Tips from a Doctor
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Accidentally in Love
By: by Pinky McKay
You may have heard the term ‘accidental parenting’ which implies that you, the parents, have inadvertently caused (or will cause) your baby to have sleeping difficulties if you encourage ‘bad habits’ such as letting your baby fall asleep in your arms or not following a strict regime of one sort or another.
The truth is, there is no accident about how you feel when your baby calms and dozes in your arms, opening heavy eyelids to meet your gaze then perhaps giving a tiny smile before his eyes flutter shut again with delicate lashes resting against little pink cheeks, his warm body snuggled next to your own. Nor is it a sign of weakness or indulgence on your part that you can’t resist your baby’s cries to be soothed to sleep. Rather, it is due to what scientists call the ‘chemistry of attachment’.
This is a massive hormonal upheaval that begins during pregnancy, ensuring that you and your baby are chemically primed to fall in love when you meet each other face-to-face or rather, skin-to-skin, at birth. It is nature’s insurance that your baby will signal for exactly the care she needs to grow and thrive and that your strong connection with her will help you understand and meet these needs as she adapts to the world outside the womb.
During the last trimester of pregnancy your body brews a cocktail of hormones, and your pituitary gland, which produces this ‘mummy margarita’, doubles in size and remains enlarged for up to six months postpartum. This means that for as long as six months after your baby is born, your emotional mindset will be irresistibly affected by shifting levels of hormones. This powerful hormonal hangover has such universally intense effects on mothers inner lives that it is documented by researchers under a variety of labels including ‘maternal pre-occupation’ and ‘motherhood mindset’. This more intuitive mindset can be quite at odds with our modern lifestyles and often comes as a shock to women who have previously been in a more goal-oriented and solution-focused space prior to having a baby. Now, it seems that control is out the window and logic has left the building, as the skills that used to keep things neat and tidy (literally) are no longer relevant. This is why the baby instruction manual that advised an efficient program of sleep management seemed so sensible while you were pregnant, but now makes you feel like a failure as neither your baby nor you seem able to slot neatly into the prescribed timetable.
If you can appreciate this new, responsive state as nature’s preparation for creating a synchrony between you and the instinctual world of your newborn, you will understand why there is such a struggle between the logic of sleep training advice and your urge to respond to your baby.
“I was thinking about what keeps you going in the early days, especially the ability to function on barely any sleep, and I think it’s love. The love you feel for your baby, and the need to nurture the little one is what keeps you going and gives you this almost superhuman ability to be patient and gentle and strong through those difficult times. Of course everyone copes differently but I think for me it was the love that really kept me going on an otherwise empty tank. I am so in love with Luna. It is the purest, most all-encompassing, most divine feeling – she is such a delight. When she wakes up and I hear her little voice it means I have to stop whatever it is I’m doing, no matter how important, and see to her. I think ‘Yay! I get to hold my precious darling again!’ and I can’t wait to go in and pick her up and cuddle her.”—Alice
Two of the major players in this magical baby love potion are prolactin, a hormone that promotes milk production and is often referred to as ‘the mothering hormone’ because of its calming effect that is said to make you more responsive to your baby, and oxytocin, also known as the ‘love hormone’. Oxytocin encourages feelings of caring and sensitivity to others and helps us to recognise non-verbal cues more readily. It is released during social contact as well as during love-making, but the release of oxytocin is especially pronounced with skin-to-skin contact. Oxytocin itself is part of a complex hormonal balance. A sudden release creates an urge towards loving that can be directed in different ways depending on the presence of other hormones. For example, with a high level of prolactin, the urge to love is directed towards your baby.
Breastfeeding is a powerful enhancer of the effects of these love hormones, which are released by both mothers and babies, who produce their own oxytocin in response to nursing. However, physical contact with your baby will also stimulate the release of oxytocin, so if you are bottle-feeding you can chemically boost the bond with your baby if you ‘bottle nurse’ with cuddles and skin contact, rather than prop him up to feed (something you should never do, for safety reasons) or hand him to others.
Fathers, too, can succumb to the influence of these love drugs of family (not just baby) bonding (and you thought you were the ‘voice of reason’, didn’t you?). Men’s bodies are instinctively programmed to respond to their partners’ pheromones, which are steroid hormones made in our skin that emit barely detectable odours. Through closeness with your baby’s mother (and signals from her pheromones), your own oxytocin and prolactin levels rise toward the end of your partner’s pregnancy, and then, when your baby is born, an even greater surge of these hormones occurs when you spend lots of time holding your baby. And so a self-perpetuating cycle begins, close contact with your baby releases your own oxytocin and prolactin and encourages you to become more involved with your child.
Whichever parent you are and whether you are an adoptive parent or a same sex partner, the more you connect with your baby through touch, eye contact, smell and talking, the stronger your connection will be and the more difficult you will find it to ignore your baby’s signals.
And this is exactly as nature intended.
This is an edited extract from ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ by Pinky McKay (Penguin). Pinky McKay is an international board certified lactation consultant, infant massage instructor, mother of five and the author of ‘Parenting by Heart’, 100 Ways to Calm the Crying, Sleeping Like a Baby, Toddler Tactics and her baby massage DVD, Gentle Beginnings. Based in Melbourne, Pinky regularly holds workshops and is available for mothers groups and conferences. See her website at http://www.pinkymckay.com.au.
You may have heard the term ‘accidental parenting’ which implies that you, the parents, have inadvertently caused (or will cause) your baby to have sleeping difficulties if you encourage ‘bad habits’ such as letting your baby fall asleep in your arms or not following a strict regime of one sort or another.
The truth is, there is no accident about how you feel when your baby calms and dozes in your arms, opening heavy eyelids to meet your gaze then perhaps giving a tiny smile before his eyes flutter shut again with delicate lashes resting against little pink cheeks, his warm body snuggled next to your own. Nor is it a sign of weakness or indulgence on your part that you can’t resist your baby’s cries to be soothed to sleep. Rather, it is due to what scientists call the ‘chemistry of attachment’.
This is a massive hormonal upheaval that begins during pregnancy, ensuring that you and your baby are chemically primed to fall in love when you meet each other face-to-face or rather, skin-to-skin, at birth. It is nature’s insurance that your baby will signal for exactly the care she needs to grow and thrive and that your strong connection with her will help you understand and meet these needs as she adapts to the world outside the womb.
During the last trimester of pregnancy your body brews a cocktail of hormones, and your pituitary gland, which produces this ‘mummy margarita’, doubles in size and remains enlarged for up to six months postpartum. This means that for as long as six months after your baby is born, your emotional mindset will be irresistibly affected by shifting levels of hormones. This powerful hormonal hangover has such universally intense effects on mothers inner lives that it is documented by researchers under a variety of labels including ‘maternal pre-occupation’ and ‘motherhood mindset’. This more intuitive mindset can be quite at odds with our modern lifestyles and often comes as a shock to women who have previously been in a more goal-oriented and solution-focused space prior to having a baby. Now, it seems that control is out the window and logic has left the building, as the skills that used to keep things neat and tidy (literally) are no longer relevant. This is why the baby instruction manual that advised an efficient program of sleep management seemed so sensible while you were pregnant, but now makes you feel like a failure as neither your baby nor you seem able to slot neatly into the prescribed timetable.
If you can appreciate this new, responsive state as nature’s preparation for creating a synchrony between you and the instinctual world of your newborn, you will understand why there is such a struggle between the logic of sleep training advice and your urge to respond to your baby.
