Utah Doula - Dream Birth Doulas Missy and Natalie

Breastfeeding on Sesame Street

2010-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to see these old clips from Sesame Street episodes from the 70s and 80s. Think they'd ever put this on there today? Probably not. So sad.

Essential Oils During Birth

2010-02-03T12:42:00.001-08:00

Using doTERRA Oils During Birth....

I am a birth doula and use oils on just about all my clients (who want them). I am amazed at the power of the oils during birth. Here is a list of oils I use:

I find that using essential oils during this process help to ease some of the discomforts of labor, give Mom’s the strength she needs to pursue the birth she desires, create a calm and serene atmosphere, and
help to change the birthing rooms to more of a welcoming place, to name a few.

During early labor using lavender to calm the early jitters, both for Mom and her partner by diffusing in the room or using with a carrieroil for light massage.

As labor progresses, Jasmine is a wonderful oil to use. It helps to increase the intensity of the contractions but also acts as an analgesic, helping to take away some of the sensations of the contractions. This can be used neet on the lower abdomen or used with a carrier oil for massage.

If labor has slowed and needs a bit of a boost, Myrrh can pick things up. I don’t normally put this on her body. I will diffuse into the room or put it on a cotton ball near her. So often the intensity of the contractions will pick up right away and I find that the aroma of the oil can then become an irritant to her.

Black Pepper is a great oil for back labor. If my client is experiencing back discomforts we will use Black Pepper mixed with a carrier oil to ease some of the pain. Clove or nutmeg can also be used for this same issue. Use care when using these oils neet as there can be skin sensitivity to them.

Rose Oil is Euphoric, it works as a uterine relaxant and it helps ligaments to soften enabling the pelvic bones to expand more easily.

Clary Sage facilitates birth as a euphoric and an analgesic, as a tonic to the respiratory muscles, the uterine system and calms the lower spinal cord. Put 3-4 drops on the inner ankles to help speed
labor up.

Peppermint when inhaled can help reduce anxiety and hypertension. It can be cooling on the lower back. It can help to ease nausea

Elevation is great for creating a joyful experience. Uplifting and calming

Serenity is a calming blend designed to reduce stress by calming the nervous system, creating a sense of well-being and improved health through the natural reduction of stress and its related symptoms.

Lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla bean create a subtle aroma ideal for aromatic diffusion or topical application.

Whisper-This perfectly balanced scent includes, patchouli, bergamot, sandalwood, rose, Jasmine, cinnamon, cistus, vetiver, ylang ylang, cocoa and vanilla. Subtly with distinctive notes is a modest
descriptor for this unique and compelling natural fragrance. Whisper (TM) can be used topically and diffused into the air

Balance on the feet to help relax and increase a sense of courage to continue with the birthing process.

Neroli works on the nervous system, allowing it to relax. It calms fear and anxiety, both of which will promote easy breathing, especially if mom is panting or about to hyperventilate

.
The use of essential oils during the birthing process can be used as another tool for the birth assistants and partners to help ease some of the discomforts of labor and create a loving environment.

Blessings of Homebirth

2010-01-29T13:20:00.001-08:00

By Betsy Leighton

"Knowing comes from the place within us that is connected to our source." From A Still, Small Voice by Echo L. Bodine

A month before the due date of my second pregnancy, I had a dream that there were two little girls with pigtails in their hair joining our family. When I told my husband about my dream, he joked, "there had better be only one baby in there. We only have one more bedroom!"

We were planning a homebirth for this pregnancy. Our son had been born at home without complications. In fact, his birth had gone so quickly, that we had barely enough time to fill the birth tub before he emerged. This time, my husband planned to fill the birth tub right away at the start of contractions.

My second pregnancy was "normal" as far as anyone could tell. I had regular prenatal care with my midwife and our family practitioner. Both felt I was a fine candidate for a second home birth, and that ultrasound wasn’t necessary for me. I measured a little big, but that had been the case with my son as well. Several people joked to me about possibly carrying twins, yet when my practitioners checked me, they both only heard one heartbeat. As part of our preparation for birth, we reviewed the "Emergency Childbirth" pamphlet from our midwife, and consciously visualized a positive birth outcome.

