Doulas Have Big Balls

There, I said it. Doulas have big balls. We do! I'm not talking about the scrotum, or even our ovaries... I'm talking about a birthing ball. Most doulas either have, or encourage the use of, birthing balls. Birth balls are just exercise balls that are put to use in various forms during labor and birth.

Some have round ones... 

http://birthingbeautifulideas.com

And some have peanutty ones.... 

And both have an excellent place in the birthing room.

But wait, let's rewind a bit... you know, that part of your life where you are mother-but-not-yet-birthed? The time between times when your body is busy growing a little human?  Ah yes, pregnancy.

PREGNANCY


Pregnancy is a great time to break out that exercise ball. It makes a doula just giddy with excitement when a mama will grab out her exercise ball and sit on that instead of allow herself to slouch into the couch (which is horrible for babies position). That's right, sitting upright on a ball during pregnancy is great for:

• encouraging baby to be in a great position for labor and birth
• decreasing backache by encouraging good posture
• increasing elasticity and circulation to the perineum, which decreases the chances of tearing or an episiotomy
• increasing circulation to your lower extremities, which decreases the risk for vericose veins and edema
• opening up your pelvis to encourage baby to settle lower in your pelvis before your labor even begins. 
• encouraging stronger abdominal walls and obliques, which helps support baby/uterus and decreases the risk of diastasis recti. 

Like I said, we doulas get downright giddy when we see you hanging out on top of big old bouncy balls. So, use them when you're watching TV, playing on the computer, sitting at your desk at work, sitting at the kitchen table during meals, or any other seated time. 

LABOR AND BIRTH

Oh now we're getting onto the better good stuff. Now remember all of those great benefits that sitting on a ball had for your pregnancy? Well, that carries over into birth.

Sitting on a ball during labor allows for mom to make all these broad sweeping and swirling, bouncing and rotating motions with her hips...

It's like doing the hula, while sitting on your bum and not tiring your legs out. This, in turn, allows baby ample room and movement to rotate themselves into the best position for an optimal exit strategy. It also allows for openness, very similar to the toilet, allowing for baby to descend into the pelvis in a chin-to-chest position.

Kneeling and leaning on the ball as well as standing and leaning on the ball can also be very helpful. It helps to open the pelvis and has all of the benefits of all fours and forward leaning positions, while allowing you to release and relax by not putting undue stress on your wrists, hands, and arms.

This allows for more complete relaxation. I think I hear some of you exclaiming right about now, "lots of mobility and stability, more relaxing and productive, and I get to look awesome with a birthing ball in tow? Where do I sign up?!"

In fact, it's so nifty that it helps reduce cesarean rates, pushing times, and the need for pitocin if a mama chooses to get an epidural.

AFTER BABY ARRIVES

Well, if you started ballin' in pregnancy, hopefully by the time baby comes you feel the same as we do: that exercise/birth ball was indispensable. It can continue to help you postpartum, fo' sho!

The first thing you can do is use it as it was originally intended to be used - for exercise. Using the ball for oblique and, later, abdominal exercises will help whip your trunk into strength and shape. In the long run, strong ab muscles will help decrease the incidence of long-term back problems that seem to plague mamas who are constantly carrying and holding, hipping and juggling little kiddos.

You can also use the ball to help stretch your body. This is great even immediately postpartum. Regular stretches will help minimize the chances of getting nursing back and allow your body a safe and aligned space to recover quickly from birth. In fact, speaking of breastfeeding/nursing, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the ball as it is supported against the wall will help mom with proper posture during breastfeeding.

Finally, you can use that gorgeous pregnancy lovin', birth rockin', exercise nabbin' ball to bounce-bounce-bounce your little peanut to comfort and sleep.

What Not To Say To an 8+ Month Mama...

"When are you being induced?" (which implies the woman or baby needs it... or that she wants it)

"How far dilated are you?" (which gives no indication of how long labor will be or when you will go into labor, but can sure play with a woman's mind if she has 'nothing for show and tell')

"I can't believe you're still pregnant!" (which, I'm sure, makes her feel stellar..)

"Wow, that's going to be a big baby" (or anything akin to this statement - not productive - way to instill fear into a mama)

"OMG, you're huge!" (only when a woman is pregnant is this considered 'acceptable'.. and trust me, it's never acceptable from the pregnant woman's point of view)

"You haven't had the baby yet?" (well, let's see, if you can't tell if she's had the baby yet just by looking at her, you are either a) blind or b) rude)

"My friend had ____ happen to her and she/her baby almost _____" (yeah, not helpful, or happy, or productive, or educational, or supportive)

In times like these repeat to yourself the age old wisdom of mamas and grandmas:

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"

Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor - a principle in commerce: the buyer assumes the risk. Latin for, Let the buyer beware. A warning that notifies a buyer that the goods he or she is buying are "as is," or subject to all defects. When a sale is subject to this warning the purchaser assumes the risk that the product might be either defective or unsuitable to his or her needs. The basic premise that the buyer buys at his/her own risk and therefore should examine and test a product himself/herself for obvious defects and imperfections.

Let the buyer beware, for (s)he assumes all risk. During your childbearing years, it is so acutely important to understand this concept.

There are a set of 'rules' and expectations that every birthing place has in place. These outline how your
place of birth expects you to behave and what they expect you to consent to. Of course, you can decline any set of policies, protocols, or expectations/interventions, but at what cost? Your provider can (and many do) 'make you pay' for bucking their authority and rules.