“I was thinking about what keeps you going in the early days, especially the ability to function on barely any sleep, and I think it’s love. The love you feel for your baby, and the need to nurture the little one is what keeps you going and gives you this almost superhuman ability to be patient and gentle and strong through those difficult times. Of course everyone copes differently but I think for me it was the love that really kept me going on an otherwise empty tank. I am so in love with Luna. It is the purest, most all-encompassing, most divine feeling – she is such a delight. When she wakes up and I hear her little voice it means I have to stop whatever it is I’m doing, no matter how important, and see to her. I think ‘Yay! I get to hold my precious darling again!’ and I can’t wait to go in and pick her up and cuddle her.”—Alice
Two of the major players in this magical baby love potion are prolactin, a hormone that promotes milk production and is often referred to as ‘the mothering hormone’ because of its calming effect that is said to make you more responsive to your baby, and oxytocin, also known as the ‘love hormone’. Oxytocin encourages feelings of caring and sensitivity to others and helps us to recognise non-verbal cues more readily. It is released during social contact as well as during love-making, but the release of oxytocin is especially pronounced with skin-to-skin contact. Oxytocin itself is part of a complex hormonal balance. A sudden release creates an urge towards loving that can be directed in different ways depending on the presence of other hormones. For example, with a high level of prolactin, the urge to love is directed towards your baby.
Breastfeeding is a powerful enhancer of the effects of these love hormones, which are released by both mothers and babies, who produce their own oxytocin in response to nursing. However, physical contact with your baby will also stimulate the release of oxytocin, so if you are bottle-feeding you can chemically boost the bond with your baby if you ‘bottle nurse’ with cuddles and skin contact, rather than prop him up to feed (something you should never do, for safety reasons) or hand him to others.
Fathers, too, can succumb to the influence of these love drugs of family (not just baby) bonding (and you thought you were the ‘voice of reason’, didn’t you?). Men’s bodies are instinctively programmed to respond to their partners’ pheromones, which are steroid hormones made in our skin that emit barely detectable odours. Through closeness with your baby’s mother (and signals from her pheromones), your own oxytocin and prolactin levels rise toward the end of your partner’s pregnancy, and then, when your baby is born, an even greater surge of these hormones occurs when you spend lots of time holding your baby. And so a self-perpetuating cycle begins, close contact with your baby releases your own oxytocin and prolactin and encourages you to become more involved with your child.
Whichever parent you are and whether you are an adoptive parent or a same sex partner, the more you connect with your baby through touch, eye contact, smell and talking, the stronger your connection will be and the more difficult you will find it to ignore your baby’s signals.
And this is exactly as nature intended.
This is an edited extract from ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ by Pinky McKay (Penguin). Pinky McKay is an international board certified lactation consultant, infant massage instructor, mother of five and the author of ‘Parenting by Heart’, 100 Ways to Calm the Crying, Sleeping Like a Baby, Toddler Tactics and her baby massage DVD, Gentle Beginnings. Based in Melbourne, Pinky regularly holds workshops and is available for mothers groups and conferences. See her website at http://www.pinkymckay.com.au.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
B's Birth 11/15/09
This was my first birth as a doula. It was really special for me because I was being a doula for my sister!
B texted me just before 4 AM on Sunday telling me she was pretty sure her water had just broken. She was one day shy of 41 weeks gestation. I didn't hear the text alert on my phone until an hour later and when I called her she was contracting but not regularly. I told her to call her midwife, who advised her to rest, eat, and drink and be at the hospital by 10 AM. At about 9:00 I got another text, from B's husband J, telling me B wanted me to come over. I quickly got my kids packed for their stay at my sister's house and headed to B's house. When I got there around 9:40 B's contractions were piggybacking, then coming 4–6 minutes apart. So she'd have one contraction followed immediately by another milder contraction, then she'd have a 4–6 minute break before having two contractions again. She was tolerating them well and could talk through them, but the midwife wanted B at the hospital by 10 since her water had broken, so off we went.
By about 10:40 B was almost 5 cm. She labored on a birth ball while our mom, J, and I applied counter pressure on her back. She was feeling quite a bit of back pain on one side of her lower back. At 12:55 B was checked again. She was dilated to a 5 and the baby had moved to a -1 station. B was doing well but contractions were getting intense. We got B into the tub and she labored really well in there for about an hour and a half. At 2:30 she had to get into bed for some EFM and a dilation check revealed she was nearly 6 cm. I think this discouraged B, and 20 minutes later she was saying she wanted an epidural. Knowing that the tougher contractions meant progress, I encouraged her to get through another contraction. After that contraction she was still asking for pain relief so I talked to her about the option of Fentanyl instead of an epidural, just to see if it helped. She decided to do that and was given a half dose of Fentanyl at 2:50. 5 minutes later she requested the epidural again. I suggested she try the other half of the Fentanyl dose first, which she agreed to do. After that, B started tolerating the contractions a lot better and didn't ask for an epidural again.
Around 5:00 B was checked and she was almost 9 cm! The midwife stretched B's cervix a bit during a few contractions to help complete dilation. At 5:10, B was complete and ready to start pushing! At 5:20, the midwife announced that she could see dark hair. We were all encouraging B as she pushed, and she was doing really well, but the baby was turned at an angle (explaining B's back pain). A few attempts were made to turn the baby manually but it didn't work.
B kept pushing, trying a hands and knees position as well as lunging on the birth stool while pushing. About 6:30 she was too exhausted to do any more and requested an epidural. We gladly gave it to her and by 7:15 she was covered in warm blankets, relaxing after all her hard work. Her contractions slowed, so Pitocin was started to keep them strong and help labor the baby down. B was very cold and kept shivering, so I held her hand and rubbed her legs and back to help warm her. Soon she was comfortable and able to sleep for a while. The midwife put B's legs in a position that would encourage the baby to turn and let her rest for a while. About an hour later, she came in to check progress. Baby had moved down a little bit. B started pushing again, but no progress was being made. The talk turned to forceps delivery, or possibly a c-section. After discussing all the risks and benefits, and talking about it for a while, at 9:00 B made the decision to have a Cesarean.
Baby Jack was born at 9:40. He was having some trouble with his respiration and had a fever, so after a quick moment with mommy, he was taken to the nursery, accompanied by his dad, to be taken care of. There was a long wait in recovery while Jack was suctioned, monitored, and had blood work done. Finally, around 1:30, a nurse brought Jack into the recovery room where two tired Grandmas held him for a minute then headed home to sleep. I helped B through her first breastfeeding, and once we got tired little Jack to start sucking, he was off! He ate for about 15 minutes before he was just too tired to do anymore. I left B feeling exhausted but happy, and the last view I had as I left the room was of Mommy, Daddy, and baby. A beautiful new family! I am so proud of B for all the hard work she did to bring her little baby to her!
B texted me just before 4 AM on Sunday telling me she was pretty sure her water had just broken. She was one day shy of 41 weeks gestation. I didn't hear the text alert on my phone until an hour later and when I called her she was contracting but not regularly. I told her to call her midwife, who advised her to rest, eat, and drink and be at the hospital by 10 AM. At about 9:00 I got another text, from B's husband J, telling me B wanted me to come over. I quickly got my kids packed for their stay at my sister's house and headed to B's house. When I got there around 9:40 B's contractions were piggybacking, then coming 4–6 minutes apart. So she'd have one contraction followed immediately by another milder contraction, then she'd have a 4–6 minute break before having two contractions again. She was tolerating them well and could talk through them, but the midwife wanted B at the hospital by 10 since her water had broken, so off we went.
