Sonoran Moon Birth

“I Won’t Hold Your Baby

…unless you ask me to, in which case, I will snuggle and cuddle your baby as much as you want me to.

I never ask my clients if I can hold their baby. In fact, I rarely ever touch my client’s baby if I can help it. Sounds sort of like the opposite of what you might picture of a doula, right? We must all be birth crazy, baby obsessed women who just want to cover babies in kisses and love and get an emotional high from attending births?

Not this doula.

I LOVE attending births. Call me crazy, but getting those middle of the night calls is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get to listen to someone at their most vulnerable times - the excitement, the hesitation, the nervousness of the unknown. Being able to provide some comfort, reassurance and continuity of care to the people I work with is so important to me (and them!)

Rushing off in the night, quietly getting myself ready, getting in the car and heading off to their home or hospital makes me feel like I’m on a secret birth mission that nobody around me knows about. When I arrive I fall as seamlessly as I can into the rhythm of the birth and start supporting my clients in whatever way they need most.

When the baby arrives I step aside and leave room for the new parents to discover their baby. I try and grab some photos (I’m not a birth photographer though, so keep your expectations in check!) and then I only step in if my client needs me for some reason.

Why does that matter? Why won’t I ask to hold your baby? Simply because: they are yours, not mine. I want you to be able to hold your baby as close as you want, for as long as you want without anyone interrupting that time. There will be enough people coming along in the next few hours and weeks who need to take that baby out of your arms for whatever reason, and tons of friends and family who will offer help by “holding the baby”.

Instead, I want to hold you, whether that’s in my arms, in my heart or my thoughts. By supporting and “holding” you, I don’t need to hold your baby. But if you ask me to, I would LOVE to.”

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These aren't modern crazes we've taken up.

They aren't terrible habits we've gotten ourselves into, that need to be stopped asap before they ruin our babies.

They are ancient parenting practices, and they are the blueprint on your newborn baby's brain and what they expect from you as soon as they are born.

This is why the work that I do with families antenatally, and with newborns up to 6 months is purely about setting expectations for normal newborn sleep, feeding and creating secure bonds, and looking after yourself as well.

Sometimes just knowing what's normal is enough and you can carry on following that ancient intuition that was always within you 🤍

credit: Raised Good ❤️

❄️❄️ Our gorgeous winter issue is out now, packed full of treats for you and your little ones! You can pick up TNP from your local countdown or selected stockists in NZ or for our Aussie Friends - check out your local newsagent. Plus it’s available to purchase locally and internationally online here: https://thenaturalparentmagazine.com/product.../magazine/ ❄️❄️

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/

You can literally choose everything and anything and deny whatever you want!

Did you know that all maternity care is optional?

That means you can accept or decline any, all or none of it during pregnancy, birth or postpartum!

You are the boss!

Don't go into the labor ward with a patient mentality.

You are in charge of your care. Own it!

When I see my clients really understanding this and owning their experiences, it's A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT!

Photo on Instagram

Remember, you can be your OWN hero for your birth 😘


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Lol! Honestly though!

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Helping Women Survive Birth in a Pandemic As the maternal mortality rate surged during the pandemic, Niulquie McKinney, a doula and midwife, turned her attention to the most vulnerable mothers-to-be.

If you'd like to join us all tomorrow message me for the link! We'd love to have you there if you can make it 🥰💗

A hospital’s priority is decreasing liability & maximizing profits.

Hospitals are businesses, after all.

Though you may get an OB or nurse who wants to support you, at the end of the day keeping their job is more important to them than your birth plan. They have rules to follow if they don’t want to be reprimanded or let go.

So they WILL induce you to make their schedule easier.
They WILL try to sp*ed up your labor to get you out of that room.
They WILL tell you that you “need” a c-section for lots of reasons that are lies.

If you don’t educate yourself about what you will face while giving birth in the hospital, you will be railroaded into choices you wouldn’t otherwise make. Having a plan is crucial. It can’t always save you, but it gives you a much better chance of coming out of your birth feeling strong, capable, and so dang proud of yourself.

