This Week in Birth Blogs #5

May 182013
 

Signpost "Blogosphere"

This Week In Birth Blogs is a weekly blog round-up of birth related blog posts.
(I give up – Friday is clearly not a good day, so I’m permanently switching to Saturday.)

Birth Stories:

Breastfeeding:

Postpartum/Parenting:

Maternal Health and Childbirth Advocacy:

Infertility and Loss:

Doulas:

Midwifery:

To submit your blog post for inclusion in This Week in Birth Blogs, please send your URL and a brief description in an email to Kate: katedonahue@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Friday (each week) at 8pm (in Portland, Oregon).

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This Week in Birth Blogs #4

May 132013
 

Signpost "Blogosphere"

This Week In Birth Blogs is a weekly blog round-up of birth related blog posts. (Sorry it’s a little late this week!)

Birth Stories:

Breastfeeding:

Postpartum/Parenting:

Maternal Health and Childbirth Advocacy:

Infertility and Loss:

Doulas:

Midwifery:

In Case You Missed It:

To submit your blog post for inclusion in This Week in Birth Blogs, please send your URL and a brief description in an email to Kate: katedonahue@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Thursday (each week) at 8pm (in Portland, Oregon).

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This Week in Birth Blogs #3

May 032013
 

Signpost "Blogosphere"

This Week In Birth Blogs is a weekly blog round-up of birth related blog posts. To submit your blog post for inclusion in This Week in Birth Blogs, please send your link and a brief description in an email to Kate: katedonahue@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is Thursday (each week) at 8pm (in Portland, Oregon).

Birth Stories:

Breastfeeding:

Postpartum Depression:

Infertility/Loss:

Childbirth Advocacy & Activism:

Books/Videos:

Doulas:

Midwifery:

I wonder, which of these are your favorites?

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¿Es Ud. Una Mujer Embarazada Que Vive Cerca De Portland?

May 012013
 

Una mujer que está embarazada

¿Sabía que dar a luz en casa es una opción que una mujer embarazada que vive en (Portland) Oregon tiene? La verdad es que tiene muchas opciones para su parto aquí en Portland. ¿Quisiera hablar con una comadre (una partera) que hable español para aprender más?

Aquí tengo tres recomendaciones de comadronas hispanohablantes:

Si está en busca de a una doula (dula) hispanohablante, estoy a su servicio.

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Introducing Lucy!

Apr 302013
 

 

Portland MamaBaby Doula Clientlucy in her doulas rock onesie

I have been so busy that I forgot to post photos of this little sweetie that I took at our one-week postpartum visit. She’s just a week old and looking a little sad, which is why I didn’t ask her to pose for another photo after this one. She much preferred to be snuggled into her Mama’s chest. She was more than happy to pose for the 2nd photo – you can tell she has grown a bit and is enjoying the world. <3

This precious girl was born into a super peaceful and calm space with the lights down low and voices shushed. In fact, her entire labor was quiet, still, and calm – a hypnobirth baby!

Welcome to the world, Lucy! Your Mom and Dad sure do love you (and your doula does, too!)

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Want a Avoid a Cesarean Section? Avoid the Induction!!

Apr 302013
 

Q&A

Q: What do you recommend for your doula clients who are planning for a natural (physiological) childbirth?

A: Avoid the unnecessary induction.

The clients who hire me to be their doula are looking to have a natural (unmedicated) physiological birth experience and are committed to avoiding an unnecessary induction.

The Medically Necessary Induction vs. The Medically Managed Induction

It can become a bit tricky to discern between the usual protocols for medical management of birth and individualized medical advice when doctors tell my clients that their babies are too big to possibly fit through their big American pelvises, their baby’s amniotic fluid looks to low and they are drying up in there, or the baby may suddenly die as a result of passing the due date. Plans to induce are frequently discussed before the baby’s due date and those plans are often executed at 40 weeks and 1 day in the medical model of obstetrics and nurse-midwifery.

Why so many inductions? 

Henci Goer Quote about Pitocin

It’s a totally new phenomenon to chemically push a baby out of the womb. Are we to believe that women are incapable of having babies if doctors don’t give them a pharmacy full of drugs to start labor? That at some point in the last 60 years, almost half of the females in human species are incapable of reproducing without chemical intervention? If that’s true, then that’s a very sudden and severe threat to our existence, don’t you think?

It seems more realistic that American society has gotten caught up with the false notion that more intervention means better maternal-fetal care. Meanwhile, Cuba, Malaysia, and Portugal do less and do it better. In fact, the US ranks 39th in global maternal health. Perhaps this medical management of birth isn’t good for babies after all?

Induction has no business in natural childbirth. The mere fact that you are forcing the baby to be born before it is ready to be born is, by definition, unnatural. To pursue an induction and a natural childbirth is oxymoronic.

So how do inductions lead to cesarean births?

Starting an IV

Well, to begin with, an intravenous (IV) drip of fluids and Pitocin is placed in one arm. The fluids, while necessary due to the anti-diuretic properties of Pitocin, are associated with early newborn weight loss. Now one arm is kind of immobile and there are stress hormones rushing as a response to a needle and foreign object being inserted into your skin.

Pitocin is noted to cause low blood pressure, and so therefore, requires frequent blood pressure monitoring. A blood pressure cuff will be placed on the other arm (the arm without an IV in it) and left there to electronically monitor regularly.

