New Blog site

To give myself more options with categories & search functions, I've started a 'blog' with a different web company.  The new address is:

http://misskalypso.wordpress.com/

See you over there!

Avoiding birth injuries for bub

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD88c9dbiZg

This is a video that explains how some birth injuries occur, and how to avoid them.  For example, did you know your birth canal is 30% smaller when you are lying or semi-reclining on your back?  30%!!! Insane. And still so many medical institutions demand it of mothers.


Take control of your birth.  Look after your babies' health.

No such thing as false labour!

I just copied one section from this article.  The rest of the article goes through all of labour, but this bit just really struck a cord with me :)

http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/whatlabor/index.php

What Happens During Labor?

by Pam Cass

Prodromal Labor
Often in the past prodromal labor has been given the misnomer "false labor", yet every woman experiencing it has said in frustration "There's nothing false about what I'm feeling!" The misunderstanding has arisen because prodromal labor can feel very much like active labor, yet is not consistently progressive; it does not lead without a break to the birth of the baby. It does, though, serve an important function in the birth process. Prodromal labor does the preliminary work of preparing the uterus, baby and cervix for birth. All of this work has to be done before the baby can be born. Some women's bodies do it all without her being aware of it. However, some women's bodies draw a great deal of attention to the work being done. Too much sometimes.
"This is driving me crazy," one pregnant mother sighed. "I've been having contractions off and on now for three days. Just when I think it's time to call my midwife, they completely stop again!"
Length:

• Prodromal labor contractions may begin hours or even days before active labor.

Contractions:

• The contractions may feel like Braxton Hicks contractions or they may be quite a bit stronger.
• 
  
• They are irregular in length, frequency and intensity. The key word here is irregular. In general though, they are not longer than a minute and not more frequent than 7 to 10 minutes apart. They shouldn't be so intense that they take your breath away.
• 
  
• They may or may not be affected by your activity. The wisest course is to vary your activity level, alternating periods of mild activity with rest.
  

Physical Effects:

• The cervix is moving from a posterior (back) position to an anterior (forward) position.
• 
  
• The cervix is softening.
• 
  
• The cervix is beginning its effacement or thinning. It may thin anywhere from 0% to 50% during this stage.
• 
  
• You may lose your mucous plug from the cervix.
• 
  
• Your cervix may begin to dilate, opening anywhere from 1 to 4 centimeters.

Emotional Effects:

• You may be quite excited when you first feel these contractions, especially if they are stronger than any you've had until now.
• 
  
• As time goes on and the contractions continue without any apparent progress you may feel let down and eventually become quite tired and discouraged.

How To Cope:

• Resist the urge to call everyone immediately and tell them you are in labor. That way you will feel less like a watched pot waiting to boil. You should be able to handle these contractions with some relaxation techniques and concentration. If they are any stronger than that or you just aren't sure, you might want to go ahead and call your doula, she can help you to evaluate exactly what is going on.
• Use these contractions to get to know how your body feels as it begins the hard work of labor. Prepare mentally for the challenges you will shortly be facing.
• Now is not the time to hike ten miles or tromp through the mall for hours in a vain attempt to get labor going. You will just wear yourself out and have that much less energy for active labor.
• Be sure to eat well. Complex carbohydrates like whole grains are especially good now; they will provide you with plenty of energy reserves. Try to stick with foods that are easy on your digestion, you don't want to be dealing with heartburn on top of labor.
• Get plenty of rest. Even if the contractions are keeping you awake at night, nap as much as you can. Again, you want to conserve your energy for the hard work ahead.
• Resist as much as possible the urge to focus too much attention on these contractions. The more you watch, the more time will drag. Try to find some distracting activities to participate in.
• Keep your spirits up; remember that these contractions are doing important work!

Is Induction after the waters break necessary?

This is from a fabulous archived site that has collected a whole heap of midwifery wisdom.  I love this story of a woman who's waters broke at 22 weeks, and the medical response verses her response to this situation. She gave birth at 35 weeks 6 days.  That's nearly 14 weeks with her waters breaking. 


http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/pretermlabor.html#Forestalling
I have only run into this [forestalling preterm labour] one time. Most on the list know the story. A woman with a confirmed rupture at 22 weeks. Initially we referred her out.

