Blog has moved
Friday, January 20th, 2012As of January 15, 2012 – The blog has moved to www.desirreandrews.com/blog. The previous posts are still accessible here.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Lactation Training Colorado Springs – Register now.
Thursday, May 5th, 2011Transform your understanding about what breastfeeding/breastmilk really is:
• An irreplaceable relationship
• A brain developer
• An immune system
• An organ system
• A living tissue
Transform your professional skills
• Increase your doula competencies in the first hours after birth
• Hone your postpartum doula skills
• Learn unique strategies for teaching breastfeeding to families
• Explore adult learning styles
• Enhance your communication skills
Transform yourself
• Take the leap to explore new ways to work with families
• Connect with other women who love working with moms and babies
• Open your mind about new concepts surrounding breastfeeding
• Take the first step to becoming certified as a lactation
educator with CAPPA
Concepts covered over the three days include: Lactation Professionals, History
of Breastfeeding, Group Process, Learning Styles, Anatomy and Physiology of
Breastfeeding, The Importance of Breastmilk and Breastfeeding, Prenatal Support
and Breastfeeding issues, Birth’s Impact on Breastfeeding, the Hospital
Experience, Latch and the Breast Crawl, Skin To Skin, Signs of Successful
Feeding, Maternal and Infant Challenges, Medications and Breastmilk, Fathers and
Partners, and Curriculum Development.
LAST DAYS TO REGISTER!!!! Must register before 5pm, May 9th MST.
June 3-5, 2011, 8:30am-5:30pm, $425
Colorado Springs, CO at Prep for Birth
To register www.motherjourney.com
Ready to become more proficient when offering breastfeeding education? This
course is designed to improve the skill base, knowledge and perspectives on
breastfeeding and supporting both the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and
Mother Friendly practices.
This course satisfies the following:
*The Core Competencies in Breastfeeding Care and Services for All Health
Professionals as outlined by the United States Breastfeeding Committee (no
endorsement by the USBC is implied).
http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/Portals/0/Publications/Core-Competencies-2010-rev.pdf
*The 20 Hour World Health Organization Curriculum to support the baby Friendly
Hospital Initiative.
http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/bfhi/en/index.html
*The CAPPA Lactation Educator certification step for workshop attendance.
http://www.cappa.net/get-certified.php?lactation-educator
Why become a certified lactation educator?
Certified Lactation Educators (CLEs) provide evidence based information to the
community, families and professionals to encourage an increase in breastfeeding
initiation, duration and support. CLEs are found teaching community and hospital
based breastfeeding classes, as peer breastfeeding counselors in hospital and
public health setting, facilitation support groups, running pump rental stations
and providing phone support.
The CAPPA CLE does not prescribe, treat, nor diagnose breastfeeding related
conditions and is trained to refer clients facing circumstances that require
this degree of intervention to a qualified professional. The CAPPA 20 Hour CLE
course is not an IBCLC exam prep course, nor does the CAPPA CLE training prepare
a student to become an IBCLC.
Your faculty:
Laurel Wilson, BS, IBCLC, CCCE, CLE, CLD, CPPFE, CPPI owns and manages
MotherJourney in Centennial, Colorado. She has her degree in Maternal and Child
Health-Lactation Consulting. With over sixteen years experience working with
women in the childbearing year, Laurel takes a creative approach to working with
the pregnant family. So is co-author of forthcoming book, The Greatest
Pregnancy Ever: The Keys to the MotherBaby Connection. Using journaling, birth
art, visualization and experiential exercises, women connect with their inner
resources to discover their true beliefs about themselves, their relationships,
and their abilities to birth and parent their children.
Laurel is certified as a lactation consultant/counselor and educator, childbirth
educator, labor doula, Prenatal Parenting Instructor, and Pre and Postpartum
fitness educator and prenatal yoga teacher. She serves as the CAPPA Executive
Director of Lactation Programs and trains Childbirth Educators and Lactation
Educators for CAPPA certification. Offering education and movement classes to
families in private and hospital settings, Laurel has created teaching
strategies that facilitate better understanding of the change processes during
the childbearing year. Laurel has been joyfully married to her husband for
almost 20 years and has two beautiful teenagers, whose difficult births led her
on a path towards helping emerging families create positive experiences. She
believes that the journey towards and into motherhood is a life changing rite of
passage that should be deeply honored and celebrated.
