Dog Birth at Our Home!

I have news from our home!

We have a litter of puppies... I got to witness this amazing process, too! (that is why I am posting it on this blog, as I have done on my personal blog, too)  I know it is not human birth, but it is a similar concept, huh?!   :)

Our dog, Sadie, was acting funny on Wednesday, early in the morning.  She usually sleeps till 9 am or so, so when I awoke to find her pacing back & forth & nesting in the box I had made for her, I knew what was going on.

6:30 a.m.- She asked to go outside, I waited for her, because I could tell she was anxious.  She did her business & then came immediately inside to her box.  

She was 'circling' in the box.  She started breathing heavy & licking repeatedly.

7 a.m.-  She gets in the box to stay.

7:15 a.m.-  Sadie is visibly pushing/grunting.

7:30 a.m.- Shaking, drooling heavily, trying to rest.

7:45 a.m.-  1st puppy born (blonde female)

8 a.m.-  More contractions

8:09 a.m.-  2nd puppy born (black female)

8:17 a.m.- 3rd puppy born (brown female)

8:43 a.m.-  4th puppy born (black w/white paws male)

8:55 a.m.-  5th puppy born (black female)

Sadie ate each placenta, each sac off of the pups.  I only helped remove the first sac, as she looked dumbfounded... I waited for 3 minutes to see if she would do it, then only removed it from the face of puppy, the puppy was not moving, was perfectly still for 3 minutes.  When she did finally squeal, Sadie knew exactly what to do from there.

Breastfed Babies may end up Better Behaved

Add yet another potential benefit to breast-feeding: Fewer behavioral problems in young children.


The new study reviewed more than 100,000 interviews of parents and guardians of children between the ages of 10 months and 18 years who participated in the National Survey of Children's Health.


Parents were asked about breast-feeding and about their child's behavior and mental health.
Examples of questions included:

• Are you currently concerned a lot, a little or not at all about how your child behaves?
  
• How he/she is learning pre-school or school skills?
  
• Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has behavioral or conduct problems?
  

Parents of children who were breast-fed were 15 percent less likely to be concerned about their child's behavior, compared to formula-fed infants. And the breast-fed children were 37 percent less likely to have a medically diagnosed behavioral or conduct problem, according to the study.


Read the full article here.

Take Childbirth Education or not??!!

As a 21st century mom, it's harder than ever to find the time to prepare for childbirth.
"You're busier than ever before, and have less and less time to go hunting through pregnancy book after pregnancy book, just "hoping" you're prepared. And, when you're living in such a fast-paced world day in and day out, juggling schedules, researching your options, and setting aside the time to attend live childbirth classes is virtually impossible."

"Skimping on your natural child birth education is the sure-fire way to end up with the long, complicated birth experience you desperately want to avoid."

"For less than the price of a nice dinner out - just $48.95 - you can learn to be fully mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to meet your child, free of any fears or anxiety about giving birth.I really want to encourage you to make natural child birth education a priority in your life. You"ll have absolutely nothing to lose, except your worries and fears about giving birth!"

I am not affiliated with this site at all....but fully agree with what her point is....

Knowledge is power. That cannot be more true in this world of birth, that is upcoming for you & your family!

Epidurals & Tattoos have a Connection??!!

What in the world could tattoos have in common with epidurals?

More than you might think.

The future may be one of the last things on the mind of those desiring a stylish look with a tattoo, but most likely they aren't aware of some of the other lesser-known problems that might occur with the permanent injection of dyes.

But, the whole reason for the post is this part:

What about epidurals? This is another area of potential problems with tattoos. With the popularity of tattoos on women's lower backs, these often large and ornate tattoos cover the specific sites where epidural needles are usually inserted. The most common reason for an epidural is for pain control during childbirth, but they also are used sometimes during certain surgical procedures when general anesthesia is not advised.

Back in 2002, a couple of anesthesiologists from Vancouver, Canada, wrote about a small study they did with three patients in labor who had lumbar tattoos. The doctors wondered if this was a potentially problematic situation because theoretically the epidural needle could pull down and deposit the ink near the spinal cord. Even though the study was small and they did not have problems with these particular patients because they inserted the needle where there wasn't ink, their article in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia caused many other anesthesiologists to change their practices.

MAKES SENSE, HUH?!

Birth Circle NEXT MONDAY, the 20th!

Hi friends,

It will be Birth Circle time again next week.

We hope you can join us for good information, advice & snacks!

It is at Kelly's home in Staunton, VA.

Email me for directions, if you need them.

doyoudoula@yahoo.com

It is at 7 p.m. on Monday, October the 20th.

Kegel Exercising Benefits in Pregnancy & Beyond

Ahh, Kegels... the exercise of perineum champions!!!

Kegel exercises can help prevent incontinence, & abdominal, pelvic, vaginal & urethral pain during pregnancy.

Doing Kegels regularly can also lessen the risk of vaginal tearing during childbirth.

Following the birth of your child, they can help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, increase nerve activity & blood circulation in the sexual organs & preven postpartum incontinence.

*Do 6 Kegels each time you empty your bladder, while pregnant, for best results. Hold them for up to 10 seconds each.

