mapleridge – Page 5

My Birth Story

July 23, 2013

As a doula, I look back on my birth and dream of what it could have been. I know my birth experience was the way it was for many reasons. The day it happened, the time of day, the reason I had a hospital birth and not a home birth and the people I had with me were all sequenced that way on purpose.

My birth story has many chapters, but today I will keep in short. One day I am sure I will dive into the details.

My daughter was due December 30th 2009, but fitting to Mia’s personality, she took her own sweet time and was encouraged (via Pitocin) to be born on January 11th. I chose this day because the midwife I was most connected with was on call and if I was going to have a hospital birth and not a home birth, I wanted people around me I was comfortable with. Along with Sylvia I had my husband, friend Jenn and my mother-in-law.

I was induced shortly after 8am, was able to walk around a short time and then things started moving around noon. My husband was on massage duty and was applying pressure to my hips (now trained as a doula I know he was applying a double hip squeeze) as I had a contraction. My support person had just birthed her 3rd child at home 6 months prior and knew exactly what I needed before I knew it. I had a cold cloth on my face, neck and forehead between waves and sips of water and “labour aide” given to my from a straw while I rested between contractions. PS- This really is only good cold! My mother-in-law was encouraging everyone to eat and making sure all the hospital staff were doing their best work, she demanded informed choices and for me to be part of the decision making process. My body just knew what to do. I pushed when I needed to push, I rested when I needed to rest. Not once was I checked by my midwife, she encouraged me to listen to my body. At around 2pm Sylvia (my midwife) told me I was already pushing… I had no idea, I was just in the zone. This is when I asked to be checked….. being a first time birther, I was starting to get nervous about pushing, anxious to birth and excited to meet my daughter. being an experienced midwife, Sylvia was right. I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. 4 hours later I was still pushing and still on Pitocin, baby was doing ok, but I was really beat.

This is where everything happened so fast, the pitocin machine was beeping, something strange was happening and it was not giving the proper dosage and my pushing was not as effective. Suddenly there was an OBGYN in the room with team. I consented to the vacuum. A large difference from the serene home birth I had planned. Being educated on the subject I knew the fact that I was essentially strapped to the bed and already having the intervention of Induction along with pushing for 4 hours the likelihood of the vacuum, forceps or caesarean were increasing. In moments, the vacuum was on, baby was born, the cord was cut (little delayed cord clamping) and the OBGYN flew out like a flash leaving Mia with me.

Mia was on my chest, I cried, Jonathan cried,my support person cried, the Midwife had a happy smirk and my mother-in-law was doing her best not to cry. Mia was born… healthy, alert and perfect. January 11th 2010.

I had a long amount of skin to skin with Mia as well as breastfeeding initiation within the first hour… 2 key points on the crumpled up, re-wrote birth plan I really wanted.

Are there things I would have changed, sure. But I made informed choices along the way… There was no coercion or fear. I knew my body was amazing and I knew by baby was coming out of my vagina.

Business cards are in!

July 20, 2013

Woohoo! my business cards are in. Now to share with friends, co-workers and the local midwifery.

I’m not in love with them but they are good for a first timer business owner. next time I’d likely make the font a bit bigger and lose the grey (hard to read). The positives are my logo rocks! Who wants one?

I already have a midwife, do I need a doula?

July 17, 2013

Iv’e heard the question asked in many different ways time and time again….

“I have a midwife, do I need a doula”

I have a doula, do I need a midwife?”

“what is the difference between a midwife and a doula”

The difference is sizable, midwives and doulas have entirely different training and roles in your birth. As I explain the differences I want to be clear that both midwives and doula have many, many more examples of what they do than I will provide right now. Im hoping to make this blog post clear and simple so you the reader will know the difference.

Your Midwives will…

Run prenatal tests
Advise you on health during pregnancy, birth and postpartum
Monitor you and baby during prenatally, during labour and birth and for 6 weeks postpartum
Perform physical examinations prenatally, during labour and postpartum

**Please note- Midwifes in Canada are all licensed medical Professionals.**

Your Birth Doula will:

Meet you before the birth and establish a realationship with the mom and dad
Help you articulate your vision for your birth (birth plan)
Refer you to resources in the community (for prenatal and postpartum)
Do their best to keep you and your partner relaxed and calm in labour
Use a variation of massage and grounding tequniques during labour
Suggest postitions for you in labour and during birth
Reminding hospital staff about the mothers birth plan
Provide postpartum emotional support and help with breastfeeding initiation.