Continuous electronic fetal monitoring is required, which measures the strength and duration of your contractions along with the baby’s heartbeat. Two plastic discs will be placed on your abdomen with elastic straps attaching them to your body. With an IV in one arm, a blood pressure cuff on the other, and two abdominal monitors, you are in bed for a while.

It’s not likely the hospital staff are going to allow you to get up and walk around or be in the tub. This is a problem for laboring women, who need the freedom to move as their body needs to move during labor. Even if you are allowed to, it is a burdensome chore that most women seem to avoid. Most women report feeling really ‘strapped down’ with an induction.

epidural-anesthesia-300x300

An epidural is added to this package of interventions that come along with labor induction, because the Pitocin makes the contractions unbearable for most women.

Along with the epidural comes also the placement of an urinary catheter (a tube is inserted into your urethra and placed into your bladder to collect urine), which further limits your ability to move about, which is crucial in a physiological (natural, vaginal) birth. To learn more about epidurals, please read the article on Science & Sensibility: Straight Talk on Epidurals for Labor and Pain Management for Women in Labor: A Research Review. It’s also worth noting the correlation between epidurals in labor and breastfeeding problems.

Further, inductions put you on the hospital’s time clock. Once you start, you had better have your baby and have it quickly and on their schedule, because any variation from the Friedman’s curve and you could be cut open for failure to progress. Of course, to assess your progress means you’ll be given a lot of vaginal/cervical exams and each of those increases your risk for infection. If they break your water, another common induction intervention, you have 12 hours before you can add on some antibiotics to this birth plan, too… tick tock.

Finally, let’s talk about “Pit to Distress“, which is really the culmination of all of these interventions leading to results in electronic fetal monitoring that cause concern for the well-being of the baby that leads to an immediate cesarean. With an epidural already in place, the doctor easily recommends an emergency cesarean.

Do the right thing for yourself and for your baby. It really does matter how your baby is born. Inform yourself. Demand to be treated as individuals. You and your baby deserve better than if-then-else protocols that are created by administrators and litigators who have their own interests at heart, not yours and your baby’s. I encourage you to research labor inductions, epidurals, and cesareans for yourself. Knowledge is power.

The Bottom Line

Happy mother holding newborn baby after birth

“Is the mother doing ok? Is the baby doing ok? Then let’s wait another day,” needs to be the mantra of the pregnant woman who facing pressure to induce. If there is no reason to force the baby out, then let her be. Inductions are contraindicated in most cases if the goal is a physiologic birth. A natural birth is best achieved with a natural labor.

[Ask your question: email | Facebook | Twitter | tumblr]

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Doula Tip #12: Master the Smoothie

Apr 292013
 

Doulas Make The Best SmoothiesWhile I was an apprenticing midwife at the birthing center, I learned how to master the smoothie. I hadn’t ever made smoothies before working at the birth center, but now I ::am:: The Master of the Smoothie!!

Now, whenever I doula at a home birth, I always make sure that I ask my client to purchase (ahead of time!) all the ingredients necessary to make a postpartum smoothie.

Here’s the basic smoothie recipe:

  • 1/2 cup organic yogurt
  • 1/2 cup organic milk
  • 1 cup organic berries or a banana (or half and half!)
  • 1 Tbsp flax seed oil

Blend it all together and serve it up with a bendy straw.  Double it and make a smoothie for Mom’s partner at the same time – s/he will appreciate the loving doula care, too!

NB: Frozen berries work great, too!!

I’d love to make a smoothie for you after you have a baby, too! If you are interested in hiring me to be your doula, please contact me (KateDonahue@gmail.com) and let’s meet!

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This Week In Birth Blogs #2

Apr 252013
 

Signpost "Blogosphere"

This Week In Birth Blogs is a weekly blog round-up of my favorite birth related blog posts.

Birth Stories:

Breastfeeding:

Childbirth Advocacy & Activism:

Books/Videos:

Doula-Related:

Midwifery:

Do you enjoy This Week in Birth Blogs? Would you like me to continue doing it? Would you like to submit your blog for inclusion? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think (and include your link!)

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Placenta Encapsulation (Placenta Pills): Should You Have Your Placenta Encapsulated?

Apr 242013
 

This is the end result of placenta encapsulation - dried powder in capsulesHere in Portland (PDX), most of my clients to have their placentas processed and encapsulated (made into capsules) to take postpartum. I have never personally heard a Mom regret doing it, but I have known a few who regretted ::not:: having ‘happy pills’ made out of their baby’s placenta.

As a doula, I make very few recommendations – I do actually recommend this for my clients. If you’re pregnant and wondering about whether or not you should invest in placenta encapsulation as part of your birth plan, here are some articles and blog posts to consider:

About Placenta Encapsulation In The Media:

Moms Blog About Their Placenta Eating Experiences:

DIY Placenta Instructions/Recipes:

Of course, f you’re considering placenta encapsulation and you live in Portland, Oregon, please get in touch.
 Portland MamaBaby offers off-site placenta encapsulation and tinctures and serves the entire Portland metro area.

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Just the (VBAC) Facts, Ma’am

Apr 232013
 

VBAC Facts Class and Webinar

Do you know the facts about VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)?

I took the VBAC Facts class in April in Portland and I loved it!  I want you to take it, too, if you are planning a VBAC or you work with VBAC clients and here’s why: It’s important to understand that not all VBACs are alike – there are individual factors to consider – and what you need is knowledge. Knowledge is power in a VBAC.  The very first thing you should do if you are pregnant after cesarean is to inform and empower yourself. Jen Kamel, the founder of VBAC Facts, as a mother who had a VBAC, has some really important information to share – she has read and reviewed and analyzed all of the studies and data that exists about the history of VBAC politics and policies, and the risks of VBAC. She took this on like you would if you were doing an MPH thesis – she looked at all the data, all the studies, all the public documents that are behind the policies and recommendations – basically she did ::all:: the work and I got to sit back and benefit (for $85.00) and you can, too!

