Find the Support and Information you need to Successfully Breastfeed

It is said that breast is best.  Despite formula companies efforts to duplicate mother's milk, nothing can compare to breast milk.  It's advantages are numerous.

• It's easily digested .  Babies have less tummy troubles and constipation than formula fed babies.
• Mothers pass along their immunity to viruses and aid in reducing the newborn's risk of infection.
• Breastfed babies are less likely to develop allergies
• Babies are less likely to be asthmatic. 
• Mom's uterus contracts in the early days of breastfeeding, helping her to return to her pre-pregnancy shape sooner by reducing her uterus back to a normal size.
• Mom burns more calories to meet the demands of producing milk.  This helping her shed excess weight gained during pregnancy. 
• On average, babies who were breastfed have higher IQ scores.
• Because breasfed babies are more aware of their fullness, they learn to stop feeding when they are satisfied vs. stopping when the bottle is empty.  Thus, they are less likely to be obese as children.
• Breastfeeding is free and readily available.  No heating up a bottle at 3 a.m.  Mother's milk is always at the right temperature.
• Mothers and their baby enjoy the intimacy and bonding  involved in breastfeeding.
• And many, many more!

  So if breastfeeding has so many benefits for moms and babies, why aren't more women breastfeeding their babies?  Studies monitoring breastfeeding rates, including those by the CDC, report similar findings. 

• Over 75% of mothers giving birth in the hospital setting will attempt breastfeeding.
• After one week, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding begins to drop off to around 60%
• At 6 months, less than a quarter of mothers continue to offer some breastmilk, less than 10% are breastfeeding exclusively.
• At 1 year, around 12 % are offering some breastmilk.

  The American Academy of Pediatrics' gold standard for infant feeding is breastmilk.  It is recommended for the first year, exclusively for the first 6 months.  Other public health organizations such as WHO recommend continuing to offer breastmilk for the first two years.

   As a mother of three who was unsuccessful at breastfeeding, but was able to help other women work through their breastfeeding issues, I recognize how challenging it is for some women to breastfeed.  I FEEL YOUR PAIN!  Babies may be born to be breastfed, but in a culture so distrustful of woman's ability to birth normally, the  culture also downplays the importance of breastfeeding, saying formula is just as good.  Just as the medical establishment downplays the importance of satisfaction with our birth experience, the medical community is quick to gloss over the impact to our self esteem when we as women feel unable to nurse our babies appropriately.

God bless the women whose baby latches on from the first moment with a strong suck.  She feels her breasts being emptied by her newborn, and she finds great satisfaction in her ability to feed and nurture her newborn.  The more she feeds and empties her breasts, the more milk she produces.  In time, her only problem is freezer and storage space.

   But many of us, have a baby with an ineffective latch.  So it HURTS when they are on the nipple.  The result, a tense mom, tense baby, and not a lot of milk being made.  You think she wants to go through this torture? And everyone around her- her mate, her mother, her pediatrician says "just give that baby a bottle!"

  Also, there are those of us who despite all our best efforts and the efforts of long suffering lactation consultants, have inadequate milk supply resulting in the eventuality of the baby being exclusively formula fed.

  So how can we help all mothers be successful as possible?  SUPPORT coupled with EDUCATION is the key.

WIC employs lactation consultants, and their services are paid for by medicaid.  I highly encourage anyone enrolled in this program to seek out these professionals and attending breastfeeding classes.  It is the non-WIC moms that lack the support and find themselves giving up on breastfeeding.  

When possible take a breastfeeding class through your hospital or La Leche League before your baby is born.

• Locate friends or family members who successfully breastfed to talk to breastfeeding about and can provide hands on assists if you should run into challenges along the way.
• Often, nurses you encounter following the birth of your baby have never been properly trained to assist in early breastfeeding and may shy away from assisting you.  Always ask for help when learning to breastfeed.  Even if short staffed, many hospitals employ a lactation consultant or have nurses on staff who successfully breastfed their own children.
• In metropolitan communities, outside agencies maybe available to provide one on one assistance, many communities have a La Leche League.
• On the web, Dr. Jack Newman is great resource to view videos of proper positioning and latching baby on.  Like this one.

The important thing is if possible to become knowledgeable before the baby is born about breastfeeding and locate the support you need to be successful if additional assistance is needed.  

Adequate Nutrition and Exercise

   Proper nutrition and adequate exercise are very important during pregnancy.  Pregnancy demands more of us.  If women choose not to make good decisions regarding nutrition, the growing baby will take from her body what it needs to grow. Calcium to grow strong bones, iron to support the growth and adequate blood supply.  It is sometimes difficult to include all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients essential for fetal growth and development in a pregnant woman's diet.  Taking a daily prenatal vitamin with the recommended dosage of folic acid is so important.  It is even more crucial during the early weeks in pregnancy when neural tube defects can develop. recent studies are also drawing connections between adequate intake of folic acid and autism rates.  If taking a prenatal vitamin is difficult due to nausea and vomiting, try taking the vitamin at bedtime and avoiding taking on an empty stomach. Since sweet tea is a staple in a Southerners' household, such as myself, washing down her prenatal vitamin with a glass of tea can leach the iron from her prenatal vitamin.  A woman should talk with her maternal health care provider if she is continues to have problems keeping her pill down.  The care provider may agree to allowing her to take two Flintstone vitamins to get the adequate amount of nutrients.
  During pregnancy, a woman only needs 300 extra calories to meet the caloric demands.  Gaining weight too quickly can lead to maternal complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, and c-section. A good way to get those extra calories is in healthy snack choices (fruits, veggies, cheese, nuts).

