Quick Facts About Birth - Birth Works!

Here is an article I wrote to empower pregnant women, and to help teach them that their bodies are made perfectly with the ability to birth their baby, just how nature intended. Enjoy!

Did you know that you have been wonderfully made, with all the perfect equipment and tools required to birth your baby just the way you would like to?

Your uterus has three layers of strong muscle, made especially to birth your baby. The outer muscle layer has longitudinal fibres that allow the baby to descend by retracting. The middle layer is made of criss-cross fibres that provide the other two layers with the blood they need to work. The inner layer is made of ringed fibres that wrap around the uterus and the cervix and expel the baby by contracting.

Did you know that the blood in your body goes to where it is most needed? It is important during labour for you to relax, so that the uterus is getting as much blood as possible. If you are not relaxed your body will send more blood than is required to your extremities ready for what it predicts will happen – a ‘flight or fight’ response – and your uterus will not be able to work as efficiently. Good practices of relaxation include meditation, visualisation and positive affirmations.

Did you know that when you breathe slowly and deeply you provide your body with as much oxygen as possible? This is important during labour as the more oxygenated the blood is that goes to the uterus, the more effective it will be at birthing your baby. It is a good idea to practice breathing long, slow breaths. This can be incorporated with your relaxation routine to be used during labour.

Did you know that if you are afraid of labour being painful, it is more likely that you will actually experience pain? This is due to the “fear, tension, pain” cycle. When you experience fear, your body produces chemicals that change the way your body works, that in turn triggers the ‘flight or fight’ mechanism. This causes your uterus to continue working with less oxygen, the body tries to stop labour (thinking there is danger), and the muscles begin to work out of sequence, which causes unnecessary pain. It is important that you deal with any fears about the impending birth while you are pregnant to prevent them from having a negative affect on your labour. Relaxation and meditation can help with these.

Did you know that when you are praised and loved it can make a labour shorter, easier and happier? This is because when you feel good, a powerful hormone called oxytocin (the love hormone) is being released into your body. Oxytocin is a potent stimulator of contractions, and helps to dilate the cervix and move the baby down and out of your body. Your body will produce oxytocin to help birth your baby when you are relaxed, when your partner speaks positive words and gives you hugs, when you are comfortable and when you trust in your body and those around you.

Did you know you can help your body birth your baby by having an active labour? This does not necessarily mean continually moving around, but putting your body into positions which encourage the descent of the baby. You can use gravity to help expel your baby and you can use positions that encourage your pelvis to open and allow the baby to move through easier.

So, birthing your baby will be made much easier if you firstly surrender to your body – it knows what to do. Prepare yourself while you are pregnant to help you relax as much as possible during labour, clarify anything you are unsure about beforehand, surround yourself with people who speak positively about the impending birth and talk to your partner and your baby about the feelings you are experiencing. When the day comes, try to remain as calm as possible and focus on the practise you’ve done to prepare yourself for a beautiful labour experience!

Blessings,

Jen Staniforth

http://www.empoweredforbirth.com/

The Language of Birth

When I say "The Language of Birth" I don't mean all those clinical terms your birth team use (usually between each other, that you may or may not understand); I'm referring to the way you are spoken to, about or on behalf of during the labour and birth of your baby.

Imagine you had been labouring for a long time. You are tired. You are feeling weak. You may even be questioning whether you can actually do it! You arrive at the hospital. The 'medical person' asks if you'd like her to check how dilated you are. You consent. She or he does the V.E. (vaginal examination) and finds out you are 3cm. In the realm of language, it can be said one of two ways:

• "Oh, you're only 3cm. You've really only started labour. If you haven't had the baby in another X amount of hours, we'll have to think about augmentation (speeding up labour) [which means you'll need to be strapped to a monitor and your movement will be limited, and there's also a much higher need for pain relief as chemical contractions can be much more intense than 'natural' contractions]." You are being restricted in your abilities already. Is there any need for implying that you don't have a choice as to what happens next if your body doesn't birth your baby in a certain time? This language may be considered quite threatening and you might start to feel as though you can't trust this person.


