The ACOG report released earlier this year clarifying situations in which interventions and c-sections can be avoided.  Knowing and discussing these with your doctor and doula may help you avoid an unnecessary c-section.  

Here is what you and they should know. (Taken from Childbirth Connection's summary of the ACOG report).  

Labor induction 

• Labor induction (using drugs or other methods to try to cause labor to start) before the 41st week of pregnancy should generally be done for medical reasons.
• Before inducing labor, if a woman's cervix is not soft and ready to open, drugs or devices for cervical ripening should be used to help prepare it for labor.
• Cesarean should not be used for unsuccessful labor induction (failed induction) until at least 24 hours of labor have passed without reaching a cervical opening (dilation) of 6 centimeters.
• If membranes are broken, cesarean should not be used for unsuccessful labor induction (failed induction) until synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin, a drug that is used to start labor) has been used for at least 12 to 18 hours.

Labor before the pushing phase 

• Cesarean is not appropriate before the pushing phase of labor if labor is slow but progressing.
• Labor before the cervix is open 6 centimeters is known as latent labor. Cesarean is not appropriate just because latent labor is prolonged (i.e., has gone on for more than 20 hours in first-time mothers or more than 14 hours in experienced mothers).
• Labor after the cervix is open 6 centimeters is known as active labor. Cesarean should only be done for poor progress in active labor if 1) membranes are broken and there have been 4 hours of contractions with no progress or 2) synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin, a drug that is used to strengthen contractions) has been used for 6 hours with no progress.

Labor during the pushing phase 

• There is no fixed upper time limit for the pushing phase of labor.
• Intervention should not be used for lack of progress (arrested labor) until first-time moms have pushed for at least 3 hours and experienced moms for at least 2 hours. More time may be appropriate, e.g., if the woman is using epidural pain relief or the baby is not well-positioned for passing through the pelvis, so long as some progress is being made.
• When the baby is not well-positioned for passing through the pelvis, having a provider use a hand to move the head to a better position (manual rotation) may avoid the need for assisted vaginal birth (with vacuum extractor or forceps) or cesarean birth.
• When intervention is needed during the pushing phase of labor, a providers skilled, experienced use of a vacuum extractor or forceps is a safe alternative to cesarean birth.

Other 

• Continuous labor support, such as labor doula care, reduces risk of cesarean.
• Cesarean is not appropriate even for most babies that are estimated to be large near the end of pregnancy (estimates are often wrong, and many large babies are born vaginally). It may be appropriate if the baby is estimated to be at least 4,500 grams in women with diabetes and at least 5,000 grams in other women (5,000 grams, or 11 pounds, is rare).
• If a baby is breech (buttocks- or feet-first) at about 36 weeks of pregnancy, hands-to-belly movements to turn babies head-first (external cephalic version) should be offered.
• Women with twins and the first twin head-first should be encouraged to plan a vaginal birth.
• Women who have had herpes simplex virus should consider using acyclovir, a medication to prevent a late-pregnancy outbreak, and should plan a vaginal birth if the virus is inactive at labor.
• Women who are counseled about avoiding excess pregnancy weight gain may be able to avoid a cesarean.

Vitamin K injection at birth is a supplement recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics. Vitamin K can't be synthesized or absorbed by infants like it can in adults but plays a crucial role in blood clotting. Some parents have questions about providing a injected supplement to their hours old infant. This comprehensive review sums up the research and lists the risks and benefits of vitamin k injection, oral vitamin k, and foregoing the supplement.

http://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-the-vitamin-k-shot-in-newborns/

A healthy baby, toddler, kid, and teen has a much higher likelihood of growing into an all-around healthy adult!  Explore the art of cooking, the science of nutrition, and how you can bring them together to make great food for your little one so they can grow up healthy and strong.  

Despite differing opinions on the efficacy and safety of water births...

"Carefully managed, waterbirth is both an attractive and low-risk birth option that can provide healthy patients with non-pharmacological options in hospital facilities while not compromising their safety."