By about 10:40 B was almost 5 cm. She labored on a birth ball while our mom, J, and I applied counter pressure on her back. She was feeling quite a bit of back pain on one side of her lower back. At 12:55 B was checked again. She was dilated to a 5 and the baby had moved to a -1 station. B was doing well but contractions were getting intense. We got B into the tub and she labored really well in there for about an hour and a half. At 2:30 she had to get into bed for some EFM and a dilation check revealed she was nearly 6 cm. I think this discouraged B, and 20 minutes later she was saying she wanted an epidural. Knowing that the tougher contractions meant progress, I encouraged her to get through another contraction. After that contraction she was still asking for pain relief so I talked to her about the option of Fentanyl instead of an epidural, just to see if it helped. She decided to do that and was given a half dose of Fentanyl at 2:50. 5 minutes later she requested the epidural again. I suggested she try the other half of the Fentanyl dose first, which she agreed to do. After that, B started tolerating the contractions a lot better and didn't ask for an epidural again.
Around 5:00 B was checked and she was almost 9 cm! The midwife stretched B's cervix a bit during a few contractions to help complete dilation. At 5:10, B was complete and ready to start pushing! At 5:20, the midwife announced that she could see dark hair. We were all encouraging B as she pushed, and she was doing really well, but the baby was turned at an angle (explaining B's back pain). A few attempts were made to turn the baby manually but it didn't work.
B kept pushing, trying a hands and knees position as well as lunging on the birth stool while pushing. About 6:30 she was too exhausted to do any more and requested an epidural. We gladly gave it to her and by 7:15 she was covered in warm blankets, relaxing after all her hard work. Her contractions slowed, so Pitocin was started to keep them strong and help labor the baby down. B was very cold and kept shivering, so I held her hand and rubbed her legs and back to help warm her. Soon she was comfortable and able to sleep for a while. The midwife put B's legs in a position that would encourage the baby to turn and let her rest for a while. About an hour later, she came in to check progress. Baby had moved down a little bit. B started pushing again, but no progress was being made. The talk turned to forceps delivery, or possibly a c-section. After discussing all the risks and benefits, and talking about it for a while, at 9:00 B made the decision to have a Cesarean.
Baby Jack was born at 9:40. He was having some trouble with his respiration and had a fever, so after a quick moment with mommy, he was taken to the nursery, accompanied by his dad, to be taken care of. There was a long wait in recovery while Jack was suctioned, monitored, and had blood work done. Finally, around 1:30, a nurse brought Jack into the recovery room where two tired Grandmas held him for a minute then headed home to sleep. I helped B through her first breastfeeding, and once we got tired little Jack to start sucking, he was off! He ate for about 15 minutes before he was just too tired to do anymore. I left B feeling exhausted but happy, and the last view I had as I left the room was of Mommy, Daddy, and baby. A beautiful new family! I am so proud of B for all the hard work she did to bring her little baby to her!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Epidural Epidemic
By Jeanne Ohm, D.C., F.I.C.P.A.
Originally Printed in I.C.P.A. Newsletter March/April 1999
Epidurals during birthing have become so routine, as mothers are being convinced that pain during labor is unnatural. Convinced that they should not endure pain during the birth process, mothers are set up to believe in a drug instead of their bodies' own natural capabilities. Sixty four percent of certified nurse midwives reported concern over the increased number of their clients who desire epidural anesthesia, and a majority of certified nurse-midwives surveyed (53%) reported a negative attitude toward the increased use of epidurals. 1
We started including questions about births years ago on our children's case history and 9 times out of 10, mothers will check off that they had a "natural childbirth" and in the next question, they check off that they had an epidural. In other words, if they delivered vaginally, and their eyes were open, they are being led to believe that they delivered naturally.
What is not being provided to the parents is the increased complications which are a result of epidural usage. The PDR2 cautions that "local anesthesia rapidly crosses the placenta...and when used for epidural blocks, anesthesia can cause varying degrees of maternal, fetal and neonatal toxicity." It continues, "this toxicity can result in the following side effects: hypotension, urinary retention, fecal and urinary incontinence, paralysis of lower extremities, loss of feeling in the limbs, headache, backache, septic meningitis, slowing of labor, increased need for forceps and vacuum deliveries, cranial nerve palsies, allergic reactions, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting and seizures." Many of these side effects result in multiple complications. For example, maternal hypotension causes bradycardia (decreased heart rate) in the fetus. This altered heart rate can lead to fetal distress and operative deliveries.3 This has led doctors to warn "a high concentration anesthetics and epinephrine should be avoided, as they may influence labor."
Things To Know About Epidurals:
1. Causes longer labors with slower progress. 5, 6
2. Can cause fevers in mothers during childbirth. 7
3. Increase use of pitocin by as much as 3 ½ times, which causes slow and irregular contractions. 5 8
4. Increases use of antibiotics in your baby by as much as 4 times. 4
5. Increases use of forceps by as much 4½ - 20 times.5
6. Causes neonatal jaundice due to altered red blood cells. 9
7. Increases the incidence of birth trauma due to the use of mechanically assisted deliveries. 10 11
8. Causes adverse behavioral effects of the neonate. 12
In order to bring about a reversal in epidural usage, mothers must become educated not only on its potential side effects, but on their bodies' own ability to give birth naturally. The overwhelming fear associated with birth has become a learned behavior in our culture. Fear causes additional muscular tension in the body, resulting in decreased blood supply to organs and therefore impaired uterine function.
Originally Printed in I.C.P.A. Newsletter March/April 1999
Epidurals during birthing have become so routine, as mothers are being convinced that pain during labor is unnatural. Convinced that they should not endure pain during the birth process, mothers are set up to believe in a drug instead of their bodies' own natural capabilities. Sixty four percent of certified nurse midwives reported concern over the increased number of their clients who desire epidural anesthesia, and a majority of certified nurse-midwives surveyed (53%) reported a negative attitude toward the increased use of epidurals. 1
We started including questions about births years ago on our children's case history and 9 times out of 10, mothers will check off that they had a "natural childbirth" and in the next question, they check off that they had an epidural. In other words, if they delivered vaginally, and their eyes were open, they are being led to believe that they delivered naturally.
What is not being provided to the parents is the increased complications which are a result of epidural usage. The PDR2 cautions that "local anesthesia rapidly crosses the placenta...and when used for epidural blocks, anesthesia can cause varying degrees of maternal, fetal and neonatal toxicity." It continues, "this toxicity can result in the following side effects: hypotension, urinary retention, fecal and urinary incontinence, paralysis of lower extremities, loss of feeling in the limbs, headache, backache, septic meningitis, slowing of labor, increased need for forceps and vacuum deliveries, cranial nerve palsies, allergic reactions, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting and seizures." Many of these side effects result in multiple complications. For example, maternal hypotension causes bradycardia (decreased heart rate) in the fetus. This altered heart rate can lead to fetal distress and operative deliveries.3 This has led doctors to warn "a high concentration anesthetics and epinephrine should be avoided, as they may influence labor."
Things To Know About Epidurals:
1. Causes longer labors with slower progress. 5, 6
2. Can cause fevers in mothers during childbirth. 7
3. Increase use of pitocin by as much as 3 ½ times, which causes slow and irregular contractions. 5 8
4. Increases use of antibiotics in your baby by as much as 4 times. 4
5. Increases use of forceps by as much 4½ - 20 times.5
6. Causes neonatal jaundice due to altered red blood cells. 9
7. Increases the incidence of birth trauma due to the use of mechanically assisted deliveries. 10 11
8. Causes adverse behavioral effects of the neonate. 12
In order to bring about a reversal in epidural usage, mothers must become educated not only on its potential side effects, but on their bodies' own ability to give birth naturally. The overwhelming fear associated with birth has become a learned behavior in our culture. Fear causes additional muscular tension in the body, resulting in decreased blood supply to organs and therefore impaired uterine function.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A joke . . .
