- 7 Facts About Home Births
- 11 Big Fat Pregnancy Myths
- C-Sections May Not Provide the Brain Benefits of Vaginal Birth
Kailee D Stephens
Doula Support, Questions & Answers, Tips and Helpful Information for Your Pregnancy thru Post-Partum.
4/22/13
Why do women choose to take dangerous drugs?
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/epiduraltrip.asp
4/9/13
Amish clues to lowering C Section rate
3/25/13
3/29/11
Anemia in Pregnancy: Get Iron!
Anemia is common in pregnancy because a woman needs to have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around her body and to her baby. So it's important for women to prevent anemia before, during and after pregnancy. Usually, a woman becomes anemic because her body isn’t getting enough iron. Iron is a mineral that helps to create red blood cells. About half of all pregnant women don’t have enough iron in their body. In pregnancy, iron deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of preterm birth and low birthweight.
You can help lower your risk of anemia by eating foods that contain iron during your entire pregnancy. These foods include:
Poultry (dark meat)
Dried fruits (apricots, prunes, figs, raisins)
Oatmeal
Whole grains
Blackstrap molasses
Liver
Seafood (learn about the safe kinds of seafood you can eat during pregnancy)
Spinach, broccoli, kale and other dark green leafy vegetables
Baked potato with skin
Beans and peas
Nuts and seeds
Foods containing vitamin C can increase the amount of iron your body absorbs. So it's a good idea to include these in your new daily diet:
Orange juice
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Grapefruit
Coffee, tea, egg yolks, milk, fiber and soy protein can block your body from absorbing iron. So during pregnancy, it's also a good idea to avoid consuming too much.
3/3/11
The Doula & The Partner
The couple has probably taken childbirth classes, and feel decently prepared for labor and birth. The one problem: Neither person has been present at birth before, given the exception of a few.
No matter how much you prepare, the woman will more than likely be completely centered inward and trying to work through her labor and won’t remember much from the classes. Her body will instinctively tell her what positions work and what don’t by decreasing her pain, but she will still be in some level of pain.
What partner do you know isn’t concerned when their loved one is in pain? What husband would be completely okay with seeing their wife in the most pain she has been in in her entire life, and working harder than she has ever worked? I know very few that are completely level-headed when their partner is in pain. Even if they truly want to help, sometimes their protective nature overcomes their logic and they try to control the problem rather than work with it.
Another problem is that when you are in the heat of the moment, you forget the important things. In labor, you are tired, hungry, and worried. The husband forgets what positions are good for labor and pushing, what things help with pain relief, what can truly help their wives or partners get through labor and birth the way they want to.
In addition to forgetting this, what partner truly knows the ins and outs of every intervention and pain medication that a doctor would advise so as to make an informed decision with the laboring woman?
There is truly a difference between preparing for labor and truly experiencing labor. You do not know how your contractions will feel or what will help you the most. It is a completely new sphere.
With that being said, a doula is not there just to help the mother cope with her labor. The doula is also there to help the partner or husband so that they are able to completely help his wife or partner in the way that is best suited to him.
A doula can help a partner by:
1. Reaffirming that labor truly is normal. The body does an incredible amount of work during labor and delivery. The uterus contracts at amazing strengths to dilate and push a baby out. If you have never experienced labor before, the strength and power of the contractions can quickly overcome anyone and have them wonder if this truly is normal. A doula makes sure the couple knows that this truly is a normal, natural body function and also recognizes when things truly do get out of hand.
2. Helping keep the privacy of the room during labor by dealing with the hospital staff. In the hospital, most nurses and doctors will not knock before entering a room. Imagine you are in the bathroom at your house and someone you probably do not know just walks in in the middle of you having a bowel movement. You would be very embarrassed and most likely unable to finish while they are there. It is the same during labor. If you are interrupted during this process, it can slow or stop completely. Another issue is nurses or doctors trying to talk to a laboring woman during a contraction, whether it is just beginning or just ending it is still distracting. If you lose your concentration during a contraction, it is incredibly hard getting it back. The doula can occupy the nurse’s or doctor’s time during the contraction so the woman isn’t interrupted (and the husband can help without worrying about the nurse or doctor) and after they can discuss the options the nurse or doctor came to talk about.
