Beautiful Births

One World Birth

2012-01-29T10:03:00.003-06:00

Vist One World Birth here...www.oneworldbirth.net

Anterior Cervical Lip Discussion

2011-01-22T12:05:00.003-06:00

I just read an interesting blog post about the physiology of women having an anterior lip during the last part of dilation. I consistently see women be "diagnosed" with an anterior lip and told to not push yet even though they want to, which has always confused me, so I really enjoyed this post. Tell me what you think!

http://midwifethinking.com/2011/01/22/the-anterior-cervical-lip-how-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-birth/

Birth Models That Work

2010-09-19T20:00:00.002-05:00

Have you bought your copy of Robbie Davis-Floyd's most recent book, Birth Models That Work? If not, do so now! Robbie needs to sell 250 more books in order to get the contract for Volume II: Birth Models on the Cutting Edge.

Birth Models That Work is a phenomenal collection of articles describing maternity systems around the globe that foster excellent birth outcomes through the midwifery model of care. It is a must read for anyone wanting to improve their maternity system. Personally, I found this book refreshing and hopeful, and I can't wait for Volume II!

Follow this link to buy it now!

Birth Models That Work : Edited by Robbie E. Davis-Floyd, Lesley Barclay, Betty-Anne Daviss, and Jan Tritten - University of California Press

History of Birth in America

2010-08-30T17:33:00.006-05:00

I thought that I would share with all of you my paper that I wrote for my monitrice/midwife's assistant certification course. My assignment was to read Witches, Midwives & Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English and write a paper on a particular point of interest. I have always been fascinated with the events that led to the establishment of the American maternity medical system, so I took this opportunity to research the history of birth more thoroughly and organize my thoughts into this paper. If this topic also interests you, I would love to hear your feedback!

Reading Witches, Midwives & Nurses peaked my curiosity about how our modern American maternity system was established, comparative to more humanistic models in other parts of the world. What happened to our culture that enabled the development of the majority of births being “produced” in a hospital setting under the primary care of obstetricians? To explore this question further, I read three other books: Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America by Richard W. & Dorothy C. Wertz, Brought to Bed: Child-bearing in America, 1750-1950by Judith Walzer Leavitt, and Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis-Floyd. I came to realize that there were multiple cultural, political and scientific threads that converged from the middle of the nineteenth century through the twentieth century, facilitating the development of America’s modern maternity system.

What were the cultural events and beliefs that fueled this system and enabled it to become institutionalized into our culture?

The American culture was based on the Protestant idea of man’s power over nature. This also led to an acceptance of man-made science dealing with the powerful natural experiences and replacing the ancient wisdom and magic of pregnancy and birth. This entire transformation of pregnancy and birth needed to be culturally controlled and standard obstetrical procedures filled this need for society.
The strong definition of sex roles at the turn of the century reinforced a male dominated culture when mostly men were becoming doctors.
The feminist movement focused on women becoming doctors instead of the right of humanistic care for women.
Americans became more mobile, which led to women leaving their support networks and this left doctors to fill the gap. The mobility of society also broke up the networks that supported midwifery. This lack of support enabled the doctors to easily make women feel fearful that they were weak and susceptible to disease and eager for their aid.
Strong American class distinctions allowed for the upper & middle class to feel as if they were getting better care through the new specialized doctor that used technology. There was a belief that doctors made birth “less dreadful.” This left the lower classes to still receive midwifery care and as a whole midwifery care started to be looked down upon. Multiple women’s magazines, groups and advocates of women’s health supported and advertised this new and improved specialty.
During the nineteenth century, ailments became fashionable in the upper class. Women at this time were expected to be weaker than men. Both of these fueled the new idea that a pregnant woman was sick and needed to be managed by a male doctor.
This new “American” way to have a baby fueled the desire for second generation immigrant families to Americanize themselves by going to an obstetrician and having their baby in the hospital.
During and after the industrial revolution, the idea of going to the hospital to be “processed” in a factory was the new way to produce things. Also, the machine is now replacing the organism as the way the world is organized, and this created an idea of our bodies working as a machine that can essentially be controlled. Culturally there was a distancing taking place from birth being a human experience and women becoming passively dependent on medicine. This was also the time where the power of the institution over the individual was being developed.
Women began to want a break from their “confinement” of pregnancy and the hospital took them away from their dreaded housework and obligations.
During this time women’s identification as a woman and mother was taken away which erased the woman’s power over the process and obliterated their own birthing traditions.
These choices from generations past declared the choices for each subsequent generation. Women’s choice to have more doctors made less midwives; their choice to have more hospitals meant less home births. Now multiple generations later, the choices of childbirth are limited.

What were the political events surrounding the development of our modern maternity system?

Once created, the medical profession grew rapidly, making doctors more accessible.
The development of the nursing profession created more nurses than midwives. This fit with the cultural establishment of the hierarchy within a medical establishment and fueled the patriarchy of American society.
The feminist movement focused on integrating women into a male dominated profession rather than attacking the male dominated medical profession.
The establishment of medical schools and certifying doctors forced midwives to legitimize their knowledge while possibly losing the essence of being a wise woman.
Corporate patronage and support of the new, larger medical schools eliminated the smaller midwifery schools for women and minorities.
Doctors were not being trained alongside midwives which created a loss of shared knowledge and competition between the two.
Centralizing care and institutionalizing medicine brought doctors power and prestige.
The rise in lawsuits and malpractice insurance became deterrents against physicians to humanize and personalize American medicine. This led to the establishment of standardization in the maternity system.

What were the scientific developments that stimulated the American maternity system we have today?

The lure of technology, which began with the development of forceps, was strong in a society where technology was a sign of progress.
The discovery of bacteria and the Germ Theory created a mystique of medical science. Since the knowledge was coveted by the medical profession, they gained the superior knowledge that women no longer owned.
Modern science allowed society to grow rapidly alongside the medical profession.
The development and use of pain relieving medicines created the lure of a pain free birth that you could only get in the hospital with a physician in attendance.
The fear of puerperal fever, syphilis, gonorrhea, and other transmittable diseases created the “cleansing” of women in the hospital and the inherent idea that women are diseased and need doctors to cleanse and manage them.
The development of automobiles enabled rural women to receive urban hospital care.
As doctors learned about scientific causes of ailments, they started to lose interest in the behavioral and environmental causes of diseases and birth traumas. This was the start of practitioners treating the disease instead of counseling the woman.
The discovery of the Germ Theory also created a frenzy of cleanliness around the home and birth was viewed as dirty, so going to the sterile hospital was appealing.
Stemming from Greek Aristotelian traditions, the male body became the prototype of a perfect machine, while the female was defective and needed to be manipulated by man. This also fit well into the Protestant belief of woman being less than man.

The convergence of these culture, political and scientific beliefs and events have brought us to the system that is in place today. It is unfortunate that we are now bound by a dehumanizing maternity system. I am hopeful that midwives will continue to pass down the sacred wise woman knowledge of birth and that we will all educate women and let them demand to be cared for in a humane and safe way, making access to midwifery care a human right among all classes.

Want a Personal Fairy?

2010-08-19T09:48:00.006-05:00

Some of my posts have been really deep lately, so I thought I would lighten it up a little bit! The following is a post that MODG posted on her blog: http://www.modgblog.com/ Thanks, MODG, for officially declaring that myself and all of my doula sisters are now officially FAIRIES!

The hippies know something that the rest of us don’t. Well since I am falling somewhere in between hippie and gossip girl, I’m going to ruin the hippie code and tell you what they have going on. I hope they don’t kick me out of the club. I was pretty close when I wore the 4 inch heels to see the midwife last week. She was having NONE of that.
Ok, hippie secret. So they figured out a way to do something that I have been trying to find a way to do my whole life. And not only are they doing it, they got their husbands on board to pay for it.
THEY HIRE PERSONAL ASSISTANTS DURING PREGNANCY AND BIRTH!!!! NOT KIDDING.
So here’s how they did it. They were like, you know what? My husband is a lame tard and I don’t trust him at all to do the stuff I need when I give birth and I may squeeze his head off with the forceps. I am going to hire a personal assistant who does whatever I say and who is a baby birth expert and I’m going to call it something hippie sounding like “Doula” so they get confused and just go along with it.
SO SMART HIPPIES!
You hire a doula when you get preg and they are there for you throughout the whole pregnancy with secret tips and tricks to make you feel better and will give you massages and will bring you secret herbs from their magic gardens and are basically birth geniuses. And they work for YOU, not the hospital, not your husband. So they do what you say.
So you best believe I jumped on that shit immediately. B was pretty much on board because he faints if the tampon doesn’t flush in the toilet. So he can play brickbreaker on his blackberry while me and the doula work it all out.
MODG, eat this flower and your baby will float delicately out of your vagina. OK fairy whatever you say.
Here was my criteria in hiring a doula:
1) She has to be pretty but not prettier than me.
2) She has to have a lot of secret magic. Like stuff that I don’t know about involving aromatherapy, herbs, spells and ESPECIALLY know how to make my vagina stay in one piece when I deliver this 23lb baby.
3) She has to think I’m funny.
4) She has to have really long hippie hair.
And would you believe that I found her? I did. I did. I DID. And not only does she meet all of my criteria, I THINK that she may be a fairy (!!!!) I know. She is tinier than me with super white skin and looong black hair and wore a little blue fairy dress. In our interview I was like, Fairy…do you have secret tricks and can you please detail them for me? She’s like, yes I do but I can’t tell you now. SUPER SECRET TRICKS!!! Obviously she was hired.
So my fairy has already been at my beck and call via email. I’m betting she regrets this arrangement already. And when Plankton wants to show his hairy face, she’ll come to my house and then follow me to the birth center and make sure everyone does what I want when I want, like a good personal fairy assistant. She also comes for a few visits to our house to do secret stuff.
Also she is a birth photographer as a bonus. I’m going to have a strict no pink parts policy. But I do enjoy a photo shoot. And I KNOW you’ll on be on me for pictures like the second Plankton pops out with his laptop in hand.
So, my recommendation ladies is if you EVER have the chance to hire a personal assistant/fairy, DO IT. Pregnant or not. Husbands are easy to convince of this stuff.
If you have detailed doula questions, I recommend asking my virtual doula Zdub. She would be my actual doula if she didn’t live in Colorado. But she scores 300 hippie points for living there.

