This week, I attended my first meeting with the Pikes Peak Regional Doula Association, and will be an official member after next month’s business meeting. I also just signed on with the local Birth Network chapter, and will have a listing in their 2010 resource guide for Colorado Springs.

I am really excited about joining PPRDA! I’ve met several of the doulas, and hope to join the mentoring program, so I can learn from all of the wise women who belong to this organization. I’m also incredibly thrilled about the opportunities for Continuing Education Units (CEU’s), since I’ll need to obtain at least 15 in the next three years to maintain my labor doula certification.

The reality of all of this is finally hitting me. Pretty soon, I hope to be attending at least two births a month, and teaching independent childbirth courses. I especially can’t wait for the opportunity to teach at the local pregnancy center. After all, this is one of the top three reasons I have for becoming a doula in the first place.

In the meantime, I have an over-abundant number of links I want to share with you, but I decided to limit it to five tonight.

• Colorado Springs Cesarean Rates ~ Examiner.com
• When Research is Flawed: Management of Post-term Pregnancy ~ Lamaze International
• Understanding Research Series ~ Science & Sensibility
• What SUV’s Can Teach Us About Maternity Care ~ Science & Sensibility
• Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference ~ Preparing for Birth

…according to this sign posted at an OB clinic in Utah.

Too bad they don’t know the truth:

“”Continuous support during labour should be the norm, rather than the exception. All women should be allowed and encouraged to have support people with them continuously during labour. In general, continuous support from a caregiver during labour appears to confer the greatest benefits when the provider is not an employee of the institution, when epidural analgesia is not routinely used, and when support begins in early labour.”
(Hodnett and colleagues 2004).” ~Childbirth Connection

Also from that same site:

This largest and most recent systematic found that when compared to women who did not receive continuous support, those who received continuous support were:

• less likely to have an epidural or other “regional” analgesia
• less likely to use any type of pain medication (including narcotics)
• less likely to give birth by cesarean section
• less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
• less likely to be dissatisfied with or give a negative rating to their childbirth experience (Hodnett and colleagues 2004).

And:
Several reviews have found that the type of person providing the care appears to make a difference. Labor support provided by caregivers who come to the labor setting expressly to provide this care appears to offer women more benefits than labor support provided by nurses or other clinical caregivers from that setting (Hodnett and colleagues 2004, Simkin and O’Hara 2002, Scott and colleagues 1999).

In the most recent and largest review, when compared to women who did not receive continuous support, those who received continuous labor support from someone present just for this purpose were

• 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
• 41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
• 28% less likely to use any pain medications and
• 33% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience (Hodnett and colleagues 2004).

The reviews identified several other factors that seem to make a difference. Benefits of continuous labor support appear to be greater when women receive it

• beginning earlier rather later in labor (Hodnett and colleagues 2004, Simkin and O’Hara 2002)
• in settings that do not allow them to bring companions of choice (versus settings that do allow husbands, friends, etc.) (Hodnett and colleagues 2004, Simkin and O’Hara 2002)
• in settings where epidural analgesia is not routine (versus settings where epidural is routine) (Hodnett and colleagues 2004).

These patterns suggest that the more labor support a woman receives and the better its quality, the greater is its favorable impact. Because of this, women who work with a trained doula in usual (non-study) conditions may experience even greater benefits than the studies show. [emphasis mine]

Usual conditions include choosing a compatible labor companion, meeting with her during pregnancy to develop a relationship and discuss preferences and concerns, working together continuously from early labor onward, and – in many cases – having face-to-face and/or phone contact after the birth.

Not to mention the old faithful Klaus, Kennel, and Klaus statistics from 1993:

• 50% Reduction in the cesarean rate.
• 25% Shorter labor.
• 60% Reduction in epidural requests.
• 40% Reduction in analgesia use.
• 40% Reduction in forceps delivery.
• Improved breastfeeding.
• Decreased post-partum depression
• Greater maternal satisfaction.
• Enhanced mother/baby bonding.

So. Exactly how is having a doula at a birth dangerous? I think the burden of proof rests on the OB.

