I know you love your baby just as much as I love mine.  Parenting is about sacrifice, doing the right thing when you really don’t want to, and the responsibility of taking care of their health.  Being a good parent (I didn’t say perfect haha) starts when that stick has a positive.  I know today is a special day, 11-11-11.  I know it’s good luck for the beginning of something, including life.  Is it worth risking your health and your baby’s to force labor (or even worse, cesarean surgery)?  There are women who have birthed via surgery just to say their baby was born today.  I find it very sad really.  As a parent, our focus should be what is best for our child, not what our selfish desires want.  I know sometimes it is important to give to yourself, that’s not what I’m saying.  Buying my new purse doesn’t compromise my child’s health or well being.  If I chose for my child to be born before they were ready, that is endangering their health and well being.

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Unless it endangers the baby or the mama, why can’t we just let the baby decide when they are ready?  It is amazing all the biological processes that happen to signal, “I’m done”.  Pretty please, trust your body and your baby!

Happy Birthday to all the wee ones who joined earth today, planned and unplanned!

The birth world is all a twitter right now.  One of our roles as a doula is to provide evidence-based information to our clients when they have questions or concerns.  We (at least all the ones I have come in contact with) believe a woman’s body was made to birth a baby and only under special circumstances is a cesarean surgery needed.  Most of the time, the surgery is preformed because of lack of information to the pregnant mama.  If she knows the risk and benefits of her options, she is more likely to have a vaginal birth.  There are so many benefits to mama and baby after a vaginal birth versus a cesarean surgery.

ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) just released an update on their stance about VBAC’s (vaginal birth after cesarean).  They now say “Attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is a safe and appropriate choice for most women who have had a prior cesarean delivery, including for some women who have had two previous cesareans…“.  Now the leading source of information doctors trust is on board with what studies have proven.  This is certainly a step in the right direction back to what birth should be, an empowering, joyous, natural experience.  Here is the full press release if you would like to read it.

The one aspect that has always concerned doctors is uterine rupture at the previous incision site.  While the risk is there, it is low.  Henci Goer (a leader in the birthing world) wrote a great article posted on iVillage about the facts of a VBAC from an evidence based view point.  This is what she had to say about uterine rupture:

Symptomatic scar separation: The main fear with labor after a cesarean is that the scar will open enough to cause bleeding or for the umbilical cord or the baby to pass through the opening. Among thirty studies totaling 56,300 VBACs, the rate of symptomatic scar separation was 4 per 1,000 (15,30). Even so, few instances where this occurs result in harm to the baby, which is the real issue. The perinatal mortality rate (stillbirths and newborn deaths together) from this cause was 3 per 10,000. This did not differ from the perinatal mortality rate of 2 per 10,000 in 29,900 planned cesareans. Nor does planning a cesarean eliminate the risk of the scar giving way. Several large studies reported scar separation rates ranging from 2 to 3 per 1,000 with repeat cesarean, not much less than the 4 to 6 per 1,000 reported in VBAC labors (17,21,30).

Now, the next step is preventing the need for a VBAC in the first place.  The more we speak up and are informed, the quicker we can create change.  Birth is natural and normal, not a condition to be treated.

Another reason to seek the services of a birth doula to help avoid an epidural and why I am an aspiring herbalist.  One of the speakers at the Autism One Conference, Elaine DeLack, RN spoke on her hypothesis of the originating cause of autism.  One of the causes she believes is an epidural with pitocen during childbirth.  She theorizes this causes a change in the baby’s brain chemistry which later manifests itself during the natural changes of the child’s brain.  Here is an article explaining this more in depth.

Here is the synopsis of her lecture from the Autism One website:

“This presentation will explain how the metabolic imbalances, gastric problems, and core symptoms of autism may be the result of a malfunction of the mitochondrial enzyme, MAO-A. The presentation will discuss how stress, genetics, epidurals with Pitocin (oxytocin) augmentation during childbirth, toxins such as mercury, aluminum, high copper and cadmium are possible risk factors contributing to the overall symptoms resulting from the MAO-A deficiency. This science provides the rationale unifying the benefits seen from various therapies such as the gluten-free and casein-free diet, hyperbaric oxygen, methylcobalamin and Respen-A.”

I find this very fascinating and hope to see more concrete research in the near future.  Maybe this is the breakthrough that is needed to really understand this mysterious diagnosis and help families before their child starts showing signs.

SIDS has decreased greatly over the past decade or so because of safetyprecaution awareness, however, for every family effected, statistics don’t matter.  They have lost their baby.  Hannah Kinney, MD, a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and a neuropathologist at Children’s Hospital Boston has recently published a study she conducted concerning the cause of SIDS.  We are now a step closer to eliminating this tragic occurence.  Her study narrowed down where the problem may lie.  It may come from the brain stem and could have to do with serotonin levels.  Here is a great article about this study.  Certainly one step closer to overcoming the number one cause of death in children newborn to one year old.  This is such great hope for such an elusive killer!

And the answer is…..yes! Kristie Moore is 5 1/2 months pregnant. She is the 5th member of Canada’s women’s curling team. She is the alternate so she may not even get a chance to show us her moves. However, if her team wins a medal, she will too. She was asked to be part of the Olympic team shortly after she found out she was pregnant. Moore is only the 3rd women in Olympic history to participate in the games while having a bun in the oven. She is the farthest along than the other 2 women were. And who says pregnant women are fragile and need to rest all the time?

I am one of those with high risk pregnancies. I don’t completely relax until that baby is born and I know he/she is healthy. Many women think that once the baby is born and pronounced healthy, life will be perfect. What we don’t anticipate is a well baby check-up that yields concern on the doctor’s face. Autism is one of those life complications we keep hearing about, however we never believe it could be us getting that diagnosis. Autism has been a mystery thus far. Many people attribute it to vaccinations although unsupported in studies conducted.

The National Birth Defect Registry has recently released a study. It is a small sampling so of course not entirely conclusive as far as evidence based care goes. However, I think this is an amazing step in that direction. The direction of figuring out what causes this disease and if we can prevent it in some form or fashion. I also found this doctor’s very interesting take on it all.

Hopefully in the next few years we will know the causes of this disorder/disease. If it is indeed changes we can make prenatally, we will be able to arm women with that very powerful information and nearly eradicate it once again. If perhaps it is genetics, then our very intelligent doctors will be able to find a cure.

To all of you who this is a very real issue each and every day, may you find encouragement that we are one step closer. Our world is a much better place because of your dedication!

We always see celebrities as better than us in some way.  I always try to humanize them in my own mind.  I think childbirth is the great equalizer.  Yea, maybe they can afford better surroundings or the best doctor out there.  When it comes down to it, it is still a painful process and there is always a time of healing and adjusting to a new baby.

The good lookin’ Kim Kardashian had her her first little one on the 14th.  He weighed in at 7lbs 6oz and was 19 1/2 in long.  His name is Mason Dash.  It is nice to see a celebrity name their baby something down to earth.  I bet he is going to be one handsome little man!