You come with a birthright, written in love and sung through all Creation in words which promise that no matter where you're at,
you're home
that no matter who you're with,
you're welcome
that no matter who you are,
you're loved.

Welcome.

Rita Ramsey

Pregnancy and birth

Birtharts.com

Comfort Measures

SpinningBabies.com

Mothering.com

Homebirth Safety

The Compleat Mother The Magazine of Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding!

www.ican-online.org


	ALACE - Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators seeks to help all women experience birth's transforming power with respect and dignity, in safety, support, and confidence.

	ANACS - Association for Nurse Advocates for Childbirth Solutions is an association for professional obstetric nurses who are deeply committed to promoting evidence based practice, and positive birth experiences.

	APND - Association of Perinatal and Naturopathic Doctors Members of the APND share a vision of universal "care". Care at the beginning of life begets care for all life. A natural birth allows powerful bonds to form with the newborn and mother - bonds, which inevitably expand outward to include the family.

	Birth Partners.com the web's leading, and easiest to use, directory of natural birth related service providers.

	Birth WorksÂ® embodies the philosophy of developing a woman's self confidence, trust and faith in her ability to give birth. It is our goal to promote safe and loving birth experiences through education, introspection and confident action.

	Birthing the Future Suzanne Arms' childbirth information, books and videos. American families need to know what normal, natural birth is. Our intention is to make parenting easier and more joyful, and childhood happier, no matter what a parent's circumstances may be.

	Birthrites: Healing After Caesarean This Web page is mostly about avoiding Cesareans and planning VBACs. There are women who cannot, or choose not to, plan future VBACs.

	CAPPA - Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association is a non-profit international organization that was founded in 1998 to offer the highest level of professional membership and training to childbirth educators, lactation educators, labor doulas, antepartum doulas and postpartum doulas.

	Childbirth.org Pregnancy is a very special time in a person's life. Educating yourselves to be good consumers, knowing your options, and how to provide yourselves with the best possible care are essential to a healthy pregnancy.

	Childbirth Connection formerly Maternity Center Association, is a not-for-profit organization that has worked to improve maternity care for mothers, babies and families since 1918. We promote safe, effective, and satisfying evidence-based maternity care. Evidence-based maternity care.

	Childbirth International is a unique organization. With a global outlook and a strong belief in the "education is power" philosophy, we provide training by distance learning for students all over the world. We aim to establish an international standard for childbirth education.

	Citizens for Midwifery the only national consumer-based group promoting the Midwives Model of Care! CfM works to provide information and resources that promote the local midwife, as well as midwives and midwifery care across the country!

	Coalition for Improving Maternity Services is a collaborative effort of numerous individuals and more than 50 organizations representing over 90,000 members. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.

	DONA: Doulas of North America an international association of doulas who are trained to provide the highest quality emotional, physical and educational support to women and their families during childbirth and postpartum.

	eMedical.com get the facts online with resources from Australian doctors.

	Global Birth Institute Our mission statement is to promote a culture of empowered birth and parenting.

	HELLP Syndrome Our purpose is to educate and inform others about HELLP Syndrome; to provide moral support to families who have been touched by HELLP Syndrome; and to raise money for research through the Fund for HELLP Syndrome Research and Education.

	Henci Goer Previously appearing on ParentsPlace.com as the "Birth Guru", she is currently a resident expert on Lamaze International's website, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth. Now concentrating on writing and speaking, Goer was a doula (labor support professional).

	HypnoBirthingÂ® is a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth education, enhanced by hypnosis techniques, providing the missing link, that allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing.

	I.C.P.A. - International Chiropractic Pediatric Association is dedicated to advancing awareness of the chiropractic family wellness lifestyle. Through education, training and research in the care of children & pregnant women, the I.C.P.A. and its members are fulfilling their vision in the world.

	La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed. All breastfeeding mothers, as well as future breastfeeding mothers, are welcome to come.

