Screening For The Movie "Orgasmic Birth"

My doula trainer Melissa is helping to put together a screening for the film "Orgasmic Birth". If you would be interested in helping to promote it, or to be in the audience at the screening, please check her blog and contact her.

I Finally Bought a Birth Ball/Exercise Ball!

A birthing ball or exercise ball is extremely helpful to a woman. You can use it before, during, and after pregnancy for fitness, as it's designed to be used. During labor it can be helpful to sit on the ball to help open up the pelvic outlet and encourage the baby to move downward. You can also lean on the ball with your upper body with your knees on the floor or bed, and this positions helps encourage the baby to move into a favorable position for birth, as well as offers comfort to the laboring mother.

I have wanted my own birth ball for some time now. My doula who assisted me in the last two births of my children had a ball that she always brought for me to use. I enjoyed sitting on it and bouncing slightly when I was having contractions. When I was in the hospital I had a hard time actually getting comfortable using the ball because of the hard floors and sterile surroundings. I decided that I needed to finally buy my own birthing ball and practice using it more at home to prepare for my home birth.

I paid about $10 for this one at Wal-Mart. It comes with the ball, a small pump, and an exercise instruction booklet. I bought the 55 cm size because I'm short. It's for people who are 5' 6" tall or less. There are also 65 cm balls for taller people, and they are the same price. I've already pumped it up and I'm excited to start using it!

My Reaction to the 20/20 Motherhood Special

I watched the 20/20 special on motherhood tonight, and it was definitely interesting.

The first segment was about orgasmic birth, which I had never heard of before. The concept of pain-free natural birth is still somewhat new to me, and I had never even considered the possibility of experiencing such ecstasy during labor. If you didn't watch the segment, you can read the article here: Moms Thrilled By Orgasms During Labor

The next segment was about "reborns", or dolls that are made to look like real babies. It seems they help fill a void for women who, for various reasons, have no children of their own. But even women who have had their own babies buy these dolls. They are amazingly lifelike. I'm not much of a doll person, and having several of my own children to cuddle and kiss, I don't see the purpose. There's an article about them here: Not Child's Play: I Feel Like I Have A Real Baby

The next segment was about extended breastfeeding. I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, but it was an interesting segment. I can see both sides, but personally I don't think I would want to breastfeed my 5 year-old. The article about it is here: Breastfeeding Past Infancy

The next segment was about serial surrogate mothers. In general, I'm not a supporter of surrogate mothers. I feel that couples who can afford $25,000 - $30,000 to pay a surrogate mother to carry and birth their baby can probably afford to adopt several babies who would otherwise not have a good life. I also feel that there's something morally wrong with surrogacy, but that's just my personal opinion. I also have been blessed with children of my own and no struggles to get or stay pregnant, so I realize that I don't understand the other side of that spectrum. If you'd like to read the article, you can find it here: Serial Surrogates Have Birthed More Babies For Others Than Themselves

The last segment was the one I was waiting for. It is the story about more mothers choosing to birth their babies at home. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive portrayal of those choosing natural home birth. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, the creators of the documentary film, The Business of Being Born, were interviewed for the segment, along with other home birth advocates. The link to the article from the 20/20 website has a headline listed of "Going it Alone: Giving Birth at Home". I don't agree with that headline, because I feel that women choosing home birth are not "going it alone" because they are generally working with experienced professionals to assist them in their birthing experiences. There was also a comment made in the segment of the opinion that mothers choosing to give birth at home are being selfish, because they are only thinking of themselves while they put their baby's life at risk. I firmly disagree with that statement, because I feel that any woman who has done the research and seriously considered her options has thoroughly explored the risks and benefits of her choice. I feel that no woman putting that much thought, care and consideration into her birth choices is willing to put her baby's life at risk, and would not do so. Such a woman is in no way ignorant or selfish. In her interview, Ricki Lake points out that in a hospital there can be more risk for problems as one medication is given, which leads to another medication, which then leads to another medication, complications and so forth. I agree with that statement, and I feel it can be a slippery slope in a hospital setting, which is another part of my choice to birth at home. I could go on and on about this, but I'll spare you the soap-box. If you're interested in reading the article about this segment, you can find it here: Mothers-to-be Saying No To Modern Medicine

I'm glad that such topics as natural birth, home birth and doulas (Today Show Segment about Doulas) are receiving more exposure, particularly on a national level. It's very exciting to see more people learning about these options. Even with some negative opinions as networks try to present opposing sides, it's really good to bring these things to light and let the nation know that women have more options than society has taught them.

20/20 Special Tonight to Cover Multitude of Motherhood Topics

In an earlier post I talked about a 20/20 special about Motherhood. I wasn't sure at that time what would be portrayed in the special, but there is now more information on the 20/20 website about it, and it should be interesting! Among the topics that may be covered are: giving birth at home, extreme surrogate mothers, orgasmic births, extended breastfeeding, and more.