I am officially a CAPPA Certified Labor Doula, and can use the initials “CLD” after my name! Don’t believe me? Here’s a quote from my congratulatory email I received from Val Staples, a CAPPA Executive Assistant:

Dear Tiffany,
Congratulations! You have completed the CAPPA Labor Doula Certification Program, and are a certified labor doula. You can now use the initials CLD after your name.

Woohoo!!!

On with the links for this weekend. They are many! Enjoy!

Breastfeeding & Infants

• LAM – the Lactational Amenorrhea Method of Birth Control ~ World Alliance for Breastfeeding
• Children should ’sleep with parents until they’re five’ ~ Times Online
  Note: This article is very opinionated, and I am posting mainly for the facts she presents. I do NOT believe it is “right or wrong” to co-sleep, or not to co-sleep. I DO believe it is right to have all information before you decide.
• For baby, a breast-milk cappuccino: Morning feed gives infants a natural pick-me-up ~ MailOnline
• New Study: Hepatitis B Vaccine Triples the Risk of Autism in Infant Boys ~ David Kirby at The Huffington Post

Interventions & C-Sections

• Labor Induction Myths ~ Preparing for Birth
• 35+ and Pregnant ~ Preparing for Birth
• What to Expect When You Go to the Hospital for a Natural Childbirth ~ Guest author Molly Remer, MSW, ICCE at The Unnecesarean
• The Benefit of Hindsight ~ Guest author and midwife Amy Romano at The Unnecesarean
• Worries grow with C-section rate ~ Times Colonist
• The Effect of Physician Factors on the Cesarean Section Decision ~ JSTOR

Homebirth & Midwifery

• Checking Your Own Cervix ~ Preparing for Labor
  This is waaaay cool!
• Movie Trailer: Guerilla Midwife
  This looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to see it!
• The beatnik turned natural birth expert ~ The Guardian (UK)
  Tells the story of the mother of modern midwifery, Ina May Gaskin.
• Duggar Family Welcomes First Grandchild ~ People

Try to guess the weight of the baby before they announce it at the end. You will be amazed!

• Labor-Induction Myths ~Prep for Birth
• 35+ and Pregnant ~Prep for Birth
• Are we asking the wrong people to comply with the International Code of Marketing Breast-milk Substitutes? ~PhD in Parenting
• Can’t say you weren’t warned: Malpractice Insurance for Midwives ~Authentic Midwifery Education from AAMI

Disclaimer: The views expressed in anything I link to, while I may agree with the position, I am not always in line with the words and tone chosen to express the position. So, if you read something you disagree with – don’t slam me. Be open to new information. Thank you.

I will never forget September 11th, 2001. Ever.

It is forever etched in my memory as though it happened just yesterday. We were stationed in Washington D.C. My husband was in the Air Force Honor Guard. I was a few doors down from our house, babysitting an infant whose father worked at the Pentagon, and whose mother was in the the Navy. He liked to be rocked to sleep, and while I rocked him, I had the TV on CNN, muted. Thankfully, the baby’s father was not in the section affected by the hit.

As it dawned on me that the New York skyline was burning, my first thought was “Why would they play action movie clips on CNN?” I laid the baby down in his crib, and turned the sound on. I watched the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower, and tears began to stream down my face.

It wasn’t long after when I felt a shudder run through the ground. My husband, who had come home to change clothes between jobs, ran over to wear I was, and together, we saw smoke rising from across the river. We didn’t know what had been hit for a few more minutes, but not long after we found out it was the Pentagon, Levi was called back into work to be on call for patrols along the Potomac and on top of the dorm building.

Of course, both our families back home were very concerned for our safety, even though they knew Levi didn’t work at the Pentagon, and it took several more hours before we could call home and reassure our parents that we were well.

I will never forget the weeping, the horror-stricken faces, the mute agony etched in new lines on countenances blackened by ashes. I will never forget the jumpers in the Twin Towers. I will never forget watching the collapse of both buildings, and sobbing at the thought of the thousands of people just…gone. I will never forget the grief that broke the collective heart of our country, and moved us to action. I will never forget the men and women lining up to enlist in the services, desiring to be a part of whatever our country would do in response. I will never forget the American flags draped out of every window, and from every wall. I will never forget seeing my representatives singing “God Bless America” on the steps of the Capitol building at the top of their lungs.

I will never forget those who still have scars – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual – because they lost someone, or gave of themselves to help.

