This is a video from the UK about the challenges (yes, the challenges!) many moms face when first meeting and bonding with their babies after birth and in the postpartum period. I love that the instructor gives such a balanced view, saying that most moms do not instantly fall in love with their babies after birth. It takes time. And that is normal and natural!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Today Show About Homebirth
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS), a birth advocacy organization that I endorse, has issued the following statement in response to The Today Show's recent story about homebirth.
I hope you will help me to spread this information to as many people as possible. Research shows homebirth to be a safe alternative to hospital birth, and The Today Show's story was biased, untrue, and emotion-driven...not based in empirical evidence.
Sept. 22, 2009
Dear Producers of The Today Show,
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and the undersigned organizations are disappointed with The Today Show’s misrepresentation of midwives and home birth that aired on Sept. 11, in a segment titled “The Perils of Midwifery,” later changed to “The Perils of Home Birth.” This biased and sensational segment inaccurately implied that hospitals are the safest place to give birth even for low-risk women and mischaracterized women who choose a home birth with a midwife as "hedonistic," going so far as to suggest that these women are putting their birth experiences above the safety of their babies. Neither could be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, The Today Show did not do its homework on the evidence regarding the safety of home birth and midwifery care. The segment featured an obstetrician who presented only the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) position in opposition to home birth, but it did not make any attempt to present the different viewpoints held by the many organizations that are committed to improving the quality of maternity care in the US. We are deeply saddened that the show did not take the opportunity to note that both CIMS and The National Perinatal Association respect the rights of women to choose home births and midwifery care, and that the respected Cochrane Collaboration recommends midwifery care because it results in excellent outcomes.
There is no evidence to support the ACOG position that hospital birth for low-risk women is safer than giving birth with midwives at home. What the research does show is that the routine use of medical interventions in childbirth without medical necessity can cause more harm than good, while also inflating the cost of childbirth. However, the current health system design offers little incentive for physicians and hospitals to improve access to maternity care practices that have been proven to maximize maternal and infant health.
“Birth is safest when midwives and doctors work together respectfully, communicate well, and when a transfer from home to hospital is needed, it is appropriately handled,” says Ruth Wilf, CNM, PhD, a member of the CIMS Leadership Team.
That is why the national health services of countries such as Britain, Ireland, Canada, and the Netherlands support home birth. In those countries, midwives are respected and integrated into the maternity care system. They work collaboratively with physicians in or out of the hospital, and they are not the target of modern day witch hunts. These countries have better outcomes for mothers and babies than the US.
Childbirth is the leading reason for admission to US hospitals, and hospitalization is the most costly health care component. Combined hospital charges for birthing women and newborns ($75,187,000,000 in 2004) far exceed charges for any other condition. In 2004, fully 27% of hospital charges to Medicaid and 16% of charges to private insurance were for birthing women and newborns, the most expensive conditions for both payers. The burden on public budgets, taxpayers and employers is considerable.
As US birth outcomes continue to worsen, it should come as no surprise to The Today Show that childbearing women are seeking alternatives to standard maternity care. After all, American women and babies are paying the highest price of all—their health—for these unnecessary interventions, which include increasing rates of elective inductions of labor and cesarean sections without medical indication.
To the detriment of childbearing families, the segment “The Perils of Midwifery” totally disregarded the evidence. Although the reporters acknowledged that research shows home birth for low-risk women is safe, that message was overshadowed by many negative messages, leaving viewers with a biased perception of midwifery care and home birth. CIMS makes these points not to promote the interests of any particular profession, but rather to raise a strong voice in support of maternity care practices that promote the health and well-being of mothers and babies.
One of the ten Institute of Medicine recommendations for improving health care is to provide consumers with evidence-based information in order to help them make informed decisions. The Institute recommends that decisions be made by consumers, not solely by health care providers. The Institute maintains that transparency and true choice are essential to improving health care. We remain hopeful that the medical community will soon recognize the rights of childbearing women when it comes to their choices in childbirth and will respect and support these choices in the interest of the best possible continuity and coordination of care for all.
We urge The Today Show to provide childbearing women with fair and accurate coverage of this important issue by giving equal time to midwives, public health professionals, researchers of evidence- based maternity care, and especially to parents who have made choices about different models of care and places of birth.
