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Birth Wishes.preferences/plans

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Doula HypnoBirthing Waterbirth • • • • By admin 0 Comments

Waterbirth: A Birthing Option

 

Waterbirth, what is it?

A growing number of pregnant women are looking into alternative birth choices and I often get asked the question of what my experience is with water births and what the benefits to mom and baby are.
I birthed my first two children at a very protocol-driven hospital where waterbirth was not an option, nor was I even allowed to labor in the tub. As I had witnessed a lot of waterbirths in the course of my doula career; both in home and hospital births, I knew the dynamics of how water can be soothing and make for a smooth transition for the baby who goes from water in utero to water at the moment of birth, and then to his/her mother’s arms. So, for the birth of my third child, I chose to have a home birth where I would have the option of a waterbirth. I can personally say that my waterbirth was an amazing experience. I vividly remember how the water helped with my lower back, which prior to getting into the birthing tub was giving me some major discomfort. Moments after getting into the tub, my daughter was birthed into the hands of her daddy with the guidance of my highly skilled midwife.
More and more women are looking for a more empowering experience of bringing their babies more gently into the world with the support of their partners. Many pregnant mothers are looking for birthing facilities and providers that give the option of being able to labor in the tub or even give birth in the water.
As I look at my own personal experience and the experiences of other moms who have had a water birth, I wanted to ask a local Certified Nurse Midwife, Isabelle Guillou with Rush-Copley Medical Group, on her take on waterbirth in a hospital setting. “Waterbirth is a great birth option for women who want to birth naturally and has many benefits for both mom and baby, says Isabelle Guillou. The birth pool/tub delineates some personal space for the mom to be and allows her to labor in any position that feels right to her. The partner may join the laboring mom in the pool which does create a very intimate and spiritual moment for the couple. As the mother enters the tub during the active phase of labor, she often says that her labor feels easier and that she is able to relax and move through her labor with more ease and comfort. The shift that occurs between the production of adrenaline or stress hormone and the hormone Oxytocin results in more efficient contractions/surges resulting in faster labor progress. Some women may initially be more comfortable with the idea to only labor in the tub and plan to step out to birth their baby, but having the option to stay in the water to birth can also help a mother feel safe and more confident and she will choose to stay in the water to birth her baby. On rare occasions, a mom may feel that her labor may not progress well or is too intense and decide that she does not want to stay in the water anymore. Even though, she did not birth in the water, she will still have a sense of satisfaction that waterbirth was an option available and that she did partially labor in the tub.
As Isabelle Guillou points out, water birth also benefits the baby. She explains that when a mother labors in the tub, the buoyancy and pressure exerted by the water on her abdomen improves the blood flow to the uterus and provides better oxygenation to the baby while in utero. As the baby starts to crown, the soothing warmth of the water and the counter pressure that the water exerts on the perineum will help the mother control her expulsive efforts and will helps her eases her baby out. The incidence and severity of trauma to the perineum is significantly decreased when allowed to birth in the water, eliminating the need for an episiotomy. Once born, the baby is gently brought up to the surface and placed on the mother’s chest, allowing the couplet to relax and bond together. This closeness between the mother and her newborn infant eases the stress of the birth, thus creating reassurance and a sense of security (American Pregnancy*). The water in the tub provides an ideal environment similar to the amniotic fluid with a temperature close to the maternal body temperature. While the baby’s head is kept above the surface to allow for breathing, the baby’s body is kept in the water to maintain its temperature.
There are some risks or dangers associated with water birth, but these are theoretical risks. Although water birth is a great option for many women, it is not for some. Isabelle Guillou indicates that women who are interested to labor/birth in the water should be carefully screened during their pregnancy and closely monitored during labor. Occasionally, if something does not seem right during labor, such as concerns with the fetal heart tones, prolonged labors, or bleeding, the mom will may be asked to exit the tub.
If you are pregnant, water birth might be a great option for you. How do you know if water birth is a good option for you? First, look for a birthing facility and a provider in your area who supports waterbirth. Second, schedule a meet and greet with the provider to see if you are a good candidate as certain conditions may restrict a mom from having a waterbirth, such as being pregnant with multiples, having an active herpetic lesion, preterm labor before 37 weeks, meconium stained amniotic fluid, fetal malpresentation, an elevated blood pressure/pre-eclampsia, or an elevated Body Mass Index. I would strongly encourage you to attend a natural childbirth class (HypnoBirthing couples water birth nicely). Lastly, note that there aren’t too many providers who offer waterbirth and those who do book up fast. If you are in the Chicagoland area and are interested in waterbirth, contact me for a list of birthing facilities or home birth providers who offer waterbirth as an option. Rush Copley in Aurora offers a class on waterbirth on a quarterly basis. This class is open to the public and is free. To find out about upcoming waterbirth classes and to register, visit www.rushcopley.com.
In all, it is nice to know that you have options. I would love to support you in your birthing journey by providing you with as many birthing options.

 

Picture courtesy of Maggie Cuprisin  http://www.maggiecuprisinphoto.com/

* American Pregnancy http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/water-birth/

HypnoBirthing Doula Robin Ross
HypnoBirthing • • • • • By admin 0 Comments

HypnoBirthing VS. Lamaze and Bradley Method

What is HypnoBirthing? Is it like Bradley or Lamaze?

