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Becoming a Mother taught me how to be a doula

5/12/2019

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Happy Mother's Day!
Read how being mothers informs the work we do as doulas:

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Madison Cleckler
To be honest, I was never a woman who had an aching desire to become a mother. When I became pregnant the first time, my feelings were not those of excitement and joy like so many others. I actually felt sad and scared. I never had a very nurturing personality nor was I particularly fond of kids. In fact, the moment I learned I lost that pregnancy was the moment I realized I wanted to be a mom. I remember repeating “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” over and over that day at the hospital and it was a common phrase I uttered throughout that year of recovery after miscarriage.

When I got pregnant with my daughter almost 2 years later, I felt those feelings of joy and excitement but I also felt fear. Fear that something I wanted so much could be gone in an instant with no explanation. Fear that I would be a terrible mother. Fear of birth, of recovery, and of what lay ahead of me. My birth with Avery was very traumatic, a trauma that has shaped my life permanently both personally and professionally. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from becoming a mother is how lonely the process can feel and how much support is needed during this chapter of life. Though I was surrounded by people who cared, I felt alone. My birth trauma was dismissed, my postpartum depression untreated, my pelvic health concerns were shrugged off as normal, and my life was turned upside-down with the utter joy along with the challenges that come with raising a perfectly tiny human.

Becoming a mother taught me how to be a doula. It taught me to be kind and supportive, to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on, to offer solidarity and counseling, and to just be a positive presence in a situation that can feel utterly chaotic.


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Dalia Abrams
You know how you sit next to a feverish child all through the night? Suddenly you aren’t tired, you aren’t bored. You are vigilant. You know that’s exactly where you need to be in that moment and nothing else in the world matters. Just your child: Is she sleeping peacefully? Has his fever gone up or down? Is she hungry or thirsty? Does he need another blanket?
I learned how to BE PRESENT at a birth by being a mother.

You know how your teenager asks your opinion, but when you give it she does something else entirely? How you need to bite your tongue and ask questions, and make space for thinking, and gathering information, and deciding for himself? I learned how to support people as they figure out what THEY want, and how to empower others to seek out the information they need, to make the best decision for themselves, and then to accept and respect the decisions they make, by being a mother.

Remember when your child really wanted to go to camp, but then was afraid of the new people, and how would he fit in, and what would he do or say? And you just wanted to push him because you knew he’d be fine. But instead you learned that he needed you to walk with him, and remind him of all the times he’d been brave and strong before, and to be understanding, and to be his biggest fan.
Helping my children overcome their fears and hesitations, and supporting them as they met challenges head on and excelled, taught me how to empower birth givers to discover and meet their personal goals for labor, birth, attachment and breastfeeding.

Four children; boy, girl, girl, boy. Four completely individual humans, with different strengths, ways of being, preferences, love languages, likes, dislikes, hopes, goals and dreams. Parenting these amazing people has taught me so much about how every person is unique, needs differently, loves differently… Loving these four people has taught me how to be with a person and learn from each one how to be the support that is needed in that moment; not too much, not too little, not overbearing, not too distant.  

Being a mother is a joy like no other. And mothering my four children has been an important part of making me the doula I am.


Susan Petrus
I was talking to my mom recently, and, as usual, she asks how my “doula thing” is going.  I tell her about a recent experience, forgetting for a second that I’m talking to my mom, and not to my birth junkie doula sisters. “Wow,” she says, “you really have learned a lot about birth.” If that sounds like she’s just a touch surprised, that’s because she is.  After a decade of birth work, she still does not know how I arrived here—the daughter who swore up and down that she never wanted children.  The daughter who insisted on joining the baseball team at age 7, even though girls did not play baseball in small town Illinois in 1977. The daughter who didn’t play with dolls and didn’t really like to babysit and cut off all her hair and dressed in ugly, oversize men’s clothing from Goodwill during much of the late ‘80’s. The daughter who went to graduate school and then went to trade school to become a welder.
I think my mom had given up on me becoming a mother when I did a total about-face at age 31 and decided to have a baby. Don’t even suggest to me that I had a biological clock ticking. I think it had more to do with finally being ready to make friends with the nurturer in me that I’d been shoving away for so long.  It was pretty uncomfortable exploring the worry that I might not be good at nurturing, and then there was the sheer discomfort that my wholly introverted self would have to do this whole nurturing thing in the presence of other people, including my mother, who is a totally un-self-conscious caregiver. 
 
