Judging Progress in Labor

Dilation is not the only thing happening when a mother is laboring to deliver her child.
She can take weeks to dilate or hours. So, that is not always a good marker.
More importantly is the position of the baby in relation to the cervix (the stations) & how "ripe" the cervix actually is. (effacement)
Even more important is the emotional "map" of labor.
Follow this link at the Birthing Naturally website to see what emotional checkpoints that a support person can learn to recognize, as to how labor is progressing through each of the stages of labor.

• Pre-Labor
• Early Labor
• Active Labor
• Transition
• Pushing

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.

New Breastfeeding Positions

New Breastfeeding Positions that mothers do not widely know.
I, personally tried them both when nursing my first son, without knowing I had found something not many moms knew... I was just using "trial & error", when my baby was fussing endlessly!



Whether you have already had a baby or are anxiously awaiting your firstborn, if you are breastfeeding or plan on doing so, you've probably heard of the standard breastfeeding positions: the cradle hold, the cross cradle hold, the football hold, the side-lying position. But there's a few more breastfeeding positions you might not have heard about, and these can be just as effective, if not more so, than the standard four.

The positions: Straddle & Prone

PRONE:
The Australian hold, the instinctive hold, the skin-to-skin position, the self-attachment position, uphill feeding, posture feeding – these are all terms that refer to one basic kind of nursing style – a prone position where Mom lies flat or nearly flat on her back (on a couch, on a bed, in a reclining chair) with Baby lying flat on his tummy on top of Mom. This position allows Baby to self-attach easily at the breast.
If you're worried about your baby being able to breathe while lying face-down on top of you, don't be. "Being prone is fine, as long as Baby is lying on Mom and no one is holding his head down," Watson Genna says. "Babies have very good antigravity reflexes. When they are lying on their bellies on Mom, they can lift up their heads well. This is part of their normal 'getting on the breast themselves' behaviors."

You can use this prone position with any age baby, but Garber Mendelson says it is particularly useful for moms of immediate newborns.

Read on for more info here, on the Breastfeed.com website. It has more info on the Straddle position, which is baby sitting on mama's knee, with pillows under his/her bum if they are not long/tall enough to reach breast.

"Epidurals Can Stall Labor" Study

New Danish Study says:
"The vaginal examinations at the woman's admission to the labour ward provided several prognostic indicators of dystocia later in labour. Expecting a child with a high birth weight and the use of epidural analgesia were also associated with the risk of (labor) dystocia, the latter association being particularly strong."

We know labor dystocia is a risk of epidurals, but to see yet another study on it keeps us confident in the-less-interference-the better policy.

Birth Circle next Monday!

Hi Friends,

I am hosting the Staunton/Waynesboro/Augusta County Birth Circle next Monday evening at my home in Staunton. It is at 7 p.m. Stay as long as you'd like up 'till 9 p.m. Will you come?

Share stories, experiences, suggestions, or just come to listen.

We will have some goodies, beverages & bring the kids, too!

Fun, fun!

Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy

I am writing today about Pelvic Pain in pregnancy, as a client of mine has been struggling with this for a while.

Specifically, I am thinking, as she mentioned to me, that it may be SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) It occurs when the symphysis pubis joint becomes sufficiently relaxed to allow significant 'gapping' or instability in the pelvic girdle.

SPD is a result of a combination of factors:

• an altered pelvic load
• hormonal and biochemical alterations causing ligament laxity and,
• a weakening of pelvic and core musculature during pregnancy
  

You may have SPD if you have one or more of the following:

• localised to your symphysis pubis, (see pic) including shooting, stabbing and burning pains, grinding and audible clicking sensations and/or persistent discomfort.
  
• Pain radiating to lower abdomen, groin, perineum, thigh, leg and back
  
• Difficulty in walking, climbing up or down stairs, rising up from a chair, impaired weight bearing activities, e.g. standing on one leg or lifting/parting the legs, turning in bed, getting out of the car
  
  

Here are some things pregnant women with SPD can do to minimize their discomfort.

Make a "nest" of pillows for a more restful sleep!

• Avoid activities which cause discomfort, e.g. lifting, carrying, prolonged standing, walking and strenuous exercise


• Rest more frequently in a position which is comfortable, such as:
  lying with your knees bent and supported
  lying on your side with a pillow between your knees
  sitting with your knees slightly apart
  avoid sitting with legs crossed.


• Mild to moderate exercise, including abdominal wall and pelvic floor exercises, is acceptable.