//catch//

What if no one *catches* the baby? Often we see women getting low to the ground when there are no expectations of a midwife catching her baby. The baby will come out of her body and be born to the floor and spend a few seconds gathering air into their lungs and pushing out the fluid which has kept their lungs open and ready for this moment.

The mother spends those moments catching her breath and saying a prayer of thanks for the end of the hard contractions that feature in late labor.

It is a still and emotion-rich moment. It does not require fixing.
A baby does not need to be put on their mother’s body.
The two will reach for one another when the time is right.

Don’t disturb the process.
Spend your own seconds being grateful that you were given the invitation to be there.

8x stronger then or**sm?

Want to experience a natural high of love, bliss, and ecstasy 8x (or more!) stronger then or**sm?

Try physiologic birth.

Oxytocin and beta-endorphins are our hormones of love and ecstasy, respectively, and are some of the key hormones of both s*x and birth.

Beta-endorphins also activate the mesocorticolimbic dopamine reward system, which releases natural opiates into the brain and makes an experience intensely pleasurable and addictive in a positive sense.

Around or**sm oxytocin levels in women generally double, although this is influenced by multiple factors such as the phase of the menstrual cycle and number of or**sms. Interestingly, it has been shown that the higher the oxytocin levels, the stronger the or**sm.

In an unmedicated, physiologic birth, oxytocin levels rise steadily throughout labor. Oxytocin levels are elevated around 3-4 times above normal during pushing, and have been shown to be elevated for the baby as well.

However, in the hour or so after birth oxytocin levels have been shown to be elevated around 10 times above normal - the highest peak of our lifetimes!

This peak of oxytocin after the birth goes hand-in-hand with a very special period called the “golden hour,” a magical time of us and our babies falling deeply in love with each other.

Oxytocin also activates instinctive behaviors of mothering and bonding, and is intrinsic in the breastfeeding process along with prolactin.

*It is important to note that these particular elevated levels of oxytocin are present typically only in physiologic birth. Certain pain medications, such as epidural analgesia, have been shown to disrupt the endogenous (internal) production of oxytocin by the body or slow it’s rise, as well as disrupting the production of beta-endorphins and some other hormones of birth.

**not a judgement of anyone who chooses or needs to have an epidural or use other pain medications in their birth.

Did you experience this peak of love and ecstasy after giving birth?

Words Oceana .earth.motherhood

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**smicbirth

You have choices, mama!

Just because something is “routine” or “protocol” does not mean it’s mandatory. You alone hold the power over your choices when it comes to your pregnancy and birth, and you are allowed to say no to things you don’t want.

Do your research.
Find a care provider you trust and talk to them.
Trust your instinct.

Note: this is not me saying you SHOULD opt out of these things, this is me saying you CAN. My hope is that whatever decisions you make you do it out of fully informed consent and what feels right to YOU - no matter what kind of birth you choose!”

Post
Via

“When can I come see the baby?”
A question new moms might hear over and over.
At least at first.
Sometimes before she has left the hospital.
Before she has had a chance to sleep.
Before she has even showered off the blood.
“When can I come see the baby?”
Her phone dings while she settles back in to her home with a brand new human - to her brand new normal.
Her estrogen and progesterone levels are plummeting from the highest they’ve ever been to the lowest. She is shaky and hot and cold and sweaty and weak.
Whether she chooses to breastfeed or not, her milk is coming in and she is sore and engorged.
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Whether she delivered vaginally or by c-section, her uterus will be contracting for days and weeks. Sometimes it’s as painful as labor.
She’s bleeding and will continue to bleed for up to six weeks post-delivery.
Her crotch is swollen and puffy and sore, or her incision is painful, or both.
She is struggling to go to the bathroom - and she p*es her pants (or pad) when she laughs, sneezes, and coughs.
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Her core muscles are weak, making lifting ANYthing hard.
She’s starving. Endlessly starving.
She has stretch marks and varicose veins, hair loss and acne, blurry vision and dry eyes. She sees a stranger in the mirror.
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She is totally and utterly exhausted. She hasn’t slept for more than an hour at a time in days or weeks.
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Any independence she had - to run errands, go to work, shower, eat, p*e, sleep - has been suspended for now.
So when you walk into her house, look at HER first.
Give her space to heal, to bond, and to rest if she needs it.
Be there if she needs it.
Offer to help her.
And then help her.
Admire the baby, sure.
But don’t forget to nurture the mother."
- Nicholle Godar Birth Doula