. . . with some truth to it! :)
An anesthesiologist, an OB, and a midwife walked into a bar. The anesthesiologist ordered a pitcher of stout and a double burger; the OB ordered a Reuben and a bottle of red wine; the midwife ordered their biggest plate of steak and fries with a margarita. They all sat in a booth and shared war stories.
A long time passed, and the three realized something had gone wrong with their order. They decided to find out what the problem was. They found the busboy just behind the swinging double doors to the kitchen. He was struggling to get their overloaded cart from the tiled kitchen to the carpeted dining area. The wheels kept catching on the bump.
The anesthesiologist knelt down and examined the tires. "You just need to inject something here in the back," he announced. "Then everything will go better."
The OB leaned down to look at the carpet. "This part of the carpet is blocking the cart," he announced. "Give me a knife and I'll just give it a little cut to help it along."
The midwife leaned over to the busboy and whispered loudly in his ear, "You can do this! Just PUSH!"
An anesthesiologist, an OB, and a midwife walked into a bar. The anesthesiologist ordered a pitcher of stout and a double burger; the OB ordered a Reuben and a bottle of red wine; the midwife ordered their biggest plate of steak and fries with a margarita. They all sat in a booth and shared war stories.
A long time passed, and the three realized something had gone wrong with their order. They decided to find out what the problem was. They found the busboy just behind the swinging double doors to the kitchen. He was struggling to get their overloaded cart from the tiled kitchen to the carpeted dining area. The wheels kept catching on the bump.
The anesthesiologist knelt down and examined the tires. "You just need to inject something here in the back," he announced. "Then everything will go better."
The OB leaned down to look at the carpet. "This part of the carpet is blocking the cart," he announced. "Give me a knife and I'll just give it a little cut to help it along."
The midwife leaned over to the busboy and whispered loudly in his ear, "You can do this! Just PUSH!"
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Q&A
With Dr. Michel Odent. Very interesting. Plus, I'm always happy to find doctors that are well educated, PLUS are interested in the best for the mother. In here he even says "In an ideal world, we should not contrast home birth and hospital birth. When an effective communication has been established between the home birth midwife and the obstetrical team, it should be possible to combine what the privacy of the home can offer and what the hospital facilities can offer."
http://www.waysofthewisewoman.com/dr-michel-odent-notes-obgyn-studies.html
http://www.waysofthewisewoman.com/dr-michel-odent-notes-obgyn-studies.html
Monday, November 2, 2009
Doula at a C-Section?
Many women who are facing a Cesarean Section—scheduled or otherwise—may wonder whether a doula can be helpful at their birth. The answer is yes!
Doulas attend all kinds of births: unmedicated, medicated, VBAC, and Cesarean, at home, at a birth center, or in a hospital. Part of a doula's role is to create a bond with the mother so as to provide reassurance and comfort. As you meet with your doula in the weeks leading up to your birth, you will develop a friendship that will make your doula an ideal person to have at your side during a stressful situation. A C-section is major surgery that is likely to cause anxiety or distress, especially when an emergency C-section is ordered, but also when a C-section is scheduled ahead of time.
A doula can inform you of some of the aspects of the surgery, stay by your side to calm and comfort you during surgery, and be with you afterward to help with breastfeeding. In the case of an emergency Cesarean, if the baby needs to be quickly treated for medical problems, your doula can stay with you, allowing your husband or birth partner to go with the baby. If the baby needs to stay in the NICU, the doula can act as a link between the mother in recovery and the baby in the NICU, bringing positive news to the mother.
Another very important role a doula can play in a Cesarean birth is talking about the birth with you, helping to fill in gaps and holes in the birth story, helping you process the experience and resolve negative emotions. This can be especially important when a woman has planned to have a vaginal birth and ended up with an emergency C-section. Seeing all your plans fall apart in the case of an emergency can make you feel out of control and can bring up feelings of failure that you were not able to proceed with the birth as you planned. A doula can help you understand the necessity of what happened, talk through parts of the birth that frustrated, angered, or frightened you, and leave you with an overall feeling of positivity toward your birth.
A postpartum doula can also be especially helpful in the case of a Cesarean birth. The recovery from a C-section is long and difficult. A postpartum doula can help with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and baby care, allowing you to get the rest necessary to recover and to focus on bonding with your baby and establishing breastfeeding. A postpartum doula can also help manage visitors, ensuring you get the rest and alone time you need to recover as quickly as possible.
If you're having a planned C-section, or find yourself in the position of needing an emergency C-section, remember that a doula can still be a friend, comfort, help, and advocate for you, helping to make your birth a positive experience and a happy memory to carry with you for the rest of your life.
Doulas attend all kinds of births: unmedicated, medicated, VBAC, and Cesarean, at home, at a birth center, or in a hospital. Part of a doula's role is to create a bond with the mother so as to provide reassurance and comfort. As you meet with your doula in the weeks leading up to your birth, you will develop a friendship that will make your doula an ideal person to have at your side during a stressful situation. A C-section is major surgery that is likely to cause anxiety or distress, especially when an emergency C-section is ordered, but also when a C-section is scheduled ahead of time.
A doula can inform you of some of the aspects of the surgery, stay by your side to calm and comfort you during surgery, and be with you afterward to help with breastfeeding. In the case of an emergency Cesarean, if the baby needs to be quickly treated for medical problems, your doula can stay with you, allowing your husband or birth partner to go with the baby. If the baby needs to stay in the NICU, the doula can act as a link between the mother in recovery and the baby in the NICU, bringing positive news to the mother.
Another very important role a doula can play in a Cesarean birth is talking about the birth with you, helping to fill in gaps and holes in the birth story, helping you process the experience and resolve negative emotions. This can be especially important when a woman has planned to have a vaginal birth and ended up with an emergency C-section. Seeing all your plans fall apart in the case of an emergency can make you feel out of control and can bring up feelings of failure that you were not able to proceed with the birth as you planned. A doula can help you understand the necessity of what happened, talk through parts of the birth that frustrated, angered, or frightened you, and leave you with an overall feeling of positivity toward your birth.
A postpartum doula can also be especially helpful in the case of a Cesarean birth. The recovery from a C-section is long and difficult. A postpartum doula can help with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and baby care, allowing you to get the rest necessary to recover and to focus on bonding with your baby and establishing breastfeeding. A postpartum doula can also help manage visitors, ensuring you get the rest and alone time you need to recover as quickly as possible.
If you're having a planned C-section, or find yourself in the position of needing an emergency C-section, remember that a doula can still be a friend, comfort, help, and advocate for you, helping to make your birth a positive experience and a happy memory to carry with you for the rest of your life.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Inspiring Quotes
We are made to do this work and it's not easy...I would say that pain is part of the glory, or the tremendous mystery of life. And that if anything, it's a kind of privilege to stand so close to such an incredible miracle.
-Simone in Klasson 2001
Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile…initially scared me to death.
-Betty Bender
I think one of the best things we could do would be to help women/parents/families discover their own birth power, from within themselves. And to let them know it's always been there, they just needed to tap into it.
-John H. Kennell, MD
We have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong.
-Laura Stavoe Harm
The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source. She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power.
-Heather McCue
Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.
