of your pregnancy. Always stop any activity that causes pain or discomfort.

Did you feel your prenatal routine prepared you for a vaginal birth?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Best Pregnancy Workout DVDs

Your Guide to Pregnancy Nutrition and Exercise

What are the Exercise Dos and Don’ts During Pregnancy?

Labor support has been marginalized in our culture in the last hundred years. The current medical model leaves little room for caretakers who are advocate for their clients, the birthing mamas. A new day has come where many hospitals are now welcoming a fleet of skilled and well trained birth professionals called,’the doulas“.

Doula is a Greek term for ‘slave’, which was appropriated to describe the women who lend themselves to serve birthing mothers. I use the term birth coach since most people understand what that means. I think every mama-to-be should explore the option of having a birth coach as part of her birth team, and here’s why:

1. A doula is there to support the mom-to-be.

A doula “mothers the mother”. She offers continuous support for the laboring mother. After attending so many births, these coaches have deep wisdom, comfort, and encouragement to offer and they help liaise between the doctors, nurses, and your partner during the process. They serve as an educator, advocate, and cheerleader for the laboring mother, while keeping the family calm. She’s like the binding agent that helps keep it all together!

2. Doula’s know what to coach you on.

The doula can coach the laboring mom in breathing, relaxation, movement, and positioning. She also assists families in gathering information about the course of their labor. Labor support usually includes prenatal and postpartum meetings or home visits, 24-hour on-call support, massage and counter-pressure during labor, help with positioning for the mother’s comfort. Not to mention photos of your baby immediately after birth!

3. Doulas know how to make birth easier.

Birth coaches help facilitate an easier birth. In fact, having one present at your birth can cut your laboring time by 50 percent! Now if that’s not incentive to look into getting a doula, I don’t know what is. When I gave birth I didn’t understand the value of having a birth coach present. I did however have four of the most wonderful staff present, as well as a midwife-in-training, since mine was the only birth at that time. According to Mothering the Mother, by Marshall Klaus, John Kennell, and Phyllis Klaus, studies have shown that the physiological effects of continual support during labor reduces:

• the chances of needing a C-section by 51 percent,
• reduces length of labor by 25 percent,
• reduces use of analgesia by 35 percent,
• reduces Pitocin augmentation by 40 percent,
• reduces the use of epidural anesthesia by 60 percent,
• and reduces use of forceps and vacuum by 30 percent.

Moms who work with doulas report greater satisfaction with childbirth, fewer incidences of postpartum depression, increased self-esteem, better mother-infant interaction, and improved breastfeeding success. A birth coach will stay with you during your labor until your baby is about an hour old, in addition to a few prenatal visits and one postnatal visit. Birth coaching services can range from pro bono to $3,000. Most labor support coaches charge between $500 and $2,000, depending on experience and certification. You can get labor coach recommendations at maternity centers, OB/GYN offices, yoga studio community boards, via DONA International, and on forums here.

5. You have full control over who you pick, and why you pick them.

You want to make sure you feel a level of chemistry, comfort, and safety with your coach, as she will accompany you during one of the most intimate and eventful experiences of your life. Whatever you do, go with your gut. If you meet a prospective coach and you’re not sure about her, keep looking. You can trust yourself on this one! Use the following questions to see if this person is right for you and your family:

• What inspired you to enter this field of work?
• What certifications do you hold?
• How long have you been a doula and how many births have you attended?
• What types of births have you attended—home birth, hospital, birth center?
• How do I get in touch with you when labor begins—are you always on call? When and where will you join me?
• If you are unavailable when I go into labor, do you have backups?
• What is your philosophy on childbirth? (Make sure your birth preferences are compatible with her practices and beliefs.)
• What techniques will you use to help me move through labor?
• How long will you stay with me after labor?
• What happens if I need a C-section?
• Do you provide postpartum services? Do you have experience helping nursing mothers?
• What’s your fee and refund policy? What does it cover?

For more info on labor support coaches/doulas, please check out DONA International, the certifying body for women who provide labor support, at www.dona.org.

Did you consider getting a doula? Would you ever?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Pregnancy Checklist: Interviewing a Doula

Why I Hired a Doula

Get the Help You Want When Baby Comes Home

Yesterday marked a special day for new parents all over the country. According to reports, several couples welcomed their little bundles into the world at exactly 12:12 on 12/12/12 — how fun! So far, here’s what we know:

In Auburn Township, Ohio, Frank and Cierra Smith and big brother Caden welcomed daughter Forever Cierra Cotrice Smith into the world at 12:12 p.m. on 12/12/12.

