So your wondering exactly what kind of support a Doula gives you? You maybe thinking "Will she replace my partner during labor?"
Support is "Unconditional"
It is just listening, not judging and allowing you to tell your own story
It is not offering advice, it is to offer a shoulder, tissue, a hug or show that you care
I am here to help women discover what they are feeling and not to make the feelings just go away
I am here to help you figure out your options BUT not tell you what you need to choose
I am here to discuss the steps necessary with you but I will not take the steps for you
I am here to help you discover your strength and not to rescue you or leave you vulnerable
I am here to help you discover that you can help yourself and not to take that responsibility for you
I am here to help you learn to choose but not to make it unnecessary for you to make a difficult choice
I am here to help guide you and your partner find your comfort level but not to take your partners place
I am here for you as your support!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Benefits of Breastfeeding
"Benefits of breast feeding, and how society sometimes discourages it." - By Andrea Stracner.
Breast feeding has been slowly becoming more popular since the 1970's. It is unfortunate that the trend is not catching on in certain parts of the population such as, teenage mothers, the poor, and African American women. We should find a way to convince them all that the “breast is the best”. There are so many advantages for both the mother and infant. We really should try to educate people to those advantages. But society has fought with breast feeding mothers in the U.S for some time now.
The benefits of breast feeding for the mother are very good. Breast feeding immediately after the baby is born helps your body produce a natural hormone called oxytocin. This oxytocin is similar to pitocin or methergene that doctors give you to make your uterus contract back down to its normal size after delivery. Obviously the oxytocin helps the uterus shrinks as the baby gets the nurishment it needs. This sometimes helps a mother get her figure back after having a baby, which can be a real challenge. Another thing that breast feeding does for a woman is that it helps lower the chance of her getting breast and ovarian cancer. Also there is the maternal bonding that a mother feels when spending this special time with her new child knowing that she is the only one that can be with her child in this way. There is also a cost issue. Formula can cost more than $400 a year for the family.
The benefits for the baby are endless. In a policy statement, published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics,the academy said that “studies conducted in industrialized countries have shown that breast feeding can decrease the incidence or severity of conditions such as diarrhea, ear infections, and bacterial meningitis. The research has also shown that breastfeeding may offer protection against the sudden infant death syndrome,insulin dependent diabetes, and allergic diseases, among others.” There was also a report in Jama that suggest that adults who as babies were breast feed for seven to nine months, had a higher intelligence level than those breast feed two weeks or less. There is also a bond between the mother and baby that is made during feeding time.
Many factors are to blame for only twenty percent of American infants being breast feed for six months of life. Many blame it on the formula companies. To many the companies are “a bunch of fat cats getting rich at the expense of babies health.” Unfortunately the formula companies have lots of money to spend on add campaigns promoting their product. It seems that they aim there adds many times to poor women. If only breast feeding could be promoted in such a way. Then there are some people in the public that view breast feeding as a disgusting thing that “middle class granola eaters” do. This is a big problem that keeps mothers scared to leave the house if they are breast feeding. I know many people that have been told to leave a public place such as a restaurant. One person was told not to feed her infant, because” this is a family place”. I guess that person wants his children to think that breasts are only for selling tooth paste and fancy cars, because breast feeding is the most natural of family activities.
Breast feeding has been slowly becoming more popular since the 1970's. It is unfortunate that the trend is not catching on in certain parts of the population such as, teenage mothers, the poor, and African American women. We should find a way to convince them all that the “breast is the best”. There are so many advantages for both the mother and infant. We really should try to educate people to those advantages. But society has fought with breast feeding mothers in the U.S for some time now.
The benefits of breast feeding for the mother are very good. Breast feeding immediately after the baby is born helps your body produce a natural hormone called oxytocin. This oxytocin is similar to pitocin or methergene that doctors give you to make your uterus contract back down to its normal size after delivery. Obviously the oxytocin helps the uterus shrinks as the baby gets the nurishment it needs. This sometimes helps a mother get her figure back after having a baby, which can be a real challenge. Another thing that breast feeding does for a woman is that it helps lower the chance of her getting breast and ovarian cancer. Also there is the maternal bonding that a mother feels when spending this special time with her new child knowing that she is the only one that can be with her child in this way. There is also a cost issue. Formula can cost more than $400 a year for the family.