-Virginia Di Orio
Mothers need to know that their care and their choices won't be compromised by birth politics.
-Jennifer Rosenberg
The wisdom and compassion a woman can intuitively experience in childbirth can make her a source of healing and understanding for other women.
-Stephen Gaskin
There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it.
-Sheryl Feldman
There is no way out of the experience except through it, because it is not really your experience at all but the baby's. Your body is the child's instrument of birth.
-Penelope Leach
I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
-Judith M. Knowlton
If I don't know my options, I don't have any.
-Diana Korte
-Simone in Klasson 2001
Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile…initially scared me to death.
-Betty Bender
I think one of the best things we could do would be to help women/parents/families discover their own birth power, from within themselves. And to let them know it's always been there, they just needed to tap into it.
-John H. Kennell, MD
We have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong.
-Laura Stavoe Harm
The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source. She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power.
-Heather McCue
Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.
-Virginia Di Orio
Mothers need to know that their care and their choices won't be compromised by birth politics.
-Jennifer Rosenberg
The wisdom and compassion a woman can intuitively experience in childbirth can make her a source of healing and understanding for other women.
-Stephen Gaskin
There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it.
-Sheryl Feldman
There is no way out of the experience except through it, because it is not really your experience at all but the baby's. Your body is the child's instrument of birth.
-Penelope Leach
I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
-Judith M. Knowlton
If I don't know my options, I don't have any.
-Diana Korte
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wonderful Story
This is such a wonderful story about a first-time mom who read Henci Goer's "The Thinking Women's Guide to a Better Birth," and used a Doula. Wahoo!!!
http://mothering.com/her-back
I love how she writes and how her learning and thinking evolve. This was one of my favorite parts:
At one of her appointments she was talking to her Dr. about her cesarean rate. The Dr. didnt' know for sure, but confessed that it was around at least 40% percent. When she saw her patient's shock, she said, "Don't worry, everything is perfectly fine. We just want to make sure that baby of yours isn't getting too big."
Too big, at 18 weeks' gestation? Even so, what could she possibly suggest we do about it?
Bewildered by the sonogram discussion, I suddenly remembered to ask if our doula could attend the birth with us. She (the doctor) shrugged. "Sure, if that will make you more comfortable. Just make sure your doula remembers who's in charge, okay?"
I nodded obediently. On my way out, I passed the appointment desk without scheduling the 18-week sonogram.
That evening, I called our doula to report what the doctor had said. She stated plainly, "Of course I remember who's in charge. You are."
Awesome!
http://mothering.com/her-back
I love how she writes and how her learning and thinking evolve. This was one of my favorite parts:
At one of her appointments she was talking to her Dr. about her cesarean rate. The Dr. didnt' know for sure, but confessed that it was around at least 40% percent. When she saw her patient's shock, she said, "Don't worry, everything is perfectly fine. We just want to make sure that baby of yours isn't getting too big."
Too big, at 18 weeks' gestation? Even so, what could she possibly suggest we do about it?
Bewildered by the sonogram discussion, I suddenly remembered to ask if our doula could attend the birth with us. She (the doctor) shrugged. "Sure, if that will make you more comfortable. Just make sure your doula remembers who's in charge, okay?"
I nodded obediently. On my way out, I passed the appointment desk without scheduling the 18-week sonogram.
That evening, I called our doula to report what the doctor had said. She stated plainly, "Of course I remember who's in charge. You are."
Awesome!
The Case Against Inducing Labor
Wow, THIS is an incredible article that was just posted by a fellow doula friend...
I myself, have had 2 nductions because 1. I was 9 days overdue and my amniotic fluid levels were low and 2. I was 5 days overdue and they thought I had a 9 1/2 pound baby in there.
For reason number 1, I'm not sure what else I could have done. I would have to consult someone more knowledgable on that. For number 2, I should have waited! I could have pushed out a big baby! Plus, when I had him, he was only 8 lbs. Now my care provider is wonderful, I don't want anyone to think differently. She was wonderful because she told me all of my options. She didn't force or make me choose one option over another. She repeatedly told me that it was up to me and that she would support my decisions. So I only blame myself for not doing more research.
After I had my babies, I started attending births of my amazing sister-in-laws. They all have natural childbirths. Witnessing them changed my life. I thought, "If they can do this, then I can do this!" "Childbirth IS normal and natural, but we are blessed with medical care in case we have a complication....otherwise, you really don't need medical interventions!" Do you know that my aunt had a couple of her babies FOUR weeks overdue? Yeah, and everyone is fine. Amazing. So after witnessing, and learning all of these factors, I decided to become a Doula! I have learned SO much and am amazing at how much knowledge and power women are missing out on. I had no idea it was out there. Society trains us to think that childbirth is scary, painful, and the only way we are to do it is check ourselves into the hospital and sit in bed with our epidural. Well, it doesn't have to be this way. nd you can be sure that I will be avoiding any more inductions with my own pregnancies....
Some points that stood out to me, or should I say, yelled out to me are these:
-Pitocin has a 40 to 50 percent induction failure rate. This is why you hear of induced women who fail to progress and end up with a c-section.
-In 1978, the FDA advisory committee removed its approval of Pitocin for the elective induction of labor.
-The drug has never been approved by the FDA for the use of augmenting labor..(speeding labor along).
-Only 3 percent of women need to be induced for medical reasons.
-Another 3 to 12 percent seem to want to drive their mothers crazy and hang out inside that wonderful, warm, loving womb.
- Your due date that is still only 85 percent accurate, plus or minus 14 days
Actually, the percentage of babies born exactly on their predicted due date is so small it's a wonder we bother with due dates at all. It's perfectly normal for 80 percent of healthy babies to have anywhere from a 38- to 42-week gestation. Several generations ago, a physician might tell an expectant mother that she was due "sometime in late October or early November"; today, women are given a "precise" due date, often determined by ultrasound testing. Many instances of so-called postmaturity result from nothing more than an inaccurate due date. It's probably best to stick with the "late November, early December" method"
-The fact that Pitocin can shorten the normal oxygenating intervals that occur between contractions is a threat to the integrity of the fetal brain and can have lifelong consequences for the affected baby. (One compelling theory, presented at the 1996 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association by Eric Hollander of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, links autistic children with Pitocin-induced labors. Hollander suspects that Pitocin interferes with the newborn's oxytocin system, producing the social phobias of autism. When he administered oxytocin to autistic patients, it made them four times more talkative, and according to the patients themselves, twice as happy, although not all patients responded.)
-One compelling theory, presented at the 1996 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association by Eric Hollander of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, links autistic children with Pitocin-induced labors....wow.
** And now, for all of us who have had pitocen, we cannot feel guilty. We can only take this information and share it with our sisters, friends, and empower our own lives for the future....
I myself, have had 2 nductions because 1. I was 9 days overdue and my amniotic fluid levels were low and 2. I was 5 days overdue and they thought I had a 9 1/2 pound baby in there.
For reason number 1, I'm not sure what else I could have done. I would have to consult someone more knowledgable on that. For number 2, I should have waited! I could have pushed out a big baby! Plus, when I had him, he was only 8 lbs. Now my care provider is wonderful, I don't want anyone to think differently. She was wonderful because she told me all of my options. She didn't force or make me choose one option over another. She repeatedly told me that it was up to me and that she would support my decisions. So I only blame myself for not doing more research.