• "Wow! You're 3cm. You've done such a good job to get to this point at home. Some people consider the most difficult part of first stage labour is 0-3cm. Keep doing what you're doing and if you need more support just let me know." You are been given a lot more freedom and probably feeling much more positive about how far you've come.

The language of birth can be so vastly different, and in the same way drive vastly different outcomes. When thinking about what to say during labour to a woman there are many things to consider, such as:

• past experience of the woman


• choices the woman has previously made


• how much the woman already knows


• what the woman would like to know


• present choices the woman is currently needing to make

All in all, the language of birth should always be positive (even if an unexpected outcome occurs). Consider that any person that supports a woman during labour and birth (including doulas, midwives, obstetricians and others) can strongly drive how a woman copes with labour, how positive her experience is, how confident she will feel going into parenthood, and specific labour and birth outcomes, such as:

• comfort during labour


• feeling safe during labour


• feeling supported during labour


• length of labour


• outcomes for the woman


• outcomes for the baby

How then can the language of birth not be considered as a main concept of supporting women during such a cathartic time?

Talk to your support team during pregnancy to find out what they consider important when it comes to communicating with you at the birth of your baby.

Blessings,

Jen Staniforth

www.empoweredforbirth.com

Am I Allowed, Really??

I hear so many women ask if they are allowed to do something, particularly while in labour. I cringe inside at the sound of that phrase - "Am I allowed, really?"

Most women don't understand that what happens in labour is pretty negotiable. I always try to help women to remember that it is their body, their baby and their experience to protect.

For the most part, medical professionals (but usually midwives) are fairly accommodating to a woman's wishes - after all, she is having a baby; she is bringing a new life into the world; she will always remember this day... but, especially, she will always remember how she was treated.

Common questions I hear asked in terms of what a woman is "allowed" to do, include:

• eat during labour (Why not?! Remember your body is doing some of the hardest work it will ever do, and you need to give it the energy needed to work effectively. Some hospitals [grr] are somewhat old-fashioned and prefer you not to eat should you require surgery, i.e. a c-section. Do your own research and find out there's absolutely no evidence to support that refraining from eating during labour is beneficial, in fact I would think it were on the contrare!)


• move around during labour (There is much information on the positives of having an active labour and birth; specifically, a woman being able to take the position she feels is best will assist in keeping her as comfortable as possible, offer opportunities to get labour going or to provide the woman with some rest and allows the woman to use her intuition in adopting the best position to help baby move down through the pelvis and birth canal)


• labour in the bath or shower (Even if the place where you are giving birth does not have a water birth policy, it is in the woman best interest to allow her to enter the bath or shower at any time she feels during her labour. There is specific information on labouring and birthing in water here.)


• stay home as long as possible (There is actually evidence to support that staying home in labour while ever things remain 'uncomplicated' is beneficial. This is because you are generally more comfortable at home, less likely to get an infection if your membranes have ruptured, and [most importantly] you are less likely to feel as though you require the use of pain relief or intervention.)


• have a trained support person (See my website - http://www.empoweredforbirth.com/ - or go here to read about how the Australian College of Midwives support the use of a doula.)

There are many other questions about what a woman is "allowed or not allowed" to do. My general advice would be to discuss your options during pregnancy with your birth support team - this means the people that will be supporting you on the day, including the midwives in the birthing unit. They should be helpful on what their policies suggest a woman do during the birth of her baby.

Most midwives are very accommodating in allowing women the freedom to do what makes them feel best. This is because midwives primarily practice care that is woman-centred.

Go to the Australian College of Midwives website to read about the evidence that supports every woman being attended by a midwife during the birth of her baby. And remember that the choices you make BEFORE you have your baby will strongly determine how likely it will be that you are "allowed" to do what you wish during labour and birth.

Blessings and happy informed choice making!

Jen Staniforth

http://www.empoweredforbirth.com/

Make Birth Yours

Make Birth Yours is a series of informal meetings organised by the ACT Branch of Maternity Coalition.

