We used Amy with the birth of our first child, and were so happy with her, and the services she provided. We met with her several times before the delivery to discuss a birth plan, pain management, and the birth process in general. She was so knowledgable, but also really helped us decide what we wanted… At the hospital, she was very helpful in letting the staff know what I wanted and did not want, which was great, especially since I wasn’t up to doing that. I had a long labor (almost 18 hours), and Amy was with us the whole time. She helped my husband coach me, and offered help with pain management. I really don’t think that I would have been able to deliver naturally if she had not been there encouraging me. After our beautiful baby was born, Amy was so helpful with breastfeeding. I called her multiple times with all sorts of questions, and she is always available and willing to answer my questions (about anything too — cloth diapering, home schooling, vaccinations, etc).

Probably the thing that was the most special about having Amy there was the birth timeline and pictures that she took. My husband was so focused on me, that he wouldn’t have been able to do these things. Amy created a detailed journal of my labor and delivery and gave it to us, as well as pictures of the whole process. We treasure those! We would highly reccommend Amy as a doula!

Caroline and Steve

It was crazy, but wonderful!! I had 2 births in 2 days. The first mom had an edd of 8/27/09. The 2nd mom had an edd of 9/24/09. Who would think that moms due almost a month apart would have their babies a day apart!
Both moms were amazing. I was honored to be a part of their birth expirence. I was able to be there to see 2 new familes be born. That never gets old.
What did get old was the hospital. The language the staff used… The consent forms..( One mom had to sign a consent for c section upon being admitted. This seems like giving up from the get go to me).
The hospital (both familes used the same hospital, but different OB practices) really pushed the c section, for both moms. As soon as labor diviated from the path the ob’s wanted it was time to talk about “options”. But I was left wondering : what options? why ? Just let things be, I thought anyway.
There was even a point that I thought maybe this dr was correct and women can not achieve a birth with out teh epiodural, or c section. (Then I realized I accomplished this 5 times!! And have seen MANY moms do the same.)
I felt beaten down… and I am so sad thinking of all the women who go through that hospital and have to fight that battle alone. And I am trying to figure out how I can try to change this. I feel like it is so much bigger than I am, but if I don’t try, how can I be who I am?
So now I need to figure out how and what.. and I am drawing a blank… hopefully it will come to me soon.

Pregnancy Needn’t Mean Hard Labor: Laboring Without The Labor Bed Cuts Need For Artificial Oxcytocin To Advance Slow Labors

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) — A University of Toronto pilot study that re-conceptualized the hospital labour room by removing the standard, clinical bed and adding relaxation-promoting equipment had a 28 per cent drop in infusions of artificial oxcytocin, a powerful drug used to advance slow labours.

The study, called PLACE (Pregnant and Labouring in an Ambient Clinical Environment) was published in the current edition of the journal Birth.

In addition, more than 65 percent of the labouring women in the ambient room, compared to 13 per cent in the standard labour room, reported they spent less than half their hospital labour in the standard labour bed.

Led by Dr. Ellen Hodnett, Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing professor and Heather M. Reisman Chair in Perinatal Nursing Research at the University of Toronto, PLACE included 62 women at two Toronto teaching hospitals.

Hodnett devised a set of simple, but radical modifications to the standard hospital labour room, with the intention of surrounding the women and their caregivers with specific types of auditory, visual and tactile stimuli.

“The removal of the standard hospital bed sent a message that this was not the only place a woman could labour,” says Hodnett. A portable, double-sized mattress with several large, comfortable cushions was set up in the corner of the ambient room. Fluorescent lighting was dimmed, and DVDs of ocean beaches, waterfalls and other soothing vistas were projected onto a wall. A wide variety of music was also made available.

“The intent was to allow the women the ability to move about freely during their labour, to permit close contact with their support people, and to promote feelings of calm and confidence,” says Hodnett.

Reaction to the ambient room was overwhelmingly positive, as respondents were pleased to have options for mobility and for helping to cope with their labour. They also indicated they received greater one-on-one attention and support from their nurses.