A week before my due date, my husband and son set up the rented birth tub in our home. When I saw the tub sitting there ready to go, I felt a spasm of fear for what was to come. My husband held me as I cried out my fears, and as the tears subsided, the fear was still real to me, but from the bottom of my heart I knew that everything would turn out alright.

Early on the morning of my due date, I woke my husband, David, to tell him that contractions had begun. He immediately called my mom and the midwife, and started to fill the birth tub. After a few contractions I needed David to put pressure on my low back. Between contractions he opened our birth kit, adjusted the faucet temperature, and gave me sips of water. As soon as the tub was deep enough I climbed in. It was much easier to handle the contractions in the water.

Nevertheless, I suddenly needed to roar through the contractions. I made deep, low moaning noises. I started crying. I knew I was in transition from the emotions that were flowing. I felt like pushing, and started to blow air through my mouth to hold back until the midwife could arrive. I needed to squat. I panted, blew air, and then started pushing because there was no way not to push. David briefly wondered where the midwife was. After a couple of pushes the baby came out all at once. We gently lifted her up out of the water and held her close. While we tried to start nursing I felt strong contractions resume, and again experienced the urge to push. I reached down and felt a second head with my fingertips.

Now, instinctively, I knew it was a second baby, and my body knew exactly what to do, though this certainly wasn't planned! I softly cradled Baby 1, as I squatted and pushed. It was easier this time, and after two pushes Baby 2 shot out into the water. Her head was covered with the sac. David removed the membranes and lifted her to my other breast.

The babies were slippery, and my arms were coated with vernix. As Baby 2 latched on to nurse, finally both the midwife and my mom arrived at the same time. We were all in a state of shock and disbelief. My midwife consulted the clock and realized that my labor had lasted less than 50 minutes. We weighed the babies: 5 lbs. and 5 lbs. 12 oz. The placenta weighed 8 ½ pounds!

While I dozed in bed with the babies, I remembered the dream about the two little girls with pigtails in their hair. I realized then, that deep down, on some level, I had known all along that I had been carrying twins. The pieces fell into place as I relived my pregnancy with this new information. No wonder I had felt so tired!

My family was incredulous. Each visitor who stopped by with good wishes needed to see both of the babies to believe that there really were two of them. Every time I looked at the twins I was full of wonder. Most of all I was euphoric: I had handled the birth by myself, twins or not, and it had gone beautifully. Everything had turned out just fine.

Over time, I have realized, with much gratitude, how we had been living in a protected space during the twins' pregnancy and birth. I believed my care providers who told me that I was carrying a singleton. I trusted in my strength as a woman to give birth, and I trusted my body to tell me what I needed to know, and to do what needed to be done. In not noticing the signs that I was carrying twins, I was able to view my pregnancy as completely normal. And I was free of the interventions that are standard in multiple pregnancies and births today, such as bed rest, fetal testing, continuous monitoring, and obligatory c-sections.

Now that my twins are four, I find I am still processing their birth mentally, emotionally and spiritually. As the haze of hormones has lifted, I see that their birth was a blessing on many levels.

I feel blessed to have been held in a bubble of safety, in not being conscious of the fact that I was carrying twins. I feel so fortunate to have been surrounded by care providers who believed in me and in the birth process. And I feel privileged to have experienced my own power during unassisted homebirth. I believe that things happen for a reason, and I attribute this experience to the work of the Divine.

The birth process taught me that I have inner wisdom and my twins' births gave me further impetus to explore my intuition. After the birth of my twins I had an awakening of the soul. I came to respect the power of my intuition, and have since decided to use it and cultivate it more. This "knowing", which Echo Bodine talks about in her book A Still, Small Voice, has connected me to my calling: planning and facilitating gatherings of women and girls to honor life's passages as sacred. My intuition told me that women's life passages, like pregnancy, birth, coming of age, and loss, need to be honored and celebrated.

