This page is meant to 'shed a little light' on some basic information concerning pregnancy and birthing...... I will add more useful links as I find them.
Useful Positioning
Birth Positions Related to Back Labor
Information: When to cut the umbilical cord. Click below....CORD PULSING DOES MATTER
BIRTH PLAN EXAMPLES Check these birth plans out for ideas on how to write yours. Remember these are to show the people involved what you would prefer, they can be misconstrued as demands. So it is helpful to present them as preferences only. CLICK HERE or HERE Or Chapter 8 in "Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn" is very helpful 
Questions to Ask a Doula
In selecting a doula, the following questions should help expectant parents make a good decision. These same questions might also be asked by maternity care professionals who wish to know more: • What training have you had? (If a doula is certified, you might consider checking with the organization.) • Tell me about your experience with birth, personally and as a doula. • What is your philosophy about birth and supporting women and their partners through labor? • May we meet to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play in supporting me through birth? • May we call you with questions or concerns before and after the birth? • When do you try to join women in labor? Do you come to our home or meet us at the hospital? • Do you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions? • Do you work with one or more back up doulas for times when you are not available? • May we meet them? • What are your fees and your refund policies? Taken from Position Paper: The Birth Doula’s Contribution to Modern Maternity Care |
A Good Read This is the best, most thorough and useful book that I have ever read on pregnancy! Click the link to check it out!
SIGNS OF LABOR
Check out this weblink for a few details to consider when you are trying to decide if you are in true labor. Click Here but remember when in doubt call your caregiver. 
-I HAVE A LENDING LIBRARY FOR MY CLIENT'S USE!
Shout out for doulas!! (From "Doula Care, Birth Outcomes, and Costs Among Medicaid Beneficiaries" Am J Public Health, Feb. 2013) Results: The cesarean rate was 22.3% among doula-supported births and 31.5% among Medicaid beneficiaries nationally. The corresponding preterm birth rates were 6.1% and 7.3%, respectively. After control for clinical and socio-demographic factors, odds of cesarean delivery were 40.9% lower for doula-supported births (adjusted odds ratio = 0.59; P<.001). Potential cost savings to Medicaid programs associated with such cesarean rate reductions are substantial, but depend on states' reimbursement rates, birth volume, and current cesarean rates. Conclusions. State Medicaid programs should consider offering coverage for birth doulas to realize potential cost savings associated with reduced cesarean rates. And.. Someone was listening to the shout out! Birth doulas in Oregon can now be included in the Medicaid and Traditional Healthcare Worker Registry. Doulas who have been entered on the THW registry can have their fees covered by Medicaid. For more information see the website. THE LATEST STUDY This is a post aimed toward informing Doulas about the latest findings....I thought you all would be interested as well.....
New post on DONA International ACOG Opinion on Limiting Interventions in Labor by Adrianne Gordon The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a new Committee Opinion: Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth. This Opinion was endorsed by the American College of Nurse–Midwives and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses which is a bit unusual and indicates the document supports normal birth....... The opening lines of the abstract gives a clear sense of the direction ACOG is going with this Opinion (and note the shout out to those who support patients!): Obstetrician–gynecologists, in collaboration with midwives, nurses, patients, and those who support them in labor, can help women meet their goals for labor and birth by using techniques that are associated with minimal interventions and high rates of patient satisfaction. Many common obstetric practices are of limited or uncertain benefit for low-risk women in spontaneous labor. That last sentence speaks strongly to what many doulas already know: many of the routine practices we see during labor are not rooted in evidence that demonstrates benefits to mother or baby. That ACOG is not only acknowledging this but leading with it should be applauded. The Opinion ends with links to external resources for care providers including the Issue Brief from Choices in Childbirth entitled “Overdue: Medicaid and Private Insurance Coverage of Doula Care to Strengthen Maternal and Fetal Health” and the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative’s Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans which includes doulas as one of the methods listed. Interventions Addressed in ACOG Opinion The document covers a significant list of common interventions in labor. In some cases the recommendations represent a shift toward a more hands-off approach (purple pushing) and for others, ACOG reaffirms their past positions (eating during labor).