“This study raises questions about the assumptions underlying the design of the typical hospital labour room,” says Hodnett. “The birth environment seems to affect the behaviour of everyone in it – the laboring women as well as those who provide care for her.

Hodnett hopes to further this study with a larger, randomized controlled trial.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Toronto.
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University of Toronto (2009, July 7). Pregnancy Needn’t Mean Hard Labor: Laboring Without The Labor Bed Cuts Need For Artificial Oxcytocin To Advance Slow Labors. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/07/09070611

“The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, We grew a child in here,” and breasts that say, “We nourished life.” My hands, with bitten nails and a writer’s callus, say, “We create amazing things.”

-Sarah, from I am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words

http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/items/research_detail.asp?item=74

Following the recent publication of a study in the Lancet (1) on Sudden Infant Death among bed-sharing babies and a subsequent meeting at the National Patient Safety Agency to consider guidance on bed-sharing, the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative has issued the following statement:

In recognition of the fact that mother-infant bed-sharing appears to be associated with longer and more successful breastfeeding, the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative has for some time been working to help health professionals enable breastfeeding mothers to share a bed with their baby whilst maintaining the safest possible environment. A sample bed-sharing policy has been developed for hospitals and a leaflet for parents produced with the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID). Both documents are designed to promote safety while protecting breastfeeding, by educating health professionals and parents on the benefits and contra-indications to bed sharing and the safety issues related to it. UNICEF has also been urging NHS trusts to acknowledge the need to provide training for health professionals on all aspects of bed-sharing, including effective communication to parents of key messages appropriate to their needs and circumstances.

The Lancet paper suggested a slight increase in the risk of sudden infant death among babies of non-smoking mothers who bed-shared all night in the first eight weeks of life. This was followed by a large amount of publicity and media coverage advising against bed sharing.

At present, the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative is unable to support blanket recommendations against bed sharing in the early weeks for the following reasons:

There is some controversy as to whether the results of the Lancet study clearly and unambiguously indicate an increased risk of bed sharing with non-smoking parents in the absence of other known risk factors. There is serious disagreement among the study authors about the statistical methods employed, the significance of the findings and their implications for parents. Similar concerns have also been raised about a forthcoming Scottish study on the same subject. Until these issues are resolved, it remains inappropriate to give advice to parents based on the results of this study.
There is concern that simply advising parents against bed sharing without giving practical information about how to cope with a very young baby at night may increase risk. Breastfed babies often feed frequently and for long periods in the first few weeks after delivery. Breastfeeding can also have a soporific effect on the mother (this is nature’s way of allowing her to rest). If mothers feel that they must not bed share there is a least a theoretical risk that they will sit on a sofa or chair and fall asleep there, putting their babies in far more danger than if they had shared a bed. There is an additional concern that the sleep deprivation caused by sitting up for large parts of the night will drive mothers to eventually either ignore the recommendation and take their baby into bed when they are excessively tired (a known risk factor) or to give up breastfeeding.
Bottle fed babies are significantly more likely to suffer infections and respiratory illness both of which put young babies at risk (2). There is evidence that bottle-fed babies are not as easily roused from sleep as those who are breastfed which again could put babies at risk (3). The health benefits of breastfeeding to mothers and babies are considered so great that targets for increasing breastfeeding have been set in the UK and health professionals all over the country are working hard to achieve them.
There is anecdotal evidence that health professionals may simply advise parents against bed sharing if they perceive it to be banned or discouraged at an institutional or national level. This means that parents are denied a full discussion about important topics such as the benefits, contraindications and safety issues. Parents may also be less likely to raise the subject for fear of disapproval. Nevertheless, recent research conducted in the UK (4) indicates that while all-night bed sharing is relatively unusual, it is very common for parents to take their baby into bed for shorter periods at night, particularly for breastfeeding, comforting and settling babies.

