Chandler, Arizona
Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
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Inside Look: Flowerevolution Flower Lounge
Posted on November 18, 2016 at 2:19 PM |
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Otter and I had the privilege of attending an amazing, heart-opening event last evening. When I was pregnant with her, I met Katie Hess and Lisa Reinhardt at an event for The Bump. That "chance" meeting introduced the power of flowers and intentional chocolate into our lives, for which I am forever grateful. Whether you are pregnant, birthing or postpartum, this book applies to you. It applies to anyone who is breathing space and wanting a more meaningful life experience. Katie and Lisa's vision to change the world with flowers has found it's most recent expression through Katie's book, Flowerevolution. I first became of Katie's work-in-progress when one of her assistant's contacted me about including my testimonial in the book. I had written it after using the flower essences through Otter's pregnancy and birth journey. What a thrill to see it included in the finished product!! There are a few book launch FLOWER LOUNGE events coming up. Check HERE to see if there is one coming to a city near you...I know that CA and FL are on the list. Then do whatever you can to get there. The evening was magical from start to finish. We were welcomed into the space with a flower mandala. There were flowers along every walkway, and yes, even in the restrooms. There was delicious libation with optional flower infusion, delicious gifts from Mother Earth to eat, and there were flower reading stations for the guests to enjoy. Every solid space for sitting was ensconced with flower petals and candle light. The evening started with an introduction and an invitation to meditate by Lisa Reinhardt, creator of Wei of Chocolate. Her vegan, fair-trade chocolates are infused with Lotus Wei flower essences. Both she and Katie have studied meditation, and we were treated to a wonderful two-minutes of mindfulness, breathing and being at the pace of chocolate. She welcomed Katie to take the stage. Katie share the trailer for her book, and then spoke more about the inspiration for this labor of love to take fifteen years of working with clients and traveling around the world to connect with flowers into a master work. Anyone can pick up this book and connect with the healing power of flowers. Now you don't need to live near a garden or grow your own flowers to receive their beneficial energy. Even though after experiencing this book I think many will be inspired to plant a small garden, albeit a pot garden in a windowsill - prepare to be enlivened and inspired to take action. Thanks to the masterful skill and the talented eye of photographer and filmmaker Louie Schwartzburg, the pictures in the book come alive in your living room. He was the final person to take the floor last evening. There are not enough words to describe the wonder and awe with which he filled the audience. His dedication to capture the small, the vast, and the incomprehensible for the human eye, slowing it down for our speed, left me in greater wonder at this amazing space we live in. It filled me with hope that since Nature is much bigger and than we are, with stewardship and care, we have an instruction guide to build a safer place for our children. We just need to slow down enough to try and grasp her language and learn her lessons. I highly recommend the book - you can watch the trailer at the Lotus Wei website and order from Amazon. Even if you are not ready to take the flower power journey, it is a stunning work of art with countless beautiful images to bring beauty into your day. Here is a photo journal of our evening: Mandala at the sign-in area Otter got into the spirit of the evening by adding flowers to the mandala. Floral art installation along a bench on the walk way. Always a fan of the infinity sign, I was thrilled to see this floral art. The flower mandala in the presentation hall. A gift for all the attendees. Lisa had a specific activity for us to do with the cards - and there were also two pieces of chocolate, which we enjoyed at the event. Thank goodness for the coloring table!! Otter enjoyed the flower coloring pages while I got to listen to the presenters. Like an invitation in Wonderland, here was a message for the guests. Otter was enthralled with the mandalas - a true flower child. There were a handful of flower petals left. We placed them with intention for some loved ones. Good night, garden! The final piece of Lisa's meditation was to have us take out the flower card in our gift bag and reflect on any messages we were receiving as we meditated on the flowers around us. Then the Lotus Wei crew walked among the audience to collect all the cards. The cards were then placed on a table at the exit. Each guest was invited to take a message card on the way out the door. Otter picked this one for us. Pictured underneath it is my flower message that I received this morning when I used Part 2 of the book to continue my own #flowerevolution journey: Disclaimer:
The material included in this video is for informational
purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his
healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for
their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss
Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site,
or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog and video contain information about
our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official
website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our
blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American
Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
Birthing
From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona:
convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale
|
Monday Mantra: Gathering Energy for Labor
Posted on May 26, 2014 at 1:16 AM |
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Whether you have a long labor, a short labor, or something in between, there will come a time when you have to draw within yourself to gather the energy you need to see your birth through. This was definitely my favorite affirmation - mantra really - as we hit the point in labor when there was barely time to let go of all the tension before another contraction started again. I envisioned the energy around me as a vortex, and as I inhaled I swirled energy into me and as I exhaled I sent all my tiredness and tension away. It was really a neat vision as I entered the "the zone". What is an affirmation or a mantra that helped you during your labor and birth? Please leave a comment - it will be moderated and posted. The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Birth Mantras
Posted on July 9, 2013 at 9:56 AM |
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We have been teaching Bradley Method® classes
long enough to have the privilege of having alumni students come back and take
another series as they are expecting their next child. We have one of those couples in our current
class, and something came up in class that made me reflect on our births. The class topic last week was stages of labor. We talked about the markers of the different stages of labor, how to identify “transition” that typically happens between first stage (cervical dilation and positioning baby) and second stage (pushing to birth), and how to manage the different stages of labor. Our alumni mom mentioned that she was never able to let go of the discomfort of feeling like she had to have a bowel movement. She wasn’t able to dilate any further until they got to the hospital and she got an epidural. The epidural relieved that feeling for her, and she dilated from 5cm to 10cm in one hour. When she was able to let go of that sensation and the fear of losing control, her body got busy. She is retaking our class because although she liked her epidural, she knows that the less drug exposure to baby, the better. It made me reflect back on our birth experiences. Although I never asked for drugs, I look back and wonder what would have happened if I had given up control of our births a lot sooner. I imagine they would have been more in line with our 18-hour birth of our biggest baby. All 11 pounds and 1 ounce of Night Owl, arrived in the early morning after being left alone to labor with the support of Coach Bruss and our doula. We had eaten, slept, stayed hydrated, and his was our easiest birth. After that, we had our two longest births, ironically, at the time when we were training to become a Bradley™ instructors, and after we were certified as instructors. It seems that the more I
“knew”, the less able I was to let go. I
was so busy analyzing, worrying about taking pictures that we could use in
class, wondering how I would be perceived by my peers and our students, that I
added untold layers of emotional baggage that Bruss would have to work me
through. I had to surrender to the fact
that natural birth is all about relinquishing judgment and control, and
accepting that we were going to allow my body and our baby the birth that they
needed. Once I hit that point of
complete release, both of those children were born within about 5 hours of that
turning point. I want to share what I now know to be my birth mantra, just in case it can help another mama have an easier birth. As much as I would love another go at putting this into practice (and have a labor sprint instead of marathons!), it feels like our family is complete, so I hope you will benefit from it for a better birth for you and your baby.
Surrender: Surrender to your thoughts. Surrender to the sensations. Surrender to the feelings. Birth is much bigger than we are. It is timeless. It is the way our bodies were designed to work for childbirth. Be okay with losing control over the process. Give In: Give into your thoughts. Give into your sensations. Give into your feelings. Do you want to cry? Cry. Does moaning feel good? Moan! Do you want to rock, roll, walk, move, gyrate, sway, just lay still? What are your body and your baby telling you to do? Release all worry about judgment from outsiders, release yourself from your own judgment of what you can and can’t do. Allow yourself to give into your birth and see where it takes you. Let Go: Let it all go. Any preconceived notions of your birth. Your timeline. The clock. Your plan A, plan B, and the other plans you had – let them go. Focus on being in the moment with your partner. Focus on being in the moment with your baby – you cannot relive or redo these sensations later. Let everything go, and *go* for the ride. Let God: Being a spiritual person, there was always an emotional component for me that involved prayer, and appealing to a higher power. Once I gave up my control and turned it over to God, labor seemed to flow smoothly and resolutely to a birth. The birth of another of His miracles, of which Bruss and I got to play a small part. It is so humbling to realize that I am not in control, and I don’t have to be, in order for birth to happen. When I gave into my body, our baby and our God, all things
fell into place and we ended up having beautiful birth experiences, albeit long
ones. In the midst of those long labors,
the idea that got me through the time with patience and without resorting to
drugs to ease the sensations of labor was “We are allowing my body and our baby
the birth that they need.”