The neonatologist wanted to "evacuate her uterus". Our official back up was willing to let her go home and wait for "the inevitable". She went home despite the horror stories of the neonatologist. We agreed to a "house arrest" for the duration of the pregnancy. I agreed to see her at her home once a week and she agreed to monitor her own vitals. She worked very hard on her diet and nutrition issues. She did extra [vitamin] C and a variety of herbs to strengthen and tone. There were no vag exams. She had a bout of rhythmic contractions at 28 weeks. She drank a dose of Jagermeister and took a valerian/skullcap/hops combo tincture and meditated

Eventually the contractions stopped. It was an uphill battle from that point with a body pretty determined to end the pregnancy and a mother determined not to. She continued to leak clear fluid daily which she checked with nitrazine at home and got repeatedly positive results. She had 3 more bouts of strong contractions stopped the same way. At 34 weeks she was confirmed to be dilating with her contractions (used Dr. Greg White's antiseptic vag exam technique).. so she doubled the doses and tried really hard to keep them at bay. She carried to 35 weeks and 6 days...with no s/s of infection. She gave birth to a 5 lb 8oz boy at that time who is fine and healthy today.

The choice to stay home was hers. It was very outside the norm for us. I believe the herbs helped her. I also think staying home and avoiding exams increased her odds. But the most powerful thing to me was her own sheer determination and belief that she could do it. . This is not a choice for just anyone. But I would do it again for someone similarly motivated and dedicated to it.


For those of us whose waters break towards the end of our pregnancies, as long as there is no sign of infection, no meconium in the waters and our 'gut' isn't telling us anything is wrong, we should be fine to wait it out until contractions start.  As I was told, the vagina is not a 'straw' that the uterus sucks things up through!  And as long as you don't douche, or let anything up there, and let the waters constantly 'flush things out' you should be fine.

OB fired during birth!

Mom fires OB during birth when threatened with a cesarean!

June 1, 2010 by enjoybirth

http://hypnobabies.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/mom-fires-ob-during-birth-when-threatened-with-a-cesarean/

 

I LOVE this birth story, because it shows how moms can be so powerful during their births!   Mom was induced at 42 weeks, but insisted that the pitocin was turned up slowly and refused to have her water broken.

First off I have to thank all the wonderful women in this group. (Hypnobabies Yahoo Group) Without you and your wonderful stories I don’t think I would have had the confidence to go to the hospital to be induced with pit, and have a beautiful birth.  I was so nervous and upset the few nights before. Your stories gave me the reassurance that I could do this, and I did. Here is our story.

I think overall I let myself be pushed into inducing. We were at the 42wks the Dr. had guessed. My family was all becoming quite impatient and there was a lot of pressure to have her out.  I agreed to be induced and get things started.

The night before I kissed my first child goodnight and tucked him in, in tears. I left him at my MIL’s so we didn’t have to get him up so early the next morning. Friday the 21st at 6 am we were at the hospital. I took a ton of food in with me, because I was not going to do this with no fuel. We got settled, the first nurse got us all checked in did all the paperwork and started the IV. They had a change of shift, so the next nurse, Anna, come-on and she was wonderful.

Anna spoke with us and I told her how things were going to go. To call the doctor if she needed but I was the one birthing a healthy baby, and unless the stats of baby changed, this is what I wanted. She was so cool! I told her we would be doing the pit slowly. I only wanted an increase every 45 min to an hour, not the every 15 the Dr. had ordered. She called the Dr and it was agreed. So off we set.  We had a cervical check and I was barely dilated 2 and my cervix was very posterior.

I had no idea how the pit would work on me and baby so we just waited. Annabella was so squirmy, they couldn’t keep her on the monitors, Anna had to hold them on and move with her. Around 10am my sister arrived. A few hours past and not much was going on. They wanted me to wear O2 for a while, and said baby was accelerating better when it was on. It didn’t bother me so we did.

