As I biked to work this morning I couldn't help but smile. Spring is truly here and it is wonderful to be outside enjoying it.
With all of the excitement of the new season also comes the excitement of new babies. I have three clients due to deliver in May and each seem to be taking their time. Hopefully they all do not decide to deliver on the same day!
Each of these clients is so different and I am eager to see how their childbirth experiences play out. I know they will each be great moms. Two are first-time moms and one is a second-time mom. My second-time mom is going for a VBAC. She is a very strong lady and I know she can do it as long as she listens to her body. She had a traumatic first birthing experience (she has a heart condition and the Drs panicked and did an emergency c-section even though she was already 8cms and she and baby were doing fine!) I'm hoping I can help her have a much better birthing this time around. If any of you have VBAC tips, please share :)
My two first time moms are also very different. One of them wants to know everything about pregnancy and childbirth and early infant care. She and her husband have read books, articles, pamphlets, and taken the Natural Childbirth Class together. The other mom has more of the "my body will know what to do attitude" and has not opened a book (although she and her partner did take a childbirth class). Both are VERY excited to be mommas.
It should be an exciting month! Maybe this weekend one of the little ones will enter the world...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Another Beautiful Baby
One of my clients delivered her first child this weekend :)
A sweet baby boy was born via c-section after 54 hours of labor. Mom was such a trooper, completely determined throughout the whole process. Although the c/s was unplanned, everything went well and both mom and baby are doing fantastic.
there's really nothing that compares to watching a momma see her baby for the first time. amazing.
A sweet baby boy was born via c-section after 54 hours of labor. Mom was such a trooper, completely determined throughout the whole process. Although the c/s was unplanned, everything went well and both mom and baby are doing fantastic.
there's really nothing that compares to watching a momma see her baby for the first time. amazing.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I want the epidural...NOW
Gloria called me when she was 37 weeks pregnant. When she called I was hesitant to be her doula because I had a client whose due date was very close to hers and I was afraid they would overlap. Then, I thought, what are the chances they would really deliver on the same day??
I went to Gloria's house a few days after her initial phone call and immediately liked her. She was young and full of energy and a very warm person. She had already been through a lot, having decided to keep the baby despite her boyfriend threatening to break up with her if she did. She decided that she would rather keep her baby and be single than terminate the pregnancy. Luckily she had the strong support of her family and she was at peace with her decision.
When I asked her about the pain relief techniques she wanted to employ during labor she assured me that she had an extremely high pain tolerance and would not need to use any drugs. I said, "great" and we went about discussing natural birthing methods.
Just a few days later, mere hours after my other client delivered her baby(!), Gloria called me. She thought her water had broken and she was definitely noticing mucus. I asked her if the fluid had been clear and she said it was. Although she was not experiencing any contractions, she was feeling anxious and I told her to call the midwives and chat about her options and then call me back. When she called back a couple of hours later, she was headed to the hospital but still not having any regular contractions. I told her to give me a call when she was admitted and let me know how things were progressing. A few hours later I got a call from a very different-sounding Gloria. She told me to come as soon as I could...these contractions were getting tough. Twenty minutes later (at 4:30am) I was at her bedside encouraging her to breathe. She was BEGGING for pain medication. I reminded her of her former desire for natural childbirth...she would have none of it. After much encouraging we tried getting up and walking. Then the shower. Finally the birth ball. Through all of this she was begging for pain medication...and she was only 3cm. Her midwives, her mother and I really tried but ultimately, she knew what she wanted. Because the baby's heart rate was a bit irregular, she was discouraged from using Nubain and instead opted for the epidural.