Sincerely,
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
Academy of Certified Birth Educators
Alaska Birth Network
Alaska Family Health and Birth Center
American Association of Birth Centers
American College of Community Midwives
American College of Nurse-Midwives
Bay Area Birth Information
Birth Network of Santa Cruz County
Birth Works International
Birthing From Within, LLC
BirthNet
BirthNetwork National
BirthNetwork of Idaho Falls
BirthNetwork of NW Arkansas
Choices in Childbirth
Citizens for Midwifery
DONA International
Doulas Association of Southern California
Evansville BirthNetwork
Harmony Birth & Family
Idaho Midwifery Council
Idahoans for Midwives
InJoy Birth and Parenting Education
International Childbirth Education Association
International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization
Lamaze International
Madison Birth Center
Midwives Alliance of North America
Motherbaby International Film Festival
Nashville BirthNetwork
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
North American Registry of Midwives
Oklahoma BirthNetwork
Perinatal Education Associates, Inc.
Reading Birth & Women's Center
Rochester Area Birth Network
Sage Femme
The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation Triangle Birth Network Truckee Meadows BirthNetwork
About Us
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. The CIMS Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative is an evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family- friendly model of care which focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.
References:
1. The Perils of Home Births, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32795933#32795933
2. Birth Can Safely Take Place at Home and in Birthing Centers, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409129&blobtype=pdf
3. Offers All Birthing Mothers Unrestricted Access to Birth Companions, Labor Support, Professional Midwifery Care, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409134&blobtype=pdf
4. ACOG Place of Birth Policies Limit Women's Choices Without Justification and Contrary to the Evidence, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;childbirthconnection.com/article.aspClickedLink=790&ck=10465&area=27
5. Ratifiers and Endorsers of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.motherfriendly.org/ratifiers.php
6. Choice of Birth Setting, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Choice-of-Birth-Setting.pdf
7. Position Statement on Midwifery, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Midwifery.pdf
8. Midwife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004667.html
9. Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is And What It Can Achieve, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;childbirthconnection.com/pdfs/evidence-based-maternity-care.pdf
10. Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices,
http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.lamaze.org/ChildbirthProfessionals/ResourcesforProfessionals/CarePracticePapers/tabid/90/Default.aspx
11. Millennium Development Goals Indicators, United Nations, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
12. National Vital Statistics System, Birth Data, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm
13. Induction By Request, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_20203.asp
14. Cesarean Birth By Request, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_19673.asp
15. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.iom.edu/CMS/8089/5432.aspx
16. The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.motherfriendly.org/mfci.php
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102 Raleigh, NC 27607
Tel: 919-863-9482
Fax: 919-787-4916
http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.MotherFriendly.org
Making Mother-Friendly Care A Reality
CIMS is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.
I hope you will help me to spread this information to as many people as possible. Research shows homebirth to be a safe alternative to hospital birth, and The Today Show's story was biased, untrue, and emotion-driven...not based in empirical evidence.
Sept. 22, 2009
Dear Producers of The Today Show,
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and the undersigned organizations are disappointed with The Today Show’s misrepresentation of midwives and home birth that aired on Sept. 11, in a segment titled “The Perils of Midwifery,” later changed to “The Perils of Home Birth.” This biased and sensational segment inaccurately implied that hospitals are the safest place to give birth even for low-risk women and mischaracterized women who choose a home birth with a midwife as "hedonistic," going so far as to suggest that these women are putting their birth experiences above the safety of their babies. Neither could be further from the truth.
Unfortunately, The Today Show did not do its homework on the evidence regarding the safety of home birth and midwifery care. The segment featured an obstetrician who presented only the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) position in opposition to home birth, but it did not make any attempt to present the different viewpoints held by the many organizations that are committed to improving the quality of maternity care in the US. We are deeply saddened that the show did not take the opportunity to note that both CIMS and The National Perinatal Association respect the rights of women to choose home births and midwifery care, and that the respected Cochrane Collaboration recommends midwifery care because it results in excellent outcomes.
There is no evidence to support the ACOG position that hospital birth for low-risk women is safer than giving birth with midwives at home. What the research does show is that the routine use of medical interventions in childbirth without medical necessity can cause more harm than good, while also inflating the cost of childbirth. However, the current health system design offers little incentive for physicians and hospitals to improve access to maternity care practices that have been proven to maximize maternal and infant health.
“Birth is safest when midwives and doctors work together respectfully, communicate well, and when a transfer from home to hospital is needed, it is appropriately handled,” says Ruth Wilf, CNM, PhD, a member of the CIMS Leadership Team.