After awhile the Dr came in and wanted to look for Annabella and when she couldn’t find her well stated the baby was breach and we needed to go have a c-section. I looked at this woman and told her no, baby had not flipped I would have felt it, and I was not getting a c-section today. That if baby had turned, then we would turn off the pit, and I would go see my Chiropractor to help move her around again. I don’t think the Dr liked me. I didn’t care. So she ordered an ultrasound just to see, and I was later told she knew baby was breach and had started the paperwork to send us on.

Annabella was in fact not breech. She was head down just not really engaged. I felt so good knowing I was right. All this happened about 11am. There had been no increase in the pit for awhile, because of the ultrasound, I still wasn’t doing much that I felt anyway. We started upping it again.

During these times since Annabella wasn’t staying on the monitor anyway, I was up. I walked and rolled on the ball. I leaned over the ball to do pelvic tilts. Pretty much anything I wanted. I really enjoyed that.  I was eating and drinking. I was joking and laughing with my sister and husband. At 2pm I declined another cervical check, but was starting to feel some steady waves we started using Hypnobabies. We called my Doula and told her to come on in.

I was standing and rocking my hips back and forth during the waves, and they were nice. Just these waves, they never were uncomfortable. I didn’t feel I needed to go in to off during them so I just stayed in center moving as I felt I needed to. Anna would come in and check baby with a Doppler, and the let us do our thing.

About 4 the Dr was back, she wanted to see where we were so we checked. I was 4cm, and my cervix was no longer posterior, about 70% effaced.

• The Dr. said I was not where she would like to see me by now. She wanted to break my waters and move things along.
• I told her no thanks; I felt we were doing fine. Baby was fine, so was I.
• She didn’t look surprised. She did get quite nasty though, and told me if I didn’t do things the right way this will land in a c-section and was putting myself and child at risk. That she was going off shift and there would be someone else.
• I came up out of Hypnosis, and the bed, looked her square in the eye and told her that my child in fine.
• I am not having a c-section to please her that if she had not noticed this was MY birth. I was the one doing things, until someone can show me that my child was unsafe I would do this all night if needed.  That was the RIGHT way.
• Also that it was a good thing that she was going off shift, because she was fired. I didn’t want her back in my room. I didn’t need any one in there being negative. I was sure there were other people around who could catch this child, and if not I would do it myself.
• She left the room in a quick hurry, and as I turned around again, my husband and everyone including the nurse were all just kind of staring at me.

My husband was stunned, and asked if I could do that, firing the Dr. I told him I didn’t care if I could or not, she wasn’t coming back to my room. Anna asked to get baby back on the monitor for a few, and as I lay down and got all adjusted, she said she had not liked the Dr. either.  I don’t know how things happened from there, but another Dr. came in and introduced himself about 45 min. later and was way more respectful than that woman had been.

We continued, at 7pm the waves were more intense and almost on top of one another. My Doula suggested I get in the shower to help, we did, and it didn’t really help much. I started to shake and shiver but I wasn’t cold. I vomited all over, and then with the next wave I felt pushy. soon there after my waters broke during one of the pushy waves.

**BOP** I have read other people say that it was pushing that was most intense and they were unprepared for. I agree. At some point I stopped using Hypnobabies, and it hurt. My body had taken over, I had no choice but to push. I was on my hands and knees, but that wasn’t working for me. I rolled to my back, someone held my legs, and she came.  I now know what the ring of fire is. **BOP**

Annabella was born at 8:06pm 7lbs 10oz. 21 inches long.  She cried for a bit but was so awake and alert. She is just perfect. She latched on and nursed minutes after birth. I am so happy with this birth. I did it the way I wanted even if it didn’t start the way I choose. I wish the dr had been more supportive. But you can’t have it all.