For more information about local classes and webinars, see the VBAC Facts Classes page on VBACFacts.com. You can also find VBAC Facts on Facebook and Twitter.

If you’d like to plan your VBAC with doula support, I’m ready to help you. Contact me today for a free doula consultation.

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Recently Pinned on Portland Mama Baby (on Pinterest)

Apr 222013
 

PinterestHere are six of my favorite recently pinned pregnancy and birth-related photos, articles, and blog posts:

  1. Nine Reasons Not To Carry Your Baby Facing Out
  2. VBAC after prior VBAC
  3. Group B Strep in Pregnancy: Evidence for Antibiotics and Alternatives
  4. Vaginal (Hospital) Birth of Triplets
  5. A Nice Photo of a Diamniotic/Dichorionic Placenta
  6. Childbirth and the Language we Use: Does it Really Matter?

Which one is your favorite? If you’d like to point me in the direction of your blog, Pinterest board, Twitter, or Facebook page, please add your URL to your comment.

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Let’s Get Back to Basics: Pregnancy and Childbirth Care Provider Options 101

Apr 182013
 

Back to basicsToday, I’d like to get back to basics. For me, Human Rights in Childbirth (HRiC) means that birthing women have the right to choose where, when, and with whom they will have their baby. I realized the other day that I’m writing with the assumption that my audience even knows that midwives exist, let alone the various types of midwives or the laws that apply to midwives. With this in mind, I am going back to the start and define/distinguish the various options that pregnant women have when considering with whom to give birth.

A pregnant woman in Oregon has several options for childbirth that the State recognizes as valid, legal options:

  • A perinatologist handles high-risk pregnancies – they commonly work in clinics that are called something like, “Maternal Fetal Medicine”. They are highly prepared to intervene medically or surgically during pregnancy and birth. Some MFM clinics also care for women who are not high-risk and provide obstetric and nurse midwifery care under the same roof. These doctors only deliver in hospitals, typically in hospitals with appropriate NICU care for babies who need medical intervention to survive.
  • A physician can do all your prenatal care, deliver your baby at the hospital, and follow up with postpartum care.  The most common of these physicians is the obstetrician (the OB in OB/GYN), but some primary care physicians also offer obstetrical care to their patients. Another physician who delivers babies is the DO (Doctor of Osteopathy). Almost all doctors attend births in the hospital.
  • A naturopath midwife (ND) – who is a naturopath with additional training in midwifery. Naturopathic midwives receive a doctoral degree from a four- year accredited naturopathic medical school.  Additionally they complete didactic specialty training, as well as a preceptorship under a licensed naturopathic midwife, in the treatment and management of pregnancy and natural childbirth.
  • A certified nurse midwife (CNM) – has a nursing degree and receives additional training in midwifery. CNMs are supervised by OB/GYNs and provide primarily hospital based services, though there are a handful of CNMs who also do home births. If you are talking about a midwife who practices in a hospital, it’s likely she is a certified nurse midwife, which is legal in every state.
  • A direct-entry midwife (DEM) can actually be applied to several other types of midwives and is kind of a confusing term because it doesn’t offer enough detail. Often all the home birth midwives are lumped into this classification, but it is too simplistic and doesn’t offer any distinction between education and licensure status. A lot of home birth midwives consider themselves to be DEM. Often if you see LDEM as a credential, it means she is a licensed, direct-entry midwife, which is also the same as a CPM. Confused yet? That’s exactly part of the problem!! It gets confusing to talk about “midwives” when there are so many different types of midwives. Direct entry midwifery is not legal in every state. Licensure is not available for direct entry midwives in many states. Direct entry midwifery is a legal option in Oregon; both licensed and unlicensed direct entry midwives are legal options for birthing women in Oregon.
  • A certified professional midwife (CPM) – has completed a midwifery program and/or an apprenticeship to qualify for the NARM exam and has passed the certification exam and met the requirements set forth by NARM for certification. In Oregon, all licensed home-birth midwives must be CPM midwives. The CPM credential does not equal licensure, but is required by most states that do offer a licensure program.
  • A licensed midwife (in Oregon) is also a certified professional midwife, by default, because certification by NARM is a requirement for licensure. Licensure (in Oregon) currently requires a midwife to be certified in basic CPR and neonatal resuscitation, take an LD&D class (Legends, Drugs, and Devices) for certification in order to use a limited number of pharmaceuticals, such as Pitocin and Cytotec (anti-hemorrhagics) and also to administer an IV, catheter, and other procedures that are unique to licensed midwives. Licensure permits a CPM midwife to bill the Oregon Health Plan for midwifery care in certain circumstances. Licensed midwives adhere to a set of laws and rules that are determined through legislative processes and hearings. Licensed midwives are regulated through the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA). Complaints against licensed midwives are made to the OHLA board, are investigated by OHLA, and are disciplined through OHLA. For more information about licensed midwives in Oregon, you should visit the OHLA Direct Entry Midwifery Board website, where there is a ton of information, including a searchable license database. Not every state has a licensure program, which means home birth midwifery is still illegal with a CPM midwife in many states.
  • An unlicensed midwife is often called a “lay midwife” or a “traditional midwife” and is a legal option for pregnant women (in Oregon). Though midwives with a CPM are eligible for licensure, some choose to remain unlicensed, while other unlicensed midwives may not have completed the requirements or the process for certification and are truly “lay midwives.” Some unlicensed midwives have comparable educational and experiential backgrounds as licensed and certified professional midwives. Lay midwives typically depend on natural methods and herbal remedies to manage complications at birth, as legal access to carry oxygen, pharmaceuticals, and to do certain procedures is only provided with licensure. I think it’s important for consumers (mothers) to understand that hiring an unlicensed also means that consumers (mothers) do not have a regulatory agency who will investigate a report should they choose to file a complaint. In some cases, unlicensed midwives have been investigated and subsequently disciplined through the criminal court system rather than through the licensing board, as the laws and regulations and appropriate disciplinary action of the licensing board would not apply to an unlicensed midwife.
  • Just to be super clear, a doula isn’t a pregnancy or a birth care provider at all. Doulas provide emotional and educational support only – they do not do prenatal care, nor do they deliver (or catch) babies.