“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”
--Walt Whitman
 
I’ve always liked that quote by Whitman. If I ever decided to get a tattoo, it should probably be those words inked boldly somewhere on my body.  It’s been a great reminder to me that we all have more in us than we realize, and that it’s okay to change, shift, and become more of who we are.  If you think about it, that’s exactly what happens during the transformational journey of labor, birth, and motherhood. We discover that we have untapped reserves and great potential within ourselves to do the hard work of giving birth, and the even more challenging and rewarding work of parenting.
After nearly 18 years of mothering, one of the greatest things that has changed in me is that I’ve lost my self-consciousness about being a caregiver. There’s no doubt that my motherhood journey led me into getting acquainted with and embracing my ability to nurture. Birth led me into birth advocacy and later into doula work.
Motherhood has also unquestionably greatly shaped how I approach my doula work. The enduring lesson has been getting over my ideas about how to be, and just being present. When one of my children is going through something challenging, or when I am arriving at a birth, I start by observing what is happening and then try to do what is needed in the moment. You can’t be a one-trick pony in parenting or in doula work. I must see each client as a unique individual, stay flexible in the methods of support I employ, and push past any discomfort I feel about how “weird” anything I do may seem to anyone else in the room, because what matters is supporting my clients in this moment.
What’s really weird though, is that for all my past reserve about having my mom see me as a nurturer, I’d actually love for her to see me now at a birth doing my “doula thing.”

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Anjanette Robinson
In 2002, after 12 hours of labor, I gave birth to the best baby ever! My first baby!!  My only daughter. Over the first few weeks my love for her grew but so did an overwhelming anxiety followed by unexplainable feelings of depression. 
I would wake up and immediately be filled with anxiety about ….. everything.  Our country was in the beginning of a war following 9/11.  So while trying to manage the feelings and thoughts I had about the safety of our country I was anxious that my daughter wasn’t nursing enough or too much.  Was she losing or gaining too much weight?  Was I spending enough or too much time with her? Was I holding her enough or too much?  Could I, with all my faults, raise a human being that wouldn’t end up in prison or embarrass me on TV (this Southern moma’s nightmare).  Most of all, could I lose (Yes. I said LOSE), damage, or accidentally hurt my beautiful baby girl. 
Why, after trying for over 2 years to get pregnant, was I not falling over with joy?  Why did I feel sad when everything was going so well?  Was I finally losing my mind?  I was enrolled in graduate school and working full time so losing my mind was entirely possible.  Was it hormones?  Was it baby blues?  I had no clue.  I just knew I didn’t feel like my easy going self. 
After some research I learned that my feelings and thoughts fit the symptoms of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Disorder (PPDA).  Now that I knew what to call what I was experiencing what could I do about it?  This eventually led me to thinking of how I could help other women who were experiencing similar things.
I had kept my feelings secret out of fear of being seen as a bad mom to friends and family, but especially to my own mom.  My mother was the epitome of a mom.  She just seemed to be able to do it all without any problems. I didn’t want her to see me as "less than", so I pretended that all was good when it wasn’t. 
After talking with my mom about what was going on, she did what she does best, supported her baby girl.  My mom came to my house every day for 3 weeks so I could get out of the house, get some sun, just walk around Target and most importantly so I could SLEEP.  After 6 weeks I went back to work and school and she still came by once a week, until my daughter’s 1st birthday, to clean the house and leave a cooked meal.  Her practical support helped me focus on my baby and myself and kept me feeling sane.  There was no judgement, no disappointing words or looks of pity.  There was nothing but compassion and understanding. 