    Here is a helpful list of choices for the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy:

• Protein: lean meats, tofu, beans, milk, eggs, whole grains
• Whole Grains: brown rice, whole oats, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals & pastas
• Fruits: strawberries, apples, oranges, bananas, melons, peaches (variety of colors)
• Green vegetables: spinach, broccoli, green beans, kale,zucchini
• Dairy: milk, yogurt, hard cheese, eggs
• Other good whole foods: baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash
• Iron: red meat, organ meats, fish, blackstrap molasses, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits
• Zinc: seeds, seafood, organ meats, mushrooms, soy, eggs, turkey
• Folic Acid: spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, lima beans, root vegetables, kidney beans, salmon, avocdo

  In addition to eating well, pregnant women should not forego exercise in their daily routine.  The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends 30 minutes of exercise most, if not all, days of the week.  Moderate exercise will help with slow, steady weight gain.  Exercise helps to manage stress, and maintain muscles needed during labor.

This YouTube video reviews nutritional information as well as precautions in preparing and purchasing food. 

The Purpose of Pain

 
    First things first. Sorry that the posts have been erratic. You would think summer would be easier, but with the kids home from school I am out of my routine. If it's not a baby waking up from a nap, it's an older child wanting a refill of drink, library day, or something to distract me from WRITING AN ENTRY ON THIS BLOG!! Alas, school will be here before you know it, and I will be back to a more amicable schedule to blogging.
    Anyway.... I wanted to address the topic of pain of childbirth and the challenges it presents during labor and birth. Historically and Biblically, the pain women endure in childbirth is the curse of Eve. Women you know who gave birth in B.E.(before epidurals), vividly paint horror stories of the pain they experienced during labor, usually alone in a hospital bed while their husbands smoked cigarettes in the waiting room. As a society, we don't think of pain as a gift. When presenting this concept to expectant parents, most don't get it. Why would I want to go through that? For those of us who've attempted a normal, unmedicated birth in the hospital, we are met with the well intentions of staff asking us if it's time to call anesthesia....haven't you worked hard enough? Their faces say, poor thing. Women in these spa-like surrounding should be resting, smiling, being agreeable, not working, moving, and moaning.
    Birth is a rite of passage. We move from the singular to the plural. We move from helping to create and nurture the life growing within us, to being solely responsible for the delivery of that life. We become part of a tribe of women who now have a story to share. Rites of passage are never easy. They are intense and powerful. And yes, can involve pain and struggle. Why do we have to take this away from women? Allowing women to be transformed by birth physically,emotionally,spiritually can positively impact a woman for the rest of her life. Who wouldn't want that!
   From a physiological perspective, what is the purpose of pain? Pain in childbirth is our guide. It is intermittent, not constant. There will be periods of time to rest. When labor is early and the baby is high, the pain is brief, similar to strong menstrual cramps, and spaced out. As labor progresses, the position we've been in throughout early labor may be less effective and we need to change position and seek other coping strategies. As the cervix dilates and thins, the baby moves lower into the pelvis. Her contractions get longer, stronger, and closer together. The brain releases endorphins to counteract the pain. Typically, women report that pain peaks when their cervix is 7-8 cm dilated. Women and their partners who understand normal birth, understand during transition, despite its' intensity, it's also the shortest part of labor. Soon, you will be welcoming your baby! If the guide of pain is removed, the woman is disconnected from the process of labor and her baby.

    An encouraging birth partner in an environment where a woman can safely navigate through the challenges of birth without distraction. Statements, like "That's it! You're doing great!" empower and encourage. They help the woman gather her strength as she soldiers on like an Olympic marathoner. With the baby secure in mother's arms, the brain releases oxytocin, the love hormone, and she holds her baby allowing it to experiment with nursing, and the pain just experienced fades into the background, really. The memories of her birth are profound and lasting. On average, women will remember their child's birth with vivid recall twenty years or more. Let's allow her to have that moment, of saying "I did it!" and the feeling of if I can do this what can't I do?

