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I don't know how I got on the mailing list for this catalog, Independent Living Aids. It has supplies for people who are elderly and/or disabled. So I looked through it, considered buying a clock with humongous numbers. For what? I don't know. And then I came upon food bumpers. These little gizmo's are designed to help keep food from sliding off the plate when you are eating with one hand. I remember how difficult it was for me to eat one-handed when I was breastfeeding. Carefully cajoling the food onto the fork or spoon trying not to push it off the plate, and trying to not get overly frustrated and starving! Oy vey. Eureka I thought! This would be great for nursing moms! They also have a plate with a bumper. You could just find a dish that had a similar design, with a pronounced lip, to help. But the plate in the catalog also has a non-skid bottom--genius!
Bumpers: http://www.independentliving.com/prodinfo.asp?number=327540One handed plate: http://www.independentliving.com/prodinfo.asp?number=384360 Spill-proof bowls. Good for you now, good for your toddler later: http://www.independentliving.com/prodinfo.asp?number=356800http://www.independentliving.com/prodinfo.asp?number=356802And don't forget your Knork!http://www.independentliving.com/prodinfo.asp?number=182368Happy nursing!love,Maiysha
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*Every labor and birth is different. This is just a general guide.*
Most of your hours in labor will be taking place while you dilate from 0-6cm. This could be two days, or it could be less than an hour. For a first labor, 10-20 hours, plus or minus 8-10 hours...for this part is common. Once you get to 6cm, most of your labor is past. It's prob way more than 60% over. Maybe 75-90% over. (As much as I don't like you doing math in labor, this is just to give you a general idea.) The more dilated and effaced you are, the faster it can go. Therefore, don't worry if it took long to get to 4,5,6cm, it doesn't mean you have another equal marathon to finish. By the time you get to 7 or more, it's just about the end. If you get checked at 7-8, the next check they may tell you to push and you may never hear about 9 because the cervix can melt away so quickly at that stage. **Good labor visualization: Think; over ripe mango, soft warm butter... Since I don't do internal exams, at home I'll be using external observation to try and deduce where you are in your labor. It's not an exact science. On the outside, the difference between 4cm thru 6cm can be very subtle and tricky to call. 4-6cm is also a big shifting time. Mom can still talk, but things are getting pretty intense. Often at this stage mom is feeling confidant she can handle it, but if she hears she is "only" 4, 5 or 6, she may feel discouraged as to whether she could handle it getting more intense. At this point, we are probably giving lots of touch and massage with every contraction. If she gets checked and the midwife/doctor announces a number 4-6, moms may say,"If this is 5, I don't know how I'm gonna handle this getting twice as bad!!!" It can be a "Oh crap!" moment. But have no fear, nature has a way. That moment will pass, and your labor will intensify and you will still be there, doing it. It's a good time to go deeper into surrendering. Up to that point the intensity may have been where you could avoid/tough it/fight it/avoid it some more. But what is needed for your next level is to surrender. Trust that nature will give you the tools you need every step of the way. Trust your body. Don't fight it. Release your shoulders down. Release your pelvis. Let your whole belly and bottom hammock. Relax your face. Say ok to your next rush. Then say yes to the next one. Experience it, just be in it, be your birth. 7-10 cm is known as transition. It's the most physically and emotionally intense. It's when women most need support. If she doesnt want pain meds, she will need the most positive encouragement and faith in her abilities. If she has chosen to deliver without pain meds, no one should offer her them at this point. Nor should you feel sorry for her, on an epidural or not, this still applies. You need to embody faith in her, and support her. It can be a time of doubt, vulnerability, all consuming intensity. It is when a woman who may have been in the labor trance up to now, wakes up. The shift may surprise her partner. She may get irritable at this point. She may also be completely blissed out and enjoy the new found rush of energy. This time of intensity demands the attention of everyone in the room. And well it should! A miracle is about to happen. This rush of energy nature provides is so that mom can both push baby out, and immediately activate the protective mom brain. When you are fully dilated, it is amazing to reach down and feel your baby's head inside yourself. It also helps give a tired mom tactile proof that the end is literally in sight. We all have seen pictures of babies' heads crowning (what did you say the first time you saw that??) and often believe that is the cause if the labor pain they've heard so much about. Actually, it is the contractions, the dilation of the cervix, and the pressure on the back during labor, that is usually the most physically challenging part. By the time it comes to pushing, "pain" is often not the fitting word for it. More, pressure, tightness, bigness. It can feel like serious constipation pushing. You may feel a burning sensation during crowing, or not. Not everyone feels it. The burning sensation can be decreased with water birth. When pushing, many women feel very powerful, and well they should. My best, Maiysha Are you looking for a doula but having trouble deciding what-who-if to choose when you're just still not sure what a doula does? I get it. I didn't have a doula for my first birth because I thought I wouldn't need one. I was planning a birthing center birth with a midwife, and I thought I had all the support I needed. In my fantasy, the midwife was very close to me, guiding me through the process. The reality was quite different. My midwife only came in the room periodically during my labor, said little to me, and basically just came in at the end to catch. For my second baby, I went and got myself a doula.
