Philosophy of a Midwife

I believe that women are empowered through the pain and joy of childbirth. Birth is a mirror inside a woman, allowing her to see her vastness and her limits as no other experience can. When the event is not mediated by the priesthood of obstetrics and by hospital ritual, a woman can experience directly her own strength, her power, her courage, her determination, as well as her ability to surrender, as she lets herself adapt to the rhythm and demands of this particular birth. Homebirth is a way to restore to women the fullness of this self- knowledge.

The midwife can guide women to view the birth process as life in miniature, going through the stages of struggle, grief, hope, despair, acceptance, surrender, and joy, "As a woman lives so does she birth" (Thank you, Gayle Peterson); so each birth is an expression of herself and a mini-process of herself. The wisdom and growth available to women is blocked in a hospital birth "managed" to provide painlessness (if not oblivion) while encouraging dependency.

As my understanding of natural birth deepens with experience, I am more in awe of the miraculous and more acutely aware of just how illusory is "managed birth". Birth is a spiritual event for me which I experience as a miracle every time. Over and over I am involved in situations which seem to be following a predictable pattern and suddenly change course. I am constantly reminded that we are in charge of nothing and that everything happens truly in divine order. The respect which we treat newborns comes in part from our humility in the face of this divine order and in our service to the great unknowable rhythms of life.

- to read the rest see WOMEN'S HEALTH AND BIRTH CARE

America’s Maternity System; In the Eyes of a Canadian

When I decided to become a Doula in 2010, I wanted to pay it forward for the wonderful support I received during my deliveries.   I had no complications, felt able, felt strong, and was praised by my midwives and my hubby.  I had no idea what I was getting myself in to.


My experience of birth was positive.  Looking back now, I think it had a lot to do with my choice of care provider.  I gave birth to both of my children in Canada, two different provinces, with midwives, in a hospital (Ok, Kinley was delivered by an OB, but let’s be honest, he really wasn’t my support).  Many of my friends have had less than desirable birth experiences, all of them with OB”s.

I think one major downfall in the Canadian Medical System is that there really is a lack of access to doctors, in all fields.  I think for the most part during pregnancy, you see a family physician until at least half way through your pregnancy, and then get referred to an OB from there.   With my first, I would have been 30 weeks before getting that referral.  That is the one nice thing about the American Medical System, you can interview and change your doctor if things aren’t working out.  In most cases in Canada, you get who is available.  That being said, it doesn’t seem to change the type of care you get from those doctors.

Despite the abundance of OB’s, they still have little time for their patients.  The appointments are still rushed, and they still feel like they are doing you a favor by seeing you, even though in reality, you are paying them to see you, so it’s really not a favor at all. 

- to read the rest, go to A MOTHER WONDERS

How To Visit A Newborn

That’s baby and mama in a healing sacred herb bath, four hours after his amazing home birth. Notice the dim lights, the look on that baby’s face, the overall vibe?

The following piece of sage advice was written by a new papa, this new papa. He and his incredible wife T had the most amazing home birth, and he was doing his best to keep the sacred vibe rolling ~

How To Visit a Newborn

• bring food.*
• wash dishes.
• help with laundry. fold some towels.
• refill mama’s water glass.
• Be aware that you are entering a sacred space, where mama and baby have enacted a tangible miracle, love made flesh. enter with quiet reverence, please.
• papa, whether he realizes it or not, is the guardian of a sacred space. please do what you can to make his job easier.

- to read the rest, visit URBAN CURANDERA

Induction, Encouragement, Eviction

Induction, Encouragement, Eviction... these are all words that have been used in conjunction with artificially stimulating labor in order to get baby to come out.

Induction: to move by persuasion or influence: to call forth or bring about by influence or stimulation: effect, cause: to cause the formation of: to produce (as an electric current) by induction: to determine by induction; specifically: to infer from particulars

Encourage: to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope: hearten: to attempt to persuade: to urge: to give help or patronage to

Eviction: to recover (property) from a person by legal process: to put (a tenant) out by legal process: to force out: expel
- Merriam Webster Dictionary

Induction is the medical term used to encourage labor and birth of your baby. The term, induction, is misleading, though, as it infers something persuaded or 'influenced'.

