mapleridge

the 411 one “rule”

November 10, 2015

The 411 rule is what most Childbirth Educators use when teaching a prenatal class. It’s in reference to going to the hospital. Ridge Meadows Doula Services believes there is more to this simple formula, we suggest parents don’t get hung up on the numbers and timing every contraction. We suggest you are mindful to the emotional precursors as well. With regard to waves (contractions), you will want to wait until your contractions are:

· 4 minutes apart or less.

· Lasting 1 minute long or longer

· Stay home with the contractions 1 minute long for 1 hour (or longer)

Emotional precursors that can also be signals are:

· Very serious

· Aren’t talking during contractions

· Are not walking during a contraction

· Are very focused only on their contractions and can’t be distracted

· They may be ritualistic behaviours

· They may start to make deep groaning sounds

While these are all guesstimates on when to go to the hospital, they aren’t perfect science. Each woman enters their birthing time and has a different experience. having a doula with you to help you relax and cope with waves (contractions) can be helpful. doulas have seen may births and can give you a good idea of when it is time to leave for the hospital.

What to get your doula wife, girlfriend, friend, sister….. For Christmas

August 26, 2015

I started writing this post on August 25th 2015, 4 months before Christmas day, on a day that was 26 degrees celsius. I wanted to find the very best birthy items to add to this post so all of us birthy folks can get a new fun stocking stuffer. Doulas, Midwives and Childbirth Educators are a breed of our own. We are up all night, we dissect placentas for fun, we talk about vaginas and labias around the lunch table and are always reading/learning and talking birth. We deserve a little something special from our close friends and families.

1- Who in the world doesn’t want a stuffed placenta? Ok, I hear ya… it’s not for the common folk, but us birthy peeps think this is adorable

2- A beautiful way to proclaim your calling! is what this website boasts. Look closely, they are “crowning” earnings

3- Full Moon mothering makes all types of baltic amber necklaces for children and adults. I’m in love with my mama zen necklace and I wear it all the time… Now I need the matching bracelet.

4-This tiny pelvis is a great educational tool, and I’m sure it wold be a great conversation starter at the dinner table!

5- What birth worker wouldn’t want this Oxytocin Molecule scarf?

6- Need an ornament to add to a stocking? This “Pregnant Mother Goddess” ornament is perfect.

7- This pin…. Really everyone needs it.

8- Everyone loves mugs, for real… Everyone. And doulas love their vaginas. It’s a fact really.

9- Car bling? A gift that keeps on giving… As advertisement.

10- And lastly they need some eye catching gear to wear to a birth. If this shirt doesn’t say doula, really… What does.

Have you seen any other fun items that would be great for gifts? Add it to the comments.

Happy Birthing- Nicole

Ridge meadows Doula Services is a collective of 6 doulas that work out of Maple Ridge BC. We provide birth doula and postpartum doula support, placenta encapsulation and childbirth education in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland.

A Postpartum Doula is more than a babysitter

August 25, 2015

As Postpartum Doulas, RMDS offers a lot of care that is typical to the job. Some examples are assisting with breastfeeding, offering education, companionship and nonjudgmental support, offering baby wearing and cloth diapering support, evidence-based information on infant feeding, infant soothing, emotional and physical recovery from birth and coping skills for new parents and making appropriate referrals when necessary. But there are other experiences that Postpartum Doulas have….

-cuddling a sleeping baby and hoping you can make that transition to the crib

-helping baby breastfeed, while mom is sleeping (overnights)

-baby baths

-walking baby stroller on a movie set because mom is in the industry

-washing baby clothes

-playing pokemon cards with a sibling

-making waxing appointments for mom while loading the dishwasher

-rocking a colicky baby all night once a week so mom can get SOME sleep

-sweeping while singing baby beluga to an older sibling

Our role as a postpartum doula is to support a new mother. We do nearly everything (minus yard work and bathrooms!) If that means making her feel supported, comfortable and confident by keeping her precious new baby safe and cared for while Mom goes to the gym, gets her nails done, gets a physical from her care provider, has a nap or shower then that’s what we do. We are trained professionals that have seen many, many babies, understand child development and know the community well for referrals. We are not teenage babysitters that are eating chips and using you for free wifi, we are doing this job to educate the mother and to mother your own intuition.