A New Hope

2010-08-09T15:01:00.003-05:00

First of all, I want to say "thank you" to Sarah and Sally for the positive feedback and getting me motivated to post again :) I have so many birthing thoughts swirling around in my head that I want to share, so I will start with the most positive...

I have started studying for my midwife's assistant/monitrice certification through Birth Arts International, and my first assignment is studying the history of midwives and birth assistants. I LOVE IT!! First of all, I have a great excuse to get more books and read for hours on end, but mostly I love learning how our present birthing society was created. The hopeful part is that we haven't been entrenched in this highly medical model of care for very long and now there are some really strong signs that our birthing culture is waking up and noticing that there may be a better way for women to give birth and for babies to come into this world.

Let's all applaud ACOG for declaring that VBACs should be an option for women and celebrate the fall in circumcision rates to 33%!! Hopefully, this is just the beginning. I am imagining an ideal birthing culture in the next 100 years where women have a choice in where and who attends her birth and midwives and doctors will all be working together to provide optimum care for pregnant mamas.

In order for this to happen (& preferably sooner), we all need to educate ourselves on the facts of our birthing culture and how it can be improved and, most importantly, TALK ABOUT IT & SPREAD THE WORD!! There is no need for our sisters and babies to struggle through a time that should be so beautiful!

Here are the books that I am reading:
Witches, Midwives & Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English

Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America by Richard W. Wertz & Dorothy C. Wertz

Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America, 1750-1950 by Judith Walzer Leavitt

Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie E. Davis-Floyd

Beautiful Birth Video

2010-07-11T00:40:00.005-05:00

2010-06-22T16:29:00.001-05:00

Changing the World - Music PPT

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Loving-kindness

2010-06-20T12:30:00.003-05:00

I am consistently amazed at how this beautiful Universe works. I love the little (and big) messages that are given to show me "the way." Yesterday, I had a great friend tell me that my last blog post inspired her to "speak up" and call 3-1-1 to report two dogs left in a hot car with the windows rolled up. This makes me think about all of the wonderful changes that are going to be made when we all support and act with loving-kindness.

I have also been trying to sort through my feelings about activism and how to do it without aggression and anger fueling my agenda, because anger and aggression just don't "feel right." So, here is the message I received today from Pema Chodron's book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times...

When we hold on to our opinions with aggression,

no matter how valid our cause, we are simply adding

more aggression to the planet, and violence and pain increase.

Cultivating nonaggression is cultivating peace.

How perfect is that! I have a sense of peace this morning that I will and am making a difference in the birthing world. I will ask for the patience to help me maintain my nonaggression and subdue the feeling of immediacy that begets agendas and anger while overshadowing the essential aspects of clarity of mind, and openness.

I am excited to continue my journey and witness the beauty and empowerment of women experiencing the wonder of conception, pregnancy, birth and mothering.

Much love, peace and gratitude to all of you that share the path of loving-kindness!

Speak Up!

2010-06-18T22:43:00.002-05:00

I read a quote today: "Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." So, here I am...speaking, and if you could hear me or see me...I am shaking. I am shaking because changes to our maternity system need to happen NOW! I was also inspired by something else I read the other day...set your goal to be like someone you admire. Today is the day that I am going to start speaking up, speaking from my heart so that I can start to make changes like all of those women that I admire so much. After I rattled off my passions and goals to my dad today, he asked me, "So, you are going to be a shaker?" Yes, Dad, I am going to be a mover & shaker. I am going to continue researching and start talking and writing louder, because my whispers aren't helping moms and babies and families. I am committed to help other women find their voices, so that they can speak what their hearts are telling them and assist them in breaking through the cultural ideology surrounding birth in the US. I will make mistakes along the way, and I invite you to point them out to me, so that I can learn from them. This is the only way to invoke a transformation that will save and improve lives. Today, I vow to speak my mind, even if my voice shakes. Do you?

Birth and Death

2010-06-13T21:28:00.002-05:00

I was honored to attend the birth of a beautiful baby boy just recently. Because he died at 40 weeks gestation, I am still processing through this birth. I am going through all of the emotions and nurturing them as they arrive. Hopefully, I can express my thoughts soon, so that my words will be helpful to anyone who may be confronted with the death of a baby. Until then, much peace and gratitude to all transformed by this sweet baby and to all of those who have assisted me through this process.

Busy, busy, busy...

2010-04-21T18:33:00.003-05:00

Just so you all know that I haven’t forgotten about you, I have been busy, busy, busy and blogging has not been my top priority :-)

Here are all of the things I have going on:

Postpartum Doula Training Program online with Birth Arts International

Advanced Women’s Herbal & Aromatherapy Online Course with Birth Arts International

Hypno-Doula Certification

Apprentice Midwife with the lovely, Debra Day

Portfolio Evaluation Process for my CPM through NARM

GRE preparation for admittance to graduate school Fall 2011

Birth Arts International Doula Training Instructor planning for a doula training in Austin Fall 2010

JinGui Qi Gong Training

Not to mention observing the home-learning of our two children, taking care of numerous pets, being a loving wife, enjoying friends & sometimes cleaning the house!!!

My 1st Assist

2010-04-01T12:39:00.002-05:00

Early Sunday morning, Debra called me with two simple words, “Come on!” This was my cue to meet her at my first homebirth as a midwife’s apprentice. I was so excited, but apprehensive. I was excited to be attending a home birth but apprehensive about the discoveries I would make... “Do I agree with Debra’s birth philosophies? Would we work well together? Would I feel comfortable being in the midwife role?”

I learned so much in the early morning hours of March 28th. I learned that I was on the right path. I learned that I was where I was meant to be. For the few previous months, I had been following my intuition and walking through the many doors of opportunities. These opportunities lead me here, to this beautiful birth and I was grateful.

I fell more in love with Debra during this birth, and this birth confirmed our connection and ability to work together. It also confirmed my ability to be in the role as a midwife. Maybe one day, I will share with the mom how special her birth was to me. Maybe one day, I will share with you the story of my first “catch.” Now how amazing is that?

Ibu (Mother) Robin Lim

2010-03-12T09:47:00.002-06:00

I met Robin Lim at the CIMS forum a couple of weeks ago. This woman is amazing! She is so full of love and doing a great service from her heart. She is a midwife with 3 birthing centers in Bali, Aceh and Haiti. Her website (http://www.bumisehatbali.org/) has field notes from Haiti and a list of supplies that each birthing center is in need of.

One of her daughters also attended the conference and showed a screening of her new movie dedicated to the work her mother has done. This documentary is amazing!

It is women like these that give me the inspiration to follow my heart and make a positive impact on our world. They are a great testimony to the power of love!

Cervical Scar Tissue

2010-02-24T17:54:00.003-06:00

Picture of a healthy cervix taken from The Beautiful Cervix Project

I copied this important article from San Diego Birth Resource Network’s blog. I will now also ask all of my client’s about any history of cervical operations or procedures. Coincidently, I just read about cervical scar tissue in Elizabeth Davis’s Heart & Hands: A Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth. It is nice to know that there is a pretty simple fix for this scenario, too. Heart & Hands recommends massaging the cervix (the mom can do this herself) with evening primrose oil twice daily for several minutes (this is contraindicated for any woman with a history of premature labor until she is at least 37 weeks). This can also be done in early labor, in case it is prolonged. The evening primrose massage will soften tissues and break up adhesions, preparing the cervix for dilation. Here is yet another way to treat our bodies gently!

Cervical Scar Tissue – A Big Issue That No One Is Talking About.

by Doula

In my first year of being a birth doula, I had this client. She desperately wanted a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). She told me how in her first birth that she was in labor for hours. Waters broken, Pitocin, epidural, tubes and wires coming from every direction. During her extremely long ordeal the only change to her cervix was the effacement (the thinning of the cervix). Her cervix never opened at all. I assumed at the time that this was because her baby was just not ready to come out. This time could and would be different. She would wait for labor to start. We would stay at home and labor where she was comfortable. When the day came, that is exactly what she did. Her labor seemed to be moving right along. When we got to the hospital I expected they would tell her that she was 4-5 cms. Instead what we got was, 100% effaced but only a finger tip dilated. I think I may have even gasped out loud. I immediately started beating myself up in my head. How could I have read her labor so wrong? 6 more hours would pass with her, her husband and I working hard. Moving from the birth ball to the shower and I swear every inch of that hospital room in between. After 6 hours, still a finger tip dilated. Obviously there is something wrong with her cervix, but what. No one seemed to know. Not the two different nurses that we had the pleasure of getting to know or the doctor who we saw just once when he was coming to explain that she would be having yet another c-section. This is one of those moments in my career that I really wish I knew then what I know now.

I have never stopped thinking of her. There has always been this part of me that wanted to call her and say “I know what it is now, can you have another baby so we can fix it?” I just know this would not make her feel any better. Instead, I keep her close to me whenever I ask the question now during each and every prenatal visit, “Have you ever had any procedures done to your cervix?” Every single birth professional that is assisting clients should be asking this question.

Look, I’m not a scientist, researcher, doctor and anything else that would know how to study this stuff. What I am is a doula that has had the pleasure of attending over 100 births. I know that the client I mentioned above was not the only one who had a c-section because of scar tissue during my earlier days. I can look back and think of all the clients that seemed to be in transition (7-10 cms) but when checked were still only 4cm. Stuck there for hours and hours. Then wondering for days after their c-section if there was something I could have done differently to help.

A New Day!