• Avoid straddling and squatting movements, which means moving with knees apart (hip abduction), when getting in and out of car.


• Try to keep knees together, while
  getting in and out of bed.


• When moving in bed, try to keep legs together particularly when moving from side to side.


• Do not push with one foot as this will worsen the pain.


• Push equally with both feet to move about the bed.
  
• Adopt good posture, avoid bending and twisting.
  
• If swimming, avoid the breast-stroke with the legs kicking outwards.
  
• Ice packs can be used for five minutes at a time or an ice cube can be rubbed on the symphysis pubis for 20–30 seconds

Wear a maternity support belt for maximum stability.

The height of fashion, all the moms are wearing them!! :)

Most of this post material taken from: http://mcr.coreconcepts.com.sg/what-is-symphysis-pubis-dysfunction-spd/

Cheatin' at Birth Classes...

How to cheat & NOT take a birth class; not generally recommended, but I have attended more than one set of parents that had never taken a class & was happy with the outcome at the birth of their child.

• First, look into birth doula support during labor. I’ve met women who had no birth know-how going into their birth; who didn’t read books, who did not take classes, and still had a great birth because they had doula support.


• Read one or two of these:
  Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: the Revised Edition
  Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
  Mothering Magazine’s Having a Baby, Naturally: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
  Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation
  Watch these videos:
  Birth As We Know It
  A large collection of natural birth DVDs
  


• If you are interested in childbirth in general, but not sure that totally natural is right for you, try these resources:
  The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth - this is my favorite general childbirth and pregnancy book. This book is not only about natural childbirth, but you should be aware of all your options. Knowing about medical interventions in labor and birth is very important,even if you want a natural birth. The author, Kitzinger errs on the side of natural is best when possible, but always shows you all your options.
  The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth
  Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide
  


• Watch this video:
  Laugh and Learn About Childbirth - covers Lamaze based childbirth technique.

Early Labor Mistakes

Here are some common mistakes made in "EARLY LABOR" of a pregnant woman. This is referring to when it is safe for the mother to deliver:

• Paying attention too soon.
• Not sleeping
• Not eating
• Stopping regular activity
• Going to the hospital too soon

One of the hardest lessons for first time mothers to learn is that you should really try to ignore your contractions until they demand your attention. It seems one of the most common mistakes women make is to pay attention to labor too soon. If you cannot ignore them, then it is time to pay attention, I assume.

Due Dates "Estimated" Ones, That Is...

After reading a blog post by DoulaMomma, I was inspired to once again, post on what having an "estimated" due date really means... it should be Due MONTH, note single out a DAY on the calendar. It is too stressful!

You're more likely to have your first baby at around 41 weeks (and a day, to be precise).

But almost everyone thinks their baby will be "early"... due to the fact that they feel they may burst!

Obviously some of them will be early, and about 5% will be right on time, as 2/3 of my children were, and many are "late".

But the whole idea of estimated due dates is that they are an "ESTIMATE"...

seeing as e.d.d.'s were not so focused on in earlier times... it was just that, truly an "estimate".

I think our minds and our connections to our babies are powerful -

So if you are waiting on your baby, have a talk with them.

Also, what was your cycle like when you got pregnant?

If it was longer, eg. 33 days, then your date might be off - that dial-a-baby chart is based on 28 days, getting pregnant on day 14. Same deal for shorter cycles - maybe you're a little more pregnant than your date indicates and you'll be "early". Either way, no one has been pregnant forever - your baby will come. - (DoulaMomma quotes)

Welcome New Baby, Andrew!

This is to welcome a new baby, Andrew.

He weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 ozs.

I attended the birth of him on Thursday of last week.

Yes, it was on the American holiday, Thanksgiving!

He is a precious blonde. He was born happy and alert- nursed beautifully, too!

Good job, mommy!

Latch On Animation Video

Wonderful animation on WHERE nipple needs to be for good latch.
Very informative for all breastfeeding moms!

If You Give a Woman an Epidural...

If you give a Woman an Epidural...
You all know the book "When You Give a Mouse a Cookie"?

The Big, Bad Epi

Well, here we go....





If you give a woman an epidural, she'll need a big bag of lactated ringers to go with it, the lactated ringers will keep her blood pressure from plummeting when she gets her epidural, but it will also swell her tissue with excess fluid so her legs and breasts will swell and she'll be shedding water weight for days if not weeks.


