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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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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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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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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Herbs for the Childbearing Year at Portland Mama Baby Center

May 302012
 

herbs for the childbearing year

Herbs for Women in Their Childbearing Years
With Jessica Elliott

  • Herbs every women should have in her life.
  • Fertility & conception.
  • Nourishing herbs during pregnancy.
  • Herbal solutions for common pregnancy complaints.
  • Postpartum herbs for the perineum.
  • Milk supply herbs.
  • Preventing & treating postpartum blues.

CLASS: Herbs for Women in their Childbearing Years
WHEN: August 18 from 10am to 4pm.
WHERE: Portland MamaBaby Center (map)
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: Herbs for Everyone
COST: $75.00. 

To register, simply download our registration form and attach your payment.

Return your completed registration form and payment to Portland MamaBaby Center at 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, OR 97206. We also accept Paypal and major credit card. If you wish to use PayPal or a credit card, please fill out the registration form and send it in and then contact Kate directly (kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com) to make your payment.

For specific questions about the class, please email Jessica at Jessica@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com

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Embracing the Miracle: The Science & Soul of Birth and the First Hour with Barbara Harper

May 152012
 

WaterbirthEmbracing the Miracle

As nurses, midwives, physicians, doulas and childbirth educators, we have the unique job of knowing the best way to protect the baby physically, but do we know what to do emotionally and spiritually for this new human?

If the focus of birth were on acknowledging the baby as a conscious participant and the one in charge of the birth process, would our birth practices be different?

Evidence is presented demonstrating the baby thinks, feels, and remembers everything about the birth experience and how this influences the development of brain structure, sense of self, consciousness, learning ability and spirituality. We will examine how common birth practices either enhance or deter the birth process and the effect on attachment. We will “rethink” birth from this biophysiologic perspective and examine core beliefs. Be ready to have an educational and enjoyable time with an open heart & mind.

The Science and Soul of Birth And the First Hour

Many women are choosing a more natural way of giving birth. Science and pre and perinatal psychology is catching up with our instinctive mothering.

Be prepared when women in your community request practices that reflect the new biology, epigenetics, energy medicine and learn keys to assist your clients to understand the importance of remaining in a calm bliss-filled environment during birth and immediately after. Skin to skin contact is more than bonding—it is a biological imperative which changes the psychology of the human being when it is not protected and promoted. Learn why.

Workshop Objectives

At the end of the workshops the participant will be able to:

  1. Explain how the brain processes repeated stress or trauma.
  2. Describe the ecstatic hormones and their impact on birth & bonding.
  3. Explain the four primitive birth reflexes expressed by the fetus.
  4. List four biological needs of the fetus & newborn and discuss which habitat is needed to activate the specific behaviors in each.
  5. Describe why it is the behavior of the baby that determines the behavior of the mother and not the other way around.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to center, ground, connect & expand energy.

Contact Hours

6 contact hours have been applied for through OMC. The course has had prior approval from midwifery associations in Florida and Canada. The certificates can be used by doulas and CBEs for DONA, CAPPA and other organizations.

This workshops is ideal for all mother baby professionals.

Experience why Barbara Harper is a renowned and sought after speaker, researcher, writer and clinician.

Barbara Harper’s personal mission is to change the way we welcome babies into the world. Barbara has been providing education, training programs, and consultations for parents and practitioners alike for the past three decades. She founded Waterbirth International in 1988 in order to make water birth an available option for all women. Her book and DVD, “Gentle Birth Choices” is required reading in doula and midwifery courses and has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Boca Raton, FL.

What people are saying about these workshops:

“This evidence based workshop was just what I needed to revive my CNM practice.”
Janice Taleff, CNM ~ Duke Maternal Fetal Medicine, NC

“Barbara is a charismatic and gifted teacher who has a wealth of knowledge, including tons of research….she does it all!”
Donna Walls, RN ~ L&D nurse, Dayton, Ohio

Registration

WHEN: Tue, June 12th, 2012
WHERE: The Portland MamaBaby Center [map]  

Waterbirth Childbirth WBACRegistration is available online through Barbara Harper’s webpage, Waterbirth.org or you can download the information and the registration form for the Portland Embracing the Miracle class here on Portland MamaBaby’s website.

Oh, and Mezza is just next door and the food is amazing, so don’t even worry about lunch, just plan to eat next door. The owner there is extra nice to us and they will be happy to have us there for lunch, I assure you! They have gluten free and vegetarian options, as well. There is also an excellent authentic Mexican restaurant just a few doors down the other direction, and you’re welcome to bring a bag lunch and stay at the center and eat and talk with each other, too!