The special will air tonight on ABC at 10pm. In my area it will be on at 9pm, so please check your local listings if you are interested in watching it. I'll be recording it and watching it later so I can skip the commercials. I'm not exactly sure what to expect from the special, but I'm interested to see how it will turn out.

Miscellaneous Update

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything new. I feel like I've hit a bit of a dry spell when it comes to my blog, and I'm just not sure what to write about. There are so many topics I could talk about, but nothing really jumps out at me right now. If anyone has questions or suggestions on what they would like to know about, please post a comment and let me know!

I'm about 13 weeks along in my pregnancy. The second trimester officially begins at 15 weeks, so I am close. I don't get nauseated anymore, and that is wonderful. I still get hungry quite often, but not nearly as much as I did a few weeks ago. My milk production is way down, and my baby only nurses 1 to 2 times per day now. Even when I drink the milking mother tea it's not a significant increase in milk, but it does help some.

I've read that the milk supply naturally diminishes around the fourth to fifth month, and so far my pregnancy is following that pattern. My baby will be one year old very soon, and I will have achieved my goal of nursing her for at least 12 months, and I feel good about the weaning process that is taking place. She is really growing fast, and she loves to eat any food we give her, and it's really fun to see her develop.

My family has had a good time during the holidays and the kids are enjoying their time off from school. We have all been sick with colds, and one of my children has had croup twice within a week, but we are managing and moving forward. I hope everyone is doing well!

Herbal Tea Helps Boost Breastmilk Production

I finally made it to the health food store yesterday and I bought this herbal tea made by Yogi Tea. It's called Woman's Nursing Mom, and on the package it claims to help boost breastmilk production. I brought it home and made myself a cup of it last night. After just one cup of this tea I was able to nurse my baby 3 times in the same time period I would normally be able to nurse her once.

This tea has Chamomile Flower, Fennel Seed, Stinging Nettle Leaf, Anise Seed, Fenugreek Seed and English Lavendar Flower.

The tea smells strongly of licorice (from the Anise seed), and has a strong licorice taste. I added lots of honey to it because I don't like licorice and wanted to mask the taste as much as possible. I'll just keep adding honey to it, because so far it's well worth it for the benefits.

You should be able to get this tea at most health food stores, and it's also available to purchase online. Amazon.com even has packages of 6 boxes for about $18, which is an excellent price. I paid about $5 for one box, and there are 16 tea bags in each box. I plan to drink it once a day, and hopefully it will continue to boost my milk production.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Update and Herbal Tea Info

I'm 11 weeks pregnant today, so I'm almost to the second trimester! I'm feeling better than I did a few weeks ago. I don't get nauseated nearly as much as I used to. I'm not feeling starved quite so much, and my breastmilk supply is still hanging in there. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I've been watching myself closely to make sure I'm eating at least every 2 hours or any time I feel the hunger pains, and I started drinking this herbal tea blend that my midwife recommended. It's a blend of Red Raspberry, Alfalfa, Nettle, Oatstraw, Borage, Fennel, and Peppermint. It's called Sherri's Morningstar Tea because my midwife has it packaged and sold at a local health food store for the cost to make it. She recommends drinking it every day throughout pregnancy, rather than taking a multivitamin. I have a prenatal multivitamin that my obstetrician prescribed for me that has always worked well for me, and I'm taking that as well as drinking the tea. I feel I need any extra help I can get right now, and it is helping. The tea even seems to help my milk production a little bit. I've noticed on the days I drink more of the tea I tend to have a little bit more milk for my baby to drink, and that is a definite plus.

I don't like the taste of Red Raspberry tea, but I've been told about how excellent it is for good health, particularly during pregnancy. Sherri's tea has a strong taste of Red Raspberry, but if I put enough honey in it I don't mind the taste at all. It's pretty pleasant to drink with the honey.

As far as milk production goes, my doula has been telling me for a few years about a tea blend called Mother's Milk Tea that she drinks whenever she is nursing a baby. She says it's the best thing to boost milk production. I really want to try it, and I plan on buying some the next time I can get to the health food store. We have had several consecutive heavy snow storms recently, and for now I'm not venturing out anywhere that's not absolutely necessary. Once the road conditions improve, however, I plan to go to the health food store and get some of that tea.

Another thing my midwife recommended is that I snack on trail mix between meals. I have a premade mix from the store that's pretty good, but has a lot of chocolate in it and it's not the most healthy. I absolutely love chocolate, but I don't want to eat it all day long. What I want to do is go to Good Earth Natural Foods to their bulk foods section and get bags of my favorite grains, nuts and dried fruits to put together my own trail mix blend of my favorite things. Yum!

