Sacred Pregnancy Workshop

I was blessed and honored to be a part of the first Sacred Pregnancy Retreat in Ojai, California this weekend, and to become a certified Sacred Pregnancy instructor.

The strong and beautiful women that gathered for the retreat could not have been a more lovely mix of energies and experiences. As we came together in a circle and looked around the first morning, we knew something special had drawn us all together. This was not your average collection of birth workers! Women came from all over California, the United States, and other countries to gather under the Sacred Pregnancy banner. There were yoga instructors and doulas, midwives and chiropractors. There were shop owners and childbirth educators, writers and readers. This aspect was one of many things that made it different from any experience I have had in the past, as the breadth of experience was so much wider!

Sacred Pregnancy writer and founder, Anni Daulter, has an energy that radiates from her in ways words can’t describe. You just want to be there to soak it up, to draw anything from it you can.

As an added bonus, the retreat site (Ojai Foundation) was beautiful and inspirational, and the opportunity to commune with nature was one I don’t take as often as I should.

The retreat itself equips women with the tools to teach the Sacred Pregnancy classes, which honor expectant mothers and help them to find a sisterhood to be with them through birth and the journey of motherhood. I can barely contain my excitement to share this beautiful program with the women of my community. I know I will be channeling the energy of this weekend every time I bring this experience to a new group of women.

For birth workers called to facilitating these workshops, I could not recommend it enough. I am so honored to have been a part of the first group, and can’t wait to participate in future retreats as a level two! Hope to see you there!

Learn more at www.sacredpregnancy.com of visit Sacred Pregnancy on Facebook.

What's all this talk about placentas?

It’s a super common question in my birth work. What’s all this talk about placentas? Do people really eat them? How? Why?!?

The baby blues and health

Approximately 70-80% of all new mothers experience some negative feelings or mood swings after the birth of their child, so taking proactive measures without the use of medications is a real draw for many women. Ingesting the placenta after birth, or placentophagy, is known as an ancient remedy for the blues. Other health benefits are also touted, including:

• less bleeding during the postpartum period
• speeding the return of the uterus to its original state
• replenishing depleted iron levels
• energy - especially raw methods
• support milk production in breastfeeding
• helping to even out moods and happiness

It's not just an old wive's tale, either. There is scientific research out there on the benefits of placenta during the postpartum period. Over and over again, iron deficiency has been addressed with placentophagy, with positive results. ACOG does not currently have an opinion on the topic.

So, if you want to experience the potential benefits in your own life, how would you go about it? There are a few options to consider.

Encapsulation

For many moms who are interested in trying placenta for their postpartum health, encapsulation is an option that allows them the benefits without having to consider the ick factor. A birth professional will take the organ and prepare it (in mom's home or far from it, depending on her preference), then present here with a neatly packaged jar of pills to ingest at will.

Here is a news story featuring our friend and fellow doula Anne Ferguson, talking about the benefits of encapsulation. I appreciate this story not only because it is giving attention to the topic, but because it addresses the opposing view, as well. New parents should know there are two sides to every issue, and make the decision themselves.

There are so many great stories and resources out there on the trend. Here is a blog post from The Feminist Breeder, who always makes me smile and think, on her own plans for placenta encapsulation. ("And I'm not even a hippy," she proclaims.) 

For the visual and auditory learners among us, this is a pretty thorough explanation of the benefits of encapsulation for fending off the baby blues.

Here is another story from MSNBC, which includes a conversation with a mom who was where many of us have been -- riding the crazy wave of emotions following childbirth -- when she decided to try ingesting her placenta.

Cyber Doulas does offer placenta encapsulation as a service for our clients. Speak to your doula or send an email to referrals@cyberdoulas.com for additional information on this service.

How about a smoothie?

Another option is to blend the placenta up in a smoothie. Some dedicated parents have even been known to bring a blender in their hospital bag to get the benefits as soon after birth as possible.

Dionna at Code Name: Mama used both the smoothie and capsule methods, and talks about her experience on her blog.

The New Yorker addressed this one, too, in their article "The Placenta Cookbook," which also includes some fantastic history on the topic.

Feeling really adventurous? Cook that bad boy up!

The idea of ingesting the placenta is definitely not a new one. Mothering Magazine published a list of recipes in 1983. While they are not currently available on the Mothering website, you can find them here. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. You will find more recipes here, and here.

And of course there is the one I always hear, "Do people really make placenta pizza?" I can't say I have ever known anyone to do so, but it is certainly an option. Maybe you'll want to add some other healthy toppings for flavor.

Not just for home birth

If you have made the choice to have your baby in a hospital or birth center, you should not feel as though placentophagy is for someone else. Every day, mamas take their placentas home from the hospital, and you can, too! Be sure to mention it to your healthcare provider ahead of time, though, because the facility will need to make some arrangements for you.

