Speedy Gonzales

I got a phone call this morning at 3am from a second time mom. She has a history of going fast. She told me she got to the hospital and her first daughter was born within the hour.

So, rather than going through my fluffy doula schpeel (walk, eat, drink, pee), I told her I was getting dressed and would meet her at the hospital. I called my doula friend who is working on her CAPPA certification to meet me at the hospital to get credit for the birth. She was two contractions away from missing the birth, I'm glad she made it. The mom was six centimeters at 4am and delivered at 5:25am. The baby literally popped out in one push. So amazing!

I told myself that I was going to retire from hospital births. If there is one thing hospitals are good for, it's ruining normal birth. If only doctors and medwives knew how much easier their jobs would be if they'd just let low risk mothers deliver their babies in their own time. They would almost get paid to do nothing!

And to think they wanted to induce this mom on Tuesday, as if!

Water Baby

I went to my first water birth this morning and it was beautiful!

The midwife called me when the mom was starting to push. I literally got dressed and to the birth in fifteen minutes. Once the mom found her rhythm, she pushed her baby out with such ease. This mom made it look so easy to have a baby, it was amazing to see.

I've always heard great things about water birth but had never seen the benefits first hand. When the midwife asked the mom to get out and try some pushes on the bed, the mom was literally begging to get back into the water after about 10 minutes of land pushing. After the birth, the mom commented that getting back into the water was such a relief, she felt as if the water washed her pain away.

Benefits for Mother:

-Water is soothing, comforting, relaxing.
-In the later stages of labor, the water seems to increase the woman’s energy.
-The buoyancy lessens her body weight, allows free movement and new positioning.
-Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby.
-Immersion in water often helps lower high blood pressure caused by anxiety.
-Water seems to alleviate stress-related hormones, allowing the mother’s body to produce endorphins, which are pain-inhibitors.
-Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, which reduces the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.
-As the laboring women relaxes physically she is able to relax mentally, concentrating her efforts inward on the birth process.
-The water provides a sense of privacy, which releases inhibitions, anxiety, and fears.

Benefits for Baby:

-Provides a similar environment as the amniotic sac.
-Eases the stress of the birth, providing reassurance and security.
From: Americanpregnancy.org

I wish more women had the opportunity to have water births if they so desire. They are an amazing, natural and cost effective way to alleviate labor pains so moms can birth their babies naturally, into the water.

Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám

I love happy births. What a great labor, even if mom didn't always agree. The nurse felt a scar on her cervix from an earlier surgery and broke it up which helped her fly from 4 to 10 in under three hours. I'm so glad that the nurse knew to do that. I had recently read an article addressing cervical scars.
The article on cervical scar tissue can be found here

Sweet Deception

My doula client called me yesterday to let me know how her prenatal visit went on Wednesday. We are expecting her baby any day now so when she called I thought she was going to tell me that she was in labor. In labor she was not. She told me that her midwifes at the Health Department wanted her to go to the hospital on Sunday for an induction because of "borderline high blood sugar."
"Blood sugar?" I repeated to her over the phone again and again. "You're sure they said blood sugar and not blood pressure." She assured me that they said blood sugar. In all my readings I have never come across anything that would suggest that borderline high blood sugar would be a reason for an induction. The reasoning behind the induction, I suspected, was a fear that the baby was going to be too big, a condition called macrosomia. Interesting, I thought, when several highly respected authors, including Marsden Wagner and Jennifer Block, stated that macrosomia is not a justification for induction.
To make sure I wasn't crazy I called my midwife friend for her opinion. "NOT true!" was her first reaction when I told her about the reasoning for the induction. She assured me that I wasn't crazy and that she would never recommend a mom for an induction because of suspected macrosomia, especially not with a diagnosis of "BORDERLINE" high blood sugar. Ultrasounds can be off by as much as two pounds and even the most trained provider cannot predict a baby's birth weight.
When I talk my clients about induction I always want them to ask why the induction is being recommended. If everything is OK with mom and baby? Then why are we inducing? We all know that inductions more than double the chance of the birth being a surgical delivery, so the risk of surgery should always be considered when discussing induction. Does the risk of surgery outweight the risk of staying pregnant? I do not believe that macrosomia should ever be deemed a justification for induction or elective surgical delivery. If the baby is too big the only way we will know that is if the labor starts on its own and then the baby doesn't fit. Period. There is no guarantee when predicting birth weight and weight alone does not mean the baby cannot be born vaginally. A ten pound and a six pound baby could have the same head circumference and if the ten pounder is in a more favorable position than they may be easier to birth. I feel that most inductions are orchestrated cesareans. An obstetrical Münchausen by proxy used by the doctors and medwives to prove their superior medical knowledge in predicting that the baby "just couldn't be born vaginally, see I told you so."
We need to trust birth, trust our bodies and trust our babies. My client is angry that her midwifes would recommend such an invasive procedure. She wants her baby to be born in her own time, on her own terms. This afternoon I'm going to go visit my client, not to give her advice on natural methods for induction, but to support her in her decision not to be induced on Sunday. My midwife friend wants to come by and meet with her as well to assure her that she can birth her baby vaginally. I'm so happy to have such a wonderful friend devoted to honoring babies, respecting women and trusting birth! The world needs more motherbaby friendly midwifes!!!!!

Healthy Start Coalition Breakfast

This morning was the Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County's breakfast. Jennie Joseph, LM, CPM was there as the guest speaker. She was so fascinating to listen to. She spoke about the high rates of infant and maternal mortality in the United States, which ranks 2nd worst in the industrialized world! Jennie made a beautiful point: every woman wants a healthy baby and she deserves one. A statement I will not soon forget...