If you want low lights, candles, a water birth, hand-held dopplers for monitoring intermittently, and a birth team that speaks in hushed tones and helps you birth in any position you want, you probably shouldn't attempt to achieve that in a florescent-lit hospital, where they have only showers, a strict policy against water birth, no dopplers on the floor, and an OB and nurse who see 'a handful' of natural births in any given year.

 Likewise, if your provider uses such terminology as "I don't normally let my patients...", "I don't do ____", or "I don't work with doulas", guess what? They are not looking out for your best interests, they are looking out for themselves and their policies to be upheld. This is saying nothing of their personality, only of their practices.

I have spoken to many women whose providers state that, in order to continue in their care, they must consent to certain tests or procedures. Again, this is not informed consent, this is coercion. Buyer beware - if they cannot respect your autonomy to make decisions for your own healthcare during pregnancy, how can you hope/believe that they will when you are in as vulnerable state as labor and birth?

Buyer beware - understand the policies and protocols of your place of birth and your provider prior to purchasing their package of goods.

B.I.R.T.H. Fair Houston

If you are in the Houston area, mark your calendar for next Saturday's 12th Annual B.I.R.T.H. Fair. Sage Beginnings Doula Services, along with the Houston Doula Cooperative, and over 50 other local pregnancy, birth, and parenting professionals and businesses will converge on the United Way building to bring local parents and parent's-to-be the best local options for this stage in their lives.

The day will be filled with workshops and presentations, movies and giveaways. It's one big party, and you are invited. Come say hi to us at our booth, or step into one of the many workshops that members of our cooperative will be guest speakers at!

We can't wait to see you there!

Pelviconscious

I want to talk about butts. Not just butts in general – but the laboring woman’s butt. In pregnancy, the
pelvic inlet is strong and sinewy, protecting baby and holding everything in place. The bones are hard, providing a shielding bowl, and the uterus is protected well.

While in labor, though, the pelvis changes. It becomes soft and pliable, jointed and open. A woman who keeps her posterior open and moving tends to have a shortened laboring time, more efficient dilation, and better pelvic relaxation. Let’s talk about why.

Anatomy, the hard stuff – We women are built with this beautiful basin that protects and holds our

inner stuff, including our growing babies, in and up where they are supposed to be. During late pregnancy and labor, it is our bodies’ jobs to provide a space that can let baby come down into this basin.

Later in pregnancy, our bodies release hormones to help the pelvis to become this ‘more open’ and jointed, mobile basin; these hormones are relaxin and hyaluronidase. Both of these hormones help to soften the cartilage, joints, and ligaments in your body. The result is that your pelvis is no longer a firm bony structure, but a moldable, open, hinged structure that accommodates babies descent.

- Finding that open basin -

Stand up.

Yes you.

Stand up.

Now, reach behind you to grasp your behind. Don't cheat by bending your legs or bending at the waist. Standing up, with your legs at a natural distance together or apart, feel for your sit bones (aka sitz bones or, more accurately, ischial tuberosity) you know, those bony prominences of your tush. Now take note of where they are at, how far apart or close together your hands are.

Now keeping your hands on your sit bones, bend at the waist (keep your knees locked). Feel the difference this simple change in posture made on the space in your sit bones/pelvis? Now we are going to go a step further. Keeping your hands on your sit bones and bent at the waist, now add in bending your knees. How did that change things?

Now take note of what you look like. Beyond 'silly', you should be able to note that you are bending at the waist with your knees unlocked and bent slightly. This is a positive laboring posture, one that will encourage your pelvis to be nice and open.

Labor positions that reflect this openness include:

• hands and knees
• forward leaning
• slow dancing
• belly dancing
• crawling
• walking (to a degree)
• toilet sitting
• kneeling

Anatomy, the soft stuff – Running through the basin of the pelvis is a whole bunch of muscles,
ligaments, tendons, veins, and nerves. As baby grows and your body gets more relaxed and open, your soft tissues automatically begin to stretch and soften. Sometimes, though, just like with a muscle spasm or other tensing of soft tissue, there can be some resistance to this body change.

The “pelvic floor” is actually not one muscle, but several layers of muscles that help to support our internal organs. The first layer of muscle can be thought of as a “compass rose” that runs front to back from the pubic bone to the coccyx (the bulbocavernosis), and from side to side from the perineum to the sit bones (the transverse perineals. (For a detailed, three dimensional video that shows all the major structures of the pelvic floor much better than I could explain, click here. It’s well worth the view.) 

There are three openings along the length of the bulbocavernosis, the urethra, the vagina, and the anus, and the bulbocavernosis snakes around them like a figure eight. The perineum is the area between the vagina and the anus, and it is this area that gets a lot of attention during the birth process. 

The next innermost layer of muscle is known as the levator ani. These have almost a bowl-like shape at the bottom of the pelvis, with a U-shaped an opening for the urethra and vagina, and are the muscles that do most of the heavy lifting of the abdominal organs. When we take a breath in, the thoracic diaphragm balloons downward, pushing the abdominal organs toward the pelvic floor, which in turn moves downward and stretches slightly. When we exhale, the thoracic diaphragm moves upward, followed by the abdominal organs, and finally the pelvic floor. We can accentuate this natural stretching and toning by bringing conscious awareness to our PF’s. But more on this later. - OmMama

- Contraction, aka, getting strong -

Kegels. Yes, everyone should be doing them to make sure that their pubococcygeous muscle is strong, but they shouldn't be doing them to the extent t3hat you can move a small vehicle simply with a contraction of your PC muscle.