Gloria was the old Gloria again after the epidural. She was bright, enthusiastic and even cracking jokes. After a bit she fell asleep and I took her mother down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. Gloria was in and out of sleep for the next three hours... She was a happy lady. When she awoke around 1pm we talked for awhile and she was beginning to feel pressure. When the midwife checked her shortly thereafter she was almost fully dilated. Since she had the epidural we decided to wait a bit before encouraging pushing but Gloria was told not to push the button for more pain medication so that she could regain some feeling before pushing. About an hour later the midwife came in again to survey the scene. It seemed like Gloria was really getting ready to push. Gloria's mother was on her left, I was on her right, the nurse was setting up all of the birthing supplies and the midwife wedged herself right in between all of us. It was a great group of women. We were all speaking a mixture of Spanish and English and generally having a great time. Gloria was a great pusher (and was joking around between pushes) and a half hour later Jack was born. He was ADORABLE. Just a little over 6lbs with a full head of black hair. He even latched on right away. All of us were immediately in love with the little guy...especially his grandma. She was smitten. I think she called fifty people in the next half hour. There was such a wonderful energy in the room and everyone was genuinely thrilled that the birthing had gone so well. The midwife left to take care of another patient and said "hey ladies, thanks for the party" on her way out.
The experience with Gloria taught me to really listen to my clients and realize that even if they didn't want an epidural beforehand, they may and can change their minds. And sometimes it ends up being the best thing for them. Everyone's experience is so different, and you just have to adapt to the changing needs of each person. I was also enamored with the power of an all-woman birthing room. It was really a beautiful group and I felt honored to be a part of it.
I went to Gloria's house a few days after her initial phone call and immediately liked her. She was young and full of energy and a very warm person. She had already been through a lot, having decided to keep the baby despite her boyfriend threatening to break up with her if she did. She decided that she would rather keep her baby and be single than terminate the pregnancy. Luckily she had the strong support of her family and she was at peace with her decision.
When I asked her about the pain relief techniques she wanted to employ during labor she assured me that she had an extremely high pain tolerance and would not need to use any drugs. I said, "great" and we went about discussing natural birthing methods.
Just a few days later, mere hours after my other client delivered her baby(!), Gloria called me. She thought her water had broken and she was definitely noticing mucus. I asked her if the fluid had been clear and she said it was. Although she was not experiencing any contractions, she was feeling anxious and I told her to call the midwives and chat about her options and then call me back. When she called back a couple of hours later, she was headed to the hospital but still not having any regular contractions. I told her to give me a call when she was admitted and let me know how things were progressing. A few hours later I got a call from a very different-sounding Gloria. She told me to come as soon as I could...these contractions were getting tough. Twenty minutes later (at 4:30am) I was at her bedside encouraging her to breathe. She was BEGGING for pain medication. I reminded her of her former desire for natural childbirth...she would have none of it. After much encouraging we tried getting up and walking. Then the shower. Finally the birth ball. Through all of this she was begging for pain medication...and she was only 3cm. Her midwives, her mother and I really tried but ultimately, she knew what she wanted. Because the baby's heart rate was a bit irregular, she was discouraged from using Nubain and instead opted for the epidural.
Gloria was the old Gloria again after the epidural. She was bright, enthusiastic and even cracking jokes. After a bit she fell asleep and I took her mother down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. Gloria was in and out of sleep for the next three hours... She was a happy lady. When she awoke around 1pm we talked for awhile and she was beginning to feel pressure. When the midwife checked her shortly thereafter she was almost fully dilated. Since she had the epidural we decided to wait a bit before encouraging pushing but Gloria was told not to push the button for more pain medication so that she could regain some feeling before pushing. About an hour later the midwife came in again to survey the scene. It seemed like Gloria was really getting ready to push. Gloria's mother was on her left, I was on her right, the nurse was setting up all of the birthing supplies and the midwife wedged herself right in between all of us. It was a great group of women. We were all speaking a mixture of Spanish and English and generally having a great time. Gloria was a great pusher (and was joking around between pushes) and a half hour later Jack was born. He was ADORABLE. Just a little over 6lbs with a full head of black hair. He even latched on right away. All of us were immediately in love with the little guy...especially his grandma. She was smitten. I think she called fifty people in the next half hour. There was such a wonderful energy in the room and everyone was genuinely thrilled that the birthing had gone so well. The midwife left to take care of another patient and said "hey ladies, thanks for the party" on her way out.