During my second labor, when my doula came to my house, she saw where I was in my labor, and gave me really helpful suggestions. Before her help, I was lost and barely surviving. With her help I had someone who really understood what I was going through and was giving me something practical to help me ride the wave. And in the end, my doula birth was less than half as long as the first. Granted, second babies usually are, but not always, and I could see how her advice directly affected the speed of my labor. "So what do you do?" Is the common question parents ask me. Well...that depends. From our prenatals I am working on discovering what kind of birth you want, and helping you discover the possibilities so that you can choose from the different choices that are out there. There are three main approaches to childbirth, with lots of gray areas in between. There are those who do not want any pain and want to go straight to the epidural, there are those who want to try laboring naturally but are not sure they will tough out the whole thing, or will tough it out for as long as they can before getting an epidural, and the third are those who absolutely do not want any elective pain medication. Once I am clear where you fall in that spectrum, I will work with how your labor is presenting to help optimize what nature is giving us, adding in what you want, and working within what restrictions your provider is giving. I will also inform you of the pros and cons of each approach. Going for the epi? You still need support. While you are no longer in pain, you are still in a hospital having a baby. Positioning is still vital to a encouraging a vaginal delivery. As is helping families understand the medical terminology and procedures. Keeping mom calm in labor land is helpful to help limit further complications.In between? I will work with you to help you manage contractions. Position, massage, counter pressure, nourishment, walking, and more.Going au natural? In addition to the above, I will work with you prenatally to help prepare for the mental and physical challenge of giving birth naturally. I am right there, minute by minute, helping you get in it, and through it. For all families, I will offer prenatal education. Each prenatal session will be geared toward your concerns and I will take the time to answer all of your questions. If I do not have the answer, I will help you find the answer. I will provide a list of suggested questions for your provider to help you discover what page they are on, before you come in in labor. In labor, your partner and I work as a team to make sure you are supported every moment of the way. For a long labor (as most are) this is so critical so your partner can take a break, go to the bathroom, shower...eat! For single moms, I will help you think selectively about who to invite to your labor. I will make sure you feel completely supported. In a homebirth I do the added work of helping to clean up afterward. For clients who desire to breastfeed, I offer my extensive knowledge and support to help you get off to a great start. While I am not a certified lactation consultant, I have had wonderful success supporting nursing mothers. Thirteen years ago (with the birth of my first child) I started going to La Leche League meetings, talking to other nursing moms, sharing stories, learning and teaching all the time. I breastfed my own two children back to back for a total of four years. Since that time, as a mother often around other mothers, I have gleaned many pearls of mother wisdom. I continue to read and talk to other moms, doulas and midwives about pregnancy, labor, birth and motherhood. I am always excited to learn more and bring more to my practice. What I do, is bring all my knowledge and love and support of birth and motherhood to you.  Ina May Gaskin talks [in her new book Birth Matters a midwife's manifesta] about the importance of "oxytocin high, adrenaline low."
This is a great concept for partners to know and understand. Partners often worry how they will be able to support her effectively when the time comes. While I fully support childbirth classes, people often find themselves confused as to how all that information actually applies when the time comes. "When do I start counting?" "When do I rub her back?" "When do I tell her she's doing a good job?" No matter what tools you utilize; Bradley, Hypnobirthing, Birthing from Within, etc, the point is the same. To keep her oxytocin high and her adrenaline low.Natural oxytocin is the love hormone. High levels of oxytocin help produce effective contractions. Oxytocin is high when a woman is feeling love, happiness, generosity, safe, amused...all the good stuff. Oxytocin is also what is in action when a woman breastfeeds, has an orgasm, and is feeling good in other situations too. When oxytocin levels are high, they keep adrenaline levels low, like a seesaw effect.Adrenaline is the opposite. It's emotional makeup is stress, fear, anger etc. Adrenaline has its place when we quickly and without thinking evade a car accident and our body goes into auto-pilot. Then many of us are familiar with the feeling after and adrenaline rush. The trickling down. When supporting a woman in labor, our [doula and partner] goal is to keep her adrenaline down and her oxytocin up. When oxytocin is up, she will feel less pain and fear, and be able to embrace the intensity of labor as productively as possible. Labor can then be more enjoyable and transforming, just like loving, giving, & nurturing can be. Giving selflessly is hard work. But it also feels so amazing. When we are working hard for something good, we are better able to push through challenges. We need to make sure a woman in labor feels safe, loved, nurtured, amused (wisely finding the right moments to crack a joke) and supported. Tell her you love her. Tell her in your own words how honestly amazed you are by the work she is doing to bring this baby into the world. Our words, touch, suggestions and support help her keep the balance in favor of the oxytocin and help keep her healthy birth, healthy. I just finished reading Birth Matters, a midwife's manifesta by Ina May Gaskin. Amazing. Not a guide book for pregnant women and labor, more of a guidebook for the country.
