As you may, or may not know, I’ve been helping a friend with our local CHOICES group. (Check out the website to see what it’s all about!) Since I’ve been involved, it’s been my desire to help this group grow. Every month the number of people attending the meetings varies, which makes sense because some topics aren’t for everyone. You might be all about breastfeeding, but have no desire to come hear about why a woman would ever choose to have a natural childbirth. I love what we do, and I really want to do more. It’s our goal to have any sort of resource a person could need or want for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. So, with this goal in mind and a random discovery of Bloomington Area Birth Services, plans are changing for CHOICES. What we want to do is open a center very similar to BABS. What they are offering to Bloomington is phenomenal. Take a look through their website, it is wonderful! They offer a variety of childbirth education classes, they have Doula training, prenatal yoga, breastfeeding support groups, playgroups, the list goes on. I am in love with what they are doing–so in love, that I want to replicate this for Lafayette. The resources we have for women are all spread out and sometimes seemingly hidden. If you get pregnant in our area, you are either in the loop for childbirth options, or you are so far removed that you don’t even know those options exist. With Jackson, I had no clue. And many people around here really have no idea. This has got to change. Women need to know what their options are. They need to know about the many avenues of support that are out there. And wouldn’t it be nice if all of this was in one place?! So, that’s the idea.

Initially, we will start out small, with only a few services. Nothing is set in stone, but I would guess that what we will have at the beginning would be Childbirth Education classes, Breastfeeding Support Groups, maybe some sort of Co-op Mom’s Drop off, a little shop with natural and/or handmade items for Moms and Babies, and Teen Pregnancy Outreach. The Teen Pregnancy part is going to be a big focus for us. We want to offer something that gives young moms what they need to be a good mother. They need education on the pregnancy and birth process, resources to help them maintain a healthy family, and mentors to encourage them and show them that they are capable women and mothers. And, really that’s what everyone needs: a supportive and uplifting community.

So, this is all slowly going to come together for us. There’s a lot of work to do, but I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do than advocate for happy and healthy families.

I’ve got an awesome meeting lined up for CHOICES this month!  I don’t usually post about the meetings here, but this one is going to be wonderful and I’m hoping to reach as many people as possible to let them know about it.  So, here’s the scoop:

Meeting Topic:  Natural Childbirth

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Rixa Freeze, PhD from Stand and Deliver (Wow)

Date:  August 16, 2010

Time: 5:30 pm

CHOICES of Lafayette is very honored to have Dr. Rixa Freeze, PhD as our guest speaker this month.  The topic is Natural Childbirth, and she will have quite a lot to discuss on this subject.  She will briefly talk about the negative cultural perceptions of natural childbirth, as well as delve into reasons why a woman may choose to avoid any intervention for her labor and birth.

Highlights in Dr. Freeze’s talk:

• Terminology: the term “natural” vs. “physiological”
• The 4 main hormones of birth and how to make them work for, not against, you
• The importance of location and providers
• Pain: what does it mean, how do we approach it
• Various techniques for working through the sensations of labor (hypnotherapy, water immersion, movement, vocalization, touch/massage, encouragement, visualization, sterile water injections, etc)

So.  I am thrilled about this meeting.  If you are in the area and can make it, you really should.  This will be one of our best meetings!

www.indiananaturalbirth.com

One day I sat in a restaurant in Anaheim, California eating breakfast, when a woman passed by my table with her infant carrier in tow. As she lifted it up to fit between the tables, her shirt raised and I saw that, although she was at a healthy weight and her body was fit, she had that same extra skin hanging around her belly that I do. It occurred to me that a post-pregnancy body is one of this society’s greatest secrets; all we see of the female body is that which is airbrushed and perfect, and if we look any different, we hide it from the light of day in fear of being seen. That makes me want to cry. Sure we all talk about the sagging boobs and other parts, but no one ever sees them. Or if they do, it’s in comical form, mocking the beauty that created and nourished our children.

It is my dream, then, to create this website where women of all ages, shapes, sizes and nationalities can share images of their bodies so it will no longer be secret. So we can finally see what women really look like sans airbrushes and plastic surgery.

