Empowering Birth Blog

Some Babies are Just Big

Two weeks ago my friend birthed her son, lying on her side, 5 days past her estimated due date.  Her baby was 10 pounds 4 ounces.  Now we know mom's apparent "size" doesn't matter, the size that counts is the pelvic inlet and outlet.  My friend should be the poster child for moms who are nervous about big babies because the reality is that too many women with "small hips" worry about big babies.  When not pregnant my friend wears a size 2 and is 118 pounds (she is quite tall, about 5'8).  She has the kind of hips doctors might like to fret about, but we know better.  Immediately after the birth my friend noted, "it wasn't that bad at all."

Now what do you think would have happened if this mom had been told repeatedly before the birth that her baby would be AT LEAST 10 POUNDS!!!!!!! and that she should be concerned about shoulder dystocia....

The Breast Crawl

I heard about the breast crawl at my trip to The Farm last fall but couldn't download the video from breastcrawl.org.  So you can imagine my happiness when I found that the blog Descent Into Motherhood was able to download the video and had placed it on their blog!  Please check out this video and share it with friends.

I think breast-feeding advocates can sometimes be a bit too proactive about initiating breastfeeding.  As a doula, I have felt I must at least attempt to help mom nurse right away because baby is often whisked away for an undetermined amount of time and when returned, has often lost the alertness that a baby has immediately after birth.  The video notes that most babies will master the breastcrawl in 30-60 minutes.  Unfortunately many babies are lucky to get 30 minutes of skin to skin time directly after birth and may get less then that.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could put babies right between mom's breasts and hold off on weighing baby etc. until after he/she has initiated breastfeeding, even if that means waiting an hour or more?  Instead of taking the initiative to facilitate a good latch, what if we could let baby find the way by him/her self and step in only if there are problems.

Not Everyone Can Breastfeed

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile.  Writing it is a reminder to be careful about the language I choose, especially when I am passionate about the subject.  By implying in my conversation that breast is best, I have not always been sensitive to moms who are unable to nurse.  I used to teach a mommy and me yoga class and at the end of the class, would encourage women to feel free to nurse their babies during sivasana.  The well-meaning intent was to encourage new moms, nervous about nursing in public, to feel free to nurse in my class. Little did I know that a mom in my class had hypoplastic breasts. "Feel free to feed your child" might have been more inclusive, she noted in a thoughtful email.

Her story...

I had a non-medicated birth of my 9lb, 8 oz lovely at a birthing center and had long planned to nurse my baby.  When he was not pooping at all, lost two pounds, when I pumped and got a half of a drop, I went to several lactation specialists.  On day six of my son's life, I learned the word HYPOPLASIA and that was what I was....unable to produce milk....  For me, nursing was not hard, it was biologically impossible.  This revelation was pretty devastating to this new mom, for sure.  My husband and I opted to use a SNS (supplemental nursing system) - that's right, I had to tape a tube to my breast, fill a container with "artificial milk" - the horror - and feed Sam through those tubes while he latched to my breast.  It was cumbersome and humiliating yet this system bought me time to get a milk supply....or not.  After pumping on the hour, taking at least four herbs, drinking water....my supply was still non-existent.   So, then I got drugs from Canada -  domperidone.  Well, my supply went from three drops up to 5 cc's (no kidding...).  After hundreds of dollars that we could not afford, we still worked with a lactation consultant and continued to pray that my milk ducts would kick out what my son needed.  Then when he was seven weeks old, my mom died.  So, here I am now in NY with this SNS and my replacement meds are stuck at the Canadian border and oh, I have to plan a funeral, greet literally 100's of mourners and then bury my mom.  The supplemental nursing system and thus breastfeeding, my husband and I decided, was not meant to be.  This decision was not the one I would have wanted but seeing my son healthy and having to tend to other needs was my new reality.

While most women are able to nurse their children, approximately 2-5% of the population is unable to breastfeed.  If you have a condition known as hypoplastic or under-developed breasts, you may find breastfeeding very challenging or may not be able to breastfeed.

Fellow breast-feeding mom Moxie provides some good information about Hypoplasia.  Moxie also refers readers to another site that has pictures of hypoplastic breasts and additional information. Please help spread the word.  As my fellow mom noted in her email, many women don't know they have hypoplasia until it is too late.  If you find out before you are pregnant or during pregnancy, you can take steps to help the situation before the baby is born.  And many thanks to the mom in my yoga class who taught me about hypoplasia and reminded me to choose my words with care.