In light,
Laurel Wilson, BS, IBCLC, CLE, CCCE, CLD
Co-Author of forthcoming book, The Greatest Pregnancy Ever: The Keys to The
Mother-Baby Bond
MotherJourney Childbirth Services
CAPPA Executive Director and Faculty for Lactation Programs
Customer Advocate for InJoy Birth and Parenting
linfinitee@aol.com, www.motherjourney.com
720-291-9115
Connect with CAPPA:
Our website
On Facebook
Postpartum Preparation
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011Planning and preparation toward the postpartum period is very important. Sometimes it is even more important than pregnancy and birth preparation due to circumstance or birth outcome. Too often labor, delivery and perhaps the “stuff” that goes with having a baby take priority, while the incredible change that occurs with having a new baby is seemingly ignored.
Below is a listing of important information to think about, investigate, understand and/or plan for. Make a note of people in your immediate life that can be a resource as you go through the list.
Look carefully at class descriptions you may take in your local area, some are very thorough and others may only be introductory or without valuable content.
Here’s to postpartum preparedness!
Common Physical Changes and Needs for the Mother (first days or weeks)
- Uterine involution, after pains and bleeding
- Breast expectations and breastfeeding norms
- Hormones and symptoms
- Healing – Vaginal tears, episiotomy, cesarean, perineal soreness or swelling, hemorrhoids
- Nutrition
- Night sweats or urination
- Fatigue
Common Psychological Changes
- Mother and Father/Partner Changes
- Processing the birth experience
- Processing becoming a family
- Postpartum mood disorders
- Peer and professional support resources
Understanding Your New Baby
- Babymoon
- How baby’s feed
- Attachment
- Infant development
- Normal sleep patterns
- High, average or low need baby’s
New Family Dynamic
- Coping with sleep deprivation and exhaustion
- Managing stress
- Grieving the changes
- Siblings and pets
- Knowing how to get the right support
- Postpartum doulas and practical support
Making Your Best Decisions
- Defining Parental Roles – Financial, Baby Care, Changing the Status Quo
- Choosing a health care provider for your baby
- Early Infant Health Care Decisions – Vaccinations, Circumcision, etc.
- Parenting philosophies
- Developing your parenting style
- Where baby will sleep
- Boundaries with family and friends
- When to seek professional help
Relationship Care
- Realistic expectations
- Sexual intimacy
- Practicalities of life
- “Dating”
- Priorities
Single Parenting
- Arranging practical support
- Making a community
- Parenting needs
Unexpected Outcomes
- Processing a difficult birth
- Babies with medical needs, coping and advocating
- Dealing with loss, grief, and trauma
We also offer a postpartum strategies class that goes into more detail on many of these topics.
Say What? Getting a handle on birthy terminology.
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011So often I am in conversation and forget that everyone does not eat, drink and sleep birth related information like my peers and I do.
I have put together a list of useful terms and definitions to take the “What?” out of navigating the host of terms surrounding pregnancy and birth.
- AROM – Artificial Rupture of Membranes – using a finger or tool to open the amniotic sac to to allow the fluid to release.
- Birth Center – Free standing location usually run by one or more certified nurse midwife. True birth centers are almost always independently run. They are not overseen by a hospital or in a hospital. May be near a hospital. Often set-up like a home birth space and epidurals or other pain medications are not available. Hospital “birth centers” are labor and delivery floors not birth centers in the true sense of the term.
- Bloody Show – Mucous and blood mixed together as dilation and effacement occurs. Starts off as blood tinged mucous and becomes heavier as labor progresses.
- Braxton-Hicks – Practice contractions that do not dilate or efface the cervix often felt at the top of the uterus versus the bottom.
- CBAC – Cesarean Birth After Cesarean – This is a repeat cesarean after a woman desires and tries to have a vaginal birth after cesarean.
- Cervix -The lower portion of the uterus that provides an opening between the uterus and the vagina. Also known as the neck of the uterus that softens, effaces, dilates and changes position during labor.
- Cesarean – Baby born via a surgical incision made through the abdomen into the uterus.
- Contraction – Tightening and loosening of your uterus. Productive contractions are often felt at the bottom of the uterus, start out like period cramps and progressively grow stronger, longer in length, and closer together.