In the meantime, my good friend Heather brought over some of her homemade Holiday Granola for me to snack on. It's really good, and she posted the recipe on her blog. I suggest you try it out, whether or not you're pregnant!

Despite the exhaustion and constant need for food, which I know will subside as time goes on, I'm enjoying my pregnancy. I'm having fun finding healthy things to eat and trying new things, like the tea and the granola. I'm happy to be venturing into a new path for me, working with a wonderful midwife and planning a home birth. I still feel very positive and peaceful about these plans, and I feel so blessed to be able to do this. I simply feel blessed and grateful to have been given the opportunity to have birthed 4 amazing babies with another one coming. I love being a mother and I'm so happy to be able to fulfill this important part of my life.

New Study Shows Epidurals Can Stall Labor

I've heard rumors and read several books that have stated that epidurals can stall the progress of labor. Here is a Danish study which has found that to be true. The study included 2810 women each expecting a single baby (no twins).

"Vaginal examinations at admission provide useful information on risk indicators for dystocia. The strongest risk indicator was use of epidural analgesia and if part of that is causal, it is of concern."

Some characteristics they found related to labor dystocia (slow or stalled labor) were poor cervical presentation, including dilation less than 4 cm, tense cervix, thick lower segment, poor positioning of the baby (baby's head above inter-spinal diameter, poor fetal head to cervix contact), and the use of epidural analgesia.

I would like to point out that all of the above characteristics (with the exception of the epidural) are generally indications that the baby is simply not ready to come out. If the baby is in a poor position, such as high in the birth canal, or the cervix is not dilated or thinned, it's a strong hint that the baby is just not coming out any time soon. There are things that can be done to correct poor baby positioning (see my post about Posterior Positions), as well as things that can be done to help thin the cervix and augment labor naturally. If these do not yield more progress, then it may just be a good idea to wait and let your body and the baby prepare more and get ready for birth. Contrary to some current obstetric beliefs, there is no set time table for labor. Some women labor for just a few hours, while others (myself included) may labor for a few days or more. Women's bodies are made to birth babies and most of the time can do that in their own time unaided by medical intervention.

There are times that intervention is needed. For instance, when the bag of waters has ruptured there is a limited time that the baby needs to be born in order to avoid infection, but that is generally 24-36 hours and can still give a woman's body time to work and birth the baby. There are other instances, but I believe in most cases intervention is not needed, and in the case of epidurals, intervention actually can stall labor and make things more difficult.

ABC 20/20 Motherhood Special Rescheduled

I recorded tonight's episode of 20/20 expecting it to be a special about motherhood that I mentioned in an earlier post. Sadly, the episode wasn't the one I was expecting, and was about other topics. According to the Business of Being Born newsroom, the special was originally slated to air on November 7, but I've been unable to find any record of it on the 20/20 website. Last week on their website it appeared they would air the episode tonight. It now appears the episode has been rescheduled for January 2nd. In the meantime, you can read the ABC News article entitled Mothers-To-Be Saying No To Modern Medicine, which gives a brief preview of the motherhood special. I'm excited to record and watch the special, and see how it turns out!

Some Perspective

I'm not the kind of person who likes to get in people's faces and tell them what they should do. I generally avoid confrontation, and tend to quietly hold my feelings to myself.

Choosing a home birth was an easy choice for me with this pregnancy. It seemed like a natural step, and I immediately felt immense peace about my decision and knew it was right for me to plan this for my baby's birth. The hard part for me has been telling other people about my decision. I've been so afraid to even approach my close friends and family because I've been worried they would criticize me and try to talk me out of it. So far I've received more support than criticism, and I'm grateful for that. I think part of this journey for me is to help me develop some thicker skin and learn to stand my ground on the things that are most important to me, despite what anyone else thinks. I usually do what I want no matter what anyone else says, especially if they tell me not to do it, just because that's one of my strong personality traits. But, I generally just do it quietly without letting on that I'm going against the norm. I can't stay quiet about this.

I don't believe home birth is right for everyone. I don't believe natural (un-medicated) birth is right for everyone. I wasn't ready to do natural birth or home birth with my first baby, and here I am expecting my fifth and finally fulfilling my dream of a water birth. Many times when someone supports natural home birth they stay on that extreme side and tend to argue that everyone should do it that way. I don't feel that way. I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective in supporting women in whatever birth choices they make.

Some of my opinions expressed in my blog may seem extreme. I feel that in the United States we are inundated with medical information about childbirth from the medical community's perspective. Part of my goal with this blog is to offer alternatives that might otherwise be more difficult to learn about. There's a wealth of information advocating hospital births and medications, and not so much that supports natural birth and home birth. In some ways I'm trying to help even the playing field by presenting information so women can make informed decisions about their prenatal care and birthing options. I want all women to realize that they have options and to educate themselves about those options so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families.