Reproductive News From the Week

Healthwatch: No place like home, or is there?
An OK article, I thought it talks itself around in circles a bit, but well outlined and gives adequate information for a mom to make an informed decision.

Good Catch! Toddler Helps In Delivery Of Baby Brother
This is a cute article on how normal birth is. VBAC mama has baby at home, 2 year old helps by getting a towel without any prompting and catches baby that mom pushes out on the couch. Ok, if a 2 year old can get it, maybe he can teach the OBs how he did it? :)

RU Safe and Simple?
Article on the risks of RU-486. This is surprising: you hardly ever hear the true facts of risks associated with abortion. This is good. I am pro-life, but even when a woman does choose abortion, it is a good thing for her to know when a procedure is unsafe or has higher risks. As we live in a pro-choice media society, it is surprising and heartening to see some good unbiased information on the safety (or lack thereof) of abortion methods.

New Advice: Skip Mammograms in Your 40s

The government panel of doctors and scientists concluded that getting screened for breast cancer so early and so often is harmful, causing too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies without substantially improving women's odds of surviving the disease.

Interesting read.

Preeclampsia Linking to Thyroid Function
It's amazing what our bodies tell us... but now it serves to question: is the Pre-e a result of this increased risk later in life or is the increased risk later in life a result of life habits and the incidence of pre-e?

Breastmilk Contains Stem Cells
Formula is still 2nd best, but it still doesn't come close. :)

Breastfeeding With Comfort And Joy

I am excited to read the review of Breastfeeding With Comfort and Joy, a new book by Laura Keegan, and to see a giveaway for it as well over at Kathy's blog. Visit Laura's blog here to read more on her philosophies on nursing and support for the nursing mother. If you are interested in purchasing the book, check out Lifeforce Family Health Care.


Thanks Kathy!

And, for more information on stats per US State for breastfeeding, check out this CDC link. My state does NOT have high rankings.

I Am A Doula

The phone rings at 2 a.m… “what it is about 2 a.m.”, I grudge, as I reach to my bedside cell-jack. It’s Maria.

Maria is 42 weeks and 2 days with her 2nd baby. The women in her family have carried all of their babies ‘overdue’, so it was no surprise to me that she was carrying this babe the same.

“I think this is it.” She moans on the other end of the line. We talk about her contractions; how far apart they are, where she is feeling pressure, if she can talk through them, I ask if her water has broken, and how she is feeling emotionally. We talk until she has another contraction, and I listen to her work through it. I suggest she take a bath and I will head over, if she is ready for me.

“Yes”, she says emphatically, and we hang up.

It doesn’t take me long to tell my husband I am going to a birth, leave the day’s instructions on the table, check the inflation on my ball, grab my bag, and head out the door with a fresh thermos of coffee under my arm.

I am a doula, a ‘woman’s servant’ – a professional trained to bring emotional and physical support, as well as act as personal advocate, for a woman during her birthing time.

Arriving at Maria’s home, I test the doorknob and, feeling it turn easily in my hand, let myself in. The living room lights are off while someone has lit numerous candles on every available surface. The mood is peaceful, the ambiance is soft, but the woman that I hear in the bathroom is working hard.

I gently call out to let Maria and her husband, John, know that I am at their home. While waiting for permission to join them, I put a pot of water on to boil and add a few drops each of Lavender, Clary-Sage, and Peppermint.

“Nicole”, I am summoned to the tub side by Maria. She is squatting like a frog in the tub. I ask her where the pressure is, she points, low. I ask if she has had anything to eat or drink lately, she replies no. I instruct John to make her a bowl of chicken soup, which they had prepared ahead of time and stored in the freezer, get her some crackers, and her sport bottle of Labor-Aide that was sitting next to the stove.

While he is busy, and with Maria’s permission, I palpate her belly. Baby is low, I feel the babies back to the left side of mom and head down. He wiggles under my touch. Perfect.

She has another contraction and raises her buttocks off of her heels. Facing down, she ‘naughs’ through the contraction. It lasts a good 50 seconds, which I ‘time’ by watching the movement of her abdomen.

She eats, drinks, and sleeps between contractions. All in all, Maria remains in the tub for a good hour after I first arrive; the only time she gets out is when I suggest that she empty her bladder. When I suggest something different, she says she would like to try a nice walk in the neighborhood. Working in her time, we get ready to venture out in the early morning, crisp, late-summer air.