So the next time you see Ima Midwife, CPM, LDEM you will know that this is a certified professional midwife who is also a licensed direct entry midwife (a home birth midwife), and you may get to know my friend, Shesa Midwife, DEM, who is an unlicensed direct entry midwife, and if you run into Youra Midwife, CNM, you’ll know she’s most likely a hospital based certified nurse midwife.

What kind of a birth provider did you choose and why?

 

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That Awkward Silence

Apr 112013
 

Blog UpdateI have tried writing a blog post like this at least ten times and ultimately I end up deleting them and putting it off. I’m determined today to just write this blog post and get it over with so that I can resume blogging here again.

It’s weird for me to blog here after spending months away. For personal reasons I still don’t feel comfortable discussing, I suddenly closed the physical “center” space of the Portland MamaBaby Center on December 31st, 2012, which was really difficult for me, as you can imagine. I think I’ve gained 30 pounds since the beginning of the year as a result of fighting off the depression and anxiety I’ve experienced with closing the Center, but I’ve also discovered some new paths and new relationships and new opportunities that would never have presented themselves if I hadn’t closed the center.

The end result after 4 months: I am still here, I am still helping women have babies, and I am still just as passionate about my work. In fact, I find myself feeling more inspired than ever. I’d like to just kind of pick up and move forward; I could obsess for hours about old posts that are no longer relevant because the center is closed or links that might be broken, but instead, I will ask for your forbearance when you come across something that is no longer applicable.

And a special thank you to my friends and family (and that includes my clients!) who have given me so much loving support during one of the most difficult times of my life. It sounds super sappy, but love is the antidote – oxytocin is the best anti-depressant of all.

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Here’s something you can ::do:: to support midwifery

Dec 302012
 

There’s no doubt in my mind that people who support midwifery do it with 100% of their heart. The problem is, that’s not enough.

We need more midwives. It’s that simple.

Investing in new midwives is investing in the foundation of strong, healthy, and emotionally intact communities.

My name is Madeleine Shernock, and I am a doula and childbirth educator in Arcata, California. I have chosen to attend a state-approved midwifery program to become a primary care provider for low-risk mothers and babies, and I need help paying my tuition for school. […more…]

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2012 Doula/Monitrice Birth Stats

Dec 282012
 

2012 Portland Doula Monitrice Stats Photo

  • 0% Unnecessary Inductions*
  • 0% Cesarean
  • 100% Breastfeeding

*(before 42 weeks/medically necessary for Baby or Mother)

Someone asked me why I think none of my clients choose to have their labors induced when it’s so prevalent in our society. After some reflection, I think there are 3 key factors for this rate:

1) I’m so openly anti-unnecessary-induction for women/babies that women who are inclined to them don’t seek me out. Seriously. Given that Mom is objectively healthy and psychologically intact, and baby is objectively healthy and thriving, there is no reason other than selfish motivation to force a baby out before they are done gestating. I offer Moms some evidence-based research, they educate themselves, and they prepare mentally for the potential obstacles to a natural, physiological, birth. They have self-selected into my practice knowing how I feel. They are strong in their resolve to have a natural vaginal birth without unnecessary interventions.

2) Their partners were active participants – they also studied and learned about interventions that are commonly used in hospital birth, the potential effects, and the “package of interventions” that go together and what that means for labor and birth. They actively supported their partners in pursuing a natural, physiological birth. They weren’t apathetic – it wasn’t that they didn’t care and just put it all in the woman’s hands to decide – they also wanted the same things for the birth that the mother wanted.

3) Their providers were supportive of their choices. In every case, either the physician or the midwife at the birth “sat on their hands”. They were present and monitoring labor, providing support, but they were happy to sit back and let things unfold naturally. They offered various options, and even offered inductions at times, but they didn’t ever try to scare my clients. My clients reported feeling supported by their physicians and midwives. This is probably the single biggest factor. We put a lot of trust and faith into our providers.