The day that changed my life as a doula forever, my very own sister was having a baby. She was having her second baby. I told her how great it would be and it would be so much faster than her first. When she started having surges just a few days before her due date, we were excited. I went to her home (3 hrs away) and stayed the whole weekend. She had surges off and on all weekend but nothing really steady. I went home after three days and decided that maybe my being there was freaking her out. For the next week, she had surges every day. I kept telling her it was going to be great. All this work would get her cervix open slowly and gently. Then she visited her midwife. She was just a finger tip dilated. I chalk this up to my sister being a big drama queen. All the surges have been Braxton Hicks! The next weekend comes and I find myself making the drive because this time her water broke. Now we know this baby is coming. She has mild labor, 7 minutes apart for 16 hours. Nothing is changing. I suggest we head in. Something is just not right. We get to the hospital and a different midwife she has never met comes to check her. 100% effaced but only a finger tip dilated. What?! Are you kidding me?! Then the words that changed my life. “Have you even had any procedures done to your cervix?” My sister says “yes, I had cryo surgery done a couple of years ago to remove pre cancer cells”. Midwife “ok well that makes sense, you have scar tissue on your cervix, and I can feel it.” Huh? Scar tissue on the cervix? Why had I never heard of this? My client from before comes rushing back to my head. Of course! The midwife proceeds to explain to my sister that she is going to try and massage the cervix and break the scar up. With some discomfort for my sister, she went from a finger tip dilated to 3 cms in a matter of minutes. An hour later she was 4 cms and an hour after that my nephew was born. Once the scar tissue had completely released, she flew to 10 cms.

As you can imagine, I asked that Midwife a ton of questions. I wanted to know all I could about this scar tissue stuff. Besides “massaging”, what can you do before hand? She shared her knowledge with me. Told me that HPV is so very common and more and more women are having these standard procedures done, but are never informed that it most likely will leave scar tissue. Although less common, this includes women who have ever had a D & C after a miscarriage or abortion.

Once I was armed with the knowledge, my successful VBAC rate shot up as did my vaginal birth rate in general. I would ask the question and if the answer was yes, I would tell them what I knew. I would suggest that they mention it to their doctor so that if anything came up during labor, would he or she be willing to massage the cervix. Also I learned from that Midwife that evening primrose oil taken orally and vaginally would help break up the scar tissue before labor. (Orally taken the entire pregnancy and vaginally each night only after 36 weeks).

Since this very important day 3 1/2 years ago, I know I have prevented c-sections. Several times in the hospital I have asked the doctor to please, when he is checking mama to feel for scar tissue. Almost every time the doctor has said “oh yeah, I feel some sort of knot here” or some other variation of that statement. This then leads to a question of; can you try and rub it out?

Why Doctors aren’t talking about this is beyond me. I honestly think they don’t know that it is an issue. I don’t believe it is something they are being taught in medical school. We all need to start talking about it because unless women are being asked the question, they just don’t know.

Written by: Doula Dawn Thompson

Reducing Infant Mortality Video

2010-02-17T16:20:00.001-06:00

Reducing Infant Mortality from Debby Takikawa on Vimeo.

The following statement was taken directly from reducinginfantmortality.com:

The Video Project:

The current US Health Care System is failing babies and families before, during and after birth. At this critical moment when the US government is re-envisioning our health care system, we are seizing the opportunity to make a 10-12 minute video not only to point out the flaws in the way we care for babies and families, but also to identify the keys to improved care. Our infant mortality ranking is 42nd on the world stage which means 41 countries have better statistics. This places us right in the middle of the following countries: Guam, Cuba, Croatia and Belarus, with over double the infant deaths compared to the top 10 countries of the world. (CIA World Factbook).

Our astronomically high African American infant mortality rate at 16 deaths per 1,000 is similar to countries such as Malaysia and the West Bank. Not only are babies dying needlessly, but the ones who survive this failing system are also often adversely affected by unnecessary procedures and separation from mother and family. Our intent with this video is to encourage policy makers to consider a health care system that holds prevention of these calamities as a high priority. The midwifery model of care for healthy low-risk women is a simple solution which addresses many of these issues simultaneously.

We are advocating for a health care system in which it will be standard procedure for mothers and babies to thrive and not merely survive through birth and early life. The midwifery model of care will save our health care system millions of dollars each year.

Photo Credits:

Creative Commons Photos

Palestinian woman from the Gaza Strip is giving birth to quadruplets in a cesarean surgery in an Israel Hospital Edi Isreal

Cesarean team Bob J Galindo

Cesarean Eduardo Marquetti

Epidural Rave Dave

Fetus Lunar Caustic

DSCN 6000 Vesna Roganovic

First bottle feeding Jason Morrison

Esto Somos Nosotros Quique

Takahata HS 10 F a r e w e l l

Photo by Alejandra Sarmiento from the book Beautiful! Images of Health, Joy and Vitality in Pregnancy and Birth by Jennie Joseph (2007) reprinted with kind permission of Jennie Joseph.

Premature babies Photos by Raylene Phillips MD

Film footage:

What Babies Want

Vintage Film footage:

Labor and Childbirth 1950 Prelinger Archives Produced by Medical Arts Productions Public Domain

Statistics:

Statistics charts and graphs courtesy of the March of Dimes PeriStats www.marchofdimes.com/peristats

Reducing Infant Mortality has a creative commons copyright for sharing and attribution

The Experts in the film:

Marti Glenn, PhD, Founder and President, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute.

Geeta Maker-Clark, MD, Family Physician, Maternal Child Health, Prenatal Yoga Instructor, Magnolia Family Medical Clinic, Ventura County Medical Center.

Bruce Smith, MD, MPH, Medical Officer, County of San Bernadino Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Section.

Sarah Buckley, MD, Dip Obst, Author: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctors Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices.

Chauntelle Williams-Parker, Mother, Lactation Specialist, WIC Program (Federally Funded, Women, Infants and Children Program).

Jennie Joseph, LM, CPM, Executive Director: Commonsense Childbirth, Inc., Founder of "The JJ Way' Maternal Child Healthcare System.

Monica Matos, Founder Ten Moons Rising Holistic Family Education, Birth Educator and Activist, Doula: Author: articles include, Reclaiming the Wisdom and Power of Birth, Women Disregarded in Maternity Care, The Amazing Motherbaby Connection, The Power of Healing Early Trauma.

Phyllis Klaus, MFT, LMSW, Author: books include, The Doula Book, Bonding, Your Amazing Newborn, a video, The Amazing Talents of the Newborn, and When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Child Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women.

Marsden Wagner, MD, Perinatologist, 15 years Director, Women's and Children's Health, World Health Organization (responsible for Women's and Children's Health in 45 industrialized countries),131 scientific papers, 20 book chapters, 14 scientific books published in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Hebrew and Danish.

Paula Ingalls, BA, Lecturer, Author: In Search of My Mind and Soul: Birth Traumas and Beyond.

Bryan Oshiro, MD, Medical Director, Perinatal Institute, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG, Internship and Residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Expertise includes high-risk OB, ultrasound and infertility. Advisory Board: The Baby Center. Co-Author: Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom & Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife and a Mom.

Raylene Phillips, MD, MA, IBCLC, Preterm Infant Developmental Specialist and Neonatology Fellow. Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.

Due to the length and pointed focus of this short film not everyone interviewed could make it into the final version. Our gratitude to all the distinguished experts who lent their wisdom, suggestions and words to our understanding of the issues of Infant Mortality and creating Healthy Babies.

Michel Odent, MD, Obstetrician and researcher. Medical studies at Paris University. Author of more than 50 scientific papers. Author of 12 books published in 22 languages including: The Farmer and the Obstetrician, The Cesarean, The Scientification of Love, The Functions of the Orgasms: The Highways to Transcendence.

Thomas Verny, MD, Psychiatrist, internationally recognized author who has written 7 books and published 44 scientific papers on topics relating to prenatal and early postnatal environment on personality development. His book, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, has become an international bestseller published in 27 countries. Founder, the Association of Pre and Peri-natal Psychology and Health.

Marshall Klaus, MD, Neonatologist , Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, Author: books include, Care of the High-Risk Neonate, The Doula Book, Bonding, Your Amazing Newborn, and co–editor for 10 years of The Neonatal/Perinatal Yearbook.

David Chamberlain, PhD, Author: The Mind of Your Newborn Baby.

Karen Strange, Midwife and Clinical Director, Maternidad La Luz Midwifery School on the US/Mexico border in Texas, Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor: newbornbreath.

Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD, Senior Researcher Fellow, Dept of Anthropology, U of Texas, Austin, Author- books include: Birth in Four Cultures, Birth an American Rite of Passage, mainstreaming Midwives, From Doctor to Healer – The Transformative Journey.

Yeshi Neumann, CNM, MA, MPH, practiced midwifery in diverse settings, from high-risk obstetrics in an urban hospital to working with traditional midwives in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Tibet. She created Homestyle Midwifery at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, CA in 2000.

Arisika Razak, BSW, RN, MPH (Masters in Public Health), CNM, Director of the Women’s Spirituality M.A. and PhD. Programs in Philosophy and Religion at the California Institute of
Integral Studies. She was worked for over thirty years in women’s health, spiritual dance and nurse-midwifery.

Paul Fleiss, MD, Masters in Public Health. Pediatrician in private practice, Hollywood, California.

Maria Iorillo, LM, CPM, Wisewoman Childbirth Traditions, Vice President, Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Board of Directors California Association of Midwives (CAM).

Rupert Linder, MD, President of JSPPM, OB-GYN, Psychotherapist.

Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD, RN, Founding Chair & Faculty, Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology Program, Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. Author, Welcoming Consciousness: Supporting Babies' Wholeness from the Beginning of Life–An Integrated Model of Early Development (2009). Co-founder, BEBA, a non-profit clinic for babies and families to early trauma. International presenter, educator, consultant and practitioner specializing in optimizing human potential from the beginning of life. Guest editor, Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health.

