The Pregnant Lady's Cheat Sheet

A list of everything I would have loved to have when I first found out I was pregnant:

1. What do I do first?

-Contact Anna, Alice, And Laurel (Santa Barbara Midwifery), even if you are not planning on a home birth. They are a great place to start and have volumes of information and resources, and books to lend, and your initial meeting is free. You can find more information on their website at www.santabarbaramidwifery.com or give them a call at: 805.563.0348 . **Please see my earlier post about my home birth experience.

-Subscribe to Mothering Magazine immediately.

-Find a pre-natal workout class for fun and some exercise. You'll end up meeting the ladies you'll be spending all of your time with for the next couple of years here. I like Tracy Schmidt's class at the SBYMCA. It's kind of jazzercize-y and it takes away morning sickness. Also, Fredda Spirka teaches a great free pre- and postnatal yoga class through adult ed. This may be your most valuable resource. You will learn so much about doctors, midwives, pediatricians, birth, etc. from the women in these classes.

-Make sure you are taking a good pre-natal vitamin

-Grab a book on each of these: pregnancy, baby's first year, breast feeding. The Traveling Pants in Carpinteria usually has used books which are really inexpensive. The thrift store at St. Joseph's is also a great resource, but you have to dig and they are only open Wednesdays and Saturdays until 2 pm.

-Get insurance if you don't already have it. AIM is great for those who qualify. It's worth taking a look: www.aim.ca.gov/

2. Where do I register?

***I have an older post that is a sample registry that might be helpful, and you can find it by scrolling down.

-Find a site like myRegistry.com where you can register at any online store, and have just one list for everything. Some great online stores include palumba.com, novanatural.com, albeebaby.com, and babiesRus.com.

-It is so important to register at a physical location. Summer for Kids in Montecito has some excellent natural choices and Chicken Little in Santa Barbara has a huge selection as well.

3. Is home birth for me?

-Please look into this, even if you don't think it's for you. We are so lucky in Santa Barbara to have such great choices, and since this is one of the biggest decisions you'll be making in your life, it probably deserves a little research. I was terrified of home birth before I had real information. I watched movies and talked to midwives and women who had given birth at home and decided undoubtedly that it was the safest and best decision for me and my baby.

-Watch some movies! So important. The Baby International Film Festival has some great ones. I recommend The Business of Being Born, with Ricki Lake if you only plan on seeing one, or as a starting point.

She's My Homegirl

After my daughter was born people would stop me and ask if she was born at home.  After I'd smiled and nodded they explained, "you can tell.  She looks so alert!"

What a great contrast to the conversations I had while pregnant.  People asked who my doctor was as often as they asked if I was having a boy or a girl.  When I answered that I had  midwives instead of a doctor, and that I was having my baby at home, complete strangers felt compelled to convince me to change my mind.  I heard every horror story in the book about what "would have happened" had this or that woman had her baby outside of the hospital.

I never planned to have my baby at home until I was actually pregnant, and found I had problems with the way things are done at the hospital.  I had just watched The Business of Being Born and I was curious about my other options.  Giving birth was the most important day of my life, and I am so glad I considered all of the options out there before deciding how I would do it.  I could write a book about my fears concerning home birth before I had actual valid information, and my biggest concern was safety, for myself and my baby.  Having heard from hippies and doctors alike that home birth is statistically safer than hospital birth, the most settling news was that my midwives had delivered over 2,500 babies and never lost one mom or baby.  

After the suggestion of a friend (thank you, Adrienne!) I found The Santa Barbara Midwives - Anna Bunting, Alice Levine, and Laurel Phillips.  You can contact Alice at (805)452-8681, or Anna at (805)563-0348.  I highly recommend meeting with one of them (it's free!) and getting answers to your questions, even if you are not sure a home birth is for you.  It's just more information and more options.

I feel the same way about birth that I do about everything  else:  get the information before you blindly form an opinion.  Decisions based on information are so much more useful than those based on fear.  My daughter's naps are not nearly long enough for me to include all of the statistics and information supporting home birth in this post, but a quick conversation with Anna will have you up to speed.  

My husband and I met with all three midwives throughout my pregnancy, and Anna and Laurel were at the birth, which was awesome, and also the hardest, most intense, magical experience.  Now I know I can do anything.  

Movies to watch on home birth: Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born,

and Birth as We Know It.

Books to read: Birthing from Within, Spiritual Midwifery.

Natural childbirth classes:  The best is with Tracy Schmidt (805) 962-0871, mother of 5 beautiful babies, all born naturally (the last 4 were born at home.)  About half of our "class" was planning a home birth, and the other half natural births in the hospital.