The experience with Gloria taught me to really listen to my clients and realize that even if they didn't want an epidural beforehand, they may and can change their minds. And sometimes it ends up being the best thing for them. Everyone's experience is so different, and you just have to adapt to the changing needs of each person. I was also enamored with the power of an all-woman birthing room. It was really a beautiful group and I felt honored to be a part of it.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hypnobirthing
So this Saturday evening I had a hypnobirthing session with one of my clients who is due in a couple of weeks. It was pretty darn cool and I'm hoping we can use it for this birthing. If anyone has any hypnobirthing success stories or tips, please share them! I've had one other client who wanted to go the hypnobirthing route but her baby ended up being breech so she couldn't use it.
When I talk to people (non-doulas) about hypnobirthing they are SUPER skeptical. Pain-free birth? It seems inconceivable to some but I hope it works out. People often have the wrong idea when you mention hypnosis. It's not like some weirdo guy waving a clock in front of your eyes and bringing you into a trance, it's more just eliminating fear from the birthing process and going inward...giving into the power of your labor and breathing through it. We shall see. I will be sure to report how it goes.
When I talk to people (non-doulas) about hypnobirthing they are SUPER skeptical. Pain-free birth? It seems inconceivable to some but I hope it works out. People often have the wrong idea when you mention hypnosis. It's not like some weirdo guy waving a clock in front of your eyes and bringing you into a trance, it's more just eliminating fear from the birthing process and going inward...giving into the power of your labor and breathing through it. We shall see. I will be sure to report how it goes.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hope
A story about Hope:
Hope was referred to me by her midwife at around 32 weeks gestation. I met Hope and her husband Henry at their cute apartment and immediately liked the feel of the place and of the couple. I was relieved because we had an awkward initial phone conversation and I was afraid we wouldn't have good doula-client chemistry but luckily, in person things were different. She was so excited to be pregnant and really glowed like only a pregnant woman can. She definitely spread her wonderful pregnancy energy to me and asked really good questions. Hope reminded me of my vision of a flower child, definitely a free spirit and very artistic. As we sipped herbal tea and talked birthing I took note of how much I love this job.
I met Hope and Henry another time before their birthing and we had a delicious vegetarian soup and some homemade cookies I had brought over. Hope told me that she had gained 5lbs in the past week which surprised her but we agreed it was probably just water weight. Less than a week later we were reunited, this time at the hospital where she was very clearly in active labor. Henry had called me an hour before to say that Hope had actually been in labor all day (and worked a full 8 hours at her job!) but she had been denying it to herself (and others) up to this point. She was quickly admitted to L&D and when the midwife checked her she was already 6cm. As a first time mom we knew that this did not necessarily mean the baby was going to come anytime soon and we set about making Hope as comfortable as possible.
Through her contractions I encouraged her to stay upright to work with gravity and she did a great job of swaying back and forth, back and forth, with the force of each contraction. Things got intense a couple of hours later and she began asking for pain medication. I knew from talking to her prenatally that she was SO psyched about natural childbirth and I hoped that Henry and I could remind her of that. Sure enough I convinced her to get into the shower to use warm water to alleviate some of the pain and that worked pretty well. She stayed in the shower for over an hour and I stood right by her repeatedly saying "you've got this one, Hope, you've got this one" (later she told me how helpful my words had been). After she felt done with the shower she got onto the bed and the midwife checked her--she was fully dilated! Already exhausted, Hope was a trooper trying to push and was even convinced to get up on her hands and knees for two hours to push her little boy out. But her little boy would have NONE of it. Even though his mom was trying SO hard. After 2.5 hours the OB Resident came in and began talking C-section. I cringed. Over 20 hours of Natural laboring and then a c-section...ughhh. But when we watched the monitor and saw the baby's heart rate drop during contractions, we understood it was the right thing to do.
The anesthesiologist came in to give the epidural and Hope was having so much trouble sitting still and resisting the urge to push. Finally she was able to remain still sitting cross-legged and the doctor was very impressed with her flexibility (that's what yoga can do for you!) After that Henry and I sat around and waited for a half hour while she was prepped for surgery. We were both allowed into the operating room and got to witness the birth of James, a 9lb12oz baby boy! Turns out he had been stuck! Because Hope was such a small lady, James just couldn't fit.