After I had my babies, I started attending births of my amazing sister-in-laws. They all have natural childbirths. Witnessing them changed my life. I thought, "If they can do this, then I can do this!" "Childbirth IS normal and natural, but we are blessed with medical care in case we have a complication....otherwise, you really don't need medical interventions!" Do you know that my aunt had a couple of her babies FOUR weeks overdue? Yeah, and everyone is fine. Amazing. So after witnessing, and learning all of these factors, I decided to become a Doula! I have learned SO much and am amazing at how much knowledge and power women are missing out on. I had no idea it was out there. Society trains us to think that childbirth is scary, painful, and the only way we are to do it is check ourselves into the hospital and sit in bed with our epidural. Well, it doesn't have to be this way. nd you can be sure that I will be avoiding any more inductions with my own pregnancies....
Some points that stood out to me, or should I say, yelled out to me are these:
-Pitocin has a 40 to 50 percent induction failure rate. This is why you hear of induced women who fail to progress and end up with a c-section.
-In 1978, the FDA advisory committee removed its approval of Pitocin for the elective induction of labor.
-The drug has never been approved by the FDA for the use of augmenting labor..(speeding labor along).
-Only 3 percent of women need to be induced for medical reasons.
-Another 3 to 12 percent seem to want to drive their mothers crazy and hang out inside that wonderful, warm, loving womb.
- Your due date that is still only 85 percent accurate, plus or minus 14 days
Actually, the percentage of babies born exactly on their predicted due date is so small it's a wonder we bother with due dates at all. It's perfectly normal for 80 percent of healthy babies to have anywhere from a 38- to 42-week gestation. Several generations ago, a physician might tell an expectant mother that she was due "sometime in late October or early November"; today, women are given a "precise" due date, often determined by ultrasound testing. Many instances of so-called postmaturity result from nothing more than an inaccurate due date. It's probably best to stick with the "late November, early December" method"
-The fact that Pitocin can shorten the normal oxygenating intervals that occur between contractions is a threat to the integrity of the fetal brain and can have lifelong consequences for the affected baby. (One compelling theory, presented at the 1996 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association by Eric Hollander of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, links autistic children with Pitocin-induced labors. Hollander suspects that Pitocin interferes with the newborn's oxytocin system, producing the social phobias of autism. When he administered oxytocin to autistic patients, it made them four times more talkative, and according to the patients themselves, twice as happy, although not all patients responded.)
-One compelling theory, presented at the 1996 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association by Eric Hollander of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, links autistic children with Pitocin-induced labors....wow.
** And now, for all of us who have had pitocen, we cannot feel guilty. We can only take this information and share it with our sisters, friends, and empower our own lives for the future....
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cesareans
If you have had a cesarean in the past, or if you have been told you need a cesarean in the future, this website is for you!
http://www.ican-online.org/
There are some great chiropractors these days. If you have been told that your pelvis is too small, visit a chiropractor. It may be that you just need an adjustment. There are some situations in which a woman's pelvis is too small, but it is rare. It's usually found in women who were malnourished as children or who have been injured. If you have had a baby with shoulder distotia, you man need an adjustment or just a different birthing position. Some chiropractors specialize in pregnant women and will even come to the hospital and adjust you while you are in labor! There is a technique they do called the Webster Technique. This is a pelvic adjustment that makes more room for the baby. Interesting, eh? Our pelvic bones are made to open when we are giving birth, so if everything is aligned, things should go smoothly.
http://www.ican-online.org/
There are some great chiropractors these days. If you have been told that your pelvis is too small, visit a chiropractor. It may be that you just need an adjustment. There are some situations in which a woman's pelvis is too small, but it is rare. It's usually found in women who were malnourished as children or who have been injured. If you have had a baby with shoulder distotia, you man need an adjustment or just a different birthing position. Some chiropractors specialize in pregnant women and will even come to the hospital and adjust you while you are in labor! There is a technique they do called the Webster Technique. This is a pelvic adjustment that makes more room for the baby. Interesting, eh? Our pelvic bones are made to open when we are giving birth, so if everything is aligned, things should go smoothly.
Finding a Doula
How to Find the Right Doula to Support You During Labor and Birth
Research says that having a doula (a trained labor support professional) as part of your labor
support team can keep birth safe and healthy and help you avoid unwanted interventions. But
how do you find someone who is a good fit for you? Here are some tips:
1. Get referrals.
Ask friends, childbirth educators, your doctor or midwife for recommendations. Some hospitals and birth centers provide doula services or referrals. Mothers in a local Birth Network or La Leche League (lalecheleague.org) meeting may have used doulas at their births and may be able to recommend one. Keep in mind that each woman and her birth are unique; youmust decide if this doula is a good match for you.
2. Go online.
Check the websites of the organizations that certify and train doulas, such as DONA International (dona.org). Most of these sites will let you search by location for a doula near you.
3. Interview several doulas, if possible, before choosing one.
Think about what you want your doula to do for you. How will she fit in with the rest of your labor support team? How does your partner want to support you? Does he or she want to participate in the physical support or just be there emotionally for you? Ask the doula how she sees her role at your birth.
4. If cost is a problem, look for low-cost doula support.
If your insurance doesn’t cover doulas and you can’t afford the doula’s fees, look for a doula-in-training. She may not have as much experience with birth as someone who is certified, but she may attend your birth for little or no fee in order to earn her certification. Some communities have volunteer doula services for women in need. Some doulas will write a contract for women to pay over time or even trade for another service that you can offer to her.
5. Trust your intuition.
Once you've followed the steps above, trust your gut feeling. Just as your own intuitive knowledge can guide you in birth, it can also help you decide who should be with you when you give birth.
Questions for Interviewing a Doula:
• What training and education do you have?
• How long have you been a birthing assistant, and how many births have you attended as a doula?
• What is your philosophy about childbirth and supporting women and their partners through labor?
• Will you meet with us to discuss our birth plans and the role that you will play in supporting us through childbirth?
• How many times will I see you before the birth? Will my partner be included?
• May we call you with questions or concerns before or after the birth?
• When do you try to join women in labor—at home or at the place of birth?
• Describe your role in my birthing. What exactly will you do?
• Do you work with one or more backup doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet them?
• What is your fee? What services does it include, and what are your refund policies?
• What is your policy in the event I have a cesarean?
• What other services do you offer? (such services might include breastfeeding support, postpartum for mom and dad, and new baby care.)
• Do you meet with me (us) after the birth to review the birth and answer questions?
• Are there two of your past clients whom I may call?
Research says that having a doula (a trained labor support professional) as part of your labor
support team can keep birth safe and healthy and help you avoid unwanted interventions. But
how do you find someone who is a good fit for you? Here are some tips:
1. Get referrals.
Ask friends, childbirth educators, your doctor or midwife for recommendations. Some hospitals and birth centers provide doula services or referrals. Mothers in a local Birth Network or La Leche League (lalecheleague.org) meeting may have used doulas at their births and may be able to recommend one. Keep in mind that each woman and her birth are unique; youmust decide if this doula is a good match for you.
2. Go online.
Check the websites of the organizations that certify and train doulas, such as DONA International (dona.org). Most of these sites will let you search by location for a doula near you.
3. Interview several doulas, if possible, before choosing one.
Think about what you want your doula to do for you. How will she fit in with the rest of your labor support team? How does your partner want to support you? Does he or she want to participate in the physical support or just be there emotionally for you? Ask the doula how she sees her role at your birth.
4. If cost is a problem, look for low-cost doula support.
If your insurance doesn’t cover doulas and you can’t afford the doula’s fees, look for a doula-in-training. She may not have as much experience with birth as someone who is certified, but she may attend your birth for little or no fee in order to earn her certification. Some communities have volunteer doula services for women in need. Some doulas will write a contract for women to pay over time or even trade for another service that you can offer to her.
