To read a wonderful analysis of the new legislation, check out Carolyn McConnell’s article in CrossCut: Take away the incentives for too many c-sections

Maybe the State of Washington can lead the way in reducing the rate of Cesarean sections, saving more than 10,000 women a year from undergoing unnecessary surgical births and supporting the availibility of VBACs in our hospitals, and dare I say, even our birth centers too! While we are at it, let’s make midwifery care available to all low risk women, and send our high risk mamas to the OBs! But hey, that’s a post for another day! A girl can dream, can’t she???

My mantra was that I be yoga’s corpse pose in between contractions. It worked. I slept. I had prepared by meditating on a chart given by my hypnotherapist of a typical hour of active labor – a 1.5 minute contraction divided into three equal parts is, 30-seconds rise, 30-seconds peak, 30-seconds fall. Being 3 minutes apart, as contractions usually are in this stage, means that in one hour, there is 15 minutes of contractions, only 5 of which are peak, leaving 45 minutes of absolute nothing – REST.

When you do the math, it really works out to 7 minutes/hour of peak contractions, but hey, the birthing woman was in laborland! I just love this image! ONLY SEVEN MINUTES OF PEAK CONTRACTION SENSATIONS IN AN HOUR! We can do that. right? Seven minutes of hard peaky contractions in an hour! You bet, with support, and trust and patience, a birthing woman can do this for an hour, and another and even another, if need be!

I can’t wait to share this mental image at my next prenatal meeting with clients! Maybe I even bring some colored pencils and paper to our prenatal, and we draw a wonderful pie chart or other representation of the seven peak minutes of contractions that occur in an hour of labor!

I will let you know how it is received. And I would love to hear your favorite visualization tip that works well for your clients. Share with me and let me learn!

All of the submissions are worth watching, particularly those that took top honors! Watch, learn and share with those who are finding their way in our rocky maternity system! Do what you can to help more women achieve their birth right and birth their babies free from routine interventions and unnecessary surgeries. Support our midwives who are doing what they can to support normal birth! We can make a difference, one birth at a time.

The question I always ask is this…. ‘Will the information gained from THIS vaginal exam change what we are going to do today?’ In your present situation, unless you are considering being induced a vaginal exam is irrelevant. What do I mean irrelevant…it does not change what we are going to do TODAY and things can literally change overnight. Because of this, I encourage you to avoid all vaginal exams until you think you are in labor and are having a labor check or you are preparing for an induction. I encourage you to let go of your current cervical change expectations and focus on getting your mind ready for labor and motherhood. You can go from closed to delivered overnight. It will happen. Don’t start to doubt and don’t start to worry. Your body and your baby know the perfect time to move to birth.

Recently I had a student in a class come to me during a break and ask me if spotting, crampiness and some contractions were normal at 33 weeks. I told her that those symptoms might be a reason to check in with her Health Care Provider, as they might want to rule out pre-term labor. She went on to tell me that she had had an appointment the day before, where a vaginal exam was done, that was fairly painful.
Ever since then, she had been feeling some contractions and cramps. When asked why the exam was done, she could not tell me, other than her HCP suggested it. I honestly did not know what to say, and wondered to myself if this woman was going to be birthing a 33 weeker because some things got stirred up when they should have left things alone. I did encourage her to check in with the provider, and am pleased to report that after another day, things settled down and she has not yet gone into labor!

Skip over to read this entire blog post by It’s Your Birth Right; Skip This Routine and think about keeping YOUR pants on if you are not in labor!

I am writing this letter to you, my clients, to thank you! Thank you for showing me strength, grace, power and absolute fortitude during the labor and birth of your beautiful daughter. I was honored to witness this fundamental power during your recent birth! It has changed me forever.

I remember when we met to discuss working together at the birth of your baby. You shared your fears, your concerns and your doubts. Tears were shed. As I got to know you, I listened as you expressed your thoughts and self doubts about your own strength. So many things to worry about, so many unknowns.