Around 4am, we set out on our walk. She and John walk hand in hand; I walk behind them, giving them space. With every contraction, he wraps his arms under hers and she drops her weight at the knees, sagging against him. I approach behind her and provide counterpressure to her sacrum. They work beautifully together and don’t need me to guide them, only to support them.

Around 1 mile from home, her moans are getting louder, her face is getting flushed, and her thighs are starting to shake. At this point, I suggest we turn around and head back to the house. Early morning commuters stop and ask if we need help. I reply that it is baby day and to send thoughts and prayers their way but we are fine.

¾ of the way home, she begins another contraction and drops to a full squat. Although she is not yet pushing, she is near. I can tell from how low baby is and how mama is working with her labor. Beautiful!

It’s time to get to the hospital, where she is planning on birthing her baby…

Maria and I had spoken often throughout her pregnancy about her plan to stay home as long as possible before going to the hospital. She lives 7 miles from the hospital and wanted to, ideally, show up 9-10 cm and simply have her baby, rest for 12 hours, and go home. We talked about the places she does not like to be touched, words that empower or discourage her, and what her beliefs in the labor and birthing process were.

We outlined a plan of if everything goes wonderfully, what to do when things don’t go as we plan, and how to traverse the hospital system.

We met with her care provider and outlined how best I could help him, knowing Maria's choices.

Maria and her husband ‘rented’ books and movies from my home, lent resources to her mother and mother-in-law, and emailed me often for help with different options as they were offered on her journey to labor.

I don’t practice medicine; I don’t do medical exams or perform medical tasks. I am in the business of support, education, and natural, normal birth.

I believe that childbirth is a natural and normal event. Variations in birth do occur; but, with proper support and advocacy, even those variations can be looked upon as satisfying and empowering events. I am an advocate of natural childbirth, but work to empower women to make their own educated decisions regarding labor and birth. I firmly practice the advocacy of informed choice.

Pregnancy and childbirth is a time when women can be motivated or de-motivated to fulfilling their roles as strong, capable and competent individuals, which then translates into their mothering roles after birth. The difference often lies in how they are treated during their pregnancy and birthing time.

Empowering women with options and support enables them to take ownership for their healthcare and their bodies, which, later, gives them the confidence to take responsibility as mothers. A doula-relationship allows for that mental and emotional wellbeing while also freeing the medical professional to focus solely on the physical wellbeing. This holistic approach to pregnancy and birth has been proven to be the safest and most satisfactory approach for all involved.

I believe that a doula can help a woman to reclaim the beauty, strength, and humble respect of the rite of passage to motherhood called childbirth.

Doulas support women who are choosing unmedicated birth, medicated births, hospital, home, and birth center births. We support women with multiple gestations, medical complications, variations, and normality. We are trained in what is normal and natural and how to make situations where interventions are chosen or become necessary as productive and risk free as possible.

I am a Doula.

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Other Posts You May Be Interested In:
Do You Doula?
Doula Rule #1
Don't Underestimate the Power of Support
Doulas in Action
Advocates
Communication
BirthWorks Doula
6 Promises and Doula Thoughts
Whatsa Dooladoo?

(in response to Science and Sensibilities Healthy Birth Blog Carnival)

Feeling A Little Christmasy Today

Enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Cesarean Education in the News

How important is nutrition in pregnancy? Very.

Women with a vitamin D deficiency were almost 4 times more likely to have a cesarean than those with [normal] vitamin D levels," says senior study author Anne Merewood, an assistant pediatrics professor at Boston University School of Medicine. "Vitamin D is definitely involved in muscle strength…. contractions of the uterus [which is made of smooth muscle] may not be performing as well as they could be," making it difficult for the woman to help push the baby out herself. - Vitamin D deficiency ups risk of C-section deliveries, study says

It reminds me again of how nutrition does not just affect our and our babies health, but our reproductive and birthing health - and in more ways than we currently know!

It is thought that these genetic changes, which differ from normal vaginal deliveries, could explain why people delivered by C-section are more susceptible to immunological diseases such as diabetes and asthma in later life, when those genetic changes combine with environmental triggers.

Blood was sampled from the umbilical cords of 37 newborn infants just after delivery and then three to five days after the birth. It was analysed to see the degree of DNA-methylation in the white blood cells - a vital part of the immune system.

This showed that the 16 babies born by C-section exhibited higher DNA-methylation rates immediately after delivery than the 21 born by vaginal delivery. Three to five days after birth, DNA-methylation levels had dropped in infants delivered by C-section so that there were no longer significant differences between the two groups.

