Helpful Links
Pregnancy and Childbirth Links
Birth Matters
To bring together members of the community for the purpose of sharing information about pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. We value childbirth as a significant event. Its impact reaches beyond the individual and into the community. Decisions made during this time require careful consideration and an understanding of the scientific evidence.
http://birthmattersva.org
What is a safe birth?
There is an overwhelming array of information available to expectant parents, and it can be difficult to know where to start. This website is dedicated to guiding parents through learning which questions to ask, and knowing what kind of answers they should hope to hear back from their care providers.
www.safebirth.org/sb
Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth
Founded upon six care practices that support normal birth, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth is an evidence-based resource for new and expectant parents and childbirth professionals. Use this site to find credible, relevant and useful information and discover how to come together with normal birth advocates in your community.
www.lamaze.org/institute
International Childbirth Education Assocaition (ICEA)
ICEA is an organization of over 4,000 members from throughout the United States and 42 countries who believe in freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.
www.icea.org
HypnoBirthing®
HypnoBirthing® - The Mongan Method, 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 in a way that most mirrors nature. Emphasis is placed on both pregnancy and childbirth as well as on HypnoBirthing®. As a birthing method, HypnoBirthing® is as new as tomorrow and as old as ancient times.
www.hypnobirthing.com
Henci Goer
Henci Goer, award-winning medical writer and internationally known speaker, is the author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Her previous book, Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities, is a highly-acclaimed resource for childbirth professionals. An independent scholar, she is an acknowledged expert on evidence-based maternity care. Goer has written consumer education pamphlets and numerous articles for magazines as diverse as Reader's Digest and the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 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) for over 20 years and a Lamaze educator for ten.
www.hencigoer.com
BOLD - Birth On Labor Day
Birth On Labor Day is...
- a global movement to make maternity care mother-friendly.
- grassroots events that use the arts to get communities to educate themselves, speak their truth and take action on maternity care issues.
- an awareness-raising and fundraising opportunity for groups, organizations and individuals to support mother-initiated dialogue and solutions to maternity care.
Why BOLD?
Playwright Karen Brody wanted to find a way to honor mothers’ birth experiences, get communities talking about their local birthing issues, and raise money for organizations and small groups who are working to make maternity care mother-friendly. “One woman dies every minute throughout the world from a pregnancy or childbirth-related cause,” says Brody, “As a writer I wondered, why are we not telling this story? And as an activist I wondered, how can we tell this story in a way that will make a difference, that will shift the model of maternity care for women to the mother’s needs?”
http://www.birthonlaborday.com/
BirthSource.com ~ your one source for childbirth & parenting...
information, continuing education, products and quality; dedicated to and supporting evidence-based maternity care!
http://www.birthsource.com/scripts/default.asp
Virginia Department of Health
Have you seen the wonderful ads on TV from the Virginia Department of Health about Breastfeeding? Click on the website below and see them right on your computer.
www.vahealth.org/wic/bfwic/tvads.asp#tvads
La Leche League
La Leche League helps mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, education, information, and encouragement and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
La Leche League International Website: www.lalecheleague.org
Attend the La Leche League meetings in Lynchburg! Click here to see the information for the monthly meeting.
Medela
Medela is the preferred brand for breastpumps and all that Best Start Parenting Center carries because they are the best on the market. Visit their website at: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/
KellyMom
A wonderful breastfeeding and parenting website! Click on the image to visit.
Press release from UNICEF
Poor feeding for children under two leads to nearly one-fifth of child deaths
www.unicef.org/media/media_27814.html
American Academy of Pediatrics - Revised Breastfeeding Recommendations
The AAP has always been a strong advocate of breastfeeding as the optimal form of nutrition for infants. The revised AAP recommendations reflect new research on the importance of breastfeeding.
www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb05breastfeeding.htm
NEW! Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: www.bfmed.org
NEW! Center for Disease Control statement about breastfeeding during Swine Flu:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/breastfeeding.htm
NEW! United States Breastfeeding Committee:
http://www.uslcaonline.org/enews/0509whocode2.html
Dr. James McKenna
Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at Notre Dame University
http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/
A great sleeping with your baby resource!
AskDrSears.com
After raising eight children and practicing pediatric medicine for more than 30 years, Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha have answered questions from thousands of parents. Millions more have sought their advice through their 30+ pediatric books, articles in parenting magazines, and their appearances on more than 100 television programs such as 20/20, Donahue, Good Morning America, Oprah, CBS This Morning, CNN, NBC's Today Show and Dateline.
www.askdrsears.com
Elizabeth Pantley
http://www.elizabethpantley.com
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of eight popular parenting books, available in 18 languages, and she was a contributing author to The Successful Child with Dr. William and Martha Sears. Best Start carries all of her sleep books because they use the gentle parenting methods instead of the "cry it out" methods. Visit her website for more parenting articles that she has written on the web.
Car Seat Safety
Over the Shoulder Baby Holder: The Mother of All Baby Holders!
Did you know that a baby's spine is placed in a compromising position in many of today's popular carriers? If the carrier positions the infant upright, with legs hanging down and support at the base of the child's spine, it puts undue stress on the spine compromising developing curves in the spine. This sling is rated the top baby carrier by hundreds of baby experts. Physical therapists and chiropractors endorse it for its comfort and weight distribution, and for its benefits for your babies posture. The baby can be carried in any natural position and breastfed discreetly.
Over the Shoulder Baby Holders are available at Best Start! Come in today and try one on to get a perfect fit. See our wide selections of colors and patterns.
Mothering.com
Wonderful website with a huge amount of material about every aspect of pregnancy, birth, baby/child care and feeding and parenting.