Continuous Support Although doulas certainly would not describe labor support as an intervention per se, ACOG highlights its positive effects on outcomes for birthing women. Doulas are mentioned specifically and numerous citations are used to note the mounting evidence that continuous labor support is associated with:
-- Committee Opinion: Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth, ACOG Summary of Recommendations Early labor - The latent phase of labor is generally defined as up to 4 cm dilation, but ACOG notes that active labor may not begin until 5-6cm for some women in this Opinion. For patients whose membranes are intact and both mother and baby’s status is reassuring, hospital admission is not necessary, the Opinion states. ACOG notes that early admission has been associated with increases in labor augmentation, cesarean births, internal monitors, and antibiotics. Reduced use of epidurals and greater satisfaction with the birth experience were also found. For women admitted to the hospital in the early phase of labor for pain or fatigue, ACOG suggests there may be benefits to offering water immersion and other non pharmacological pain management, education, support, oral hydration, and position changes. These recommendations seems to support the informational, emotional, and physical support roles that doulas provide, particularly in early labor, and may help our clients feel confident with less medical management of early labor. Prelabor Rupture of Membranes - The Opinion notes that most women with ruptured membranes will go into labor within 12 hours. Interestingly, the research summary in this summary notes that there is little difference in outcomes for expected management of PROM versus immediate induction. While higher admissions to Neonatal Intensive Care Units has been found with expectant management, the rate of neonatal infection was the same as in the induction group. The Opinion notes that hospital policy may be a factor in higher NICU rates, and that there may be little difference between expectant management and induction for term mothers with PROM. ACOG concludes that expectant management may be offered in cases where there is no need to expedite delivery. Given the overlap between expectant management and induction noted in the Opinion and the role of hospital policies, it is unlikely that doulas will see much, if any, change in how care providers address PROM in term pregnancies from this Opinion. Intermittent Fetal Monitoring - The Opinion minces no words in this section stating that the widespread use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has not reduced perinatal death and cerebral palsy for low-risk pregnancies, yet has been associated with increases in both cesarean and instrumental vaginal birth. ACOG recommends intermittent auscultation using a hand-held Doppler for low-risk women who prefer it. The Opinion notes that the effect on the women’s labor experience and the demands on staff should be considered. Following the protocols and guidelines from the American College of Nurse–Midwives (30), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses is suggested. Pain Management - Use of a coping scale (“On a scale of 1 to 10, how well are you coping with labor right now?”) versus a pain level assessment is recommended to better help care providers come with a plan unique to the needs of each patient. ACOG notes that non-pharmacological pain management techniques have not been associated with risk to the mother, her baby, or the progression of labor, but there is little research on their effectiveness. The methods suggested in the Opinion that may assist women in coping with labor pain are broad and include acupuncture, massage, sterile water injections, music/white noise (audioanalgesia), childbirth education, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) and aromatherapy. Water immersion in the first stage of labor is mentioned due to the research associating it with lower pain scores. Oral Intake in Labor - While this ACOG Opinion does not change the general approach seen in most hospitals to allow clear fluids but restrict food, it does note that current anesthesia techniques (meaning epidurals) are associated with a low incidence of aspiration - the primary driver for policies against eating during labor. IV fluids are not required, the Opinion notes, for patients whose labor is progressing and who were not induced. Positioning in Labor - Despite referencing research which found that upright positions and movement were associated with a shorter first stage of labor, ACOG concludes in this section that care providers can support frequent position changes during labor so long as monitoring and treatments are not affected or contraindications are not present. If more hospitals adopt this Opinion’s recommendation for intermittent auscultation versus EFM, doulas may see greater support for a wider variety of positions during labor. This section mentions positioning during pushing but does not make a recommendation. Research that found upright or lateral positions were associated with fewer “abnormal” fetal heart rate patterns (quotation marks added by ACOG), episiotomies, and operative vaginal births. Higher rates of tearing and increased bleeding were noted with upright or lateral positioning during pushing. Pushing Technique - The Valsalva maneuver, known as purple pushing to many, is associated with a slightly shorter pushing phase (5 - 19 minutes depending on the study) and with higher rates of abnormal uro-dynamics such as urinary incontinence at three months postpartum. ACOG’s recommendation states that women should be encouraged to push in the way that she prefers and is most effective. This mention of effectiveness may result in care providers continuing to direct women to push by holding her breath while bearing down given the research which indicates a slightly shorter second stage with this technique. Laboring Down with an Epidural - When contraindications are absent, women with epidurals can wait as long as 1-2 hours before pushing unless she has the urge to bear down sooner, the Opinion states. Doulas will find some interesting notes in this section including that most studies which look at the length of the second stage of labor and outcomes do not take into consideration that the second stage has two phases - the passive phase where the baby rotates and descends through the pelvis on its own and the active phase where the mother pushes. (And childbirth educators everywhere are quietly saying, “Duh!”) The Opinion also mentions that studies have found that the active pushing phase is reduced by approximately 20 minutes when a rest period to labor down is allowed. Significant increases the in the number of spontaneous vaginal births were found when patients were allowed to labor down. Conclusion: Change occurs slowly in maternal medicine even with new guidelines or recommendations from a body like ACOG. While there are some encouraging suggestions in this Opinion, doulas are unlikely to see significant change to care practices or hospital policies as a result. The Opinion, does, however serve as a resource to educate our clients on the most recent position of ACOG including the research cited within it. Childbirth educators can also reference this document to encourage expectant families to ask questions and advocate for their preferences in regards to early labor management, comfort measures, monitoring, positioning and pushing. -- Adrianne Gordon, MBA, CD(DONA), Blog Manager |
The Male Perspective ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!
I am reading a book written by and for the average joe father. It has language that turned my ears red, but aside from that the information and how it is presented is invaluable. A must read for dads who need it spelled out for them...or for those who just want a good laugh sprinkled with good info. Check it out
This book is one that I have bought as a reference manual to keep handy for clients. It has a little bit of everything
Click Here for more 
New Life
Back Pain? READ this!
CLICK HERE ! |