How to birth a baby - Lamaze Jamestown, North Dakota

When you open up to another woman about a miscarriage chances are she may have had one too. No one really speaks about them, but they happen more often than you may think. I'm not a professional, but personally I can think of 6 other women in my life who I know have had at least one miscarriage. Two women have had multiple. There may be more of my friends who have had one and haven't opened up to me. With myself included in that number, that seems like a lot of miscarriages. Having a miscarriage is a very personal thing between the woman and her partner. Each women experiences it in her own personal way but for me, it was painful physically and emotionally. I didn't share my experience with many others at the time, maybe because I didn't know exactly how to express it, but I am willing to share now. Especially since I've found out that miscarriages are more common than I thought. And then there are Sam and Nia. They very publicly shared the news of their pregna

This is a great video showing how the baby progresses down the birth canal.

After a whorl-wind weekend of Lamaze childbirth educator class I needed to decompress. As we were wrapping up on the last day the instructor (a woman) said she usually gets her period after she does one of these classes. I honestly thought, "that won't be me, I'm on the pill." But guess what, I got it, which is very strange because I am in the middle of my pack of pills. Now the question is, will I get it again when I normally get my period? It will really suck if that happens. Really though, it was an emotional weekend and I'm sure the hormones that started flowing with all the birth videos we were watching triggered my body's natural response and overrode the hormones I'm getting from the pill. With every birth we watched I felt myself reliving the birth of my kids and the flood of emotions that went with it. The pain I felt and the relief I felt when it was over. Hormones are a powerful thing and I've realized that even just watching other women

After today I feel like I couldn't watch another birth video. This Lamaze Childbirth Educator class has officially become a bit overwhelming! At lunch I walked out of the building and needed to decompress a little. And I still had another 4 hours to go. This class has been a flood of emotions. I think because birth is such a journey for a woman and every discussion that comes up I am constantly thinking back to my own births and how that can relate to the topic we are talking about. Then we will talk about problems and issue that can arise during birth and labor and I have to think about how grateful I am that I didn't have that problem and try and empathize with women who have had to go that route. Now, all I want to do is veg out and go to bed, but I have to come up with a teaching lesson for tomorrow and I want to switch the direction of the topic I originally thought I'd do. It is 15 minutes. That doesn't seem that long in the grand scheme of things. But I'm

It was a long day but it didn't seem like it. The class went well and I took a lot of notes. Well...that is because I am a note taker and I was getting a ton of ideas for future blog posts. I learned that the instructor has "unschooled" her kids and then I got a feel for her teaching style. We watched videos and discussed various experiences. So there was some learning going on there, I'm just not sure if I can regurgitate anything, and I don't think that is the point. This is the facility where my Lamaze class is being held. A great resource for pregnant women. I was pretty shaky going into today. To the point of tears really. I was just thinking about the class and what it was all about and my eyes were tearing up. During my introduction I was almost crying when it got to the fear part. But the other women in the room were very open and welcoming and it made me feel a lot better. We all shared our fears and it turns out there were themes similar to mine i

Well, I'm in Madison and mentally prepping myself for what is to come for tomorrow. I checked my email and found an email from the instructor. I will quote what it read and let me know what you think. "I wanted to give you a heads up about introductions tomorrow. I know this can be a source of nervousness when it is sprung on you.  So, I want to give you a little time to think about what you'd like to say.  So, I will ask you to tell us your name, any relevant family information you want to give (do you have a partner, kids, etc), where do you live, what is your occupation, 3 interesting facts about yourself (hobbies, travel, interests, etc) and to tell us a hope and a fear for this weekend.  What are you hoping to get out of it or what are you hoping will happen because of it, etc.  What are you nervous about?  What do you think might hold you back, etc." Um...what? Ok, this goes beyond just the normal pleasantries. Do I need to take notes? Fortunately

I am super excited! On Thursday I leave for Madison for my Lamaze instructor training. I am super excited (wait I just wrote that again, can you tell I'm excited?). I have the "Call the Midwife" audio book to listen to on the way. I also have my Lamaze study guide ready to go and am super excited to begin this journey. I can't wait to meet the other people who will be learning with me. The instructor also emailed me to say we will be doing a practice teaching session and I can choose any topic I like. That is hard, because I'm not sure where to start. I do like the idea of teaching pain management but I also want to incorporate the sharing of birth stories into my teaching. I've shared the birth story of my second baby, but somehow skipped over my first baby's story. I wrote it down in my journal, but didn't post it on our family blog. I'll have to get to that. Anyway, I hope to do a couple of posts during the seminar to keep a memory of the t

I just learned about something called Hyperemesis Gravidarum . It is chronic vomiting during pregnancy. To the point where it is life threatening. I discovered a new blog that described what this illness entails. I had a friend who vomited throughout her pregnancy and was admitted to the hospital at one point for dehydration. Her baby was born healthy but she struggled. I don't know if she was ever specifically diagnosed with this disease, but I know she went through a lot of pain. I remember one story she told about the orange drink they give you for the gestational diabetes test they do on pregnant women. She could barely keep it down. She said as she was driving home she was focusing on not puking, then as soon as she pulled in the driveway she got out and was on her hands and knees puking in the grass in front of her house. Her son in a gesture of solidarity was right next to her pretending to puke with her. Myself, well, I was nauseous my entire pregnancy. There was a per