Pelvic Clocks. These are awesome for labor, and a great way to tone the pelvic floor more thoroughly. I will let this link tell you a little more on how to accomplish them, this one that has a step by step walk through, and watch the video below for more information.


- Relaxation –

Learning to relax your pelvic floor is equally as important as learning to control/tighten it. One way in which to accomplish this is to learn to breath down into your pelvic floor. Attempt to inhale by expanding your ribcage, not lift your shoulders. Tune into what it feels like in your pelvic floor. Now exhale, again, note the change in your pelvis. And if you are a more visual learner see here.

- Stretching -


Inner Pelvic Stretching will help to loosen any taut or restricted soft tissue. Be sure do both sides evenly and slowly :)... once you have achieved full STRETCH, hold a few seconds, breathing deeply, and waiting for your tendons and ligaments to completely release (they will fight you a little).


The Piriformis Stretch be sure to do both sides evenly and slowly. Once you have achieved full STRETCH, hold a few seconds, breathing deeply, and waiting for your tendons and ligaments to completely release (they will fight you a little)


Your pelvis is an amazing thing! Opening, bending, compressing, expanding - allowing you to protect your baby during pregnancy and bring your baby out of your body during birth. Hopefully, these exercises will help you to become more pelviconscious.  

For Your Children's Children

I was talking with a friend the other day and we got on the topic of epigenetics. Yeah, you know, normal Saturday-night conversation.

Let's take a look at what the Bible says.

"The LORD is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations." - Numbers 14:18, NLT

I know, some of my non-Christian friends are probably wondering how this would apply to them. And probably all of my readers are wondering what in the world epigenetics, an Old Testament verse, and pregnancy/childbearing have in common. Well, hold up, this next part will intrigue you!

"A baby girl is born with egg cells (oocytes) in her ovaries. Between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, the ovaries of a female fetus contain 6 to 7 million oocytes. Most of the oocytes gradually waste away, leaving about 1 to 2 million present at birth. None develop after birth. At puberty, only about 300,000—more than enough for a lifetime of fertility—remain. Only a small percentage of oocytes mature into eggs. The many thousands of oocytes that do not mature degenerate. Degeneration progresses more rapidly in the 10 to 15 years before menopause. All are gone by menopause. Only about 400 eggs are released during a woman’s reproductive life, usually one during each menstrual cycle. Until released, an egg remains dormant in its follicle-suspended in the middle of a cell division." - merck.com

My grandma carried me in her womb while she was growing my mom. So, although I was born in 1979, the egg that I came from was created in my grandmother’s womb, in 1956. Rad, eh?

How can that be, you ask? Unlike men, who constantly regenerate sperm from the time they hit puberty and on, girls are born with their full lifetime's supply of eggs. Around the 20th week of gestation, while she is yet in her mother's womb, a female fetus has a developed reproductive system, including about 6.5 million eggs nestled in her ovaries.

So, the egg that created you was formed inside of your mother while she was developing inside of your grandmother. Matryoshka dolls anyone? To calculate your own vintage, simply take your mother's birth date and subtract roughly 20 weeks.

A female fetus will produce oocytes that "remain in an arrested state of meiosis in the ovary, from before birth until the oocyte and its surrounding follicle are stimulated during reproductive cycles to complete maturation…In fact, the human egg or oocyte has already existed for at least 15 years in most individuals (the earliest usual first pregnancy), because oocytes are formed before birth. Thus, the egg that gave rise to each of us was formed in our mother while she existed as a fetus in our grandmother." - The Lifespan Development of Individuals

And then, "As the girl begins to ovulate each month during adolescence, these previously “suspended” cells become active." ... "Each month, whether or not the egg is fertilized, a process that began in the Grandmother’s womb, 2 generations prior, is completed." - Ritual Goddess

So, if you are pregnant with a little girl, around week 20 in your pregnancy, and on through the birth of your baby girl, you will be carrying your grandchildren. I have carried my grandbabies while pregnant with my 4 girls. Isn't that awe-inspiring?!

So that brings us full circle. As awe-inspiring as it is, it is also humbling that we have such a responsibility. How we live, where we live, what we expose ourselves to, what we eat, and more all have an affect on our children and our children's children through the cells that we directly affect, and carry, in our own wombs, for future generations . Studies show that environmental factors, exposure to toxins, maternal nutrition, stress, and other lifestyle choices all affect the development of oocytes.

"A growing body of literature shows a wide variety of substances may adversely affect the female reproductive system, impairing oocyte and embryo developmental competence... very few studies address the consequences for female fertility of simultaneous, complex exposure to compounds such as food additives, toxicants, contaminants, outdoor and indoor air pollutants, endocrine disruptors and hazardous substances. A clear side effect for the lack of a broad picture of complex exposures is an underestimation of the consequences of exposing the population to a wide variety of products. Finally, the oocyte and embryo represent a developmental window during which susceptibility to environmental circumstances is prevalent. " - Oocyte developmental competence and embryo development: impact of lifestyle and environmental risk factors

"Granddaughters of the rats that gobbled excess fat during pregnancy had a 30-percent greater chance of developing breast cancer than those with grandparents who ate healthfully. When only one grandmother, on either the mother's or father's side, had indulged, the granddaughter's disease risk was 19-percent higher." - What You Eat Affects You, Your Kids, and Your Grandkids

