My journey to become a childbirth educator

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 knowledge of how to have an amazing birth experience.

I started this blog to document my journey, thoughts, and reflections as I become a childbirth educator. I have chosen to learn the Lamaze teachings because this school seems to be the best fit for my passion and beliefs. They emphasize the impacts of a positive birth experience and making informed decisions about the interventions that are available. My goal, and I feel the goal of Lamaze teachings, is to empower women so that when they make decisions about their pregnancy and birth they are coming from a place of power within themselves and the decision was not made for them or forced upon them.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why is Childbirth Education Important?

I am the type of person who needs information. When I get interested in a subject I find resources and learn all I can. When I got pregnant I didn’t know much. I mean, I knew the basics on the biology of the whole thing, but I didn’t know how childbirth was actually going to go. I knew there would be choices to make but I didn’t have the information to decide on which choices would be best for me. So I read and sought more education. I found a philosophy of birth that fit my desires. I also sought a care provider who was amenable to the options I was choosing. I took the childbirth class at the local hospital, but didn’t feel like they gave me the tools to have the birth I wanted. I won’t lie, there are many childbirth information sources out there that create fear and are not based on evidence. Many images presented on TV, in movies, and on YouTube show women giving birth in scary, chaotic situations that would make you question why anyone would decide to have a baby at all. Here
Read more

The power of movement

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
Read more

Breech position babies

Image
I am thoroughly intrigued by breech babies. I have a friend who gave birth to a breech baby vaginally in a time and place when that just isn't done. Today if babies are breech they are delivered by cesarean with no questions asked. The art and medical procedure of delivering a breech baby vaginally is dieing out. It isn't being taught and it isn't being practiced. My friend's situation was unique in that her physician and the nurses didn't realize the baby was breech until they saw the baby's bottom coming out. By then it was too late for the alternative and her doctor safely guided her through pushing and delivering a healthy little one. I was happy for her, and even happier for her doctor (who incidentally was also my doctor for my second baby). This doctor now has that experience. This doctor has delivered a breech baby and hopefully can and will deliver more in the future. Three types of breech presentation:  Frank breech where the baby's bottom is
Read more