LavenDoula

Yesterday’s twins were born at home at 38 weeks to a 17 year old momma. One was head down and the other was breech. One was 6 pounds and the other was 7 pounds. Both babies were full term, healthy babies born to a teen mom who rocked her vaginal homebirth of twins! And yes, she’s now exclusively breastfeeding her babies. This is what being told that you were made to birth can do! This young woman is my niece. She’s grown up in a family culture of being told that birth is hard work but it’s not scary. She’s heard that women are strong and that they’re made to birth. So when it was her time to do this woman’s work, that’s exactly what she did. ❤️

In the last trimester, the placenta begins to secrete a corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH, which enables the mother to mentally and physically handle extreme amounts of stress; by the time of birth, most mothers have up to three times their pre-pregnancy levels of CRH[1] (or what we like to call the super-hero hormone).

I clearly remember wandering around my home in the postpartum period, unable to figure out how to accomplish my daily tasks because of an inability to act decisively in the presence of normal toddler activity, mess, and demands.

The ability to multi-task, overcome problems, and discover new solutions when obstacles arise are all skills directly affected by CRH hormones.

When the placenta is born, the feedback system that regulated the hormone’s production is interrupted, and the mother is left with only the CRH production of the hypothalamus. Because of this, postpartum mothers have low levels of this stress-fighting hormone making them more vulnerable to depression and less able to perform well under stress.

Studies from the National Institute of Health have found that consuming the placenta stimulates and stabilizes CRH levels. Endocrinologist George Chrousos, who led the NIH study, concluded that since the placenta contains large amounts of orally-active CRH, ingesting the placenta will stabilize CRH levels resulting in “a more stable emotional life for the mother.”[2]

[1] Chrousos, G. “Baby Blues-Postpartum Depression Attributed to Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone After Placenta Is Gone.” Brief Bnet., 1995.

[2] Makrigiannakis A, Zoumakis E, Kalantaridou S, Chrousos G. “Endometrial and Placental CRH As Regulators of Human Embryo Implantation.” Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 62(1-2), 2004, pp 53-9.

World-first study links birth interventions and long-term childhood illness A team of leading international researchers has discovered significant links between medical interventions used in the birthing process – such as caesarean section and induction – and a child’s long-term health.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but attachment parenting in a detached society is exhausting.
No. It’s not your baby.
There is nothing wrong with them if they want to be held all the time.
No. It’s not you.
You’re not doing it wrong.
Your feelings of exhaustion and depletion and being touched out are normal- considering the weight you’re carrying. Those feelings, and the deep ache underneath them - are a reminder that you were never meant to do this alone.
Babies want to be held. And we want to hold them close. Exclusive/extended breastfeeding, cosleeping, babywearing- all of these are intuitive, ancestral practices that have kept our species alive throughout history. Attachment parenting is just parenting!!
But never before have we parented in such isolation. There were always other hands stirring the soup pot, other aunties, and sisters, and uncles and grandmas, and cousins, and neighbors helping with the daily tasks and child rearing. Other arms carrying the weight of raising humanity. Together.
And now, it’s just you. Alone in the kitchen, trying to stir the soup and bounce the baby and play with the toddler and keep an eye on the big kid and answer the phone and sweep up the mess and tackle the laundry and .....
No matter how magical your baby wrap is — it can’t take the place of a whole village.
So no, you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just trying to stay connected in a world set on tearing you apart.
But don’t give up mama. I know you’re tired and touched out, but you’re giving your baby exactly what she needs. And maybe one day, when she’s raising her own babies,there will be a village around her, helping her hold it all together.