- Doula – Is an assistant who provides various forms of non-medical and non-midwifery support (physical and emotional) in the childbirth process. Based on a particular doula’s training and background, the doula may offer support during prenatal care, during childbirth and/or during the postpartum period. A birth doula provides support during labor. A labor doula may attend a home birth or might attend the laboring at home and continue while in transport and then complete supporting the birth at a hospital or a birth center. A postpartum doula typically begins providing care in the home after the birth. Such care might include cooking for the mother, breastfeeding support, newborn care assistance, errands, light housekeeping, etc. Such care is provided from the day after the birth, providing services through the first six weeks postpartum. In some cases, doula care can last several months or even to a year postpartum – especially in cases when mothers are suffering from postpartum depression, children with special needs require longer care, or there are multiple infants.
- Effacement – The thinning of the cervix which occurs before and while it dilates.
- Endorphins- Any of a group of peptide hormones that bind to opiate receptors and are found mainly in the brain. Endorphins reduce the sensation of pain and affect emotions.
- Epidural - A medical method of giving pain relief during labor. A catheter is inserted through the lower back into a space near the spinal cord. Anesthesia is given through this catheter, and results in decreased sensation from the abdomen to the feet.
- Episiotomy – A surgical procedure to widen the outlet of the birth canal to facilitate delivery of the baby and avoid a jagged rip of the perineum. (Natural abrading or tearing is preferred and episiotomies are not evidence-based to be used except under specific circumstances).
- ERCS – Elective Repeat Cesarean
- First Stage – Early, Active, and Transition. This encompasses the effacement to 100%, dilation to 10 centimeters/complete, position movement of cervix from posterior to forward as contractions begin while staying longer, strong and closer together prior to pushing and delivery.
- Foley – A foley catheter is used to release the bladder if a woman unable to urinate due to an epidural, post surgery, or with a swollen urethra post birth. It can also be used for successful cervical ripening in lieu of cytotec.
- Fourth Stage – First hours after placenta is delivered.
- Fundus - Top of the uterus. During labor contractions the fundus thickens and gets more firm as the strength of contractions increase and dilation increases.
- HBAC – Home Birth After Cesarean
- Ina May’s Sphincter Law -Tapping into the concept that if one sphincter is open and relaxed, the others will also open, relax and be able to handle, quite adequately, the task at hand. This also includes the aspect of birth requiring privacy, sacredness, and honor as well so a woman feels safe, unwatched and supported.
- Induction – To attempt to artificially start labor usually by pitocin, artificial rupture of membranes with or without cervical ripening (Cytotec, Cervadil, Prepadil or Foley Catheter).
- Intervention – Anything that does not exist in a spontaneously, naturally occuring labor and delivery that is done.
- Kegel Exercises – Named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, consists of contracting and relaxing the muscles that form part of the pelvic floor (sometimes called the “Kegel muscles”).
- Lochia – Post birth bleeding that though a wound site from the placenta detaching from the uterine wall, it mimics a heavy and long menstrual period.
- Midwife – Is a person usually a woman who is trained to assist women during pregnancy, during childbirth, and postpartum as well as the newborn post birth. There are many types of midwives – some work in the home, at birth centers or in the hospital.
- Miso – Misoprostol is the pharmacological name for Cytotec a drug used for cervical ripening and induction though a controversial, off and against label used ulcer Medication
- Mucous plug - The mucous that blocks off the non-dilated and non-ripened cervix for protection.
- Natural Birth – Labor and vaginal delivery free from intervention except for intermittent fetal monitoring. In the hospital only a saline lock and intermittent monitoring. Can also mean no monitoring.
- Obstetrician – Is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate post birth time.
- Oxytocin – A hormone made in the brain that plays a role in childbirth and lactation by causing muscles to contract in the uterus (womb) and the mammary glands in the breast. It also plays a role in bonding with mate, child, and socially.
- Pelvic Floor Muscles -The sphincter mechanism of the lower urinary tract, the upper and lower vaginal supports, and the internal and external anal sphincters. It is a network of muscles, ligaments, and other tissues that hold up the pelvic organs. Includes bladder, rectum, vagina and uterus.
- Pelvis -The basin like cavity formed by the ring of bones of the pelvic girdle in the posterior part of the trunk in many vertebrates: in humans, it is formed by the ilium, ischium, pubis, coccyx, and sacrum, supporting the spinal column and resting upon the legs.
