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Childbirth Education:
Knowledge is power. Taking childbirth education classes
helps to empower the expectant couple in order to make
informed decisions regarding their birth. When looking for a
childbirth education class that will fulfill your
expectations be sure to ask what type of information is
being offered. Many hospitals and doctor's offices offer
their own childbirth education classes. While good
information is usually presented in these classes, often
they are geared to a more medical approach to birth. If your
desire is to birth with as little medical intervention as
possible, be sure that the class you attend focuses on
comfort measures and creating an environment of safety for
the mother so that she can allow her body to relax and work
with her labor.
I offer independent childbirth classes on a weekly bases. My
classes cover all of the basics of childbirth education,
with an emphasis on comfort techniques, relaxation, ritual,
and creating a safe birth environment. I also offer private
classes for mothers on bedrest or for couples unable to
attend weekly classes. Please email me for class
availability.
yvonne@doulawithlove.com
My
Childbirth Education Class content includes:
*Anatomy
and Physiology of pregnancy.
*The partner's role in pregnancy, labor, delivery and
postpartum
*Signs and symptoms leading to labor (how to recognize
labor)
*Stages of labor
*Comfort measures for labor and delivery
*What to expect at the hospital or birthing center
*Medical procedures related to childbirth
*Breathing techniques
*Relaxation techniques (visualization and meditation)
*Body toning exercises
*Discomforts and warning signs
*Anesthesia/medication
*Interventions
*Medical terminology
*What to expect immediately after delivery and postpartum
*Caring for your newborn
*The effects of a newborn on your relationship
*Recommended reading
*Postpartum depression *Birth,
infant care, breastfeeding videos
The only "perfect"
birth for you, your partner, and your baby is a birth
consistent with your values and goals. My classes will help
you clarify what kind of birth and parenting experience you
want and will empower you to be an active participant in
making that happen for you and your family!
I
have also added the iCare program to my classes. We will
cover:
Patients
Bill of Rights
Hiring
the Help
Medications
in Labor
Herbs
in Pregnancy and Complementary Methods of Labor Management
Birth
Plans and Breastfeeding
These classes are taught private or in a group session
Childbirth
Class Graduates! L to R,
Miles,
Katiya, Gabriella, Diamonte
STAY ON YOUR FEET
In
the hospital the first thing they do is issue you one of
those ugly backless nightgown-things, and show you to a bed,
like any other patient. But you are not "sick"
when you are in labour, you are doing a job--an important
job, that of bringing forth a new life. STAY ON YOUR FEET,
then, because you have an important job to do.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET and keep walking because sick, weak people are
the ones who need to be in bed. Try to think of yourself as
a client, using a service, not a patient. Keep upright and
keep walking, so you feel freedom to move and not
confinement.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET, because that raises you up to eye level, where
you won’t be looked down upon.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET like a capable, healthy person,
confident and in control.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET, because gravity helps the baby to move down,
pressing on the cervix, shortening your labour.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET because there is less pain when the weight of
the uterus is not pressing on your back.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET, because when you lie down, the very bed you
lie upon offers resistance to your pelvis, which is doing
its best to open up for the baby.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET, walking, walking, walking through the
contractions, rocking, rocking, easing your baby lower and
deeper into the birth canal.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET so the doctors and nurses can't keep invading
your body with their painful vaginal exams. They have to ask
you to lie down for them, and that puts you in
control! If you STAY ON YOUR FEET they'll only be able to do
things when you're ready to let them. If you STAY ON
YOUR FEET, you can look them in the eye, say no, and walk
away.
STAY
ON YOUR FEET, walking, refusing a lot of unnecessary vaginal
exams, until you realize your body is pushing.
How
long can you stay on your feet? Well, if you like, you can
push while you are standing, or you can go down into a
squat, and deliver your baby like that. You don't need to
lie down to have a baby!
Does
that surprise you? Did you know that lying on your back,
with your legs in stirrups is the WORST position to be in
when giving birth? It’s bad for the mother and bad for the
baby, but the doctor needs you on your back because it makes
his job easier.
Hey,
wait a minute! Whose job should be made easier?
There are three very important players in this birth scene:
There’s the woman in labour, in pain, struggling to give
birth to a new life, pushing with all her might to get a
human being through her pelvic bones. No, we won't worry
about her discomfort, we can give her some drugs.