Come my sister
Cross this bridge Come my daughter Cross this bridge Come, go, leave, surrender...Become a mother I know it hurts This is how we do it I know I know I know I am here with you Come Mother Come to the other side Trust Love Cross this bridge My good friend and fellow doula Gillian Forman is starting her next childbirth preparation series. She also offers private classes as well. Her classes are very affordable. Give her a call!
Gillian Foreman 347.565.5597 www.uptownbirth.com Bradley Educator Birth & Postpartum Doula Gillian is a good friend and fellow doula. We also back each other up for births and postpartum care. Here is info on her Bradly class she is giving:
New Bradley Series Starting! January 9th! Just wanted to write a quick word that there is availability for my next Bradley class staring Sunday, January 9th, 2:30-5:30 pm, right off of the A train in Inwood (near 207 & Broadway). The series will include a binder of handouts we create together, Susan McCutcheon's "Natural Birth the Bradley Way" and access to my ever growing library. It will run consecutive Sundays, and make-ups are included. What is Bradley? We cover: * Nutrition, Exercises / Positions, and Relaxation * Anatomy & Physiology of Birth * Father / Coaches Role: Obstacles, Challenges, & Techniques * Massage * First and Second Stage Labor Techniques: Labor Rehearsals / Coaching Keys & Tools * Planning Your Birth * Variations & Complications, including Cesarean Birth * Postpartum Preparation (for mom and family) * Immediate Post-Birth Discussion (includes newborn procedures, cord clamping, skin-to-skin, and breastfeeding) My course also includes a session on Breastfeeding Basics and a Babywearing Introduction, including holds, colic tips, and early sleep tips. I encourage couples to come just to meet me and learn more about the Bradley classes in the first session, before making a commitment. Please let me know if you have any questions. Here’s to Happy Birth-days! Gillian Foreman, mom to 22 month old Jude 347.565.5597 www.uptownbirth.com Bradley Educator Birth & Postpartum Doula A washer and dryer.
I have a two-in-one combo from LG, large capacity--love it! Yes, it takes forever to dry so I start a load before bed, let it run overnight, wake up to clean and dry clothes. Most of the stuff in my bag is for me.... I have a couple of changes of clothes, phone chargers, snacks, toiletries, caffeinated tea bags, and your file. For you I have little things like spare chapsticks, disposable toothbrushes, bendy straws, hair ties, and my camera, in case you forgot yours.
This is not the description you usually find on the web for doula bag supplies. But in reality the most important "thing" that I bring to your birth is me! I use makeshift things for counter pressure. Last time I used a bottle of water. Which was great because I could alternate hot and cold with water as the mom requested. I've also made a rebozo out of a spare hospital gown. If I see a mom uncomfortable in her position, I'm going to help find a better position, even if confined to a hospital bed, I will help her find the best relief and/or ask the hospital staff for a happy compromise. ie, standing next to the bed. During a long labor at home, I do a lot of cooking. And I'm not just cooking anything, I'm thinking about what nutrition mom is going to need at the different stages of labor. Then I wash the dishes. For massage, I prefer to use your oils and lotions to save us the possibility of you having a bad reaction to something I may have. While I cannot speak on your behalf to medical staff, I can run interference with family. I can hug grandmas and give them reassurance. I can usher the uninvited cousin who found out about the birth, out of the room. I can run to the store and get that thing you forgot. For dads/partners, they can relax and have someone else to lean on. I let mom's know I am here to take care of the three of you so mom can concentrate on her birth. I will send dad to shower, eat and take a 20 min nap when needed. I'm also going to encourage some alone time just the two of you to give you both a chance to savor the moment in private. For a mom who needs a lot of physical support, I can show dad exactly how to use his hands and body to help her cope. Most importantly I am holding space. From our prenatal meetings I have gotten to know your family and understand the birth you desire. While I cannot guarantee the details, I am your support person to help you stay empowered. I am the person who can remind you of your birth plan, and who will support you whatever you decide. I am at your service. I will be calm and strong for you, and help you find the calm and strength within yourself. Salud! Maiysha |
 Maiysha Campbell
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