Archive for Hospital Birth
Why I Chose a Hospital Birth
When I was pregnant for the first time I thought long and hard about my birth location. With so many hospitals, birth centers, and home-birth midwives to choose from in the Spokane area it was no easy task. In the end I decided to birth my son “the old fashioned way” (vs the VERY old [...]
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Pregnant With Twins? Now What?
Being pregnant with twins is hard. It’s hard on your body and your mind. During my twin pregnancy, I found it to be most difficult mentally (once the puking stopped around week 15 anyway). The medical establishment, and therefore most people, expects a woman pregnant with twins to have an elective cesarean section around week 38. This is not what I wanted, so I spent a lot of time researching my options. I am also a birth doula, so I went into pregnancy with a lot of knowledge.
The first thing to remember with any pregnancy is that you MUST be flexible. I wanted a natural, unmedicated birth. I did not get that. I spent my time finding a doctor who was supportive of the birth that I wanted, but he did lay out some guidelines. [...]
I’ll Take a Doula and an Epidural
JUNE 30, 2011
I’m planning on having an epidural. How will a doula benefit me?
If you’re planning on having an epidural for your upcoming birth (after weighing the risks and benefits and making an informed decision) you may be wondering how a doula can help you.
A doula can help you stay relaxed and comfortable at home during early labor, assisting you and your birthing companions and helping everyone to remain confident and calm. She can help with position changes, give reminders to eat, drink, use the bathroom and make suggestions for comfort measures that will help throughout your birth.
We know that birthing is an intimate event. By remaining at home in early labor you increase the effectiveness of your labor as you are better able to relax in your environment. Many women—especially first time moms—say they are able to calmly labor at home for much longer than they would have without a doula’s support. This may allow for interventions to be avoided and result in a quicker, more effective labor. [...]
We Need Your Birth Photos
Bloom Spokane is about to produce it’s first promotional video that will be used as a PSA (Public Service Announcement) on our website and other local media outlets, including TV. Our aim is to reach a wide audience of childbearing families in the Spokane/CDA region and encourage them to use our amazing, free resources. And we know that video is the way to do it.
Corner Booth Media, a Spokane video and film production company, has graciously offered to create a professionally-produced video that will tell the story about our organization and the families we have impacted. They do amazing work. Have you seen the “STCU is Me” ad campaign? These guys know how to tell a story!
6 Things I Learned from Ina May Gaskin
Last Friday I attended the Midwives Association of Washington State Spring Conference where Ina May Gaskin, “mother of modern midwifery,” schooled us on the horrifying history of childbirth in the U.S. and shared her thoughts on restoring childbirth to its rightful owners—women! The title of Ina May’s presentation that day was, “Combining the Best of [...]
Spokane Baby Fair 2011
MARCH 14, 2011
There is power in numbers! Bloom Spokane and our fabulous group of exhibitors made a powerful statement at yesterday’s Baby Fair. Our group of 15 mother-friendly organizations and providers occupied quite a large section of the event and no one there could deny that the Spokane region is home to a wealth of information and services dedicated to helping women realize their full potential during the childbearing year. [...]
Your Patient Rights in Labor & Delivery
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Bloom Spokane is thrilled to announce that our last blog article, “Birth Advice From Labor & Delivery Nurses,” went viral on Facebook and brought the most web traffic ever to our site. Typically, we have a mostly local audience and this latest article marks the first time we’ve had a large national audience on our blog. We are grateful to everyone who found the article worthy of their attention and participated in the conversation.
In response to the article we received a lot of positive feedback…and one BIG, RESOUNDING message from our readers about their displeasure with how patient rights and hospital standards of practice were portrayed in the article. Many were outraged that the nurses interviewed said that some hospital protocols are “non-negotiable” and pointed out that all patients have the right to informed consent/refusal. Bloom Spokane absolutely supports a woman’s right to make informed decisions about her pregnancy and birth options and advocates evidence-based, mother-friendly care as defined by the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI). We should have qualified this point in the interview and expanded on the topic of informed consent when the article was originally published. We would like to take this opportunity to address our readers’ concerns and set the record straight about what your patient rights are when you enter the hospital to have your baby. [...]
Birth Advice from Labor & Delivery Nurses
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
In the U.S., approximately 90% of women give birth in hospitals. It is the cultural “norm” in this country and the birth setting where most parents feel comfortable. However, the latest studies point to an unnecessary overuse of technology during pregnancy and birth. As Jennifer Block writes in Pushed, “Decades of research show that the healthiest birth for you and your baby — and that means your partner, your family, and your community — is a normal, vaginal birth with minimal intervention and maximum support.” [...]
Deaconess Labor and Delivery Gets an Upgrade
NOVEMBER 10, 2010
I stopped by Deaconess Medical Center’s open house yesterday to check out the recent improvements they’ve made to the labor and delivery rooms in the Women’s and Children’s center. Laboring moms, you will be happy to know that each room now has a deep-soaker, jetted bathtub with handles all around. You can cover your entire belly with warm, flowing water and the larger tubs allow for easier side-lying, squatting or other labor positions moms might want to assume. As many of us know, laboring in water is one of the best ways to ease the intensity of contractions. [...]
Review Your Maternity Care Provider Online
OCTOBER 29, 2010
Bloom Spokane believes that women of childbearing age must have access to information that will help them choose maternity care providers and institutions that are most compatible with their own philosophies and needs. This includes being able to access patient feedback on doctors, midwives, hospitals and birth centers.
If you’ve given birth in the United States in the past three years, you are eligible to participate in The Birth Survey. Thanks to The Birth Survey: Transparency in Maternity Care, “women can now give consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others, and view data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates.” If enough women take this survey, it could have a serious impact on maternity care in the U.S. [...]