- Perineum – The area between the anus and the vulva (the labial opening to the vagina).
- Pitocin (oxytocin injection, USP) is a sterile, clear, colorless aqueous solution of synthetic oxytocin, for intravenous infusion or intramuscular injection.
- Placenta -The organ that develops during pregnancy that transports nutrients to the fetus and waste away from the fetus. The placenta is attached to the uterus and is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord.
- PROM – Premature Rupture of Membranes – when the amniotic fluids releases before labor starts.
- Prostaglandin – Any of a group of hormone like fatty acids found throughout the body, esp. in semen, that affect blood pressure, metabolism, body temperature, and other important body processes such as cervical ripening.
- RCS – Repeat Cesarean
- ROM – Rupture of Membranes
- Saline Lock/Buffalo Cap/ Hep Lock – Is the apparatus that the IV line hooks into. It is silicone tubing that is lightweight with a plastic needle that stays under the skin to allow easy vein access.
- Second Stage – Pushing phase after cervix is completely dilated to delivery of baby.
- SROM – Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes during labor.
- Stripping membranes - Pressing the amniotic sac away from the inside of the cervix.
- Third Stage – Delivery of baby to delivery of placenta.
- UBAC – Unattended Birth After Cesarean
- Umbilical cord – The cord that transports blood, oxygen and nutrients to the baby from the placenta.
- Uterus -The muscular organ in which a fertilized egg implants and matures through pregnancy. During menstruation, the uterus sheds the inner lining.
- Vagina – A muscular canal between the uterus and the outside of the body. Also known as the birth canal.
- Vaginal Birth – Baby born vaginally with or without medication and intervention.
- VBAC – Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
- WBAC – Water Birth After Cesarean
Celebrating the Birth of Our New Location
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
DATE: January 15, 2011
TIME: 10am-2pm
LOCATION: 6180 Lehman Drive, Suite 103, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
WHO’S INVITED: Mothers and families, birth professionals, related professionals, friends, media and anyone interested in learning more about what Preparing For Birth has to offer the expecting woman and her family!
What To Expect: Food, conversation, door prizes and an all around good time!
If you are interested in donating a door prize or bringing in your mompreneur/birth biz related marketing materials, please contact Desirre for details at desirre@prepforbirth.com or at 719-331-1292.
Download the Open House Flyer.
Mothers Matter
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010Dear Mothers,
You MATTER. In every moment of every day you matter. All you do, say, model, believe, live for.. matters. Do NOT allow anyone to say otherwise. You HAVE much value.
The impression you leave is forever marked into the hearts and minds of those you love, grow, discipline, encourage….. No one can make the same impact on a child for better or worse, as mother.
Believe that your children are made specifically for you whether birthed by you or gifted to you from another womb. Always continue to grow and better your mothering skills. Be humble and accept you do not know everything or will always do things the right way. Be amazing in your humanness. Be real. You are strong.
There is no guarantee to the days you will be an earthly mother your children. Be assured you will live on in their heart, like my mother lives in me and my siblings.
My mother was not perfect, but she was made just for me and I for her. I knew I was always loved and adored by her. My mother and I would heartily and passionately disagree in some areas of life. What fun those conversations would have been. Not perfect, but perfect for me.
Every single day is the opportunity to mother with all you have to offer. Some days you will come up short. Some days you will be a downright super hero.
Take advantage of the sunrise as a gift to spread your mothering wings a bit further.
You matter. You leave a lasting impression. You are the legacy of tomorrow in the future history of your family’s tomorrows.
Thank you for being a mother, the best mother you can be. You inspire generations to come.
You matter to your children and to me too.
Posptartum and the Great Abyss
Monday, November 29th, 2010The postpartum period is a critical time for the health, attachment and emotional adjustment for both mother and baby.
It has become the expected norm that women are left with very little medical or care provider support/assistance in handling the many norms, transitions and stumbling blocks that present in the first 6 weeks postpartum with her and her baby.
The general exception to this rule are women who birth at home with a midwife or in a free standing birth center where the rest of the perinatal period has several (approximately 6 visits) scheduled for follow-up care for both mother and baby. In this case, a family practitioner or pediatrician is unnecessary unless a need outside the norm arises.