Beautiful words and Pic by on Instagram

Everyone should have this information. 👇🏼
This way, if you choose to have IV fluids and or need them, newborn weight and loss/gain can account for this in the first weeks.
In 2011 a team of Canadian researchers published a study which linked routine IV fluids with excessive weight loss in newborns. The study concluded that it takes about 24 hours for babies to correct their fluid state and therefore a true birth weight should be done at 24 hours. Here's the issue with with weighing baby at birth with a mother who received IV fluids: those fluids not only over saturate the mother (throwing her into an electrolyte imbalance), but this same thing happens to baby!
So let's say you had the typical hospital birth..labored for 12 hours with fluids being pumped into you the entire time. Baby is born weighing 8lbs 8oz. You go to your 3 day postpartum checkup and baby is down to 7lbs 5oz! Well..thats over a whole pound lost. The provider you see suddenly encourages you to supplement with formula because your baby is losing too much weight. You wonder how could this be...youve been nursing round the clock, changed plenty of wet diapers. How could this happen? .
You spent months researching breastfeeding and all its benefits for it to come down to this?..and at only 3 days postpartum! You feel like you've failed, but you fear that your baby is starving. So what do you do? You supplement...with formula. Next your milk supply drops because you're not bringing baby to the breast, but rather to the bottle. Before you know it you have an exclusively formula fed baby. .
This scenario is SO common, and I believe receiving IV fluids in labor is a HUGE part of the problem. As if the obstetric community hasn't failed women enough..now their "harmless" interventions caused you to lose all confidence in your ability to feed & nourish your baby from your breasts. .
So what can you do???
1. STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEM!
2. Say NO to routine IV fluids
3. Bring this study to attention if this happens to you
4. Continue nursing your baby. Bring baby to breast as first solution when she cries
5. Nurse in demand NOT on schedule



Edited to add:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948093/

References:
https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-4358-6-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174114/pdf/1746-4358-6-9.pdf

https://www.nfaap.org/sso/sso.aspx?nfredirect=https%3A%2F%2Fpediatrics.aappublications.org%2Fcontent%2F127%2F1%2Fe171.abstract%3Fsso%3D1%26sso_redirect_count%3D2%26nfstatus%3D401%26nftoken%3D00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000%26nfstatusdescription%3DERROR%253A%2520No%2520local%2520token&no-redirect

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine put this as well in one of its 2017 protocols. https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/3-supplementation-protocol-english.pdf

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2011/08/15/study-shows-link-between-maternal-iv-fluids-and-weight-loss-in-newborns/

Good info form evidence based birth.
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/iv-fluids-during-labor/

“When pregnant, the cells of the baby migrate into the mothers bloodstream and then circle back into the baby, it’s called “fetal-maternal microchimerism”.⁠
For 41 weeks, the cells circulate and merge backwards and forwards, and after the baby is born, many of these cells stay in the mother’s body, leaving a permanent imprint in the mothers tissues, bones, brain, and skin, and often stay there for decades. Every single child a mother has afterwards will leave a similar imprint on her body, too.
Even if a pregnancy doesn't go to full term or if you have an abortion, these cells still migrate into your bloodstream.
Research has shown that if a mother's heart is injured, fetal cells will rush to the site of the injury and change into different types of cells that specialize in mending the heart.
The baby helps repair the mother, while the mother builds the baby.
How cool is that?
This is often why certain illnesses vanish while pregnant.
It’s incredible how mothers bodies protect the baby at all costs, and the baby protects & rebuilds the mother back - so that the baby can develop safely and survive.
Think about crazy cravings for a moment. What was the mother deficient in that the baby made them crave?
Studies have also shown cells from a fetus in a mothers brain 18 years after she gave birth. How amazing is that?”
If you’re a mom you know how you can intuitively feel your child even when they are not there….Well, now there is scientific proof that moms carry them for years and years even after they have given birth to them.
I find this to be so very beautiful.
Source unknown

Not every baby needs 15 minutes per side. Some babies take a full feeding in only a few minutes minutes, and from just one breast per feeding. Other babies may feed for a few minutes off each side. Older, more distractible babies are efficient eaters with more important things to do than state at your chest. They may graze at the b**b a few minutes at a time or want to go back and forth from side to side.

In general, you know baby is getting enough breast milk when you have a pain free latch where the ni**le goes in and out of baby’s mouth the same shape. You can hear baby swallow and don’t need to keep them awake at the breast for them to continue feeding. Baby should be making lots of heavy wet diapers and pooping daily or every other day. They also gain weight to their own curve and are a similar size of your unique family genetics.

If your baby typically latches for you, and feeds well, and refuses to latch, they most likely are done. Follow your baby’s lead and get to know their feeding habits. Trust your baby and trust your body. If you’re concerned about how your baby is feeding, schedule and appointment with a breastfeeding expert: an IBCLC lactation consultant.

