Birth of a Lifetime
Doula Services and Childbirth Classes

Gail Karlovsky, AAHCC, CD (DONA)
Nurturing Hearts and Empowering Minds

Bolingbrook, Illinois
Email:  gail@karlovsky.com

Pregnancy, Labor, Childbirth, Parenting, Doula, and Childbirth Education links 

General Pregnancy and Childbirth Information

• About.com's Pregancy and Childbirth Section
• *** The Bradley® Method Web Page ***
• The Gentle Birth Alternatives - Childbirth Information
• Pregnancy and Childbirth Information - Childbirth.org
• Pregnancy Nutrition by Dr. Tom Brewer at www.blueribbonbaby.org
• ePregnancy.com, childbirth info & resources
• Nurturing Online, childbirth magazine
• Sabrina's Pregnancy Page, email lists and more
• Options for Childbirth, comparison of birth places
• Giving Birth Underwater, water birth info & tub rental
• Mothering, a parenting magazine 
• www.birthingthefuture.com - Website of Internationally respected birth advocate, Suzanne Arms.
• www.SheilaKitzinger.com - Here you can explore aspects of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.
• The On-line Birth Center
• Homebirth Safety and Benefits
• This is a page of citations from the medical literature supporting the safety of homebirth. 
• Birthing from Within
• Complete Mother magazine with information about pregnancy, natural birth and breastfeeding. 
• The Heart and Science of Birth. Midwifery information for consumers and midwives including becoming a midwife, homebirth, water birth, conferences, education and products. www.midwiferytoday.com
• The Global Maternal/Child Health Association and Water Birth International website. FAQ's, resources, books, videos, referrals and bibliography. www.waterbirth.org
• The Water Birth Website: In depth information on the use of water for labor, birth and early childhood. Includes water birth stories, benefits of water birth, gentle birth, preparations for water birth and finding resources in your area. www.waterbirthinfo.com
• Julia Moseley's Pregnancy and Parenting Links: A very extensive list of websites, neatly categorized. Her list includes a plethora of links for plus-size moms and her own diary of her pregnancy and birth to baby Joanne. http://www.nwlink.com/~juliam/links.html.
• Plus Size Pregnancy Website: support groups, clothing resources, information for health care provider, birth stories.
  www.plus-size-pregnancy.org
• Maternity Center Association: This site contains information to educate and inform consumers, health care providers, policy makers and insurance payers about family centered maternity care as a model for safety, satisfaction and savings. This site lists the statement of "The Rights of Childbearing Women" and "The Fundamental Problem with Maternity Care in the United States." www.maternity.org
• Cesarean Section Homepage: Numerous links on how to avoid c-sections, risks of c-sections, breech birth and vaginal birth after c-section information. www.childbirth.org/section
• International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). ICAN works to lower the rate of unnecessary cesareans, supports vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), and encourages positive birthing through education and advocacy. www.ican-online.org
• Birthrites: Healing after Cesarean aims to provide a support network for women who've had a previous cesarean birth, and to increase the awareness of these women's needs to their health-care providers within the medical profession. www.birthrites.com
• Writing a Birth Plan With a few clicks, you can write a customized, thorough and thoughtful birth plan. www.parentsplace.com/pregnancy/birthplan.
• Infertility and Pregnancy Loss - INCIID: The International Council on Infertility Information dissemination. A great resource for infertility and pregnancy loss. Information is up-to -date and comprehensive. www.inciid.org

Doula Resources

• Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators
• *** Doulas of North America ***
• International Childbirth Education Association
• BirthWorks ...because it's Ancient
• Doula Network

Breastfeeding Links 

• Gentle Birth Alternatives - Breastfeeding Information
• La Leche League International
• Lactation Innovation - Janet Talmadge's website
• Thoughts on Breastfeeding by Kathryn Dettwyler, PhD. 
• Breastfeeding.com 
• StorkNet 
• 101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child
• Dr. Jack Newman's Articles on Breastfeeding

Midwifery Resources

• Midwifery Today
• Online Birth Center, midwifery information
• Citizens for Midwifery

This page is maintained by Gail B. Karlovsky, AAHCC,  CD (DONA) and was last updated April 19, 2002 .