"These observations collectively suggest that a range of adult diseases, including hypertension and subsequent kidney and heart disease, in many cases constitute birth defects arising during the first few days of life as a result of seemingly innocuous, short-term variations in maternal diet, a situation that has subsequent clinical and societal importance." - Oocyte Quality and Maternal Control of Development

""Abnormal epigenetic regulation has been implicated in a variety of human diseases," Ohm said. "Those diseases include cancer, obesity, diabetes, infertility, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease." Ohm completed a postdoctoral fellowship in oncology with an emphasis in cancer and stem cell epigenetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2009."  - Your Grandchildren Are What You Eat

Take care of your children, and your grandchildren, through proper nutrition, limit your exposure to harmful substances, food additives, and toxins, stay healthy and active, avoid environmental toxins as much as possible, and nurture the two generations that you hold in your womb! 

More information:
Eating. Drinking. Touching. Breathing. Nursing. Conceiving.
In Vivo and In Vitro Environmental Effects on Mammalian Oocyte Quality
Third Generation DES
GMO in Third Generation (a study of buildup of toxicity)
Dads, What You Eat Can Affect Your Grandchildren

Chiropractic Care In Pregnancy

I am a firm believer in Chiropractic care. Most women don’t know, or don’t see the rationale that chiropractic care is nearly as important as seeing your care giver for prenatal assessment and care.

Strong claim, I know. But, if you consider the average lifestyle choices, activity levels, and personal birth experiences, you will see that chiropractic care is vital to a healthier, easier pregnancy and labor/birth.

What It Is
Some of you might be wondering what, exactly, is chiropractic care. Chiropractic is a branch of holistic medicine which is based upon the understanding that optimal health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system. The term“Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “effective treatment by hand.” Chiropractic practitioners understand that distresses, emotional, mental, and physical upsets, begins with the body’s inability to adapt to its environment. (definition information )

Why it Makes Sense
Ever have a neck ache that ended up giving you a headache that ended up making your whole face feel like it was stuffed with cotton? Well, we would think, by the time we got to the stuffy stage, ‘allergies are acting up again’, instead of looking back to the start of it all, that pain in the neck.
That type of situation is compounded, pressed down, and overflowing in pregnancy. Women experience so many changes during their pregnancy, and here is a short list of those changes:

• Hormones –
  • Relaxin causes muscle and ligament relaxation
  • This allows joints to hyperextend and more easily become misaligned
• Center of Gravity –
  • As your center changes, strains are put on joints that are not used to carrying the center
  • Postural adaptations equate more stresses and increase chance of subluxations to different joints and ligaments
• Weight Distribution –
  • Increased demand on spinal and pelvic muscles and ligaments
  • Joint stress, as stated previously, which increases the occurrence of joint misalignments
  • Increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves
• Rapid Weight Gain –
  • Demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles and ligaments

Chiropractic care during pregnancy can help alleviate all of the above strains, pains, discomforts, and stresses. Commonly, women who have chiropractic care during pregnancy can benefit by experiencing:

• Healthier pregnancies
• Less discomfort during pregnancy
• Less nausea during pregnancy
• Prevention of cesarean or aggressively controlled delivery because of fetal or pelvic misalignment
• Shorter, easier labor and birth

During Pregnancy

“Pregnancy is a natural physiological function of the woman. She should feel little discomfort during the pregnancy. You often hear of the person who has little or no discomfort during pregnancy, one who has had mild labor pains and relatively easy delivery. This is the way delivery will be if there is the proper separation of the articulations (Sacro-Iliac Joints)” - Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy, Today’s Chiropractic, September/October 1991

Yes, many women have aches and pains during pregnancy. No matter how much we love being pregnant, sometimes it can be a pain in the butt, or side, or back…

The sacroiliac joints are joints that are frequently adjusted by chiropractors. They are also the joints responsible for the majority of lower back pain during pregnancy.

Likewise, sciatica is a common complaint in pregnancy. Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve. Its symptoms include: pain radiating from the lower back, buttocks, and/or down the back of one leg, and sometimes into the foot, ‘seizing up’ of that appendage (an inability to move or manipulate it), aching or burning, tingling or zinging. It usually occurs only in one side. It makes sense for it to intensify with pregnancy weight gain and hormonal fluctuations.

Round ligament pain is another common complaint in pregnancy and is marked by a stretching, aching, or downright painful radiance like a girdle on the underside of your growing belly. Again, chiropractic adjustments throughout pregnancy can reduce the incidence of this occurring, or can keep it from ever occurring.

Finally, a less reported but equally as uncomfortable complaint of pregnancy is symphysis pubis dysfunction. Because of the hormones women release during pregnancy, the added weight and girth of the uterus setting upon the pelvis, and the over compensation of her posture, some women experience an intense pain of the pubic arch (the mons pubis area), popping of the hip joints, groin discomfort, and lower abdominal issues. Unfortunately, many women continue to suffer from this postpartum. The best remedy? Getting your spine and pelvis aligned properly so that it can accommodate the changing dynamics of your body more easily.

Bottom line, regular chiropractic care before any of these issues crop up are your best bet for an easier, more comfortable pregnancy!