I will never forget to thank the heroes of that day.

I will never forget the God who stretched out his hands and loved our nation 2000 years ago, and to whom we turned for answers in the days following 9/11. May we always turn to him, and be comforted.

I doubt I’ll be able to post much of anything with my Grammers & Papo here for a surprise visit. Totally awesome.

So, to keep you entertained, I decided to post this little meme I found over at Rocks In My Dryer. It’s a neat little meme all about labor. The kind where nine or so months of your life culminate in your falling in love with someone you have never met, and has done nothing but sit on your bladder and punch you in the ribs for the last half of those nine(ish) months.

Enjoy! And participate! Even if you don’t have a blog…post your answers in a comment.

How long were your labors?

How did you know you were in labor?

Where did you birth?

Drugs?

Not for pain. I used water, movement, massage, counter pressure, rice socks, music, and a lot of vocalizing. Levi said I sound like a cow. With Turbo, since my labor was so long, I was at a higher risk of hemorrhage, so my CNM gave me an injection of Pitocin in my thigh to ward that off just after I birthed the placenta.

C-section?

I am so grateful that there was never an instant of concern over the safety of either my babies or myself to indicate the need for one, though I am so glad it would have been available if I or my babies had needed it.

Who caught?

We had a wonderful CNM for the first two births when we were stationed in D.C., and she helped Levi catch each of them. For the last two, I had THE BEST Registered Midwife anyone could ask for, and Levi was also in on the whole catching thing. Awesome!

If you want to play along with this meme, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and leave a comment so we can find you! Or, if you don’t have a blog, just leave yours in a comment here, so I can read it!

Thanks so much!

]]> http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/in-honor-of-labor-day/feed/ 0 faerylandmom http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/announcing/ http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/announcing/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:43:07 +0000 faerylandmom http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/announcing/ ]]>

The new Parent Pages at CAPPA!!!

Are you expecting? This page is a great place to start, if you’re looking for evidence-based information, tips, and facts. Check it out!

]]> http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/announcing/feed/ 0 faerylandmom http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/ton-o-linkage/ http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/ton-o-linkage/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:52:36 +0000 faerylandmom http://birthinjoy.wordpress.com/?p=398 ]]>

Wow…I have sadly neglected this birth blog o’ mine, considering the large amount of links I collect to post here “sometime soon”. Get ready. There are a lot of links to make up for!

All Things Doula:

• A Doula: The MUST HAVE for Expecting Parents ~ Lunch.com
• Life as a Doula – Being on Call AKA JICIAAAB ~ Enjoy Birth

Breastfeeding & Newborns:

• Breastfeeding Protects Against Swine Flu ~ EmpowHer
• Common Sense Breastfeeding
• Skin-to-Skin Contact is Analgesic in Healthy Newborns ~ AAP
• Circumcision Hampers Breastfeeding ~ Gentle Birth
• What Parents Need to Know (or not) About Breastfeeding ~ Babygooroo
• It’s Time for More Moms to Breastfeed, US Officials Say ~ Yahoo News
• Breastfeed to Protect Newborn’s Fragile Intestines ~ Examiner

Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum:

• Is the Cord Around the Baby’s Neck Really Dangerous? ~ Associated Content
• The Importance of Baby’s Position During Labor ~ Associated Content
• The First Hour Following Birth: Don’t Wake the Mother! ~ Midwifery Today
• Cascade of Interventions (diagram) ~ Birth International
• Fish Can’t See Water ~ Birth International
• A Footling Breech Birth ~ Birthing Way
• Normalizing Birth: A free film ~ Reduce Infant Mortality

Homebirth & Midwifery:

• For some, life begins at home ~ Journal Gazette
• 35 Reasons to Choose a Home Birth ~ Care2

Cesarean & VBAC Information:

• Cesarean link to surge in hysterectomies ~ Times Online
• A VBAC Supportive OB’s Response to the AMA’s Statement on Home Birth ~ VBAC Facts

What!?

• Miscarriage of Justice ~ United Progressive Alumni
• Pit to Distress: A Disturbing Reality ~ Nursing Birth
• Parents’ “Last Good Bye Saved Their Baby’s Life ~ Growing Your Baby

Miscellaneous:

• The Women’s Crusade ~ The NY Times

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