There’s the baby, who may be oxygen-deprived if the mother
lies on her back causing fetal distress. No, don't worry
about him, we'll resuscitate if we have to. Then there’s
the doctor, who is being paid --well-paid --to catch
the baby. Let’s make sure he’s comfortable! Does
this make sense?
Staying
on your feet and walking isn't just good sense
physiologically - working with gravity instead
of against it - more importantly being up and
about affects how you feel about yourself. A
simple thing like staying out of bed makes you feel more
capable, confident, and ready to take on the challenge!
Lying in bed makes you feel more like a weak, sick person;
like a little girl, dependent upon others instead of an
adult doing the most grown-up, womanly thing she can do.
Pick
up any book on childbirth that shows you the inside view of
the baby’s birth. It shows the mother on her back. Now
turn the book sideways, and note the angle at which the baby
emerges when the mother is upright. Which would be easier?
The
doctor likes it better that you are on your back because it
makes it easier for him:
·
to
do an episiotomy -- which he won’t need to do if you are
upright, because the weight of the baby is not resting on
the perineum;
·
to
use forceps to pull the baby out -- which he won't need to
do if you are upright because you will be able to push more
effectively;
·
to
get the baby out faster -- which he won’t need to do
because the baby won’t be distressed from the lack of
oxygen it would experience if you were on your back;
·
to
keep close watch on the mother’s blood pressure -- which
isn't as much of a concern when she is upright and in
control and not exhausting herself from ineffective pushing,
or getting dizzy from the weight of the baby pressing on the
major blood vessels.
It
may not seem like a big deal, pushing the baby upwards, but
think how hard it is to work against gravity for easy
things. Yesterday I was hammering a nail up above my head,
and I found it hard pushing that 16 ounce hammer up
into the air each time, much more tiring than nailing
something lower.
In
fact, if your doctor thinks it doesn’t make that much
difference in pushing against gravity, agree with him: since
he says it’s no big deal, let him work
against gravity, catching the baby from beneath while you
give birth comfortably low, reclined in an armchair.
I
learned the hard way to Birth the
Easy Way
! by Sheila
Stubbs
www.birthingtheeasyway.tk
Using
the Birth Ball
The
birthball is a 65 cm physical therapy ball that facilitates
physiologic positions for labor and birth
©
The
birthball can be used at home and in the hospital during
labor and birth.
© The birthball can be used in the
shower.
©
Use
of the birthball encourages pelvic mobility and allows you
the freedom to rock your pelvis,
change your position and shift your weight for comfort and
to encourage fetal descent.
©
Sitting
on the birthball helps keep the baby well aligned in your
pelvis and encourages pelvic relaxation by providing
perineal support without undue pressure.
©
Sitting
on the birthball encourages rhythmic movement while leaning
over a bed and pelvic mobility in the hands and knees
position.
© The
birthball can be used as a support while squatting.
©
Use
of the birthball while squatting helps widen your pelvic
outlet to its maximum.
©
In
back labor or occiput posterior position kneeling and
leaning over the birthball gives you good pelvic mobility as
well as encouraging gravity to assist in rotation of the
baby to the occiput anterior position.
In
a systematic review of studies on maternal position during
the second or pushing stage of labor, the Cochrane
Collaboration found that either sitting up or lying on the
side to push instead of lying on the back resulted in:
1.
Shorter second stage of labor . This was largely due to a
considerable reduction in women allocated to use of the
birth ball.
2. A small reduction in assisted deliveries (vacuum and
forceps).
3. A reduction in episiotomies.
4. A smaller increase in second-degree perineal tears.
5. Increased estimated risk of blood loss > 500ml.
6. Reduced reporting of severe pain during second stage of
labor.
7. Fewer abnormal fetal heart rate patterns.
(Citation: Gupta JK , Nikodem VC. Woman's position during
second stage. Issue 2, 2004 Cochrane
Library).
Tips about the birthball: Inflate the birthball large enough to sit on
with legs bent at a 90-degree angle.
The birthball should be inflated to the point that it
is slightly firm but still “gives;” it should roll
easily. Hold
the birthball with your hand as you sit down on it with your
feet flat on the floor and about two feet apart to give you
a stable base. The
birthball can be used in conjunction with both intermittent
external or continuous internal fetal monitoring.
VBAC,
What can you do?
Ad
adapted from www.deliverydoula.com
Get
moving.
Labor is the hardest work you'll ever do, but it's worth it!