3. Showing how best he can support the mother. A husband wants to help his wife, but sometimes gets stuck wondering which comfort measure can help his wife during her stage of labor. A doula, being trained in comfort measures during labor, can show the husband how best he can help his wife. This will give the husband confidence he is doing what will help rather than hinder his wife, and know that he is the one truly helping her during her labor.
4. Giving him a break during labor. Labor can last hours or even days. Even if the woman has no interest in eating, the husband still has to keep up his strength, not to mention have sleeping and bathroom breaks every once in awhile. If the woman and husband are the only two there, if he leaves, the woman will be completely alone during her labor, whether it is early labor or transition. If they have a doula with them, the husband can take breaks as needed without worrying if the laboring woman will be alone.
5. Providing truly trained “labor sitting”. Before labor and delivery moved to the hospital, doctors and midwives provided support through all of labor, not just during the last few pushes of labor. This practice has gone by the wayside so the woman is left with just her and her partner alone in a room with nurses coming every few hours to check on them. A doula provides the labor sitting that has become a forgotten art. Even if the couple has everything under control, the doula can sit by and wait until they are needed. And even if they aren’t needed to help cope with labor, they have read multiple labor and birth books so they can give trained advice and know the risks and benefits of every procedure.
6. Making sure the mother’s wishes are honored. There is a common joke with a lot of obstetricians that if a woman brings a birth plan, she is on the fast track to a cesarean section. Even if this isn’t a joke in your hospital or with your doctor, it is very hard to ‘fight’ for what you want during labor and have your wishes truly honored. A doula can help keep your birth plan. They can peacefully keep your wishes in mind of the doctor and nurses so that they do not unnecessarily do something you did not wish for, and you do not have to fight for it.
7. Knowing many comfort measures that can be used during labor. Since this is their job, they research constantly and know a plethora of comfort techniques. Even if the husband studies thoroughly, he won’t be as invested as a doula. Having a greater knowledge of comfort can only help the laboring woman and her husband.
8. Doulas have an incredible record for keeping down interventions and helping the woman have a better birth experience. The presence of a doula results in:
• Reduced cesarean birth rates by 50%
• Reduced length of labor by 25%
• Reduced use of Oxytocin by 40%
• Reduced requests for pain medication by 30%
• Reduced the rate of Epidural usage by 60%
• Babies had fewer health problems at six weeks than the infants of women who had not had a doula present during labor.
• Babies had fewer neonatal complications
• Babies had fewer workups for sepsis
This just truly stands on its own two feet.
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A doula truly is not there just for the laboring woman. They are hired by the couple, to help the couple meet their baby for the first time the way they want to. Labor and delivery is an intimate time between two people, and a doula can keep that privacy and intimacy so your baby is greeted in the atmosphere best for the family.
2/24/10
Prenatal Vitamins & Supplements
1. Solaray brand Red Raspberry Leaf capsules, 2/day in 1st Trimester, 3/day in 2nd Trimester, 4/day in 3rd Trimester
(Red Raspberry can help prevent miscarriage, tones the uterus and helps with smoother contractions in labor)
2. New Chapter Prenatal, Garden of Life Raw Prenatal or Rainbow Light Prenatal, 1/day
3. Country Life Prenatal Fish Oil called Omega Mom
(It's important you get adequate DHA for the baby and yourself)
You can also take Krill Oil, it has astaxanthanin in it which is an antioxidant and will help the oil from going rancid. Krill oil absorbs much better than regular fish oil into the system. It's a bit more expensive, but worth it.