The legacy of my twins' births is my conviction to tell this birth story again and again. Not only because I am an example of uncomplicated, unassisted homebirth of unexpected twins, but also because by sharing my story, I honor this passage and my body's message to me. And these are some of the many blessings of homebirth.

Growing Number of Women Want Birth to Be a Natural Process, Not a Medical One

2010-01-28T09:35:00.001-08:00

By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
July 28, 2008 —
Pregnant with her first child, Julie Speier prepared to deliver with the help of a midwife at a New York City birthing center. But in June -- three weeks before the due date and 600 miles from home -- her water broke.
Speier gave birth at a Cincinnati hospital, where she and her fiancé tried desperately to keep the birth natural -- a vaginal delivery without pain medication.
"I believe in the power of nature and that creation is next to perfect," said Speier, a 34-year-old yoga teacher. "I knew what I wanted and I had the confidence."
But as labor pains increased and Speier asked about breathing techniques, the doctor replied, "How do I know? I've only ever done two [natural childbirths]."
Today, natural childbirth is a medical anomaly in the United States, so much so that doctors are often thrown off guard by a determined woman like Speier.
A small but growing number of women who seek to avoid aggressive medical techniques like induced labor, epidural blocks and Caesarean sections find they are a lone voice among their friends and doctors.
"All of my friends think I am a little nuts," Speier said. "They say why would you do it natural?"
Speier said her own mother told her traumatic stories of her brother's breech birth. "Everyone I know has an 'I can top you' gory birthing story."
Pre-planned Caesareans are also in vogue. Women want to avoid future complications of multiple vaginal births, like uterine or bladder collapse. And today's body-conscious women worry needlessly about loss of muscle-tone.
'Too Posh to Push'
With the latest feminine plastic surgery rage -- so-called "pimping the vadge" -- some women prefer what the British call the "Posh push," referring to the planned Caesarean births of soccer celebrity David and Victoria Beckham's three boys.
Like the generation that pioneered the first wave of feminism in the 1970s, women like Speier want to take an active role in their health care. They view childbirth a normal, healthy process that requires time, patience, strength and endurance.
But in the decades since, new technologies, the rising cost of malpractice insurance and even the changing attitudes of women have all contributed to the near-demise of natural childbirth.
"It's a little tsunami," said Dr. Ben Sachs, chief of obstetrics at Tulane University in Louisiana. "All these forces are coming together at the same time."
Both doctors and midwives have been hit hard with the high cost of liability insurance. All agree they must take on more patients to keep their practices lucrative, giving them less time to wait out a long labor.
Doctors more frequently induce labor, using synthetic hormones like pitocin to strengthen and quicken labor, an intervention that was once used only as a "last resort."
But induction also heightens the pain of labor and can precipitate the use an epidural -- an injection in the lower back that blocks the pain of contractions while the woman is awake. And some say that, in turn, can delay the pushing mechanism and even trigger the need for a Caesarean.
Induction rates rose 5 percent in 2005 to 22.3 percent of all births -- double the rate since 1990, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Caesarean deliveries have also jumped -- to more than 30 percent of all births, a 46 percent rise in the last decade and a 4 percent increase over the 2004 record.
Hospital Costs Spiraling
So, too, have hospital costs spiraled, and doctors say the first cuts are in obstetrical care. Hospitals in many parts of the country can now be sued for malpractice, further eroding support for what is perceived as the economic risk of natural childbirth.
"Childbirth doesn't get the attention and respect it should," Sachs told ABCNews.com.
But he said it isn't only doctors driving the medicalization of pregnancy, but women themselves.
Many women are having their babies older, necessitating more Caesarean sections for high-risk pregnancies. Younger women who fear the pain or the cosmetic consequences of a vaginal birth pre-plan a Caesarean with their doctor's blessing.
"The question is, has it done harm to women or the experience of childbirth?" Sachs asked. "Positive things are coming out of this. There is a concentration on patient safety and reducing medical errors."
But a national survey by Childbirth Connection found just one incidence in 1,600 of a planned c-section, for no underlying medical reason. The non-profit also said the rate of Caesareans is going up in all groups of birthing women.
"The American healthcare system is increasingly dependent upon medical interventions to address what is, most often, a normal and safe physiological process," said Rebecca Benghiat, executive director of the New Space for Women's Health in New York City, where the Caesarean rate has just hit 31 percent of all births.
"Quite often, women are not fully informed of the risks associated with commonly performed obstetrical interventions, nor do they know there are options beyond hospital birth," she said.