Sadly with the majority of American women birthing within the hospital environment, she will leave the hospital with a stack of papers, a resource list, perhaps after viewing a newborn video and be left to her own devices until that 6 week appointment with her care provider (yes, some hospitals offer a visiting nurse once or maybe twice after birth, but is not the norm).
This is so stunning to me. Absolutely hair raising the lack of care women get. It is akin to entering the open sea with a poorly written map and expected to find the “New World” successfully and without setback.
As a doula and educator, I field emails, texts and calls from my clients and students asking questions, needing breastfeeding feedback and help navigating life. WHERE ARE THE hospital care providers in this time? Even without being able to offer home visits (except there could be a staff nurse, PA or NP to fill that roll), why are OB’s and hospital CNM’s not having their patients come in to the office at regular intervals post birth? For example, days 3, 7, 14, 21, 30 and then at 6 weeks? This sort of practice could address both emotional, physical needs and very well catch many other things BEFORE they become issues.
The longer I am in the birth professional, I am simply appalled by what passes as good care. No wonder so many women have recovery needs, postpartum mood disorders missed and breastfeeding problems. After months of constant contact and appointments (albeit not usually comprehensive), a woman is dropped into the abyss of postpartum without a safety net.
One practical solution is for a mother to secure a labor doula who would work with her prenatally through the early postpartum period and then hire a postpartum doula to continue care and assist in the rest of the perinatal period.
Another is for the mother to have a trusted, knowledgeable and skilled family member or friend come and stay with in her home from the birth through at least 6 weeks post birth. This person would help the mother learn to mother and not be “nannying” the baby similar to that of a postpartum doula.
Lastly, for truly comprehensive care, there is always the option to switch to a provider that offers it or one never knows what would happen if it is simply requested as part of the maternity care package of her hospital-based provider.
I hope you found this food for thought invigorating! I look forward to your comments.
Grateful For My Birth(s) Carnival
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010I am so thankful to all of the submissions I received for this Why I am Grateful for my Birth(s) blog carnival. I have found no matter what a woman can learn something and be grateful for something in every birth experience no matter how difficult or wonderful. Enjoy these quips and please go to their blogs to read in completeness.
Tiffany Miller of Birth In Joy says in an excerpt from her post The Most Important Piece, “I am thankful that Mom believed in my ability to breastfeed my new baby, even though it hurt at first. She never told me that I had so severely damaged her nipples, as she tried to learn with no support whatsoever during my own newborn days. Nary an ounce of bitterness did she carry from that time. She knew and accepted that my path was my own, and supported me completely.” She goes on to further outline how the mentoring and support of her mother paved her way.
How grateful she is for all four natural births and her mother’s unwavering assistance. Assistance and presence she could never imagine doing without. Just beautiful and shows how important in our lives are the ones who came before.
Kristen Oganowski of Birthing Beautiful Ideas in her post Your Births Brought Me Here writes this gorgeous, tear inspiring letter to her two children about what amazing changes they spurned in her own life, in the very life that they would come to know. Without one birth, would the other have come along the way it did?
Here is an excerpt: “When you both were born, I called myself: Graduate student (unhappily). Teacher (happily). Feminist (always). Mother (timidly). Today I call myself: Doula (happily). Birth and breastfeeding advocate (unflinchingly). Blogger (smirkingly). Writer (finally). Feminist (permanently). Mother (confidently). Graduate student (temporarily). Your births brought me here, to this place where I am (finally) content and impassioned. All wrapped up with a Love, Mom.
Our next post is by Sheridan Ripley of Enjoy Birth. She writes very plainly about how grateful she is for varied experiences that give her insight to what other women experience and that she is better able to support them.
Here is a peek.
- If I had only amazing natural birth experiences would I have judged those moms who choose epidurals?
- If I had only vaginal births would I have understood and fought so hard for VBAC moms?
- If I only had easy times creating that nursing relationship with my boys, would I have been as supportive of my moms struggling with nursing?
Very poignant and open…..
We come to Bess Bedell of MommasMakeMilk.Com came to a place of self-awareness, peace and a fierceness to help others in her experiences. Like others her heart grew and expanded with her own knowledge and walk. A strength and confidence awoke in her to the benefit of so many coming after.