It is therefore essential that the benefits, risks and alternatives to bed sharing are carefully weighed and that parents be given full information appropriate to their needs in order to encourage safe practice and to protect breastfeeding. The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative recommends that:

Health professionals should ensure that parents are given full information about this issue in the antenatal and early postnatal period. Community staff should reinforce the information once mothers and babies are at home. The UNICEF/FSID leaflet ‘Sharing a bed with your baby’ is designed to support this.
All NHS Trusts should develop guidelines for staff in order to ensure safe and appropriate practice both in hospital and at home.
Trusts should provide all relevant health care staff with adequate education to allow them to discuss this issue with all parents as appropriate to their needs.
UNICEF recommends that discussions with parents about bed sharing should address the following factors:

the circumstances under which co-sleeping should be discouraged (parental smoking, alcohol or drug consumption, excessive tiredness, inappropriate sleep surfaces such as sofas, etc)
the use of bed sharing as a care strategy for breastfeeding mothers and babies
the additional risk of accidents if a baby sleeps in an adult bed, coupled with support to avoid or minimise these risks
UNICEF has suggested to the Royal College of Midwives and the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association that talks continue to ensure that adequate guidance on bed sharing be available to health professionals, including the issue of effective risk assessment for all mothers and babies.

All interested parties have agreed that the joint UNICEF/FSID leaflet ‘Sharing a bed with your baby’ provides clear, comprehensive and evidence-based information for parents and that it should continue to be used. UNICEF will continue to monitor research developments to ensure that the leaflet remains evidence-based.

UNICEF further recommends that all future research into infant death and sleeping environments should unambiguously record data on all important factors, which must include the baby’s sleep surface, maternal and paternal smoking status, alcohol and drug consumption and infant feeding method. These factors should be recorded at the time of infant death (rather than relying on data for other periods such as feeding method at delivery or smoking status during pregnancy) and the results should be adjusted to control for them.

Footnotes

1. Carpenter RG et al (2004). Sudden unexplained infant death in 20 regions in Europe: case control study. Lancet 363: 185-91 [Full text]

2. Standing Committee on Nutrition of the British Paediatric Association (1994). Is breastfeeding beneficial in the UK? Arch Dis Child 71: 376-380.

3. Horne RSC et al (2004). Comparison of evoked arousability in breast and formula fed infants. Arch. Dis. Child 89: 22-25 [Abstract]

4. Blair PS, Ball HL (2004). The prevalence and characteristics associated with parent-infant bed-sharing in England. Arch Dis Child. in press.

Footnote, 14 May 2004

The Lancet article defines mothers as ‘non-smoking’ if they did not smoke during pregnancy. Data is apparently incomplete for smoking status around the time of death. This means that mothers who quit during pregnancy but re-started smoking after delivery were defined as non-smokers in the study.

Other studies suggest that around 40% of smokers may quit during pregnancy, but that between 40% and 70% of these mothers will re-start smoking in the weeks or months following the birth of their babies.

Carmichael SL, Ahluwalia IB (2000). Correlates of postpartum smoking relapse. Results from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). Am J Prev Med. 19:193-6 [Abstract]

Fingerhut LA et al (1990). Smoking before, during, and after pregnancy. Am J Pub Health 80: 541-544 [Abstract]

Mullen PD et al (1990). Maintenance of nonsmoking postpartum by women who stopped smoking during pregnancy. Am J Pub Health 80: 992-994 [Abstract]

McBride CM, Pirie PL (1990). Postpartum smoking relapse. Addict Behav. 15:165-8 [Abstract]

McBride CM, Pirie PL, Curry SJ (1992). Postpartum relapse to smoking: a prospective study. Health Educ Res 7:381-90 [Abstract]

I just found this interesting. As always I suggest everyone do their own research and come to their own decisions!
Keep in mind when you watch this, It is Penn and Teller… I would almost rate this at R.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/620449/2940202

Benjamin was born Sunday August 2, 2009. He arrived at 1:25 pm. It was a long hospital induction, but Mom did AMAZING!!!
Welcome to the PBDS family Ben!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August

9th 4 pm- Babywearing/ Cloth diapering workshop
Come over to learn about what your options are in cloth diapering and babycarriers. You can touch, see and try on many types of carriers and diapers. We will go over the benefits to babywearing and cloth diapering.
$20 per couple

16th 4 pm Birth plan workshop
At this workshop we will review the benefits of having a birth plan.
You will write up your own birth plan, using my birth plan as a template.
$20 per couple

29th 4 pm Breastfeeding Class
Are you planning on breastfeeding your baby? If so, come to this class to learn what the benefits are and how to make breastfeeding work for you. We will go over latch, positions and possible ccan that can occur.
$35 per couple

I also offer private classes and workshops. As well as Lactation services. Please inquire for rates and availability. If you would like to sign please email me!!

