June's Birth Group

2012 Schedule

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Summer Family Barbeque!

August 19th at 6:oopm

Anjie's backyard

Bring your family.  Bring a dish to share.  Bring something to grill.

It will be fun!  Hope you can come!

Meet the Doulas Night

We had a great time at Meet the Doulas. It was great to hear first hand accounts from two couples. It was also good for couples to hear more about what a doula is and does. Thanks to al who helped! We held the gathering at Chris Miller's new birth suite. Thanks, Chris!

Meet The Doulas Night

July 12, 2011 at 7:00pm

Arrivals Birth Suite

(Chris Miller's office)

1190 E. 5325 S. Ogden, UT 84403

Moms and Dads, come meet area doulas.  Find out what a doula does and how they can help you have your best birth.  Hear first hand accounts.  If possible, nursing babies only.  (make it a date night)

Doulas, Spread the word!!  This will be a great opportunity to meet many potential clients.

April Powerful Birth Group Gathering

April 15th is tax day! Yuck! But if you want something fun to look forward to that day you need to come to the Powerful Birth Group gathering! It is at 10:00am.

April is Cesarean Awarness month and we will have Pam Udy leading our discussion. She will talk about preventing unnessasary cesareans, preparing for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), and support.

Pam has been a member of ICAN’s (International Cesarean Awarness Network) Board of Directors since 1999, and served as president. Pam has experience supporting, educating, and encouraging moms; those who are seeking to avoid a cesarean, those recovering from cesarean, and those who are searching a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Pam is a personal experience expert, having had two cesareans followed by three vaginal births. She believes women have the right to divine inspiration regarding their pregnancies and births.

Pam is well published and has been quoted in national newspapers. She have been interviewed on radio programs. She has done presentations all over the country. People pay money to listen to what she has to offer them. This is a GREAT opportunity to sit with her in my living room for free and hear her words inspire and help you to achieve a normal, vaginal birth. I am so excited!

Please tell your friends! Comment if you have an idea of numbers that are coming so I can be prepared. Comment, also, if you have a question you would like answered. Thanks!

Avoiding Unnecessary Interventions

Today we discussed how to avoid unnecessary interventions.

Individually we know what interventions we are okay with. We all start with a plan in our head. According to how labor goes, those plans may change. Some of the changes in our labor can be avoided by knowing the risks with choices. All interventions CAN have risks. They also can be used for good. We need to understand how these can effect our labor and birth.

Some helpful questions:
*Is it necessary?
*What is it for?
*How will it change the outcome?
*What are the risks?
*What are the benefits?
*Can we wait?

Blessing Ways

What is a blessing way? It is a celebration of the mother and her journey to motherhood. It is an event to fill the mother with positive energy for her upcoming labor and delivery. It is a time to boost the mother’s confidence in her ability to birth her baby. It is also a time to support her and surround her with love.

Introductions

At the beginning of the blessing way it is fun to go around the room and do introductions, even if everybody knows each other. Some fun ways of doing introductions are to:

Have each woman introduce herself by saying, “My name is Jane. I am the granddaughter of Esther and Emily. Daughter of Karen. Mother to Megan and Tyler.”

Have the guests each light a candle.

Have the guests pass a ball of yarn around. Continue through the evening. Let the “web” created show the support circle for the mother. After the evening is over, everyone can cut a piece of the yard and tie it around her wrist as a reminder. They can wear it until the baby is born.

Pamper Mom

There are many things you can do to pamper the mother at the blessing way. Here are some ideas:

Foot rub

Belly cast

Henna

Belly silhouette (trace mom’s shadow on a large paper or poster hung on the wall while a lamp shines on mom’s side profile. Can decorate it)

Pedicure

Hand massage

Facial

Take photographs

Massage

Rose petals

Clean her house

Blessings

The blessing is a well-wish or an uplifting thought. Here are some ideas:

Poems

Songs

Scripture

Thoughts

Quotes

Balloon release

Birth art/ postpartum art

Gifts

Gifts at a blessing way are not traditional like a baby shower. They are centered around the mother and usually go along with the blessing given. Here are some ideas:

Soaps

Lotions

Beads (usually they go with the blessings and the mother can make a necklace or bracelet with the beads from all the guests)

Poster (this is something everyone could draw birth art on or write on for the mother to hang and look at during labor. You could do this with the silhouette.)

Coupons for postpartum service, complete with date, time, and what you will do. (example: June 4^th, 1:00 I’m coming to fold laundry and hold baby while you take a nap.)

Scrapbook. This could easily incorporate the blessings. If everyone knows before coming the size of the book, they could prepare their blessing on the correct size paper and then the blessings could all be kept together. The mother could look at the book during labor for encouragement. This would be ideal if the mother plans to birth outside her home. It is easy to transport. Even if she plans to birth at home she could neatly hang these on her wall and put them away when she is done with them. Then it is an easy way to store them forever.

Candles. These could also be tied into the blessings given.

Piece of fabric. Then later they could be sewn together to make a blanket.

Tokens, figurines, cards, or anything symbolic of the blessing.

Music. Is there a song with special meaning?

Food. What new mother doesn’t love a frozen casserole?! Or better yet, chocolate.

Sometimes the mother will prepare a gift for her guests to take home. Here are some thoughts:

A candle. The mother can ask someone to call the women when she is in labor and the women all light their candles to remember the laboring mother and say a prayer for her.

Music. The mother can prepare a disc of music and give it to her guests to have them play and remember her during labor.