Research Shows The Effectiveness of Doulas

July 15, 2015

A 2011 study from the Cochrane Collaboration Pregnancy and Childbirth Group showed clear evidence for the effectiveness of doulas in creating positive birth outcomes.

Hiring a doula is part of creating a birth you are happy with, asking questions, trusting your care provider and informed consent are all pieces to the pie. Research does indicate…

fewer medical interventions
less vacuum/forcep delivery
less analgesic use
less Cesarean Births
report more positive birth experience

The language of Birth

April 21, 2015

During the training that Nicole and I attended in March, one of the most inspiring things we took away was considering the language we use when we speak about birth. As a culture, we have cultivated a respect for doctors and medical professionals for their dedication to education and experience. Along with this respect comes a natural obligation to use the language that is medically accepted, despite not being accurate or even inspiring.

Labour

Contraction

Delivery

When you think of these, they bring up visions of doctors and hospitals, amongst other things. Labour is a form of hard work, and though birthing women do tend to exert energy I wouldn’t call them “labourers”, likethey’re on a construction site. Contraction is a word that naturally makes you tense up your muscles unconsciously. When you actually think about what “contraction” means- an involuntary cringe without a set beginning or end- it makes your anticipation of it that much more brutal. Who wants to be in fear of their muscles contracting and expanding, without really knowing when it will end? Then there’s “delivery”… as if your baby will be presented to you on your doorstep wrapped in parchment and tied with string. Of course, when a doctor is the one attending your birth, they sometimes like to think that you need to be assisted through your birth with their help, not the other way around, and thus they will deliver your baby to you once they’ve saved you from your strong contractions and prevented you from labouring too hard with all of their tools.

In reality, you birth your baby. Birthing is individual and unpredictable. You feel sensations you’ve never felt before; they come in waves of varying lengths and durations, but they have a gradual flow of beginning.. to middle.. to end. It takes presence of mind to get through such a new feeling, and being afraid of what you will feel only increases the likelihood that you won’t like it. Support during these sensations can be incredibly helpful, especially from someone who understands the feeling and knows how to help you to manage the sensation yourself. When you start experiencing these sensations, you have entered into an incredible time: early birthing. Your body will continue to wave, and the waves will come sooner and last a bit longer together. These waves are the evidence that your body knows how to birth, and your baby is on their way into the world. You will then begin to actively birth, and soon reach transition, the incredible time when your body quiets down after all that sensation, and stores up some last energy before your baby is born. This is when your baby begins to help out a bit more. Your body won’t be able to control when your baby decides it is time; they push their way into the world in a way that isn’t stoppable. It’s a reflex that your baby triggers when the time has come, and then your body responds in an incredible way.

During this time, your care provider should be watching intently, but not interfering, unless it is medically necessary. A birthing mother and her baby have the rights as human beings to birth unassisted, untouched and uninterrupted. Through the entire of your birthing process, this stands true. Sometimes the opportunity will arise when medical intervention is necessary, and in these situations a care provider is a great asset to have around. But in a naturally occurring birth without induction, with a mother who is aware that what her body is doing is natural and amazing, babies tend to be born beautifully into their own mother’s arms …and they definitely aren’t wrapped in paper.

So, when you are imagining the birth you want for yourself and your baby, please consider how the language you surround yourself with affects the environment you birth in. Doctors or midwives, hospital or home, medical intervention or augmention, doulas or other birth supports- you have options to create an environment that promotes a positive birthing process,should you so choose. We encourage you to feel empowered about making decisions that will help you to rock your birth!

Happy Birthing- Erin