Come and join the Bumpnbub community on Instagram 💓

 https://instagram.com/bumpnbub?igshid=z77btflfanva

🚫STOP! DON’T CUT THAT CORD🚫

Ever heard of delayed cord clamping? Delayed cord clamping is the prolongation of the time between the delivery of a newborn and the clamping of the umbilical cord. Did you know the World Health Organization recommends you wait to cut the cord? What are the benefits of waiting and how does it work? Do I have a choice with a cesarean birth?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

📌it increases RBC’s by 60%
📌it increases your baby’s blood volume by 30%
📌an additional 40 to 50mg/kg of iron transfers to baby, which reduces the risk of your baby suffering from severe side effects of iron deficiency
📌your baby will cope better from the transition of life from the womb to world
📌your baby’s lungs get more blood so that the exchange of oxygen into the blood can take place smoothly
📌delayed clamping also results in an infusion of stem cells, which play an essential role in the development of the immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems, among many other functions. Immediate cord clamping leaves nearly one-third of these critical cells in the placenta
📌preemies who have delayed cord clamping tend to have better blood pressure in the days immediately after birth, need fewer drugs to support blood pressure, need fewer blood transfusions, have less bleeding into the brain and have a lower risk of life-threatening bowel injury
📌resuscitation is less likely to be needed if cords are left intact
📌it ensures that baby stays on you immediately after delivery

🧠Is delayed cord clamping an option during a cesarean? Yes! Your best option here, due to time constraints during surgery, is to ask your provider to “milk the cord” to ensure your baby receives all the goodies🧠

📖risks to delayed cord clamping are potentially a higher level of jaundice in baby, therefore needing phototherapy. studies and research says that the benefits outweigh the risk for baby📖

What does ACOG say about delayed cord clamping?
“Delayed umbilical cord clamping appears to be beneficial for term and preterm infants. In term infants, delayed umbilical cord clamping increases hemoglobin levels at birth and improves iron stores in the first several months of life, which may have a favorable effect on developmental outcomes. There is a small increase in jaundice that requires phototherapy in this group of infants. Consequently, health care providers adopting delayed umbilical cord clamping in term infants should ensure that mechanisms are in place to monitor for and treat neonatal jaundice. In preterm infants, delayed umbilical cord clamping is associated with significant neonatal benefits, including improved transitional circulation, better establishment of red blood cell volume, decreased need for blood transfusion, and lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage. Delayed umbilical cord clamping was not associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage or increased blood loss at delivery, nor was it associated with a difference in postpartum hemoglobin levels or the need for blood transfusion. Given the benefits to most newborns and concordant with other professional organizations, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends a delay in umbilical cord clamping in vigorous term and preterm infants for at least 30–60 seconds after birth. The ability to provide delayed umbilical cord clamping may vary among institutions and settings; decisions in those circumstances are best made by the team caring for the mother–infant dyad”

‼️WAIT AT LEAST 2-3 MINUTES TO CUT THE CORD. FOR FULL BENEFITS, WAIT TILL THE CORD STOPS PULSATING OR EVEN AFTER THE PLACENTA IS DELIVERED‼️

So you've set up a call to chat about doula services!

Over the phone we realize we love each other, obviously.

You’ve gone back to your partner and said
“I think I’ve found the one”
and now it’s time for us all to hang out in person, and answer any lingering questions.

This is when we will talk birthing plans, dreams and fears, along side boring logistical stuff like deposits, contracts.

Then we plan our first prenatal visit.