	Midwifery Today The name of our business is also our motto midwifery: is not a thing of the past, but a viable profession and more than ever the best choice for birthing mothers today and in the future. We feel compelled to give a voice to midwifery as a profession.

	National Women's Health Alliance is dedicated to providing women with important information about their health care. Its purpose is to enable women to make meaningful choices on medical procedures and devices, over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, physicians and health care.

	Pregnancy at About.com About -- the Human Internet, where real people help you get whatever you want from the Web. Visit the Pregnancy topic for the latest news and views.

	Quinte Midwifery Committee exists to promote the Midwifery Profession as an acknowledged and safe option for the maternal-child healthcare in our community.

	RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association The mission of RESOLVE is to provide timely, compassionate support and information to people who are experiencing infertility and to increase awareness of infertility issues through public education and advocacy.

	VBAC.com a woman-centered, evidence-base resource. Our aim is to provide access to information from a variety of sources; scientific studies, professional guidelines, government reports, successful and safe established VBAC programs, and the midwifery model of care.

	Waterbirth International Research, Resource and Referral Service is a project of the non-profit public benefit corporation, Global Maternal/Child Health Association. We have been assisting women and their families discover the benefits of laboring and giving birth in water.

Postpartum

Carol Hengescht, PP Doula

DONA PP doula list

Breastfeeding

Local La Leche League Leaders and Meetings
Minn. Stat. § 145.905
1998 Minn. ALS 407; 1998 Minn. Chapter Law 407; 1997 Minn. S.F. No. 3346
145.905 Location for Breast-Feeding
A mother may breast?feed in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breast-feeding.
And:
Minn. Stat. § 181.939
1998 Minn. ALS 369; 1998 Minn. Chapter Law 369; 1997 Minn. S.F. No. 2751
181.939 Nursing Mother
An employer must provide reasonable unpaid break time each day to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her infant child. The break time must, if possible, run concurrently with any break time already provided to the employee. An employer is not required to provide break time under this section if to do so would unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.
The employer must make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, in close proximity to the work area, other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express her milk in privacy. The employer would be held harmless if reasonable effort has been made.

Doula’s

Attachment parenting in the twin cities

Attachment Parenting International Twin Cities Chapter

Twin Cities Attachment Yahoo! group

Book list

Natural Childbirth Recommended Reading

The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin - So many of the books on pregnancy and natural childbirth are focused on the mother's experience. This book is written for her partner -- spouse, significant other, friend -- and focuses on preparing for the birth, helping labor get started, early labor, the stages of labor, strategies for special situations, the medical side of childbirth, and ways to assist after the birth.

Birthing from Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz - England is a registered nurse and certified nurse midwife. She developed the "birthing from within" approach in a series of birthing classes to help mothers reclaim and celebrate the spiritual, emotional, and psychological aspects of birth as a rite of passage. Her book is a collection of methods that have been used for class participants. A lot of folks recommend this book in conjunction with Ina May.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin - The first half of the book is dedicated to women's birth stories -- positive, empowering stories -- the exact opposite of what you're probably getting from well-intentioned friends and family and depictions of birth on TV. If you're at all worried about what childbirth will be like -- what it's actually like -- and want to read something that will give you positive images to inspire you, get this book immediately.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Childbirth by Henci Goer - Goer pulls together summarizes of medical studies and literature around all the different aspects of childbirth, and advocates on behalf of the midwifery model of care.

Birth: The Surprising History of How We are Born by Tina Cassidy - A history of giving birth through the ages by a former Boston Globe reporter.

Anything by Sheila Kitzinger - Kitzinger is one of Britain's foremost experts on the sociological and anthropological aspects of birth, breast feeding, and early parenthood. Susan recommends her for her style of writing and the practical knowledge she imparts.

HERBAL BOOK MUST HAVE:

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed

Natural parenting and diapering

We have a secret in our culture...

and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong. - Laura Stavoe Harm

Natural Childbirth Recommended Reading