The benefits for the baby are endless. In a policy statement, published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics,the academy said that “studies conducted in industrialized countries have shown that breast feeding can decrease the incidence or severity of conditions such as diarrhea, ear infections, and bacterial meningitis. The research has also shown that breastfeeding may offer protection against the sudden infant death syndrome,insulin dependent diabetes, and allergic diseases, among others.” There was also a report in Jama that suggest that adults who as babies were breast feed for seven to nine months, had a higher intelligence level than those breast feed two weeks or less. There is also a bond between the mother and baby that is made during feeding time.
Many factors are to blame for only twenty percent of American infants being breast feed for six months of life. Many blame it on the formula companies. To many the companies are “a bunch of fat cats getting rich at the expense of babies health.” Unfortunately the formula companies have lots of money to spend on add campaigns promoting their product. It seems that they aim there adds many times to poor women. If only breast feeding could be promoted in such a way. Then there are some people in the public that view breast feeding as a disgusting thing that “middle class granola eaters” do. This is a big problem that keeps mothers scared to leave the house if they are breast feeding. I know many people that have been told to leave a public place such as a restaurant. One person was told not to feed her infant, because” this is a family place”. I guess that person wants his children to think that breasts are only for selling tooth paste and fancy cars, because breast feeding is the most natural of family activities.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Now that I have a Doula are you replacing my Labor partner?
Does a Doula Replace the Father?
No! A labor doula can actually help facilitate a father's involvement and help them to stay more involved during this special time. The doula can help explain the process of labor and birth, which can be confusing and scary for dads. The doula can help the mother to cope with labor pain, using her skills and experience. Helping to take some of the pressure off of the partner to do the "right" thing. The father's presence and loving support in childbirth is comforting and irreplaceable. The love he shares with the mother and his child, along with his need to nurture and protect his family are things that only he can provide. My goal is to work with your partner to make lasting memories for your family!
Dads and Doulas: Key Players on Mother's Labor Support Team
There was a time when expectant fathers were portrayed as anxious, floor-pacing, cigar smoking men who were tolerated in hospital corridors until the long-awaited moment when a nurse or doctor would announce they were the proud father of a daughter or a son. Today's expectant fathers are different.
When it comes to pregnancy, birth, and parenting, today's father wants to share everything with his partner. He wants to be actively involved; ease his partner’s labor pain, welcome his baby at the moment of birth and help care for his newborn at home. A labor doula can help a father experience this special time with confidence.
The word "doula" which comes from ancient Greek, today refers to a woman trained and experienced in childbirth. A doula provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the expectant mother and her partner during labor, delivery and in the immediate postpartum period. The wisdom and emotional support of experienced women at birth is an ancient tradition.
Studies show that when doulas are present at birth, women have shorter labors, fewer medical interventions, fewer cesareans and healthier babies. Recent evidence also suggests that when a doula provides labor support, women are more satisfied with their experience and the mother-infant interaction is enhanced as long as two months after the birth. With doula support, fathers tend to stay more involved with their partner rather than pull away in times of stress.
Today, a father's participation in birth preparation classes or his presence at prenatal visits and in the delivery suite is a familiar occurrence. Yet, we sometimes forget that the expectations of his role as a "labor coach" may be difficult to fulfill. Sometimes it is also culturally inappropriate for an expectant father to be so intimately involved in the process of labor and birth.
The father-to-be is expected among other things to become familiar with the process and language of birth, to understand medical procedures and hospital protocols and advocate for his partner in an environment and culture he is usually unfamiliar with. A doula can provide the information to help parents make appropriate decisions and facilitate communication between the laboring woman, her partner and medical care providers.
At times a father may not understand a woman’s instinctive behavior during childbirth and may react anxiously to what a doula knows to be the normal process of birth. He may witness his partner in pain and understandably become distressed. The doula can be reassuring and skillfully help the mother to cope with labor pain in her unique way. The father-to-be may need to accompany his partner during surgery should a cesarean becomes necessary. Not all fathers can realistically be expected to "coach" at this intense level.