4. Country Life Evening Primrose Oil, 1000mg/day
(This helps to soften the cervix and can be inserted vaginally in 3rd Trimester)
5. Solaray Blue Cohosh, 2/day in last month of pregnancy
(Blue Cohosh helps with regular contractions and gives the uterus a final toning which makes labor easier)
You shouldn't take Blue Cohosh or any other uterine stimulates unless you first speak to your doctor or midwife.
6. Coconut Oil
You can rub it all over your body and your belly to prevent stretch marks. It also has Lauric acid which helps kill bacteria and viruses. You can take it while breastfeeding to increase the Lauric acid in your milk. 1 tablespoon and day works.
Many of these vitamins and supplements can be found at your local natural food store or online at vitacost.com or amazon.com
2/22/10
Bleeding in Early Pregnancy
When bleeding occurs in pregnancy, our first thought is miscarriage and yet spotting-heavy bleeding in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is seen in over 20-30% of pregnant women. I have researched this common issue in order to eliminate our worst fear of a loss of the baby. It is quite normal.
Here are a few other causes of early term bleeding:
1. Leftover Cycle blood (brown blood means old blood)
2. Implantation bleeding You may have some light spotting for a day or two at about the time when the fertilized egg burrows into the wall of your uterus. This is a process that starts just six to seven days after fertilization, so you wouldn't even know you were pregnant yet.
3. Infections Spotting can also be caused by conditions unrelated to pregnancy. A vaginal infection (such as a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis) or a sexually transmitted infection (such as trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, or herpes) can cause your cervix to become irritated or inflamed. An inflamed cervix is particularly prone to spotting after sex or a Pap smear. You may also spot or bleed after sex or a Pap smear if you have a cervical polyp (a benign growth).
4. Placental problems or premature labor In the second or third trimester, bleeding or spotting can be a sign of a serious condition such as placenta previa, placental abruption (in which the placenta separates from the uterus), a late miscarriage (between 13 weeks and midpregnancy), or premature labor (between midpregnancy and 37 weeks).
Even first trimester bleeding may be a sign of an underlying problem with the placenta. Research shows a link between early pregnancy bleeding and an increased risk of later complications, such as preterm delivery or placental abruption, particularly if the bleeding is heavy.
5. Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy(1 out of 60 pregnancies)
Spotting or bleeding can be an early sign of miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, especially if accompanied by abdominal pain or cramping. (Bleeding can also signal a molar pregnancy, a relatively rare condition in which abnormalities in the fertilized egg at conception make it impossible for the embryo to develop or survive.)
When is it serious?
~If you have severe bleeding or cramps and contractions (call 911)
~If vaginal bleeding in pregnancy lasts for more than 24 hours and you are unable to get in touch with your health care provider or you don't have one
~If you faint (pass out) or feel very dizzy
~If you are bleeding and develop a fever over 100.5°F
~If you have pain worse than a normal period, or severe localized pain in your abdomen, pelvis, or back
~If you have undergone an abortion and develop a fever, abdominal or pelvic pain, or increased bleeding
~If you have been given medical treatment for ectopic pregnancy with methotrexate, and you develop increased abdominal or pelvic pain within the first week after the injection.
1/18/10
Stay Fit
-Fewer physical complaints
-Decreased pregnancy weight gain
-Decreased time in average labor
-Fewer labor complications
-Faster postpartum recovery
-Faster postpartum weight loss
With these benefits in mind, many pregnant women are eager to exercise. Their problem is that they are not sure where to start. Here are some great exercises that work well for many women.
Walking
Walking is a great form of exercise and can be modified for many fitness levels, including beginners. Other than a decent pair of walking shoes you don’t need fancy equipment and it is a great workout for muscles and aerobic fitness. Many pregnant moms like to walk because the intensity is controlled by them and not someone else. Walking can also be maintained postpartum.