That is why the national health services of countries such as Britain, Ireland, Canada, and the Netherlands support home birth. In those countries, midwives are respected and integrated into the maternity care system. They work collaboratively with physicians in or out of the hospital, and they are not the target of modern day witch hunts. These countries have better outcomes for mothers and babies than the US.
Childbirth is the leading reason for admission to US hospitals, and hospitalization is the most costly health care component. Combined hospital charges for birthing women and newborns ($75,187,000,000 in 2004) far exceed charges for any other condition. In 2004, fully 27% of hospital charges to Medicaid and 16% of charges to private insurance were for birthing women and newborns, the most expensive conditions for both payers. The burden on public budgets, taxpayers and employers is considerable.
As US birth outcomes continue to worsen, it should come as no surprise to The Today Show that childbearing women are seeking alternatives to standard maternity care. After all, American women and babies are paying the highest price of all—their health—for these unnecessary interventions, which include increasing rates of elective inductions of labor and cesarean sections without medical indication.
To the detriment of childbearing families, the segment “The Perils of Midwifery” totally disregarded the evidence. Although the reporters acknowledged that research shows home birth for low-risk women is safe, that message was overshadowed by many negative messages, leaving viewers with a biased perception of midwifery care and home birth. CIMS makes these points not to promote the interests of any particular profession, but rather to raise a strong voice in support of maternity care practices that promote the health and well-being of mothers and babies.
One of the ten Institute of Medicine recommendations for improving health care is to provide consumers with evidence-based information in order to help them make informed decisions. The Institute recommends that decisions be made by consumers, not solely by health care providers. The Institute maintains that transparency and true choice are essential to improving health care. We remain hopeful that the medical community will soon recognize the rights of childbearing women when it comes to their choices in childbirth and will respect and support these choices in the interest of the best possible continuity and coordination of care for all.
We urge The Today Show to provide childbearing women with fair and accurate coverage of this important issue by giving equal time to midwives, public health professionals, researchers of evidence- based maternity care, and especially to parents who have made choices about different models of care and places of birth.
Sincerely,
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
Academy of Certified Birth Educators
Alaska Birth Network
Alaska Family Health and Birth Center
American Association of Birth Centers
American College of Community Midwives
American College of Nurse-Midwives
Bay Area Birth Information
Birth Network of Santa Cruz County
Birth Works International
Birthing From Within, LLC
BirthNet
BirthNetwork National
BirthNetwork of Idaho Falls
BirthNetwork of NW Arkansas
Choices in Childbirth
Citizens for Midwifery
DONA International
Doulas Association of Southern California
Evansville BirthNetwork
Harmony Birth & Family
Idaho Midwifery Council
Idahoans for Midwives
InJoy Birth and Parenting Education
International Childbirth Education Association
International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization
Lamaze International
Madison Birth Center
Midwives Alliance of North America
Motherbaby International Film Festival
Nashville BirthNetwork
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives
North American Registry of Midwives
Oklahoma BirthNetwork
Perinatal Education Associates, Inc.
Reading Birth & Women's Center
Rochester Area Birth Network
Sage Femme
The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation Triangle Birth Network Truckee Meadows BirthNetwork
About Us
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. The CIMS Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative is an evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family- friendly model of care which focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.
References:
1. The Perils of Home Births, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32795933#32795933
2. Birth Can Safely Take Place at Home and in Birthing Centers, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409129&blobtype=pdf
3. Offers All Birthing Mothers Unrestricted Access to Birth Companions, Labor Support, Professional Midwifery Care, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=2409134&blobtype=pdf
4. ACOG Place of Birth Policies Limit Women's Choices Without Justification and Contrary to the Evidence, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;childbirthconnection.com/article.aspClickedLink=790&ck=10465&area=27
5. Ratifiers and Endorsers of The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.motherfriendly.org/ratifiers.php
6. Choice of Birth Setting, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Choice-of-Birth-Setting.pdf
7. Position Statement on Midwifery, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.nationalperinatal.org/advocacy/pdf/Midwifery.pdf
8. Midwife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004667.html
9. Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is And What It Can Achieve, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;childbirthconnection.com/pdfs/evidence-based-maternity-care.pdf
10. Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices,
http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.lamaze.org/ChildbirthProfessionals/ResourcesforProfessionals/CarePracticePapers/tabid/90/Default.aspx
11. Millennium Development Goals Indicators, United Nations, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
12. National Vital Statistics System, Birth Data, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm
13. Induction By Request, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_20203.asp
14. Cesarean Birth By Request, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_19673.asp
15. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.iom.edu/CMS/8089/5432.aspx
16. The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.motherfriendly.org/mfci.php
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102 Raleigh, NC 27607
Tel: 919-863-9482
Fax: 919-787-4916
http://www.facebook.com/l/cdfc4;www.MotherFriendly.org
Making Mother-Friendly Care A Reality
CIMS is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Rapport & Continuity of Care
I just stumbled upon a very important reason for having a well-known, and yet skilled, attendant or companion present during your labor and birth.