Many fathers are eager to be involved during labor and birth. Others, no less loving or committed to their partner's well being find it difficult to navigate in uncharted waters. With a doula, a father can share in the birth at a level he feels most comfortable with. The doula’s skills and knowledge can help him to feel more relaxed. If the father wants to provide physical comfort such as back massage, change of positions, and help his partner to stay focused during contractions, the doula can provide that guidance and make suggestions for what may work best.
Physicians, midwives and nurses are responsible for monitoring labor, assessing the medical condition of the mother and baby, and treating complications when they arise. But childbirth is also an emotional and spiritual experience with long-term impact on a woman's personal well being. A doula is constantly aware that the mother and her partner will remember this experience throughout their lives. By “mothering the mother” during childbirth the doula supports the parents in having a positive and memorable birth experience.
The benefits of doula care have been recognized worldwide. The Medical Leadership Council of Washington, D.C, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the World Health Organization are among the many healthcare organizations that value the benefits that doulas provide to women in labor.
The father's presence and loving support in childbirth is comforting and reassuring. The love he shares with the mother and his child, his needs to nurture and protect his family are priceless gifts that only he can provide. With her partner and a doula at birth a mother can have the best of both worlds: her partner’s loving care and attention and the doula's expertise and guidance in childbirth.
©DONA 2001 Permission granted to freely reproduce in whole or in part with complete attribution.
Birth Affirmations
Your birth experience is a very individual and unique journey, no two are the same and no matter how much you prepare it is better to be ready for something unexpected. Perhaps the experience is more work then you envisioned? Perhaps you wanted a home birth but had to have a last minute change. That happened to me! I wanted a home water birth but things went a bit unplanned and our birth plan went out the window. So do not be discouraged or feel cheated about your experience.
Focus on the positive right now, by imagining what a wonderful experience you will have! Youtube is filled with many Birth Affirmations that you can start practicing to encourage you to have a relaxing birth!
To get the birth - and life - you want, you need to start focusing on what you want. Let go of your fears, doubts, and pessimistic thinking. And embrace what you want. Focus on it to the exclusion of all else. And guess what? It will come to you.
Contact me today about more tips, affirmations or about my services!
littlecriesandlullabies@gmail.com
Focus on the positive right now, by imagining what a wonderful experience you will have! Youtube is filled with many Birth Affirmations that you can start practicing to encourage you to have a relaxing birth!
To get the birth - and life - you want, you need to start focusing on what you want. Let go of your fears, doubts, and pessimistic thinking. And embrace what you want. Focus on it to the exclusion of all else. And guess what? It will come to you.
Believe. Relax. Breathe. Be.
Contact me today about more tips, affirmations or about my services!
littlecriesandlullabies@gmail.com
Cold during pregnancy?
Pregnant and feel a cold coming on? Then try this remedy as suggested by Aviva Jill Romm in her excellent The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition and Other Holistic Choices. I highly recommend this book for all pregnant women who are looking for a natural, holistic approach to their pregnancy.
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| Garlic steeping in recycled jar. |
Garlic Lemonade by Aviva Jill Romm
Steep 4 to 6 cloves of chopped raw garlic in 1 quart boiling water (cover the jar while you steep) for 30 minutes. Then add the juice of 1 or 2 lemons and honey or maple syrup to taste. Drink warm, up to 1 cup every two hours. If you don't find this tea palatable, try steeping the garlic as above, but add a couple of bouillon cubes or 1 tablespoon of miso to the tea instead of lemon and honey. This is a warming tea if you have chills but can be used at any time of year.
Pregancy and your changing body!
Pregnancy is a time of amazing never ending changes. Your breasts change size and shape... your belly expands and makes room for your growing belly. You look and feel different. Feel good about those changes...
Take a picture every week, in the same place and position. Make a silhouette picture every month of your ever changing baby belly and breasts. Henna your belly. Paint your belly. Show off your decorated belly off now that it's getting warmer. If you are brave wear clothes that emphasize your changing shape.