*Do Kegels every day in either a seated or standing position during pregnancy & on into the rest of your life!!!
Reference: Holistic Pregnancy & Childbirth by James Marti w/ Heather Burton

Doppler More Powerful than Ultrasound Exams

According to Anne Frye, midwife and author of "Understanding Lab Work in the Childbearing Year" (4th Ed.)p. 405:

Doppler Devices: Many women do not realize that doppler fetoscopes are ultrasound devices. (apparently, neither do many care providers. Time after time, women are assured by doctors and even some nurse midwives that a doppler is not an ultrasound device.) . . . .
Not well publicized for obvious reasons, doppler devices expose the fetus to more powerful ultrasound than real time (imaging) ultrasound exams. One minute of doppler exposure is equal to 35 minutes of real time ultrasound. This is an important point for women to consider when deciding between an ultrasound exam and listening with a doppler to determine viability in early pregnancy. . . . .
If you have a doppler, put it aside and make a concerted effort to learn to listen yourself! Save your doppler for those rare occasions when you cannot hear the heart rate late into pushing or to further investigate suspected fetal death. " copyright l990, Anne Frye, B.H. Holistic Midwifery.

Personally, after 23 years of attending births, I would not permit a doppler in my house if I were pregnant. You always know that something is ultrasound because there will be "jelly" involved. If you want a cheap listening device for the baby's heart just save the core from a roll of toilet paper. Put one end on the lower belly and the other on hubby's ear.

If you want to know your baby is doing well, count the fetal movements in a day. Starting at 9 a.m. count each time the baby kicks. There should be l0 distinct movements by 3 p.m. http://gentlebirth.org/archives/preScreen.html#USResources

Difference Between Doulas and Midwives

A common misconception is that we, as doulas, can do what a midwife does. That is NOT true. Our roles seem the same, but in the midst of the laboring mother's world, the roles are different, yet both lead to raising the chances of having a normal birth.

Why have a Doula?

♥ Great testimony that rings true in most births with a doula attending. ♥

Birth Circle next Monday!

Come together to explore this significant time in your life.

Pregnant Women at any stage and New Moms

and anyone interested in Birth in general!

This Birth Circle will give you the opportunity to

focus on your pregnancy and transition into Motherhood.

There will be time to ask questions and to share

experiences with other Mothers and Mothers to be.

I host a Birth Circle at my home in Staunton, VA- every 3rd Monday at 7p.m. Please join us, if possible. We would love to have you!

Email me here for more info & directions: kelly@doulasurround.com

Children are welcome & we will have light refreshments!

Pelvic Types- 4 Different Kinds!!

Many women do not realize that they can have one of four different TYPES of PELVISES. Some women's pelvises are a mixture of two or three or four though!
I learned it in my 'doula training'. Not Surprisingly so...as it was like a mini-midwifery course!


The 4 Basic Types of Pelvis' are: Round, oval, triangular and flat .
They are different shapes in different women.



Why it matters: Rotation and descent of baby varies between the different shapes!!
Some women cannot 'squat' because of the certain shape they have, some women have naturally flat bellies, when not pregnant, because of their specific shape, some women have "boyish'' hips because of their pelvis shape...


So, you see??


Why it does not matter: Because NO MATTER WHAT PELVIS YOU HAVE, you can birth your baby vaginally!!
I would love to share a site called spinningbabies.com that can give you more info on this.

6th Birth Attended

I attended a birth on 8-21-08. One day shy of being 2 weeks overdue! It went fabulous.
Mommy wanted to labor at home as long as possible, but seeing as her cervix was not ripe enough for labor to begin, she used an inserted "helper", having to STAY at the hosp. then.

It worked within 12 hours... she had contractions that made her 'stop talking' through each one, starting around 9 - 10 a.m.

I arrived at the hospital around 11 a.m. She was working through them easily, as they were on the mild side.... just 'showing themselves'. She was still laughing then.
After a couple of hours of intense labor, from about 1-3, she was about 9cm. No more laughing.

She hit 10cm & baby was born around 3:45p.m.

The cord was around his neck, so the midwife cut it before he was fully born... he was born, turned pink & was making everyone in the room cry tears of joy. He weighed 7.5 pounds & is nursing beautifully.

Virtual Labor

Only one who believes in women's bodies to birth & who may or may not be pregnant would enjoy this, but I thoroughly did. This tool is based on natural birth.

I love this Virtual Labor online of "what-to-do" and of what you CAN do when labor starts.

At each stop in the labor you will be required to make a decision about how to respond. The next part of your labor will be randomly selected based on the way you choose to handle the current situation. There is no right or wrong answer.

Fun, fun for all my Birth Junkie Friends!

YAY!

Using a Rebozo in Labor

I have a doula client due in August that loves the "hip squeeze". I was hoping to utilize a rebozo in helping her in labor. My doula-friend has one at her home that she made. I am hoping she will allow me to use it.

Here are some ways to help a mother in labor, to use a rebozo for management of pressure.

• Have the mother sit in an upright position. Place the rebozo so that it is under the mother's arms and goes over her chest. The coach stands behind the mother, holding the ends of the rebozo to support the mother's weight. The coach can gently sway the mother from this position.
  
• Have the mother get in a hands and knees position. Wrap the rebozo under the mother's belly and around her thighs so that the coach can hold the ends above her. The coach will gently sway the rebozo side to side.
  
• Wrap the rebozo around the mother's eyes and ears, blocking and muffling incoming sights and sounds to help the mother relax.

Here is a link to more info on using a Rebozo .

Prevent Cesarean Surgery

"...real quotes spoken by women who have had both cesarean and vaginal births, it presents invaluable information that is researched based. All women of childbearing age will benefit from this educational movie. It is a must see!"

Please inform yourself, so as to avoid any unecessary pain, including emotional pain.