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Portland Bottle Feeding Support Group

Dec 132012
 

A safe space to connect, find support, and explore issues in motherhood and specifically bottle-feeding

Bottle Feeding Support Group at Portland MamaBaby Center in Portland, OR

This is an open group facilitated by Keely C. Helmick, LPC, Doula

and

Kate Donahue, Doula/Monitrice and Owner of Portland MamaBaby Center

Each month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 11am
[In January on the 9th and 23rd]

Join us at the Portland MamaBaby Center
[5528 SE Woodstock Blvd
Portland, OR 97206]

Cost:
$10 / group session (reduced slots available)

 Questions: please contact Keely
k.carissa33@gmail.com
(www.keelychelmick.com)
ph:503-332-7003

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December Tea and a Topic: Prenatal and Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders

Dec 052012
 

December Tea and a TopicWho: Portland Area Midwives and Doulas

When: December 19th, 2012 (12/19/12) at 10:00am

Where: 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd  (97206) [map]

This month, our speaker is Kathleen Kelly, PMHNP, from the Baby Blues Connection, who will present information about Prenatal and Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

There is no fee to attend, donations to support our MamaBaby Clinic are gratefully accepted.

Please RSVP by email: Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com

 

 

 

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The October Doula Tea and a Topic (Doula Workgroup)

Sep 262012
 

 

Yikes, I turned around and September is over! I wonder how many of you Mamas are feeling the same way after getting your children back in school and returning to a “school days” state of mind and how many of you homeschool and year-round school and unschool? We are lucky that we have so many different ways to bring up our children.

It’s time for Doula Tea and a Topic.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 3:30pm at the Portland MamaBaby Center, which is located at 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd (Portland, OR 97206). At the last doula tea we talked about how nice it would be to work together as a group to update our resource lists, and after giving the logistics of it a lot of thought, we decided to hold this as a Doula Tea and Work Party. We also decided to make it a snack potluck, so please bring a snack to share!

If you’d like to attend, please try to bring a laptop with you (if you have one). We have all the wifi you could want. We’ll bring our laptops and we’ll have the iMac available to use at the center, as well. If you have your resource lists printed out, you could share that – if you have them bookmarked, we can form a collaborative Pinterest board? We can all work together to fill in the gaps of our resource lists and share our bookmarks this way and ultimately we all serve our clients better as a result of our collaborative efforts.

Any questions? Just drop Kate an email.

(PS: If you didn’t hear, my email exploded metaphorically and I lost every email through last week, so if you’re reading this and wondering why I haven’t replied to you already, please resend your email because I no longer have it :( It’s a very sad story, but sometimes technology blow up in your face.)

 

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Secrets of Successful Waterbirth: A Waterbirth Certification Course

Sep 242012
 

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Global Film Launch of “Freedom For Birth” Sparks a Mother’s Revolution

Sep 122012
 

One World Birth: Freedom for Birth

Freedom from Birth is a new 60 minute campaigning documentary featuring a Who’s Who of leading birth experts and international human rights lawyers all calling for radical change to the world’s maternity systems.

The Documentary Reframes Child Birth
As The Most Pressing Global Human Rights Issue Today

Internationally the film is launching with hundreds of premieres all over the world on the same day, Thursday, September 20th, 2012.

Here in Portland, Oregon we will be hosting a screening on September 20th, 2012 at 7pm on the east side of Portland in the Woodstock neighborhood at 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR 97206. You also have the opportunity to watch the film (same time/date) in SW Portland at Andaluz Waterbirth Center where it is being sponsored by both Andaluz and the local Portland ICAN chapter.

Hermine Hayes-Klein, US lawyer and organizer of the recent Human Rights in Childbirth Conference at the Hague, the Netherlands says:

“The way that childbirth is being managed in many countries around the world is deeply problematic. Millions of pregnant women are pushed into hospitals, pushed onto their back and cut open. They are subject to unnecessary pharmaceutical and surgical interventions that their care providers openly admit to imposing on them for reasons of finance and convenience. Women around the world are waking up to the fact that childbirth doesn’t have to be like this and it shouldn’t. Disrespect and abuse are not the necessary price of safety”.

Made by British filmmakers Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford, Freedom For Birth film tells the story of an Hungarian midwife Agnes Gereb who has been jailed for supporting women giving birth at home. One of the home birth mothers supported by Ms Gereb decided to take a stand.

When pregnant with her second child, Anna Ternovsky took her country to the European Court of Human Rights and won a landmark case that has major implications for childbirth around the world.

Toni Harman, one of the filmmakers says,

“the Ternovsky vs Hungary ruling at the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 means that now in Europe, every birthing woman has the legal right to decide where and how she gives birth. And across the world, it means that if a woman feels like her Human Rights are being violated because her birth choices are not being fully supported, she could use the power of the law to protect those rights. With the release of Freedom For Birth, we hope millions of women become aware of their legal rights and so our film has the potential to spark a revolution in maternity care across the world. In fact, we are calling this the Mothers’ Revolution.”

Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), says,

“A safe childbirth should be a fundamental human right for women. Sadly, for many, many millions of women and their babies across the world this is not the case. The world is desperately short of the people who can help to ensure and deliver this human right; midwives. There is a real need for leaders of nations to invest in midwifery care in their countries. I hope that the making of this film which the RCM is supporting with a screening will go a long way to help make skilled maternity care a reality for those women who currently do not have access to it.”

Lesley Page, President of the Royal College of Midwives adds,

“Too many women across the world are dying or suffering terribly because of a lack of skilled maternity care. This is unacceptable and I call on all Governments across the world to give women the right and access to safe care in pregnancy and childbirth.”

Ms. Hayes-Klein concludes, Freedom For Birth holds the answer to changing the system.

“Birth will change when women realize they have a right to meaningful support for childbirth and claim that right. Birth will change when women stand up against the abuses that are currently suffered in such high numbers and say, No More.”