5. Trust your intuition.
Once you've followed the steps above, trust your gut feeling. Just as your own intuitive knowledge can guide you in birth, it can also help you decide who should be with you when you give birth.
Questions for Interviewing a Doula:
• What training and education do you have?
• How long have you been a birthing assistant, and how many births have you attended as a doula?
• What is your philosophy about childbirth and supporting women and their partners through labor?
• Will you meet with us to discuss our birth plans and the role that you will play in supporting us through childbirth?
• How many times will I see you before the birth? Will my partner be included?
• May we call you with questions or concerns before or after the birth?
• When do you try to join women in labor—at home or at the place of birth?
• Describe your role in my birthing. What exactly will you do?
• Do you work with one or more backup doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet them?
• What is your fee? What services does it include, and what are your refund policies?
• What is your policy in the event I have a cesarean?
• What other services do you offer? (such services might include breastfeeding support, postpartum for mom and dad, and new baby care.)
• Do you meet with me (us) after the birth to review the birth and answer questions?
• Are there two of your past clients whom I may call?
Free Educational Website
Check this out. This is a free website that provides a lot of great information!
www.mothersadvocate.org
www.mothersadvocate.org
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Healthy Birth Practices
If you don't have time to read a book about childbirth, here is a GREAT place to start. It's also a great resource to give to your husband to read, since some husbands are not likely to read a childbirth book along with you. :) Hopefully there are some husbands out there who do.
THESE are the topics put out by Lamaze to give you a quick overview of a Healthy Birth. Check it out!
Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own
Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor
Healthy Birth Practice 3: Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support
Healthy Birth Practice 4: Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary
Healthy Birth Practice 5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push
Healthy Birth Practice 6: Keep your baby with you to enable the best relationship and to promote breastfeeding
Hey, and just so everyone knows, the new version of Lamaze does not teach "patterned breathing" anymore. So no more hee hee hoo's...unless your doula is coaching you to breath that way for only a moment during pushing if your baby is coming too fast and the doctor needs to untangle the cord or something. :)
The agreement amongst all childbirth educators is that the best way to breath during a contraction is slow and deep. So there you go, easy right?
THESE are the topics put out by Lamaze to give you a quick overview of a Healthy Birth. Check it out!
Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own
Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor
Healthy Birth Practice 3: Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support
Healthy Birth Practice 4: Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary
Healthy Birth Practice 5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push
Healthy Birth Practice 6: Keep your baby with you to enable the best relationship and to promote breastfeeding
Hey, and just so everyone knows, the new version of Lamaze does not teach "patterned breathing" anymore. So no more hee hee hoo's...unless your doula is coaching you to breath that way for only a moment during pushing if your baby is coming too fast and the doctor needs to untangle the cord or something. :)
The agreement amongst all childbirth educators is that the best way to breath during a contraction is slow and deep. So there you go, easy right?
You Can Now Drink Clear Liquids During Labor!
Okay, so my title is supposed to sound sarcastic. But I do have to say that I'm glad that things are headed this way. See this article HERE.
I remember being at the hospital and being ravenously hungry! I just wanted to nibble on a granola bar, or crackers, or SOMEthing. But no one would let me. It made me so mad, I can't even tell you. It took all I could muster to keep from losing control, I was so angry. I could not understand why they were denying me the energy I needed to have a baby! They finally told me that I could have popsicles, so you better believe that I ate the whole bag.
You can imagine how I felt when I learned that other people, such as the President of the Midwives College of Utah, felt the same way that I did. That it's ridiculous to withhold food from a laboring woman. Some of you may know the reasoning as to why they withold food. It's because, in the event that you need an emergency c-section, and if you need to be put under general anesthesia, there is a risk of aspiration if you have food in your stomache. Aspiration is when you vomit and then breath it into your lungs.
So tell me, what about all the other people being admitted to the hospital that day who are going through emergency surgery under general anesthesia? I can tell you that some probably get their stomaches pumped.
Thus, I have decided that during my next labor, I will eat if I want to. (The other thing is laboring womean are usually not too hungry, and won't eat a lot during labor. But they are encouraged to drink a lot!) Okay, so if I get in trouble for eating, I will write up a paper that says, "IF by chance you have to do an emergency c-section, and IF by chance a spinal block does not work, and you have to put me under general anesthesia, you are allowed to pump out my stomach. Thank you very much! Signed, Natalie"
I remember being at the hospital and being ravenously hungry! I just wanted to nibble on a granola bar, or crackers, or SOMEthing. But no one would let me. It made me so mad, I can't even tell you. It took all I could muster to keep from losing control, I was so angry. I could not understand why they were denying me the energy I needed to have a baby! They finally told me that I could have popsicles, so you better believe that I ate the whole bag.
You can imagine how I felt when I learned that other people, such as the President of the Midwives College of Utah, felt the same way that I did. That it's ridiculous to withhold food from a laboring woman. Some of you may know the reasoning as to why they withold food. It's because, in the event that you need an emergency c-section, and if you need to be put under general anesthesia, there is a risk of aspiration if you have food in your stomache. Aspiration is when you vomit and then breath it into your lungs.
So tell me, what about all the other people being admitted to the hospital that day who are going through emergency surgery under general anesthesia? I can tell you that some probably get their stomaches pumped.
Thus, I have decided that during my next labor, I will eat if I want to. (The other thing is laboring womean are usually not too hungry, and won't eat a lot during labor. But they are encouraged to drink a lot!) Okay, so if I get in trouble for eating, I will write up a paper that says, "IF by chance you have to do an emergency c-section, and IF by chance a spinal block does not work, and you have to put me under general anesthesia, you are allowed to pump out my stomach. Thank you very much! Signed, Natalie"
Recommended Childbirth Books
If you are looking for a great book to prepare you for pregnancy and childbook, are some that I recommended. Not that other really popular one that starts with the words, "What to..." Not that it's a bad book - it's a good book. But if you want a really great education not only on pregnancy but especially CHILDBIRTH, you should check out these books. Besides, if you don't know your options, then you don't have any... :) I'm all about "choices in childbirth."
Friday, October 23, 2009
H's Birth
SO... I got home from a 10 hr birth at about 4 AM. I got a little bit of sleep before I was called to attend my next birth. She was off to the hospital to be induced. She kept me updated with her text messages. We were both a little frustrated at first because before they started her on pitocen, her doctor came in and broke her water. Now, I'm under the opinion because I have been taught by midwives that you do not need to break someone's water to induce them. We all know that there are many risks involved when you artificially rupture the membranes too soon: infection, cord prolapse, no more cushion, etc. Plus, this client, her labors go so fast, that she doesn't need her water broken. There are times when it may be more beneficial to have your water broken, but I believe that it is when you are way into labor Not at the get-go. Now it's usually okay when your water breaks first thing on it's own, because.. it's on it's own. It's not artificial. We decided tthat I would head to the hostpital to be with her, since they got her going on pitocen. When I got to the hosptial, she was doing SO amazing! She was working through her contractions beautifully and her husband was so supportive! They were doing so well. I was so impressed that she was doing so well with no bag of waters, and hooked up to intense pitocen. She said that her Dr told her the baby was posterior. So we changed her positions, and it worked! Her baby turned. That was so neat to see. She kept progressing very quickly. She was so strong and so determined! Her husband and I worked together to do some counter pressure and only a few hours later, she felt like pushing! She was in a great position to push the baby out....and the staff came in and laid her back and put her legs up in stirrups. I tried to help her feel comfortable. The baby was coming so fast, she couldn't really do anything about their positioning her. She's a pro anyway, so she could deal with it. And she did! Her little babe was born at 2:10PM and was just the cutest, most alert baby I have seen! It was such a celebration and such an accomplishment! It was so amazing to be there with her, I was so grateful. I am so happy for these beautiful women and that they let me be part of their special experience. I really love being a doula!
