How to birth a baby - Lamaze Jamestown, North Dakota

It is all set! My first Lamaze Childbirth Education class will begin October 6 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota. 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Classes will run for 7 weeks (6 classes, I have to skip a date in between), October 6, 13, 27 and November 3, 10, 17. The cost is $125 per couple. There is childcare available if you need it provided by Stepping Stones. This will be an extra charge, but it isn't much (around $4/hour). If you are interested in signing up for the class, send me an email or fill out the Google Form .  I'm in business now, I got my brochures and business cards printed up and I've been handing them out around town.

You have your lovely infant and spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital, depending on if you had a vaginal or cesarean delivery, then you are on your own. Hopefully you had some knowledgeable nurses in the hospital to help you figure out the breastfeeding thing. And if you took a Lamaze or other childbirth education class you have some pointers on how to read your infant's hunger ques, how to soothe your baby, and how to change a diaper. But there may be a significant lack of support when you bring baby home. As a new mom you could be feeling overwhelmed and unsure of your parenting skills and the decisions you are making. During this immediate postpartum time many new parents have family visiting to "help" with the baby. I say, choose wisely who you have at your home during this time. Some people feel the need to entertain these guests and keep their house clean. Well during this time you need people around you who will let you just relax and focus on baby. Those people ...

Lamaze has a great App that you can use to track your pregnancy. It gives you information on how baby is growing week to week and how your body is changing. You can log your doctor's visits, your moods, how you are feeling, and milestones like feeling your baby's first kicks. Tools you can use toward the end of pregnancy include a contraction counter and there is a breastfeeding tracker so you can remember which breast you last fed your baby on. Because that is something I never remembered. Check it out and leave me a comment to let me know how you like it.

After having a baby vaginally your pelvic floor can well...be bent out of shape (so to speak). Whether you had an episiotomy, a natural tear, or your perineum stretched beautifully, the muscles have been stretched and damaged and will need some recovery time. Consequences of this damage include urinary incontinence, anal incontinence, perineal pain, pelvic pain and pelvic organ prolapse. So how do you get back in shape? Well like any type of training you need to exercise your pelvic floor muscles by doing Kegel exercises!! I found this wonderful site where you can download a cheeky song that gives you full instructions. Do the Kegel! It is a great song that will stay with you to remind you to do your exercises. This applies to pre- and post-natal. Anytime is a good time for Kegel exercises. In my personal experience, I had no idea that you can go to a physical therapist to get help with this problem. For several months I went to Apex Physical Therapy in West Fargo for therapy on...

I am starting my first Lamaze class in October. Classes will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota. The class will be one night a week for six weeks. Each class will be 2 hours long (likely 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.). I am still working out the exact day of the week with the church. What you can expect from my class. Learn about how to take care of your pregnant body. Changes in your body during pregnancy, labor, birth, and breastfeeding.  How your partner can help guide you through labor. Questions to ask your care giver about your pregnancy and your care. How to build the birth experience you want. How to use your BRAIN when making decisions about your care. Comfort measures to take to have an un-medicated birth. Techniques to help you decide on optional interventions. Surviving the first few days with baby. So please email me if you are interested in attending this class. I'm excited to take this next step. lamazejamestown@gmail.com

I've decided to go to the Lamaze International Conference ! I wasn't sure if it would work out because it is in October. That is a tough month for me to be gone from home...well because I have a husband who loves to hunt ducks and October is prime duck time in North Dakota. But, the conference is in West Palm, in my home state of Florida and I have resources down there to help get me there. I decided to take the kids with me. Now this may be the end of me, traveling alone with both kids will be a challenge. But they can stay with my parents in Barefoot Bay while I go down to West Palm for the conference. I'm also going to stay with a friend in Lake Worth to help me save on costs. So here I go! Another step in this journey. See you in Florida in October!

I passed my Lamaze Certification exam! I am so excited. I was also offered a space to teach my classes at the local Lutheran Church. My goal is to start my first class in October. I am now working on developing my curriculum for my classes. I would love to have a Yoga practice incorporated in the class somehow as well. Yoga really helped me during my pregnancy and birth and I'd like to share that option with my students. My interactions with the labor and delivery staff at Jamestown Regional Medical Center have been positive, yet unsuccessful. The nursing director there told me that they weren't interested in taking on a Lamaze Childbirth Educator at this time. I'm fine with that. The nursing director did say that she would help refer patients my way for education and that I could work with them to do some shadowing of a labor and delivery nurse. So, I'm on my way. One more step completed. Now onto the hard stuff.