Some people call it labor encouragement; I reserve this term for when a woman is choosing true encouragement techniques and they will not be influential unless the body is ready.


- to read the rest go to BELLIES AND BABIES

Hanging From The Chandeliers

I love this picture!  It represents the teamwork that is involved in giving birth to a baby, especially when the birth is hard.  Mom, Dad, doula, midwife, and baby working together. I think it’s a great shot for people to see the tools available at a home birth. The IV hanging from the chandelier pretty much sums it up!

This mom was a very physically fit and healthy 39 year old woman giving birth to her first baby who was posterior. She labored for quite some time trying position changes, lunges, etc… and her baby wouldn’t turn.  I finally manually turned the head and had mom try to push because she was 10, but she was worn out.  So, we got her into her tub to relax and began an IV for energy.

- to read the rest go to THE AMERICAN MIDWIFE

Amazing Amber

Chances are, if you’ve attended the B.I.R.T.H. Fair or a similar event in the past, you’ve spotted adorable babies (and their mamas) sporting a string of amber beads around their necks. Those necklaces are more than just stylish; they actually possess some pretty amazing therapeutic benefits. Baltic amber necklaces are growing in popularity within natural parenting circles due to their ability to alleviate the symptoms of teething without the need for drugs, medication or gels.  

Baltic amber is not a stone, but a fossilized tree resin. Centuries ago, Baltic amber was considered one of the leading medicines of its time and was used to treat a variety of ailments. It offers pain relief, strengthens the body’s immune system, restores energy, helps maintain wellness, helps break the cycle of chronic inflammation, and has a calming effect for the wearer. Baltic amber has been used as a remedy for teething for thousands of years, particularly in European countries.

The amber from the Baltic Sea is the most esteemed amber in the world and the healing qualities of Baltic amber make it unlike any other type of amber on earth. When Baltic amber is worn against the skin, the body’s warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin. A natural analgesic, amber helps remedy restlessness, irritability, sleep trouble and pain. Amber is equally beneficial for adults as it is for babies and children. Some conditions which may benefit from the healing properties of amber are: arthritis, carpal tunnel, headaches, neck/shoulder pain, TMJ, anxiety, and much more. An increasing number of people are seeking more natural, safe alternatives to over-the-counter medications. Amber is a perfect solution, as there are absolutely no side effects. Amber teething necklaces make excellent gifts and are always a great conversation piece. 

A common misconception regarding amber teething necklaces is that they are for the baby to “teethe” on, similar to a teething ring or Sophie giraffe. Amber necklaces are made for wearing, not for chewing! Their benefit is derived from the healing oils which are absorbed through the skin. Genuine Baltic amber is a delicate substance  and may break under pressure, which is why the necklace should be short enough that the child cannot get it into their mouth. The butter and white varieties are the most expensive and most fragile amber, being comprised of a sap & cream mixture, so amber jewelry should be treated with care just as you would any other piece of fine jewelry. Genuine amber will vary in shape and contain natural inclusions. Amber may contain bits of  fossilized organic material such as tree bark, moss, or even insects! This is part of the beauty of real amber.

Angela’s Amber is a local mommy business providing only the best in handmade, one-of-a-kind Baltic amber jewelry for every member of your family. Each piece of jewelry from Angela’s Amber is lovingly handcrafted out of only the best quality, ancient amber from Lithuania. The beads are natural amber, not pressed, melted, or reconstructed. Nothing is mass-produced, and you won’t have to wait 3 weeks for overseas shipping! Learn more about Angela and how she got started here. One of Angela’s specialties is designing custom pieces for her clients. She has lots of options to personalize your jewelry, including birthstones, and genuine natural gemstones such as amethyst, tourmaline, carnelian, citrine, emerald, aquamarine, freshwater pearls and much more.

Here are some testimonials from a few of her happy customers:

“I bought a necklace from you and my toddler loves it. He says it's a magic happy necklace!”

“Beautifully made & within 24 hrs of my son wearing it, I have seen a significant improvement in his teething pain. Thank you!! I have already recommended this shop to many other moms!”