Lotion or soap. Maybe the women could wear the lotion when they find out that the mother is in labor. As they smell the lotion, they will remember her and think of her during her labor.

Bracelet or something the women could wear during the mother’s labor.

Flowers, flower bulbs, or seeds.

Other things to consider are invitations (just a phone call? Email? Or something mailed?), food (are you bringing dinner, fruit, desserts? What ever it is don’t leave it up to the mother to prepare.), decorations, and entertainment (a video, song, or maybe even a belly dance?)

Blessing ways are wonderful and uplifting for all who attend. And so much fun! Please add comments if you think of any other great ideas or things you have seen done at blessing ways. Or just tell me what you think of blessing ways, especially if you have never heard of them before.

Pregnancy and Birth Memorabilia

Pam

Belly casts

Pam, Twyla, Kristina, Becky

Dannika,Pam

Twyla, Kristina, Becky

Emilee

Michelle, Sara

The topic for the gathering today was pregnancy and birth keepsakes. We enjoyed sharing some of the following:

-Birth videos
-Belly casts
-Pregnancy Photos
-Birth Photos
-Birth stories
-Poems
-Artwork
-Placenta Prints
-Scrapbook, baby book

Preparations for Home Birth

In the gathering today we talked about planning for home births. We often talk about birth plans for hospital births, but it was nice to shift that to home births and see where the discussion led. Preparing for a home birth is a bit different than preparing for a hospital birth. At home we are not trying to avoid interventions but we often tend to think people are going to know what we want. But there are still many things to consider. It may help to write them all down. It is important that those who will be at the birth are aware of your wishes before hand. Here is the rough list of things we discussed.
1. Supplies. where are they?
2. Specific wants and are they ready/charged? Camera, music, smells.
3. Notes of important phone numbers.
4. Emergency transfer notes. Important things that husband (who most likely would be frazzled in that circumstance) and hospital staff need to know. For example, no vitamin K shot, no eye ointment, etc.
5. Rolls for those who will be there. Is someone to make a cake? Do you want each child do have a job?
6. Please do not’s. Are there things you do not want people to say to you or places you don’t want touched? Do you have quirks?
7. What to wear.
8. Who is in charge of older children?
9. Foods you want.
10. What to do with the placenta.
11. Reminders of what you like. What you want to hear or where you like to be rubbed. Or do you need to be reminded to use the bathroom?
12. Cord clamping. Who and when or if.
13. Place you plan to birth. Are you setting up a pool? Does anything need special prep? Do you need certain things out or put away?
14. Affirmation poster or art to help inspire you. Do you want it hung up somewhere? Do you have thoughts or scriptures to help you?
15. What procedures do you want done to baby? When?
16. Are there special things to have handy? Like a flashlight or desk lamp. Maybe a fan?

We had our first man attend the gathering, which I really enjoyed. I love to hear a man’s point of view on these things. My husband has been at all the meetings, but he is downstairs saving children’s lives. Men are always welcome. “Proper prior planning prevents poor performance,” was a quote that Jamie Mosser memorized August 22, 1991! He shared it with us today as we talked about preparing for birth. We all know we can’t plan everything, but what a difference to be ready as much as possible for the situation.

After the discussion we listened to two recent birth stories. We had a great time!

Overcoming Fears

The discussion on overcoming fear at today’s gathering was great! First, we talked about what fears, struggles, and issues we have now or have had. Here is the rough list we came up with.

• Multiple kids (as in, can I handle another one?!)
• Transfer to hospital
• Fear of judgment
• Losing it in the middle of labor
• What if I don’t know I am in labor
• Sick baby
• Baby dies
• Pain
• Huge baby
• Long, difficult labor
• Baby’s position
• Hemorrhage
• Cord prolapsed
• Wrapped cord
• Over confident in my ability
• Not being able to do it
• Breastfeeding trouble

We discussed these fears. We asked why we have them and where they stemmed from. Then we brainstormed some ways of coping and/or solutions. Some of these are just distractions from the real problem. But, at times, that is what it takes.

• Prayer.
• Take a walk.
• Meditation, visualization.
• Shopping.
• Discussing with close friend, care provider, religious leader
• Eating- chocolate
• Give it six weeks (with nursing problems) But with many issues, time can usually help. Patience.
• Journaling.
• Birth art (We did this at the gathering!)
• Educate ourselves.
• Find the root of the fear. Why is this an issue for me?
• Relaxing. (bath, breathing, read)
• Music.
• Focus on the good. Especially, with pregnancy. There is GOOD in it!
• Take it slow. If you are overwhelmed, take it as you can. Bit by bit.
• Do all we can for our health.

This was an uplifting discussion. I felt it could apply to struggles other than what we face in pregnancy and the delivery.

There is power in conquering or surviving hard challenges. After triumphing a natural delivery one mom at the gathering this morning said, “I no longer doubt my ability to do anything!” How big of a statement is that?! We are strong! When we face something hard and get through it, we are STRONGER!

Gathering

The gathering was fun! Thanks to those who came. I enjoyed hearing your powerful birth moments and stories. Thanks for sharing. It is insightful to hear the reasons we strive for unmedicated births. It is not easy, but that makes it more rewarding. It helps us all to feel the positive energy of these stories. It gives us encouragment. Thanks again!

Any ideas for a topic next month? Any feedback is welcome.

Get Together

I had fun at the get together this morning. Thanks to all of you who came! Is there interest for a meeting in December or should we plan the next one in January? Also, is morning the best time? Would you like husbands to come? I'll post the next date as soon as we know. Thanks!!