What does a midwife bring to a home birth?

At a dinner party the other night my friend, who recently had her second birth center birth, exclaimed, "Kat, when talking about home birth, you have to clarify that midwives bring the tools available to them at birth centers to a home birth."  Apparently my friend thought that midwives brought little besides their hands to a home birth.  Talking to my mother-in-law last night, it seems she had the same impression as well until a recent conversation clarified things.  I suppose I am so immersed in the midwifery birth world that I forget that what I sometimes view as common knowledge certainly isn't common in our corner of the world.  So here is a picture of some of the equipment a midwife might bring to your house.  As midwife Ronnie Falcao notes in her captions, oxygen tanks are also brought into the house as well.

Don't get me wrong, a midwives hands are VERY important, but she brings a variety of tools to a birth that help her handle emergency situations should the need arise.

Great Free Birth Story!

Check out this beautiful birth story, http://harrietsfreebirth.blogspot.com/.  Birth ain't easy, but it is SO worth it.

Partners and Birth

So I read the entry written by Tina Cassidy's husband on her blog and  have been thinking about the impact of partners on the choice of birth place.  Matt would have written the opening sentence the same way, "I guess you can call me a home-birth husband" (emphasis mine).   Matt is by no means as passionate about the benefits of home birth as I am.  He acknowledges, after a thorough analysis of the issue, that given the state of birth in the U.S., it does seem to be the safer choice for many women.  Not all partners are able to make the journey from home birth skeptic to home-birth husband/partner, which means mom might end up going along with their partner's wishes, silencing the tiny voice in their heart that hoped for a better birth.

I fear that too many partners have trouble making the leap to home or birth center birth.  I frequently hear women mention they would love to have a doula, switch to a midwife, switch to a birth center, switch to a home birth, but lament that their husband doesn't support their decision.  I didn't switch to a home birth for my VBAC until I was about 7 months pregnant because when I first broached the subject Matt said, in effect, NO WAY.  Should a partner have an equal vote in choosing birth place?  In my first and second pregnancies I was quick to reply yes.  With this baby I would have to say, in my opinion, no.  I think that a decision whose full impact is on the mom/baby should, in the end, be made by the mom.  I think the reason I was quick to give Matt an equal share in the decision-making process is that when I agreed to a hospital birth, I didn't really know what I was missing.  The easier recovery process, the new-found faith in my body and my ability to mother, the ecstasy of birth, these things were not yet a part of my reality. 

I love the fact that Tina's husband learned to buy in 100% and that he shared his story on Tina's blog.  I hope partners hear his message and put a similar trust in their partner and their quest for a better birth. I am very thankful that Matt found the way to home birth and appreciate his willingness to share his story with local dads.  If he had never come around to the idea, there is a very good chance I would never have had a VBAC and as a result I would not be pregnant with this beautiful baby that I am now carrying.

Author of "Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born" has VBAC at Home!

It took a comment from my last post to remind me to check on Tina Cassidy's blog.  I am sure this is old news to everyone but she had her VBAC at home in January!  Check out her blog to read the story.  Congrats Tina!

And while we are on the subject of VBACs, Amy at Hospital to Home had hers too!

Seven Months Pregnant!

With two little ones to run around after, time flies!  I am quickly approaching my estimated due date.  We are also planning a move which means little time for blogging.  I've been putting together a CD of my favorite gospel songs for the birth (I LOVE Itunes!) and finishing up the last prenatal yoga class that I will be teaching before the baby is born.  I continue to attend prenatal visits with my midwife and am becoming quite confident in my blood pressure taking and fetal heart rate counting skills.  Palpating baby is becoming easier as well though it is quite an art.  I am happy to report my baby is head down.  I palpated the head on my own belly and had my midwife confirm that I was indeed feeling a head.
I promise to blog more when things slow down but with the upcoming move things are bound to be crazy.  We will move shortly after the baby is born.  Once again I am giving birth in a house and then moving.  The first time was tough, this time I am better able to see it as a gift that I am giving this house and the family that will buy this house from us.  So much love is added to a house as a baby is born....