…all I can say, after seeing how excited people are about this new class that Barbara is teaching in Portland at the MamaBaby Center is you better sign up early because space is limited and everyone I know is planning to go to this class (including our midwife, Tia Rich!)

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DIY Placenta Capsules: The Traditional Chinese Method

Apr 242012
 

placenta encapsulation portland oregonPlacenta encapsulation and tinctures are a service that we offer at the Portland MamaBaby Center. Our resident midwife has processed hundreds of placentas and has special equipment in her home and works under sanitary conditions to prepare your placenta for capsules. As a former nurse, she understands infection control and works diligently to ensure that your placenta is treated properly and your pills are medicine.

However, if you’re the DIY type and you choose to make your own placenta capsules, then here is a recipe I have used and and I’ve even included a few tips, too:

  1. Make sure you have the appropriate tools necessary. You’ll need a clean and sanitized kitchen to work in, a clean and sanitized kitchen sink, knife, food dehydrator, and ideally you’ll use a brand new spice grinder, because you probably don’t want your placenta pills to taste like your morning coffee or vice-versa.
  2. Make sure you and/or your partner(s) has the stomach for it. The placenta is bloody and will take quite some time to rinse and slice properly. It is an organ. You can smell the iron from the blood as you process it. This may not be something you’re up for. Also, think ahead – when you are postpartum and sore and just want to be taken care of, do you want to be standing in your kitchen processing your placenta into pills? This may be one of those times where it’s better not to DIY. It takes some time to do it right and you should be resting in your bed snuggling with your baby, not up cooking your placenta.
  3. Make sure you and/or your housemates can handle the smell. I’ll be the first to tell you that the smell of a dehydrating placenta is… the smell of a drying organ being fanned through your house by the dehydrator. You may want to even place it outside on the terrace, if you have one. You will also probably want to have a dedicated dehydrator – I don’t think my husband wants to make dried pineapple on the same dehydrator I used to dry out my placenta… but that’s just us…
  4. Buy an encapsulator if possible, and a couple of hundred ’00′ capsules (buy extra, you’ll probably have to practice a bit)
  5. Decide on the raw method or the traditional chinese method. The raw method is pretty straight forward, you don’t add any herbs or do anything special to the placenta – you clean it thoroughly, slice it, dehydrate it, pulverize it, and encapsulate it. The Traditional Chinese Method is the recipe I’ll share below. You’ll also need to buy a steamer for this recipe.

You’ll need:

  • a whole, fresh, placenta
  • 2 cups of fresh water (1 liter)
  • 2 fresh ginger slices
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 pinch of hot pepper
  1. To cook the placenta, wash the excess blood off and wrap the bloody side (maternal side) back inside the membranes. This rinsing process could and should take some time. Take care to do a good job.
  2. Place a steamer over water. Combine ginger, lemon, and hot pepper and add the placenta. Steam for 15 minutes over low heat. Turn placenta and steam 15 minutes more until no juice comes out when pricked with a fork. Expect the organ to shrink significantly as it is steamed.
  3. After steaming and cooling, slice the placenta into very thin strips using a very sharp knife. Thin strips are key for dehydrating your placenta! It should not take days and days.
  4. Place strips on the trays of the food dehydrator and allow it to dry completely until powdery and brittle. Some people will tell you that you can dehydrate your placenta in your oven on a cookie sheet on the lowest setting of your oven. That’s not how we do it, and it’s not how I think it should be done. We never do our placentas that way and we don’t recommend that you do either.
  5. Grind the strips into a very fine powder using a spice/coffee grinder and put into capsules. Do not use a mortar and pestle (in my opinion) because it will not crush up the pieces finely enough. Take 2 pills twice a day for the first week and then as needed. They should be stored in your freezer in an airtight container. You can also use the powder that you yield to make a few other DIY placenta remedies.

If you’d like to skip all this and just have your placenta pills delivered to you with some postpartum support, just contact us! We’re more than happy to pick up your placenta from you or your doula at the hospital or birthing center or at your home and return it to you within just a few days as a pretty jarful of pills.

Placenta encapsulation is one of those things that we genuinely believe in, support, and recommend to our clients, friends, family, and generally everyone we know. If this is the first you’re hearing about it, do a little research for yourself and see what all the placenta eating hubbub is about.

 Our Placenta Encapsulation and Tinctures Services Page

Thank you to Cornelia Enning for the recipe – if you are interested in placenta medicine, you should buy her book called Placenta: Gift of Life The Role of the Placenta in Different Cultures and how to Prepare and Use it as Medicine.

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Our First Monitrice-Doula Baby as the Portland MamaBaby Center

Apr 092012
 

Welcome Audrey!! 

