Here's something important to remember, for labor and for life.
I recently had an opportunity to tour Atlanta Birth Center.Check out this beautiful space for birthing women. Does it make you want to have a baby here?   One of the birth suites at Atlanta Birth Center Expectant moms in Atlanta finally have the option of choosing to give birth in an independent, free-standing birth center. The midwives of Atlanta Birth Center will be delivering babies in the center beginning this month. With close proximity to area hospitals, the birth center is a great place for moms who want the high touch care of home birth in a setting that allows for rapid transfer in case of emergency. The birth center is currently staffed by three full-time midwives, who will receive additional assistance at births from several area nurses and midwives. Every birth center birth will have at least two medically trained care providers present to handle whatever needs might arise for mother and baby. Birth center care is geared toward mothers who want high levels of support, and low levels of intervention. The midwives are prepared with medical equipment to support unexpected emergencies (such as postpartum hemorrhage), however, should a mother require pain medication, including epidural, higher levels of medically managed care, or cesarean delivery, a transfer to the hospital would be done. Transfers will go to Atlanta Medical Center (a 5 minute drive, 10 in traffic), and urgent transfers to Emory University Hospital Midtown, which is directly across the street from the birth center. Most low risk mothers will be able to use the birth center, however, there are a few conditions that cannot be handled at the birth center, including pre-existing or ongoing hypertension, pre-existing diabetes, and twins. There may be other high risk complications that are not appropriate for birth center delivery. At this time, the birth center is not an options for mothers seeking a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). Atlanta Birth Center is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta at 1 Baltimore Place, Atlanta GA. Take the photo tour of Atlanta Birth Center here. To find out more, visit their site: Atlanta Birth Center.  Something about expecting a baby makes us mamas want to nest. Maybe getting our home turf prepared makes us feel like we’ll be prepared for what’s coming. And while decorating the nursery is fun and regarded by many as a rite of passage, freshening the paint and choosing a crib set won’t truly help you get ready for what lies ahead.
There’s some other practical things you can do with that pregnancy energy that can make your babymoon easier. One of those things is getting a nursing station (or two or three) set up and stocked before your baby arrives. If you are planning to breastfeed, good for you! You are giving your baby the best nutritional start possible. For you first time moms out there, I’m going to let you in on something. For the first four to six weeks of your baby’s life you will probably feel like you spend all your time feeding your baby. Having a comfortable breastfeeding station can be a lifesaver. You should create at least two nursing stations, one for sleeping, and one for daytime feedings. If you have a large house, you may want multiple daytime nursing stations. Three things to know about nursing:
Make your nursing station:
A night time breastfeeding station should have all the same items as a daytime station, but be designed for maximum rest. It is optimally a place you can either lay down to nurse (propped up on your side with pillows behind your back) or recline with pillows under both arms so you can doze while your baby is feeding. Make sure your baby has a place to sleep close by, either in the bed with you or something right next to the bed. Then add these night time necessities:
 This book is especially for those mamas who find themselves in the joyful (and frightening) position of hearing the news--two little bodies, two heartbeats, or perhaps even more than two! Expecting twins, (or triplets, quadruplets and more, called supertwins), means that your pregnancy will almost certainly look different than mothers expecting only one baby.
When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads does an excellent job of covering both the challenges of multiple pregnancy, as well as ways in which pregnancy will probably be different for mothers who find themselves expecting more than one baby. It is a perfect blend of factual information with encouraging stories from mothers who have been there. The information in this book talks about what you as the mother can do to reduce risks for yourself and your babies. It covers weight gain in detail, both how much to gain for optimal health of your babies, as well as practical suggestions for gaining that weight. It also covers possible pregnancy complications, including what symptoms to look out for. The author also discusses what your options are for multiple birth, going through specifics of what factors determine whether you will be able to try for a vaginal birth or whether you will need a c-section to deliver your babies. One of my favorite parts of the book talks about how to manage caring for two or more babies. The authors give many concrete suggestions for dealing with the overwhelming task of caring for multiple newborns, especially details on feeding, whether breastfeeding, bottlefeeding or both. I found this book to be empowering--acknowledging that growing two or more healthy babies is a big challenge, but presenting concrete information for how to handle those challenges in a way that I never found patronizing. When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads is a book I would recommend to any pregnant mother of multiples. |
AuthorDoula, mother, crunchy minimalist, Christ follower. Archives
November 2020
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