But, childbirth advocates say that for women with uncomplicated and low-risk pregnancies, a natural birth can be safe.
"This is a big mess and no one is sure how we got there," said Erica Lyon, director of the education center RealBirth in New York City and author of the "The Big Book of Birth."
"We had a wonderful movement in the 1970s when women wanted to take control of their bodies," she told ABCNews.com "When we got to the eighties, we assumed it was fixed. But it wasn't."
Today, about 95 percent of all births occur in hospitals, 3 percent in birthing centers and only 1 percent at home, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. About 6 percent of all births are attended by midwives, but those numbers are dropping as their liability insurance rises.
Natural childbirth experts say they have seen a modest increase in interest in natural childbirth following a recent film by actress Ricki Lake, who gave birth at home with the help of a midwife.
Lyon charges that hospitals have "no standards of practice," bowing to the demands of overburdened doctors and women who don't understand the benefits of natural childbirth -- quicker recovery time, better baby bonding and more successful breastfeeding.
"It's good technology, but we do it over-aggressively," she said. "What we tend to do is treat it as an absolute rather than with a tiny bit of healthy skepticism."
But natural "means different things to different people," according to Dr. Lauren Streicher, an obstetrician gynecologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, who said current medical practices are safe and what women want.
'Go Ahead and Medicalize It'
"Most women say go ahead and medicalize it," she told ABCNews.com. "Low-intervention birth is on the decline because people are no longer interested. They say, 'I want an epidural and a C-section is fine for me.'"
Streicher opted for "zero pain" in her own pregnancy and planned to get an epidural even before her first contraction. But when her water broke weeks early, her anesthesiologist was on a ski holiday and her obstetrician was having a hysterectomy.
"I didn't panic," she said. "I had three or four very painful contractions, but after that it was a very lovely, easy labor and I pushed her [daughter] out."
She also agrees with women who say "there's no shame in doing a C-section."
But Dr. Louis Weinstein, chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Thomas Jefferson University, points out that although the mortality rate is "very low," a Caesarean is 6 to 20 times more dangerous than a vaginal delivery.
Though he will agree to an elective Caesaean, he makes sure the woman is informed and understands all the risks.
Weinstein also warned of the misuse of induction hormones, which he says studies show are the second most common source of medical errors.
Still, he said the use of epidurals, which carries its own risks, is safe when properly administered. "With all due respect, labor is uncomfortable and the reason someone coined it is you are working your rear end off," he told ABCNews.com. "Labor is very, very uncomfortable."
"I believe in choice, but this is a women's issue," Weinstein said. "We get more nasty letters that we didn't have time to put in the epidural."
But midwives say women are not encouraged by their doctors to explore alternatives such as birthing centers, where low-risk women can give deliver naturally, balancing technology with a home-like environment. There, no pain medication in administered, but women receive the support of a trained midwife and an assistant, who work with doctors to ensure safety. A warm and intimate environment -- and sometimes hot tubs and whirlpools -- provide a soothing atmosphere to experience the birth naturally.
"Most women don't know about their choices," said Asya Portnaya, 29, and a certified midwife from the Brooklyn Birthing Center in New York. "They are only aware of a hospital birth and just go as the doctor tells them to."
Midwives Show Lower Caesarean Rate
According to the Public Citizen Health Research Group, certified nurse-midwives have a Cesarean section rate of 11.6 percent compared with a national average of 23.3 percent.
"In a hospital, you get lost in the system, even as a midwife," she said. "If you take a child birth class in the hospital, they don't talk about natural birth as much. They talk about the epidural and the whole system supports an unnatural birth. You can't fight that."
Meanwhile, Julie Speier fought hard to see that the Cincinnati hospital team respected her wishes for a natural childbirth.
When the doctor seemed unable to guide the process, Speier's fiancé called a midwife friend and relayed her instructions to the doctor.
"At one point, the baby's head came out and the doctor pulled, but I said, 'Don't pull the baby, wait!'," she said. "Every doctor and nurse we spoke to knew it was important for me to have a natural childbirth. It was hard for them, but they stood back."
Despite the initial drama, Aine Joy, now 7 weeks old, was born healthy. Now ensconced in the joys of parenthood, Speier said she feels more empowered after going through the birth naturally.
"I have more faith in my body than in medical systems," she said. "This is what a woman's body is meant to do."
Cloe Shasha contributed to research in this report.