Although the recovery was a bit tough (When I went to the hospital to visit the next day, Hope was completely out of it) everything turned out fine and now James is a very healthy little man with two very proud parents. A month later I visited the family at their apartment and we talked about the birth experience and luckily Hope and Henry both had a positive memory of the experience. She HAD done natural childbirth up to the very last minute and that was something to be extremely proud of. And next time, she'll do it the whole time and she's already invited me to come along for birth journey number 2.
Have I mentioned that I love this couple?
Hope was referred to me by her midwife at around 32 weeks gestation. I met Hope and her husband Henry at their cute apartment and immediately liked the feel of the place and of the couple. I was relieved because we had an awkward initial phone conversation and I was afraid we wouldn't have good doula-client chemistry but luckily, in person things were different. She was so excited to be pregnant and really glowed like only a pregnant woman can. She definitely spread her wonderful pregnancy energy to me and asked really good questions. Hope reminded me of my vision of a flower child, definitely a free spirit and very artistic. As we sipped herbal tea and talked birthing I took note of how much I love this job.
I met Hope and Henry another time before their birthing and we had a delicious vegetarian soup and some homemade cookies I had brought over. Hope told me that she had gained 5lbs in the past week which surprised her but we agreed it was probably just water weight. Less than a week later we were reunited, this time at the hospital where she was very clearly in active labor. Henry had called me an hour before to say that Hope had actually been in labor all day (and worked a full 8 hours at her job!) but she had been denying it to herself (and others) up to this point. She was quickly admitted to L&D and when the midwife checked her she was already 6cm. As a first time mom we knew that this did not necessarily mean the baby was going to come anytime soon and we set about making Hope as comfortable as possible.
Through her contractions I encouraged her to stay upright to work with gravity and she did a great job of swaying back and forth, back and forth, with the force of each contraction. Things got intense a couple of hours later and she began asking for pain medication. I knew from talking to her prenatally that she was SO psyched about natural childbirth and I hoped that Henry and I could remind her of that. Sure enough I convinced her to get into the shower to use warm water to alleviate some of the pain and that worked pretty well. She stayed in the shower for over an hour and I stood right by her repeatedly saying "you've got this one, Hope, you've got this one" (later she told me how helpful my words had been). After she felt done with the shower she got onto the bed and the midwife checked her--she was fully dilated! Already exhausted, Hope was a trooper trying to push and was even convinced to get up on her hands and knees for two hours to push her little boy out. But her little boy would have NONE of it. Even though his mom was trying SO hard. After 2.5 hours the OB Resident came in and began talking C-section. I cringed. Over 20 hours of Natural laboring and then a c-section...ughhh. But when we watched the monitor and saw the baby's heart rate drop during contractions, we understood it was the right thing to do.
The anesthesiologist came in to give the epidural and Hope was having so much trouble sitting still and resisting the urge to push. Finally she was able to remain still sitting cross-legged and the doctor was very impressed with her flexibility (that's what yoga can do for you!) After that Henry and I sat around and waited for a half hour while she was prepped for surgery. We were both allowed into the operating room and got to witness the birth of James, a 9lb12oz baby boy! Turns out he had been stuck! Because Hope was such a small lady, James just couldn't fit.
Although the recovery was a bit tough (When I went to the hospital to visit the next day, Hope was completely out of it) everything turned out fine and now James is a very healthy little man with two very proud parents. A month later I visited the family at their apartment and we talked about the birth experience and luckily Hope and Henry both had a positive memory of the experience. She HAD done natural childbirth up to the very last minute and that was something to be extremely proud of. And next time, she'll do it the whole time and she's already invited me to come along for birth journey number 2.
Have I mentioned that I love this couple?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
New Client!