T's Birth
I got to the hospital at 5:30 PM. I pushed the call button. The nurse that answered told me, "Sorry, you cannot come in. She already has her two visitors, as per policy during the flu season." I explained that I had called earlier, and they told me that my client could have two doulas." She said, "Nope, I'm sorry." I told her that I understood. So I was ready to just go home. I texted the doula already in there to tell her that I was not allowed in. Pretty soon the director came out to the lobby and told me that they were going to make an exception and let me in. I told her it was okay if they needed to follow policy - I didn't have to go in, but she said it was fine. So she let me to her room.
It was really neat to work in a team. And it ended up being a really good thing because we were there for 10 hrs! The other doula had already been with her for a previous 6 hours. The dad also was grateful for the help from both doulas. I could not believe the huge hug he gave to me afterwards, and I was only the assistant doula. This couple did absolutely amazing. It was her first baby and she went completely natural. Completely! And she did not lose control nor did she scream even once. She used self hypnosis (Hypnobabies) and it was amazing. It took her through her 26 hour labor all the way to the very end. I was so impressed. She had the baby at 2:30 am. It was such a neat experience!
It was really neat to work in a team. And it ended up being a really good thing because we were there for 10 hrs! The other doula had already been with her for a previous 6 hours. The dad also was grateful for the help from both doulas. I could not believe the huge hug he gave to me afterwards, and I was only the assistant doula. This couple did absolutely amazing. It was her first baby and she went completely natural. Completely! And she did not lose control nor did she scream even once. She used self hypnosis (Hypnobabies) and it was amazing. It took her through her 26 hour labor all the way to the very end. I was so impressed. She had the baby at 2:30 am. It was such a neat experience!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
L's Birth
What an incredible day. I was supposed to be to an early morning meeting today, but I slept right through my alarm. I woke up at 7:20 to my phone turning off because the battery was dead. I thought to myself that I better plug it in and charge it up, in case I get a call. I then thought, "What are the chances of that happening in the next 15 minutes." But I plugged it in anyway. Two seconds later, my phone rang. It was L, she said she was heading to the hospital because she was having contractions and she knows she progresses very quickly. So I got ready and headed to the hospital to meet her.
I met her in triage and she was being monitored. Her contractions were irregular and she was dialated to a two. They told her she could walk around for a while, or go home. Since she was 5 days late, she said she was determined to have this baby today, so she was going to walk around. We went and got some breakfast and then rode the elevator to the 6th flor and walked down the stairs. We then repeated and went up the elevator and walked down the stairs. We did this for an hour and it was giving her some good waves. We also sat down for a minute and I did some accupressure points to help induce labor, soften the cervix, and bring the baby down. On our way back to labor and delivery we stopped at the chapel and attended a bit of church.
Back in labor and delivery, the checked her and she really hadn't progressed, so they said she could go home and set an inducation time for the next day. She told them she would be back that night instead.
So I went home and had a normal day until 5:30 when I locked myself out of my house. I had to call for help and waited for it to come. When I finally got my keys out of my house and put my kids in the car to go to a family dinner, I got a call from L. She said that she was headed to the hospital again because her contractions were coming regularly, about 6-9 minutes apart. So instead, I headed to the hospital. On my way I decided to stop for some food to keep me going. I thought it might be a long night since her contractions were so far apart. I got to the hospital about not too long after she called me. They had admitted her. I walked into her room and could tell she was close. 10 minutes later, she had her baby! I was just there to remind her of what she wanted to do while pushing. It was incredibly fast. And she did amazing and all natural too! She had a beautiful, beautiful baby who was alert and healthy. I stayed for a few hours afterwards while they monitored her, and then headed home on a happy high.
I met her in triage and she was being monitored. Her contractions were irregular and she was dialated to a two. They told her she could walk around for a while, or go home. Since she was 5 days late, she said she was determined to have this baby today, so she was going to walk around. We went and got some breakfast and then rode the elevator to the 6th flor and walked down the stairs. We then repeated and went up the elevator and walked down the stairs. We did this for an hour and it was giving her some good waves. We also sat down for a minute and I did some accupressure points to help induce labor, soften the cervix, and bring the baby down. On our way back to labor and delivery we stopped at the chapel and attended a bit of church.
Back in labor and delivery, the checked her and she really hadn't progressed, so they said she could go home and set an inducation time for the next day. She told them she would be back that night instead.
So I went home and had a normal day until 5:30 when I locked myself out of my house. I had to call for help and waited for it to come. When I finally got my keys out of my house and put my kids in the car to go to a family dinner, I got a call from L. She said that she was headed to the hospital again because her contractions were coming regularly, about 6-9 minutes apart. So instead, I headed to the hospital. On my way I decided to stop for some food to keep me going. I thought it might be a long night since her contractions were so far apart. I got to the hospital about not too long after she called me. They had admitted her. I walked into her room and could tell she was close. 10 minutes later, she had her baby! I was just there to remind her of what she wanted to do while pushing. It was incredibly fast. And she did amazing and all natural too! She had a beautiful, beautiful baby who was alert and healthy. I stayed for a few hours afterwards while they monitored her, and then headed home on a happy high.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Article from Vancouver Sun
Sometimes I don't think we realize all of the risks that come with repeat cesareans. Most of the time mothers just realize that they are going to have some more scar tissue, and an uncomfortable recovery with the chance of infection. Doesn't seem like something you can't deal with, right? Right.
Even I learned some new things today about cesareans. I was amazed and I hope that those women who are candidates for VBACs, will look into it. Over 80% of VBACs are successful, and after reading THIS article, you might really want to see if it is an option for you...
If it is not an option for you, it is okay!! These are risks, not guarantees. The technology that is offered to us today is life saving, and I appreciate that...
Even I learned some new things today about cesareans. I was amazed and I hope that those women who are candidates for VBACs, will look into it. Over 80% of VBACs are successful, and after reading THIS article, you might really want to see if it is an option for you...
If it is not an option for you, it is okay!! These are risks, not guarantees. The technology that is offered to us today is life saving, and I appreciate that...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Labor Pro
Yikes, this goes against everything I believe should happen during labor. Yes, I believe that monitoring is great. We need to make sure that the baby isn't under stress. You don't have to be continuously monitored either. Those babies who are monitored 20 minutes out of every hour are just as safe and healthy as those who are continuously monitored. You also don't need the monitors strapped around your belly. They can be held there, or if needed, a doppler can be held to your tummy.
Anyway....
The Labor Pro - scary! Uncomfortable! Invasive! Inhibiting! Please, we need to remember that having a baby is not a medical proceedure that needs MORE technology. It is not a medical emergency. It is an emergence. I am grateful for the medical knowledge that is available to us. This can save lives when complications arise. If there are no complications, then we don't need interventions. So if you want to see a crazy robot machine, check THIS out.
Anyway....
The Labor Pro - scary! Uncomfortable! Invasive! Inhibiting! Please, we need to remember that having a baby is not a medical proceedure that needs MORE technology. It is not a medical emergency. It is an emergence. I am grateful for the medical knowledge that is available to us. This can save lives when complications arise. If there are no complications, then we don't need interventions. So if you want to see a crazy robot machine, check THIS out.
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