Being a postpartum doula gives me the opportunity to serve new parents just as my mom served me. 

When a client expresses her joys and frustrations with being a new parent, when they struggle with understanding their tiny human’s moods and cries, when they are so sleep deprived they don’t know if they’re coming or going and when they need a safe place to vent without judgement or pity, I try my best to be that place for them. 
I want to help them learn their baby, to adjust to their new roles, to get the support they need during the difficult times, get an extra hour or 2 of sleep and help them spend time bonding with their baby and focusing on themselves. 
My experiences as a mother have taught me to operate from a place of empathy and compassion, and the importance of being considerate in how I care for new parents.  Without these experiences, the way I touch a client would maybe not be as comforting, the calm I can have when things seem chaotic would maybe not exist, the patience I try to model would possibly not be as confident and the words of encouragement and hope I hope to share might not be as genuine.
I don’t regret, nor am I embarrassed by my experiences, because they helped me become an awesome mom and are helping me to become a more confident, compassionate, and supportive doula.  I overcame emotional challenges and learned skills that made all the difference for me with my daughter and later with my son who had colic for 5 months STRAIGHT.  The love my kids and I share today was forged through a thousand sleepless nights, unrelenting crying (theirs and mine), rocking and swinging them until I was motion sick, days of nursing them every 15 minutes for an hour, the million hours I spent skin-to-skin and the days spent in prayer because I had NO CLUE what the hell was wrong with them or me.  The practical and emotional support of my mother helped me find a place where me and my babies not only grew but thrived.  I can never repay her for her love.
Being a doula gives me the chance to pay forward the priceless gift my mom gave to me.

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Why I Doula This (Dalia's story)

5/6/2019

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Many people ask me why I am a doula, what drew me to this work, and what motivates me to doula-it. Here's the long answer:

I didn't always plan to work with pregnant families. I had never even heard of a doula when my first child was born. In fact, I was in graduate school, studying how the brain works, and planning to be a research scientist. And then I had my first baby. He was born January 22nd, 1992. That was the year the founders of DONA decided to call what they were doing "doula".
My  husband and I both believed in avoiding un-necesarry medical interventions because we had read about the risks to our baby, myself, and my labor. So we prepared by taking a 9 week Bradley childbirth class and carefully choosing our medical provider. Then, the day before my due date, my contractions started. It was a long labor, and we probably needed a doula because my husband had never done this before and didn't know HOW to help me let go. So I got some IV meds and this did just the trick, allowing me to progress to 5cm before wearing off. Finally, more than 30 hours after my first contractions, I pushed out my son and lifted him onto my belly with my own hands! And there I was, awash in the most amazing feeling of my life: like I had just conquered Mount Everest (my apologies to real mountain climbers). Nobody had ever told me that giving birth under your own power, feeling everything, could be an empowering and amazing experience for the birth giver. I was completelly surprized to be feelling strong and amazing.

The next step that drew me to birth work was supporting my high school friend at the birth of her first child, two years later. My friend's baby was pulled from her epidural-numbed body using a vacuum extractor. As her baby was born, she let out a primal scream that shook me to my core. After the birth she thanked all the attendants and doctors for saving her and her baby. She was elated and satisfied with her birth experience. I, however, went home and cried. I was struck by the contrast between her birth experience and mine. She had felt helpless and in need of saving. The "heroes" of her birth were the medical providers. At my birth, I had felt like the [s]hero, capable of doing anything. It was these two contrasting births that taught me how unusual my experience had been, and led me to appreciate how valuable that birth was to my growth as a parent and as a person.  

It took some more time for me to change my course from neuroscience and research to birth work. But these two births were the catalysts.