My two births birthed a new women. A mature women who has opinions, knowledge, experience and a passion in life. If I had not had my c-section I may never had given VBAC a second though. The lack of VBAC support and availability would probably never have entered my radar. My second birth showed me that success and perfection are not the same but both are wonderful and I can be happy for and embrace a mother and her experience even if it wasn’t a completely natural, completely med-free birth. Both of my experience have prepared me for the future. My future of birthing, and next time I plan on birthing at home, and my future of educating and supporting pregnant and birthing mothers.
And lastly my own blog post entry. I know I rarely speak of my own births in any detail unless it is one on one. As a community member, advocate, doula, educator, I strive NEVER to be an intervention on a woman. Today I decided to give a small window into my own experiences and why I am grateful. Please read and comment freely – Grateful For My Births.
Thank you so much to those who submitted posts. The openness of other women allow all of us to learn, grow and share as we are meant to within a healthy society. We are not there yet, but I have a hope that through this sort of connection, we are healing some brokenness.
In reading all these posts, not one is the same, not in tone or style, but every woman was changed positively in the end.
Grateful For My Births
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010Focusing on Thanksgiving, I asked others to submit a “Why I am Grateful For My Birth(s)” blog post. In the spirit of that, here is my own blog posting. Stay tuned for the Carnival of posts to be up by Thanksgiving morning.
I myself have had four varied labors and births, one of which could be considered a “normal” and natural birth experience.
From my first labor and birth, I learned that maternal ignorance no matter the intention can get you into the OR I had to travel 45 minutes to my birth location, was only a 2 cm but nurse admitted me because she did not want me to go all the way home (she of course did not tell me that or we would have rented a hotel room nearby to labor in), I then allowed the same nurse to perform AROM at 3 cm’s because she figured it could speed things up because early labor you know is slow often for first time mothers.Walked stairs for hours but….. Now came the pitocin because my waters were broken and I was not moving fast enough. Then came horrid, blinding back labor. At some point I got a partial dose of fentanyl. Then another. Finally in transition about 20 hours in, I thought I wanted the epidural. I did not get one as I was complete and pushed for nearly four hours. Then finally after a failed vacuum assist to rotate his head and help me I ended up in a cesarean for deep transverse arrest for an acynclitic, deflexed baby head.
Baby number 2 27 months later and I was for sure in no way going to get to the hospital before I was in very well established labor. VBAC, whatever, I knew if things were okay. I would never have pitocin in labor again or have my waters broken. So I labored beautifully, with no fear, hey there was some ivory tower mama left in me still. After having contractions work up to 2 minutes apart and 90 seconds long, I decided it was time to leave. My husband ran back in the house and put a water proof pad on my seat (what a very intuitive man). On the way during the 15 minutes ride to the hospital, my water broke, I mean BROKE – kaplooey. Yep water proof crib pad saved the passenger seat if our minivan. In triage I was checked and behold I was a stretchy 9 cm’s. Everyone was so happy. A VBAC good for you mama. No saline lock. Some monitoring. Then the trouble started. The on-call doc came in and was impatient. I pushed for about an hour (mind you I was a VBAC) and when he was low enough she cut an episiotomy and used forceps on him. Very little conversation, my husband just said she insisted and there he was. So a natural labor and almost natural birth. I still felt great. Episiotomy was far less painful than surgery…. I got my VBAC. Though my baby ended up in NICU overnight because of forceps. That was awful. We were both very mad after we could process it. He nursed well nonetheless. Took him home the next day.
Labor and birth number 3 is told in detail on my blog post A Woman’s Voice Birthed Into Fullness so I will not report on it here.
My 4th labor and birth had me in the place of I am arriving at the hospital very late in labor even though this time I was a 1VBA2C mama. Funky contractions of a few hours each over three nights including one trip to the hospital thinking it MUST be labor, had me sitting at 7 cm’s dilated WITHOUT being in labor. How did I know that? I asked my midwife to check me every day after the short bout of contractions. I just laughed and laughed about being in “transition” dilation wise but not being in labor. On the fourth night of when the contractions started, I said OKAY I am having this baby. I did some nipple stimulation and acupressure over an hour, next thing I know 3 minutes apart contractions then closer. We got to the hospital I was 8 cm’s, walked for a half hour. Then I was 9 cm’s and pattern was back strong. Midwife came. After some odd and funny asides. I allowed AROM baby was +1 and in good position. She promised me. PROMISED me as I glared her down that this would not cause another cesarean. Baby was in perfect position. Gulp. OK. I trusted her and knew she did have our best interest at heart. No baby did not fall out. Have I mentioned I have an android pelvis? I was completely shortly after that and pushed. He was born about 45 minutes later. That for me was such a short amount of time to push. He was in my hands and on my chest with the exception of maybe two minutes for FIVE hours post birth. FIVE. He had about a 14.5″ head and came out over an intact perineum. I was, well, normal, everyday, usual. Yep. I basked in the no nonsense aspects of it.