As part of Maternity Coalition, Make Birth Yours is non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian.

The aim of Make Birth Yours meetings is to:

• encourage a woman-centred approach to the birth process;
• support women in viewing pregnancy and childbirth as normal physiological processes, not illnesses; and
• emphasise women's rights to make informed choices about their caregiver and place of birth.

Information on birth choices available in the ACT and surrounding area is made available at Make Birth Yours meetings.

Come and join us for an open, informal chat about how you can best prepare for a positive birth experience.

For more information, check out:

www.makebirthyours.com.au

Hope to see you there!

Blessings,

Jen Staniforth

www.empoweredforbirth.com

A Labour of Love

Thought I'd post an article here that I wrote for those accessing my website. It's a fabulously gorgeous article about what LOVE brings to pregnancy and giving birth.

A LABOUR OF LOVE

If there is one main theme that runs through giving birth to a baby, it is love.

While a baby is in the mother’s womb, it is a time when the she can begin to bond. When a mother talks to her baby whilst pregnant, she is feeling loving emotions that produce a response in her body that her baby can sense. Her baby will start to associate the happy voices he hears with the positive responses from his mother. And thus begins the bonding process.

It is not uncommon for a baby that is born into love to hold steady eye contact, immediately after the birth, with both his mother and father. The baby is studying the faces to whom those well-known voices belong and thus continues the bonding process, which began in the womb.

Babies who are carried and birthed in a loving and gentle atmosphere are often easy to spot. They are generally calm, contented babies that are very attentive from the moment they are born and become confident and adept toddlers.

Since a baby was meant to be conceived in love, it stands to reason that a mother who is lovingly supported during pregnancy and the birth of her baby will:

· feel more at ease emotionally
· be able to cope better with changes during her pregnancy
· be able to cope better with discomfort during the birth
· be more confident in birthing the baby without unnecessary intervention
· feel more confident in caring for the newborn

One of the best things you can do for your baby is to ensure you have loving care and support. This may be through your partner, through your friends and family, and through your doula. Your support people during labour should help to make you feel confident, safe and loved.

Help make the birth of your baby a "labour of love" by the choices you make before your baby arrives.

Blessings,


Jen Staniforth

http://www.empoweredforbirth.com/

Being 2

It's funny how it comes on. Only about 2 months ago, Emily started getting alot more spunk in her personality. Emily is my 2-year-old (well, her birthday is next month). She has gotten alot more fond of making up her own mind (which is ok with some things, but not for others) and has worked out she can say no, and mean it.

Alas, to gently train a child in the ways she should go is harder than it seemed when she was small enough to be in the same place as I left her when I re-entered the room!!

I have found that the skill of being calm and positive during my pregnancy and Emily's birth has spread into my world as a parent. When Emily decides she'd like to do something her way, especially when it really isn't appropriate, I simply (ha ha) tell her "not right now" in a calm voice...

I'm a big believer in the saying: "if at first you don't succeed - try, try again". This can leave me saying things like, "Screaming is for danger" about 20 times a day, but after repeating this routine over Emily's 'screaming phase' (the past month) she has finally started to realise that unless she's in danger, we really would prefer that she doesn't scream! Same goes with the kick, yell and throw something when she can't manage to work it out - frustration. Emily has now worked out it takes much less energy to say "Help, please" and she knows that I will show her how it works and then let her have a try.

Oh, the joys of parenting a toddler! Let me just say that it is definitely well worth it, even on our worst days.

I've realised it is a journey for all of us, not a destination!! Parenting helps you deal with the worst of your traits, too.

Baby and Kids Market

I've just returned from the Baby and Kids Market - held about every 6 weeks at Woden CIT. It's a great place to meet other mums, grab yourself a bargain and learn about great services for mums (like doulas!).

Checkout http://www.babykidsmarket.com.au/ for more info.

If you'd like to meet me in person, come down for a browse and a chat!

Hope to see you all at the next market.


Blessings,

Jen Staniforth
http://www.empoweredforbirth.com/