Archive for July, 2009
The Risks of Epidurals
I have recently talked to a few women who are concerned about having an epidural during childbirth and want to know the risks and benefits involved with this type of anesthesiology since it has become “the norm” in most hospitals today. I’m no expert on the subject and have never had one myself, but I know that women need to educate themselves about this medical procedure before they arrive at the hospital to have a baby. The decision to have an epidural or not is completely personal and it is up to each woman to decide what is right for her.
As Kim James, a certified birth doula in Seattle, says, “There are obstetrical situations in which an epidural promotes a healthier labor and thus indirectly helps the baby. But there are instances when an ill-timed epidural interferes with the normal progress of labor and therefore may negatively affect the baby. Before you take a leap of faith and sign the consent forms, obtain information from reliable sources about the safety of any drug or procedure for you and your baby, and learn exactly what it will do for you.” [...]
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New Christian Childbirth Classes
I am excited to tell you about a new breed of natural childbirth education classes that will soon be offered in the Spokane area. Local doulas Stephanie Nobles and Terri Young have developed a Christian childbirth curriculum that prepares expectant couples for unmedicated birth through faith-based learning. I met with Stephanie this week (that’s us together in the photo) to learn more about the content of the classes and how the Christian faith is used to teach childbirth preparedness.
For many women and their partners, childbirth is a deeply spiritual event—it is often the most profound moment in their lives and their Christian walk. Stephanie and Terri believe that women who learn to use their faith to embrace pregnancy and birth come out of the experience feeling powerful and beautiful. What better way to enter your new life as a parent! [...]
Choosing a Doctor or OB
Since Bloom was launched a few weeks ago, I have had a couple of inquiries from women wanting recommendations for local doctors and obstetricians (OBs) who have good reputations for attending natural births. While I believe midwives are the best care providers for low-risk, normal pregnancies I understand that there are women who require the prenatal medical care of a physician but are still interested in a natural labor and delivery. I have heard it said that most OBs may only give lip service to “natural birth” or consider any vaginal birth—even those with induction, medication and other interventions—a natural birth.
However, there are a few doctors and OBs who gain reputations for being supportive of natural childbirth. I have spoken to a few of our local doulas with a lot of hospital birth experience and done some online research to be able to provide these recommendations to Bloom readers. [...]
HypnoBirthing in Spokane
I met up with our local HypnoBirthing educators this morning to talk about the work they do and find out what inspired them to teach expectant couples. Wendy Connolly of Spokane HypnoBirthing located on the South Hill and Mary Long of Inland HypnoBirthing located in Green Acres, just east of Spokane Valley, are both delightful women and we had a great time sharing our own personal birth stories with eachother.
Mary and Wendy acknowledged that HypnoBirthing is initially perceived by some as a hippie-weirdo practice that brings to mind swinging pendulums and comatose patients. In actuality, HypnoBirthing is a method of self hypnosis that enables a woman to block her body’s pain perception and ease anxiety during natural childbirth. This is achieved by maintaining a state of deep relaxation during labor and birth, made possible by practicing breathing and visualization techniques during pregnancy in preparation for the big day. The word “self” is key here, as no one besides the laboring mom can make this happen—it’s not magic. [...]
Hiring a Doula: A Husband’s Perspective
I was struck by Cara’s Wright’s comments in last Friday’s blog post about the reservations fathers-to-be have about hiring a doula. As a husband that had doubts about it myself, I thought I’d share my experience and hope you find it helpful. In my opinion, men’s resistance to hiring a doula comes from three factors.
Money, Privacy, and Control
We don’t like paying extra. We also know childbirth is very expensive. To many fathers-to-be, a doula just isn’t needed. It’s the equivalent of buying the warranty—and we never get the warranty. You want someone to come with us to the hospital on this special day? Someone crashing our private family moment? Someone telling us what to do? Cara is right, many husbands don’t want to pay for that lack of privacy and control. [...]
Birth Educator Cara Wright Interview
I had the opportunity yesterday morning to meet with Cara Wright. She is a pre- and post-natal yoga instructor and birth educator at Harmony Yoga in Spokane as well as a doula working with expectant mothers and fathers in our community. She is truly a lovely person—very well versed in all things related to pregnancy and birth—and her devotion to working with pregnant women and their partners is undeniable when you hear her speak about natural birth education. [...]