A couple of weeks ago I met a potential client and her husband at a tea shop in Harvard Square. I really liked her and was hoping that she would pick me to be her doula. I was a little concerned because it took her 2 weeks to contact me and I figured that she had picked someone else but I heard from her today and it looks like I'm going to be her doula! I'm very excited. I think she and I are going to work really well together and her husband seems super nice and laid back so that should be great. I think that my experience with her will be similar to my experience with Hope and her husband (whom I have yet to write about) and that was wonderful so I'm really looking forward to it. More to come :)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Marissa's (almost) Natural Childbirth
Marissa called me when she was 34 weeks pregnant with her second baby. Her first delivery had not gone the way that she had hoped and she REALLY wanted this delivery to be different. The problem was that she had NO supports for her birth. The father of her baby was incarcerated and she was not close to any family members in the area. She hoped that I could help her achieve a better birth experience this time around. When I met with her we discussed her previous delivery and why it had been so traumatic. Marissa explained the chain of events that led to the delivery of her son six years ago. Apparently her water had broken spontaneously but her contractions never began. Hours later she was advised to come into the hospital for a Pitocin augmentation. Every fifteen minutes the nurse would increase the Pitocin dosage and a few hours later she had such intense pain that she asked for demerol (although she had wanted a natural childbirth). Hours later she was still contracting and making little progress and the demerol was wearing off...that led to the epidural. The epidural futher slowed the labor and now she was unable to walk to bring the baby down faster...36 hours later she pushed out her baby boy. Although she was happy to have her son, she was so exhausted and drugged that she could not fully appreciate the moment and bond as much as she had hoped to. This time she wanted no Pitocin and no pain medication and hoped that I could help her stay strong throughout her natural childbirth journey.
A week later I met Marissa at her tiny apartment. She was clearly trying to make the best of an extremely poor living situation and I was immediately glad that I had agreed to be her doula for free. She really needed the help. Marissa introduced me to her 6-year old son Edward who was very outgoing and sweet. After seeing all of Edward's coloring books, Marissa and I got down to talking about her delivery and her hopes for the birth of her daughter.
I met with Marissa one more time before her delivery and we became very comfortable with one another. I could tell she really trusted me and was ready to work with me during her delivery. We talked about her concerns and her hopes for the delivery. We discussed her ideal birth and her worst-case scenarios. I baked her a bunch of cookies and she and Edward enjoyed those as he practiced his spelling homework with me. She said that she was more nervous this time around than her first delivery but she was ready to have her baby girl.
About a week later Marissa called me in the middle of the night. Her water had broken and she had just called the midwives at the hospital to see whether or not she should come in. The midwives told her to wait until she had contractions and to hydrate, eat and rest. I reassured her that this was the right thing to do and she agreed although I predicted that she would not be getting too much sleep that night. Sure enough when I called her at 9am the following morning she told me that she had only slept 1 hour the night before. There was just too much anticipation! She still wasn't having any contractions and I could tell she was nervous that this delivery would be like the last. I told her to walk around a lot and just try to get things moving and to call me when she was ready to go to the hospital. I was out shopping when she called at 1pm. She was frustrated. Still no contractions and the midwives were asking her to come into the hospital for a Pitocin augmentation. Over the phone I tried to reassure her that just because she was getting Pitocin did not mean this birth would be the same as her last. A bit before 3pm I arrived at the hospital where she had just been admitted. Her midwife had just checked her and said that she was 3cm and they wanted to start the Pitocin in the next 30 minutes. We both got settled and then the Pitocin drip started. Slow at first but increasing every 15 minutes. Luckily we were given a monitor with a remote tracker so we were able to walk around the labor floor to help move the labor along. We walked and walked and walked. Between walking she rocked in the rocking chair and I massaged her. She tried sitting or laying on the bed when she became really tired but the pain was much more intense when she was laying down. So we walked some more. The midwives and nurses switch shifts on the 7's so the new midwife came in around 7:15pm to check on Marissa. She said that things seemed to be progressing well but that she predicted we still had many more hours of labor left so she would come back around 2-3am to check her dilitation. I was surprised because it seemed to me that Marissa was entering transition and as a mulitp would probably deliver shortly thereafter. The midwife left the room and Marissa and I continued our routine...less walking now and more swaying during contractions. Marissa was very uncomfortable and said "I think I need the epidural." I reassured her that she was doing a wonderful job and she was doing everything she could for her baby. Although she asked a couple more times for the epidural, I could tell she didn't really want it. An hour later she said that she needed to go to the bathroom. I led her in there and asked "are you sure you don't have to push?" She said no, she was sure that she just needed to use the bathroom and I left her to it. Five minutes passed and I heard a yell from the bathroom, "the baby is coming OUT!" I got the nurse and the nurse got the midwife and we moved Marissa onto the bed just in time. Shaelyn was born a few minutes later pink and vigorous.