Create a belly cast- this is a three-dimensional mask that you can decorate or leave plain. This is perfect for actually being able to see and feel and remember where your gorgeous baby lived before he or she was born. You can do just your belly - sometimes called a belly bowl, your belly and breasts or even one with your arms cradled around your tummy in a permanent hug. Check the web for images of poses you may want to try! There are a variety of plaster kits are available online and in local pregnancy shops or you can just visit a medical supply shop for fast drying plaster gauze. Can be messy and fun and well worth the time. Be as creative as you would like! Make as a Birth announcement, draw pictures that inspire you (Tree of life, pet name or glam it up!) whatever calls to you do it, let your imagination run free!
Whatever you do to honor your changing shape, remember it is all for the beautiful babe inside you and the mother you are becoming. Honor the changes... all of them! Even the yucky ones, like morning sickness or your swollen kaankles!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
What is a Doula?
What does "Doula" mean?
"Doula" is a Greek word which has come to refer to an experienced woman who offers continuous emotional, physical and informational support to a family before, during and immediately following childbirth.
WHAT IS A DOULA?A doula is an experienced and trained birth companion who stays with a laboring woman throughout her entire labor and birth experience, providing emotional, physical, and informational support. Your birth experience will be a lifelong memory, and using a doula can help ensure that the birth of your child will be a memory filled with satisfaction. A doula recognizes birth as a key life experience, and understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. She supplements rather than replaces the woman's partner and care-provider. She helps make a woman's birth experience a positive event with rich rewards and feelings of accomplishment.
WHY CHOOSE A DOULA?
Each person involved in the care of the laboring woman contributes to her emotional well-being. However, doctors, nurses, and midwives are primarily responsible for the health and well-being of the mother and baby. Medical care providers must assess the condition of the mother and fetus, diagnose and treat complications as they arise, and focus on the safe delivery of the baby. These priorities rightly take precedence over the non-medical psycho-social needs of a laboring woman. The doula helps to ensure that these needs are met while enhancing communication and understanding between woman or couple and staff. Along with her knowledge and objective perspective, a doula brings a loving human touch that contributes to a respectful environment and a gentle beginning for you and your baby.
HOW DO BIRTH PARTNERS AND DOULAS WORK TOGETHER?
A doula can never replace the love and caring that the birth partner provides during the birth experience. No one else can fill this special role. A doula gives the birth partner ideas about what comfort measures work best during different parts of labor and birth. A doula's knowledge and experience can help the birth partner participate comfortably in the birth. The doula and birth partner work as a team.
"Doula" is a Greek word which has come to refer to an experienced woman who offers continuous emotional, physical and informational support to a family before, during and immediately following childbirth.
WHAT IS A DOULA?A doula is an experienced and trained birth companion who stays with a laboring woman throughout her entire labor and birth experience, providing emotional, physical, and informational support. Your birth experience will be a lifelong memory, and using a doula can help ensure that the birth of your child will be a memory filled with satisfaction. A doula recognizes birth as a key life experience, and understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. She supplements rather than replaces the woman's partner and care-provider. She helps make a woman's birth experience a positive event with rich rewards and feelings of accomplishment.
WHY CHOOSE A DOULA?
Each person involved in the care of the laboring woman contributes to her emotional well-being. However, doctors, nurses, and midwives are primarily responsible for the health and well-being of the mother and baby. Medical care providers must assess the condition of the mother and fetus, diagnose and treat complications as they arise, and focus on the safe delivery of the baby. These priorities rightly take precedence over the non-medical psycho-social needs of a laboring woman. The doula helps to ensure that these needs are met while enhancing communication and understanding between woman or couple and staff. Along with her knowledge and objective perspective, a doula brings a loving human touch that contributes to a respectful environment and a gentle beginning for you and your baby.
HOW DO BIRTH PARTNERS AND DOULAS WORK TOGETHER?
A doula can never replace the love and caring that the birth partner provides during the birth experience. No one else can fill this special role. A doula gives the birth partner ideas about what comfort measures work best during different parts of labor and birth. A doula's knowledge and experience can help the birth partner participate comfortably in the birth. The doula and birth partner work as a team.
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