Also in Ohio, Tiffaney Diles went into early labor on 12/11 and started thinking about the possibility of having a 12/12/12 baby. Hours later, Austin Matthew Diles would arrive at 12:12 a.m. and forever mark the date for his overwhelmed parents.

At Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Colleen and Joe Klinker added daughter Noelle Joy Klinker at 12:12 p.m. To top things off, Colleen was in labor for 12 hours! The day marked an extra special occasion for Noelle’s mom and dad, who had, a year ago, lost daughter Melody during childbirth.

In St. Genevieve, Mo., Jennifer Oehlert gave birth to a handsome baby boy named Kaiden Derone. The hospital staff celebrated by showering the blessed parents with a dozen presents.

There are many things a mother-to-be may try to ease the pain while laboring and birthing her child. Positioning, movement, using a shower or bath, heat, counter pressure, and pain medication are all types of pain-relievers during labor.

While pregnant with my son, however, I heard of a new pain reliever — hypnosis.

Initially, I was slightly– well, very, to be honest — skeptical of hypnobirthing. In my head, I envisioned someone standing in front of me snapping their fingers while my head slumps down. In this scenario, like you see on some television shows, it usually follows that the person under hypnosis is clucking like a chicken or barking like a dog.

Not quite the picture of labor or delivery I had in mind.

After reading and researching a little more, though, I found that hypnosis while birthing is completely the opposite of what I had initially envisioned.

And– surprisingly– it can be quite helpful!

The main concept behind hypnosis while birthing your child is getting your mind into the right frame of reference. While labor and birth can be extremely painful, the way you approach the pain can really affect your ability to withstand or work through it. If you go into labor thinking, “This is going to be the most horrible pain I’ve ever had in my life — I don’t think I can do it!”, that will likely be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if you approach it from the other side of the coin, thinking, “My body is strong enough to do this, other women have done this for years, and my body was made to do this!”, you probably have a better shot at a less painful birthing experience.

Personally, I found hypnosis during birthing to be a little voice (or a recorded track playing in the background) telling me I was strong enough, I was capable enough, and I could get myself through the discomfort. There were some points in my last labor and birthing that I really needed those words, and having a calm voice deliver them softly to me was helpful in managing my labor.

If you’re planning or attempting an intervention-free labor and birth, it may be beneficial to learn about hypnosis. There are several commercially available programs for purchase, but there are even a few things you can do at home on your own. Writing a list of ten positive statements about how you intend to birth your child can be extremely helpful. Then go through your list and repeat it to yourself once per day. Provide your labor support person, significant other, or spouse with this list and have them read it to you while laboring.

The power of the right words at the right time can help you to your best birthing experience.

Would you try hypnosis to help you through labor?

It seems, to me, that many women who’ve given birth can tell you the story of their labor. They can tell you how long they labored, when they knew when to go to the hospital, what their nurse’s name was, when they got medication, how long they pushed for, and, of course, what time their baby was born. Me? I have a bad memory. There are times that I can’t remember details from just a few minutes ago. (I make heavy use of spreadsheets and to-do lists in my life!)

I wanted to be able to remember my birth story, but I didn’t trust my ability to remember. Especially since so many things would be happening during the process! I wanted to know the big milestones of course — how long I pushed and what time my son was born. But I also wanted to know the small things — what time my water broke, when I got pain meds, etc. I knew that other women in my life would want those details. Some women just love birth stories!

I also knew that I wanted my husband to be involved wherever possible. Since I was being induced, there wasn’t any laboring at home that he could participate in. He wouldn’t need to drive a deep breathing, arm gripping wife to the hospital. In fact, I knew that when we checked into the hospital on that Wednesday morning, I’d walk in with my bag in one hand and my pillow in the other. I suspected that my check in process would be almost like checking into a hotel. “Jayme, 1 room, 2-3 nights please.” Once settled into our room, I knew that there’d likely be hours of just sitting around waiting for the induction meds to do their thing.

So I gave my husband a job. I asked him to keep a “labor log” for me. Supplies needed: a piece of paper, a pen and a clock. Whenever something happened, he would write it down. He didn’t write down little things like ‘Jayme turned over in bed’, but he wrote down the time and what meds they gave me, how many centimeters I was dilated at different stages, when they broke my water, when I got the epidural, and what my contractions were like throughout the day.