Today, I teach childbirth and breastfeeding classes, I doula, I provide breastfeeding support and train new doulas because I BELIEVE that this work can change the world. You see, when a person realizes their strength during birth, and when their loved ones see their power, they are transformed. They gain respect from others, and from themselves, for their personal potential. And because of this, I believe they set loftier goals for themselves. They decide to DO more amazing things. And this makes the world a better place. It's my small piece of repairing the world: תיקון עולם.

All of this still motivates me today. But now there's more. Birth work has never been only about the work I do one-on-one with my clients. I have always been moved to advocate in the community for better health care. So, in 2006 I got a Master's Degree in Public Health, which gave me a broader understanding of perinatal health care needs in the USA and in AL. Then, in 2011 I co-founded a community doula project: BirthWell Partners, with sister doula Susan Petrus in order to make the benefits of doula support accessible to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. BirthWell provides free and low cost doula services for under-resourced families. Working in this space has taught me so much more about the inequities in our health care system. I have seen the impacts of institutional racism and class-ism on birth outcomes and on the health of birth-givers and their babies, and work daily to try to bring about change.

Every childbirth class and every birth teaches me more about the strength in every individual, the power of the human body, and the beauty of the relationships forged and strengthened during this amazing experience. Whether long, short, slow, fast, VBAC, C-section, medicated, unmedicated or induced: Every birth is unique and beautiful.
My passion is to enable each person to find their inner strength, and to enable their loved ones to support them fully.

I love doing birth work because the journey of pregnancy, labor, birth and parenting has the power to TRANSFORM families, birth-givers, and the world we live in!!!

And there you have it. Why I Doula This.

You can find links to my services here:
Childbirth Education, Birth Doula support, Breastfeeding Classes, Breastfeeding Consults (pre and postpartum), Doula Training Workshops, Parenting Consults.


For information about my doula services and schedule see my doula page.


Contact me:
BirthPower@bellsouth.net
205-410-0479

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BirthWise in Birmingham 2018; the year in review

3/23/2019

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True, 2018 ended 2 months ago. Still, better late than never to share with y’all about our year.

2018 was a big year for us! We doulas attended 47 births at five different hospitals, and one at home. We spent a total of 682 hours with our clients, that’s an average of 14 and a half hours per birth! The shortest was 2 ½ hours, the longest, 41 hours (oh my)!

The hospitals we visited (in order of frequency) were Princeton (just over half), Brookwood, St. Vincent’s, Grandview and Northport in Tuscaloosa.

The majority of our clients were patients of Simon Williamson OB/Gyn clinic.

We are super excited for the opportunity to attend more home births this year.

How about some birth stats? Only 15% of our clients had c-sections, which is in the range recommended by the World Health Organization. The WHO suggests 10-15% is the right number, any fewer would mean people who need them aren’t getting them.

Many of our clients have a goal of giving birth without an epidural. This year, 75% reached that goal. For those with an epidural, we know sometimes an epidural is just the thing needed right then. And we are all trained in providing special support for our clients who chose an epidural!

Besides labor support, we also hosted 24 group childbirth classes and 3 private classes, and 5 group breastfeeding classes. Our CLC (Dalia) did in home breastfeeding consults for 10 people.

We were so glad to meet lots of new expecting families at our eight, 2018, FREE Open Houses. At Open House we share about our classes and the importance of hiring a doula, followed by an hour of doula “speed dating”. Visit our Open House page for dates for 2019.
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Fitness in Pregnancy and Postpartum

2/14/2019

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Why it’s important and how to go about it

Pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood are HUGE times in a woman’s life and  while fitness is often a hot topic in the community, when it comes to choosing how to exercise during these phases women are often flying solo and relying on Google and Instagram for answers. Either that or they are just told to listen to their bodies and  to continue doing what they’ve always done on one spectrum or don’t lift over 15 pounds and only do yoga and walk on the other.

Studies show that exercise is SO beneficial to pregnant and postpartum bodies, but the overload of conflicting information can get really overwhelming really quickly. ACOG recommends pregnant women engage in about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week. The old “don’t start something new in pregnancy” no longer applies, they just recommend you start gradually. Even though the recommendations for post-pregnancy are minimal, they do state that exercising post-baby can help improve mood- which is absolutely true. New Canadian guidelines state that exercise isn’t just beneficial, but can actually reduce the odds of major complications.

