Labor Pains for Men
Posted by doularama | Filed under News
Surely, some men will watch this and think that they would be able to do better, but there is much more involved than just the contracting of the uterus (the largest set of muscles in the body and men will never have them). There are other sensations, many would say pain, that come up in various parts of the body, and there is also a huge emotional factor that contributes. If you are frightened or anxious, dehydrated or have a full bladder, it all comes into play. There is so much involved, but this is still worth a look.
I say too bad men can not go through labor. Not because they deserve to suffer, but because it is really a privelege. Women can’t truly remember the physical component of how they felt during labor, but the emotional component never leaves us. That’s why, as a doula, I am working to help women create positive memories.
Tags: doula, Dr. Andrew Rochford, Men Experiencing Labor
Chewing Gum!?!
Posted by doularama | Filed under News
I have never understood the idea of chewing gum. What is the appeal? Chew, chew, chew and at the beginning you get a little flavor. Oooh, that’s exciting. Can I also chew it with my mouth open to annoy the people around me and make little crackling noises on the train so they won’t be able to read even though this is the only opportunity they’ll have? What fun. Even bubble gum, which provides some amusement as you practice a skill that you will never use elsewhere, seems pointless to me. I didn’t even need to finish that last sentence, did I?
Well, finally I see the reason gum was invented at all. Following are the results of a study that say that chewing gum after a cesarean surgery can help speed the rate of recovery. Now that’s something to chew on.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA-Chewing gum after giving birth by C-section appears to help new mothers recover faster, stimulating bowel function sooner, which can translate to shorter hospital stays and lower healthcare costs, according to a study published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
THE DETAILS: Researchers looked at 200 pregnant women who delivered by elective cesarean section and put them into two groups; 93 who received one stick of sugarless gum for 15 minutes every two hours after surgery, and 107 who underwent traditional treatment-no clear liquids until a patient passes gas, and no regular diet until the first bowel movement.
WHAT IT MEANS: Generally, after any abdominal surgery, including hysterectomies and C-sections, a portion of your intestines is temporarily paralyzed. Most doctors won’t allow you to eat or drink until your gut awakens because they don’t want food to become stuck in your GI tract and cause complications. This study adds to the evidence that chewing gum is a helpful way to wake up your gut after surgery, perhaps because the act of chewing signals that food is on the way.o Make the chew case to your doctor. If you’re scheduled to undergo any abdominal surgery, ask your doctor if chewing gum could be used to speed up your recovery. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers found that patients who had undergone colon surgery and chewed gum for 15 minutes four times a day saw a return of bowel function a half a day sooner than those who just sipped clear fluids.
Tags: abdominal surgery, ceasarean, chewing gum, recovery
In the Caul
Posted by doularama | Filed under Birth Stories, News
Caul is the term used for the amniotic sac when it is still intact around the baby at birth. Fewer than one in one thousand babies are reported to be born in the caul, and there are some old beliefs surrounding these births. Among them is the idea that a baby who is born in the caul will have good luck
I am not really superstitious- I happily believe some of the positive (things) and leave the rest behind. I’ll even go as far as saying that Friday the 13th brings me good luck because, if everyone has bad luck on that day, the good luck has to go somewhere. So, I’ll often see the positive portents in my life, and recognize nary an ominous omen.
I feel like I came into birth work in the caul. I have been very lucky. I’ve had great mentors and many opportunities for continuing education. I’m usually called to births after breakfast and get home before dinner. I get women to the hospital just before they need to push, leaving no time for interventions, and homebirths speed right along too.
The last two homebirths I assisted were attended by the same midwife. For the first one, she arrived just three minutes before the baby was born. Things were just going so smoothly and everyone was coping well, it was hard to tell that it would end so soon. For the second one, she arrived a little less than an hour before the little caul-enveloped girl emerged. The midwife told me that I am very calming and that’s why labors go so quickly for me. Well, “calm” is the one word everyone uses to describe this midwife. What a compliment it was to have her say that about me.
Now I’m on call for another client with the same midwife. Some might suspect that my luck should run out by now, I choose not to worry myself with those thoughts and just take the challenges as they come (if they come).