I really love this idea. This is definitely a topic that needs to be addressed. We shouldn’t be ashamed of how we look during or after pregnancy. We are the givers of life. If anything, we should be very proud of these changes that occur from having babies. We are beautiful!

The evening started with a dinner. I sat at a table with a friend, and a few very nice women I had just met. One was a NICU nurse, another a Lactation Consultant, and the other a Doula. The conversation was great! Following the dinner, Sharon began her talk, starting with a brief history of Midwifery. One thing she pointed out was the meaning of Midwife: ‘with woman’. She went over her credentials and where she got her education. She received her Masters of Science in nursing in Nurse-Midwifery at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. She has over 10 years experience working with women during pregnancy and childbirth and other life transitions.

The next portion of her talk was focused on what services she will offer to the community. They are as follows:

Routine Obstetrics
Support for Natural Childbirth
Health Education and Preventative Care
Preconception Care
Family Planning
Routine Gynecology

With these services the patient will be introduced to a more individualized and higher level of care. A Midwife’s philosophy is to focus on prevention and education. This would mean more of a collaborative relationship between her and the patient. She will offer advice for staying healthy by paying attention to nutrition and exercise. Concerning pregnancy and childbirth, the woman is encouraged to participate more in decision making. The Midwife will work with the mother to keep her pregnancy low-risk and give her the opportunity to decide how she would like to bring her child into the world. A Midwife’s view of pregnancy and birth is that it is a normal process. All of this means more time spent with mom. I love this. The small amount of time I spent with my previous OB always seemed oddly short. After my experience with a Midwife, I was immediately drawn to her model of care.

So, if you choose to use a Midwife for your child’s birth, and your goal is for a natural birth, she will work with you to try and avoid any unnecessary interventions while laboring. A Midwife is quick to try all other options before it comes down to using an intervention such as an epidural, an episiotomy, or a vacuum. This does not mean if you decide to use some sort of labor augmentation that she won’t support you. The choices you make for your birth are still in your hands, and the Midwife will stick with you throughout the course of labor and birth. She will also remain with you for postpartum care. She will stay to assure you and baby are doing well and breastfeeding (if that is the plan) has been initiated.

Overall, I feel the that the support you get when using a Midwife is tremendous. You get the education and preparation you need to fulfill your plans for pregnancy and birth. And you get a care provider that listens and supports you in your decisions for your family.

Would folks who want a homebirth because of the restrictive nature of the hospital, come to a freestanding birth center? Is there a demand for Birth Centers? Especially a Birth center across the street from the hospital that has a large staff and 24 hour Ob and anesthesia folks so they can handle anything you throw at them. And a Nicu would be good too. I was thinking, if we did start up a birth center across the street from the hospital I worked at, would it be used? If we build it, will they come?

So for any home birth folks out there, could you please leave me a comment on your thoughts. What would you need in a birth center to make it attractive to birth at?

My answers is YES we need a birth center here! I personally wouldn’t use it, although, the idea of big fancy birth tubs does strike a chord in my heart. After having an amazing homebirth once, I don’t think I would have it any other way. But, I think our community is definitely in need of a birth center. Right now, our birth choices are so black and white. You either birth at home or go to the hospital. Introducing a birth center would be great, because it would appeal to those wanting a safe and natural birth, but don’t feel comfortable staying home. The facility even being available might encourage more women to consider natural birth, as well.

Women in our community also (mostly) have not had the experience of having a Midwife for either Well Woman visits or Prenatal Care. I think that once they were introduced to the care of a Midwife, women would be highly impressed. I know I can’t say enough good things about my Midwife.

So, again I say YES, please! A birth center for Lafayette would be wonderful. Let me know your thoughts. And check out the comments others have left here.

