Birth Options, with Betsy Schwartz

There’s an extremely famous quote in the birth world from Diana Korte and Roberta Scaer that says “If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any”, but sometimes the amount of options, choices and nuances can be truly overwhelming. So where do you start? Betsy Schwartz tells us more. Check it out!

What we talked about:

• Models of care: midwifery or medical?
• Where will you give birth (and what influences this decision?)
• Do you have a birth philosophy, and why you need one
• Doulas and the rest of your support team
• Where to find good information about your birth choices
• The intuitive aspect of your options
• Being your own advocate within the healthcare system
• Childbirth Education options
• Bonus: postpartum options!
• Using your BRAINS to help with your choices
• Risk factors and triggers for Perinatal Mood Disorders

Fabulous resources mentioned during the show, and more:

• In-depth podcast on “Birth Models and How They Affect Your Birth”, with Robbie Davis-Floyd (episode #44)
• Michel Odent’s 4 Tips To Ensure The Birth You Want, from Mothering Magazine
• Educate Yourself, Know Your Birth Options, by Deb Flashenberg
• The amazing compendium of solid evidence-based resources that makes up the “Down the Canal” Bibliography.
• Down the Canal – The Game of Birth
• ChildbirthConnection.org
• MotherFriendly.org

Reputable childbirth education resources:

• Lamaze.org
• The Bradley Method
• BirthingFromWithin.com
• Hypnobirthing.com

About Betsy Schwartz

Betsy Schwartz is a pioneer and a visionary.  She began her career in 1991, working for one of the oldest postpartum doula services in the country. In 1994 she established Tenth Month Doula Services, the first of its kind in South Florida. Betsy is a founding member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, where she served on the Board for two years. Betsy’s most recent accomplishment is the creation and publication of Down the Canal – The Game of Birth.  She also has an online classroom for birth workers.  Betsy continues to pioneer in Citrus County Florida where she is actively involved in community collaboration as part of the Citrus Committee of the Florida Healthy Babies Initiative. Betsy holds a master’s degree in management of human services and was a DONA postpartum doula trainer for fourteen years, and before that a CAPPA trainer.  She is a certified postpartum doula, a Reiki 3 practitioner, a yoga enthusiast, and is active in transformational work through Gratitude Training.

Find out more at BirthintheKnow.com or join the conversation on Facebook or on Twitter @betsydoula

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).