Feder - Natural pregnancy : practical medical advice and holistic wisdom for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth

To Guadalupe

S IMILAR TO GIVING BIRTH , writing a book is a team effort that is greatly aided by the guidance, support, and patience of others. Many thanks to my agent, Jessica Faust, and the Hatherleigh publishing team including Andrew Flach, Ryan Tumambing, Anna Krusinski, and Ryan Kennedy. In addition, my gratitude extends to the wonderful assistance and information I received from childbirth educator, Kathy Killebrew (www.imagineyourbirth.com). This all is made possible by the support of my loving family, including my dear husband, Ren Haarpaintner, and our wonderful children, Etienne and Quentin. We are so blessed.

D R. L AUREN F EDER
Los Angeles, CA

T HE PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH experience is considered one of the most coveted experiences in a womans life. Many women aspire for the most natural pregnancy and birth possible, yet for many this often does not come to fruition. One of the reasons is that our lives have vastly changed compared to the past: from family life, including midwifery services to the advent of modern medicine with its sophisticated technology. As a result, the diverse and vital ways in which we embrace the childbirth experience have changed. The benefits of the natural approach is that when a woman is allowed the freedom to experience her birth in her own unique way at her bodys pace, undisturbed, most of the time she can have the natural birth she envisioned. This woman-centered approachcalled the midwifery model of careis beginning to gain more acceptance in hospitals where most births take place. This approach empowers the woman and in doing so allows her to experience a more meaningful childbirth. Whether a woman has a home birth or a cesarean section, the natural approach is holistic, versatile, and universal and can be used to complement a womans needs along any step of the pregnancy journey. In the end, this is about our babies. I believe that, the more natural our approach (one which relies on healthy lifestyle choices and use of the least interventions and medications possible), the healthier our children will be for the next generation.

Maternal health is no longer just the domain of physicians, but of expectant parents. This book aims to empower parents and give them the confidence to make the best, most-informed decisions regardless of giving birth at home, at a birth center, or in a hospital. With this information, you will be given the insight needed to have the most fulfilling experience possible.

As a mother and holistic physician, I have found myself on both sides of the medical divide. During my pregnancies, I was often simultaneously thinking as a mother-to-be and a holistic physician. I realized my background helped me in my journey as an expectant mother. Often, my explorations took me off the beaten path, exposing me to lesser-known options. As a result, I learned much about the holistic approach for pregnancy and birth, which enhanced my own wonderful experience, and which I now share with you.

Natural Pregnancy was born from this dual consciousnessfrom my desire to bridge the gap between expectant parents and doctors, and to encourage both parties to think more naturally, holistically, and creatively during pregnancy and beyond. In my practice, I see hundreds of pregnant women and new parents with their newborns, all with different feelings, ideas, and expectations. Whether or not they are interested in natural birth, nearly all my patients come seeking an additional approach that honors both the body and the spirit of mother and baby. It is this well-rounded approach to health that you will find in the following pages.

Like most people I know, I was not raised with natural medicine. My mother was a devoted stay-at-home mother and my father was a renowned ear, nose, and throat surgeon and voice specialist. During my teen years I underwent two thyroid surgeries and was placed on daily medication, which I was told I would take indefinitely. While doing my residency in Los Angeles a decade later, my friends were speaking about their positive experiences with a holistic practitioner. Out of intrigue (and curiosity), I decided to go as well. Within a short period of time, I was able to discontinue my thyroid medicine altogether, and have never been on anything since. The results astounded me, and thus, I began a path of discovery in the field of holistic healing, including homeopathy, for my family and patients. What I discovered was a vital and important way of thinking about the bodynot as separate body parts and organs, but as part of a whole person, inseparable from the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that make up our personalities and histories. After becoming board certified in homeopathic medicine, I opened my office with the aim of having an old-fashioned homeopathic medical practice balanced with family life. Over the years, my practice has evolved and expanded into what is now known as The Center for Natural Family Medicine, a holistic medical clinic for children and adults. We offer homeopathy, pediatrics, gynecology, and primary care medicine for adults, as well as chiropractic care from my partner and husband. We welcome newborns and their families on a regular basis, and I enjoy the interactions with pregnant couples who come seeking optimal health choices for themselves and their children.

Have you heard your mother speak about your birth? When my mother reminisced about my birth, her eyes twinkled with maternal love. Those feelings were passed down to me. Since childhood, I have always been in awe and reverence of pregnancy. During elementary school assemblies I recall looking around and envisioning all the pregnant mothers who gave birth to all those children. Ever since I was a little child, I knew I was destined for a natural birth just as my mother had done. Along the way, I have also learned that there are times when a woman would not want to have her mothers not-so-positive birth experience. From lifestyle changes to practitioner choices, I believe it is possible to change the generational patterns too.