Science is definitely on your side when it comes to exercise in pregnancy and postpartum, the problem arises when we discuss what KIND of exercise. Someone once told me that they read in one article that glute bridges were good to to in pregnancy, then found in another article that glute bridges were not good to do in pregnancy…. This is the information that’s out there. (P.S. Do all the glute bridges in pregnancy unless they don’t feel good for your body) The same applies for postpartum. In a quick Google search you can find information ranging from never do a crunch again to start doing crunches and planks ASAP. It’s crazy confusing.

Here’s the thing about exercise in general, it is SO unique to each person and each body. It isn’t about WHAT exercise you’re doing, but HOW you’re doing it and any movement is better than none at all. Here are questions I like to pose when the questions of exercise in pregnancy and postpartum arise:

  1. What are your goals? Set realistic expectations and reasons for why you want to fit exercise in your life right now. Are you wanting to exercise to maintain your athleticism or because it makes you feel good? Do you want to workout because you think it'll make your birth easier or help you lose baby weight faster? Thinking about your goals can help you address some of the fears or stories you have behind movement during this huge chapter. I recommend setting positive goals that aren't strictly body-focused.
  2. What is your starting point? Are you a new exerciser? Or someone who has been working out and wants to continue the current regimen? What symptoms are you experiencing, if any? Don't stress if your starting point isn't where you want to be, progress is key. Start with moving in ways that feel good and are pain and symptom-free. Focus on your wins.
  3. Is it sustainable and adaptable?  When the going gets tough, are your workouts going to continue to serve you? Or are you going to feel like it's all or nothing?  What is going to make you feel good without overwhelming you? This is why I love strength training. It’s adaptable for your body and time. It helps strengthen your body body in a way that helps you do life better. It also helps you feel strong mentally, not just physically.

If you’re ever in doubt about what exercise is right for you or if you should continue your exercise routine (or for how long or when you can continue again postpartum), I highly recommend seeking out someone trained in prenatal and postnatal fitness. Someone with specific training, not a fitness professional who has had kids at some point, can help you assess what is right for your individual body as well as help you find a qualified pelvic floor physical therapist to aid you in your postpartum recovery or manage any symptoms you may have during pregnancy. Here are just a few more ways a pregnancy and postpartum fitness coach can help you:

  • To continue exercising in a way that feels good for you throughout your pregnancy and can help you get back to fitness you love postpartum faster
  • Assess risk versus benefit for your individual body and help you find modifications that work for you and your sport
  • Provide you with evidence-based information on exercise, diastasis recti, and pelvic floor dysfunction (and if they can’t, move along)
  • Get back to doing what you love faster and without pain or symptoms
  • Find a pelvic floor specialist that can aid you in recovering post-birth or help manage symptoms such as incontinence, pelvic pain, SPD, or back pain
  • Give you more to focus on than how your body looks postpartum, ease your fears about symptoms and struggles, and empower you to feel your strongest in these amazing chapters of life.

How do you find such a qualified coach? Ask me or someone like me. We have a whole network of amazing coaches, pelvic health professionals, and other women’s health advocates we can connect you with and we are more than happy to do just that, Whether you’re looking for remote coaching, in-person coaching, or just want to find someone that you click with, we can help you. You can reach out to me via my website here or if you’re in the Birmingham area, come to my new class Pregnancy and Postpartum Fitness Tuesday, February 26th  to learn more about diastasis recti, pelvic floor, and exercise in pregnancy and postpartum and to get your individual questions answered. You can register for the class here.

Believe it or not, motherhood is actually very athletic. We carry, lift, rotate, run, and crawl all the time. It’s full of putting other people before ourselves, feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day, and loving people so much it hurts. It can be really hard to prioritize yourself during this phase of life, but it is SO important to do just that. Exercise is a fantastic way to prioritize yourself and with the right team and the right strategies on your side it can be something that empowers and fulfills you for the long term.