I’m so glad that I did this and definitely plan on doing so again with any future births. Not only did it help my husband be an active participant, but I didn’t have to remember the small details. All I had to say was “Honey, can you write this down?” any time I thought “Oh, I want to remember that.” It allowed me to focus on the job at hand and while it’s just a scrap piece of paper, it makes for a fun keepsake!

Thanks to my husband, I can actually tell my son’s birth story!

Did you keep track of your labor or save any mementos from the birth?

1. There is no normal.

When I was pregnant it seemed as if I was wearing a huge sign that said, “Please tell me all about your personal experiences with having a baby.” This happened to me constantly! Whether I was at work, church, the grocery store, or a public bathroom, there was always a woman ready to tell me her childbirth story. I didn’t mind hearing these in some ways because it helped me realize that everyone is different. Some women have short labors, while some are in labor for days. Some women have their children at home and others in a hospital. The variations go on forever. When you start into your labor, or even further along into the pushing stage, be ready for anything and plan on anything happening. If anyone tells you what’s normal and what’s not, here is my advice to remember: there is no normal!

2. You need to push like you’re…

I am going to come right out and say it: you need to push like you’re pooping. This was shared with my husband and I in our Lamaze class and guess what? It’s true! When you begin pushing keep in mind the same effort that goes into having a bowel movement and you will find your efforts paying off. Another bit of advice that was given to me during the pushing phase was to not fear pushing. It was great advice because after hearing that I was able to let go of my inhibitions and use all of my strength.

3. There will be swelling.

This might sound like an obvious thing to share, but to honest I was not prepared for how swollen your vagina can become. Please note that there will be swelling and things will not look normal down there. To help with all of the swelling make sure and use ice as much as you can for the first 24 hours. The nurses in the hospitals have excellent solutions for this, too! My nurse stuffed an infant diaper with crushed ice for me to use and it was heavenly! An extra tip: bring along some cheap cotton undies in the next size up. These will give you room to breathe and will feel much more comfortable than your usual snazzy pair.

4. You might feel better than you anticipate.

I kept thinking that labor and delivery was going to leave me utterly exhausted and worn out. For the most part I was tired afterwards, but was able to get up and walk around very soon after my son was born. In fact, it felt great to get cleaned up and put on my own nightgown from home. I ate a nice meal and a lovely chocolate brownie. I felt human again.

What surprised you most during your baby’s delivery?

Tell us about the day we were born, I often imagine my children saying to me one day. Before my babies were born, I romanticized about the delivery and I saw myself sharing my glory story with family and friends, even writing blog posts about my birth story and speedy recovery. The truth is, it was all very different than the story I had daydreamed.

I still want to share the story of how my babies came into this world, but when I finally sat down to write my story, I realized how few details I actually remember through the fog of narcotics and sleep deprivation. I’m thankful for the pictures we have, proof that I was actually there and witnessed these things, and for my husband, whose retelling will be much more accurate and coherent when our children want to know about their grand entrance.

So here are some of the things I do remember about the experience.

First, I remember the feeing of anticipation the day before my c-section. Everything we did have a sense of finality about it — this is the last time I will eat a cheeseburger without kids. This is the last episode of Dexter I’ll watch without kids. I was ready in the sense that I had reached my goal of 37 weeks, and I was ready to not be pregnant any more, but I was really apprehensive about the surgery and about meeting the people I would spend the rest of my life loving. I remember saying good-bye to my sisters and parents as my husband and I left for the hospital after only a few hours of sleep and thinking, this is the last time my mom will just be a mom and not a Grandma, my sisters will be aunts in just a few hours.

What I remember most about the surgery are those feelings; I had had only one surgery prior, to remove my wisdom teeth in 2007. I’d had a panic attack in the waiting room and cried until they put me to sleep.  I even woke up crying.  The idea of major abdominal surgery was finally sinking in and I tried my best to suppress the nerves. My husband even told me later that he was impressed with my behavior leading up to the surgery. The actual surgery deserves its own blog post — today I just want to talk about the babies!