While there in nothing wrong with having a long labor, and we usually “win” the long labor comparison conversations (there is that judgment again!), I really do not wish long waiting times to meet your baby on anyone. Think about these mantras if you need them, and I wish you all the best for a beautiful birth experience!! Did you have any mantras when you were in labor? What were they? Please leave us a comment - it will be moderated and posted. *I think* that the amount of traffic you so generously generate has led to a lot of spam posting. In an effort to keep the spam to a minimum, I am taking the time to moderate comments now. Disclaimer: The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Resisting the Urge to Push - Second Stage of Labor
Posted on April 10, 2012 at 10:17 PM |
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We
had a simple question come up in class last night that we have never been asked
before…usually we get to the material before hand and the question answers
itself. Since the mama asked it though,
I figured that a good topic for today’s post is a written answer to her
question. The topic of last evening's class was "Introduction to Second Stage Labor". This is the point in The Bradley Method® class series when we introduce the labor stage of transition, second stage, and then the basics of pushing in regards to breath and positions. Question: What do I do if I have the urge to push but
my care provider tells me it’s not time to push? Answer: You won’t know if it’s time to push unless
you confirm that your body is ready. There
are several things you can do to keep from pushing if the time isn’t
right. Reasons
why we have encountered that you shouldn’t push: You
are not completely dilated – pushing against a cervix that is between baby and
the vaginal outlet can cause the cervix to swell, possibly leading you to go
down a different path toward the birth. You
are not completely effaced – also called the “lip of cervix”. The danger in
this situation is catching the cervix between the vaginal wall and the baby’s
body, possibly tearing the cervix. In
a hospital setting: Your care provider isn’t there yet and the nurse doesn’t
want to catch the baby. What
you can do to keep yourself from pushing: I strongly urge you to read more about this position before you go into labor - it is useful in many situations when used appropriately. There are three links listed at the end of this post. I
will end with this cautionary statement: if you are having an undeniable urge
to push, it’s advisable to find a care provider to check your dilation before
you start pushing. The last thing you
want to happen is to push against a cervix that isn’t dilated and cause
swelling. Hire
a care provider you trust so that if and when they tell you not to push, you believe
them and you do what you need to do. They may have other ideas that will work - these are just the ones we share in class. And when it is time to push, get ready, because you are about to enjoy one of the
sweetest rewards for hard work – holding your sweet baby! A little anecdote: It
is not always necessary to check dilation before you push; however it’s
important to know the possible consequences of doing so. Since I am an experienced birth mama, my midwife let
me push without checking my dilation.
She did ask me if I felt any pinching, and since I did not she went
ahead and let me push. I share this not
because I want moms to push without being checked, but to illustrate the point
of hiring a care provider you trust. We
have had one student start to push without being checked (nurse didn't believe that she was ready), and she ended up with a
swollen cervix that led to other choices down the line. Read more about the open knee – chest position:
Disclaimer: The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
In Their Own Words: Hanson Birth Story
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 11:21 PM |
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Jennifer
was also kind enough to share some thoughts about Bradley Method® classes, care providers and life as a momma
of twins. Read our “virtual interview”
below the links to her birth story. The story of the Hanson twins begins with a momma of twins who wanted a natural birth and was ready to
do whatever it took to avoid an induction.
Although their due date was October 10, 2011, since she was carrying
twins, she was told they would be considered term on September 20, 2011. I have great respect for her midwives at
Valley Women for Women who allowed her to go “past due"...twice. What would
you do if you were 40 weeks plus four days pregnant? You may have seen this already…if not, try
this if you can…I know I would have a hard time accomplishing this not
pregnant! Momma went
into labor naturally two days after their labor dance, and here are links to her birth
story. Link to Part 1 The story of their twin sons' birth starts with the account of her labor at home and then at the hospital… "After many months
of preparing and learning (using mainly the Bradley Method®), we were able to
achieve the natural, unmediated childbirth that we had hoped for. We had a
beautiful, peaceful labor and a delivery that can only be described as
"dramatic" but one which God's hand of protection was completely
involved in every step of the way. We also have to thank our incredible team of
nurse-midwifes who took such wonderful care of us during the pregnancy and
allowed us to let the twins come when they were ready (which happened to be 6
days past their estimated due date) and encouraged us to still go for a natural
birth, even though Isaac was breech until around 38 weeks (when he turned on
his own). Truly, I can not say enough positive things about midwife care -
personal, encouraging, sensitive, relaxed and fun. I've honestly missed those
ladies since we've had the twins - something I would never say about any other
health care provider I've ever had. " Link to Part 2 Their birth
story continues with the account of her natural delivery despite a trying second stage: "While my labor was
calm and peaceful, with me being completely in-tune with my body and in-control
of what was happening to me, the delivery was chaotic and stressful, with me
being so distracted that I couldn't even tell when contractions were happening.