No Need for pregnant women to fast during labor..

2010-01-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

No need for pregnant women to fast during labor

Megan Brooks

Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:18am EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is no reason why pregnant women at low risk for complications during delivery should be denied fluids and food during labor, a new Cochrane research review concludes.

"Women should be free to eat and drink in labor, or not, as they wish," the authors of the review wrote in the Cochrane Library, a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, who was not involved in the Cochrane Review, agrees that pregnant women should be allowed to eat and/or drink during labor.

"In my experience," she told Reuters Health in an email, "most pregnant patients at Henry Ford are placed on a clear liquid diet during labor which includes water, apple juice, cranberry juice, broth, and jello. If a patient is brought in for a prolonged induction of labor, she will typically be permitted to eat a regular diet and order anything off the menu in between different induction modalities."

Milosavlievic has "not seen any adverse outcomes by allowing women the option of liquids and/or a regular diet in labor."

Standard hospital policy for many decades has been to allow only tiny sips of water or ice chips for pregnant women in labor if they were thirsty. Why? It was feared, and some studies in the 1940s showed, that if a woman needed to undergo general anesthesia for a cesarean delivery, she might inhale regurgitated liquids or food particles that could lead to pneumonia and other lung damage.

But anesthesia practices have changed and improved since the 1940s, with more use of regional anesthesia and safer general anesthesia.

And recently, attitudes on food and drink during labor have begun to relax. Last September, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a "Committee Opinion" advising doctors that women with a normal, uncomplicated labor may drink modest amounts of clear liquids such as water, fruit juice without pulp, carbonated beverages, clear tea, black coffee, and sports drinks. They fell short of saying food was okay, however, advising that women should avoid fluids with solid particles, such as soup.

"As for the continued restriction on food, the reality is that eating is the last thing most women are going to want to do since nausea and vomiting during labor is quite common," Dr. William H. Barth, Jr., chair of ACOGs Committee on Obstetric Practice, noted in a written statement at the time.

But based on the evidence, Mandisa Singata of the East London Hospital Complex in East London, South Africa, an author on the new Cochrane Review, says "women should be able to make their own decisions about whether they want to eat or drink during labor, or not."

Singata and colleagues systematically reviewed five studies involving more than 3100 pregnant that looked at the evidence for restricting food and drink in women who were considered unlikely to need anesthesia. One study looked at complete restriction versus giving women the freedom to eat and drink at will; two studies looked at water only versus giving women specific fluids and foods and two studies looked at water only versus giving women carbohydrate drinks.

The evidence showed no benefits or harms of restricting foods and fluids during labor in women at low risk of needing anesthesia.

Singata and colleagues acknowledge that many women may not feel like eating or drinking during labor. However, research has shown that some women find the food and drink restriction unpleasant. Poor nutritional balance may be also associated with longer and more painful labors. Drinking clear liquids in limited quantities has been found to bring comfort to women in labor and does not increase labor complications.

The researchers emphasize that they did not find any studies that assessed the risks of eating and drinking for women with a higher risk of needing anesthesia and so further research is need before specific recommendations can be made for this group.

