Dr Buckley’s articles
Ecstatic Birth: Nature’s Hormonal Blueprint for Labour
What is the superb design of your body and baby for labour and birth? How does Nature’s hormonal blueprint promote safety, ease and pleasure for you and your baby from pregnancy right through to breastfeeding and bonding? What impact might common maternity-care interventions have on your ecstatic hormones and your post-birth experiences?
This is one of the most popular-ever articles on birth, first published by Mothering magazine in 2002, and updated for 2010. You can download this as a free ebook when you sign up to my elist here.
Pain in Labour: Your Hormones are your Helpers (updated for 2010)
A simple overview of your amazing birthing hormones, and how they are designed to help you and your baby to labour and birth with ease, pleasure and safety. This is a shorter and simpler version of the Ecstatic Birth ebook that is available when you sign up here.
Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing
The Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing (HPoC) report is a result of seven years of research by Dr Buckley, commissioned by Childbirth Connection, and published by the National Partnership for Women and Families (NPWF) in 2015. With over 1100 scientific references, HPoC is a comprehensive summary of current scientific understandings of the hormones of pregnancy, labour, birth and early parenting, and also documents the impacts of common maternity-care interventions on these processes. Read Dr Buckley’s blog with links to the report, which is available as a free pdf download.
Leaving Well Alone: A Natural Approach to the Third Stage of Labour
What is Mother Nature’s blueprint for mother and baby in the magical hour or so after birth? The third stage – from when the mother births her baby to when she delivers her baby’s placenta– is often rushed and hurried for both mother and baby, and usually includes the routine use of drugs and early cutting of the umbilical cord. This article explores the significance of this time for mother and baby, the possible impacts of drugs and procedures commonly used, and the potential risks of early cord cutting for mother and baby.
Ultrasound Scans: Cause For Concern (2005*)
Most babies are exposed to ultrasound in the womb, but it is safe? Is it helpful? This paper discusses these and other aspects of ultrasound, based on decades of published scientific literature. See also this blog which has updates for 2016.
Epidurals: Risks and Concerns for Mothers and Babies (2005*)
Many women choose to have an epidural to help with pain during labor, but may not realize that choosing an epidural can have major impacts for themselves and their babies, from labour right through to breastfeeding and bonding. Dr Buckley’s article gives information and evidence to help women to make an informed choice in this important area.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: Another Perspective (2016)
This article provides support and suggestions for gentle approaches to family sleep, updated to 2016.
Ten Tips for Safe Sleeping (2010)
Whether your baby sleeps in a cot, bassinet, crib, “side car”, or bed-shares next to you, there are some general principles that will make your baby’s sleep as safe as possible. Excerpted from Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering 2009
Lotus Birth: A Ritual for our Times (2005*)
For copyright reasons, this article is no longer available online but can be read in Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering 2005 ebook.
Giving Birth at Home (2010)
An introduction to the safety and benefits of homebirth, this article gives information to help you decide if homebirth might be right for you and your family.
Healing Birth, Healing the Earth (2016)
Sarah’s powerful essay on the lessons of birth – passion, love, power and surrender – and the healing that we can experience, individually and globally, through respecting and reclaiming this ancient rite of passage.Updated to 2016.
Maia’s Birth: A Family Celebration (2005*, 2009)
Sarah tells the exquisite story of the birth of her fourth baby Maia Rose. Sarah chose to rely on her own knowledge and instincts with this pregnancy and birth, and the whole family had a surprise at the end! (For copyright reasons, this is only available in the 2009 Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering and the 2005 First Edition ebook.)
Attachment Parenting (2005*)
A delightful introduction to the simplicity and wisdom of attachment parenting, where we accept that mother and baby need to be physically and emotionally close. Ideal for new and experienced parents alike.
For more information about the benefits of attachment parenting for your baby’s development and lifelong wellbeing, see Chapter 11 “Love, Attachment and your Baby’s Brain” in: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
Mothering, Mindfulness and a Baby’s Bottom: An Introduction to Elimination Communication (2005*)
Do you know that most babies around the world don’t wear nappies/diapers? Have you ever considered that even very small babies may be able to communicate their elimination needs? This article will tell you the why and how of this very logical and enjoyable practice. Dr Buckley’s Gentle Natural Birth program for professionals features a webinar on elimination communication. See all webinars in this program here.
*Asterixed articles are selected from the first edition of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, published in Australia in 2005 and available as an ebook here. See also the 2009 edition of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.