I felt out-of-control to the point of panic at times. It was not at all what I
had envisioned when I pictured the delivery of my sons, however I believe it
would have been far worse had our midwife Belinda not stepped in to fight for
us amidst the chaos of doctors and hospital politics. (I should mention here
that the OB practice we went with offered something called "collaborative
care" with twins. We were to be cared for and delivered by midwives, but a
doctor would be available should an emergency arise.)" SPB: What did you take away from The Bradley Method® classes
that helped you in your birth? JH: I think what I took away from the Bradley® classes was confidence that what I believed (that my body was designed to birth children) could line up with reality, even in a hospital birth. And that I had the right to advocate for the kind of birth I felt was best for me, my husband and our twins. SPB: What did your husband-coach feel was the most important
lesson he learned? JH: Devin read a number of chapters in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which he felt was very helpful. The Bradley® classes reiterated what he had learned from the book. However, I felt going to the classes together helped me feel more confident in him as a coach and helped bring up some good conversations about "How will we handle ______ during the labor/birth/recovery." SPB: Based on your experience, what advice would you give to
pregnant women who are looking for a care provider? JH: I would encourage women to find a midwife or a care provider that has CNMs working for them. We were so encouraged and supported by our midwives. They helped to build our confidence and helped us navigate the "politics" we dealt with because we were expecting twins and wanted a 100% natural birth. Now that the medical bills are rolling in from the hospital, I would also recommend hiring a midwife out-of-pocket and birthing at home or at a birthing center, it is very likely to be cheaper (and less stressful than the hospital!!) This is what we plan to do next time around. SPB: How is life with the twins? JH: Life with twins is... a lot of work, but also a lot of
fun. Weston and Isaac are adorable and I love being their mom. We get lots of
attention when we go out, which took some getting used to. But now I've learned
to be gracious, patient and polite to all their admirers and can enjoy it when
people stop us. What's funny is that when I'm out with just one of the twins I
get zero attention and now that feels weird. They are such sweet babies.
In fact, as I'm typing this I can hear Weston waking up and laughing/cooing to
himself - he is a big time morning person and it brightens my day so much to
start the morning with his cooing and smiling. Isaac kinda hates waking up, but
once he's awake he showers me with morning smiles too. Many thanks to the Hanson family for making their inspiring story available to breech mommas, twin mommas and natural birth mommas across the world wide web and for allowing is to link to it. We wish the Hansons all the best as they continue their journey together as a family. Weston and Isaac, you are very blessed young men. To read more of Jennifer's writing, you can visit her blog: Do you have a birth story you would like to share? Please contact me at [email protected] if you would like to share your recollections for our Birth Story Archive. Disclaimer: The material included on this site is for
informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. March 5,
2012 to May 21, 2012 For more
information or to register, please call us at 602-684-6567 or email us at
[email protected] |
Midwives Make a House Call
Posted on September 9, 2011 at 4:54 PM |
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Preparing for our Homebirth
Posted on September 6, 2011 at 11:49 PM |
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Argh! I feel
like a working-out-of the home person again!! Since yesterday was a holiday and we didn’t do schoolwork, I
am working like today is Monday and I have one more day to write…the joke is on
me!
We are actively working on preparing our kiddos (ages 6, 4 and 2) for our
homebirth since we are at 35 weeks now.