Tara Blasco, PhD, RCST, Therapist BEBA Family Clinic.

Micheline Charpie, MD, PhD, MA, MT, LCAT, Newborn Intensive Care, Roosevelt Hospital, New York City.

Brent Babcock, DC, Author: My Twin Vanished: Did Yours?

Sally Clark, MFT, Psychotherapist, Adoption Specialist

Barbara Findeisen, MFT, PhD, President of the Association of Pre and Peri-natal Psychology and Health.

Charlotte Peterson, PhD, Director Oregon Network of Infant Mental Health, Infant Mortality Task Force of Lane County Oregon.

Corey Colwel-Lipson, MA, LMFT, ATR-BC.

William Emerson, PhD, Author: Healing Birth Trauma in Children.

Debra Bonaro-Pascali, LCCE, CD (DONA), Director-Producer of the film: Orgasmic Birth.

Carrie Contey, PhD, Co-Author: CALMS, A Guide to Soothing Your Baby.

Julie Gerland, Chief Administrative Officer UN Representative for OMAEP, (The World Association for Prenatal Education Associations) an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Simon House, MA, Parish Priest, Author: The Unborn Child and Generating Healthy Brains.

Mia Kalef, DC, Director of Emerging Families Clinic, Author: The Secret Life of Babies.

Guiditta Tornetta, Doula, Founder: Joy in Birthing.

Dave Paxton, RCST, MBA, Clinical Social Worker.

Dorothy Mandall, MA, PhD, Consultant for autistic and developmentally delayed children.

Wendy McCord, PhD, Psychotherapist.

Myrna Martin, MN, RCC, RCST, President of Kutenai Institute of Integral Therapies, Director of Nelson and Area Mental Health Services. Author: Birth and Attachment: how to totally support your baby from here on.

Michael Trout, MA, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor specializing in Infant and Maternal Health.

Laura Uplinger

Giselle Whitwell, BA, MA, Board Certified Music Therapist, MT-BC.

Marilyn Milos, RN, Executive Director National Organization of Circumcision Information.

Judith Prager, PhD, Consultant, Verbal First Aid, Author: THE WORST IS OVER: What to Say When Every Moment Counts and Journey to Alternity, Transformational Healing through Stories and Metaphors.

Home Birth Video

2010-02-05T09:56:00.000-06:00

This is an excellent video of a couple and their journey on deciding to have a home birth.

I wanted to post this video mainly to enforce that having a home birth is a safe option. Many women do not even know that they have a CHOICE on where they want to give birth. I also think a certain stigma surrounds home births and videos like these are steps toward more women having empowered and beautiful births.

Midwife Apprentice!

2010-02-04T10:37:00.003-06:00

Who is this beautiful lady? This is my new mentor! Her name is Debra Day and she is wonderful! We met in a hospital bathroom while we were both giving labor support to clients practically next door to each other. I had her and her daughter (who lives right down the street from me) over for tea last week to talk more about becoming a midwife and all of the cards fell into place.

I am now working with her two days per week. She works independently and with another midwife in town, Mary Barnett. Debra provides labor support, prenatal and postpartum care and attends home births.

I am still in awe that I am studying to become a Certified Professional Midwife to assist women in their home births!

Check out their websites and look forward to many more adventures on my new journey.

debraday.com

Heart of Texas Midwives

Informed Consent & Refusal

2010-01-28T13:46:00.004-06:00

Childbirth Connection is a wonderful organization that is dedicated to improving maternity care. Here is what they have to say about informed consent & refusal:

Who is responsible for making informed maternity decisions?

When pregnant, giving birth, and after birth, women are responsible for making informed

decisions for themselves and on behalf of their babies. They have the legal right to give

"informed consent" or "informed refusal." Most women report a high degree of interest in

knowing what a proposed maternity intervention would involve, alternatives (including no

action), and potential benefits and harms of the different choices. Maternity professionals are responsible for providing scientifically supported care and for carrying out established legal processes for informed consent. Legally, "patient viewpoint standards" are in effect in many or most states. This means that clinicians must tell those in their care about the possible benefits and harms that a reasonable person in that situation would want to know to make an informed decision. Much time and effort are required to meet these legal and ethical standards for informed consent. Women need full and accurate information about labor and birth decision points and interventions well before labor to be able to pursue the care of their choice and make informed decisions around the time of birth.

Why is women's involvement in maternity care decisions important?

The decisions women make and the maternity care they receive can have lasting effects on

the health and well-being of their baby, themselves, and their family. It is always important to understand whether there is a clear, well-supported rationale for any procedure, drug, test or treatment that is being considered. In many care settings, some practices are used freely and even routinely, whether or not the mother or baby have shown a clear need. Although these practices may be of value to women or babies in certain situations, they may be unnecessary for most. They may be disruptive, be uncomfortable, cause more serious side effects, and lead to the use of other interventions. For these reasons, interventions should not be used routinely or unnecessarily.

What are important factors for informed maternity decision making?

For a woman, making informed decisions means learning and thinking about the best

information available on maternity care, and then deciding what's right for herself and her

baby. Key questions include:

• What are the possible choices?

• What does the best available research tell us about beneficial and harmful effects of each of these choices?

• What are her own needs and preferences and those of her partner (if she has one)?

• What choices are available and supported in her care setting and through her caregivers?

• If she wants an option that will not or may not be available, would she consider switching to a care setting or caregiver that does offer the preferred care? It is not possible to know ahead of time exactly what a woman's labor experience will be like. Being as informed as possible in advance can help women deal wisely with any new decisions that may arise at the time. It is important for a woman to learn about options, get answers to her questions and think about her preferences well before labor begins. It is also important that her partner or other support people are aware of her wishes and prepared to speak on her behalf if the need arises.

What does it mean to give "informed consent?"

Informed consent is not a form or a signature. It is a process between a woman and her

caregivers to help her decide what will and will not be done to her and her body. In the case of maternity care, informed consent also gives a woman the authority to decide about care that affects her baby. The purpose of informed consent is to respect her right to self-determination. It empowers her with the authority to decide what options are in her best interest and the best interest of her baby. Her rights to autonomy, to the truth (as best as it can be known at the time), and to keep her and her children safe and free of harm are very basic human rights.

What are women's legal rights to "Informed Consent" and "Informed Refusal?"

Whenever a medical procedure, drug, test, or other treatment is offered to a woman, she has the legal right to "informed consent." This means that her doctor, midwife or nurse is

responsible for explaining:

• why this type of care is being offered

• what it would involve

• the harms and benefits that are associated with this type of care

• alternatives to this care, and their respective harms and benefits, including the possibility of doing nothing and simply waiting longer.

A woman has a right to clear and full explanations about her care and answers to any and all

questions about her care. She also has the right to request and receive a copy of her medical

records and to get a second opinion. Then, by law, she has the right to decide whether to accept the care that is offered. If she disagrees with her caregiver and decides not to accept care that is offered, she has a right to this "informed refusal." And, even if she signed a form agreeing to a particular type of care, she has the right to change her mind. Although these are well-established legal rights, they have been challenged in a few recent cases. It can be difficult to carry out the informed consent process in busy health care settings. Yet, a woman and her caregiver should set aside the time to discuss these issues in advance whenever possible, and again when it is time to make a decision. It is crucial that women do not learn about procedures and options for the first time while in labor and facing important decisions. At that time, it may be too late to get all questions answered, weigh options, and pursue specific preferences.

What are some tips to help women explore these issues with their doctor or midwife?

Women can make a list of questions before each visit, and jot down the answers. They may

wish to bring their partner or someone else who is close along to listen to what is said. This is not the time to be shy; nothing is off limits.

While talking with caregivers, women can say:

• I don't understand.

• Please explain this to me.

• What could happen to me or my baby if I do that? Or if I don't?

• What are my other options?

• Please show me the research to support what you're recommending.

• Where can I get more information?

• I have some information I'd like to share with you.

• I'm uncomfortable with what you are recommending.

• I'm not ready to make a decision yet.

• I'm thinking about getting a second opinion.

Any question that a woman has is worth asking. When answers are not clear, women should

ask again until they understand.

What happens if a woman and her caregiver disagree?

Caregivers have rights, too. They have the right to agree or disagree to provide care that a

woman may request. For example, if a woman requests a cesarean and has no medical need

for this procedure, her caregiver has the right to refuse to do the surgery. Increasingly, fear of lawsuits is leading caregivers and hospitals to refuse to provide some types of care that would be a good and reasonable choice for many women, such as vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Forcing healthy pregnant women with a previous cesarean to have major surgery against their wishes seriously compromises the quality of maternity care. Major liability system reforms are needed to improve this situation.

These issues speak to how important it is to have a good collaborative relationship that

includes open communication, mutual respect, and shared points of view. A woman who takes care to find a doctor or midwife who respects her needs, values and goals can help avoid conflict down the road.

Miracle Max's Wise Words

2010-01-26T12:27:00.001-06:00

My good friend and doula partner, Kate, has been watching The Princess Bride a lot with her kids lately. Being the birth junkie she is, Kate found a great line in this phenomenal movie that relates to birth...

“Rush a miracle man and you get rotten miracles.”

She was even able to amend my favorite line of the movie...

“I’m not a witch, I’m a midwife!”

Enjoy the clip, then rent the entire movie, and be ready for The Princess Bride to become your family’s favorite!

Other Birth Blogs

2010-01-22T12:59:00.002-06:00

I wanted to give a shout out to all of my favorite birth blogs. I glean so much good information and inspiration from all of these blogs. Go check them out yourselves!

community.midwiferytoday.com/blogs/jan/

blog.ican-online.org/

glorialemay.com/blog/

betterbirth.blogspot.com

Doctors Speak Out Against Vaccines

2010-01-12T10:10:00.002-06:00

Continuously, I am amazed by the vaccination debate. There is so much evidence about the dangers of certain vaccines, as well as the numerous conflicts of interest that also surround the promotion of vaccines in the USA. I was glad to come across these two videos that show doctors questioning vaccines. We need more influential people like these to speak up and protect our children and our future.