Marissa had done it. Shaelyn was born naturally (if you don't count the Pitocin) and I was so proud. I could tell she was pretty darn proud of herself too.
A week later I met Marissa at her tiny apartment. She was clearly trying to make the best of an extremely poor living situation and I was immediately glad that I had agreed to be her doula for free. She really needed the help. Marissa introduced me to her 6-year old son Edward who was very outgoing and sweet. After seeing all of Edward's coloring books, Marissa and I got down to talking about her delivery and her hopes for the birth of her daughter.
I met with Marissa one more time before her delivery and we became very comfortable with one another. I could tell she really trusted me and was ready to work with me during her delivery. We talked about her concerns and her hopes for the delivery. We discussed her ideal birth and her worst-case scenarios. I baked her a bunch of cookies and she and Edward enjoyed those as he practiced his spelling homework with me. She said that she was more nervous this time around than her first delivery but she was ready to have her baby girl.
About a week later Marissa called me in the middle of the night. Her water had broken and she had just called the midwives at the hospital to see whether or not she should come in. The midwives told her to wait until she had contractions and to hydrate, eat and rest. I reassured her that this was the right thing to do and she agreed although I predicted that she would not be getting too much sleep that night. Sure enough when I called her at 9am the following morning she told me that she had only slept 1 hour the night before. There was just too much anticipation! She still wasn't having any contractions and I could tell she was nervous that this delivery would be like the last. I told her to walk around a lot and just try to get things moving and to call me when she was ready to go to the hospital. I was out shopping when she called at 1pm. She was frustrated. Still no contractions and the midwives were asking her to come into the hospital for a Pitocin augmentation. Over the phone I tried to reassure her that just because she was getting Pitocin did not mean this birth would be the same as her last. A bit before 3pm I arrived at the hospital where she had just been admitted. Her midwife had just checked her and said that she was 3cm and they wanted to start the Pitocin in the next 30 minutes. We both got settled and then the Pitocin drip started. Slow at first but increasing every 15 minutes. Luckily we were given a monitor with a remote tracker so we were able to walk around the labor floor to help move the labor along. We walked and walked and walked. Between walking she rocked in the rocking chair and I massaged her. She tried sitting or laying on the bed when she became really tired but the pain was much more intense when she was laying down. So we walked some more. The midwives and nurses switch shifts on the 7's so the new midwife came in around 7:15pm to check on Marissa. She said that things seemed to be progressing well but that she predicted we still had many more hours of labor left so she would come back around 2-3am to check her dilitation. I was surprised because it seemed to me that Marissa was entering transition and as a mulitp would probably deliver shortly thereafter. The midwife left the room and Marissa and I continued our routine...less walking now and more swaying during contractions. Marissa was very uncomfortable and said "I think I need the epidural." I reassured her that she was doing a wonderful job and she was doing everything she could for her baby. Although she asked a couple more times for the epidural, I could tell she didn't really want it. An hour later she said that she needed to go to the bathroom. I led her in there and asked "are you sure you don't have to push?" She said no, she was sure that she just needed to use the bathroom and I left her to it. Five minutes passed and I heard a yell from the bathroom, "the baby is coming OUT!" I got the nurse and the nurse got the midwife and we moved Marissa onto the bed just in time. Shaelyn was born a few minutes later pink and vigorous.
Marissa had done it. Shaelyn was born naturally (if you don't count the Pitocin) and I was so proud. I could tell she was pretty darn proud of herself too.
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