Ms. Hayes-Klein will be in attendance at the September 20th, 2012 (7:00pm) screening of the film at the Portland MamaBaby Center [map] where a discussion will follow the screening. There is no fee to attend and watch the film and nurslings are welcome to join you. For the viewing of others, we ask that you arrange childcare separately for your older children.

If you have any questions about the screening or you’d like to help or get involved in the Mother’s Revolution, please send us an email or get in touch. We’ll be organizing other events – this is just the kickoff.

There are several ways to reach us:

1) [kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com] or [hermine@bynkershoek.eu]

2) The Freedom For Birth Screening Event Page

3) Portland MamaBaby Center’s Facebook Page

And of course, there is additional information on the Freedom For Birth website, and also about the creators of the film, Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford, who are a filmmaking couple who have set up a cross-media global film project called One World Birth to provide educational videos featuring the world’s leading birth experts.

If you can’t be with us, please check to see if it is being shown near you. Unfortunately, not every screening is listed, but we hope you’ll find a place to join in and be a part of something that is moves you to feel the need to be involved, regardless of your own choices for childbirth. I see this as a women’s human rights issue – that’s something we all need to work together to change. Men will not do it for us. If we are to revolutionize our birthing system, then we (women, along with our allies) must do it ourselves!

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DONA Birth Doula Training at Portland Mama Baby Center

Aug 222012
 

DONA doula trainer, Debra Catlin, will be back again at the Portland Mama Baby Center in October, 2012 for a 4-day long DONA birth doula training.

October 11th, 2012 is the Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas class that is a DONA prerequisite to the birth doula workshop. This $100 class is one way to meet the DONA requirement to “Obtain basic knowledge about childbirth prior to the Birth Doula workshop.” There are other options on Debra’s web site that might be available to you to meet this requirement. If you have questions, be sure to ask Debra. Her contact info is below. Here’s a quick glance at what that class offers:

Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas

The DONA birth doula workshop is from October 12th-14th and includes 12 distinct sessions or units, making it an intense, but yet comprehensible and salient course that has a logical progression, leading student doulas step by step to the next lesson.

Day 1     8:00 AM-6:00 PM
    Session 1  Implications of a Woman’s Birth Experience
        I.    Introductions and Overview
        II.   The Heart of Doula Work-Emotional Support
        III.  Sharing Birth Stories: “What Women Remember about Birth”
        IV.  Listening for Needs
    Session 2  Influences on the Childbearing Experience
        I.   Beliefs and Messages About Childbirth
        II.  Shaping Human Development-Lessons from Perinatal Psychology
        III. Personal and Cultural Influences
        IV. Maternity Care Practices
        V. The Gentle Birth Movement- and “Ecstatic Birth”
    Session 3  The Role of the Birth Doula
        I.    The Doula’s Role: Meeting Labor Support Needs
        II.   Benefits, Qualities, and Realities of Doula Work
        III.  Working with the Partner
        IV.  Birth Doula Certification Requirements
    Session 4   Therapeutic Presence
        I.    Exploring Beliefs, Promoting Confidence
        II.   Setting Intentions
        III.  Mastering Fears
        IV.  Centering and Grounding
        V.   Connecting Through Entrainment
  Day 2   8:00 AM-6:00 PM
    Session 5    Early Labor Assistance
        I.   The Doula’s Bag of Tricks for Pain Management
        II.  Early Labor Care Plan
        III. Emotional Needs of Early Labor
        IV. Guidance with Relaxation and Breathing
        V.  Working as a Team with Mom and Partner
    Session 6     Active Labor Support
        I.   Emotional Needs and Responses of Active Labor
        II.  Assisting Breathing, Vocalization and Attention Focusing
        III. Incorporating Massage and Rhythm
        IV. Coping Strategy Assessment
        V.  Supporting the Mother and Partner in Active Labor
    Session 7    Challenging Labors
        I.  Fast Labors
        II. Promoting Labor Progress
                    A.Optimal Fetal Positioning
                    B. Characteristics of Prolonged Labors
                    C. More Positions and Movement
        III. Posterior and Asynclitic Variations
                    A. Positions for Rotation and Descent
                    B.Back Labor Pain Relief Measures
      Session 8     Supporting Second Stage
        I.   Transition-Emotional Needs and Support
        II.  Role Play of Pushing Guidance
        III. Second Stage Challenges
        IV. Birth Videos
  Day 3    8:00 AM-6:00 PM
    Session 9    Role of the Doula in Difficult Births
        I.   DONA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics
        II.  Being a Maternity Care Team Member
        III. Challenges and Dilemmas in Doula Work
        IV. The Advocacy Role
        V.  ”What if, What next?” Exercise
    Session 10    Supporting Difficult Births
        I.    Emotional Challenges-The Take Charge Routine
        II.   Compassionate Care with Medications
        III.  Supporting Cesarean Birth
        IV.  Unexpected Outcomes
    Session 11    Prenatal Client Contact and Birth Attendance
        I.  Initial Contact and Prenatal Interviews
                     A.Your Birth Package and Fees
                     B.Letter of Agreement
                     C.Labor and Birth Preferences
                     D.Addressing Special Needs/VBAC
        II.  Values Clarification
        III. Getting Ready for the Birth
                     A. Arranging Back-up
                     B.Being on-call
                     C.     Taking Care of Yourself
    Session 12    Postpartum Care and Your Doula Business
        I.   Doula’s Role in Immediate Postpartum
        II.  Postnatal Contacts
                     A. Assessments of Well-being and Supporting Breastfeeding
                     B. Debriefing and Integrating the Birth
        III.  Starting Your Business
        IV.  Marketing and Promotion

Early bird registration ends on September 14th, 2012 (save $25 and register early for $400.00) and the final closing registration date is September 28th ($425.00). To save you the searching time, I did some research to compare prices for doula training in Portland: the labor doula training at Birthingway is $485 and the DONA birth doula training through MotherTree Birth Services is $450.00.