I don’t think there are any long- standing beliefs about the people who are present when a baby is born in the caul. Well, there is now and you better believe it’s a good one.
The midwife mentioned above had an aunt who was also a caulbearer. She died the day the little girl speedily came out in her own caul. That’s not superstition, it’s just fact, but I like to believe that those coincidences are significant too.
Check out some amazing photos and some more info HERE.
Tags: caul, childbirth, in the caul, midwife, Navelgazing Midwife
Laborades for Labor Aid
Posted by doularama | Filed under Recommendations
These recipes can be enjoyed as drinks or labor cubes. I suggest that you make them in advance and have ice cubes ready in case that’s what you would like during labor.
Make a strong batch of red raspberry leaf tea and add enough honey to make it sweeter than you would normally have it.
*The honey will provide energy.
*Red raspberry leaf relaxes and tones the uterus while nourishing with vitamins and minerals. It can also reduce nausea, help with labor pains and even increase the flow of milk.
*****************************************************************************
In a blender combine:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 calcium/magnesium tablets, crushed
3 cups water
*The lemon juice helps with nausea
*The honey provides energy
*The lack of calcium lowers the threshold for pain and sufficient calcium is necessary for the blood to clot (important in preventing hemorrhage). It is also good for the heart in times of stress.
*Magnesium is the prime regulator of calcium flow within the cells. It helps the uterus contract efficiently, and fully relax between contractions. It also alleviates nervous tension.
*The water will make it all palatable and help KEEP YOU HYDRATED.
Tags: childbirth, hydration, laborade, laboraid, recipes
Monique and the Mango Rains
Posted by doularama | Filed under Recommendations
Monique and the Mango Rains
Two Years with a Midwife in Mali
by Kris Holloway
This book made me laugh out loud and cry (surprise!). It provides Excellent insights into the culture, traditions and personalities of people in a village in Mali, as experienced by a young Peace Corps volunteer. This intimate, easy-to-read narrative is special because it is not the story of a volunteer’s two years in Africa alone. It all revolves around a special friendship the author developed with the young village midwife and health care worker. Through this unlikely relationship, we are invited to experience the stark reality of a small village in West Africa, not unlike many others, along with the lush simplicity of daily life there. Kris Holloway does not focus on herself, but on the people of the area and their situations. This short book can provide a much-needed education for so many people in this country who don’t know what’s going on across the waters.
Tags: Kris Holloway, Mali, midwifery
Birth Art
Posted by doularama | Filed under Recommendations
I am taking the Teaching Birth Art course through Birthing from Withtin. The drawing below is the product of the assignment for which I had to draw a birth that was going well. It is called Nothing but Peace and Love. Originally, my hands were on the woman and it looked really wrong to me. I saw that I didn’t need hands, just heart. I tell people that often the presence of a doula alone can make a difference. When I thought I was done, I became obsessed with making it simple and turned most of the page black. I rubbed and rubbed so that none of the page would show through. As a doula, I often work hard to make it look like nothing is going on too.
Tags: Birth Art Process, Birthing from Within, childbirth, doulas
Idiot
Posted by doularama | Filed under Parenting
When I first met my husband, he considered me some type of savant. Uhm, an idiot savant- how cute. The term idiot savant refers to someone with a brain disorder who excels in a particular area. That’s not me, though I have been known to be quite the fool and do have a special gift for memory, music and numbers.
I remember watching A Beautiful Mind. When John Nash started seeing codes and messages in the newspaper, I could totally relate. I mean how could you look at a group of numbers or letters without mixing them up or arithmetically changing them? Isn’t that normal? I turned to my friend sitting next to me in the movie theatre and said “I do that all the time.” I was comparing myself to this genius, but I wasn’t familiar with his story and didn’t realize how the movie would unfold and his life would unravel. I hope I don’t ruin it for you by telling you that no, it isn’t normal. People don’t feel compelled to decode any random set of three or more letters or numbers like I often do.
My husband is a very intelligent and well- read man. We have coupled and produced a pair of genius children. Now, I know that everyone’s child is exceptional, but mine actually are. I won’t list their talents and skills because I don’t want to find out that your child is equally bright. I’m writing the blog right now, OK?