I love to pet cats. I love to pet animals in general. I remember lying down next to our family dog (a "schoodle," schnauzer/poodle mix) as a child and just stroking her and trying to find the way she liked to be petted. Unfortunately, she was my mom's dog, and she didn't really like anyone else to pet her. I tried so hard to pet her in a way that she liked, so she didn't just get up and walk away (which she frequently did)! However, this was likely a foreshadowing of my desire to be a massage therapist--work that continuously challenges my ability to soothe others through touch, to find the way that feels best to that client. My senses were attuned during those early interactions with our dog.
Just now, I sat next to one of our cats, petting him in the same way I used to pet our family dog. Fortunately, our current cats love to be stroked and petted (with a few exceptions--they are cats, after all!). This particular cat loves to be rubbed. His eyes light up when I enter the room, he starts to blink, and he very subtly moves along with my strokes, often moving in such small ways that I can tell where he wants me to focus. I know he likes his lower back to be rubbed and he also frequently directs me to focus on his chin and cheeks. All without saying a word.
His purrs, body movements, and snorty-breathing tell me that he loves it. (It means he is in what we call, in HypnoBirthing, the healing room--endorphins are flowing and he feels safe and comforted.) And I respond appropriately, by following his lead.
What if your labor and birth was accompanied by someone who knew just what to do when you gave even the subtlest hint--a movement, a blink of the eye, a light murmur of approval?
This is why it is so crucial to get to know your birth attendants and companions. It is why I like to schedule massages with my doula clients, so that I know their cues, their peaks and valleys, how they respond to certain types of touch. For both of us, it foreshadows the interaction we will have during labor--the mother associates my touch with feeling good, and I know where I should be.
For the record, I am the type of person who is enormously sensitive, and I would want a sensitive person around me during such a vulnerable time, as well. Too often, birth companions and attendants take a "coach-like," bossy, or directing/managing role of a woman's labor, and they don't really listen to her subtle cues. This is often because of burnout--to many births and too much work to really have the energy to care deeply. It could also be a lack of sensitivity or empathy, and a lack of training in the subtle cues of their client/patient.
Think about that as you plan your birth. A medical provider often does not have or need these sensitive skills, as their job scope does not require it. A doula, friend, partner, or (sometimes) a nurse is more likely to fill that role.
I love to pet cats. I love to pet animals in general. I remember lying down next to our family dog (a "schoodle," schnauzer/poodle mix) as a child and just stroking her and trying to find the way she liked to be petted. Unfortunately, she was my mom's dog, and she didn't really like anyone else to pet her. I tried so hard to pet her in a way that she liked, so she didn't just get up and walk away (which she frequently did)! However, this was likely a foreshadowing of my desire to be a massage therapist--work that continuously challenges my ability to soothe others through touch, to find the way that feels best to that client. My senses were attuned during those early interactions with our dog.
Just now, I sat next to one of our cats, petting him in the same way I used to pet our family dog. Fortunately, our current cats love to be stroked and petted (with a few exceptions--they are cats, after all!). This particular cat loves to be rubbed. His eyes light up when I enter the room, he starts to blink, and he very subtly moves along with my strokes, often moving in such small ways that I can tell where he wants me to focus. I know he likes his lower back to be rubbed and he also frequently directs me to focus on his chin and cheeks. All without saying a word.
His purrs, body movements, and snorty-breathing tell me that he loves it. (It means he is in what we call, in HypnoBirthing, the healing room--endorphins are flowing and he feels safe and comforted.) And I respond appropriately, by following his lead.
What if your labor and birth was accompanied by someone who knew just what to do when you gave even the subtlest hint--a movement, a blink of the eye, a light murmur of approval?