There are many labor and birth doula workshops and trainings regularly available in Portland, so why would I choose to host Debra Catlin’s workshop at the MamaBaby Center and register my own staff in her training? I love a weekend intensive – I’m just that kind of person. I want to do the hours, get them out of the way, and get to the births. I like other programs, but I ultimately think if you’re going to invest that much money into a certification, then you need to invest in a certification that offers a return on your investment quickly, and I believe that’s what you get with Debra Catlin’s DONA training workshop.

If there is enough interest from the doulas who attend this DONA training, I will plan to teach another 6-week session of The Business of Being a Doula that will begin at the beginning of November. Opportunities/requests for low cost births through the Portland MamaBaby Center are fulfilled by doulas who are working towards certification. This works out to be a win-win – we can serve more Mamas and provide guidance and mentoring to new doulas at the same time!

The full agenda for the labor and birth doula training

Prerequisites for the workshop

Register for this DONA birth doula workshop

Questions? Just ask Debra Catlin 
deb@side-by-sidedoulas.com
541-998-3380

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Join Us For Doula Tea and a Topic: Boundaries and Self Care for Doulas

Aug 132012
 

Our next doula tea is scheduled for Monday, August 27th, 2012 from 10am-11:30am. [calendar]

This month rather than just gathering to meet and support each other, we have a guest speaker and a topic.

Portland therapist and doula, Keely Helmick, will be joining us and the topic will be setting healthy doula-client boundaries to avoid vicarious traumatization along with some self-care strategies.

There is no fee to attend, but we would gratefully accept your $5-10 donation toward funding guest speakers and mini-workshops like this one (we can take your debit/credit card via Square, to make it extra convenient for you to be able to contribute if you don’t carry cash.)

Please plan on attending if you are a doula, doula in training, or a student doula in the Portland Metro area, and please plan to bring a friend. We would appreciate your help in spreading the word to reach all the doulas in our birth community!! Paraprofessionals are also invited to attend, though we will be speaking specifically to the topic as it relates to doulas, the information will be beneficial to others in related fields.

If you have any questions, please contact Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com.

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Barbara Harper on Continuous Labor Support

Aug 122012
 

barbara harper gentle birth choices on continuous labor support (doulas)

Barbara Harper from Waterbirth International was here at the Portland MamaBaby Center for her Embracing the Miracle: The Science & Soul of Birth & The First Hour workshop and I felt a very strong connection with her. I have been fortunate to get to know her better and to talk with her more and every interaction leads me to the same conclusion – we were destined to meet and work together in some way. …that’s a blog post for another day.

With Barbara’s permission, I am posting the following excerpt from Gentle Birth Choices. Today I thought I’d continue to share what the leading expert in gentle birth and water birth are says about continuous labor support. There are two copies of this book (and DVD) in the lending library. Gentle Birth Choices is a book I always recommend for our doula clients as they are beginning to formulate their birth plans. I highly encourage you to add this copy to your own reading list if you haven’t read it yet and you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. And now, Barbara Harper on Continuous Labor Support (p 20-21):

Gentle births are easier when the mother chooses and trusts the people around her during her labor. Very few women desire to go through labor alone. There is comfort and ease in sharing the experience and having a loving touch, a cool drink, a smile or embrace when it is most needed. Fathers can provide this type of care and relish being there when the baby is born, but women sometimes desire the presence of another woman, someone who is experienced in labor and birth to provide support and assistance. Experienced mothers, sisters, and friends can easily step into that role if the mother chooses them and feels safe with them. Some mothers seek the services of a doula, a trained labor assistant.

The professional doula is a relatively new addition in hospital birth rooms. Women have been caring for each other during childbirth since the beginning of time. Even when a woman is armed with education, the intensity of labor often takes her by surprise. A doula can bring reassurance to both the mother and father that everything is progressing normally. She can suggest position changes, provide massage, or employ other techniques to assist a woman in avoiding drugs in labor.

Nurses on busy maternity units often cannot stay in the labor room due to the fact that they have many duties and care for more than one woman in labor at the same time. Having a midwife in the hospital can sometimes provide a mother continuous support, but more often the reality is that she is responsible for many other tasks. A midwife or physician is making decisions and evaluating the medical aspects of labor, whereas a doula is there solely to provide physical and emotional comfort and support.

A doula will help a mother achieve the birth outcome that she desires. Often meeting with a family a few times before labor begins, the doula becomes familiar with what a mother and father want out of their birth experience. She will work very diligently to establish an environment that is conducive to an undisturbed birth. A doula does not make decisions for parents about their care, but helps them understand the implications of certain procedures so that they can make an informed choice. Her presence gives couples confidence in their choices. She will support women in all their choices for pain management and see that every effort is made to keep the mother and baby together immediately after the birth. A birth doula will stay with the family from the time that her presence is requested in labor until a few hours after the birth, assisting with the initiation of breast-feeding, if needed.