Focus on good nutrition and exercise.
Make a daily checklist to ensure you are getting
essential nutrients.
Exercise daily: swim, walk, yoga, prenatal
fitness
class -- whatever feels good.
Childbirth
Education Classes.
Be sure to register early for VBAC, refresher or any other
quality prenatal program. Even though you may have taken
classes in a previous pregnancy, an evening out together
with your partner will help to prepare you both, promote
discussion, give you ideas on coping with labor and focusing
on this baby and its birth.
Find a
supportive practitioner.
Find someone who believes in VBACs, has a VBAC success rate
over 75% and a cesarean rate that is lower than community
average. If you are unsure about anything, get a second
opinion.
Hire a
midwife/Doula/support person.
Consider hiring a support person; it is worthy every penny
to be reassured during labor by someone who believes birth
is a natural function. Stay home as long as you can. This
support person will be your advocate in the hospital to help
you have the birth you want. You can call your Doula
as many times as you want, she will be happy to share all
the information she has as your doula, and will support you
emotionally through out.
Write a
Birth (Request) Plan .
Make sure you go over this with your healthcare providers.
Keep it positive. Providers (nurses, doctors, midwives) do
not like to be told what they should do; if you are birthing
in a hospital environment, remember you are entering their
territory. They will listen to your wishes. Don't make
it too long. Include what is important to you and that
which you have discussed with your care provider. Know
your hospital's VBAC policies and negotiate well before the
birth for anything different. Here are some ideas to
consider when writing your birth (request) plan:
Ask to be allowed to try a variety of positions. Standing or
walking instead of lying down, squatting to push can also
effective. Try sitting on the toilet. Ask for intermittent
monitoring and the ability to eat and drink to keep your
energy levels up. Labor is hard work and takes a lot of
energy. Far from eliminating the risk of aspiration with
general anesthesia, total fasting (NPO) may increase the
risk by raising the acidity of the stomach contents. Fasting
may also make it harder for the uterus to work. Ask for a
heplock instead of an IV. With a heplock, the needle is in
place in case of an emergency, but you are not hooked up to
fluids, so you can move freely.
Throughout pregnancy practice relaxation and visualization
with exercises, CDs, massage, affirmation and touch. During
labor, warm water (bath, shower, hot compresses) helps you
relax and open up.
Avoid medical intervention whenever possible. Continuous
electronic fetal monitoring may restrict your movement and
artificial induction such as rupture of the membranes can
usually be avoided. Ask for more time to try non-medical
methods to stimulate labor if your doctor thinks labor is
not progressing. These include: change of position, walking,
nipple stimulation, warm water, relaxation. Avoid Time
limits, as they are unrealistic and every labor is
different. Unless you dilated 5-6 cm during a previous
labor, consider this one your first labor. Discuss
this with your doctor /midwife before going into the
hospital.
Discuss the length of time you care provider will allow you
to wait after your due date. Discuss alternatives to
induction drugs; nipple stimulation, acupressure,
chiropractic care, acupuncture.
Believe
in yourself, your body, and the process of birth.
Affirmations
and visualizations are powerful; Here are some ideas:
"I know everything I need to know to give birth to my
baby. All I have to do is remember!"
"I let go of the need to control the outcome of this
birth, my body will lead me through the right path!"
"Each
contraction is embracing my baby"
"At each contraction my cervix is opening up like a
flower at dawn"
"The
waves of contraction are bringing me closer to holding my
baby in my arms"
"My
baby and I are working hard to come together in joy and
peace"
Your
feelings are welcome!
Work through leftover negative feelings (guilt,
disappointment, anger) from previous cesarean birth(s).
Feeling your fears before hand and delving into it can help
you let go and let this baby out.
Accept the fact
that labor pressure is a sign of how strong and well your
body is.
Learn to trust,
cooperate with and listen to your body it knows what you
need and what to do. TRUST in the divine order and the
natural flow of things. You body was built for giving
birth it is written in your DNA.
Feel good about
yourself and your relationship as a couple and keep a
positive outlook.
About
family and friends.
Remember that according to medical studies VBAC is usually
safer for both you and your baby than a repeat cesarean. Ask
people to support you
VBAC
group support. Get
on the web and join a chat group. Read stories of others
who've "been there" and are willing to share their
VBAC experiences.
Join
ICAN (http://www.ican-online.net)
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DOULA
WITH LOVE