The twins were born via c-section on September 25, 2012 at 37 weeks and 1 day. Baby Girl came out at 8:27 am, weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and Baby Boy at 8:29 am, weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces. They each measured 18.5 inches long. When Baby Girl came out, I expected to hear screeching or wailing, but what we heard was a single, loud squawk. I started to giggle and cry at the same time as the doctor held our now screaming baby over the screen so we could see her for the first time. Then she was handed over to some nurses that I couldn’t see and it was time for brother to come out. “He’s really cute, you guys!” the doctor said as she pulled him out. I remember still laughing and asking if he was really big — the babies had been monitored via ultrasound throughout the pregnancy and were consistently measuring right on track. At my final doctor appointment at 35 weeks, each baby was estimated at six pounds, so I assumed that by 37 weeks they would have been around 7 pounds. Baby Boy’s weight took us all by surprise. “No, he’s pretty small,” my husband said, as he watched them take our son to be cleaned and weighed. By this point, everything starts to blur together and all I really remember is worrying about my son. Thankfully, although he was quite small, everything was working the way it was supposed to, and the nurses brought both of the bundled babies over to us to kiss and to take a picture  – a photo I’ll treasure forever, but of a moment I sadly don’t remember much.

My husband accompanied both babies to the nursery as my doctor continued to stitch me up and engaged me in small talk. I was transferred to the recovery room, where my mother found me. I remember various nurses and technicians talking to me, asking me questions and telling me what was going to happen as if I were a coherent person just chilling in a hospital bed. I felt like I couldn’t even keep my eyes open or form words properly. My mother had seen the babies in the nursery window as they were given their bath, and she excitedly told me how they looked just alike, and how my husband held them up to the window for my family to see. Finally, my husband and babies came to the recovery room. I held my babies on my chest and tried to nurse one, I don’t remember who, but my arms felt so heavy from the anesthesia that I couldn’t quite get the hang of it.

I don’t remember being wheeled to the post-partum suite, or the visitors that were waiting in the room when I arrived.  I was so thirsty but so sick from the anesthesia that I couldn’t hold down fluids and yet I couldn’t stop myself from gulping water, Sprite or the broth they brought me for lunch. The pictures from this time show me pale and puffy-faced, struggling to keep my eyes open and with a heavy smile.

The babies were all bundled up and wearing matching beanies. In the time since then, it’s become so clear that the babies look very different, but those first few days we were all convinced they looked the same, and it was even hard to tell them apart. It wasn’t long before we got to know them, their personalities, and their cries well enough to distinguish them from across the room. (Although, I admit, it is harder to do at 3 a.m. and bleary-eyed!) I remember wanting to inspect their naked bodies, since I had only seen them once they were swaddled in the hospital’s flannel blankets. I didn’t even change a diaper for several days. (How great is my husband!?)

I attribute much of my mental fog to the surgery. My mom, who’d had a traumatic c-section experience, had warned me about it, but I’d heard from so many people that the surgery and recovery were no big deal. Since I knew c-section was my only option (certain doctors may restrict your birthing options depending on your/babies’ health and babies’ positions), I accepted it and minimized the possible problems in my head.  I regret not being able to remember more of the first few days but there are wonderful things I do remember: how tenderly my husband handled our babies, the delicate smell of the tops of their velvety heads, and my parents cradling their grandbabies.  After having spent the last year planning, wishing, daydreaming and worrying, it’s hard to believe I’m actually somebody’s — make that two somebodies’ — mother.

Did you childbirth experience differ from what you expected?

It reads like a sitcom story line:  Pregnant woman gets stuck somewhere because of some crazy circumstance, goes into labor and delivers her baby on her own. But for Abby Wellington, a 34-year-old pediatrician and second-year neonatal fellow from New Jersey, this was no TV episode.

Last Monday, while Hurricane Sandy took down power lines and home across the East Coast, Abby gave birth to her second child.

Around 9 p.m. on October 29, she and her husband Stephen Olefson were laying in bed and listening to the wind beat on their door. Their house had lost power and had little running water. All of a sudden Abby felt some stomach pains, and the pain returned five-minutes later. At Stephen’s suggestion, Abby ran a warm bath and told her to get comfortable.

“I didn’t realize I was in labor until halfway through,” Abby told the Huffington Post. ”All of a sudden, it just got very intense. Either something was wrong and we needed to leave right away, or I was about to deliver, which I just couldn’t wrap my brain around.”