Labor and Birth

"Chiropractic care during pregnancy greatly facilitates the delivery process. Chiropractic care during this time becomes increasingly valuable when one studies Towbin. He states, “Much of the neurological damage at birth is caused by precipitous delivery techniques-i.e. unnecessary pulling forceful traction during deliver.” He further states that most of the signs of neonatal injury observed in the delivery room are neurological and that the apgar score, now widely used in appraising respiratory action, cardiac function, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and other elementary signs of the presence of absence of neurological injury. Subluxations (spinal misalignments) can also occur due to precipitous delivery techniques.

In earlier studies Duncan found that it takes about 120 pounds per pull pressure to initiate spinal damage with this injury (cord subluxations) occurring most often in the cervical spine. Towbin states that he feels 120 pounds pull pressure is not uncommon in a normal delivery. The normal delivery process herein is described as the doctor pulling on the fetus. This pull now can see the need for chiropractic care during pregnancy. Chiropractic care aids in maintaining the integrity of the lumbar-pelvic area. Therefore, chiropractic care facilitates delivery, lessens intervention, lessens the need for pulling on the fetus and, according to Towbin’s Less Precipitous Deliver Technique, lessens neurological damage to the newborn child." -Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy, Today’s Chiropractic, September/October 1991

"There are two things quite apparent for a “normal” birth—one is chiropractic care during the pregnancy for correction of subluxation to allow the pelvic outlet to be at its maximum and a proper birthing position (squatting) to allow gravity to do its job. Chiropractic is always a value during the birth process, but it is even more during or after a supine (lying on the back) delivery. It would seem logical that chiropractic care during pregnancy, chiropractic care for the child and the squatting position for birth are all logical. Let’s be logical for a change." - Modern Day Birthing Techniques Can Produce Subluxations in Both the Mother and The Baby, Webster, L., D.C., International Chiropractic Pediatric Association January 1993

Misalignments can:

• Cause unnecessary pain and discomfort in labor and birth
• Cause a woman’s body to not go into labor at the right time for her body (indicative by start and stop labor or prodromal labor)
• Cause baby to be in a malpresentation or malposition
• Cause a disrupted or inconsistent labor pattern
• Cause slow decent of baby during 2nd stage

Yes, we childbirth professionals tout that, basically, any position except the supine position facilitates an easier birth. Add to that the caring of your spine and pelvis to ensure that everything points directly and easily to the straightest path out of your body, and you have a great chance for an easier, shorter birth.

Additionally, looking at the physiology of labor and birth, the mechanics of the uterus, spine, and pelvis, how they are all interconnected and interrelated, it is easy to understand how even a minor subluxation can be disruptive to the natural process and biological timing of labor and birth.

Baby’s who are carried in uterus’ supported by misaligned spines and tipped pelvis’ tend to favor positions that are not optimal (breech, transverse, posterior, cranial hyperextension, shoulder dystocia, or asynclitic positions). Baby’s who are carried well supported uterus’ by well aligned spines and proportionately stable pelvis’ tend to favor optimal positions for their exit strategy.

Ideally, the well aligned spine, pelvis, and uterus will give optimal room for a well positioned, well supported baby to move easily down the birth canal. It will mean less aches and pains that are not related to physiological labor, meaning less physical and hormonal distraction from the work at hand – resulting in an easier labor and birth.

What About After Birth
Don’t stop going to the chiropractor just because you have given birth! Your body is constantly in a state of motion, shift, and change. Also, immediately following birth, as your body attempts to move back into its pre-pregnancy state, chiropractic care can prevent muscle tension, headaches, rib discomfort, and shoulder problems. This means that your body can continue to benefit from adjustments with a skilled provider.

Likewise, just because you didn’t get care during your pregnancy, it doesn’t mean you can’t start now! If you didn’t get care, or had a large baby, chiropractic care can help get you back on the road to healthier living. Oftentimes, pregnancy and birth can cause long-term neuromusculoskeletal problems if not corrected.

In Closing
Pregnancy, labor, and birth are wonderful and beautiful times in a woman’s life. Natural, physiological pregnancy, labor, and birth should be relatively free of aches, pains, detours, and disruptions. Our lifestyles, the way that we were born, and our daily habits influence how far we have deviated from natural and normal. Chiropractic care can help set right that which is wrong, set straight that which is crooked, and make normal that which has gone awry.  



Resources:

• Fallon J. International Chiropractic Association. 1994 – Arlington, Virginia.
• Bery G, Hammar M, Moller-Nielsen J et al. Obstet and Gynecol, 72:71-75, 1988.
• http://www.chiroweb.com/find/whatischiro.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysis_pubis_dysfunction
• Lisi AJ. Chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain of pregnancy: a retrospective case series. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2006 Jan-Feb;51(1):e7-10.
• http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/chiropracticcare.html
• http://www.planetc1.com/chiropractic-articles/pregnancy-chiropractic.html
• Östgaard HC, et al. Prevalence of Back Pain in Pregnancy. Spine 1991;16:549-52.
• Berg G, et al. Low back pain during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 1988;71:71-5.
• Mantle MJ, et al. Backache in pregnancy. Rheumatology Rehabilitation 1977;16:95-101.
• http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/jacaonline/Jan07/107Pregnant.pdf

Birth Centers

Birth Centers are a lovely option for families who:

• would like the 'sense of safety' of a hospital birth, but the 'sense of home' of a homebirth
• mom and partner cannot agree on home or hospital for birth
• live in an apartment or with other people whom mom doesn't want to hear/know about her birth preferences
• would like the 'ease' of the midwives equipment being already set up and available, the birth pool already installed and set up, and who don't mind driving to another location
• live far from a hospital and want to be a little closer to their 'backup plan' should a hospital become necessary
• would like to have a low-intervention, unmedicated birth
• would like to go home soon after birth - most birth centers have a 12 hour observation after birth, rather than the 2-3 days of a hospital birth