Pubic Pain home remedy

Pain in Pregnancy

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Kathy 

http://womantowomancbe.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/pain-in-pregnancy/

Most women take pain and discomfort in pregnancy as being normal. Even when pain is bad, and women complain to the obstetricians about it, most doctors dismiss it as the “normal” aches and pains of pregnancy. I did this too. After all, gaining 40 pounds with my first pregnancy (and losing it all), then gaining 50 pounds with my second (working on losing it now), I wasn’t exactly shocked when my lower back started hurting. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a watermelon on your belly is going to throw your back out of whack. One thing I probably would do differently, though, is to see a chiropractor. I would also have eaten healthier so I wouldn’t have gained as much weight (or lost weight prior to getting pregnant). In one way, I still accept some aches and pains as being normal. I might be wrong.
When my late-pregnancy symptoms that I had conveniently forgotten from my first pregnancy started in my second pregnancy, I was unpleasantly surprised. Not only did they start earlier, but they were worse. It was one thing to have a month or so of poor sleep before giving birth, but almost three months was a whole ‘nother story! I just couldn’t get comfortable, but attributed it to my greater weight gain. Finally, I mentioned it on a birth-y list I was on (a group of probably 10 or so women, all due about the same time, which was a cool coincidence), and one of them gave me this link, because of the specific symptoms I was having. I didn’t have all of the symptoms, but I had enough to agree with the “diagnosis.” Here is a summary of symptoms of “Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction” (and I strongly suggest that you click on the above link and read the entire page, and don’t just take, “Well, of course you’re uncomfortable, dearie–you’re pregnant!” as an answer):

• pubic pain
• pubic tenderness to the touch; having the fundal height measured may be uncomfortable
• lower back pain, especially in the sacro-iliac area
• difficulty/pain rolling over in bed
• difficulty/pain with stairs, getting in and out of cars, sitting down or getting up, putting on clothes, bending, lifting, standing on one foot, lifting heavy objects, etc.
• sciatica (pain in buttocks and down the leg)
• “clicking” in the pelvis when walking
• waddling gait
• difficulty getting started walking, especially after sleep
• feeling like hip is out of place or has to pop into place before walking
• bladder dysfunction (temporary incontinence at change in position)
• knee pain or pain in other areas can sometimes also be a side-effect of pelvis problems
• some chiropractors feel that round ligament pain (sharp tearing or pulling sensations in the abdomen) can be related to SPD

The rest of the webpage has tips for coping, as well as what can be done to resolve the problem (chiropractic–but not every chiropractor will have heard of this or know how to treat it, so do some research first). You don’t have to suffer. Even after reading this page, I didn’t seek chiropractic care, because I assumed it would be too expensive and I didn’t think I had enough time (I was just a couple of weeks away from my estimated due date)–I thought all chiropractic adjustments took three visits a week for a month before you got “fixed.” After giving birth, I mentioned that on that same email list, and regrettably found out that it usually clears up after one visit.
But you might not have to seek chiropractic help! From Dr. Jennifer Padrta, a chiropractor who is on another email list that I’m on is the following:

This is excruciating….and I’ve seen it so much in pregnant moms – usually 1 -3 adjustments clear it up completely….but here’s what she can do at home to help it….

Have mom lie on her back on the floor with her feet on the floor and her knees up. Keep the feet touching and have dad put his hands between her knees. Mom needs to pull together while dad “wishbones” her legs….GENTLY. She may get a “pop” or a crunch sound or no sound at all – all of which is perfectly normal. She may even feel it in her sacroiliac (SI) joints. This is classic for pregnant moms. He keeps doing this until they strengthen up and he can’t pull them apart. If they don’t strengthen within a few days of doing this, then, she may need to go see a chiropractor and get her SI joints checked. Often, the pubic bone won’t release unless I’ve adjusted the SI joints and vice versa….since it’s all connected.

Ligaplex I from Standard Process works well during the beginning of the pregnancy. Usually 4 each day suffice until the 36th week of pregnancy, when I have moms stop it, so the ligaments can relax….but until then, it helps hold adjustments and joints together, which makes life a LOT more comfortable.

My friend complained to me about her pelvic pain, so I sent the above to her, and she said that one time of doing this exercise helped her tremendously. Don’t suffer needlessly. There is an answer.

10 Childbirth Facts What women should know about giving birth

10 Childbirth Facts

What women should know about giving birth

by Ceridwen Morris   |  November 16, 2010

http://www.babble.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/10-facts-childbirth-labor-delivery-signs-giving-birth/?page=1#slideshowholder

Fact 1: It’s not like the movies 

In the movies, the water breaks, everyone panics, mom wobbles up, grabs her belly, and on cue has an enormous contraction, then yells for a taxi. In real life, the water usually breaks during labor and if it does break early, there’s no reason to run screaming to the hospital. Real-life labor is really hard, but it’s not one big screaming emergency. Every labor is unique, but perhaps none more “unique” than the mythical Hollywood birth. 

