What to do when a baby turns Breech

Sorry again for the delay in a new entry. Life is crazy as always! Kids sure know how to take all your time.. HAHAHA 

So my long time best friend and sister from another mister just had her 3rd baby almost a week ago. She is my "person." I bounce all my ideas on life off of her. She has just as much passion as I do for the birthing community. Her last birth gave me the Inspiration for this entry. 

So a little back history on her. Her first birth ended in a C-section after several hours of forced pushes due to an epidural and caused her cervix to swell. Her second birth was a hospital supported VBAC. Now baby #3 was going going to be another VBAC but baby boy had other ideas! See at 36 weeks she had an ultrasound and everything looked great. Baby was in perfect position. At her 40 week check up they did another ultrasound and found that baby had turned. Not only did he turn he was a double footling breech. 

They told her that  external cephalic version was not an option due to a previous c-section. They sent her home and told her she had 2 days to try to naturally turn the baby. So now we were on the phone with eachother bouncing suggestions and ideas on how to get this baby to turn. Well I got a phone call in the middle of the night saying she was in labor and on the way to the hospital. Fingers crossed that baby had turned! However once they did an ultrasound baby had not turned. So a c-secton it was. Once in the O.R. it took 8 minutes to get the baby out. Apparently he was standing on her cervix with his head in her ribcage! Silly baby... Mom and baby are doing great. He is healthy and a nursing monster...

So I though that maybe it would be a good idea to write this blog for other Mommas and give some natural tips to help get a baby to turn.. 

The Webster Technique is a chiropractic technique that is helpful in allowing babies to get into a proper position. Many people know of it as a "breech turning technique" but it really is about balancing the joints and ligaments of the pelvis to allow the uterus, and therefore the baby, to be in a proper position. A chiropractor who is certified in the Webster Technique will evaluate the woman's sacrum for a subluxation (misalignment) and adjust as necessary. Next, the chiropractor will gently release any tension being held in the round ligaments of the uterus with a gentle pressure at any tight areas. The technique is very gentle and usually very comfortable.

Acupuncture is another option to use to help turn breech babies. Small, thin needles are placed in specific areas to facilitate the turning of the baby. Acupuncture treatments for turning breech babies are typically started between weeks 32 and 34 of pregnancy. Studies have shown that acupuncture alone has about a 70% success rate in turning a breech baby.

Moxibustion is a third option and is often used in conjunction with acupuncture. Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine practice which involves the use of burning a mugwort stick near a specific place on the pregnant woman's little toe. The moxibustion stimulation of this point (Bladder 67) helps to relax the uterine wall and increase fetal activity. Studies have shown it to have a success rate between 69% and 85%. Patients are often given these sticks to continue the treatment at home multiple times per day.

Other conservative and gentle options for turning a breech baby include pelvic tilts, placing a cold compress (such as a cold bag of peas) at the top of the stomach (fetuses are sensitive to cold too), and swimming.Hope that some of these suggestions can help. If your baby is stubborn and you have to get a c-section just know that you still can have an empowering birth. Just talk to your provider on ways that can have you being present and apart of your birth. Ask to have the baby get skin to skin ASAP!!! Good luck to you mommas.... Till next time

Sources:

International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (www.icpa4kids.org)

Breech Babies: Breech Birth (http://www.pregnancy.com.au/breech_babies_breech_birth.htm)

Can Acupuncture Help to Turn a Breech Baby? (http://yinovacenter.com/blog/archives/714)

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/025972_baby_natural_babies.html#ixzz2CoNvlyA5

What does a Doula do?

Sorry I haven't posted lately. Life has been busy. My oldest son is at the end of football season and my daughter has been super busy with girl scouts. So finding time lately has been hard.

However I have been thinking a lot about what to write for my next blog entry. I was kind of all over the place with ideas. That was until I had a parent teacher conference for my oldest son. One of his teachers told me that my son tried to explain what it is that I do. She had never heard of a doula and ended up googling it to find out more information. At the conference she asked me if I could come in and talk to her more about it. It was then that I realize how many people don't really know what a Doula is.

There are a lot of people that get a doula mixed up with a midwife. So I thought that it might be good to explain. The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

As a birth doula we have key things we focus on. Here are a few: Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life. Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor. Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth. Stays with the woman throughout the labor. Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision. Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers. Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience. Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level.

Studies have shown that the presence of a doula improves birth in the following ways:

• 50% reduction in cesarean birth
• 30% reduction in requests for pain medication
• 60% fewer requests for epidural anesthesia
• 25% decrease in the length of labor
• Lower post partum rate for mothers
• Increased breast feeding success
• Greater overall satisfaction from the mother about her birth

More significantly, women and their partners feel more in control, better informed, educated, more at ease and confident in the birth process when an effective labor support person is nearby.
Postpartum Support Statistics
Research shows that families who received support during the fourth trimester - after the birth of the baby - had a reduction in the following areas:

• Postpartum Mood Disorders such as Postpartum Depression
• problems associated with breastfeeding such as latch (regardless of nipple type), milk production, breast infections and other unforeseen issues
• problems with older sibling adjustment
• feeling of disorder or feeling "out of control" during the postpartum period

So I hope that this can give you some insite as do what a doula does. If you have any questions please get in touch with me. A doula can really make a huge difference in your birth experience.