My last client was also our first monitrice-doula baby since opening the Portland MamaBaby Center on March 1st, 2012. This sweet little girl decided to be born on her due date with that full head of thick black hair weighing 8 lb. 4 oz.

I am so lucky that I was there to witness Audrey’s birth. Her Mama labored so peacefully and calmly, really reaching inward and focusing internally on bringing her down and relaxing to make it easier for her to wriggle her way out. Her Papa physically held them up as Mama slow danced her way through many contractions. The nurse (Sarah) never once mentioned pain meds or epidurals and only provided positive, supportive affirmations, suggestions for position changes, and offering great advice. Her doctor sat on the floor and caught her as she was born into her own Mama’s loving arms and given a chance to transfer all of her blood from her placenta to her body before her cord was clamped and cut. She was allowed to snuggle right into her Mama’s chest where she remained until long after I left. And this doula was happy to keep her Mantra promise that, “Soon I’m going to be leaving you all cuddled up with your sweet baby girl to rest and sleep.”

After every birth, I try to reflect and learn and grow as a human and as a birth worker. The gift I was given from Audrey’s birth was a restored faith that women can and do labor and deliver their babies in hospitals without interventions and medications (just like I did almost 18 years ago!) It’s been a while since I’ve seen a natural hospital birth like this. Dr. Michelle Sang was the attending OB and she came in for the birth, despite being off call (that rarely happens, in my experience, with most obstetrics practices.) She was totally supportive of her client’s natural childbirth, reminding Mama not to fear the intensity and to trust in her body. She was so positive and I could tell that her presence and affirmations were really helping Mama to more effectively push through the intensity. I was also reminded by this birth just how important it is (lucky?) to have the right nurse, the right doula, and the right obstetrician (and ideally, the right partner) by your side if you are pursuing a natural childbirth

placenta pills portland mamababy center

I took this photo of Audrey on day 4 when I stopped in to do a little postpartum follow up visit and bring Mama her placenta pills. She looks like she was posed in that position for a perfect little newborn photo, but really she had just figured out how to get her tummy full and fallen asleep contentedly.

Is natural hospital childbirth something you’re planning? Laboring at home for as long as possible is undeniably the first rule of avoiding unnecessary interventions.

Monitrice-Doula care with a midwife is the best of both worlds. Labor at home with a midwife and have your baby at the hospital with your doctor. Give us a call (503) 206-7715 or email to arrange a consultation with our monitrice-doula team.

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What is a Midwife (Ina May Gaskin)

Apr 062012
 

A Midwife Is:

A trained professional who offers expert care, education, counseling, and support to a woman and her newborn during the childbearing cycle. The midwife works with each woman and her family to identify their unique physical, social and emotional needs. In addition, many midwives provide well-woman gynecological care and family planning services. Midwives know how to watch for and identify potential or actual complications, and they can provide emergency treatment until additional assistance is available.

Midwives offer:

  • Prenatal care that promotes informed decision-making
  • Choice of birth place
  • education and counseling
  • Labor support, birth and postpartum care
  • Support for bonding
  • Examination and evaluation of the newborn
  • Breastfeeding support
  • Counseling in early parenting
  • Well-woman care.

Midwifery Care: Midwives are experts on normal birth; obstetricians are experts on difficult or surgical births. The division of responsibility between two strong and respected professions creates the best conditions for optimal birth care. Midwifery care is cost effective; midwifery fees are typically less than fees for comparable services provided by physicians; midwifery care saves money without sacrificing quality or safety.

Midwives provide personalized care

Women want more than technological care during pregnancy and birth. Midwives encourage participation by family members and provide continuous support during labor and birth.

Midwives trust the birth process and affirm each individual woman’s ability to give birth.

Midwives encourage informed choice

Midwives encourage women and their families to take an active part in their own health care. Pregnancy is an ideal time to educate mothers about nutrition, healthful birth practices breastfeeding and infant care.

Midwifery care offers choice of birth place

Midwives practice in homes and birth centers. Midwives support the right of the parents to choose the birth place that best suits their needs.

Midwifery care makes a difference

Midwives worldwide have an excellent record of safety with numerous studies associating midwifery care with excellent outcomes. In five nations with the lowest infant mortality and lowest rates of technological intervention, midwives attend 70% of all births without a physician in the birth room.

Midwifery in the United States

Midwives are recognized throughout the world as the most appropriate maternity care provider for most women. Midwifery licensure and scope of practice in the United States is regulated by individual state laws. The following categories of professional midwives are recognized in the United States.