Some Doulas (ME! ME!) are also trained as a postpartum doula. Read more about Doulas https://ridgemeadowsdoulaservices.com/?page_id=125

Your Postpartum Doula will:

A Postpartum Doula

Offer education, companionship and nonjudgmental support after the baby is born
Assists with newborn care and family adjustment
Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary
Assist with basic household chores and meal preparation
Assists with breastfeeding

If you have any questions or concerns, contact me. I can share about what I do personally, my experience, training etc. More importantly I can see if I am the right doula for you.

Why only one?

July 14, 2013

Something I’ve been hearing more and more often is “when are you having another baby?” My daughter is 3.5 years and I can tell acquaintances and clients at work are on ‘baby bump spotting’. Continuously judging my belly and really I just skipped my run for the day and had an extra helping of dinner the night before.

My answer is often “not anytime soon” or “I get my baby fix with my doula clients”… On occasion I get really adamant people who are insisting I am not being the best mother to Mia because I’m not giving her a sibling. I mean, is it really their business? They don’t know my personal life, my family life or my health issues I have been working through for the last 4.5 years (edit- 7.5 years). They don’t know I had a hysterectomy a year ago because i had cancer. And do they need to? Part of me wants to say “I’d love to but I’m missing my uterus” (spiteful maybe?!) The other part of me wants run away and cry and the 3rd part wants to educate. I want to educate people about cancer below the belt and I want people to get regular pap testing. I want to educate people on the challenge it was to get pregnant and the fact that many other woman have a challenging time as well for varying reasons…. And lastly educate people on being happy, content and mindful of their own lives and kiss all the sweet children they have been blessed to have.

Edit- June 2016 and Mia is 6.5 years old. She now has the knowledge of anatomy to know that Mommy doesn’t have a uterus and proudly shares this with alone that will listen. Do her friends or class mates know what a uterus is?! Probably not, but after spending some time with Mia, she will teach them.

Babywearing

July 4, 2013

I am a huge fan of babywearing! I get so excited and passionate about this topic. I feel like babywearing could change your life.

I want people to realize that a newborns life is disrupted by birth. I mean the environment in utero is automatically regulated to the baby and suddenly (or 4 hours of pushing later) the environment changes. Besides having to breath and eat by themselves, babies are now in a bright, noisy world…..They are no longer being gently rocked back in forth with the soothing sound of their mothers voice present. Imagine being carried in a sling or an ergonomically correct carrier? Really it is similar to being in the womb. Mom is walking, baby is rocking and comforted by the sound they have heard all along, the sound of their mothers voice and their mothers heartbeat. You grew this baby inside of you for 9 months and change is hard. Don’t expect your tiny brand-new baby to adjust to the world so quickly.Ease them into it.

Others benefits of babywearing are:

Babies that are worn, cry less and therefore they learn more. They are learning more because babies spend more time in a quiet alertness and they are able to connect with the new world around them when they are not crying. Dr. Sears also says “It may be called the optimal state of learning for a baby. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness.” Parents are more confident. With your baby close to you it helps you get to know them. You’ll learn their cues before they want to eat, sleep and poo. Because you are so close you notice their facial expressions and body language. This is all part of the attachment between a parent and child. It helps the baby learn that their parent follows their prompts and they are rewarded with a snuggle, milk or a clean diaper.

Convenience- as your baby gets bigger and you feel ~~motivate, inspired, empowered~~, ok fine…… obligated to clean the house. This a challenging as you are breastfeeding or caring for siblings, but in a carrier you still have your hands free (YES, you can breastfeed with practice in a carrier with no hands!) This gives you time to eat, pee and check your Pinterest account.

Baby carriers are also surprisingly enjoyable to use with older babies and toddlers. Some carriers are designed to carry up to 45 lbs. There are many times where I pull my Ergo out of my car in a panic because I am late and have to walk somewhere quickly. I can get out of my car, put my 3 1/2 year old in the ergo, run up a flight of stairs, zig-zagging across the mall dodging shoppers faster with the carrier than if I had my stroller. Hiking and navigating through busy airports all can be done with ease when you use a baby carrier.

Lastly enjoy… Your baby/toddler/preschooler will not want to be carried across the stage at their High School graduation. So relax and take pleasure on holding your child close to you and cherish the little moments.