My first piece of advice to a new mother interested in birthing in the hospital is, GET A DOULA! With my first child I thought I would be able to go into the hospital with the wishes for a completely natural birth and get what I wanted, and what I had expected from birth. I was wrong.
Just as my experiences which greatly differed under OB/GYN care, and Midwife care in my post The Midwife Difference, I had greatly different experiences without a doula for my first, and with a doula for my second. If I knew what I did about hospital birth today, I would have requested money for a doula rather than baby gifts, and essentially a bunch of stuff that we would barely use for our oldest.
One of the major concerns over doula’s is the cost. Insurance rarely covers it, though they should because it lowers the costs of birth in a hospital by reducing the need or request for pain medication, epidurals, and even reduces the risk of a forcep assisted or vacuum assisted delivery. But cost being the biggest issue, many women opt to skip on a doula and use their husband or partner in this type of support capacity. I know, because I did it! And if anyone knows my husband, half way into my labor, we found him sleeping in one of the most uncomfortable looking positions. Yes, that is him to the right, sleeping on the floor with a tipped chair as a pillow while I was hooked up to pitocin. Had I had a doula, I would have probably skipped the pitocin, and the hospital, and especially the Obstetric practice I ended up with! Come time for my second child, especially given that my birth was going to be a VBAC attempt, I knew how important it was to have a doula no matter how much it may have cost our family. And it was worth it! The support I got from my doula was unlike anything my husband, or hospital staff could have ever provided me with. I knew this because I had already been through it one time, and I vowed I wouldn’t do it again under those circumstances.
But there are ways around the costs of doulas. Believe it or nor there are a lot of doulas out there. Training, well educated, attending births for decades, all kinds. And they are willing to work with you, especially if the only factor is money! If you contact local doula organizations such as DONA, or CAPPA they can point you in the direction of women who are still becoming certified and many of them would be willing to attend a birth for free, or seriously discounted rate to obtain their birth hours needed for certifications. Then there are the doulas who have been attending birth for decades willing to work on a sliding scale, payment plan, or make alternative arrangements such as bartering. Heck, some midwives even barter for services. Makes me glad I married a handy husband! (LOL!)
But what exactly is a doula?
Well, a birth doula according to DONA :
Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
Stays with the woman throughout the labor
Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience
Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level
A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA).
A postpartum doula is described as :
Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester
Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying
Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary
A postpartum doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials PCD(DONA).
Where did the word Doula come from? Seems like a funny word right? Why couldn’t they just use the word birth attendant, or support person, or something less exotic. The word doula comes from an ancient Greek word that means mothers servant or woman who serves.
Take a couple minutes to watch the short clip above, in June the full film will be released and I can’t wait to see it as a whole. I am sure there is going to be a lot of awesome clips that really show the great need, and benefit of having a doula.
What are the benefits of having a doula? There are a lot!
Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth
tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Some may or may not be familiar with the infamous internet persona known as Dr. Amy, but for those that are, you may find this as amusing as I did while writing it.
Mention the words Home and Birth in the same sentence.
Discuss evidence based medical choices in pregnancy, childbirth, or prenatal care.
I hear the term Mommy Guilt way too much. More than we should be thinking about it at least.
As mothers and parents we should be focusing on doing the best job raising our own children, not giving others a guilt trip because of the way they raise their children. Unfortunately in our society that simply is not the way parenting and choices for our children are viewed today. While some parenting choices may be extreme, negative, or completely inappropriate, the simple subject of Mommy Guilt is not targeting those kind of choices.
I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss the issues many parents feel guilty about, or over, and what we should be doing as a society to support these parents, and help them through some difficult decisions they need to make for their children and family.
Breastfeeding : Earlier this week The Feminist Breeder said it better than anyone could. In her post “Just Say No to Wars Over Breastfeeding” discussed how we should be helping mothers with education and resources instead of faulting them for not making the choice to breastfeed, or even making the decision to stop breastfeeding after a short amount of time. If there should be any blame places on issues regarding breastfeeding today, we should be putting that on society as a whole and the horrid attitude we hold towards the way babies were meant to be fed.
Working Outside the Home : While working outside the home is not a choice some mothers would make for their children, like myself, it does not make someone a bad parent. In our current economy many parents need to have a two income house to be able to afford life, especially here in Fairfield County.
Vaccines : Another hot button issue in our society today is whether or not parents make the choice to vaccinate their children. You are not a bad parent if you do or do not vaccinate as long as you are making educated decisions in your parenting choices. Being educated, and researching what is the best option for you and your family is key in making any large parenting decisions.
The list can go on and on but I think the biggest factor in this discussion is being secure in your decisions. If you are confident that you made the right choice for your children, and family, then you shouldn’t be offended by remarks by others.
No need to feel guilty over your choices, they are your choices, and in most cases, there is no going back, just improving in the future.
Even though the thought of giving birth at home is still a continually taboo subject surrounded by a large amount of ignorance, and misinformation, there are a ton of celebrities option to give birth to their children in the comfort of their own home, even while being surrounded by all the scheduled births, and c-sections we see in Hollywood today.
So who has given birth at home?
Lisa Bonet, better known as Denise Huxtable on The Crosby Show gave birth to daughter Zoe at home in 1989 with then husband musician Lenny Kravitz.
Super model and wife of NFL star Quarterback Tom Brady, Gisele gave birth to their son Benjamin this past winter in the couple’s Boston condo bathtub with a midwife.