Direct-Entry Midwives “Direct-entry” midwives, who are licensed in some states, are not required to become nurses before training to be midwives. The Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council (MEAC) is currently accrediting direct-entry midwifery educational programs and apprenticeships in the United States. Direct-entry midwives’ legal status varies according to state, and they practice most often in birth centers and in homes. Currently in the state of Oregon licensure is optional, some midwives choose to become both certified and licensed and some chose to remain unlicensed.

Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) may gain their midwifery education through a variety of routes. They must have their midwifery skills and experience evaluated through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) certification process and pass the NARM Written Examination and Skills Assessment. The legal status of these nationally credentialed direct-entry midwives varies from state to state. In some of the states where they are also individually licensed, midwives’ services are reimbursable through Medicaid and private insurance carriers.

[Note: The Portland MamaBaby Center's Resident Midwife, Tia Rich, is a Certified Professional Midwife (above)]

Certified Nurse-Midwives Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are educated in both nursing and midwifery. After attending an educational program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives Certification Council (ACC), they must pass the ACC examination and can be licensed in the individual states in which they practice. CNMs practice most often in hospitals and birth centers.

————–

Source: “What is a Midwife” pamphlet shared with permission by Ina May Gaskin

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Considering Placenta Encapsulation ::and:: Hospital or Birthing Center Birth?

Mar 272012
 

Photo From Welcome Home Doula ServiceMany pregnant women I know who are considering placenta encapsulation or other placenta rituals are also planning a hospital birth. What you might not have considered is that you will need to do some logistical planning while you are still pregnant to get your placenta from the hospital to the person who is going to encapsulate your placenta while it is still fresh.

Have you thought about how you’re going to communicate your desire to keep your placenta with your provider and the hospital staff? Have you included this in your birth plan and made certain that your provider is on board with your decision? Having your doctor or nurse-midwife behind you is probably the single most important key to having your placenta released to you without any hassle. Have you planned for the storage and transfer of your placenta? Did you know that some hospitals have a ‘hold policy’ several days long that prevent them from releasing the placenta while it is still fresh? You will need to have a plan before you walk through the doors of the hospital in labor.

Chances of a positive childbirth experience in the hospital
improve greatly when you do your homework
and when you are confident in advocating for yourself.
This is especially true if you are planning to keep your placenta!

Your wishes are much more likely to be respected if they are well-documented clearly in your chart. Talk to your provider while you are at a prenatal visit, so that s/he can document your wishes in your chart. Your provider can also help you by communicating with the hospital staff and signing off on paperwork. S/he can also document your wishes for your baby’s placenta’s care clearly in your chart at the hospital.When you go into labor, be sure to talk to the nurse in charge of your care about your wishes for your placenta so that s/he can document your request in your chart, as well. If you are making a birth plan, make sure that you include a section about your expectations for the care of your baby’s placenta. A birth plan is your opportunity to ‘write’ in your own chart, since your birth plan becomes a part of your chart at the hospital.

You need to find out your hospital’s policy on releasing an organ (remember, this is a biophysical hazard in the medical model of care) and fill out any required paperwork in advance. Here in Portland, chances are that the labor and delivery nurses, doctors, and midwives have heard the request before. But even here in the PDX, you still need to be able to confidently advocate for yourself and your baby.

A sister doula who does encapsulation shared that in her experience, the Providence Hospital Systems are the least placenta-friendly hospitals when it comes to requests. Portland Providence is reported to be generally the hardest to negotiate with.They keep the placenta for 8 to 15 days (longer than anyone else). Their normal policy is to refrigerate them, but if you advocate to the care provider and the nurses (mostly the nurses) you can get them to put it in the freezer for the duration of the holding time.

Providence St. Vincent has recently changed their policy to allow for an immediate release. I’m not sure of the details yet, you should check with them directly if you are planning to have your baby there. Providence Milwaukie seems like the best of the local Providence hospitals. They have similar policies as far as length of holding, but I’ve been told that they put all of their placentas in larger tupperware-like containers and triple bag it.

Kaiser Sunnyside has a stated policy of keeping the placenta for 5-7 days, but they are reported to be very flexible when an OB is backing the request (midwives don’t seem to have the power to sign off on the required form). OHSU is very placenta-friendly. They have no policy of holding a placenta and allow a doula, placenta encapsulation specialist, or other family member take it after the birth. They will not let it come up to the recovery floor, so you have to ‘grab it off the counter’ before they move rooms. They have been reported to just wrap it in a trash bag, so if you are using your placenta for medicine, you should make sure to bring your own container. Legacy Good Samaritan doesn’t have explicit policies about holding or releasing the placenta, but they are reported to put up a fuss sometimes.