International Cesarean Awareness Network

2010-01-07T13:34:00.001-06:00

This week, I want to put a shout out to ICAN. This is a wonderful organization that provides education and support for cesarean awareness. It is groups like these that make a difference and instigate the much needed change in the birthing world.

For those of you in Austin, the ICAN meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 am at the Carver Library. Spread the word!

Midwives are at Home with Birth

2010-01-05T16:49:00.003-06:00

Midwives are at Home

with Birth

I was driving along the other day reading all of the crazy bumper stickers when this idea came into my head:

“Midwives Are at Home with Birth”

For over ten years, I have been passionate about home births. Now that I have become a doula, this passion is intensifying. But as a doula, I have a constant debate going in my head: “How do I support a woman in the hospital when I truly believe that she should be at home with a midwife?” and “Where is the balance between being supportive of a woman’s choice and advocating for home births?”

While talking with a client today, I answered my own questions.

I have realized that MY personal choice is having a home birth.
By telling my story and educating women about their choices, I AM advocating for home births.
I am supporting a woman’s choice by supporting her in the hospital.

Beyond anything else, I believe that a woman has a choice about where, with who and how she gives birth to her baby. This is why I am a doula. This is my role right now. I am here to educate women about the choices they have and support them in the choices they make.

Eventually, when I become a midwife, I will take on a new role of directly advocating for home births and supporting women with their choice to give birth at home.

So, along with my belief that “Midwives are at Home with Birth,” I also believe that “Doulas Support a Women’s Choice.”

10 Years Ago...

2010-01-02T12:12:00.004-06:00

Ten years ago, I experienced the most empowering and transformative event of my life...the birth of my son. Experiencing birth at home surrounded by strong women led me to where I am now--supporting women in their own empowering and transformative birthing journey.

My First Induction

2009-12-26T12:13:00.003-06:00

I experienced my first Pitocin induction this week. My client’s water broke four days before her due date, and she wasn’t having any contraction. So after much debate and a second opinion from a midwife, she agreed to being induced. I was expecting the worst, but the entire birthing experience went really well. The nurses started her off very slowly and her body kicked in so that she didn’t need a lot of Pitocin. The only negative effect of the induction was having the contractions so close together and active labor lasting longer. The mom gave birth after 19 hours of labor and never got an epidural or had any interventions. I was honored to be a part of their birthing experience and grateful for the experience of a necessary induction.

You are a Midwife...

2009-12-17T10:45:00.001-06:00

Midwife’s Sign in Ancient China

"You are a midwife. You are assisting at someone else's birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening. If you must, take the lead. Lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the babe is born the mother will rightly say, 'We did it ourselves.'"

— Lao Tzu, in Tao Te Ching

Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference

2009-12-14T22:12:00.001-06:00

Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference from Alexandra Orchard on Vimeo.

Watch how a baby is born by cesarean section and see the dramatic difference of what both the mother and baby experience in a home water birth after cesarean.

Care.org

2009-12-10T19:10:00.004-06:00

My kids and I went to the cinema today and watched a nobelity.org movie, One Peace at a Time. In a society of greed, power, fear and war, it was so refreshing to spend some time listening to stories of hope and empowerment in the world. One organization that was highlighted in the movie was CARE. One woman in the movie from CARE had a shirt on that said, “I am powerful.” HAVING to get one of these shirts, I found their website and became instantly engrossed. This is a description of the organization from their website:

“CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.”

I believe that we all want to help out our brothers & sisters to make this world we live in even better. We just have to use our hearts to pick a cause and start taking steps. Right now, I am helping women become empowered by their birth experience and giving children a more peaceful entrance into the world. This is just the beginning for me.

Kristen's Birth Story

2009-12-09T15:56:00.002-06:00

Here is a great birth story from one of my clients:

Birth Story, Part I

In bullet point form, because the challenge of composing coherent sentences is more than I feel like attempting at the moment:

• Started having contractions early in the morning on Saturday November 28th, sometime around 6am.

• Told Mark I was having contractions at around 9am, via text message from the bedroom, so I wouldn’t have to get jumped on in the process by Alexander. Contractions were light at this stage, and were coming every 10-15 mins or so.

• Sent Alexander and Rosie off to play with Auntie Katie and Uncle Marcus around noon.

• Then not a lot else happened for a while, so I had a bath and tried to get some rest because I was expecting a long day ahead of me.

• When Mark helped me out of bed after my rest, I felt a small gush of fluid between my legs. Not very dramatic. Did my waters break? Did I pee myself? Hmm.

• Decided to walk up to Katie’s house to get some fresh air and sunshine and move around. About 100m out from the house, felt another gush of fluid. This time I was certain that it was not a bladder control issue.

• Called my doula, who didn’t reply. (I actually still have not heard from my original supposed doula. I am rather worried something may have happened to her or her family over Thanksgiving?)

• Called my backup doula, Erica, who suggested Mark and I go out and continue on our little walk to see if that gets things moving.

• Walked around the block, running into several neighbours who seem…concerned that I was out and about. Visited with Katie while Alexander was napping. The outing did provoke a few more contractions, but still nothing serious.

• Went back to the house. Contractions continued all evening on and off, with varying intensity.

• Watched some television – a few episodes of “Coupling” – from the comfort of my couch.

• Every time I got up, there was a small gush of fluid, which I soaked up with an old towel between my legs. I know. Nice.

• My mood turned more serious around 7pm, and although contractions were still not that intense, they were coming regularly at 6 minutes apart, and I was getting concerned about the fluid leakage. We spoke to Erica, our doula, and after some deliberation, Mark and I decided to head in to the hospital.

• We got to the hospital and checked in around 8pm. I lay down on the bed and as soon as I did, contractions more or less stopped. Pah.

• The nurse checked me and pronounced me to be around 2.5cm dilated and 70% effaced, with my bag of membranes still intact. In other words, pretty much the same as at my previous doc appointment. PAH.

• Erica encouraged us to walk the halls to see if that would help move things along. We walked loops around the Labor and Delivery floor for the next hour. Erica had me walk through my contractions, which was challenging, but possible. Labour definitely picked up while I was actively walking.

• We stopped back at the room around 9.30pm to check in with our nurse. I lay down again on the bed, and once again, contractions dissipated when I stopped moving. I felt a little discouraged. It was late, I was getting tired and feeling hungry and it really looked like we were in for a looooong night. I was silently berating myself for coming in to the hospital too early.

• While we waited for the nurse to come by, Mark, Erica and I discussed possible options for what we would like to happen next. We agreed that if possible, we would like to be discharged from the hospital and head home for the night to recoup. Erica prepared me for the possibility that the doc may not want us to leave, since it seemed possible that I had a tear or leak somewhere that was producing the little gushes of fluid.

• The nurse came back, checked me again and announced no additional progress. We said we would like to head home for the night and our nurse agreed to check with the doctor. The nurse tested my pad for amniotic fluid and it came back negative (not sure how, but yay!), so we were dismissed with doctor’s permission for me to head home, take an Ambien (sleep aid) and try to rest up before a later attempt.

• We left the hospital, came home, had a quick bite to eat and I popped an Ambien and went to bed. The truly amazing thing is that I slept! I actually slept from around 11.30pm until around 6am! I woke up a few times through the night with contractions, but nothing dramatic.

• When I woke up at 6am, contractions had picked up. I stayed in bed for another hour or so, timing contractions which were coming around 6 minutes apart, but with stronger intensity than the previous day. After the previous evening’s events, I was determined not to go into hospital until I really knew I was making progress. So I slowly and methodically worked my way through brushing my teeth, washing my face and then I had a bath. Contractions really picked up in the bath, and I could tell that Mark was getting concerned about getting me back to the hospital. He tried to shepherd me through getting dressed, but I was determined to go slow.

• We got into the car at around 8.15am and called Erica and my doctor to let them know we were headed back to the hospital. Mark dropped me off at the entrance and went off to park the car. I huffed and puffed my way through a few contractions in the lobby area, attracting the attention of a passing nurse, who seemed very concerned and wanted to get me into a wheelchair. I declined, explaining to her in my firm, I’m-in-labour-matter-of-fact way that “No. I’m fine. I’m just having a baby.”

• Check-in was a lot more challenging this time. I didn’t want to hang around and chat. Mark could tell and he dealt with me and the check-in person.

• Erica met us at the check-in station and we headed to our room. I was kind of dreading being checked by the nurse again for progress. What if nothing had changed from the night before?

• Our nurse (different one from previous evening) checked me and pronounced me to be 7cm dilated and 80% effaced. YAY! Finally, some progress!

To be continued….

Birth Story, Part II

Continued from Part I….

• Once it was clear that baby was indeed on her way, it was time to go through the process of checking on the baby with the external fetal monitors. This process of being in active labour and needing to lie down on the bed whilst being monitored was something I had been dreading. I lay down on my side and the nurse attached the monitors. I stayed in that position for a little while, but not the full 20 minutes requested, opting instead to move to sitting on the ball with the monitors still attached. From my point of view, this was a good thing. I felt a lot less anxious about pain management once I got out of the bed.

• I’m not sure how long it took, but after a while, the nurse seemed satisfied with the data gathered about the baby’s heartrate and whatnot, and we took the external monitors off. Whew. Free at last.

• All this while, Erica and Mark worked with me to make me as comfortable as possible. Mark stayed close by and applied counter pressure to my back during contractions. Erica put cool wash cloths on my neck and placed peppermint aromatherapy oils nearby to help with nausea. Every so often I was aware that there was music playing softly in the background. I specifically remember listening to “Blackbird” at some point, and for whatever reason that song has stayed with me, floating around my brain.