Model Cindy Crawford also gave birth to her two children at home. One in 1999, and the other in 2001.
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes daughter Suri was born at home.
Demi Moore, and husband Bruce Willis welcomed all three of their daughters at home.
Actress and two time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep gave birth to her daughter in 1978.
The Wife of writer Stephen King gave birth to their children in the comfort of their own home.
Baywatch Babe, and Dancing with the Stars newcomer Pamela Anderson gave birth to her two sons with Rocker Tommy Lee at home.
John Travolta & Kelly Preston gave birth to their children at home.
What about the celebrities that were born at home themselves?
Elvis Presley
Walt Disney
Babe Ruth
Albert Einstein
Ronald Reagan
Gerald Ford
Bob Hope
Frank Sinatra
Oprah
Elton John
Kiefer Sutherland
I am sure most people won’t care, or aren’t interested, but I find it fascinating to know celebrities are breaking barriers and opting for home birth despite the fact that it is not the mainstream or most popular birth choice around!
Unknown to most people, along with Autism Awareness Month, April is Cesarean Awareness Month.
When I discuss this with local mothers — and sometimes health care providers — most question the need for an entire month to promote awareness on surgical birth.
Through the local chapter of The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN of Connecticut) I have learned how much the number of Cesarean sections is impacting our mothers in the Naugatuck Valley and across the state.
Unfortunately, the current C-section rate in the United States is at 32.3% as of 2008, which is the most recently released statistic provided by the CDC.
It also marks the twelfth consecutive year the Cesarean birth rate has risen, despite a number of medical organizations — including The World Health Organization (WHO) and American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — urging medical care providers to work on lowering the Cesarean birth rates and increase access to Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC).
Connecticut, unfortunately, is above average, with a surgical birth rate of 34.6% as of 2007, which is also the most recent local released statistics per the CDC.
Why is this of serious nature?
The World Health Organization recommends a cesarean birth rate of 10 percent to 15 percent at the highest for an industrialized nation, such as the U.S.
It is not only for the safety of our babies, but for the safety of our mothers, and their reproductive futures.
When a Cesarean section is necessary it is a lifesaving procedure for mothers and babies. Unfortunately for women birthing in Connecticut today, it is estimated that almost half of all the C-section births are medically unnecessary.
In the Valley, several hospitals offer labor and delivery services and also permit VBAC, which some hospitals across the state have banned — despite repeated studies showing vaginal birth after Cesarean to be a safer alternative over an elective repeat Cesarean delivery.
To get involved, or learn more about The International Cesarean Awareness Network of Connecticut, which locally sponsors Cesarean Awareness Month, you can e-mail them at ICANConnecticut@aol.com
In my mother’s generation, the baby boomers who were giving birth in the last 20-40 years, episiotomies were routine for the vast majority of women going into the hospital to give birth. It hasn’t been until recent years that the medical community really started to question the benefits of the procedure, and how effective and helpful it truly is to birthing women when compared to allowing a natural vaginal tear.
An Episiotomy is described to be a medical procedure in which an incision, either straight down (midline) from the vaginal introitus (opening) towards and into the perineum, or is a medio-lateral incision off to the right or left side.
In women who are tolerating labor, with no fetal distress or emergent issues, they are not necessary. But in situations where an emergent delivery is necessary, and the delivery can still be a vaginal delivery, they are more important.
Other information also shows that a straight cut into the vagina as an episiotomy creates proves a harder recovery and easier chance of a serious tear in future vaginal births over a natural tear of the vagina.
Why are episiotomies still being performed today when research shows that they have little or no benefit to women?
High intervention standards for birth today
practice styles and patterns
values of individual providers
birth settings
influence of colleagues
influence of medical education
If you are looking to avoid an episiotomy during labor, there are a lot of things you can do.
Interview providers before choosing one.
Discuss episiotomy practices, and rates with your provider.
Justin was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphatic Lymphoma in March of 2009, one day after he turned 6 years old. Since then Justin has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatment to help fight his battle against cancer.
Justin was doing good until about a month ago, when he had a relapse. Doctors currently say his best change for remission and beating cancer is high dose chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant.
Which is where you come in! Justin is looking for a bone marrow donor. Normally to get on the registry it is a $50 fee along with a cheek swab and the registry paperwork. This Wednesday in Milford the fee will be waived for anyone who attends this special registry clinic in the name of little Justin.
Wednesday March 31st, from 3:30pm to 7:30pm at Live Oaks Elementary School, located at 575 Merwin Ave, Milford, CT. 06460.
For more information you can visit Milford4justin.com or contact
was hooked up to pitocin. Had I had a doula, I would have probably skipped the pitocin, and the hospital, and especially the Obstetric practice I ended up with! Come time for my second child, especially given that my birth was going to be a VBAC attempt, I knew how important it was to have a doula no matter how much it may have cost our family. And it was worth it! The support I got from my doula was unlike anything my husband, or hospital staff could have ever provided me with. I knew this because I had already been through it one time, and I vowed I wouldn’t do it again under those circumstances.
In my mother’s generation, the baby boomers who were giving birth in the last 20-40 years, episiotomies were routine for the vast majority of women going into the hospital to give birth. It hasn’t been until recent years that the medical community really started to question the benefits of the procedure, and how effective and helpful it truly is to birthing women when compared to allowing a natural vaginal tear.