Not surprisingly, the most placenta-friendly providers in Portland are not hospitals at all. They are reported to be Alma Midwifery and Andaluz Birth Centers and also the Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic. Placenta encapsulation specialists report that they are great about respecting families’ wishes for their placentas and that they consistently have really nicely cared for, well-drained placentas.

I recommend that if you are requesting your placenta from the hospital, sharing less information with them about your plans for your placenta is better. Simply stating that you have religious or philosophical beliefs for your request should suffice. In fact, some placenta encapsulation specialists have reported that mentioning your plans, whether it be eating or burying your placenta, may actually cause the hospital staff to limit your access to your baby’s placenta. Portland Providence is reported to make the clients jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops if you mention that you are using the placenta for encapsulation. Just stick to “religious or philosophical reasons.”

If the hospital does not place a hold on the placenta, don’t let it out of your sight! Sign for it right away and keep it with you. Get a cooler filled with ice to store it until someone can come and pick it up for you. Hospitals are busy places and proper care and storage of your placenta so that you can have it encapsulated is probably not the staff’s priority. I’m not saying it should or shouldn’t be, I just think it’s a safe bet that a hospital could mistakenly send it out to be destroyed as a biohazard, send it to pathology, or even just render it useless by not storing it properly.

For placenta medicine, a fresh placenta is the required. It probably necessary to have your placenta frozen if it will be held by the hospital. I would take special care to ensure that the hospital has a good, sturdy, well-marked container to freeze my baby’s placenta just in case there is a hold placed. I would even offer to provide such a container at my own expense, if it were my birth. The bottom line is that you are going to have to really advocate for what you need and negotiate with the hospital to make sure that they are following your wishes with respect. Then you need to follow up. There are too many horror stories about people whose placentas were ‘accidentally’ destroyed by hospital staff before they could be picked up.

We would love to make your placenta pills for you. Tia does all of our placentas for us and we jump through hoops to pick up your placenta and deliver your pills back to you within the shortest amount of time possible because we really believe in the importance of the placenta medicine we’re making. We know and recognize that you ::need:: your pills back promptly, so we’re going to take professional care of your baby’s placenta, treat it with respect and work under sanitary conditions, and return professionally dehydrated, ground, and encapsulated pills to you to take with a ‘zero ick factor’.

If you’d like to arrange for us to take encapsulate your placenta and/or make a tincture for you, please contact
Kate [Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com]
or call me at the center (503) 206-7715
and I’ll help you through the process!

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6 Keys To Happy Postpartum Mamababy Visits

Jan 022012
 

This post isn’t intended for postpartum doulas, but really I wrote it for families, visitors, and well wishers who want to stop and snuggle you and your new baby. I’ve been making the rounds on postpartum friend visits lately and so I thought I’d share my little traditions with you:

I always check with the Mama first to see if there are any dietary restrictions. If there are none, I make up a batch of my “Pay it Forward Postpartum Pasta”. I buy a loaf of french bread and make half with garlic butter and half without – some breastfeeding babies are sensitive to garlic and sometimes there are siblings who might appreciate the bread without garlic. I usually throw in some drinks and some applesauce or fruit cups and call it a meal.

Then, I make a batch of sugar cookies and decorate them (because I love to bake and decorate cookies special for people!) I just recently added this to my postpartum visit tradition. Mamas are always happy to see pretty cookies and older brothers and sisters are always happy to eat them!!

Finally, remember that it is an honor to be invited into someone’s home to visit their newborn baby. We all know that we can help by doing up some dishes or taking out the trash while you’re there, but here are a my 6 magic keys to happy Mamababy visits:

1) Remember that the visit is all about them, not about you. Try to accommodate the Mama’s needs. If she wants a nap, then schedule your visit at a time when that will work. If she isn’t wanting a nap, offer to hold the baby so she can take a shower and brush her teeth. Maybe she doesn’t want a visitor at all – in which case the best gift you can give her is a quickly delivered meal, a hug, and leave without hurt feelings or resentment. What you shouldn’t do is offer to hold the baby so she can clean the house and wash the dishes – flip flop that idea: settle her in on the couch to snuggle her baby while you do the dishes and help clean the house a little.

2) Wash your hands when you arrive at the house, even if they are clean. It’s a sign of respect. Avoid hand sanitizers and other harsh chemicals. Not all Mamas want that stuff around their babies.

3) Ditch the scent. If you snuggle the baby, you don’t want a newborn’s face in your perfume. And to be honest, not everyone enjoys the same scents, so when you hand back a baby that smells like ‘old lady perfume’ you might anger Mamabear. Also be sure that you ditch the cigarette smell if you are a smoker. Nobody wants to hand their precious, brand new baby over to a guest only to have him or her come back smelling like an ashtray. Even if you don’t smoke around the baby, the baby will still end up smelling like smoke. Be considerate. It’s a small sacrifice to make to avoid that cigarette before going for a visit, but it’s going to mean a lot to the Mama and you’re more likely to enjoy your new relationship with her now that her primary job is protecting her baby, not respecting your right to smoke.