• At some point, I went into the bathroom to use the toilet. While I was in there, the doctor who was on call came in to check on me. I thought I had met all the doctors at my OBGYN’s practice, but I didn’t know this doctor. So, I’m inside the toilet, with the door closed when the doctor, who I have never met, comes into the room. The very first words I hear come out of her mouth are something to the effect of “Has her water broken yet? No? Ok, well we can rupture the membranes to help move things along faster.”. Immediately, alarm bells started ringing in my head. This was not what I had in mind! I finished up in the bathroom and shuffled out to meet my doctor. I decided to introduce myself. “Hi. I’m Kristen. We haven’t met before.” I don’t remember exactly what was said from here, but between me, Mark and Erica, we made it clear that I was progressing just fine and no artificial rupturing of anything would be required at this point in time. To which the doctor replied “Oh. Well, I guess they’ll rupture at some point.”. She guesses? GUESSES? Pah. [Also, I'm pretty sure the doc was wearing some sort of perfume. If I had to guess, it was something Estee Lauder - either Beautiful or Pleasures. It may have been pretty faint, but I could still smell it. It made me feel nauseous. Ick.]

• I laboured for a while longer, mostly sitting on the ball, bent over the bed with my head on a pillow. I began feeling increasingly nauseous and DANG those contraction hurt. I started asking for an epidural. Mark and Erica talked calmly to me, explaining that in all likelihood I was going through transition and this was the worst part and soon it would be time to push and so on. And I wanted to believe them. But I was flat out terrified of having to lie on my back for delivery without any pain management in place. So I persisted with my request for an epidural.

• At some point around this time, a new nurse started working with us. Our previous nurse had been called in to assist with another birth in a neighbouring room. Although I liked the first nurse – she was supportive and upbeat – I was kind of glad when she left….because she was so supportive and upbeat. Apparently I prefer silence when I’m concentrating during labour. New nurse was a lot more quiet.

• An IV was placed to get the necessary fluids into me as required by the docs before the epidural could be administered. Then the anasthesiologist showed up and asked me to get into bed and lie on my side, so he could do his thing. I got onto the bed and lay down, only to promptly get up onto my hands and knees in preparation for an oncoming contraction. I figured I would deal with that contraction first before laying down, since I knew it would hurt more once I was on my side in bed. But the contraction just went on and on and on, and after a while, the anasthesiologist helpfully informed me that if I would just lie down, he could administer the epidural, and my pain would go away. I snapped my head up, and said “Yeah. I get that.” and finally succumbed to laying on my side.

• HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS PAINFUL. Is there anything worse than having mega-contractions whilst laying down in a bed and trying to stay still so that someone can stick an enormously long needle into your spine? I THINK NOT.

• And then it was done, and the pain eased and I waited for the fog to lift. Which it did….sort of…except that my next set of contractions made me want to PUSH. My body knew what it wanted to do, and it just did it. The pushing motion broke my water and suddenly there was a full on gush of warmth. I told the nurse, Mark and Erica the news. “Uh. I want to push. And my water broke.” The nurse peered beneath the sheet that was draped over my lower body and asked “How long did you push with your first child?”. “Not long.”, I answered. The nurse promptly disappeared from my field of view and called in the doctor and delivery team. Meanwhile, Erica started to prepare the bed for push time, lifting the stirrups out for placement. As she was doing so, the nurse told her not to put the stirrups up yet and that we needed to wait until I was ready to push since the combination of the epidural and having my legs up in the stirrups for an extended period of time was a paralysis risk. As all this was going, the doctor arrived, checked me and asked the nurse to put the stirrups up, because I was ready to push. HA.

• All this while, I could still feel the contractions and I could still wiggle my own toes. The epidural had taken most of the pain away, but I still had sensation in my lower body. The first proper push attempt felt very different than it had with Alexander’s birth. I could feel what I was doing. And it was quite hurty. Meanwhile, the doctor started messing with my delivery zone, presumably to help prepare for the upcoming stretchathon. YOWCH. I snapped my head up and shouted at her “HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE!”. She looked up and caught my eye momentarily before answering brusquely “Trying to make sure you don’t tear. It’s looking tight. Did you have an episiotomy with your first birth?”. “No, I did not!”, I replied. And in my head I was screaming “AND I DON’T WANT ONE THIS TIME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.” but I kept that gem to myself.

• Fortunately, after about 20 or 25 minutes of working hard with the pushing, the baby appeared without any further drama, and the next thing I knew, she was there in all her glory, wailing and wriggling on my chest. For all the doctor’s doom and gloom, the baby was delivered with only very minor tearing and I did not need any stitches. So YAY for that.

• Oh, just remembered one more thing – when the baby arrived, the doctor announced “Congratulations! It’s a boy!” and I was all “What? A boy? Really?” while doc quickly corrected herself “It’s a girl! Sorry! A girl!”.

Suzanna Mary was born at 11.51am on Sunday November 29th, a mere ~3 hours after we arrived at the hospital that morning. Not a bad, eh? She is beautiful and perfect and nurses like an absolute champ. We could not be more thrilled.

Part III to follow soon – a short round up of what happened once Suzanna arrived and some general reflections on her birth.

Birth Story, Part III

Continued from Part I and Part II…

A few notes from after the birth:

• Unlike when Alexander was born, with Suzanna, all the weighing and measuring and bathing etc were done in the delivery room, so she was never out of sight. This meant that Mark, Suzanna and I were never split up. That was nice.

• Since the epidural never really took hold of me, I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom by myself shortly after delivery. That was really nice.

• Did I mention that I didn’t need any stitches? That was really super nice.

• Katie and Marc came to visit us in the delivery room and helped us to move and settled into the new room.

• When everything that needed to be taken care of was completed in the delivery room, we were moved en masse across to the Nesting rooms. It was very close by. On our way to the new room, we passed by the same nurse I had talked to in the lobby area upon my arrival that day. The one who tried to get me into a wheelchair. I recognised her and said “Hey! I had my baby!”. She laughed and said “Well done! That didn’t take long!”.

• Once we were installed in the new room, it was still only early afternoon, so we had plenty of time for my parents, Alexander and Lennie to come and visit us. They brought us lunch from Uno. Mmm.

• We tackled a small mountain of paperwork that afternoon. Whew.

• Mark made sure Suzanna and I were settled in and happy, and then he was able to go out for dinner with Alexander and my parents, which was nice for Alexander. Mark came back to visit Suzanna and I at the hospital after dinner and brought us a few things from home, then he went home again to try to get some real sleep.

• Real sleep is hard to come by in a hospital. There are all sorts of people who need to come and poke at you at all hours of the day and night. And if they weren’t prodding at me, then they needed to check on Suzanna. So even though Suzanna was a perfect angel, and even though I was crazy tired, I still didn’t manage to get much sleep.

• Thus, when morning rolled around, my goal for the day was to get us dismissed from the hospital. There are a lot of items that need to be dealt with in order to gain approval to leave! We visited with Suzanna’s doctor, my doctor, Suzanna did a hearing test and had some blood work done, I had a tetanus shot and we filled in yet more paperwork. Alexander and Heather came to visit around lunch time, and then Billie came by to visit us after she finished work, and was able to help us to get packed up to leave.

• Finally, we got the all-clear to leave around 5pm. We secured Suzanna into her car seat and trundled down to the car with our belongings. Once we were all loaded into the car, Mark drove carefully up Mopac in the thick of Monday evening rush hour traffic, in the freezing cold rain.

My labour and Suzanna’s birth were so very different from Alexander’s arrival in so many ways. I don’t know why I was expecting them to be more similar, but it seems that whether consciously or unconsciously, I was expecting events to unfold in a similar manner and timeframe, and it kind of threw me for a loop when things didn’t play out the same way. In retrospect it seems absurd that I should have even considered that the birth of my very different children should be in any way the same.

One final note on the topic of Suzanna’s arrival that I don’t think I’ve mentioned up until now – she was born on her actual due date! For whatever reason, I had got it stuck in my brain that Suzanna was due on November 28th. But the doctors and nurses all confirmed that the official due date in my medical file was November 29th! So there you go. Suzanna was exactly on time.

Support is...

2009-12-08T11:43:00.003-06:00

Support Is..

Unconditional.

It is Listening…

Not judging and telling your own story.

Support is not offering advice…

It is offering a handkerchief, a touch, a hug…caring.

We are here to help women discover what they are feeling…

Not to make the feelings go away.

We are here to help a woman identify her options…

Not to tell her which options to choose.

We are here to discuss steps with a woman…

Not to take the steps for her.

We are here to help a woman discover her own strength…

Not to rescue her and leave her still vulnerable.

We are here to help a woman discover that she can help herself…

Not to take that responsibility for her.

We are here to help a woman learn to choose…

Not to make unnecessary for her to make difficult decisions.

-Anonymous

Plaque for Every Birth Room

2009-12-07T11:46:00.001-06:00

I attended a doula workshop on VBAC this weekend. This excerpt from Dutch professor of obstetrics G. Kloosterman really made sense to me:

Spontaneous labour in a normal woman is an event marked by a number of processes so complicated and so perfectly attuned to each other that any interference will only detract from the optimal character. The only thing required from the bystanders is that they show respect for this awe-inspiring process by complying with the first rule of medicine--nil nocere [Do no harm].

I personally believe that Western obstetrics could learn something from the Netherlands’ model of care since they have one of the highest percentages of home births and one of the lowest percentages of C-section rates and perinatal and maternal mortality in the world.

NOCIRC Video

2009-10-08T07:34:00.007-05:00

The National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers has posted a very informative video on their website (www.nocirc.org). I highly recommend watching it if you are wanting more information about circumcision of boys. They state the following on their site:

What you need to know...

No national or international medical association recommends routine circumcision.

Only the USA circumcises the majority of newborn boys without medical or religious reason.

Medicalized circumcision began during the 1800s to prevent masturbation, which was believed to cause disease.