A doula’s purpose is to help a family create a positive and loving birth memory, fostering a great start for this precious little new being. I received a letter in the mail from a very young teenage mother for whom I had served as a doula a few months before. Handwritten on school paper, she wrote:

I am back in school and taking my baby with me to class. I thought it was about time to send you an update on us. My birth was an incredible experience, hard… but I got through it. I would tell you that your being with me made it easier, but in reality, the baby was going to come out no matter what. You kept telling me that and I finally believed you. After that it got easier. I think every mom should have a doula.

Sometimes all that is needed to keep a birth normal is simply to be present – not just physically, but in the moment with the mother. Holding the energy of the birth space is an important job that is more easily accomplished by someone outside of the emotional or the medical aspects of the birth. [emphasis mine]

Did you have a doula with you at your birth? I’d love to hear about ::your:: experience with a doula by your side. If you’d like to share your own doula story or experience, please email it to me along with your permission to post it here, among the opinions of experts, because as the Mom, you are also an expert. My email address is Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com.

To schedule an hour long free consultation with one of our doulas or monitrices, please send an email to info@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com. We are adding doulas to our staff and are currently accepting clients due in September and beyond. It’s never too late to find a doula, we can accommodate your last minute requests, as well. If you prefer to call, the number at the center is (503) 206-7715. We also offer childbirth education at the center, as well as midwifery services.

También ofrecemos los servicios en español (hable con Kate.)

 

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Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Doula (Written By Ann Douglas)

Aug 112012
 

ann douglas mother of all pregnancy books cover

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Doula

  1. A doula can help you to feel better about your birth experience. A group of researchers in California found that women who had the support of a doula during their babies’ births were more likely to feel positive about their birth experiences (82.5%) than women who did not have the benefit of such support (67.4%)
  2. A doula can leave your partner free to focus more fully on his or her key role during the birth: providing you with the emotional support. Doulas have knowledge of birth that partners, who may have no prior experience with birth, simply may not have.
  3. A doula can help to take some of the pressure off your partner. Having someone else on hand to support you can allow him or her to take a guilt-free dinner or bathroom break. (It’s hard for your partner not to feel like the world’s biggest heel if he or she has to take a bathroom break just as your contractions are starting to peak.)
  4. A doula can help to reduce the likelihood that you will require an epidural. A study conducted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, found that 7.8% of women using doulas requested an epidural as compared to 55.3% of women laboring without a doula.
  5. A doula can offer helpful suggestions on ways to cope with the labor when you’ve pretty much run through your own repertoire of coping strategies.
  6. A doula can help breastfeeding get off to the best possible start. A study conducted in South Africa found that women who have support from doulas during labor are more likely to be breastfeeding exclusively when their babies are six weeks old than other moms.
  7. A doula can help to answer your questions about the birthing process and provide on-the-spot reassurance when you need it – something that can be truly invaluable if you find yourself with a lot of questions and concerns.
  8. A doula can help you advocate for yourself with the hospital staff and ensure that your voice is heard.
  9. A doula can promise to be there, even if your partner can’t. If there’s a chance that your partner isn’t going to be there at the birth (possibly because he or she is scheduled to work out of town around your due date) or if you’re going to be giving birth without a partner, a doula can provide you with some much-needed support.
  10. A doula can act as your cheering section. When you’re trying to weather the storms of transition, sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you’ve got what it take to get through this – and to say it with enough conviction that you actually believe her. (That’s an important part of the doula job description, by the way.)

Thank you to Ann Douglas for the copy of her newly released 2nd edition copy of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books! We are grateful for the donation to our lending library.

 

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Midwifery Education: The New PEP (Pathways to Surviving Your Apprenticeship Paperwork)

Aug 092012
 

im not telling you it is going to be easy im telling you its going to be worth itAs of May 2012 The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) created new guidelines for the Portfolio Evaluation Process (PEP) used to validate the education and skills of apprentice midwives as they prepare to take their NARM boards.  These changes are very welcome as the national midwifery community tries to ensure thorough training for Certified Professional Midwives (CPM).  The changes will be in full effect for anyone finishing their PEP paperwork after January 1, 2013.

Tia Rich CPM, LDM of Portland, Oregon is offering an educational class on how to best navigate the new steps/processes of the PEP, and how best to complete your NARM PEP paperwork during and after your apprenticeship with the least amount of problems and confusion.

This class can be very helpful in teaching you how to effectively keep track of the skills and work acquired, and how best to document that work.  The goal is for you to complete your PEP process without hitting any roadblocks such as an audit, which can add months of time on reworking and revising your PEP paperwork.  This added time can even end up delaying your NARM boards.

Students in non-MEAC study programs or choosing the self study process are best served in this class.

Course objectives:

  • Identify what the NARM PEP is and how it serves students choosing this route
  • How to look for, and choose an appropriate apprenticeship
  • Learn the guidelines of the PEP, including timelines for completion, and cost
  • Learn and receive tools for record keeping of your skills and births during your apprenticeship
  • Learn helpful hints of how to complete and document that will best avoid an audit

Included in the class price are handout copies of PEP paperwork that you will use in class as well as e-mailed downloads to all of the current NARM PEP paperwork that you need for your verification process.

Class Time and Date:  Saturday Sept 8th 2012,  10-3pm

Location:  Portland MamaBaby Center  5528 SE Woodstock Ave Portland, Or.

Price:  $60  ($10 discount for early registration before 8/28/12)

Class Minimum of 5 students enrolled and paid for the class to occur

Feel free to bring a lunch, we will break for half an hour to allow people to go grab something if needed

Please contact Kate [Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com] or Tia [Tia@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com] to register.
You can also reach us at the center at (503) 206-7715 or use the contact form on our website to send email.

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