SOURCE: Cochrane Library, 2010.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60J40520100120

You Have Choices

2010-01-16T13:04:00.001-08:00

Delayed Cord Clamping

2010-01-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

Delayed Cord Clamping

by JENNIFER LANCE

Do you know what delayed cord clamping is? I remember first coming across this information in anatural childbirth book my midwives had loaned to me, and I was struck at how barbaric it is not to delay umbilical cord clamping. In a typical hospital birth, the baby’s umbilical cord is clamped immediately after it has left the birth canal. Yet, if you observe the umbilical cord, it is still pulsing and delivering oxygen rich blood to the baby, even though the newborn has taken its first breath.

Why did doctors begin early cord clamping? According to Empowered Childbirth, it was to prevent anesthesia from “heavily medicated births” from entering the newborn’s bloodstream. Empowered Childbirth goes on to explain:

When a human baby is born it needs to begin breathing air into its lungs in order to survive. However, it would be a mistake to imagine that a baby’s first breath contains their body’s first experience of life-giving oxygen. Oxygen is provided for the fetus throughout the entire pregnancy by the mother, through the placenta. Following birth the placenta continues to provide oxygen for approximately 5 minutes while blood pumps, to and fro, through the umbilical cord. This is part of an ingenious plan of God’s (or nature’s) to allow the newborn time to “unfold” his/her lungs and to gently make the switch from living underwater to breathing air through the lungs. Remember, the infant is not receiving “placental” blood or even the mother’s blood through the umbilical cord. The baby is retrieving its own blood supply from one of its own functioning organs that just happens to be inside its mother’s body.

With both of my children, we delayed tying off and cutting the umbilical cord for well over 15 minutes. In fact, not delaying cord clamping can cause a host of injuries to infants, including:

newborn anemia, respiratory distress leading to brain damage and/or death (rare, yes, but it happens), inadequate blood supply resulting in a need for transfusion, possible heart defects resulting from problems closing off the hole in the heart valves following birth. There are a few doctors now theorizing that the rise in autism is due to brain damage caused by early cord clamping.

Judith Mercer, CNM, further explains problems related to blood flow from early cord clamping:

Early clamping of the umbilical cord at birth, a practice developed without adequate evidence, causes neonatal blood volume to vary 25% to 40%. Such a massive change occurs at no other time in one’s life without serious consequences, even death. Early cord clamping may impede a successful transition and contribute to hypovolemic and hypoxic damage in vulnerable newborns.

No matter where you deliver you baby or with a midwife or doctor, you can advocate for delayed cord clamping. It’s not just doctors, but many midwives also clamp early, so don’t assume your midwife will not clamp right away. Moving from the womb to the outside world is change enough for the baby without having your lifeline severed before it has stopped pulsing. Delaying cord clamping or tying is advice I think every pregnant woman should receive.

Avoiding Cesareans in Stalled Births

2009-12-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

Tips from a Doctor

Accidentally in Love

2009-12-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

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.

B's Birth 11/15/09

2009-11-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

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!

Epidural Epidemic

2009-11-17T16:31:00.001-08:00

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.

A joke . . .

2009-11-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

. . . 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!"

Delayed Cord Clamping

2009-11-08T15:37:00.001-08:00

http://www.empoweredchildbirth.com/articles/birth/noclamp.html

Motherhood...

2009-11-06T12:32:00.001-08:00

Q&A

2009-11-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

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

Doula at a C-Section?

2009-11-02T11:14:00.001-08:00

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.

Inspiring Quotes

2009-11-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

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

Wonderful Story

2009-10-31T10:41:00.001-07:00

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!

The Case Against Inducing Labor

2009-10-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

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....

Cesareans

2009-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Finding a Doula

2009-10-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

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?

Free Educational Website

2009-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Check this out. This is a free website that provides a lot of great information!

www.mothersadvocate.org

Healthy Birth Practices

2009-10-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

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?

You Can Now Drink Clear Liquids During Labor!

2009-10-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

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"

Recommended Childbirth Books

2009-10-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

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."

H's Birth

2009-10-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

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!

L's Birth

2009-10-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Article from Vancouver Sun

2009-10-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

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...

Article on Home Birth

2009-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to read the article.

The Labor Pro

2009-09-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

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.