Luckily, Houston is home to 8 great birth centers!! And I wanted to share a list of Houston area Birth Centers with you, in case you are looking into this option:



West Houston Birth Center
11321 Richmond Ave m100 
Houston, TX 77082
Tel. 713-548-3161
Website: http://www.westhoustonbirthcenter.com/
Contact: Holly Shearman, CPM, Director

The Birthing Place
2218 Barbee St 
Houston, TX 77004
Tel. 713-MIDWIFE
Website: http://thebirthingplace.com/Welcome.php
Contact: Afua Hassan, CPM, Director

Bay Area Birth Center
3210 Strawberry Road
Pasadena, TX 77504
Tel. 713-472-5525
Website: http://www.houstonbirthcenter.com
Contact: Jackie Griggs, CNM, Director

Katy Birth Center
1002 Avenue A
Katy, TX 77494
Tel. 281-395-6652
Website: http://www.babiesareblessings.com
Contact: Connie Blokkum, Clinical Director/ Owner

Nativiti Women's Health & Birth Center
26614 Oakridge Dr
The Woodlands, TX 77380
Tel. 281-296-2333
Website: www.nativiti.com
Contact: Melanie Dossey, Director/Owner

North Houston Birth Center
7007 N. Freeway #435
Houston, TX 77076
Tel. 713-699-4211
Website: http://www.nhbirth.com
Contact: Kathleen Vande Giessen, CNM

Reunion Women's Health & Birth Center
201 Kingwood Medical Drive # B 300
Kingwood, TX 77339
Tel. 281-359-2229
Website: www.reunionmidwives.com
Contact: Janet Little, Midwife/Owner

Rite of Passage Women's Health & Birth Center
2206 E Broadway, Ste E
Pearland, TX 77581
Tel. 281-485-2886
Website: www.pearlandbirthcenter.com
Contact: Bernadette Olivier, Director/Owner
For more information, see the wonderful Mothering Magazine article on Birth Center Pros and Cons.

What To Expect...

This post is not about the famous (although I wish it weren't) book, but rather what to expect in Houston area hospital births. Unlike hospital births of the past, women are no longer routinely shaven and given enemas, and men are allowed in the birthing room. On the other hand, another set of standard policies have replaced these.

Jenna over at The Birth of a Doula wrote a great post recently, and I wanted to share it here.

"I often support women giving birth in hospitals.  Birthing in the hospital means that there will likely be routine procedures and potential interventions that take place... it comes with the territory.  It's important that women and their partners are familiar with 1) what these procedures and interventions are, 2) why and when they may occur and 3) what the risks and benefits are to each.

To be clear- the point of this post is not to list out the pros and cons, but to instead list the most common routine procedures and interventions so that they are all in one place.  My hope is that clients of mine, fellow doulas, and parents looking for a list like this can use it as a springboard and do their own research.  I want people to KNOW what can be expected when laboring and giving birth in a hospital.  Follow the rabbit trails of links and suggested reading and be very familiar with what these common procedures and interventions are.

So without further adieu, I give you the list."

She goes on to detail that hospitals will routinely perform amniotomies (breaking your water), place IV lines, provide continuous fetal monitoring, deny food and drink during labor, expect the woman to wear a hospital gown, and perform vaginal exams throughout. To read her full post, see Birthing in The Hospital.

This is great to be familiar with. Many hospitals have policies in place which a mom may or may not want or need. When a woman knows what to expect from her place of birth, she can better anticipate what she would like to decline or avoid through prenatal conversation and education with her birth team (doctor or midwife, doula, etc...)

All of the hospitals in this area consider the items on her list as routine and to be expected during a hospital birth. So, if you are planning on birthing in a Houston hospital and want to avoid any of these, be sure to speak up.

And finally, for a concise birth plan worksheet, see here.

On Prematurity

Recently I had a client, who I will call K, call me late one night. She was not the client I was expecting to hear from, just a few days earlier I had received her retainer for my services and I had another client who was 'overdue' and getting some labor action. I fully anticipated another woman on the other end of the line when I picked up the phone that evening.

Instead, I  heard K.

"Cole, I'm sitting on the toilet and I  have bloody water pouring out of me. What is this?"

I did a quick assessment by phone of the situation (what lead up to it, was there anything else coming out of her vagina, if there was any other sensations/physical things going on, and where was her partner/spouse) which took a total of 30 seconds.

"K, it sounds like your water has broken. Put a towel between your legs and go to the hospital; I will meet you there."

K was around 27 weeks.

There is a happy ending to the story - her baby was born healthy and strong, albeit via a truly emergency cesarean. If they had stayed home even minutes longer, K and her baby could very well not be with us today.

After this experience, I spoke to another online doula friend who offered to write a guest post on prematurity. Heidi Thaden-Pierce is an antepartum, birth, and postpartum doula, Happiest Baby on the Block instructor, and photographer.  She has a true heart to educate women on what to expect in a premature birth/baby, and warning signs. She, like myself, am wary of providers not sharing signs of premature labor early in pregnancy so that women can be on the look out for these symptoms.