Here are some of the things we are doing: 1. We are
watching birth videos with them at night so that they have an idea what it
might look like, sound like and how we are going to work together to have the baby. One of my favorites is “Children At
Birth” by Hathaway Productions and distributed by the American Academy of
Husband-Coached Childbirth®. This
shows five different births attended by siblings, all with different levels of
involvement by the siblings. 2. We are
talking about what “working” looks like. We ask them to show us what they look
like when they work hard. We ask
them questions like, “What kind of faces do think Mommy might make if she is
working hard?” As it turns
out, our social studies and Bible study lessons the last week have been
focusing on how the Holy Trinity works together, and it’s making a great tie-in
to how our family is going to get to work together to welcome our baby. 3. We are
talking about how the birth will progress from start to finish. We have shared with them the different
stages of labor and what we may or may not be doing, and if they feel like they
want to help, how they can help us. 4. We talk
about how there is probably going to be some fluid and maybe some blood that
comes along with the baby, and they have gotten to see that on the videos. One of the very important things for me
to emphasize with them is that if at any point they don’t like what they are
seeing or if it’s not something they want to see in person, that they can come
and go as they want. We tell them
they are welcome anytime and they can leave anytime. 5. We are doing
relaxation practice so they can see how Bruss talks to me and touches me. We allow them the opportunity to be
involved or not. Pretty soon we
will need to step it up to a labor rehearsal so that they can understand how
long a minute is when Mommy is having a contraction. I think it will seem longer to them than it will to me! 6. We are going
to make a list of things that will be likely to happen when we go into labor on
butcher paper and hanging it in our schoolroom for us to review and revise as
we have different thoughts. On the
list are things like: who is going to come over to watch them, what they can do
while Mommy and Daddy are in labor, that the midwife will come as labor
progresses, etc. We made one of
these lists when we were expecting our second child, and looking back NOTHING
happened as per the list except that we left without a baby and came back with
a little brother from the hospital.
I don’t know what will happen according to our new list. I think the point is to give the kiddos
some sense of what to expect to ease anxiety and the unknown, and to that end,
it is worth the exercise. 7. We have told
them how we labored in the past and how I might get to a point when I don’t
want to talk and I don’t want to be touched as we get to what is called
“transition”. We follow with the
statement that this will probably mean that the pushing work is near and that
we will want to get to this point so we can meet our baby very soon! What I have found fascinating about this process is that the
kids want to know if the births they are seeing is their birth, which then
leads to us showing them their birth story pictures. I am learning that our children are very interested in how
what they are hearing applies to them, which is important to remember as I
teach them not just about childbirth, but life itself. In the last two days we have seen an interesting behavior shift
in our home. I wonder if they will
feel reassured that their place in our family is secure if we make an effort to
consistently tell them how they fit into the picture stories we are telling
them. It would be a relief to see
our generally sweet children show up again. We have our home visit with the midwives tomorrow. This is our first time ever doing this. I will write about that on Friday since I know we are among the growing number of people choosing homebirth. This is all new to us and we are excited to be able to experience this and share it with you. As a reminder, our fellow teacher, Rachel Davis, AAHCC is going to write an in-depth look at sibling preparation while I am on "maternity leave". I am looking forward to having her share her great information with you! What do you think – how did you prepare your children for
the arrival of their next sibling?
For those of you that had a homebirth, did you have any pleasant
surprises in your children’s involvement or reactions? Disclaimer: The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Relaxation is the Key to Labor
Posted on July 19, 2011 at 5:10 AM |
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There is no rewind button or re-do when it comes to your
labor. Your body will provide you the
opportunity for a “dress rehearsal” if you have Braxton-Hicks contractions or some
bouts of pre-labor (labor that starts and stops without a progression to the
birth of your child) to practice the techniques you have learned throughout
your Bradley® series. We encourage our
students to take advantage of these for what they are: opportunities to
practice, rather than a reason to get discouraged. It’s all about your frame of mind. If you are sitting with your coach having dinner, watching
television, or wherever you happen to be, and you feel a tightening in your
abdominal area before your due date, practice relaxation! In regards to pre-labor, I understand that
telling you to treat it as a practice opportunity might be a contradiction to
the idea of “don’t pay attention too soon”.
The idea is that if your contractions are ten minutes apart or more
during a time of day when your coach is around, and after an hour they are not
getting any closer, then take the next hour to practice different relaxation
techniques with each contraction. If
after an hour they are still not any closer, more intense, and the duration has
not increased, get some rest – you are probably not in labor. Your body and your baby might be going for a
“test drive”, however, neither is ready for actual labor. And if you are in labor, it’s going to be a
while – get some sleep! Why is relaxation so important? I imagine that no one who has been through an
un-medicated birth would say that her experience was pain-free. What we will probably tell you is that all the
discomfort was instantly forgotten the minute we held our beautiful children in
our arms. In order to make it through
the discomfort of late first stage labor
and the doubt and discomfort that arise with the transition phase of labor, you and your coach must be masters of
relaxation. When it comes to going through labor without pain
medication, you have to be able to relax three components of your body: your
body, your mind, and your emotional state.