4) Pay some attention to older siblings. Acknowledge their new role as a big brother or a big sister. They are probably very proud and will likely share stories of their new baby with you if you give them a chance. If it’s in your budget to buy a big brother/big sister gift, then it’s a nice gesture. If it’s not in your budget to buy something, please consider making a card. Kids are easy to impress.

5) Offer to stop by the store on your way to visit and pick up things. Sometimes Mama just needs one thing that isn’t worth going out to the store, but you could easily stop by and grab it on your way. The last time I visited a Mama I swung by the market and grabbed some tea for her. It made her day! We all know it’s the small things that matter the most.

6) Listen. This is not the time for you to tell your two-hour birth story. Ask questions and listen intently without trying to interject or offer up your own opinions. Allow the Mama to process her birth experience with you, if she chooses to, without jumping in and sharing your own experiences. Just listen and love. Accept that no matter what, her birth story is hers alone. Her truth is the truth when it comes to listening to postpartum Mamas. Chances are, she has a lot to say and is looking forward to sharing it with people.

A postpartum doula visit is part of every basic package that we offer at the Portland MamaBaby Center. We also offer extra doula care and consultation time with postpartum families for an hourly fee. Please contact Kate for more information about our postpartum doula care.

 

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DIY Breast Milk Soap Recipe and Step-by-Step Directions

Jun 032011
 

breastmilk soapIf you have extra milk and you’re the crafty type, here is a recipe for making your own breast milk soap. I would also personally encourage you to consider donating extra milk to another Mama’s baby.

Breast milk Soap Recipe and Directions:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lye (NaOH)
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup cocoa butter
  • 1 cup breastmilk

Don’t use metal utensils or bowls, since it may react with lye.

  1. In a small bowl, add to lye to water. Do not add the water to the lye, add the lye to the water!
  2. Mix well to dissolve lye.
  3. Let sit until it reach 115°F (like a warm bath).
  4. Mix oil and cocoa butter.
  5. Heat until 115°F. You can microwave 60 seconds on HIGH.
  6. Add lye to the oil mix. Do not pour oil in the lye, pour the lye into the oil!
  7. Mix until it takes a silky look–about 10 minutes.
  8. Add breastmilk, stirring slowly. The color will change according the amount of fat in your milk, so each batch may have a different colour.
  9. Stir until the mix looks like instant pudding – between 45 minutes and 1 1/2 hours.
  10. Pour into moulds – You can use almost anything you want; muffin tin is good start. You may want to oil moulds, or cover them with saran wrap or wax paper to make unmoulding easier.
  11. Let sit for 3 days then unmould – some people freeze the soap to unmould it, but it should really be avoided. Let cure in a dry place for at least 4 weeks. The more your soap will cure, the more neutral it will be. You can taste it (I don’t mean eat it!) to see if it is neutral.
  12. This recipe will give you 24 oz (if you used a muffin tin then you’ll get 12 soaps.)

Lye can be purchased in some supermarkets or grocery stores but it is harder to find it today. You have to use pure lye to make soap. If you can’t find it in your area, you should be able to buy it online.

**Note: I have not personally made this soap – the recipe and instructions were shared with me by a DIY Mama. I have heard feedback from soapmakers who disagree with this process. Without personal knowledge of the soap making process, I encourage you to do your homework and research other methods and directions before you begin.**

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Interview Questions for Post Partum Doulas

Jun 012011
 

Let’s face it, being a new parent is really hard work!  We no longer live in a society where our sisters and mothers can drop everything to help us.  Nowadays, most people have to work and/or family does not live close enough to help.  Sometimes even with family and friends around, new parents just need a little professional help.  Postpartum doulas provide care for Mama and baby (or babies), newborn education and care (including overnight care), breastfeeding support and encouragement, and postpartum depression counseling.