1925% increase in foetal deaths. Horrible! Stop it now!!!
https://angelikamihalik.substack.com/p/megugrott-a-magzati-halalozasok-szama?utm_source=facebook&s=r&fbclid=IwAR2-eCcpDRVDjzRpUKKDE2mvgW2EOaVuqAW25l5nmCZNga-ao9dSFMAHSAc

Megugrott a magzati halálozások száma Watch now (2 min) | A Frontline Flash™ Daily Dose videója feliratozva

“Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?! Amazing, right?” ❤️

~via Momma’s World

Approximately 1/3 of women describe their birth as traumatic. These are only those who report their experience. One of the most invalidating phrases in maternity care is "well at least you had a healthy baby." Obviously they are happy their baby is healthy. But let's not pretend that's all that matters. To use that phrase as a scapegoat to normalize obstetric violence and to further invalidate the very real feelings that come with birth trauma is absolutely unacceptable. We need to do better.

Family centered birth. This is what the standard of birth should be. Calm. Patient. Undisturbed.

Mama: Dayna Jangles
📷: Andie and Ollie Photography

When baby is still high (-2 station or higher) sometimes a little nudge to open the pelvic inlet helps correct positional issues and encourages engagement. This is a great position to use with an epidural or when mom just needs a rest (Bonus: you can still do hip squeezes during contractions to help open the hips by pressing down on top of the upper thigh).

Make sure to pop those hips out forward and push those knees back as far as they will go.

This mama (a client of Julie’s) labored long and hard to get her sweet baby here, and this position helped bring baby down.

What are some things you did or are planning to do to help labor progress?

My go to tip is just keep moving! Changing positions every 3-5 contractions helps the pelvis, uterus, and baby work together.

📸:
Tips:

Do you know why eye ointment (Erythromycin) is given at birth?
It is offered because there were babies being born with ophthalmia neonatorum, which is a strain of pink eye caused by ghonnorea and chlamydia.
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Pink eye.... we’re pre-treating every single baby for pink eye.
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‼️If mom doesn't have either of those, the ointment is basically pointless and nonbeneficial with potential of dangerous side effects.‼️
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🚫 RISKS of erythromycin: eye irritation, CLOGGED TEAR DUCTS, prevents oxygen from getting to baby's eyes, JAUNDICE, chemical conjunctivitis (pink eye), blurred vision that may interfere with bonding (super important in the first moments/hours), contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, has a 20% failure rate, possibility of allergic reaction.
The antibiotics in the ointment enter the bloodstream through the eye – the potential for diaper rash, thrush, and digestive problems are all present when this happens.
You can refuse it!

Imagine how intense hunger must feel when you’ve only ever known complete satisfaction...

Imagine how lonely a crib must feel when you have only ever experienced the cramped tight embrace of your Mama’s womb...

Imagine how deafening silence must be when you have never not heard the beating of your Mama’s heart...

Let’s all have grace and patience for the babies as they adapt to life in the big wide world. These first few months should not be a race to be separated as soon as possible. This season too shall pass 🌿

A photo showing droplets of breast milk fending off armies of harmful bacteria in Petri dishes is going viral on Facebook.⁣
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The photo, posted by a biology student in England, features nine Petri dishes completely colonized with the bacteria M. Luteus, except in the center, where tiny puddles of breast milk have created what looks like “moats” of protection around themselves.⁣
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The student, Vicky Green, said she had similar results with Petri dishes full of e.Coli and the dreaded anti-biotic resistant “super bug” MRSA.⁣
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“The white spots in the middle are discs soaked in two samples of breastmilk,” Green wrote in the caption of her post. “See the clear bit around the discs ― that’s where the proteins in the milk have inhibited the bacteria!”⁣
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An article from YourPediatrician.com explains how this is possible:⁣
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“About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles. Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to whatever disease is present in their environment, making their milk custom-designed to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well.”⁣
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What’s even more impressive is that the samples of milk in the photos came from the mother of a 15-month-old and a 3-year-old, providing further evidence that breast milk continues to protect against illness long beyond infancy.

❤️❤️❤️

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/22/covid-restrictions-on-women-giving-birth-are-causing-heartbreak-we-need-to-be-more-humane?fbclid=IwAR0pYnhX1elbLpUeWdpilb8S9VAftcIWLyShJq-sKTh49fJAr48cK35ZrHU

Covid restrictions on women giving birth are causing heartbreak. We need to be more humane | Hannah Dahlen I’ve been studying the effects of restrictions on pregnant women since last year. Some are too harsh