Birth

I had my one and only biological child 21 years ago. I took childbirth classes and I felt pretty prepared. I mean, what I got out of the classes was ‘if you breathe like this, you can manage labor without the big, bad epidural.” And as prepared as I was, I gave no thought to…

We get a fair number of questions about policies and procedures at Salem Hospital. While we don’t have all the answers, we’re confident in answering the ‘natural birth’ question that comes up often. Can I have a natural birth in a hospital? Yes, yes, and yes. We are incredibly blessed in the Salem area with…

By Jessica Spooner I didn’t give premature birth much thought, until I had a premature birth. Our son came barreling into this world at 27 weeks gestation, weighing only 2 pounds and 4.5 ounces, a mere 14.7 inches long. Almost one week prior, my water had broke unexpectedly, without warning or symptom. Everything had been…

This. The question of almost every pregnant woman we talk with. Because, unless you have some interesting fetish, the thought of pooping in front of a room full of people sounds like a less-than-stellar experience. The thought can cause considerable anxiety about birth- and it may actually cause some issues during delivery.  When does pooping happen…

What exactly is a mucus plug? (And…ewwww.) At the very beginning of pregnancy, some mucus collects at the opening to the cervix. This thick substance works to seal the cervix tightly and block infection from traveling from the vagina to the cervix.  Due to the hormones surging through the body during pregnancy, the mucus plug continually…