Birth is a mother’s moment to shine. No one should take that away from you. You are the hero of the story. It’s not about whether you take an epidural or give birth without medication. It’s about how you have loved this baby and grown this baby to the point of being ready to enter the world. Birth is the culmination--and it is the mother who delivers. Birth is the beginning--and it is your arms that will welcome your child. You deserve to be celebrated because you are amazing.
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These days, many pregnant women have at least heard of doulas, perhaps because a friend used one or because they have read about doulas on the internet or in a book. More people now understand what a doula does (provide physical, emotional and informational support during pregnancy, labor and birth), although my husband’s grandma still thinks I deliver babies. (The discussion usually goes like this: “Grandma, I don’t deliver babies, I provide support to the mama as she is delivering her baby.”)
Unfortunately, it is still very difficult to be reimbursed by your health insurance company for doula care, although some people have been able to negotiate with their insurance to cover at least some of the cost. This leaves most expecting parents paying for their doula out of their own pocket, at a time when there are many other extra expenses, both for medical care and baby gear. It’s easy to decide that doula care would be nice, but it’s simply a luxury you can’t afford. Even if your budget is tight, there are some really excellent reasons to consider prioritizing hiring a doula, including the three listed here. 1) You will remember your birth forever. For most women, the birth of their children will be the single most remembered event of their entire life. They will spend more time telling their birth story than any other story from their past. My mother and grandmother still recount details surrounding the birth of their children. Because of the long-lasting impact of these memories, it’s worth investing in creating a good memory before and during your birth. Women who use doulas tend to have more positive memories of their birth, even if they faced unexpected challenges, both because of the emotional support doulas provide, as well as the opportunity to know their options and fully participate in decision making. 2) Doulas reduce your chances of having medical interventions during your birth, including surgery. Several studies have been done showing that doulas reduce the usage of all kinds of medical intervention during birth, including epidural use, pitocin use and cesarean surgery. Avoiding these interventions when possible reduces both potential health complications for mother and baby and health care expenses. As labor is happening, a doula can help you ask your care provider questions to identify necessary--and unnecessary--interventions. She also helps you do things including movement and position changes that facilitate labor progress, reducing your chances of “failure to progress,” which can lead to many interventions. Emotional support from a doula often reduces stress levels which, when high, can inhibit your body from effectively laboring. 3) A doula is typically the only person who can offer both continuous support during labor and knowledge of birth. Your care providers are trained in medical care of birthing women, but will not be present to provide continuous labor support. Your partner is probably going to be with you throughout labor providing support, but likely does not know the ins and outs of birth. However, a doula has extensive knowledge of the birth process and is present continuously throughout labor and birth providing you and your partner with support. This matters because there are many moments in labor when expecting parents need reassurance that everything’s normal or ideas for how to cope with the challenges of labor. If you have a doula, she will already be there every time those moments happen. Hospital pillows are pretty horrible. They are usually flat, and they are covered in an impermeable plastic that does not breathe at all. When you’re giving birth, they’re pretty great to stuff between your legs, but one way to make your hospital birth feel a little more homey is to bring a pillow from home. It doesn’t have to be your favorite, but pick one that feels comfortable tucked behind your head. Labor’s rough enough without feeling like you’re laying your head on a slightly stuffed garbage bag. Put at least two pillowcases on it, preferably colored ones so you can easily tell your pillow from the hospital supply. Then after your baby’s born, you can take the top pillowcase off (it will almost certainly be sweaty) and have a fresh pillow ready for your postpartum stay. Ahhhh...good night!
I am a reader--I have to read every day or the day feels empty somehow. And as exciting as finding information on the internet can be, my one true love, literarily speaking, is books. When my literary passion for books meets my great passion for birth, it gives me a thrill. Reading books about birth? Yes, please!
Over the years, I’ve read a lot of books about birth and breastfeeding, pretty much every single one I could get my hands on. (I’m not exaggerating.) I gleaned little nuggets of information from every one of them, but of course, some of them really stood out from the others as both well-written books and genuinely helpful guides through the complex process of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. I know that when you’re an expectant parent, time is SHORT. You don’t have time to read anything but the best of the best. So that is why I have created this list of the top five pregnancy and breastfeeding books I have ever read. I have included the links to these books on Amazon, but if you are frugally minded like me, never fear, they are all available through the public library.
My first birth wasn’t at all what I wanted. Everything I had carefully planned went completely out the window. My baby and I were healthy, but I felt disappointed that my birth was so different from what I envisioned. Is there any chance that my second birth can be different?
Yes, absolutely! There is a lot you can do to give yourself the opportunity to have your ideal birth this time around. Of course, like everything in birth, no one can guarantee that you will have a specific birth experience. The process of birth is too unpredictable for that. However, there are several steps you can take to stack the deck in your favor.
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Having a Great Birth: What you really need to do during pregnancy3/29/2015 The story of modern life is that everyone's busy, and when you’re expecting a baby, you’re often both too busy and too tired to do everything. Yet the things you do to prepare during your pregnancy make a tremendous difference when the big birth day finally arrives. So here’s my cut-to-the-chase guide to the top five steps to take during pregnancy to improve your birth experience.
If you’re giving birth in a hospital, you wear a hospital gown, right? I mean, don’t you have to? Actually, no!
There’s nothing wrong with opting for the standard hospital gown if that’s what you want to do, but the fact of the matter is, you can wear whatever you want. Nurses in a hospital have a routine they are accustomed to, and part of that is instructing you to gown up. However, you always have the right to speak up and express your preference for wearing your own garments from home. Most nurses in most cases will not have a problem with this, and you can simply change into (or keep wearing) your choice of clothing. Check out this link for more about why you may want to consider wearing your own clothes. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/23/keep-your-pants-and-your-dignity-at-hospital/ What are some things to consider when choosing your laboring outfit?
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AuthorDoula, mother, crunchy minimalist, Christ follower. Archives
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