As you neared the end of your pregnancy, so many deadlines and obstacles arose that required you to prove that you and your baby were doing well. As your due date came and went, you wondered why you were still pregnant, yet you knew that your baby would choose the date of her birth. Balancing doubt and belief became a daily struggle, and you still forged on, waking up each morning, surprised that you were still pregnant. Acceptance and peace settled slowly, and you found your rhythm to wait for your daughter.

And then, labor started. Contractions regular and intense, starting as midnight drew near, needing to breathe through them and pay attention….this continued, throughout the night, with little sleep, during the day and onwards through a second night. Exhaustion was huge and the question about why things were not progressing? and still you soldiered on! Another day and evening, and then a spontaneous release of water after 48 hours, and things kicked into high gear. Active labor started and you never looked back! Strong contractions dilated your cervix and you found your groove. You got down to the hard work of birthing your baby, without complaint, without question, so calm, so intent and so intentional! The questioning, uncertain woman who expressed doubts during pregnancy was nowhere to be found. In her place, a strong, powerful woman, loose, fluid and laboring. Internal and composed. Accepting and strong.

And when things were at their most intense, you looked inside and found strength to advocate for yourself and your daughter. During the most vulnerable, most intense, final hours, you were composed and grounded! I listened and watched as you found your voice, in a way that few women do, ever in their life, never mind at 9 cm in labor! I was and continue to be in awe of your actions and thoughts and your conversations with your health care providers, speaking your mind and your intent. You are woman who can do anything! I hope that as you reflect back on this experience, you recognize how powerful and capable you are! Your daughter should grow up knowing what a strong, capable woman her mother is, and how lucky she is to have you as her mom.

Thank you for letting me support you and watch you in all your glory, as you brought forth your daughter! I am in awe of your power! Thank you!

Warmly,
Sharon

Information available includes:

The consumer reviews just launched include:

- Overall ratings and recommendations for birth facilities and care providers
- A seven-item set of questions on providers’ interpersonal and communication skills
- Facility intervention rates
- Information on finding good care.
- A national average of ratings is also displayed to provide comparison with individual ratings.

If you looking for a provider or birth location go here, and click on connect to check out the survey results.

And if you have given birth in the past three years, take a few minutes to share your experience here, by clicking on the share link, so that others may benefit from your recent birth experience.

I think this is really big, and maybe the beginning of change, women sharing information so that others can make informed choice! A huge thanks have to go out to The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) for making this possible. Check out their fantastic website just jam packed with important information for expectant families!

Since the news of yesterday’s events, I have been on “high alert.” High alert, I suppose is more alert than normal, of which I already am always on alert. Is that possible? With every action, with every errand, with every event of my day, I calculate, “What do I need to do, in case I get the call NOW!” Sometimes, this can be exhausting. Very exhausting. Emotionally draining. For the doula and also for her family. Thankfully, I have been doing this for more than 6 years, and my family rolls with the punches well. But, the waiting doesn’t get easier. Not for me, not for the pregnant mama and her family, and not for my own family. Yet, the thrill of the call, the rush to join a laboring woman, the chance to help and witness women trust in their bodies and their babies, to participate in that age old labor dance, that brings a new baby earthside! There is nothing like it! Nothing! And I suppose, that is why many birth professionals do it. Over and Over!

And still I wait. Restless, unable to complete anything, drifting from task to task, unable to really focus, while I wait. So many things still undone, yet I can accomplish almost nothing. Should I go for a walk on this lovely day? Make a yummy casserole for my family to eat this evening, as surely I will be gone? Will I??? Will I be gone? Rest? Nap, in case tonight is a night of no sleep?? Sometimes denial is a good state of mind. Be ready, really ready and then forget about it! Just forget about it! That works for a while, but now as I sit, and wait, I reassure myself that this baby will come like all the others, in its own sweet time! I remind myself of this a million times! And so, it goes. Wait with me, and help me by sharing your own stories of waiting, for babies, for something else? What was your experience like?

As for me, I will go and put together a new, tasty mac and cheese casserole from the Splendid Table’s newest cookbook! And leave it in the fridge, as I suspect my family will be enjoying it this evening without me. Or will they?