I learned so much through all my labors and births. Through #1 that though I made many excellent choices in my care provider and birth location, heck we even took out of hospital independent birthing classes, that maternal ignorance and a willingness to believe no nurse would do something that could cause harm was really am ivory tower point of view that women can just have babies. I knew I could birth, but knew I needed to know even more.
Through #2 that on-call providers can be dangerous people and that I COULD birth.
With #3 my voice came into being. I turned into who I am now. Like a butterfly with the roar of a lioness.
And #4 oh my baby. I became normal, just like every other woman who had a natural labor and birth. Just another birthing woman. Not special. I really liked that title.
Yes I am grateful or I would not be the advocate, doula, educator, flag waving proponent of informed consent AND refusal, strive to help and support women in their childbearing years…. oh so much more. I am grateful because in all of this I have found my calling.
Thank you to K, L, J and D for being my sons. Thank you to bad on-call doc, well meaning but harmful nurse, horrid nursery staff, and C.E. the midwife who believed in me and my body as much as I did.
Why Childbirth Education?
Monday, November 22nd, 2010I sit here and ponder Why childbirth education is important?. I am an educator because I think it can be a vital piece to the preparation puzzle prior to welcoming a baby. I use the word “can” versus “is” due to the fact that all educational offerings are not created equally.
It is known that only a percentage of expecting mothers attend a childbirth class series. Perhaps they believe the staff will explain everything when they get to the hospital, they really have a deep trust in the process and are reading up on everything, or since they are having a home birth that additional education is unneeded. Whatever the reason, women are not getting the foundational information that can be incredibly helpful toward confidence, ability, decision making and mothering far beyond the birth itself.
A good childbirth class series (or rather perinatal class) is well worth the monetary and time investment for most first time mothers and can benefit those who have already birthed. My post on choosing a childbirth class is a good jumping off point to figuring out what type of course suits the individual expecting mother (her partner or labor support).
A class series worth the time and effort will be comprehensive in nature, not just covering labor and birth. What does that look like? A class that covers midway third trimester pregnancy through 4-8 weeks postpartum. It is content that is deep and is applicable to real life.
A sample of course content:
- Pregnancy Basics
- Common Terminology
- Normal Physiologic Changes and “helps”
- Exercise
- Nutrition
- Prenatal Testing
- Birth Plans
- Informed Consent
- Communication and Self-Advocacy Skill Building
- Overview of spontaneous Labor and Birth
- Labor milestones with Comfort and Positioning Strategies
- Overview of all Options in Labor, Birth and Postpartum
- Labor Partner Role
- Immediate Postpartum
- Navigating first weeks Postpartum
- Overview of Infant Feeding and Norms
- Bonding
- Medications and Interventions
- Cesarean and VBAC
- Unexpected Events
- Role-playing Scenarios
- Relaxation and Visualization Practice
- Local/Online Resources
How the educator reaches her class is fundamental to the learning process and take away of participants. I encourage women to interview the potential educator. Finding the right fit in a class is no different that in provider, doula or birth location.
Even if a woman knows she wants an epidural, TAKING A GOOD CLASS is vital because she will be having a natural birth the epidural is on board and her Plan B could very well be a natural birth. Being prepared will only serve her well in the fluid process known as labor and delivery.
Gaining knowledge that will help a woman to partner with her provider, address her own needs fully and help her to define her own birth philosophy gives her a leg up on being responsible and in charge in her own health care and even outcomes.
The vast scope of what a solid class series can offer an expecting mother (her partner or support person) is incredibly valuable and can not be understated. A class that provides for encouragement, comfort, safety, respect, connection, structure, evidence-based information and real life application can plant seeds and prosper skills that will carry a woman well into her mothering years. These skills are for life, not just for labor and birth. I am stunned often by how birthing knowledge carries me in daily ability with my own family.
Here’s to happy and deep learning!