i’m interviewing with a couple today. wish me luck that i’ll be supporting another duo until they are a trio.
not gonna lie, i’m a little excited that this meeting will take place at a cracker barrel.
sharing some good birthy stuff for the occasion:
Tag Archives: doula work
birth matterz
i’m helping another wonderful mama and papa bring their little one into the world today. I’m feeling so incredibly thankful and excited.
in honor of this event, i wanted to share a few birth related items i’ve come across this week.
I found two interesting articles on Marvelous Kiddo:
the first is an article from science daily about new research findings in regards to limits of gestation length in humans. it’s long been theorized that cephalo-pelvic relations (i.e. baby’s head size in comparison to mom’s pelvis) contributed to the end of the mother’s pregnancy term. new evidence shows the end of gestation has more to do with metabolic rate. full article here.
the second article is about Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a delightful hormone that plays a big part in labor and birth, and a whole lot more in life for that matter. Oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions. It also helps mom get an endorphin rush post contraction helping mom cope with labor pain AND oxytocin helps establish momma + baby bond immediately after birth. what a wonderful little hormone! Pitocin is the synthetic form of oxytocin that is sometimes administered during labor to start and/or strengthen contractions. Beware – evidence shows the brain doesn’t react to pitocin the same way as oxytocin naturally occurring in the body. mom may not get the beneficial endorphin rush post contraction and it can make contractions longer and stronger than would be in natural labor. full article here.
and i saved my favorite for last. I snagged this study summary from Mary Catherine Hamelin Birth + Family Arts. The study shows evidence that 100% of women benefit from supported birth:
Overall, women who received continuous labor support were less likely to experience:
• Epidural or other regional analgesia • Any analgesia/anesthesia, including epidurals and opioids • Birth with vacuum extraction or forceps • Birth by cesarean • Dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience. The authors concluded that all women should have support throughout labor and birth.
the last two lines are the most important. it doesn’t matter your chosen method of birthing your baby, it matters how satisfied you are with your experience. doulas help give mom the optimal emotional support to compliment their optimal medical support. think of what our maternity care system could be like if we had a doula for every mother.
this article is from the site childbirthconnection.org. this site is packed full of information. any expecting parents should check it out!
hope you enjoyed this influx of birth information. looking forward to sharing more info and experience as time goes on.
6 Healthy Birth Practices
just another little cut and paste for you from the Lamaze International website
| Introduction to the Six Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices |
The Six Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices can help you simplify the birth process with a natural approach that helps alleviate fears and manage pain. Regardless of your baby’s size, your labor’s length and complexity, or your confidence level, these care practices will help you keep your labor and birth as safe and healthy as possible.
- Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own
- Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor
- Healthy Birth Practice 3: Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support
- Healthy Birth Practice 4: Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary
- Healthy Birth Practice 5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push
- Healthy Birth Practice 6: Keep mother and baby together – It’s best for mother, baby and breastfeeding
finding the words
i know a good many of you have probably been wondering about that second birth experience. it’s taken me a couple of days to get life back in a rhythm, find time to write, and process the whole experience.
i wish i could give you a birth story, but it’s not my story to tell. so i will tell you what i can. i will tell you what’s in my heart.
i write and gravitate a lot towards natural birth. i believe in the power of mommas bodies. i believe in the wonderful dance mothers and their babies do to bring a new life into the world that we have termed labor. i know that i may come across as if i think mothers who choose natural birth are powerful she-woman warriors, because i do.
but now i have learned and witnessed another kind of power, another kind of strength that i hadn’t given its due credit until now. i haven’t had a ton of experience and i think somehow the universe knew which window to open and let me see through for my second experience. to give me more perspective and a well-rounded mindset moving forward. the last line from the excerpt i posted last week keeps ringing in my head: mothers and nature always find a way.
i’ve known all along that being a support person means supporting all kinds of births be they natural, interventive or surgical. even though i have my own personal philosophies, my biggest philosophy is that every couple gets to make their own birth decisions and deserve to be supported through those decisions. i just haven’t had a chance to actually practice what i preach too much.
i’ve now seen the kind of strength it takes to be able to reset and reconfigure when things don’t all go according to plan, because more often than not it’s not going to. i’ve seen the strength it takes for a couple to quickly shift from one path to another. i have to say that i’m a very stubborn person and i don’t know if i would have been able to recalculate with as much grace and acceptance as what i saw this past week. i would have thrown a stubborn aries fit. i would have had an emotional breakdown. i am very lucky neither of these parents were like me. mothers who can shift and accept a different path to birth their babies are powerful she-woman warriors, too. mothers find a way.
i’ve seen the strength it takes to face complications with positivity.
i was reminded that i am going to be very privileged to witness couples at their best. i don’t have a ton of births under my belt but i’m kinda getting the feeling that couples are at their best in labor. at least i hope. maybe i’ve just been lucky to see two great couples give birth. but i can say that i think i will be hard-pressed to find a husband and birth partner more supportive than what i witnessed last week. i’m willing to keep doing this to find out though…
to my friends: thank you a million times over for allowing me to support you through your labor. your fortitude astounded me. your love and support for one another was amazing. i know how lucky i am to have been there. i just have a feeling that starts at my core and radiates out to every fiber of my being that everything will be ok with time. these early complications will fall away and be but memories.
your beautiful baby is one lucky girl to get to have you as parents. aaannd i’m already jealous of her hair. i’ll show her how to shake it one day ;-)
all my love and admiration, your doulette
momjeanz 