“Delivery by C-section has been associated with increased allergy, diabetes and leukaemia risks” says Professor Mikael Norman, who specialises in paediatrics at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. “Although the underlying cause is unknown, our theory is that altered birth conditions could cause a genetic imprint in the immune cells that could play a role later in life. - C-section births cause genetic changes that may increase odds for developing diseases in later life

Very interesting article. It makes me think that more follow up studies should be done on cesarean born babies as they mature to childhood and adulthood, especially comparatively to their non-cesarean born siblings.

And, some somewhat related oddity, a shark has an accidental cesarean.

Formula Fed America

Faith and Birth

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1

Faith plays an intricate part in birth and the birthing process. Whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, an agnostic, or an atheist.

Faith: sincerity of intentions; 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust : something that is believed especially with strong conviction - Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

Faith works with your body and birth, whereas a lack of faith will work against your body and your birth. Faith works its way into many facets of your birthing time and has a direct correlation with how your relationships can affect your labor and birth experience.

• Spiritual beliefs - If you are a person of belief, your faith in a Higher Power can be a great source of reassurance and peace during labor and birth. Meditating on verses or singing/humming is a great tool for relaxation and destressing during labor and birth. An example: as a Christian, I have faith that God created a woman's body perfectly to birth, and He gave promises during labor and birth (Isaiah 66:9, Psalm 121, 1 Tim 2:15). This complete trust (faith) allows a believer to let go to her labor, truly believing in these promises.
• Body and Process - A faith in the process and the woman's bodies abilities dispels fear and perpetuates a positive and health view of the natural aspects and normality of labor and birth. This dispelling of fear removes tension and much unnecessary discomfort during the process of labor and birth and again, allows a woman to wholly let go and give into the rhythms of her body. A woman who is educated to her options can have faith in herself to make the right choices for herself during the birthing time, whereas the woman who doesn't know of her options cannot have faith in herself to make the best choices for herself and allows doubt and angst into her birthing space.
• Care Providers - this includes your midwife or doctor and nurses or midwifery assistants. It is important to have faith in your care providers: faith that they will advocate for your and your babies best interests as well as your preferences and beliefs in the face of normality. It is important to trust and believe that your care provider will not bully you, shame you, hurt you, or coerce you during your most vulnerable state: labor and birth. When you wholly trust and believe in your care provider, you can leave insecurity and the walls of distrust out of your birthing room and trust their physical touch and dialog freely with them about your concerns, hopes, and desires.
• Spouses or Other Support people -I have said it before and I will say it again, childbirth is not a spectator's event. It is a privileged, not a right, for people to be invited to attend a woman during her birthing time. If your mother, mother in law, sister, etc.. doesn't support you, if you don't have FAITH that they will advocate for YOUR desires, if you don't trust that they will not weave fear, insecurity, or upset into your birthing room, then uninvite them. Those who will be with you the most throughout your birthing time will have the most influence on your level of faith during birth. The wrong words, the wrong touch, the wrong personality in the room can bend an already vulnerable woman's perception of her birthing space and process and can shake the faith of a very faithful person. Your doula, mother, or significant other should share your faith and belief in the process, your faith in your choices and abilities, if they are to support you. Because, only then can a woman be freed to be what she has to be to accomplish the work that she set out to do.

and so much more...

All the strength and force of man comes from his faith in things unseen. He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions.
- James Freeman Clarke

Now some would argue that what if your faith doesn't achieve those things that you set out for (i.e. a woman truly wants a natural birth but circumstances truly require a cesarean for the health of mom and/or baby) then faith equates failure and can harm a woman. I disagree with this. Faith is a strengthening, not a weakening. It is a fortifier, giving a woman a hope and a goal.

When a woman has faith in the process, but the process goes awry for whatever reason, a woman who has faith in her birth team and her support team still retains faith, and thus, retains her trust at the time of birth. Trust begets love, whereas distrust begets animosity and indifference.

Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love. - Erich Fromm

Likewise, faith also means being able to adjust. As stated before, a woman who has faith in the process, and is educated to her options can retain her faith in herself to make the right choices during labor and birth, regardless of the path that her labor takes her.

On this Sunday, I encourage you to take a look at your faith regarding the process of childbearing and work out your faith within yourself, adjusting plans as need be to accommodate faith (i.e. finding a new care provider, taking a childbirth class, or reconsidering who will and won't be at your birthing time) to make your birth the best it can be.