This is why it is so crucial to get to know your birth attendants and companions. It is why I like to schedule massages with my doula clients, so that I know their cues, their peaks and valleys, how they respond to certain types of touch. For both of us, it foreshadows the interaction we will have during labor--the mother associates my touch with feeling good, and I know where I should be.
For the record, I am the type of person who is enormously sensitive, and I would want a sensitive person around me during such a vulnerable time, as well. Too often, birth companions and attendants take a "coach-like," bossy, or directing/managing role of a woman's labor, and they don't really listen to her subtle cues. This is often because of burnout--to many births and too much work to really have the energy to care deeply. It could also be a lack of sensitivity or empathy, and a lack of training in the subtle cues of their client/patient.
Think about that as you plan your birth. A medical provider often does not have or need these sensitive skills, as their job scope does not require it. A doula, friend, partner, or (sometimes) a nurse is more likely to fill that role.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Birth Choices
In celebration of a recent HypnoBirthing mother, in one of my recent classes, who switched providers at 38 weeks, I have some inspiration for you. Yes, you read that right--she switched at 38 weeks, and gave birth between 39 and 40 weeks. What's more, her baby was breech at 37 weeks and she was told by her previous provider that she should schedule a c-section. Well, that wasn't good enough for this mama. She worked on turning her baby with many methods, switched to a more appropriate provider and hospital, had an External Cephalic Version (ECV or "version", for short), and gave birth naturally to a perfectly healthy little girl after about 12 hours of labor. That mom feels like a million bucks right now!
So, I ask you: What is keeping you from the most incredible birth experience you can imagine? Are you settling for a provider who is cool or luke-warm about your birthing plans? Do they fail to discuss the particulars of your birth preferences, or doubt whether you can actually give birth naturally?
There ARE providers out there who are ECSTATIC about natural birth, who witness it daily, and who are passionate about letting your body follow its own natural course. But you won't know this until you interview them. And when you meet them, you'll know!
Lamaze International just released this video clip about making good choices in preparation for childbirth:
So, I ask you: What is keeping you from the most incredible birth experience you can imagine? Are you settling for a provider who is cool or luke-warm about your birthing plans? Do they fail to discuss the particulars of your birth preferences, or doubt whether you can actually give birth naturally?
There ARE providers out there who are ECSTATIC about natural birth, who witness it daily, and who are passionate about letting your body follow its own natural course. But you won't know this until you interview them. And when you meet them, you'll know!
Lamaze International just released this video clip about making good choices in preparation for childbirth:
Friday, June 5, 2009
HypnoBirthing Conclave Presentation
I received the official notification that I will be presenting my proposed program at the 2009 HypnoBirthing Conclave in Deerfield Beach, Florida in September.
This program came about as a result of my attendance at the Chicago Birth Summit in November 2008 and, subsequently, my attendance at the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services' (CIMS) Forum in San Diego during March of 2009. I informally became a representative of the HypnoBirthing Institute as a result of these advocacy-based organizational get-togethers, and I have so much to report!
Here's the specifics of the proposed outline for my 90-minute program:
Title:
HypnoBirthing: Not Just a Method, But a Mission - Becoming a Leader and Promoting Evidence-Based Care
Description:
This program came about as a result of my attendance at the Chicago Birth Summit in November 2008 and, subsequently, my attendance at the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services' (CIMS) Forum in San Diego during March of 2009. I informally became a representative of the HypnoBirthing Institute as a result of these advocacy-based organizational get-togethers, and I have so much to report!
Here's the specifics of the proposed outline for my 90-minute program:
Title:
HypnoBirthing: Not Just a Method, But a Mission - Becoming a Leader and Promoting Evidence-Based Care
Description:
Is HypnoBirthing just a method or are we really involved int he promotion of better care practices? HypnoBirthing has taken several key steps to join with the wider birthing community in promoting evidence-based, mother- and baby-friendly care. Learn how HypnoBirthing is joining forces with the wider birthing community. Discover how crucial your involvement is as a private educator and the ways you can be involved in advocacy and promotion of better maternity care.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Explain why involvement in birth advocacy is vitally important as a HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator.
Identify 3 ways HypnoBirthing is working to promote the wider evidence-based birthing community.
Name at least 5 major organizations and movements that advocate for evidence-based maternity practices and how each is involved in this goal.
Name 5 sources that can be used to identify and investigate evidence-based care for your own knowledge and practice.
Name 10 ways that HBCE's can be involved in advocating for better maternity care in the wider community and by representing the HypnoBirthing Institute.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
New HypnoBirthing Birth Story
This is a story from a new first-time mom who took my class.