Here are some interview questions I came up with for new parents interested in postpartum doula care:

  • Did you have any formal training? What qualifies you to work as a postpartum doula?
  • How many families have you served as a professional postpartum doula?
  • How do you see your role as a postpartum doula different from that of an infant nanny?
  • Do you support Moms who choose not to breastfeed (for any reason)?
  • What’s your experience with SNS, milk sharing, and alternative forms of breastfeeding babies?
  • Do you support families who have chosen circumcision for their sons?
  • What postpartum services do you provide?
  • Do you lead any parenting groups or new Mom groups?
  • What do you do to continue your education as a postpartum doula?
  • What is your fee structure? Do you offer extended packages? Prepaid rates?
  • What trainings have you attended specific to newborns or breastfeeding?
  • What is the next book in your reading list? What training will you take next?
  • What are some of your favorite parenting books and websites?
  • Do you have any special experience with NICU babies? Twins? Preemies?
  • When you say you give ‘breastfeeding support’ what does that mean exactly?
  • Do you do overnight care? What does that usually look like?
  • Do you do light housework?
  • Do you do placenta encapsulation?
  • Do you provide herbal therapies and home remedies?
  • How do you feel about attachment parenting?
  • Do you cook healthy meals for the family?
  • How do you help the entire family (do my husband and other children benefit?)
  • Can you show me a copy of your infant first aid and CPR card?
  • If I choose to do so, will you sign consent for a background check?

 If you’re looking for a postpartum doula, we can definitely help you out! Please give us a call at the center (503) 206-7715 or contact us through the website. If we don’t have a great postpartum doula available for you, we’ll refer you to our favorite sister doulas. 

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DIY Postpartum Herbal Healing Soaking Tea

May 122011
 

postpartum sitz bath herbal soaking tea at portland mamababy centerThis herbal bath “tea” mixture recipe was shared with me so long ago that I can’t remember who to credit. I am pretty sure that I got this recipe from my own midwife in Ohio back in 2005, but I’m sure it’s been around a lot longer than that and there are many midwives who have included this recipe in their home birth packets.

It should be prepared in a large non-aluminum pot, strained in a fine strainer, and put together in a large storage container. Make sure that the container is very clean and well-rinsed. You don’t want any residue. I would probably use two half gallon Mason jars if it were me.

The bath should be taken shortly after birth. (Alternatively, you can use muslin spice bags to contain the spices, but ultimately it does work better to let it all just flow in the water and use a very very fine strainer to get out the big stuff)

Use comfortably warm water, not hot, to fill the bath to waist level. Add the whole herbal bath “tea” mixture and enjoy a soothing, relaxing bath for a minimum of 30 minutes. This recipe makes one tub bath or several sitz baths. (Be sure to use the best quality organic herbs you can find, like the herbs at The Herb Shoppe in Portland, Oregon)

Ingredients for Postpartum Healing Soaking Tea:

  • 1 – large non-aluminum pot
  • 1 – blender
  • 1 – very fine strainer
  • 1 – large storage container
  • 1 – ounce dried UVA URSI (approx. ¾ cup)
  • 1 – ounce dried SHEPARD’S PURSE (approx. 1 cup)
  • 2 – ounces dried COMFREY (approx. 2 cups)
  • 1 – large bulb FRESH GARLIC, unpeeled
  • ¼ – cup SEA SALT
  • 4 – 6 quarts water plus 1 cup

Directions for Postpartum Healing Tea

  1. Put 4 – 6 quarts of water, Uva Ursi, Shepard’s Purse, and Comfrey in large non-aluminum pot.
  2. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and allow the simmered herbs to cool & brew for 30 minutes.
  4. While the simmered herbs cool, break up the unpeeled garlic bulb into individual cloves of garlic.
  5. Place the garlic cloves and one cup of water into the blender, pulse to blend.
  6. Once the simmered herbs have cooled for 30 minutes, thoroughly strain the simmered herb blend.
  7. Next, thoroughly strain the blended garlic & add to the strained herb blend.
  8. Lastly, add the sea salt & mix together.
  9. Pour into the large storage container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Alternatively, you could just stop by the center [map] and buy our prepackaged postpartum herbs made by Radiant Belly. We sell them in $5.00 packs and to make it easy to brew up several batches for different purposes – just brew with some sea salt.

You can also make some peri tea pads, but there is a method to this to make them well – otherwise you end up with tea soaked brick pads, and that’s not comfy on a sore vagina.Here is a file we give in our client education and information package at our second postpartum visit called Portland MamaBaby Postpartum Tea Uses and Instructions. We typically give our clients a few complimentary packages of postpartum herbal soaking tea along with these instructions as a standard part of our doula package. at the second prenatal visit to give our Mamas plenty of time to make the tea and make peri-pads.

Good Karma Note: The links for the non-aluminum pot, the jars, and the very fine strainer are affiliate links. That means if you buy them, the Portland MamaBaby Center will make a small amount of money from your purchase. Any funds that we receive from affiliate sales on Amazon.com fund the MamaBaby Clinic, so I hope you can make your purchase in good conscience, knowing that you are helping other women who could otherwise not afford midwifery care to access prenatal services and counseling.