I hope that you find something positive to take away from this post.
When we learned we were expecting for the first time we were overjoyed, and happily announced our news to everyone. We anticipated a smooth, full term birth and never imagined anything could go wrong. Unfortunately we miscarried early on, and suddenly pregnancy seemed much more fragile! When we became pregnant again we were already feeling anxious, so when I developed some concerning symptoms at 19 weeks we immediately called my OB. He was quite dismissive and encouraged me to just rest, but the symptoms didn't subside and we disregarded the doctor's advice and headed to the ER. I was contracting much too frequently but they explained it was so early in the pregnancy that if they could not stop the contractions there was nothing they could do to save our baby if he arrived. I spent the following month on medication and bed rest as we hoped and prayed for more time. We were thrilled to make it to 39 weeks and deliver a healthy baby boy.

Our next pregnancy went very smoothly until around 32 weeks, when once again I began to contract. Knowing the warning signs now of preterm labor we headed straight into the hospital. This time I had also begun dilating and again needed medication and bed rest to slow things down. We were grateful I made it to almost 38 weeks before our healthy baby girl arrived. Our fourth pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and we conceived again the following month. Because of our history we were understandably on edge! At 10 weeks gestation I developed some concerning symptoms and immediately called my new midwife. She saw me right away and then sent me for an ultrasound, which revealed the magnitude of the challenge we were about to face. The placenta was partially detaching and I was bleeding into my uterus. I spent the next 12 weeks on bed rest, moving into the hospital at 22 weeks gestation to be monitored more closely.

Throughout my three months on bed rest and then while living on the antepartum floor of the hospital I was given a list of symptoms I was to watch for and report immediately. We knew a premature arrival was inevitable, but we could not comprehend just how early our son would arrive! It was on a Saturday afternoon when I felt a strange pressure and cramping, along with an increase in contractions. I notified my nurse and I was quickly transported down to the labor & delivery unit where my perinatologist (a high risk specialist) caught up with us. It was apparent that we could no longer stall delivery and our son arrived at 23 weeks gestation weighing 22 ounces. Babies born this early are so fragile and tiny that survival is low and the chance of significant disability is high. This early in pregnancy most parents have just learned the gender of their child, and delivering is far from their mind! Unfortunately this also means they may not be aware of the early warning signs of premature birth, so they may delay receiving critical medical care.

It's now estimated that 1 out of 8 babies is born premature (prior to 37 weeks gestation) and many parents are not taught about the signs of preterm labor until their last month of pregnancy. Being aware of the potential signs can help ensure parents seek immediate medical care, as there are treatments which can sometimes help delay delivery. For a premature baby every single day in the womb can make a significant difference, so early education and intervention is crucial. While many people envision a premature baby arriving a few weeks early, not all parents realize preterm labor may begin in your second trimester! It is always better to call your care provider and ask about your symptoms, rather than ignoring them or waiting until your next appointment to ask. Better to call than to wish you had called!

What are some of the warning signs of preterm labor?

* Contractions every 10 minutes or more often in your third trimester. If in your second trimester then even 4 or more contractions an hour should be checked. When relaxed your uterus feels soft, like touching your cheek. When contracting your uterus will feel hard, like touching your forehead. In early pregnancy your body will be having practice contractions, but if they are coming more consistently, are causing you pain, or are lasting for more than 30 seconds it's cause for concern.

• Change in vaginal discharge: a sudden increase in fluid, a bloody show, or a thick mucous plug. Some mothers have a problem with leaking urine while pregnant, but if you are unsure if it's urine or amniotic fluid it's better to be checked than not! And I promise, you will NOT be the first mother to come in for an exam to rule out leaking fluid. They would rather it be urine than amniotic fluid so please don't be embarrassed!
• Pelvic pressure: especially in your third trimester you'll feel increasing pressure down low as the baby drops, but if you are concerned by the pressure or a sense of fullness, GET CHECKED.
• Low, dull backache: this is often a first indicator of labor, preterm or full term!
• Cramps that feel like your menstrual cycle.
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea.

If your care provider doesn't bring up warning signs of preterm labor it's important that you start that discussion! Ask them in your second trimester (or earlier) what signs you should look for and what you should do in each case. Sometimes calling the doctor during office hours is enough, but other times every moment counts and you will need to get immediate medical attention - either calling 911 or heading straight to your closest ER.

As a doula I am NOT a medical care provider, and you should speak with your midwife or obstetrician about what is best for you. You can read more about prematurity at The March of Dimes site. I hope you will not ever need to know this information, but from firsthand experience I can say it's better to be aware!

While in the NICU with our son we were told a lost day in the womb equals approximately three days in the NICU. Every day counts towards your baby's development, and the sooner the signs of preterm labor are count the greater the likelihood your birth can be delayed and your baby can continue safely growing inside of you. If at any point in your pregnancy you feel concerned by symptoms, call your doctor or seek immediate medical care.

We are grateful that we were warned well in advance that our preemie would be arriving, allowing us to be in the right place when the time came. Against the odds our 23 week little boy survived and is thriving, but we wish so much that parents and babies could be spared the pain and trauma of such an early arrival. I hope this information will help another parent and baby avoid a premature birth.

Of Gardening and Birthing

No, I'm not talking about Cabbage Patch Kids. I'm talking about the labor that brings forth bounty and produces life!

Cultural influences, social biases, and personal misconceptions all play a role in how we view birth. First, we will work on dispelling the myths, misconceptions, and biases attached to childbirth, and, instead, replacing it with Biblical truth. Labor itself is, when in reference to childbirth, simply the hard work which is necessary to bring forth a child from the womb.