Cindy:
Sorry it has taken me so long to thank you for the HypnoBirthing class. I wanted to share my amazing birthing story with you. I delivered an eight pound boy with absolutely NO pain medicine.
My labor was 18 hours and was filled with a lot of excitement. It all started when I went to the hospital at 1 AM because I thought my water broke and my contractions were like 4 minutes apart. I soon found out there are different kinds of contractions and my urine was leaking it was not the water breaking and I was only one cm. So I went home and woke up at 7 AM feeling a lot more intense contractions.
I returned to the hospital at 10 AM and was 3 cm. Seeing how we were in the middle of massive renovations I decided the hospital was the best place to labor. I was lucky to have an awsome nurse who gave me a silicone hep lock and didnt evaluate me unless I requested it. She even let me go outside and eat too! The only pain I felt was at the beginning before listening to my HypnoBirthing cd. The CD helped me breathe through the contractions and suddenly the pain dissapeared. I got tired of the hospital and decided to try the nipple stimulation and thanks to my husband, my water broke probably 10 minutes later.
I was breathing down the baby until my doctor said if I didnt start pushing I would not be able to have my baby vaginally (how rude). So I pushed the baby out in 15 minutes. I delivered only 2 hours after my water breaking! Thanks for everything I loved giving birth so much I wanna have another baby soon! I love being a mom too!
P.S. - During labor I enjoyed rocking back and forth holding onto my husband, the bed, on the birthing ball, on the toilet and also enjoyed showering a few times and walking. Another thing I forgot to mention, resting when I got tired was really really important. I just popped the tape in and went to sleep.
Cindy:
Sorry it has taken me so long to thank you for the HypnoBirthing class. I wanted to share my amazing birthing story with you. I delivered an eight pound boy with absolutely NO pain medicine.
My labor was 18 hours and was filled with a lot of excitement. It all started when I went to the hospital at 1 AM because I thought my water broke and my contractions were like 4 minutes apart. I soon found out there are different kinds of contractions and my urine was leaking it was not the water breaking and I was only one cm. So I went home and woke up at 7 AM feeling a lot more intense contractions.
I returned to the hospital at 10 AM and was 3 cm. Seeing how we were in the middle of massive renovations I decided the hospital was the best place to labor. I was lucky to have an awsome nurse who gave me a silicone hep lock and didnt evaluate me unless I requested it. She even let me go outside and eat too! The only pain I felt was at the beginning before listening to my HypnoBirthing cd. The CD helped me breathe through the contractions and suddenly the pain dissapeared. I got tired of the hospital and decided to try the nipple stimulation and thanks to my husband, my water broke probably 10 minutes later.
I was breathing down the baby until my doctor said if I didnt start pushing I would not be able to have my baby vaginally (how rude). So I pushed the baby out in 15 minutes. I delivered only 2 hours after my water breaking! Thanks for everything I loved giving birth so much I wanna have another baby soon! I love being a mom too!
P.S. - During labor I enjoyed rocking back and forth holding onto my husband, the bed, on the birthing ball, on the toilet and also enjoyed showering a few times and walking. Another thing I forgot to mention, resting when I got tired was really really important. I just popped the tape in and went to sleep.
Friday, May 22, 2009
HypnoBirthing Giveaway!
Rachel East, a blogger at Life More Simply, has a very novel idea. She wants to know what you think about HypnoBirthing, by visiting the main HypnoBirthing website, and then comment on it on her blog. Then, she will give a FREE HypnoBirthing Textbook, Rainbow Relaxation CD, and a "Please Only Happy Birth Stories...Baby is Listening..." button to the winner of the contest!
Here's what you need to do:
I hope you will visit her very interesting blog to learn about some interesting topics and support her efforts to help moms learn about HypnoBirthing. And, thanks to Rachel for laying it straight about our birthing method!
Here's what you need to do:
"To enter, you need to head over to the HypnoBirthing website and then come back here and leave a comment with one interesting thing that you learned from their site. You also need to tell me your expected due date or when you hope (in an ideal world) to have your next child. Be sure to leave your email address in your post or it won't count! This contest will end at 12:00 pm EST on Sunday, May 31, 2009."
I hope you will visit her very interesting blog to learn about some interesting topics and support her efforts to help moms learn about HypnoBirthing. And, thanks to Rachel for laying it straight about our birthing method!
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