To schedule a doula consult, please email me:
Kate at PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com
or call me at the center:
503-206-7715

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3 Placenta Powder Medicine Recipes for DIY Moms

Apr 172011
 

If you have had your placenta encapsulated, you can always take the pills in the standard fashion (orally with a big gulp and a glass of water), but did you know that you can also open up the pills and use the placenta powder within the capsules to make other remedies. Here are some other ideas:

Make your own placenta buttpaste (diaper rash cream):

  • 1/2 oz. emulsifier (ghee, lecithin, or coconut emulsifier)
  • 1 oz. almond oil
  • 1/3 oz. placenta powder
  • 1/3 oz. shea butter
  • 1 oz. water

Heat the emulsifier, almond oil, and shea butter to a maximum of 130º F. Add the placenta powder and stir until granules are dissolved. Let the mixture cool. Heat water to 160º F  in another pan. Reheat the mixture of oil and butter to 160º, as well. Gradually add the hot water to the mixture while stirring briskly. Allow to cool at room temperature. Drain or mix in any water separating from the mixture.

Lactation Drink:

  • 1 generous pinch placenta powder
  • 1 glass of warmish dark beer

Sprinkle placenta powder into the beer and allow to foam. To keep the foam from spilling, the glass should be twice as tall as the liquid content. Drink in little sips and the production of milk will be stimulated within 20 minutes.

Nursing Oil (Placentolact):

First you will have to make a placenta emulsion. You will need

  • 1/3 oz emulsifier (ghee is a good one for this)
  • 1 oz distilled water
  • 1/2 tsp of placenta powder
  • 1/3 cup apricot seed oil
  • 1 drop geranium essential oil

Dissolve the emulsifier in distilled water at 120 º F. Add placenta powder as soon as the solution has turned into a paste. Simmer at the same temperature while stirring swiftly, until the powder has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and let soak. Cool at room temperature while beating it well with a whisk. Once it has cooked, add the apricot seed oil and the geranium essential oil to 2/3 oz of the emulsion. Let it cool to a comfortable temperature and then apply to the breast and the lymphatic ducts after each feeding, avoiding the nipples. Use only once a day if milk supply is good.

[Source: Placenta: The Gift of Life by Cornelia Enning]

 

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PDX: Why Portland, Oregon Is The Best City To Have A Baby

Apr 062011
 

Portland, Oregon, is the #1 city to have a baby*:

word cloud map of the state of oregon portland

I love Portland. It is truly the single best place in the United States to work as an advocate for Mamas and Babies. We’re not without fault, our cesarean rate is still high and consistent with the national average. We could be doing better, but I think the fact that so many women and men in Portland are actively working to improve our maternal health system and protect our right to birth where we want and with the provider we choose is ultimately our greatest strength. Portland women, especially, seem to agree that women have the right to birth in a way that even they themselves may not themselves choose. The right of other women to VBAC or birth at home with or without a midwife if they choose to seems to be something that most women who I come into contact with agree should be the individual woman’s right, not the government’s decision to impose upon them.

  • According to data from the CDC, infant and maternal mortality in Oregon is especially low.
  • Portland babies are 24% less likely than average to be born with low birth weight.
  • Babies here are 21% less likely than average to be born prematurely.
  • 88% of Portland mothers attempt breastfeeding. That’s the 3rd highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 75%.
  • By six months of age, 56% of Portland babies are still being breastfed. That’s the 6th highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 43%.
  • 19.% of Portland mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it the 2nd highest scoring city in this category. The average for cities in our survey is 12%.
  • Once Portland mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 14% more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That’s the 8th highest level of follow-through of any city in our report.
  • Oregon has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.
  • 14.3% of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3%.
  • Portland has one doula for every 146 live births, the 4th highest ratio in our survey. The national average is one doula per 649 live births.
  • Portland has 116 midwives for every 1,000 births, the highest in our survey. The national average is 37 midwives for every 1,000 births.
  • Portland has 61 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 2nd highest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.
  • Portland has plenty of high-risk pediatricians, 69% more than average per capita and the 9th highest in our survey.
  • Portland has more OB-GYNs than average, the 5th highest in our survey.

*According to a 2008 study conducted by FitPregnancy.com

As a birth worker, I appreciate my sister doulas, the birth support network, and the network of midwives that I have available to guide me. As a Mama, I appreciate knowing that even if my family is ‘weird’ that there are other families just as ‘weird’ as ours is and I can find a playmate for Little. As a women I am grateful for the activists who work to preserve my daughters’ birthing options. After our 7 year adventure around the United States, I can say that there is no better place to have a baby and raise a family than in Portland, Oregon.

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