To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” - Genesis 3:16

Many translations show the Genesis account of childbirth for women to read as it does above. This translation, for many reasons, is now thought to be incorrect. The word used for ‘pain’ the first time in this verse is the same word (itstsabown) used in the next verse to describe Adam’s ‘toil’ of the ground to produce fruit. Itstsabown is more accurately translated as difficulty, sorrow, hardship, or toil…the only place in the whole Bible that this is translated as pain is when writing about Eve.

The next ‘pain’ in this verse is etseb (etsev). Again, this verse is the only one where it has been translated into meaning physical and outright pain. A better translation again? Toil, labor, or hardship.

Finally, the word ‘childbearing’ in this verse (herown) actually means fertility and conception. Other verses that use this term are Ruth 4:13 and Hosea 9:11. More support for this translation is for the simple fact that discomfort in childbirth varies from woman to woman. Some women have difficult labors while others have painless labors.

There is only one thing that the Bible tells (not curses) us for childbearing in Genesis: hard work.

It is no surprise that God puts toiling for the fruit of the land and toiling for the fruit of the womb together - they are one and the same. Man is to toil the earth, hard work to bring forth the bounty of the soil, while woman is to toil through childbirth, hard work to bring forth the bounty of the womb.

Which brings up some questions: in what climate, and with what soil are you toiling your birth garden?

Dry, desert climates will produce dry, rocky soil - and planting in dry, rocky, soil may mean that you reap a small, ill crop. You have to work extra diligently to cultivate the soil, carry your water longer distances, sweat a little more in the hot sun while tilling, and tenderly nurture those crops to fruition if you hope to have a healthy crop. From sowing, to growing, to reaping, it is work to ensure a crop.

And conversely, rich, peaty soil in moist, temperate climates will provide a more bountiful and easily reaped crop. Your soil is already rich, your water already provided, you will work equally hard at reaping your crop, but the abuntant crop grows a little more readily. 

So it is with pregnancy and birth. If you start at a place of healthy diet and exercise, with a healthy outlook on pregnancy and birthing, you are planting in an already rich and ripe garden. If you are starting from a place of unhealthy diet and little to no exercise, with a fearful outlook on pregnancy and birthing, your garden is more akin to the dry, desert climate - you will have to work a little harder to get a healthy and less risky outcome.

Both climates have work to be done when it comes time to bring forth your fruit, but even then, if you start from a strong foundation, the work is not as apt to deplete you before completion, and your fruit is less likely to be sown by other means (like farming equipment).

So many allusions to be gleaned from gardening and birthing. What are some connections you can make?

CREATING Life

I remember when I was pregnant, some days I felt like a goddess - beautiful, strong, amazing, powerful, curvacious, and sexy... other times, the swelling, backache, heartburn, and nausea was too much to be able to revel in my beautifully voluptuous body! 

Nearly daily, though, I tried to remind myself how sensual and amazing I was! I was creating life! My body was perfectly growing this amazing little person - and I looked good doing it! It can be difficult celebrating yourself and your body when you feel so different - but changing your outlook can change your heart and attitude - which can be a saving grace in those last months of pregnancy! 

Some women have begun pregnancy photography - whether it be sensual, silly, cozy, or abstract. If you choose pregnancy photography, choose a photographer that can capture how you want or do feel during pregnancy. This memento is a literal keepsake of your beautiful form! 

 

Some women have taken to belly casting, a beautiful memento of your pregnant form. A belly cast is a plaster cast of your belly and/or full torso. It can be 'nude' or you can decorate it/have it decorated. It can be hung on a wall, bronzed and used as a centerpiece/bowl or even lined with soft wool and used as a cozy for babies first week of life outside the womb. 

 

http://littlelumpkin.blogspot.com/2008/06/birthing-quilt.html

Some women paint, create pottery, or sketch, reveling in their form and this season of life. Some add words or prose, but all are beautiful works of art that allow women to unfold their innermost self. This artwork can be on full canvas, in sketch books, in clay, or, as the case of the center piece of artwork, on a quilt. 

And others create pieces of wearable art. Pregnancy jewelry is a powerful way to carry your 'talisman of power and beauty' with you at all times. Some women wear jewelry that is pregnancy specific, while others wear jewelry with a saying or a symbol that is meaningful to only them, such as a bead or phrase.

organicmothers.com

No matter how you celebrate your pregnancy, do it!  I know that people have probably told you over and over again to cherish this time, you can never reclaim it, but from one who has BTDT, I can attest that these sentiments are very true. 

If you need ideas for how to start, consider reading a book on celebrating self. A perfect one for pregnancy is called Sacred Pregnancy. Another great benefit of pregnancy art and celebration through creative works is that it translates beautifully into birth art.

http://talkbirth.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/birth-altar-wisdom/

Birth art is a wonderful way to express your needs, desires, delights, and yes, even fears, regarding birth; but art allows it to be done in a positive way that can help carry you through your birth journey.

Blessingway beads are oftentimes held, carried, rubbed, kissed, and worn during birth. It gives mom a sense of centering, and is a beautiful reminder of all of the women holding her space in their own ways.

Other women will make collages or posterboards of phrases of strength, beauty, power, and joy for their birthing time. These posters and collages can be used as a focal point for labor and birth, providing women with affirmations and strength.

No matter how you celebrate yourself - both your pregnant and birthing form, do it! After all, at no other time in her life is a woman more in touch with creation than when she is creating a human life within herself!