Weather you are for abortion or not, one thing is true, there will always be women who want or need one. With that being the case, it is not a moral issue but a medical one. It is the responsibility of the medical community to provide safe, secure and compassionate care to women seeking an abortion. I have been listening to the second "Call the Midwife" audio book. It is a great history of childbirth in London's poor area. In this book there is a description of how illegal abortions were performed and how dangerous it was for the women who had them. She informatively describes the different techniques and how they can go wrong. It is very interesting and listening to this book has given me a great perspective and renewed energy to support efforts to ensure women don't have an added struggle to one of the hardest decisions they will make in their lives. This article on the Cosmopolitan site is just one story of how desperation can push women to take drastic measur

I often refer to gestation as cooking. You know the bun in the oven euphemism and all. And I am a big proponent of going to full gestational readiness. Unless it is necessary for the health of the mother or baby, I don't see why a baby should be born before 40 to 42 weeks. There is a plethora of research and evidence that shows babies born before they are ready have health and developmental issues. When women are induced before their bodies are ready labors are longer, more intense and lead to cesarean intervention. That is why it baffles me when I hear women calling 38 weeks "full term". I figure they hear this from their doctors and are setting themselves up for an induction if they go much beyond that. The truth is, 40 to 42 weeks is how long the baby should cook. Inductions and scheduled cesareans at 38 weeks are just too early. I've learned that a physician's beliefs or how they were taught greatly influences the advice they give to their patients. If a d

Well, I've encountered something I never knew existed the "Walking Epidural". It is a pain relief option for women who want to be mobile during labor. The procedure is the same as a regular epidural, except you maintain motor function. Amazing! Because one of my biggest philosophies for giving birth is to MOVE ! Moving in the form of walking, changing labor positions, and generally standing to let gravity help move the baby is the primary advice I stand by when talking to pregnant women. Although I am not a childbirth educator yet, I know what worked for me and the information I have read so far agrees with the philosophy that movement helps with pain management and keeping the baby progressing down the birth canal. I love the idea of a walking epidural for women who want pain relief. It seems like a great way to incorporate it into the natural process of giving birth.

There always seems to be a new story popping up about a woman breastfeeding her baby in public and someone asking her to cover up. A recent story out of Moorhead for example. Reading this story it sounds like the issue is resolved and the employees at the pool where the incident occurred have been reeducated and now know it is a woman's right to breastfeed her baby in public. I LOVE the response that nursing mothers have to these types of incidents. A NURSE-IN! I can just hear the conversations. "Ladies, I was at the pool yesterday and they told me to cover up. Let's show them we are a force! Everyone bring your hungry baby to the pool tomorrow and prepare to sit and breastfeed that baby and DARE them to make us all cover up." These types of active protests make me wish I was still nursing my kid. I would love to have participated in a nurse-in full force. Breastfeeding is an amazing experience and I encourage any mom I meet to do it. Granted it is a lot of hard

NPR has had a series of childbirth related stories recently. And this one is great: Should More Women Give Birth Outside The Hospital? There is an excellent quote by Dr. Neel Shah that I believe really sums up the care in the U.S.: "We're taking excellent care of high-risk women," he says, "and leaving low-risk, normal women behind. We're the only country on Earth with a rising maternal mortality rate." Can you believe that?! A rising maternal mortality rate in the U.S.? And yet it is true with our intervention heavy birth process and high cesarean rates, which average 33 percent in the U.S. compared with 26 percent in the U.K. They interview another obstetrician and he reveals his arrogance. And that is what I have come to believe is the root of the criticism of alternative care sought by pregnant women in the U.S. We have been conditioned to think that we should seek an obstetrician care giver for the best care. When in reality, these doctors are tr

I gave "The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth With Confidence" to a friend of mine. This friend is a labor and delivery nurse at my local hospital. She is good at her job, she attended the birth of my second baby and I value her opinions. She told me frankly that she was offended with certain parts of the book and the fact that it didn't recognize the work of nurses and doctors who are trying to change the hospital birth experience to fit the needs of women in labor. I know that she values the birth experience and genuinely wants every mom that comes in there to have a great experience. I agree. On some level there is a need to challenge the hospital protocols for laboring women. To question certain practices like no solid food and continuous electronic fetal monitoring. But there are doctors, nurses and hospitals that are recognizing the power a woman's body has to give birth and trusting in that process and not managing it with medical interventions unless neces

The one key piece of advice I give pregnant women is when you go into labor, MOVE! Move to find comfort and move to keep labor progressing. Gravity is your friend when birthing a baby. Movement helps your baby descend into the birth canal and turn into the correct birthing position. Restricting a laboring woman to a back lying position inhibits all the processes that need to take place for the baby to come out. I labored for a while at home with both of my babies. Throughout my labor I rocked on an exercise ball and walked around the room. I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees and leaning on the bed. It all worked in my favor because my labors progressed quickly and my babies came out successfully.  So be insistent that you need to move. Have a yoga mat with you to lay on the floor so you can use it to get into positions on the floor that help you. Don't let anyone insist that you lay down. And screw that electronic fetal monitoring. I hear a bath is great for relieving t

My name is Jennifer and I have decided to become a childbirth educator. I am starting my journey by reading and self study and will take an instruction class in November. Why have I decided to start this venture? I think childbirth is fascinating and when I was pregnant I knew I wanted to give birth without drugs, but I didn't know how. Childbirth is one of those things a body just knows how to do. Although, every woman may not know how to help their body do it. I found that in my smallish community there were no resources to help me learn how to do this. So I turned to books and yoga which helped a lot and gave me the tools to successfully birth two babies without medication (aside from that antibiotic I needed because I was group B strep positive). I know not every woman is able to read and do the education on her own, so I want to be an instrument of change in my community and help women who are seeking knowledge on how to have an unmedicated birth. I want to help them gain kn