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=8088

This is such a beautiful idea.  The Belly Belt was developed by Huggies Argentina and picks up baby's movements in utero via a belly hugging belt worn by mom.  That data is then set over to dad's belt where it is transferred back into movement.  Dad can feel just want mom has been feeling over that second and third trimester.  How do they react?  Watch the video (click the pic) and see!  
Hopefully this technology makes it to the US soon!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/belly-belt-lets-dads-experience-pregnancy-kicking-19394488

As a doula, obviously I am a huge fan of birth plans or making a list birth wishes.  Prioritizing the what the most important aspects of the birth your child are for you is a great practice in exploration and preparation.  It will also better equip you to communicate with practitioners about what you want in a normal situation and also if something unexpected pops up.  I love this story from The Moth podcast though, because her birth plan gets thrown out the window.  This story is about the unexpected.  We often tend seek control over situations, the people around us, and aim to prevent the unexpected, when in some cases the unexpected might be the best thing that ever happens to you (example, the second half of this story).  The best you can do is equip yourself with knowledge, practice controlling your emotional response to all sorts of stimuli, and look forward to the thrill of what is to come.  Hope you enjoy the story.

http://themoth.org/posts/stories/future-perfect

This week the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and released a new report for doctors on methods to prevent unnecessary c-sections.  Full of wonderful advice, suggesting that doctors can in some cases wait longer for labor to progress to second stage, and also meriting the positive effects of continuous labor support (Yay, doulas!).  Check out the report below

A few other related articles:

NBC News: Doctors Urged to Wait Longer Before Performing C-sections
Medscape: Longer Labor OK to Avoid Cesarean
ABC Blog: Doctors Push for More Pushing, Fewer C-sections

Come join Mamatoto Village Inc. to kick off our 2014 Pay What You Can Childbirth Education Series 

Description:
An Active Approach to Childbirth 

A dynamic, fun and experiential Childbirth Class that examines labor support techniques that really work.  Exploring the joys and challenges of labor, this childbirth class empowers couples to labor and give birth in any setting. Working from the fundamental belief that labor is a natural process, this class helps women achieve a birth free from interference. We will also cover how to consciously use intervention when needed, and what you might be faced with while in the hospital, birth center or at home. Using a multisensory approach we examine the following topics: an exploration of birth in America; stages of labor; relaxation techniques, comfort measures and active birth positions; stages of labor; preparing your partner for labor and birth; pros and cons of medication; active labor with an epidural; in the event of a cesarean birth; creating a birth plan; and postpartum adjustment, newborn care and breastfeeding; and more! This course incorporates birth art as well! Parents will learn through interactive and creative participation, in a spirit of fun and curiosity. Our course is balanced, down to earth, non-judgmental class, where each individual's desire for their birth is honored and celebrated. We hope you will join us!

Dates: 

• Weekend Intensive: Saturday, February 22nd-Sunday, February 23rd from taught by Childbirth Educators in Training via Mamatoto Village, Inc. 

Time: 
Weekend Intensive: 10:00am-5pm each day

Cost: FREE 

Location: 
Josephine Butler Parks Center (across from Meridian Hill Park)
2437 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009

Refreshments provided, lunch on your own
All attendees receive a giveaway bag

Contact Aza Nedhari at info (at) mamatotovillage (dot) org to register for classes or via phone at (202) 746 7801.

Bring Me The Gas!

The return of nitrous oxide to the delivery room.  

"Nitrous does not eliminate pain, as an epidural does; generally women report that nitrous makes them care less about the pain. “I felt the pain but I was able to distance myself from it,” is how Shauna Zurawski, a new adopter who used it during the birth of her son last year, described it to me.Because it doesn’t block pain, nitrous allows women to maintain control during labor. “You can still move around, you can also use it in a tub,” says Fletcher Wilson, obstetrician at Monadnock Community Hospital (MCH) in Peterborough, N.H., which recently started offering the gas to obstetric patients. "

Can Moxibustion turn Breech babies?
and what is it?