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
                                                                                                                                    ~Psalm 139: 14-15

  This week I attended volunteer training at the Legacy Center, Mount Airy's Pregnancy Center assisting women and family's needs following an unplanned pregnancy.  I called and wished to volunteer primarily as a vehicle to lend my skills as a childbirth educator.  I wasn't thinking a great deal about this being a ministry tool or that there might be other avenues of service for me at the center.  I just knew something about birthin' babies, to take a twist on Mammie's famous phrase from Gone With the Wind. 
  But as I sat there and the director of the center talked about the clientele that they served, many of whom I had worked with in my capacities as a public health social worker, God began to touch my heart.  As a Christian, I was familiar with the scripture passages similar to the one listed above.  And I knew the milestones women enjoy learning about during their pregnancy (i.e. @5 weeks the heart is about the size of a poppy seed, @14 weeks the baby is coordinated to suck his thumb @18 weeks the baby's reflexes are developed such as blinking & frowning, etc), but combining what we know spiritually and what science teaches us-I guess you could say I had an a-ha moment. 
  As the Psalmist so beautifully illustrates we are beautifully made.  Like a craftsman and their medium, God places us in our mother's womb and knits us uniquely.  Whether our conceptions were designed by baby crazy parents longing to be pregnant or clueless teens, we are all miracles waiting to fulfill an amazing destiny designed by God.
 

Having a normal birth in a Hospital Setting

What do we mean when we talk about a "normal birth"? According to Lamaze International, a normal birth is one that unfolds naturally, free of unnecessary interventions. But in the U.S. what we have come to  expect as normal, is general begun through an induction of Pitocin.  Although, inductions can be very necessary due to the health of the baby and or mother, it is often suggested because a woman is favorable for an induction.  Meaning she shows signs that her body has begun to dilate and efface,and the baby is moving lower into the birth canal.  Unfortunately, this is more often for the benefit of the delivering ob, versus the baby.
Lamaze advocates six care practices that do not interfere with the natural process of labor.  These care practices are based upon the findings of quality research.

• Labor should begin upon it's own
• Freedom of movement throughout labor
• Continuous emotional & physical support
• No routine interventions
• Spontaneous pushing in non-supine positions
• No separation of mother and baby, unlimited opportunity for breastfeeding.

This is a simple, yet lovely video from Injoy that reviews all of the care practices.  The women in the video are clearly in tune with their bodies, while receiving continuous support from their partners, and care providers.  There is no music typical in today's birthing shows that sound like a life and death struggle, with the beat mimicking the fetal heart rate monitor.  A cascade of interventions are not on display with the mother lying flat on her back from the time she arrives in her room to the delivery of her child.  Once born, the baby isn't whisked to a warmer, but rather allowed to be cradled in their mother's arms and breastfeeding initiated if desired.

Having the Best Birth for Your Baby

   Like many, my interest in childbirth education grew out my own experience-personally and professionally.  When I was 28, I had my first child.  After buying a pregnancy test, it seemed my first purchase was buying a What to Expect book.  I'm not saying it wasn't helpful, it was just a little scary.  Then I did what most women do this day in time, they start watching A Baby Story, which ratchets the fear another notch.  Add in a potential leak in amniotic fluid and later gestational diabetes, by the time 40 weeks rolls I am a nervous wreck.  Needless to say, my first experience with childbirth involved a great deal of intervention.  I felt carried away by the whole process, as if it were an out of body experience rather than an able bodied participant in my child's birth.  But something wonderful happened with my next pregnancy, I said, "why? or What if ?"
  Because of my deep dissatisfaction with my first childbirth experience, I took the time to demand more from my health care providers.  I read a book that changed my entire understanding of what childbirth could be.  Janet Balaskas' Active Birth: The New Approah to Giving Birth Naturally.  Through this book, I understood I could be an active, rather than passive, participant in childbirth.  That walking, squatting, swaying, doing whatever my body urged me to do was what I should do rather than being confined to a bed and on my back. 
  My third and final baby was born in a hospital with a doula and my husband.  Both understood and supported my desire for a unmedicated birth.  This birth involved lots of massage, dim lighting, using both heat and cold, swaying, squatting, and changing position. Six hours after labor was induced, a healthy baby was born and I felt a great deal of satisfaction in carrying out the birth plan I wanted. 
  We as consumers of our health care have a responsibility to ask questions of our providers, and do our homework too.  Many of the practices within hospitals are the result of insufficient studies, and the convienence of physicians.  I cannot overemphasize the importance of birth satisfaction.  We will forget the pain we experienced during birth, but as long as our memory is good we will never forget our children's births, and the emotions associated with the experience. 

Birth of a New Blog

    Welcome! This is entry #1, in what I hope to be many more entries.  It is the intent of this blog to assist readers in expanding their knowledge of normal childbirth, and prepare mothers and their partners who desire a normal birth. 
   Childbirth, like anything else, is subject to trends and popular belief.  Sometimes "popular belief" is based on flawed science and fear.  Maybe it's growing out of the "Green" movement, but there does seem to be a shift amongst mothers to have a normal birth.  To listen to the ancient wisdom we as women possess, and with the correct support and preparation, have our babies in the setting of our choosing. 
   This isn't always easy.  It definitely goes against the medical establishment.  It goes against the media.  It goes against the good intentions of friends and family who think you have lost your mind when you talk about your desire for natural childbirth. 
   Natural childbirth is normal.  As I come across news and information that is evidence-based and helpful I will be posting.