Film Screenings

Cyber Doulas is hosting two screenings of the new film Birth Story: Ina May, and we would love to have you join us!

Tickets are available for the screenings, which will be in Williston on October 26 and Minot on October 27 here:

http://cyberdoulas.eventbrite.com/

Join us!!!!

If you would like to support the screening but won't be able to make it, we are happy to accept donations via paypal. Contact Crysta at crysta@cyberdoulas.com for details.

November Childbirth Education Class

Register now for the next childbirth education class presented by the Cyber Doulas! The class will be held November 7 and 8, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at James Memorial Art Center.

The class will cover a wide variety of topics important to the expectant couple. Included will be anatomy and physiology, stages of labor, medical interventions, cesarean birth, coping techniques, and recovery from birth. There will also be great tips for daddy, so we hope he can join us, too!

To register, visit our FB page.

Attachment Parenting Rules?!

Great piece from Bring Birth Home on Attachment Parenting.

BirthPlace at Mercy ~ Grand Opening

The Cyber Doulas just got back from a tour of the new BirthPlace at Mercy Medical Center during today's open house. We know many of you weren't able to make it, so we wanted to share our thoughts!

Let's start by saying the facility is aesthetically pleasing. It is big and open, and has an inviting feel. Because we know feeling at ease is very important in a smooth childbirth, we were happy to see a less "hospital-like" feel from the building.

Once the doors open, all laboring moms will go to the new facility, employees told us. This means if you plan to have a vaginal birth - not a scheduled cesarean - you will check into one of the six new rooms. (There are actually eight rooms in the facility, but they are opening with six, and will roll the other two out later.)

The Rooms

The rooms are larger than those on the old Mercy Labor and Delivery floor, and have that new car smell lots of moms will like. But honestly, if you were expecting them to live up to the "freestanding birth center" label in a traditional sense, you may need to readjust your expectations. The rooms were nice, with a fireplace flickering in the wall and a big window.

To give you an idea what you are looking at, if you have ever had a baby in a hospital that had LDRP rooms (labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum), these are very similar. One difference, at least from the rooms we have personal experience with, is that c-section moms will not recover in them.

Dads/partners will have the benefit of a sleeper sofa (thank you!) to make their stay more comfortable, but Mom will be in a traditional labor and delivery hospital bed. If you have seen More Business of Being Born and were hoping for a double bed for the new family to snuggle up in, sorry to disappoint!

Moms will have access to all of the same pain medications and medical procedures as in the current facility. In fact, the brochure notes the center will have the "latest technology in medical equipment." And the rooms are definitely modern. Those looking for the latest in technology will be pleased with what they find, at least if initial appearances are correct.

A lot of attention was paid to the view from the rooms - and from the conference room one floor up - so if it bothered you to labor in the closed off rooms of the old ward, you are in luck.

The number one question we have heard as members of our community watched the building go up has been about the tubs! Well, we can tell you the tubs are deep and jetted (yay), but fairly short (boo). And no, there will not be water births in this facility.

The BirthPlace at Mercy is on the second floor of the new building. On the first floor is the new Outpatient Surgery Center, where roomy new state-of-the-art surgical suites are available. At this point, the surgical manager told us, the suites are not approved for cesareans. He said approval was being sought for that use in the future.

Cesareans

So what happens if you are having a cesarean, whether scheduled or not? Here's what we were told.

If you are having a scheduled cesarean, you will check into the old labor and delivery floor in the main part of Mercy Medical Center. The procedure for your stay will be largely the same as it is now.

But what if you are laboring in the new BirthPlace and your provider decides it is time to switch gears and head off to surgery? At this time, you will be taken from the new center, through the hallway connecting it to the main hospital, and into the old surgery suites. You would then spend your recovery time in the main hospital.

This information will all change, of course, if approval is granted for cesareans to happen in the new facility.

Time

One note we want to make here is that a lot of emphasis was made during the tour on TIME. We heard over and over again about time limits on how long moms could stay in the facility. Basically the consensus seemed to be that mothers would labor there, and once baby arrived, a 24-hour discharge clock would start. We're not sure if this was just talking points from people who don't actually work in the department, but judging by the number of times we heard it repeated, we thought it was worth pointing out.

While many new families are happy to head home as soon as they can, not all are, and we feel that arbitrary time limits could be harmful. It brought to mind the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, which tells group health insurance providers they must allow 48 hours for a vaginal birth and 96 hours for a cesarean. According to one study we read, the average hospital stay for a vaginal birth in 1970 was four days, allowing moms and babies time to work through all those early issues (PKU, jaundice, breastfeeding bumps, etc.).

These new time limits may or may not be in place as the facility opens. Either way, we encourage mothers to talk with their health care providers about what is right for them, and be open to change as your feelings and situation changes.

Opening

The BirthPlace at Mercy is set to open October 19.