“LOVE my daughter's necklace!! She gets compliments everywhere we go! She has also started cutting molars, and we've only needed to use the Hyland's Teething Tablets twice this entire time! I highly recommend Baltic Amber to everyone, but especially from Angela's Amber!”

“Amazing product. So pretty and really does help calm my little one. We get so many compliments on her 'pretty necklace.' People are astonished when I start telling them about the benefits of amber. I have another amber necklace I purchased online from Lithuania and Angela's Amber necklace is far better. We put the other one in a drawer and always wear Angela's necklace.”

While wearing a piece or two of Baltic amber jewelry may not cure all that may ail you, it has been a proven benefit to many! Why not give it a try?

www.angelasamber.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/angelasamber

Circumcision, The Great Debate

When I was pregnant with my son in 2005, whether or not to circumcise was the toughest things we dealt with.  I asked everyone, and I mean EVERYONE I could think of.  I wanted to know what they decided, and why.  For the most part I came up with people who chose not to didn’t because they felt it was cruel and unnecessary.  The people who went through with it, decided that because their husband, or the father of the baby was.

There seems to be a lot of confusion around it.  I found that some people were told that there were no nerves in the foreskin, and therefore no feeling.  They were told that the reason the babies cry is because they are strapped down, not because they are in pain.  Others said that the baby feels pain, but they don’t remember it, so it doesn’t affect them for life.  The people who didn’t circumcise said that the babies are in a lot of pain, they are scared, they are exposed.  So what is true?

We never circumcised our son, and most of the males in my family are intact.  My husband’s side is the opposite.  Up until pretty recently, I was neither for or against circumcision, but things change.
Routine circumcision is not recommended by any medical association, including the American Association of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization.  It is no longer recommended as a way to decrease UTI, STD’s, HIV or cancer.  Circumcision is an unnecessay cosmetic surgery, that killed 117 baby boys last year in the US, more than SIDS.  Newborn’s are not able to receive proper pain medications, and many are circumcised without anesthesia.   

There is an argument that it is cleaner, but how can exposing an open wound to urine and feces be cleaner?  An intact foreskin should not be retracted, it should be left alone to avoid infection and unnecessary pain.  There are 20 000 nerve endings removed from the tip of the penis during circumcision that can directly affect a man’s sexual experience. 

The tip of the penis is meant to be moist, and by removing the foreskin, overtime the tip dries out, and has been linked to Erectile dysfunction as the penis loses sensitivity.  Routine circumcision does not exist in most parts of the world, in fact only the US and Canada practice routine circumcision for non-religious reasons.

Still think it’s important for your son to “look like dad”? There are groups of men that are affected by their parents choice to circumcise them...

 - to read the rest go to A MOTHER WONDERS

My Co-Sleeping Journey or Why I Bought a King-Sized Bed

 

By Traci Ferris, Postpartum Doula, A Family Friend Postpartum Support

I never intended to co-sleep with my children. For all I knew, it was taboo to even consider bringing children into the “marital bed.” In my mind, the only association children had with the parents’ bed was conception. So naturally when I became pregnant with my first child, I was set on getting a nice crib, complete with cute décor. What a waste of money that was.

The day I brought my brand new son home, I did what I thought was the “natural” thing to do come bedtime. I lovingly placed him in his crib and watched him as he slept. For about ten minutes. Then he reached his arms out in his sleep and, startled to find nothing but open air around him, began to cry. This happened repeatedly over the next several hours until I gave up and put him in the crook of my arm in bed and fell asleep. He slept for four hours straight.

I can’t say that I didn’t try to fight bringing him into bed with my husband and me. My husband and I attempted to put him in a crib, a pack n’ play, anything but in the bed. We tried “cry it out” for two minutes before giving up. I wasn’t that cruel. We felt that we were damaging our son somehow by making him so dependent on our presence to fall asleep and stay asleep. It finally dawned on me that we weren’t damaging him, he needed us. With our presence, he felt calm and secure enough to fall sleep. And I have to admit, I felt more secure with him by my side too. I still can’t get enough of my children’s cuddles.