Share your stories of waiting for babies with us! Post a comment!

The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition has developed and provided for free, an iPhone or Palm OS application called Breastfeeding Management, a reference for supporting breastfeeding mothers! Did I mention this was free! What a bounty of information! I have already installed it on my iPhone and am amazed at the wealth of resources I now have handy for those postpartum visits with new moms! Go check it out, install it yourself and see how helpful it can be. I always say that I think breastfeeding is the next big challenge after birth, and women can use all the support and help they can to make sure the breastfeeding relationship starts out strong and stays that way! Do your part to help with this handy tool right in your pocket!

And while you are at it, did you know that there is an international symbol for breastfeeding that states “Breastfeeding welcomed here!” The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of a baby bottle image to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding friendly facilities. The winning image was designed by Matt Daigle of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Matt is a stay-at-home dad, freelance graphic designer, and cartoonist. Matt and his wife Kay are the parents of one-year-old son Hayden.

The breastfeeding symbol is available copyright free. Matt has signed it over to the Public Domain. You can download a variety of formats of the International Breastfeeding Symbol here. Think about downloading it and posting it on your website, printing it out and hanging it in your classroom, on your car bumper, in your clinic or office, the storefront window of your business, anywhere you feel it is important to say “Breastfeeding Moms Rock!”

And now for for the rest of the story…the doula met up with them the evening before the scheduled induction, and was really present for their discussion and decision-making process. The doula shared The Problems and Hazards of Induction CIMS information sheet from her doula training manual. Using her wonderful, reflective listening skills, she heard the mom say that she wanted to go into labor on her own, that she did not want to be induced and felt like she might want to switch doctors, but who would “want” her, as she was past her due date. As the parents talked, they realized that they would not go in the next day for the induction and would wait for labor to start on it’s own.

The morning of the now-cancelled induction, the mom started having some contractions! It started to look more and more like active labor. Amazing how removing emotional issues can be freeing for some women and tip them into labor. Alas, the evening saw things slow down and peter out. The parents went to bed and woke up Friday morning with no sign of any labor at all. Discussions with the doula involved re-affirming that her body and her baby knew what to do and that her baby will pick it’s due date and be born when it is ready. Friday night, labor started again, and this time, kept on going, a late night trip to the hospital, several hours in the tub and a wonderful baby landed earthside! Mom gave birth in an upright position, unmedicated and oh so powerful! The doula reports that the parents are thrilled with the experience, so thankful for the support and listening ear of their doula, who helped them to clarify what was important to them.

I was proud of this new doula, and told her so! I am glad that she sought out my help when she felt she needed it, glad she was there for her client and supportive of the couple as they found their way. And oh so happy this mom got to have a wonderful, empowering birth on her own terms.

The most recent class of new birth doulas I have had the privilege of teaching from Seattle Midwifery School

Clients, Jodi and little Cash enjoy a bath together

My intuition is backed up by the research! Check out this study: Host defense proteins in vernix caseosa and amniotic fluid This study questions the routine use of some newborn procedures. Early bathing of the baby removes vernix, which contains antimicrobial proteins that are active against group B. streptococcus and E. coli. Delaying the bath and keeping the newborn together with his or her mother until breastfeeding is established may prevent some cases of devastating infections caused by these bacteria. The fact that preterm babies tend to have more vernix than babies born at or after 40 weeks might mean that healthy, stable preterm babies derive even greater benefit from staying with their mothers during the immediate newborn period.

Finally, this study illustrates how the normal physiology of pregnancy and fetal development is part of a continuum that extends beyond birth to the newborn period. The place for a newborn is right on his/her mama’s chest, skin to skin, for as long as possible. And letting that vernix work it’s way into the baby’s skin is just added protection from the “big bad outside” that the newborn is becoming familiar with.

Keeping the diaper area clean and dry, washing the baby’s hands and face with warm water several times a day, and the occasional bath safe in the arms of a parent, with just water is all your kidlet needs to get off to a healthy start!