So, number one, I had education that helped me through my labor. Next, was John. He was amazing support for me. He knew what transition meant and knew what to do to help me through it. At one point, I was ready to give up, go to the hospital, and get an epidural so I could rest. This was after the birth team had left our house to let me get some rest as my labor seemed to be stalling out. To try to relax, I got in our bath tub, with John by my side. With my belly being so huge and the tub so small, I wasn’t able to fully relax enough to “sleep”, so we moved to the bed. Here is where labor got going! John was laying beside me rubbing my head and trying to soothe me enough so I could get the bit of rest I needed to continue with labor. Well, rest is not what I did. My contractions became more intense than ever at this point, and I was unsure if I could handle this extreme pain. Here I became worried about exhaustion and my only thought was, “I need to get to the hospital, get an epidural, and SLEEP!” John worked hard to calm me down, and reason with me. We both knew this was NOT what we wanted for Archer’s birth. Had I not had John there to talk me out of that, who knows what would have happened. Through learning about labor, he was ready for me to get to this point, and knew how to help me through it. The next step was to get into the birthing tub. Labor was still going in full swing, so I had John call everyone back. I needed them! Thirdly, on me list of help, was my Midwife and Birth Attendants. One of the ladies on the birth team, who I have mentioned before, was tremendous. I think she only wiped my forehead with a cold rag and here and there said some words of encouragement, but MAN was she lovely! My transition was hard, but it really didn’t last that long. All I could do during this time was lay against John in the water. Changing positions or walking around was not an option for me at this point. I was under the impression that my labor would have last forever due to having an Occiput Posterior (OP) baby. Luckily, labor didn’t seem to last much longer. I was blessed with a baby that wanted to come out quickly!
I remember towards the end of labor when it seemed that the whole world was quiet, I was looking up at the paintings on my mantle. One painting, a gift from my mother, is a scene in Guatemala of women walking to and from the fountain to get water. The painting next to this was tropical landscape watercolor painted by my Aunt. What gave me encouragement was knowing that these woman have all gone through natural birth. The painting from Guatemala reminded me that there are women all over the world that birth naturally, and they get through it. My Aunt has given birth naturally three times, so that was a huge comfort to me. So, after this, I prayed to God to help me deliver my baby, and next thing I knew he was here!

This is my take on transition: you need to be prepared for it. However you need to do it–with a Doula, a partner, family, friends, education, solitude, whatever. Transition can be rough, but it’s possible to get through. I think that more women need to know about this part of labor, so they and their birth team can be ready for it.

Whether she got the epidural or not, I don’t care. Birth how you want to birth. But, I thought there would have been a bit more encouragement from the Midwife and Doula to keep going naturally, if that was the goal. When a woman is in transition, usually that is when drugs will be requested. This is when doubt arises–doubt that you can get through the labor. But, transition means that pushing stage is just around the corner, and that’s why I was surprised at the lack of support from the Doula and Midwife. I know they are well aware of this time, and this is the common cry from a laboring woman at this point. But regardless, this woman was given the epidural and proceeded with the birth. Thankfully, things went smoothly and she was able to deliver her baby soon after vaginally.

This gives me big ideas to do something. The natural course of labor needs to be common knowledge, but the fact is, it’s far from that. I feel, that if more women knew how labor progresses, we would have less intervention. Less intervention leads to less complications, which leads to lower Cesarean rate, episiotomy rate, etc. All this applies to a woman with the desire for a natural birth, of course. From what I can see–from the mothers that even have a thought of natural birth in mind–there is either the well educated woman who knows how labor will generally go or the woman who hopes for a natural birth if things don’t get too rough, but are fine with getting pain relief if needed. I wish there were more available information for pregnant women about labor. Maybe ‘available’ isn’t the word. I wish that a woman’s care provider would offer the information about natural labor, or even encourage trying for a natural birth. That might be asking a little too much, though. Maybe the woman that has thought a natural birth would be nice, but hasn’t done the homework, would learn what she needs to know about what her body can do when giving birth to her baby. She would learn about things like transition and what it means. It means you are so close to seeing your child. Labor is hard at this point, but it is a short time that you can get through. Once you get through transition, you are on to pushing, and baby is here!

I know these are just big ideas, but it is just so upsetting to me that we as women are letting the inner wisdom that our minds and bodies possess fade away into the hands of these unnecessary medical procedures just to deliver our babies. Birth has become so complicated, and really, it’s pretty simple. We just need to be more prepared to allow our bodies to do the work that it so perfectly already knows how to do without ANY help.