Thinking about it from a psychological/physiological frame of mind, I determined that the presence of the two most important people in our son’s life – his parents - made his world a little less stressful, a little less scary. What does a baby know best in his first days/weeks/months but his mother and father? As long as we are around, he has some familiarity as he gets to know the rest of the world he lives in. This lowers his stress response, encourages relaxation, and therefore allows him to drift off to sleep – and stay asleep for longer periods of time than he would if he were sleeping alone.

There is a great deal of co-sleeping controversy out there and some scare tactics being used that equate co-sleeping to putting your baby in the bed with a cleaver. I was terrified at first about embracing co-sleeping, but I eventually gained confidence that I was doing it in the safest way possible. Today, my husband and I sleep with both boys in the bed. My oldest son is three and my youngest is seven months. Co-sleeping does not limit sleeping arrangements to the parental bed. Co-sleeping has been defined to encompass any close proximity sleeping: in the same room in a different bed, next to the parents’ bed, or in the same bed.

These are the several precautions I take when sleeping with my children. Co-sleeping CAN be done safely!

• I know myself. I am naturally a light sleeper who doesn’t roll around in bed. I knew from the start that I would be even more sensitive to my baby being in the bed with me.  I also adopted a sleeping position with both boys as infants that pretty much guarantees that I will at least be brought to a semi-conscious state if they even so much as shift in their sleep. 
• I stay away from anything that hinders my ability to remain ever vigilant of our sons’ presence in the bed. No drugs, no alcohol, no sleeping pills. Ever. 
• I keep pillows and blankets away from the baby.
• I sleep between my 3 year old and my infant. As long as my youngest is small, I will not put them side by side as my oldest, like any toddler, moves around quite a bit in bed. 
• I bought a king-sized bed. More room means more space to breathe and move around safely. It is a simple design, no gaps between the mattress and the frame and no elaborate headboards where children can get their heads stuck. 

 So our “marital bed” has become the “family bed,” and I can honestly say that I have enjoyed having our children in bed with us. My husband is totally on board, too. We have had many conversations about our choice to co-sleep and both agree: the years are short and the boys will want their own space and privacy before we know it, so we are cherishing the time we have now to cuddle together at night. And I would be willing to bet that the security and warmth we are giving them now will allow them to grow into secure, independent men in the future.

About Traci
Hi! My name is Traci Ferris. I live in Katy, Texas, and I am the mother of two wonderful boys, ages three and seven months. I am a postpartum doula and recently began my business - A Family Friend Postpartum Support, which will be serving mothers in the Houston Metro area. I have a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a license to practice in the state of Georgia. I moved here to Texas in September 2011 and am in the process of transferring my license so that I can offer therapy services to families dealing with depression, anxiety, or trauma in the antenatal and postnatal periods. My Facebook page can be found at A Family Friend Postpartum Support

Lactation Derailment Can Begin in the Hospital: 10 Tips for Avoiding a Trainwreck

I must preface this blog by explaining that..


fourteen years ago I became a mother/baby nurse, and ten years ago I became the resident childbirth educator and “breastfeeding counselor” on staff at a local hospital.  We did not have an IBCLC on staff, so I was IT until we hired another educator.  My training as a nurse, some time as a member of La Leche League and my own personal breastfeeding experience was all I had in my arsenal.  Though I wasn’t “official,”  I worked the position of a lactation consultant.  And it wasn’t easy…so many moms…so little time…so many interventions.  That being said, please read the following with the understanding that I have been ”on the other side,” doing my best as a nurse to help fresh babies latch…bending over beds as an educator positioning babies and sandwiching breasts for moms who were too sleepy on pain medication post-cesarean to do it themselves.

A week ago, I had the privilege of visiting a new family in the hospital to provide assistance with breastfeeding.  She has given me permission to share my observations.

When I arrived, I had dad undress baby down to diaper and in skin to skin with mom.  The baby was only 36 hours old and very sleepy after a long labor and difficult delivery.  Mom, Dad and I chatted for a moment then got to the business of latch.  The baby would not wake up.

- Read the rest at BABES