Make Informed Choices

How to make choices during pregnancy

During pregnancy lots of mothers and couples have to take decisions almost about anything. Sometimes it is exciting, for instance when you have to think about names or nursery furnitures, but sometimes it can be daunting, like when you have to choose something that regards your baby's birth. It is not always easy to be always confident in what to do, especially when it seems there are only few, and not very clear, options.

Before deciding anything, it is better to wait and look for information. You can read scientific articles, books, ask to professionals and refer trusted resources. Only when you have all the elements you needed you can make the best choice possible.

Here you can find some interesting links to articles, books about specific topics and websites about common issues during pregnancy.

Articles, Books, Websites

Breech Baby

Usually, when there is a breech baby, a C-section is the only option available.

But, is it?

Not always, and these articles could be very useful to mothers that want to make an informed choice.

Sarah Wickham - Gathering together of research

AIMS - Northern breech conference: Breech birth - making choice a reality

International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics - Does breech delivery in an upright position instead of on the back improve outcomes and avoid cesareans?

PubMed - Supporting Women Planning a Vaginal Breech Birth: An International Survey

Shawn Walker - No more ‘hands off the breech’

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG - Breech birth at home: a new study of safety outcomes

Midwifery -Midwives’ Views on Breech Birth

WEBSITES

www.spinningbabies.com

www.breechbabiesclub.org

Facebook

Breech Birth Network

Gestational Diabetes (GDM)

Michael Oden said about GDM "It has the power to transform a happy pregnant woman into an anxious or depressed one."

Sarah Wickham - Gestational Diabetes

Cochrane - Interventions to prevent women from developing diabetes during pregnancy: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews

Dr Rachel Reed - Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label

The Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology and Health (JOPPPAH) Volume 19, Number 2, Winter 2004
By Dr Michel OdentPrimal Health Research: A New Era in Health Research - Gestational Diabetes: A Diagnosis Still Looking For a Disease?

WEBSITE

https://www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes-support/

BOOK

Gestational Diabetes - Deborah Huges (2017) published by AIMS

Group B Strep (GBS)

Are you thinking about doing a test for GBS? What to do in case of being tested positive? There are different views on this and making a choice could be difficult. Be well informed to make the best decision for you.

Sarah Wickham - Group B Strep resources

Cochrane - Intrapartum antibiotics for known maternal Group B streptococcal colonization

Dr Rachel Reed - The Human Microbiome: considerations for pregnancy, birth and early mothering

McMaster University - Antibiotics administered during labor delay healthy gut bacteria in babies

Harvard University - How Antibiotics Disrupt Babies’ Microbiomes

BOOK

Sarah Wickham - Group B Strep Explained

Home Birth

The most natural way to give birth is at home, where you feel at ease, calm and safe, only surrounded by your loved ones and health professionals who respect your needs during the most exiting day (or night!) of your life.

AIMS - Home birth research

Sarah Wickham - The wisdom of storks & Home births - where are we heading?

Dr Sarah Buckley - Giving Birth at Home

Hannah G. Dahlen - Is it Time to Ask Whether Facility Based Birth is Safe for Low Risk Women and Their Babies?

PubMed - Perinatal mortality and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529,688 low-risk planned home and hospital births

CMAJ - Outcomes associated with planned place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies

Angela Reitsmaa, Julia Simionia, Ginny Bruntonb, Karyn Kaufmana, Eileen K Huttona - Maternal outcomes and birth interventions among women who begin labour intending to give birth at home compared to women of low obstetrical risk who intend to give birth in hospital: A systematic review and meta-analyses

Older Mothers

Too often pregnant women around 40 years old, and sometimes from 35 years old, are told that interventions are strongly advisable when they will give birth. These articles can enlighten you in order to make an informed choice.

Sarah Wickham - Questioning induction of labour in older women (part 1) Questioning induction of labour in older women – part 2