A New Generation of Nurses
When I started nursing school, I had no idea that I would one day want to become an obstetrics nurse. The limited experience that I had with OB revolved around the fact that my mother had natural births with my two siblings and myself. She calls herself “pioneer woman” because of this, and at first, [...]
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Planning a Day To Remember
People spend years imagining their weddings. Months go into planning every detail. We invest our time, money, and energy because this will be an event to remember for a lifetime. We don’t often think of it in the same way, but our child’s birth is also an event that you will remember forever. It makes [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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!
Plan Your Hospital Birth
If you are going to have your baby in a hospital, you can greatly benefit from having a birth plan—especially if you’re planning a natural birth. In the article Eyes Open Childbirth, author Amy Scott says, “In a hospital, the possible interventions are numerous and it is wise to be aware of these methods, their usefulness, their risks, and in some cases, their misuse or overuse. It can be easy to forget that in most ways birth is reliable, and that in the case of most healthy women, it can be trusted to produce a healthy baby with no more intervention than encouraging words, soothing hands and watchful eyes.” The article goes on to describe all of the medical interventions and birth processes you should be aware of and educated about in case you have to make a game-day decision about what’s right for you. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read it! [...]
Deaconess Women’s Clinic: Part 1
In my ongoing effort to bring Bloom readers insights and expertise from our local natural birth professionals, I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to speak with Catherine Shields, one of the certified nurse midwives at the Deaconess Women’s Clinic in Spokane. It’s no secret that I had my second baby under the care of the Clinic’s midwives and so I know how passionately devoted Catherine is to the care of pregnant women and babies. To hear her speak about birth is a transformative experience—just as birth itself should be! [...]
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. [...]
Natural Birth in Hospitals
Even though it is a radical idea to many mainstream childbirth professionals, it is entirely possible to have a natural birth in a hospital—one without any medical interventions, pain medications or surgical procedures. It is even possible to have a beautiful, satisfying and empowering birth experience in a hospital, provided the parents have chosen the proper health care professionals and received thorough education about natural childbirth methods.
However, pregnant women must take matters into their own hands—your birth is your responsibility! If you believe that natural birth in a hospital setting is the best option for you, finding the right Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) who will support your vision of natural birth is key to achieving your goal. As well, you should prepare for the experience by taking natural childbirth classes (Lamaze, Bradley Method, HypnoBirthing) and make sure that you have proper labor support. First time mothers giving birth in a hospital can greatly benefit from, and are more likely to achieve a non-medicated birth, with the help of a doula. [...]
Every Woman Should See This!
If you are pregnant or even planning to have a baby, I highly recommend watching this documentary. It will strip away any illusions you may have about the experience of giving birth in a hospital or at home.
After having her first child, actress Ricki Lake (of talk show fame) decided to explore and question the way most American women are having babies. “The Business of Being Born” is a controversial documentary that will open your eyes about the shocking state of our current maternity care system in the U.S. It presents intimate birth stories, juxtaposing standard hospital deliveries against the growing movement of women who are choosing to have natural births at home. [...]