The fluid in her breasts will make it hard for the baby to latch on at first, so the nurses will think the baby's not able to nurse and they'll recommend some formula, just until the nursing goes better, this will probably make mom feel insecure and crappy about her mothering skills and it could interfere with bonding.


After the epidural's in, she'll probably need a catheter because she won't be moving around much anymore, and hey! she can't feel anything below her belly button anyway!


If she gets the catheter, she might get a urinary tract infection to go with it.


Once she gets the epidural and the catheter, even with the extra fluid, her blood pressure might drop anyway in response to the medication she's getting, she might get some epinephrine which has the following common side effects:Anxiety; difficulty sleeping; dizziness; fearfulness; headache; nausea; nervousness; paleness; sweating; tremors; vomiting; weakness.


If she's unlucky she might even experience these side effects:


Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); fast heartbeat; irregular heartbeat; wheezing.If she gets the fluid, the epidural, the catheter, and the epinephrine, the baby might not respond very well, so the doctor will want to know what the baby's heart rate looks like all the time, and the doctor will also want to see whether mom's contractions are strong enough to dilate her cervix, so an electronic fetal scalp electrode will be screwed into the baby's head, and another special catheter, one that measures the strength of the contractions, will be pushed up inside mom's uterus.


Of course, to do this, the bag of waters would have to be broken, so that the catheter can go in. Once the bag of waters is broken, the doctor will be paying close attention to the time, because doctors don't like women to walk around with a ruptured amniotic sack for much longer than a day, even if the mom and baby need longer to birth.


When she gets her fetal scalp electrode and the intrauterine pressure catheter is in place, the contractions might not look very strong on paper, so the nurse or doctor will do some cervical exams, to see how things are going.


Lots of people, from the nurse, to the doctor, to the resident, to the medical student might put their fingers up inside of mom's vagina, so they can get a better idea of what's going on.


But it's no big deal how many people put their hands up there, because remember, mom can't feel it!


If they put their fingers up there over and over again, mom might get sick.


She might get a fever, she might even get a fever in response to the epidural!


But the doctors won't know exactly what's causing it, so they'll just give her a full spectrum anti-biotic to cover everything.


And if they give her a bunch of anti-biotics over the course of labor, she might get a yeast infection to go with it!


If she gets a yeast infection she might give the infection to her baby too, then the baby would have thrush, which could cause more breastfeeding problems.


Once she's got the fluid, epidural, iupc, fse, the catheter, the cervical exams, and the anti-biotics, her contractions might poop out altogether, so she'll get some pitocin.


The pitocin will blast her body into labor, making her contract harder and harder, faster and faster, but it won't cross the blood-brain barrier like natural oxytocin does, which is what triggers our bodies to create nature's pain killers: endorphins, so the contractions will be excruciating and very difficult to work with.


And if the contractions are very difficult to work with....chances are....


.She'll want an epidural!





Thanks to Red Pomegrante for this post... it rocks!

If you Want to Breastfeed Your Baby...

To make breastfeeding successful,

inform yourself with the how-to's

& surround yourself with supporters of breastfeeding.

Talk to ones who were successful at it.

It is a bond like no other you will ever

experience in your life.

"I make milk. What's your superpower?" T-Shirt



Here are some resources for mom's who are breastfeeding or would like to breastfeed.
La Leche Leauge Meetings held in Waynesboro
kellymom.com
breastfeeding online.

Doulas are for DADS, too!

Doulas are for Dads, too!


As a doula, part of the work that I do is fostering the relationship that the couple has.

Part of the beauty of this work is that we can really help the dads to have a better birth experience too and also give them the opportunity to support his partner is his own way, whether that be right in there in the thick of it all, or in a more back of the scenes way.

The moms don't have to get upset at their partners when he just doesn't seem to know what to do because we are there guiding him while we serve both of them.

I don't think the dads are giving over their role at all. I do find, however, that at some point during labor even the most actively supportive dads step back just a bit into a more protective role and allow the "women's work of birth" to take over. Most of the time when this happens it is as labor becomes very active, just before full dilation when it can get very intense. They always come right back to it when she is pushing.

There was some study done, maybe by Klaus and Kennell showing that moms who have doulas and their spouses with them feel closer to their spouses after the birth than those who don't have doulas.
A good doula makes the dad look like a hero!

3D Medical Animation of Normal Vaginal Birth (Childbirth)

This is what NORMAL BIRTH looks like... but of course this LOOKS much easier than it will actually present!!