Amy Machado was recommended to me from my mother. She lived over two hours away yet she was the most supportive person I knew throughout the entire pregnancy. Before I was pregnant I would email Amy and ask her questions about=2 0trying to conceive. When I thought I might be pregnant I called Amy up and she was so excited that even though she was on vacation she told me to email her a picture of the stick to confirm the double lines. From that point on, we talked about everything from how having a child would change my husbands and my life to the timing of contractions and post partum.
I was a week overdue and Amy came to visit me. She motivated me to walk up to the top of the Barnegat lighthouse with her, two days later I went into labor. When I woke up and was having contractions I was not sure if it was the “real thing” or not so I called Amy. She instructed us to walk around the block to see if there were any changes such as the contractions going away. My husband and I went to the hospital for a scheduled appointment and they had confirmed I was in labor. We decided to get some lunch and when my husband called Amy to let her know what was going on she informed him that she was already on her way.
My husband and I walked around our (conveniently located) college campus, I preferred not to sit. When Amy arrived she casually asked my husband how I was doing. She quietly watched me and took notes tracking the contractions and such. During the transitional phase when I was most uncomfortable she helped me to redirect my thoughts. I remember telling her in a stubborn manor, “ok, I’ll pretend I’m a bean bag chair”. She said she never thought of that before. Having someone to laugh with made the experience much better.
When I decided it was time to go to the hospital I was between 8 and 9 centimeters dilated. I had again become uncomfortable from changing locations and having monitors hooked up to me. Amy had me sit on the birthing ball and every time I had a contraction she had my husband pat a damp cloth across my forehead which felt wonderful. She always knew where I was at with my contractions. I found it to be very helpful when she would say, “you are coming down now” it would give me a sense of hope. She could say that every time and it always made me feel better.
The pushing was like nothing I expected. Amy let me squeeze her hands while pushing. At the time I wondered if that was hurting for her but she did not seem to mind and she kept getting more excited with every push. I’m glad someone was happy at that point. She told my husband to push on my back which made me feel much much better. After our baby girl was born and while I was getting cleaned up I asked Amy and my husband to watch the nurses with our baby. I felt safe knowing she was there with the baby.
My husband and I took a Bradley Method class and with everything we learned and practiced in class it does not compare to the real situation. My husband and I educated ourselves in the months and weeks prior to the birth, we had two midwives with us the entire four hours that we were in the hospital however, we both know we would not have had as enjoyable of a birth without Amy being there. She is such a good Doula that when one of the Midwives came to visit me the day after the birth she said it was such a pleasure working with Amy and that she had learned a lot from her. I have already given Amy notice for our next birth which we are planning for two years from now.

It has been a while since I updated here. We have all been caught up here with summertime activities. June’s rain has passed and July is beautiful! My oldest is a big swimmer and swim meets consume alot of our time. We also spend alot of time at the barn with our horse. Life is good these days!
I have been working hard to improve what we offer here! If anyone has any ideas as to what I can offer that I do not, let me know! I am always open to new things here.
Don’t forget :
July 18 at 10 am I am hosting a Cloth Diapering and Babywearing workshop. Have you thought of using cloth diapers but do not know where to start? Are there too many options and you just do not know what will work? Come to the owrkshop and you cna see, learn, touch and feel!!!!
Do you have a baby carrier, but can’t get it on right? Are you jsut not sure which carrier will work best for your needs? Come on over and try on many different carriers!! We will have Olive’s Closet here to help and offer assistiance!(www.olivescloset.com) Cost is $15 per person

Also July 25 at 10 is our monthly breastfeeding class. Cost is $35 per person.