Today's parents are learning that the foreskin is a normal, protective, functioning organ.

Today's parents realize circumcision harms and has unnecessary risks.

Circumcision denies a male's right to genital integrity and choice for his own body.

Beautiful VBAC Story

2009-10-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

My Journey to a VBAC from Lindsey Meehleis on Vimeo.

Birth #5

2009-08-13T13:49:00.003-05:00

I attended my 5th birth last week. This was my last birth for certification through Birth Arts International.

The mom visited with her doctor on Tuesday and wasn't dilated at all. Then she calls me on Friday morning at 1:30 to say that she is having regular contractions. She calls me back at 3:30 am to say that she wants me to come over. On the way to her house, her husband calls to say that they are going to the hospital and to meet them there. We walk around the hospital parking lot for about 1.5 hours until she wants to be admitted where they find her at 9 cm!! She delivers a beautiful baby girl 3 hours later!!

Did I mention that is was my first VBAC, too? Gotta love it!

Doula Video

2009-07-24T11:20:00.002-05:00

My 3rd & 4th Births!

2009-07-23T20:02:00.002-05:00

The third birth I attended was another special one...it was my first vaginal birth! This first time mom arrived at the hospital 7 cm dilated and gave birth 5.5 hours later! It was a very "easy" birth for me which was good because just 6 days later, I attend birth #4!

Caden

Tobias

Doulas

2009-07-23T18:56:00.007-05:00

I know that I am not the only doula who feels this way...

Between births, sometimes I get the feeling of amazement that couples pay me to attend their births. It is such an honor for me to help couples through their birthing experience that I sometimes forget what a blessing it is for the couple to have someone present who is compassionate, knowledgeable and consistently advocating for their ideal birth.

I received a thank-you note today from a family that brought tears to my eyes:

Dear Erica,

I cannot thank you enough for the service you have provided since my husband and I decided to have you as our doula. Your passion for what you do, your knowledge and skills, and the calmness of your personality all contribute to the excellent job you performed, especially on the day when our baby was ready to come out and meet us. Thank you for being there for me, my husband and our baby. Having you as a wonderful part of this beautiful birth experience will be something for us to cherish for the rest of our lives.

May God bless you and your family abundantly!

This thank you letter is not only for me. It is for all of the doulas out there that forget what an important job we are doing. It is to remind us all that our services provide not only a lifetime of positive memories for families but also our compassion for beautiful births ripples through the community in so ways.

Response to ACNM's stand on CPM's

2009-07-18T12:49:00.004-05:00

This is Simkins' letter in response to ACNM's letter to their members and Congress stating that they do not support federal recognition of CPMs.

TO: Open Letter to the ACNM Board of Directors and Executive Director

FROM: Geradine Simkins, CNM, MSN, MANA Board President

RE: ACNM Opposition to Federal Recognition for the CPM

DATE: July 17, 2009

I am a CNM and a member of the ACNM and I say very emphatically-not in my name! I do not support your recent decision to publicly and aggressively oppose the efforts of a broad-based coalition of six national midwifery and consumer organizations seeking federal recognition of the Certified Professional midwife. Your position, to me, is indefensible.

Lack of Evidence

For an organization of professionals that values evidence, I find it inexcusable that you have chosen an action that the evidence does not support.

* There is no evidence to support your claim that the majority of CPMs are not properly qualified to practice.

* There is no evidence to support the position that CPMs in general have poorer outcomes than CNMs or CMs.

* There is no evidence to support the position that CPMs trained though apprenticeship and evaluated for certification through the Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP) of NARM have different outcomes than CPMs trained in MEAC-accredited schools.

* And there is no evidence to support the notion that a midwife with a Master’s Degree has better outcomes than one without that level of higher education.

The evidence we do have on the CPM credential indicates that the midwives holding this credential are performing well, have good outcomes, and are saving money in maternity care costs. The growing number of women choosing CPMs suggests that women value the care provided by CPMs. If future research should demonstrate the PEP process is unsafe or not cost-effective, then that would be the time to reassess and restructure the process.

Differing Values

We, as midwives, have values that underpin our professional practice. We cherish and honor those values. You have stated that your board made its decision because ACNM strongly values formal standardized education, and opposes federal recognition of CPMs who have not gone through an accredited program. I can accept that you strongly value standardized education. However, I strongly value multiple routes of midwifery education for a variety of reasons.

There is something important, powerful and valuable in a training process in which the student midwife or apprentice is educated in a one-on-one relationship with a preceptor and her clients in the community, as opposed to the tertiary setting where student midwives do not follow women throughout the childbearing year, and may never experience continuity of care or individualized care. In addition, by preserving multiple routes of entry into the profession, we are able to educate more midwives. We need more midwives! If health care reforms were to produce an adoption of the midwifery model of care as the gold standard this year, we could not possible supply “a midwife for every mother.”

Impact of Taking a Stand

By publicly and actively opposing federal recognition of CPMs as Medicaid providers, in addition to taking a stand about formal education, you are also taking a stand (willingly or inadvertently) for decreased access to midwifery care, for diminished choice for women to choose their maternity care providers and place of birth, and for restricted access to the profession. Is it worth it to sacrifice several things you value, just so you can take a stand for one thing you value? Is it possible for you as an organization to value something, but also realize that it is not the only valid way? Is it possible for you to respect the diversity of pathways to midwifery that the CPM represents? Standing aside on a potentially divisive issue does not require the ACNM to sacrifice any of its standards. It simply requires the ACNM to respect the standards of another part of the profession of midwifery.

Disingenuous Claims

It is disingenuous of ACNM to state in its Special Alert to ACNM Members on July 15, 2009, “ACNM’s decision to oppose this initiative followed unsuccessful attempts by ACNM and MAMA Campaign leaders to reach a compromise that both organizations could support…” There was no formal process or interaction, no negotiations, and no attempt at collaboration between ACNM leaders and MAMA Campaign leaders. There was one phone conversation in which the ACNM representative stated there was only one concession they would accept: federal recognition only for gradates of MEAC-accredited programs; this is not a compromise. The MAMA Campaign, of course, is promoting all CPMs to receive federal recognition as Medicaid providers, not just some CPMs.

Furthermore, it is disingenuous to suggest the World Health Organization (WHO) document sets a standard that has been embraced around the world. In fact, the WHO developed global standards for midwifery education without the input of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), an international partner of the WHO. The majority of members of the task force that developed the standards were not even midwives. There was not widespread input regarding the document nor targeted input by midwives. In response to this oversight, the ICM passed a resolution at the June 2008 Council meeting in Glasgow Scotland (I was there!) to develop global midwifery standards. A task force has since been convened and all member organizations (which includes MANA and ACNM) will be able to give input to the standards developed by the ICM. Generally, when the ICM develops a document that might supplant an existing WHO document (as was the case in the international definition of a midwife), the ICM document is eventually incorporated by the larger international community. This will be a long process and any new document will not be ratified by ICM until the next Council meeting in 2011.

Lack of Vision

What offends me most-as a CNM, an ACNM member, a member of the MANA/ACNM Liaison Committee, and the President of the Midwives Alliance-is the lack of vision this decision represents.

Why not embrace diversity and support innovation? Why not bring the turf wars to an end? Why not unite under the banner of midwifery and the values that we share in common? Why not set aside our differences and recognize that we are all midwives? Why not recognize that the work we do is more important than the credentials we hold? Why not support one another within the profession, because diversity is our strength not our weakness?

What We Do Matters

The healthcare debate has been in progress in Washington DC for over a decade, but never before has the possibility of real change been as promising as it is now. Now is the time when we may have a real opportunity to effect unprecedented changes in maternal and child health care that will have long-lasting affects for mothers, infants, families and communities. Women deserve high quality maternity care, affordable care, and equal access to care. Women deserve options in maternity care providers and in their place of birth. Vulnerable and underserved women deserve to have disparities in health care outcomes eliminated, and they deserve to have barriers removed that limit services, providers and reimbursement for maternity care.

Expanding the pool of qualified Medicaid providers to include CPMs will help address the plight of so many women around the country who receive poor quality maternity care or do not have access to care at all. We need to lower the cesarean rate and increase VBACs. We need to lower infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the U.S. We need to offer women the opportunity to believe in their bodies again and to give birth powerfully and in their own time. We need to welcome babies gently into the world. We need to give the experiences of pregnancy and birth back to families. We need to support women to breastfeed and help shelter the process of maternal-infant bonding. These are the real issues. These are the things we deeply value. Midwives are the solution that can address each of these vital issues. All midwives and midwifery organizations united, together, working toward these common goals, could produce these kinds of improvements in maternity care. We do not have to think together; but we must pull together!

In Conclusion

I repeat to you-not in my name. As an ACNM member, I will not comply with your requested action; I will actively oppose it and encourage others to do join me in doing so. Your position on CPMs does not represent what I value, what I hope for, and what I work untold hours to achieve. I have written this letter at the urging of the fourteen members of the MANA Board of Directors. Seven of the Board members are CPMs, four are CNMs, one is a CPM/CNM, one is a CM, and one is a DEM. They represent a true cross-section of the midwives in practice in this nation. We stand for diversity, tolerance, and unity among midwives and within the profession of midwifery. We advocate and work for a midwife for every mother, in every village, city, tribe, and community in this country and across the globe.