 Fact 2: Your due date is more like a due month

A full-term pregnancy is anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks. The estimated due date (EDD) is an educated guess, not a firm deadline. The majority of babies are born before or after their due dates; most first-time babies are born an average of four days past the EDD. It can be hard to mentally plan for a whole due month, but a due date is too specific. So, how about a due fortnight? 

Fact 3: Labor goes through very distinct phases with different challenges

Labor is not one continuous, unwavering sensation; it’s a dynamic, rhythmic process. Early labor tends to be long but usually easier to deal with than active labor, which generally requires much more focus and pain-coping techniques. Pushing the baby out at the end is another thing entirely and can actually be a welcome change (now you can finally do something!). Learning about the stages of labor helps you prepare for each one in different ways.

Fact 4: An epidural is just one of many ways to cope with labor

There’s a lot of debate about whether getting an epidural is a “good” idea or a “bad” idea. The only answer is: it depends. An early epidural can slow things down and therefore make more medical intervention necessary. But an epidural given after laboring for a very long time (and when mom is completely exhausted) can actually speed up labor and reduce the chances of more interventions. Try to forget “good” and “bad” when it comes to the epidural; instead, educate yourself about the risks and benefits of the drugs and learn other coping techniques, then see how your labor goes. 

Fact 5: The philosophy of your care-provider matters. A lot.

Some doctors believe in actively managing the labor, introducing medical technology — from labor induction drugs to continuous fetal monitoring — even before they are necessary. Other care-providers believe labor should unfold on its own and medical intervention should only be brought in if something comes up. The way your labor will be handled has a lot to do with who is handling it; talk to your caregiver now about his or her philosophy of birth. And make sure it matches up to your own. 

Fact 6: Your doctor or midwife will not be with you for most of your labor

This often comes as a big surprise to an expecting couple, but it’s common. Doctors and midwives will be on call, advising you when to go to the hospital and will check in on your progress periodically. But for the most part they just show up at the end to catch the baby — midwives tend to be present for longer, but it depends. This is one reason childbirth classes and doulas can be so valuable. 

Fact 7: Induced labors are twice as likely to end in C-Section

Expectations to get births moving at an unrealistic pace have led to the overuse of pitocin, which doubles the odds of having a C-section. Pitocin requires monitoring, which means mom cannot move during labor. Yet, changing position can actually help labor progress and help with pain. Bottom line: Try to avoid induction unless it’s medically necessary. [Claire's note: research whether what the doc's say, is actually really a 'medical necessity' too.]

Fact 8: Staying Home in Early Labor Can Reduce the Chances of a C-section

Barring any specific concerns, there’s no reason to rush to the hospital at the first, or even 50th contraction. You may be turned away if you go in too soon. A good guideline to follow for first pregnancies is 411: Go in when your contractions are four minutes apart, one minute long and have been that way for one hour. Talk about this with your midwife or doctor and call when you know labor has started, but allow your body time at home to really get labor going. [Claire's note: Timing is all well and good, but I'd advise to go in once you can no longer hold a rational conversation between contractions. That's when you know things are moving along]

Fact 9: Birth is a normal physiological event

Yeah, contractions can be very intense and the process of birth can seem overwhelming or even impossible, but the fact is, our bodies were built to do it. Unlike other kinds of pain, labor does not indicate that something is wrong or broken. There are things you can do to get through the hard work: Take a childbirth education class, get some good labor support and learn how labor works. 

Fact 10: A good birth experience is not about how you do it

Surveys of thousands of mothers have revealed that it’s actually not about whether you got the epidural or didn’t get the epidural that makes birth a positive experience. It’s more about whether you were treated with kindness and respect at a vulnerable time. Women with realistic expectations also tend to be happier with their births. This doesn’t mean low expectations, but rather an understanding of what you can control, and what you can’t. Remember that once we banish the idea of a “perfect” birth, the “imperfect” birth goes with it.