You have to relax your body so that only the muscles that are working
through labor tense up – namely, your uterus.
If you allow more parts or your whole body to tense through a
contraction, you will get exhausted quickly and feel a lot of pain with every contraction. You have to be able to relax your mind so that you focus on
the positive. Physiologically, each wave
that passes through your uterus is working to bring you closer to meeting your
baby. On the other hand, if you are
thinking, “Oh my gosh – this hurts!” or, “How long can I take this?” you will
find that you lose your confidence and your resolve before you hit transition. Lastly, you have to be able to relax yourself on an
emotional level. This means that you
have confidence in your coach to help you through labor, that you feel safe in
your birth place, that you are ready to face your labor, you are ready to be a
parent, and that you are COMMITTED to a pain-med free birth as long as things
progress in a healthy, low-risk manner towards a Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby
outcome. I put the word COMMITTED in
caps because you have to decide with no “outs” to have a labor free of
interventions unless they are medically necessary. I am not passing judgment on keeping pain
meds on the bottom of your list. As we
say in yoga, “It is what it is”. The reason we believe in training couples to give birth
without intervention is because according to the American Academy of
Pediatrics, Committee on Drugs, “No drug or chemical – whether prescription,
over-the-counter or food additive – can be regarded as having been proven to be
entirely free of potential harm to the fetus.” (Pediatrics, Vol. 51 No.2) Despite this statement, some people are more
comfortable with the idea of using an epidural than others. I can report from an anecdotal perspective that if you keep
it as an option “on the table”, you are likely to go down that route through
the course of your labor. I am so
grateful that our students that do choose an epidural make good use of their
relaxation training and seem to be able to put it off until the end of their
labor. Since their babies are not
exposed to the epidural drugs throughout the entire course of labor, most of those
babies have been born vaginally with good color and ready to nurse. If, however, you are sure that you do not want to have an
epidural and you want to avoid as many interventions as possible throughout the
course of your labor, you will want to practice relaxation techniques at every
opportunity. If you can relax and stay
calm at home, then you can put off going to the birth center or hospital if you
are birthing outside of your home. The
longer you labor at home, the more likely it is that you will get to your birth
place at the tail end of your labor – hopefully just in time to welcome your
baby. If you get there too soon, you may
be subject to well-meaning care providers who want to “help things along”. Along those lines, if you are birthing outside your home,
retaining a level of deep relaxation is important as you transfer (read more). The goal is to maintain your level relaxation
despite the change in location. By doing
this, you minimize adrenaline in your system, and you are less likely to
experience a slow down or stall in your labor due to the “fight or flight”
instinct. Again, this reversal in your
labor may be discouraging to you, and it also brings on the “help things along”
interventions, which tend to lead down the path to continued interventions –
it’s a slippery slope. I will close by adding that there are certain warning signs
you and your coach do not want to ignore.
Among them, if you develop a fever, if there is heavy, uncontrollable
bleeding, a foul-smelling or dark colored discharge, if you experience
excruciating pain that does not ebb and flow with a contraction: it is time to
call 911 and/or get yourself to a medical facility as soon as possible. These are not normal in a low-risk pregnancy
or labor, and we would never counsel our students or readers to ignore these
warning signs in order to preserve the sanctity of their natural birth experience. Our ultimate goal as Bradley® Method
instructors is to help families have Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby outcomes, and if
that means medical intervention to save one or both of their lives, then those
interventions are well used. I hope that this gives you some points to ponder and that it
motivates you and your coach to practice your relaxation and run through some
practice contractions on a daily basis until you welcome your baby on their
birth-day. Whether or not you can join a
Bradley Method® class series, the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley® Way,
by Susan McCutcheon, outlines some wonderful relaxation practices that you and
your coach can use to prepare for your baby’s birth. Read More: Disclaimer: The material included
on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a
substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult
her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the
information for their own situation. This blog contains
information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is
not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or
the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Get Some Sleep!
Posted on July 4, 2011 at 10:12 PM |
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Mother's Day Birth Story
Posted on May 11, 2011 at 12:05 AM |
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