Yoga
In pregnancy the combined exercise and relaxation that yoga brings is a welcomed addition to your exercise routines. Many of the mothers that I have worked with have used yoga poses in their childbirth classes and then enjoyed it so much that they continued doing it. You may take pregnancy specific classes or modify certain poses in pregnancy, as lead by your instructor. There are also DVDs available with pregnancy specific yoga poses available. I really liked using yoga to help me stretch and focus in pregnancy.
Pilates
Pilates is a very popular form of exercise. Women who were doing pilates prior to pregnancy are asking if they can continue to do Pilates now that they are pregnant and the answer is yes. Pilates can be modified for anyone and is also great postpartum. Since the core muscles are prime in Pilates and very used in pregnancy be sure to find an instructor who is qualified to work with pregnant women.
Swimming
Many mothers enjoy swimming in pregnancy. Not only does it help you stay cool in the warm months but it also provides near immediate relief of many aches and pains in pregnancy. The water is a known comfort in pregnancy because it helps relieve stress and strain on muscles that are being stretched and challenged in pregnancy. It also helps mom deal with the added weight her body is carrying by lightening her load while she is in the water.
8/17/09
Water Birth & its Benefits
Water birth is not a new concept. Women throughout history have given birth in water. With the advent of modern medicine, the practice became less common. In recent years, water birth is experiencing a revival as more women choose this method for giving birth. There are many benefits to giving birth in the water.
Pain relief: Women report that the pain is greatly reduced when they labor and deliver in the water. Some experienced mothers report that the water was nearly as effective as medicinal pain relievers or epidurals. Water works by blocking the pain impulses in the nerves of the body. Water is an effective alternative to pain medications for women wanting a drug free birth.
The husband or partner often feels pushed to the side during labor and birth. Nurses, doctors, doulas and other personnel seem to take over. This doesn’t happen with a water birth. The laboring mother relies on her partner for comfort and focus. The husband often gets in the water behind his wife to offer support and encouragement.
If you want a water birth, the health care provider you choose will be essential. When interviewing doctors and midwives ask questions about their feelings about water birth. If the doctor doesn’t do water births or the hospital doesn’t have the necessary facilities, you may want to look for another health care provider.
8/6/09
Reasons to Hire a Doula
Medical Benefits of Hiring a Doula
Numerous studies in the last 25 years have clearly demonstrated the value of a birth doula during the process of childbirth. Some of the evidence has shown that fewer mothers ask for medication or require medical intervention such as the use of pitocin to induce or speed up labor. Mothers who use doulas are more likely to have shorter labors and fewer cesareans compared to mothers who did not have a doula. Mothers also tend to breastfeed their babies longer and have a more satisfying birth experience if they have used a doula. In fact, a recent survey indicated that mothers gave the doulas the "highest rating" for the best supportive care over any other member of the birth team including nurses, doctors and nurse-midwives.
Parents can have many reasons for hiring a doula that may or may not have anything to do with the research results. Here are a host of reasons parents may want to use a doula.
Other Reasons Parents hire a Doula:
- A desire for additional support during labor, with or without a primary labor partner.
- A history of a previous long or challenging birth.
- Greater access to non-pharmacologic methods of pain relief.
- Mothers with special needs such as those planning a VBAC, single mothers or those who cannot use pain medications such as an epidural.
- For additional help with breastfeeding techniques and postpartum support after birth.
- To assist parents in having a natural or unmedicated childbirth.
How Doula Support is Unique
A common misconception is that the labor and delivery nurse with be providing the same type of support as the doula. Parents believe that the nurse will be there with them continuously and help them with pain relief techniques. The reality is that the typical labor and delivery nurse in the hospital has multiple patients. She is required to keep extensive records on all of her patients at the same time. In fact, one study showed that only about 10% of the nurse's time was spent supporting the laboring woman with her physical or emotional needs.
Doulas do not work in shifts or have multiple patients. They care for the individual needs of the mother and stay with her until the baby is born. Not only that, but the birth doula is not a stranger to the mother and therefore she can act as a familiar guide through the long and often challenging hours of labor.