Sincerely,

Geradine Simkins-CNM, MSN, President

MANA Board of Directors

Maria Iorillo-CPM, 1st Vice President

Christy Tashjian-CPM, 2nd Vice President

Angy Nixon-CNM, MSN, Secretary

Audra Phillips-CPM, Treasurer

Pam Dyer Stewart-CPM, Region 1

Regina Willette-CM, Region 2

Tamara Taitt-DEM, PhDc Region 3

Sherry DeVries-CPM, CNM Region 4

Elizabeth Moore-CPM, Region 5

Colleen Donovan-Batson-CNM, Region 6

Dinah Waranch-CNM, Region 9

2009-07-17T17:23:00.002-05:00

With America being the leading country in over using technology during pregnancy and birth, it is nice to know that there are some politicians in America that still value the health of women and children and listen to the overwhelming statistics that state ultrasounds alter cell development and should only be used for medical diagnosis. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Read the article here (http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-xgr-ultrasoundboujun24,0,2341415.story)

Early Labor Anticipation

2009-07-07T07:16:00.002-05:00

There is something magical about early labor. You know that there will be a beautiful baby born very soon. You know that a family will enjoy one of the most memorable moments of their life. It is almost like your own early labor anticipation. You have time and energy to think about the magnificence of birth with a certain uncertainty of what lies ahead. I begin to feel the adrenaline run through my veins, so I take deep cleansing breaths to calm the excitement of being part one of the most amazing times of life...birth.

Birth Video Junkie

2009-07-02T17:40:00.003-05:00

So, I have become a birth video junkie :-) I have spent many hours browsing all of the births on YouTube. A few weeks ago I found Bastian's Birth. There are 9 ten minute videos that take you through a good portion of a woman's beautiful unassisted birth. It shows a lot of active labor and pushing and made a lasting impression on me. Tell me what you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V2rj2ZkUSc

My 2nd Birth!

2009-07-02T17:12:00.002-05:00

I attended my second birth on April 30th. One of my best friends from middle and high school gave birth to a sweet baby girl, Tess. I was honored to be a part of such a special day!

Co-Sleeping

2009-07-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

So, when I was pregnant and raising my kids, I have always just followed my heart on what works best for our family...home births, co-sleeping, attachment parenting, homeschooling, etc.

Now that I am working with many different families, I am confronted with numerous questions on the multiple debatable topics around birthing and children (vaccinations, circumcisions, etc.) There is a certain challenge to presenting information in a non-biased and honest way without pushing my personal opinions on them. Yesterday, a mom that I am working with mentioned how a pediatrician does not support co-sleeping because of the high numbers of deaths that it causes every year. He stated that there are around 100 deaths from co-sleeping each year in Texas alone!

So, I became curious about this statistic and started poking around the internet and asking questions. It turns out that the American Pediatric Association and Consumer Product Safety Commission state that co-sleeping is not safe. Well, this does not mean too much to me, but got me digging further. I started receiving lots of input from co-sleeping adovocates and some anti co-sleeping supporters. Needless to say, I was getting very confused. I finally received a link to the 2008 DSHS Texas State Child Fatality Review(http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mch/pdf/Texas%20Child%20Fatality%20Review%20Team%20Annual%20Report%202008.pdf). This is a super comprehensive report of all the 2006 deaths of everyone under the age of 17. From this report, there are two sections of greatest importance as related to deaths from co-sleeping. The first one is on pages 47-48. It states that there were 83 SIDS related deaths in 2006 of children one year old and younger. 38.8% of these deaths happened in an adult bed and 32.8% happened in a crib (these were the highest percentages with bassinette being the next highest at 10.4%). This amounts to 26 SIDS deaths happened in an adult bed. Hmmmm....this still doesn't say if the child was co-sleeping in the adult bed. Another interesting statistic is on page 57. This chart shows the percentages of asphysxia infant deaths due to suffocation by sleeping place. An overwhelming 60% of the 38 deaths happened in an adult bed (22 deaths)! So, the total amount of infant deaths in 2006 in Texas in an adult bed is about 48. This still doesn't state if an adult was sleeping with the child or not. It also doesn't explain that if the parent was sleeping in the bed if the adult was intoxicated or on drugs.

Now every coin has two sides and there are multiple studies showing the benefits to co-sleeping. Dr. McKenna has done extensive research into co-sleeping. You can read all about his findings here:

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/faq.html

Also, Mothering Magazine has multiple articles on the benefits of co-sleeping (http://www.mothering.com/search/node/cosleeping) Just some of the benefits listed are the baby sleeping better, the baby not crying as much, closer bonding, etc. There are also numerous articles supporting the idea that co-sleeping is safer than crib sleeping. All of the co-sleeping advocates reinforce the importance of co-sleeping safely (not being intoxicated, not having lots of bedding, etc.)

So, here is my not so scientific personal conclusion...I KNOW that co-sleeping can be safe. After all, our kids slept with us until they were 6 years old and they didn't suffocate. We were very mindful about sleeping with the kids, especially when they were infants. We didn't ever cover their heads, I always protected them with my arm and they didn't sleep on the edge of the bed. I never even considered the fact that they could die while sleeping with us. I only knew that it felt right. Did they benefit from sleeping with us? I believe they did. I think that it reinforced the bonding that we shared during the day and it allowed them to sleep better.

So, how do I present this information to the parents that I am working with now? I consistently tell them to do what is best for their family, be mindful of propoganda and FOLLOW THEIR HEARTS!

Good night!

The Caesarean

2009-05-11T20:44:00.002-05:00

So, after 2 births and 2 Caesareans, I have become very curious about the theories revolving around the causes of caesareans. I was pleased to read a book by Michel Odent called The Caesarean. I really enjoyed Odent's writing that stepped over "politically correct" boundaries numerous times, in order stay authentic to his beliefs and observations. He mainly states that a woman needs privacy and NO neocortex stimulation for the birthing process to be most successful.

Since reading this book I have modified my role as a professional birth supporter to incorporate more of my own authentic, non-judgmental, mother-type nurturing. I feel like women giving birth need to feel safe and nurtured, in order to relax and let their bodies' natural function progress without intervention. After attending two relatively traumatic births, I started feeling like I should be doing more. When in reality, I am doing exactly what I should be and could almost do less "persuading." "Persuading" the mom that she is doing a good job and "persuading" her body to do more. I honestly trust in the women's ability to find her unique coping strategies during birth. I trust that her body will do what it needs to do to birth a child. I trust that the baby is doing what he/she needs to do to be born.

Breast Crawl

2009-04-26T15:48:00.001-05:00

I love to see videos of births from other countries.

Circumcision Movie

2009-04-26T15:42:00.005-05:00

This is an interesting movie about circumcision...

My First Baby

2009-04-12T20:53:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of my first baby born under my watch...

Carson

My Personal Artist

2009-03-25T08:48:00.004-05:00

I know you can't help noticing the beautiful painting at the top of this blog. It is by an up and coming Swedish artist, Sofie Trigo Wagner. The original painting was done 3 years ago, and after I showed interest in buying the painting, Sofie decided to repaint it for me. She sends me updates of the painting as she works on it. The most recent update is at the top of the page. I can't wait to get my hands on the original!

You can see more of Sofie's work here: http://student.nackademin.com/dg07104/2d.html

This was the original painting done 3 years ago

I (She) Did It!

2009-03-16T08:19:00.002-05:00

I attended my first birth a couple of days ago! I will post the full story once I get permission from the new parents. I can tell you that I spent about 22 hours with them and it was wonderful! I learned so much, and I felt like I did a good job in supporting both of them through one of the most amazing experiences in their lives. I can now honestly say that I have found another calling in my life. I will hopefully be assisting women during birth for many years to come. I feel a deep gratitude for this couple inviting me into their lives and initiating my new career. I am also very grateful to my friend, Shelley, for giving me the opportunity to attend her childbirth education classes at the hospital that this couple delivered at and all of the super helpful advice she has given me.

I have gained a lot of perspective after attending a hospital birth (I had two homebirths myself). I now see the benefits of having a competent medical staff to assist in the delivery of a child. Even though it may take a little bit more leg work, a woman can have a beautiful, nurturing, and empowering experience in a hospital. I know my new mama did and so did I!

My 1st Birth...almost

2009-03-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

So, I'm waiting for my first mama to enter into active labor. She had early contractions, then they conveniently stopped so that she could finish up her work before taking her maternity leave tomorrow! I talked to her again at 9pm. She had been having consistent contractions for about 4 hours, but not real strong. She is so cute and trying not to get too excited. She said, "Well, I think he will be here by St. Patrick's Day." Uh, yeah!

I am also trying not to get super excited. My in-laws arriving from Pennsylvania will be a nice distraction for this evening.

Hopefully, I will have a nice birth story to post tomorrow!

A Shock and Call for Change

2009-03-08T19:46:00.004-05:00

I just left a childbirth education class held at a local hospital by a local doula and friend. It was a 2 day class and very informative. After the class, the teacher let me thumb through the evaluations left my the attending couples. Two of the questions were: "How did you feel about labor and delivery before the class?" and "How do you feel about labor and delivery after the class?" The majority of participants used words like "anxious," "scared," "worried," and "afraid" to describe how they felt before the class. This was really shocking to me. Where are they getting these feelings from? Is it because the majority of televised fake births on t.v. look scary? Are the majority of people describing their births as scary and painful? I understand that this class was a very small sample of expecting parents, but I wonder if the feelings of anxiety about birth are common.

How can we as a society transform this perception of labor and delivery to an image of beauty and serenity?

Some of the responses to the second question, "How do you feel about labor and delivery after the class?" were "better," "excited," and "less scared." So, obviously a little bit of education can relieve a lot of fears. But what about all of those couples that did not sign up for an elective childbirth education class? I do believe that we should all start expressing our views that birth is a beautiful, NATURAL process in life that can be enjoyed. Let's empower all of those pregnant couples out there!! Let's tell them, "Have Fun!" and "Enjoy" when going off to labor, after all it is a ride that they can only take a few times in their lives.

A Doula Story

2009-03-05T08:49:00.003-06:00

I started my morning watching this movie about a doula from West Chicago that works with pregnant teens. It was beautifully done and very moving. At one point, I was actually crying out loud (I have NEVER done that during a movie). It fills me with so much hope that there are people out there like Loretha who are making a huge difference in empowering women to use their voices, reach their dreams, and be loving mothers.

http://www.blackpublicmedia.org/catalog/prod/37

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