With a due date of October 30, the couple, already parents to a 2-year-old son, had prepared for the worst. They met Abby’s OB and physician’s assistant, who gave the couple some sterilized gloves just in case. That evening, they put the gloves and some other household items to use.

“My wife said, ‘You know those potato chip bag clips? Let’s just find them and keep them out.’ So now we have gloves and a potato chip clip to clamp the umbilical cord. And we were thinking, ‘This is totally far-fetched, but at least we have it,’” Stephen says.

Around 10:30, Abby knew she was about to give birth. While most moms-to-be would have freaked out, Abby remained calm. Stephen asked a neighbor, who’s a physician’s assistant, to come to the home to help. Together, they delivered her 8-pound baby Henley in less than 30 minutes. Given her experience, both personally and professionally, Abby knew what to do.

“Once the baby was out, I became my neonatologist self and told them what to do: Clamp the cord! Get towels! Get a hat!,” Abby recalls.

“Fifteen minutes later, in comes the ob-gyn from upstairs, in come all of these police and ambulance people, and we’re sitting in the bathroom with two potato chip clamps on each end of the umbilical cord,” Stephen says.

The ambulance eventually transported Abby and Henley to a nearby hospital. Can you believe Henley was one of several babies born healthily during Hurricane Sandy?!

Did you /do you have a birth back-up plan in case of an emergency? 

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Know You’re in Labor

20 Babies Saved During Hurricane Sandy

More Amazing Birth Stories

What began as a religious procedure has become a highly debated topic among parents and medical professionals. For more than 20 years, the number of circumcisions per year has declined drastically. Today, 55 percent of the 2 million baby boys born each year undergo the procedure, compared to 79 percent in the 1980s.

The reason for the decline can be connected to several issues.  For one, Medicaid no longer covers circumcision. In 18 states, this makes it very difficult for families to afford the procedure. Also, according to an article from The Baltimore Sun many parents believe it’s “a painful, unnatural procedure” that can cause sexual and psychological issues. Recent research, however, suggests parents should consider for health and financial reasons.

A new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which will be published in September, found that babies who do not undergo circumcision have a higher risk of developing various health problems. The study suggests those who opt out of the procedure are more likely to develop multiple STDs (including HIV and HPV), penile cancer, and urinary tract infections.

Another study from Johns Hopkins supports the AAP’s research. The study tracked male circumcision related procedures and infections in a group of men throughout their life time. Using this data, researchers were able to predict how a continuous decrease in circumcision would affect male health in the future. The results showed that a man’s risk of developing HIV and HPV increases by 12.2 percent and 29.1 percent, respectively, and the risk of developing infant urinary tract infections increases by 211.8 percent if they are uncircumcised. Yikes! And the risk factors don’t stop with men. The study also tracked women who have sexual contact with uncircumcised men, and their risk rates also increased. For these women, the risk of developing HPV increased by 31.2 percent.

In addition to the medical aspect, the study also examined the financial aspect of forgoing circumcision. The research suggests that if male circumcision rate drops to 10 percent, the lifetime healthcare costs for individuals would increase by $407 for men and $43 for women.  In comparison to the cost of a circumcision ($254), that’s a big chunk of change.  The Johns Hopkins study adds that, in the past 20 years, the decline in male circumcision has cost the United States $2 billion in medical costs.

Despite the findings, the AAP still says the choice to circumcise is ultimately up to the parents. They do suggest, however, that expecting parents should speak with their child’s doctor about the benefits and risks of the procedure, and discuss who will perform the circumcision.

Will you / did you have your son circumcised? What swayed your decision?

Plus more from The Bump:

Tricks to Make Labor Easier

Did you know you might get a fever during labor? In the past, it’s been suggested that epidural analgesia (the pain meds) is what causes laboring moms to burn up, but a new study in the August issue of Anesthesiology provides some surprising insight into the cause of maternal intrapartum fever (MIF).

University of Alabama researchers studied 81 women in induced labor to monitor the possible development of MIF. Seventy-eight women received epidural analgesia and their maternal temperatures were recorded before and after the drug was administered. Roughly only half of those recorded showed an increase in temperature, leading researchers to believe that an epidural has no effect on maternal fever. However, findings did show that those women who experienced an increase in maternal temperatures had a higher body mass index and prolonged delivery.

Did you get (or are you getting) an epidural? Would you recommended it to other moms?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Tricks to Make Labor Easier

8 Surprising Things That Happen After Labor

How Does an Epidural Work?