Beautiful breech birth ❤

You never know how strong you are until your only choice is to be strong

You know your body and baby like no other person in the whole world. Trust yourself, trust your baby. You can do this! You know what to do

The term White Paper is used to refer to an official report from an authority, usually describing and proposing a solution to a problem. In a genius reversal of words, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance published their first Black Paper in April 2018. In it, they outlined a vision for holistic maternal health care centered on reproductive justice and human rights.⁠
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According to the BMMA, holistic care: addresses gaps in care and ensures continuity of care; is affordable and accessible; is confidential, safe and trauma-informed; ensures informed consent; is centered around Black women and Black families; is culturally-informed and includes traditional practices; is culturally competent and congruent; respects spirituality and spiritual health; honors and fosters resilience; includes the voices of all Black Mamas; is responsive to the needs of all genders and family relationships; and provides wraparound services and connections to social services.⁠
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The BMMA’s second Black Paper (December 2018) describes policy solutions to help achieve the vision of holistic maternal health care for Black women and families. In brief, the three policy priorities that they identified are to 1) “Identify and ensure mechanisms for engagement and prioritization of Black women and Black-women led entities in policy and program development and implementation," 2) “Establish equitable systems of care to address racism, obstetric violence, neglect, and abuse", and 3) “Expand and protect meaningful access to quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care coverage, which includes the full spectrum of reproductive and maternal health care services for Black women.”⁠
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For full details, we encourage you to read both of the BMMA Black papers on their website. We also encourage you to donate and learn more at blackmamasmatter.org⁠
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This. The safety of home birth is questioned ALL the time. But how often does anyone ask if it's safe to birth at the hospital? ⁠
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Because here is what I see on this side of things. Most home birth midwives I know, myself included have a 10% or lower transfer rate. That's 90% of our clients that birth safely at home without medical interventions. So for low risk pregnant people, your chance of birthing at home, uninterrupted without unwanted interventions is around 90%. ⁠
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There is a unique set of risks to having a baby at home. AND there is a unique set of risks to having a baby at the hospital. Hospital births tend to be chalk full of interventions, and no intervention is free of risk. I hear cringe worthy stories day in and day out from clients consulting with me to try to find something different than what they experienced at the hospital. They tell stories of not being heard, not being respected, of feeling like a number. And how many stories have we read about black women dying surrounding childbirth because they didn't get the most basic respect of being listened to?⁠
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So no. Hospital birth can't just be assumed to be safe. No setting can guarantee you a perfect outcome. So do your research. If you are low risk, look at planned home birth stats. Look at hospital stats. If you want or need a hospital birth, ask your doc for their stats. What percentage of their births are intervention free? What is their c-section rate? Find a doc that trusts the process, they are out there and I can send you some names if you need them. Don't make the mistake of assuming that just because you are at the hospital, that you are not taking any risks. ⁠
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Betty had a pretty rough ride during her birth. Physically she feels well now but she is finding it difficult to mentally process the fact that she had a major haemorhage a couple of hours after the birth which came completely by surprise. Her partner had been told to go home due to covid 19 restrictions within an hour of the baby's birth so she was alone when she began to bleed heavily. She lost 2 litres of blood and ended up in the operating theatre to stop the bleeding.The hosital staff were great, supervised her baby, gave her medication to control the bleeding and arranged a blood transfusion for her.

She had no support from her partner because he had reluctantly gone home. When he was summoned to return, he was met by his partner hooked up to various drips and was handed his baby by a stranger. He too was in shock and worried for his partner.

Betty was exhausted. She tried to breastfeed several hours after the haemorrhage but felt too weak. Her iron levels were extremely low. She was discharged over a couple of days and spent most of the time feeling detatched from her baby and replaying the events over and over in her mind.

Family and friends arrived and heard her birth story. The response was "the main thing is that the main is healthy" Of course Betty was overjoyed that she brought home her baby alive and well but noone asked her if she was ok.

Betty doesn't want to have any more babies. She doesn't want to go through that again. She hasn't spoken to anyone and now feels she may have postnatal depression.

Betty has birth trauma
Betty matters too

It's birth trauma awareness week. The birth trauma association support parents who have suffered from a traumatic birth