Before my daughter was two, our pediatrician was telling us about all the top public schools in the city, urging us to make sure Mita got into one of them. She was convinced of my daughter’s genius. Such a good doctor. Actually, I had started looking for schools before I was even pregnant. I was prepared. My children would be going to a great school. I did everything I had to do.
In NYC, a few of the top options required that my daughter score better than 97% of the other test-takers her age. The test had ninety questions, divided in two parts. On the first part, my daughter scored in the 99th percentile. This didn’t surprise me. Out of 100 students, only one did better than she. That sounded right. In the second part of the test, she scored in the 59th percentile. Just above average. My doctor asked if I had questioned the results as there had clearly been a mistake. I’m not so sure. One possibility is that she had never taken a test before or ever, ever been alone with a stranger. Maybe after an hour she had gotten tired or bored. Maybe she’s just an idiot savant. Part one of the test could have been her area of natural thinking, while part two was more of a challenge. I don’t know.
This week, my baby, who was just born the other day, will be starting kindergarten. I’ve done lots of crying and she is thrilled. It has been extremely frustrating for me because, after all that research, she’s ended up going to the same school I went to decades ago. I don’t intend for her to stay there, though. I will be continuing my efforts so that she is recognized for the savant she is. I will keep you posted.
The Safety of Homebirth Reviewed
Posted by doularama | Filed under News, Recommendations
Following is an abstract of a study that demonstrates the safety of midwife-attended homebirths from The Canadian Medical Association Journal. This is extremely important! People quote and misquote the findings of a very flawed study to say that homebirth is not safe and they are just wrong. Dr. Marsden Wagner, in his book Born in the USA, does a wonderful job of educating his readers on this. Too bad we’re not all his readers!
Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician.
Patricia A. Janssen PhD, Lee Saxell MA, Lesley A. Page PhD, Michael C. Klein MD, Robert M. Liston MD, Shoo K. Lee MBBS PhD
ABSTRACT
Background: Studies of planned home births attended by registered midwives have been limited by incomplete data, nonrepresentative sampling, inadequate statistical power and the inability to exclude unplanned home births. We compared the outcomes of planned home births attended by midwives with those of planned hospital births attended by midwives or physicians.
Methods: We included all planned home births attended by registered midwives from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2004, in British Columbia, Canada (n = 2889), and all planned hospital births meeting the eligibility requirements for home birth that were attended by the same cohort of midwives (n = 4752). We also included a matched sample of physician-attended planned hospital births (n = 5331). The primary outcome measure was perinatal mortality; secondary outcomes were obstetric interventions and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Results: The rate of perinatal death per 1000 births was 0.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–1.03) in the group of planned home births; the rate in the group of planned hospital births was 0.57 (95% CI 0.00–1.43) among women attended by a midwife and 0.64 (95% CI 0.00–1.56) among those attended by a physician. Wo men in the planned home-birth group were significantly less likely than those who planned a midwife-attended hospital birth to have obstetric interventions (e.g., electronic fetal monitoring, relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% CI 0.29–0.36; assisted vaginal delivery, RR 0.41, 95% 0.33–0.52) or adverse maternal outcomes (e.g., third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.28–0.59; postpartum hemorrhage, RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.49–0.77). The findings were similar in the comparison with physician-assisted hospital births. Newborns in the home-birth group were less likely than those in the midwife-attended hospital-birth group to require resuscitation at birth (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14–0.37) or oxygen therapy beyond 24 hours (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.24–0.59). The findings were similar in the comparison with newborns in the physician-assisted hospital births; in addition, newborns in the home-birth group were less likely to have meconium aspiration (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21–0.93) and more likely to Abstract be admitted to hospital or readmitted if born in hospital (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.09–1.85).
Interpretation: Planned home birth attended by a registered midwife was associated with very low and comparable rates of perinatal death and reduced rates of obstetric interventions and other adverse perinatal outcomes compared with planned hospital birth attended by a midwife or physician.
Tags: Born in the USA, Canadian Medical Association, Homebirth, Marsden Wagner