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Arise and Bloom!

5/25/2018

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You may see the BirthWise in Birmingham doulas and other doulas in town wearing colorful shirts with this phrase emblazoned on the front. We designed them because we know that affirmations and encouragement have a powerful effect on a person’s labor. We wanted to wear shirts to births that would inspire our clients and the other people in the room supporting them.
 
Here’s a little background on why these phrases feel so meaningful to us:
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Literally, “to rise up.”  Upright positions help the baby out. But to "arise" is also “to emerge.” Such a lovely sounding, active verb--way more graceful than “Get Up!”--and it sets the tone for the whole shirt, which is basically about the transformation of birth.

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Blooming is ripeness, opening, change…life. Trees bud, flowers bloom and bear fruit. It’s a subtle reminder that birth is also a natural process that unfolds in its own time. And flowers are always a nice image...

“Arise and Bloom!” is a call to action. We chose a flower that looks like it is standing with arms open…receptive. Be an active participant in your birth, embrace the process, and recognize that all that power and energy you are feeling is YOUR body releasing your baby into the world. Some of our other materials use the slogan “Be IN your birth.” We feel strongly that the mind is an essential component of the labor process. How do you feel about birth? Is it something happening to you, or are you owning it?  Are you afraid of opening? Do you see yourself as in control, but are completely unmoored by the feeling of vulnerability during birth? Change and growth are rarely easy or comfortable, but they take us to the next level.
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Take a second look at those parentheses. They look like labia, yes? They also resemble a doorway, or gate. They’re representative of both the literal birth passage and the rite of passage. The labia are the final gate that the baby passes through. After opening, after passing through the cervix and the birth canal, it’s the final “doorway” left before the baby emerges (there’s that word again) entirely into this world.
 
When we see “(Birth Becomes You),” we also envision a person on the threshold of great change. The birth giver makes a transformational journey during labor and birth. The person you used to be is not the same person you will be after giving birth. And you will remember the day you crossed that threshold for the rest of your life.
 
The parentheses embrace the phrase “Birth Becomes You.” We want to reinforce the message that mentally embracing and engaging in the process of birth is so, so important.
 
Birth Becomes YOU: During labor, the birthing person’s entire focus is inward, on the physiological process unfolding. Nothing else happening in the entire world matters during labor. It subsumes everything. Only birth matters during those challenging minutes and hours.
 
               ...and, Birth BECOMES You: The dual meaning emphasizes how truly beautiful and amazing and powerful a person in labor can be. Although it may be hard for the person who has been working so hard, sweating, shaking, and nauseated to realize, everyone else in the room recognizes this radiance.
 
Tell us, what phrases or affirmations inspire you?
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The Birth Memoir of Laurel Cate

11/3/2017

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In this memoir Heather Davis' shares about her hard work to achieve a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). She was a BirthWise doula client for her first birth (with Dalia).
As you read this memoir, please keep in mind that birth is a time when women experience very intense emotions, and these strong feelings tend to fade slowly, if at all. Be mindful that the emotions elicited by birth are equally as important as the events themselves. How we remember our births impacts us for a lifetime. Read about why we are sharing these memoirs here.
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Part 1: Preparing for a VBAC
Yesterday I made my final round trip to Anniston for my 6 week follow-up appointment. I think the final appointment spurred me to finally write about Laurel Cate's birth.

Really, her birth story goes back much further than when I found out I was pregnant with her--but to when I learned I was pregnant with Lucy in 2009. In my pregnancy with Lucy, I did everything you're "supposed to do" to have a natural, low intervention birth. I read every book I could. I had a doula. I had a birth plan declining meds, continuous fetal monitoring, and other interventions. At 41.1, we induced for low fluid (3.1) and 2 days later I asked my doctor for a c-section. I never dilated past 3.5 cm.