 

From the Beginning

I started this journey as a scared teen mom. I became pregnant at 18 and delivered my amazing son on my 19th birthday. The whole process of pregnancy and delivery were very unfamiliar to me. I didn't really have any friends that had babies that I could bounce ideas off of or even talk about what made me scared. All I knew is that I wanted an all natural birth and I new that I wanted to breastfeed. 

So the amazing day came when I was in labor. It was my 19th birthday and I was visiting my Mom in the hospital. I had no idea I was in labor, my Mom informed me that my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. A few hours later I was admitted to the hospital and instantly hooked up to pitocin. Everything moved very quickly and all I remember was asking for an epidural. Everyone knew I didn't want one but no one encouraged me not to get it. I laid on my back hooked up to all these things and everything just seemed so fast and sudden. Next thing I knew my doctor was there and 15 minutes of coached pushes I had a 7lb 5oz perfect baby boy. I held him for about 20 min. Then he was whisked away. 

i just remember everyone telling he was perfect yet I hadn't seen him in 2 hours. I was so full of anxiety not having my baby right there. Once they finally brought him to me I was informed that if I fell asleep with him in my bed they would take him away to the nursery. Now I had even more anxiety. Then came breastfeeding, it hurt and was awkward, I had no idea if I was doing it right. I never saw a lactation consultant. Oh and they let me go home less then 24 hours after giving birth. It was like giving birth in a drive thru. Thank you come again! 

So about 4 years later I was in school to be a L&D nurse I knew I needed to be apart of this birth process and I knew that there was a huge need for compassion and understanding for moms! I found out that I was having another baby! This time I was adamant that I would do things different. I had chosen a smaller hospital under the care of a midwife. I did more research and was still determined to have a natural delivery. 

Well my baby girl was stubborn. My water broke sometime in the mid afternoon. I went to the hospital thinking that it was going to be a fast labor like my last one. Boy was I wrong. After 12 hours of nothing they decided to give me pitocin to start labor. However now that I think about it never did my midwife encourage me to move around to help jump start my labor. 

Finally my labor was going and I was once again stuck laying in bed hooked up to more machines. My back was hurting so bad that I decided to once again get an epidural. No protest once again from anyone. Another round of couched pushes and my beautiful baby girl was born weighing 7lbs. 

After this I decided there needed to be more women in this field with compassion and understanding. So I looked into becoming a midwife. However I put things on hold to be a mom and help my husband with his career. 

It wasn't until another 4 years when I got pregnant with baby number 3 that I finally realized what my life's calling is. See I was bound and determined to have this baby natural. I wanted it so much. Thank god for the internet cause I stayed up late so many nights reading and watching videos. I searched for the best hospital and best midwife in my area. I informed her at every visit  how bad I wanted this. She was so supportive and encouraging. 

So the faithful day came. My water broke in the middle of the night. I called my midwife and let her know. I paced and paced through my house. I couldn't go back to sleep. So I decided to head to the hospital. I walked the halls, bounced on the ball, squatted, tilted, and everything you could think of to get this labor going. Nothing would stay consistent. We decided that maybe a jump start with pitocin would help. After 8 hours of inconsistent contractions they took me off of it and told me to get some sleep. I felt defeated. I paced and paced the halls trying so hard to get my body to do it. Finally I decided that maybe I just needed sleep. Bright and early in the morning came another round of pitocin. After a few hours of pretty steady contractions the O/B my midwife works under wanted to check my progress. Well he was able to find a second water sack. Once that was broken things were fast and intense. They took me off of the pitocin and had me in the bath. I was surrounded by my kids, my mom, my brother, my husband, and my midwife and nurses... I armed myself with knowledge and I was going to trust my body to give birth to this baby naturally.

Man oh man did I get scared. I lost focus and caved and asked for medicine. I was scared and tired. But this time they didn't give it to me. Instead everyone in the room encouraged me and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. They calmed me down and refocused my attention. I was able to embrace my body and pushed my baby out on my own! My 8lb 1.5oz baby boy. No drugs in the water sounded by family and love! 

It was after that birth that I realized what changed. It was the support system. I had surrounded myself with people who knew what I wanted and didnt give up on me. They encouraged me when I needed it and knew when to back off. It was then that I realized what my calling was. I wanted to give that to other moms. I want them to feel that support and love and encouragement they so need during the most vulnerable time in their lives. 

So I set out and decided to become a doula! I just attended my first birth and it was awe inspiring. It was total conformation that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing! 

Thanks for reading until next week......