I receive several inquiries or even questions from people on what exactly is HypnoBirthing. Some people ask, “Will I be hypnotized?….Am I completely ‘out’ during my labor and wake up to find a baby on my chest?” My answer is….no. There are no pendulums being swung or quacking like ducks. That is stage hypnosis. In HypnoBirthing, we teach concrete pain management techniques to help the mother get through labor and birth in a calm, confident, and positive manner. The basis of HypnoBirthing is more like “meditative” birthing in which the mother is able to go more within herself, shutting out needless distractions and focusing on what she is doing in a more positive way. She learns the proper breathing, head to toe relaxation, visual techniques, optimal birthing positions, birth preference formulation, nutrition, and much more in pregnancy to better prepare her for labor. On a daily basis, the mother is practicing the techniques so she can more easily apply them through the course of her labor. It is bringing the familiar into unfamiliar territory. HypnoBirthing, which is a comprehensive childbirth class, pulls the ideas of Lamaze and the Bradley Method, but with a more “mind over matter” approach.

Melissa Gonzalez, a Lamaze instructor explains what Lamaze is: “Lamaze focuses on Six Healthy Birth Practices: let labor begin on its own, walk, move around, and change positions throughout labor, bring a loved one and/or doula for continuous support, avoid interventions that aren’t medically necessary, push in an upright position, following body’s natural urges, keep mother and baby together, with unlimited opportunity for breastfeeding. These care practices help keep labor and birth as safe and healthy as possible.”
“The Bradley Method® educates and empowers expecting parents to confidently pursue natural childbirth. The class series focuses on educating the expecting mother and her ‘coach’ about the importance of a healthy pregnancy, the entire process of labor and birth (including unexpected situations), postpartum and newborn care, and breastfeeding. The ‘coach’ is usually the father of the baby, but the coach can also be a significant other, friend, or family member so long as they are committed to assisting the mother throughout her pregnancy and labor,” explains Bradley instructor Katie Ondyak

HypnoBirthing brings Lamaze and Bradley together, but really gets into the “head space” of the mother to help create a positive outlook on birth. The in depth class instruction and the outside practice helps the mother get rid of any fears/anxieties/self-doubts she may have surrounding the birthing experience and replacing those thoughts with self-trust and confidence. The class gives several different tangible tools a mother can utilize from which she has been practicing on a daily basis. She learns how to stay in control of herself, which is through the proper breathing and relaxation techniques. HypnoBirthing includes the birth companion/labor support person in the birthing atmosphere by giving concrete tools to better help his/her partner during the whole process. When the environment is calm and peaceful, mom is calm and peaceful, and then baby is calm and peaceful. The overall goal of HypnoBirthing is to create a very calm and positive birthing experience. No matter how the baby gets into the arms of the mother, the goal is a positive and empowering experience! Furthermore, the techniques learned in class can be utilized anytime in life, but our emphasis is for pain management for labor and birth.

This class is for anyone! In fact, I was recently a doula for a mother birthing her 9th child and I had been present for the birth of her 8th two years prior. This time around she used HypnoBirthing and I will say there was a dramatic difference in this birth. She was extremely calm and focused the whole time (though just two hours of active labor/birth), which she was not as calm with the birth of her 8th child prior. Even the midwife who has been present for 7 out of 9 of this mother’s births exclaimed, “I think this is by far the best birth you have ever had! I think you are finally getting it and the HypnoBirthing really worked well!” The mother was even so impressed with herself and felt much better after this birth than she ever has.

If you have further questions on all that is included in a HypnoBirthing class, please contact me. I would love to help you achieve a calm, positive, and empowering birth experience!!!

 

Photography by Maggie Cuprisin Photography http://www.maggiecuprisinphoto.com/

Robin Ross Doula with Laboring mom
Doula By admin 0 Comments

Differences between midwife vs doula

Robin Ross Doula with Laboring mom

I get asked this question a lot. “I have a midwife, why would I need a doula?” I will explain the differences and the advantages to having both.

A midwife is a trained/certified health professional who provides support to women in labor and birth. Midwives are trained in the medical aspects of labor/birth by providing prenatal care and the medical care in the hospital/birth center or homebirth (specific with homebirth midwives), they are skilled in delivering the baby, and providing immediate post partum care to the mother. Women who are looking for lower intervention in their labors and births typically find solace with a midwife group. Furthermore, midwives can provide emotional and some physical support to the expecting family to have a more comforting experience. I have had the honor of working with some great midwife practices all over the Greater Chicago Area. Many of these midwives have a calm and respectful demeanor, which helps the family feel safe and supported.

Doulas help to aid in the labor/birth process; however, they do not do the medical aspects of the birthing experience, such as cervical exams, blood pressure checks, etc. Doulas are trained/certified in the emotional and physical aspects of providing support to the birthing family in their labor. Some doulas have other expertise they lend such as being a childbirth educator, massage therapist, lactation specialist, etc. Typically from contract going forward, a doula is available for questions or concerns 24 hours of the day 7 days a week. Many families find great value in the back and forth questions and answering that goes on well before their “labor day”. Families feel comfort in knowing there is someone else they can contact who has experience with labor and birth other than just talking to a friend or searching on the internet. A doula can also help a family understand their options in the labor/birth experience as many families do not even know they have options, as well as helping to ensure the family is with a practice that is supportive of their ideas of their birth. Furthermore, a doula is a great asset to a midwife or even an OB as the doula helps to provide the continual physical/emotional care whether it be in home or hospital or both, which can allow the medical professional to focus on the specifics to their job especially if they are caring for two laboring families at the same time. I have personally been present for several births where a midwife has had to help three different families almost at the same time. Sometimes having to go between the rooms doing her best to ensure everyone is fine. However, it is hard to be in three or even two places at once to give the emotional and physical care that a laboring mom may need, which is where the doula comes in!

Doulas and midwives are invaluable professionals to the labor/birth experience. Why not have the best of both worlds? I absolutely love working with midwives and find our relationship in the labor room is a perfect union in helping to support the family to have the positive and empowering birth they deserve.

If you are interested in learning more about midwife practices in the Chicago and surrounding areas, ask me!