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Birth Memoirs

10/28/2017

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We've recently decided to start sharing birth memoirs written by BirthWise in Birmingham clients. For a number of reasons, we feel that it is important to share the birth memoirs of maternity care consumers in our area. For the teller, it provides an opportunity to process, to reflect, to help or inspire others, and in some cases, to heal. For expectant parents, there is much knowledge to be gleaned from the experiences of others.
 
As you read these memoirs, please keep in mind that birth is a time when women experience very intense emotions, and these strong feelings tend to fade slowly, if at all. Be mindful that the emotions elicited by birth are equally as important as the events themselves. How we remember our births impacts us for a lifetime.
 
These narratives will have both highs and lows described, possibly in very intense detail and equally intense wording. You will see positive narratives, negative narratives, and narratives that include both positive and negative elements. We ask that you read each narrative with an open mind and with compassion, remembering that each account is important, and also that no narrative can take away from your own experiences.
 
Without exception, all memoirs will be told in the author’s own words--sharing as much or as little as she has chosen to share--without any editing by BirthWise in Birmingham.  The only editorial control we will exert is the timing and order of publication.
 
Although you may be familiar with the term “Birth Story,” we prefer the term “Birth Memoir.” For some, “Story” connotes a narrative that is fabricated.  We want to give birth parents a place to tell their truth, in their own powerful words.
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Maternity Hospital Advertising: Selling Birth Services to Consumers

9/8/2017

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Birth is BIG BUSINESS! Many (possibly most) people have their first real interaction with a hospital when they are having a baby. If that is a positive experience, then a family returns to this same hospital for future births, and also for any future health needs. Because birth is the entry point for your health care consumer dollars, there is a great deal of competition between hospitals. When one hospital upgrades by renovating maternity suites, it isn’t long before others follow.

In the eyes of most consumers, “The HOSPITAL” is one unified system. However, it helps to understand several parts of the hospital structure as it relates to birth:
  1. The Marketing Department is focused on getting people to choose their hospital. The in-house marketing team works with outside advertising agencies and web content designers to create engaging marketing campaigns. It is important to note that they work with market data, and information provided by the in-house marketing team, but possibly do not get direct input from care providers, staff or patients. (This is the marketing company that created the iDecideHow campaign )
  2. OB/GYN Care Provider Groups contract independently with the hospital to provide obstetric services to hospital patients. As contractors, they control their own practices, set up their call schedules, and may have their own set of patient care protocols/policies. Additionally, within each care provider group, Individual practitioners have autonomy, which means that within a group, you find providers who treat pregnancy and birth in a variety of ways ranging from a normal physiological event to a medical emergency waiting to happen.
  3. Hospital Administration establishes hospital protocols and policies, hires and manages staff, including nursing staff, and contracts with providers. Hospital administration and staff have direct patient contact.

As you can see, these various parts may not always function as a smoothly integrated whole. To illustrate that fact, let’s look more closely at two examples from our area: Brookwood and St. Vincent’s.

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The Birth Memoir of Booker Floyd Wardlaw

9/8/2017

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Written by Meghan Wardlaw (Booker's mom). Shared with permission. Read about why we are sharing birth memoirs here.

"I don’t know why my birth stories are always so lengthy… I just want to remember stuff!?

Booker is my third babe. My first labor was a hellacious experience of doctor/hospital over reach, a 40+hour long labor, and a c-section that I was not ready or awake for. It left me with some real postpartum/PTSD issues.  My second was an elective c-section because of life things at the time and probably mostly the fear of repeating what had gone down before.
I decided this third time was my time. I was going to attempt the VBA2C (Vaginal Birth after 2 Cesarean Sections) and do everything in my power to make this a natural, safe, controlled, happy time for my babe and me. So we set out to do that.

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2nd Annual Earthy Birthy Fair and Family Wellness Expo

8/30/2017

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BirthWise in Birmingham is excited to support this year’s
Earthy Birthy Fair and Family Wellness Expo!


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