Cesarean Birth

Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 This is the fourth installment of the stuck baby series. Last week I described the fetal factors (ways babies get themselves stuck). The week before I discussed maternal factors. Three weeks ago I covered engagement and explained why it’s pathology. Next week I’ll go over how fetal constraint affects labor and birth. Stay tuned! Today I’m going to discuss cultural factors that reduce

Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 There are many things that contribute to fetal constraint (stuck babies). Any one of them can operate independently, but usually there are multiple causes for less than optimal fetal positioning that have synergistic or additive effects. As I continue to explore the multiple causes, I will provide examples of how these things can work in concert to prevent babies from moving into more

Why Did My Baby Get Stuck? By Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?

It’s not because your pelvis is too small… By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 When I consider how babies fit into — and through — a maternal pelvis I view it from three perspectives: midwifery, bodywork and yoga. As a midwife I generally know more about birth than many bodyworkers. As a bodyworker I know more about how, anatomically and bio-mechanically, a baby fits into and ultimately through a

My Baby Dropped by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

My Baby Dropped!

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 “My baby dropped!!” People usually say this with great enthusiasm when it happens. I’ve never really understood why people rejoice about their babies dropping. Why Do They Think This Is So Cool? Do they think that this is proof they won’t be pregnant until the end of time after all? Do they think that their labors will be shorter because the baby is

Questions to Ask a Homebirth Midwife at MamaSpace Yoga

Questions to Ask Homebirth Midwives

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 With more people considering home birth or planned out of hospital birth these days it’s good to know what kinds of questions to ask while searching for your perfect birth attendant. I wrote and published these questions on my website years ago when I was a homebirth midwife. I’ll never forget the one time a pregnant couple who interviewed me pulled out my

MamaSpace Yoga Helps You Ask Your OB the Right Questions for a Better Birth

Questions to Ask Obstetricians and Hospital-Based Midwives

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 We get lots of questions about pregnancy birth and postpartum care providers and hospitals. Our prenatal yoga students have so many choices to make – especially during the pandemic. In some hospitals laboring people can have only one support person. In others, they may have more than one. Some people are considering virtual doulas. In other situations they can be accompanied by an

Carol Gray Tells the Truth About Epidurals at MamaSpace Yoga

The Truth About Epidurals

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 The Truth About Birth First a word or two about birth physiology: Labor is almost universally painful for birthing parents and sometimes painful for babies. One of the ways we cope with pain is to produce beta-endorphin. Beta-endorphin is an opiate-like brain chemical – the same one responsible for the so-called runner’s high. It reduces pain. What Happens as Labor Progresses? In a

Learn How to Have a Better Cesarean Birth at MamaSpace Yoga

Cesareans! Emergencies! and Strategies!

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 The word “emergency” used to ONLY apply to childbirth. The baby emerges, get it? Two (Three) Kinds of Cesareans Lately, I have been hearing an emergent theme in the stories people have been sharing with me about their cesarean births. They divide them into two categories – planned and emergency. Often a parent will say to me that their cesarean birth was not

Lina’s Birth Story

Our pregnancy was very easeful and very healthy. We moved to Portland in February and his due date was April 20th. I felt so happy and blessed to have found MamaSpace Yoga, not only because I enjoyed the classes so much, but everyone was so caring, open to share and the sense of community was so wonderful. On our week 37th check up at our birthing center I was diagnosed