Posts filed under 'Prenatal'
What You Can Do To Avoid a Cesarean Birth
by Laurie Chamberlin, CD, ICCE, LE
Tears streaming down her face, sadness and longing to go back and do it differently “How do you get the word out?” Dena questioned. “I took the classes, I learned about the pro’s and con’s, but I didn’t care about that when I was pregnant, I just wanted my baby out, no matter how it happened and then I ended up with a horrible experience” she continued. “I’ll do everything I can next time to have a vaginal birth, please Laurie, tell everyone, it’s not a simple as it sounds!”
Dena sat in my office, 15 months after the birth of her baby girl, reliving the experience of the cesarean birth of her first and only child. The pull of meeting her baby at the time, and ending pregnancy was for her, more important than how she brought her baby into the world. In hindsight she sees all the information that she couldn’t take in because emotionally, her mind was made up.
She reflected further, “It seemed so easy to just schedule a cesarean, I didn’t know everything that could go wrong, it seems everyone is doing it!’
And as usual, timing is everything, literally within hours of meeting with Dena I am emailed a link to Prevent Cesarean Surgery.
Truth is, birth by cesarean section is sometimes necessary, and when it is, we are extremely grateful. We know it has it’s benefits, it can save lives. This video is for pregnant women and their partners who want to know more about cesarean births and what they can do to avoid one. It’s short, it’s informative and the music is fabulous! Worth it, watch it, pass it on.
For a list of classes and services go to www.lauriechamberlin.com
Laurie Chamberlin, CD, ICCE, LE teaches childbirth preparation classes, lactation classes and is a prenatal counselor serving the Grass Valley/Nevada City/Auburn area. For more information contact: lauriechamberlin@comcast.net or call 530.477.5442.
Add comment July 14, 2009
Breathing reduces labor pain, big deal. Wait, really? How?
posted by Laurie Chamberlin
“What if I don’t want to practice breathing? It irritates me,” says a very pregnant Marianne during the breathing practice session of our birthing class. I’ve never had anyone say this before and I don’t have an answer right away. So, I take a breath and reply, “It’s probably difficult for you because it is something new. Learning new things can be challenging.”
As a childbirth educator I want to motivate and inspire her to learn. However, my response doesn’t appear to bring Marianne any sort of satisfaction. Some students ears perk up when they hear that breathing helps reduce the pain of labor. How? Breathing acts as a tool to relax muscles and release tension in the body, thereby make contractions easier to cope with. “A relaxed body can cope with contractions better than a tense body,” is a mantra I use during my six week series hoping my students will remember this during labor. For specific breathing techniques you can visit http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/
I’m human though, and it bugs me just a bit that I can’t seem to relay to Marianne, and I’m sure other students, just how useful breathing techniques can be to a laboring woman. Always evaluating my teaching effectiveness, I take this comment to heart. I search my soul, my life experience, my birth education for ways to teach this better.
Then it happened. A month or so later I dash into Flour Garden to grab an iced tea. I hear my name and turn to see a no longer pregnant Marianne and a dear little baby girl cradled in her arms. “I wanted you to meet my daughter,” she says. I look at her precious little girl with lots of dark hair sticking straight up sweetly held in her mothers loving arms.
This is what Marianne said to me about her labor.
“I really wish I would have listened to you and practiced the breathing you taught us in class. I was convinced that it wouldn’t help me so I just brushed it off. Even though my labor was really fast and I had a good experience, I wish I’d had my breathing down, especially during transition, it would have helped me deal with the pain! Using breathing techniques would have made my birth experience that much better.”
She is happy with how her labor went overall and I smile. My heart fills with joy. I realize I just found a way to improve the effectiveness of my teaching, by relaying Marianne’s story to future students.
Add comment September 11, 2008
Confident Mama
posted by Laurie Chamberlin
I was walking to my car last week when I saw this adorable little baby asleep in a front carrier while his mama was humming and unloading groceries into her car. “Laurie!” exclaimed Debra and took me by surprise as I hadn’t realized I knew her. “I read your article on Flat Head Syndrome in the Briar Patch Newsletter. I ran right out and bought this!” Debra stroked the fabric of the navy colored front carrier. “He loves it.” she explained. “He falls right asleep whenever I put him in it.” Debra beamed with a vibrant smile and a confidence I hadn’t seen during her pregnancy. I looked at my own two children who were oohing and aahing over the smiling mother and adorable sleeping newborn.
Driving away I felt a sense of gratitude for that interaction. Debra looked so happy and was obviously settling into motherhood well. The last time I saw her was during her pregnancy and she was having trouble communicating her needs to her doctor. I looked right into her eyes back then and said, “This is what parenting is, it is about communicating our needs and making decisions for our family that might not please others.” Debra looked me right back in the eye and said, “I’m not good at that.” I winked at her with a smile and said, “You can be.”
It turns out Debra was able to discuss what was important to her with her doctor. It was a step that helped her to take an active role in the decision making process of her baby’s birth. Some studies have shown that when mothers take an active role in their birth experience they feel more positively. When mothers feel better about their birth experience, one can only imagine that they are more inclined to settle into motherhood with greater ease because they are starting from a place of confidence. I saw this very sweetly in Debra who will forever be etched in my mind loading groceries into her car as confident as could be.
For a list of classes go to www.lauriechamberlin.com
Laurie Chamberlin, CD, ICCE, LE teaches childbirth preparation classes, lactation classes and is a prenatal counselor serving the Grass Valley/Nevada City/Auburn area. For more information contact: www.lauriechamberlin.com lauriechamberlin@comcast.net or call 530.477.5442
Add comment June 24, 2008
Prenatal Counseling, Birth Hypnosis & Bonding with your Unborn Child
posted by Dr. Gayle Peterson
Prenatal Counseling, Birth Hypnosis and bonding with your unborn child
I find that moms and Dads enjoy bonding with their baby more when they know just a little bit about what it is like inside the womb! These two articles give food for thought to bonding with your baby and with each other before birth ….and addressing anxieties which come up that impact labor……
Tips for Bonding with Your Unborn Child
Body Centered Hypnosis for Childbirth
“Medical research has shown that fear can affect labor by decreasing blood levels of oxytocin. My prenatal counseling program incorporates body-centered hypnosis and techniques for coping which allow a woman to anticipate her physical and emotional response to labor, to master her fear, thus allowing a greater potential for a smooth, uncomplicated childbirth…” from An Easier Childbirth. Read the entire article.
NEW Online and DVD Certification Training in Prenatal Counseling and Birth Hypnosis
Add comment May 30, 2008
Carol White