Thursday, September 15

What the Bleep Do We Know?

What is, "What the Bleep Do We Know?" a documentary that can be view for free in youtube, and/or other internet sources.  The documentary describes a different opinion of  "Science" and how it explains the existence of matter and subatomic matter.  Some critics state that this is not "informative, credible, and scientificly accurate." It offers another version of reality which is limitless.  The other view point that basically states that the mind affects matter, and that emotions affect reality, perception. The "laws" as they are written in black and white are not absolute, anyway.  Some consider it a "quackery" science, but a lot of people consider people who do not vaccinate, "quacks" and people who believe in God, "quacks" and all of us do not fit into a specific pattern. 

Another thought that came to mind to me with the criticism is the fact that people objective opinions about subjective things are not really all that important.  The world advances and changes frequently and we have  "wireless phones" exist, "televisions" give us "live" images.  It is interesting how things are wired, and not wired, but can work either way.  There is a communication, a frequency and a vibration that is at work whether we believe that it works or not.  I like the statement within the movie, "most people live today as it if was yesterday." Don't do it!

Friday, September 9

VBAC (PVDC)

VBAC stands for "vaginal birth after cesearan" translated to spanish, is PVDC, "parto vaginal despues de cesarea"

I want to share a website with you called ICAN and VBAC. 

ICAN, stands for International Cesearan Awareness Network, which can be found at http://www.ican-online.org/.
This website shares tons of information about recent studies, information, and  gives support to woman who desire to know more about cesearans, how to cope with them and/or how to avoid them. 

VBAC is a woman centered, evidence-based, resource.  They provide information to those woman that wish to have a vaginal birth after a c-section. 

There are tons of information surrounding birth that is erroneous, such as CPD.  CPD stands for cephalopelvic disproportion, when the child head is declared to big to fit through the mother's pelvis.  Most of the time it is declared this way after the mother has labored for sometime, and sometimes they do it before the child is even born. There is an excellent article posted on the ICAN website about CPD, written by Kelly Milotay, which can be linked to:  http://ican-online.org/vbac/cephalopelvic-disproportion-cpd.  She goes on to state that many woman who are given this diagnosis go ahead and have vaginal births anyway.  When your provider diagnoses you with CPD, make sure that he has a GOOD REASON, such as malnutrition in your past or pelvic injury, but even those conditions can possibly heal.  When woman are allowed to birth in the position they want, instead of stirrups, CPD is not a problem and the elastic rubberband that the woman has and was provided to birth babies with stretches to make sure she can give birth and heal herself quickly and effectively.

Thursday, September 8

CNM vs CPM

Depending on the experience that you wish to have,,and the location of your birth, you may want to decide what type of midwife you are going to have.  A CNM and a CPM are both very trained and effective in doing their job, and I understand that in New Jersey, they also must consult an OB/GYN about your care, especially if they detect a high risk situation.

A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is an independent practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the Midwives Model of Care. The NARM certification process recognizes multiple routes of entry into midwifery and includes verification of knowledge and skills and the successful completion of both a Written Examination and Skills Assessment. The CPM credential requires training in out-of-hospital settings.  They normally have a more holistic approach to natural birthing, and do not have a nursing background.


Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) provide health care involving emotional and physical support to women before, during, and after childbirth. They are registered nurses with specialized training in assisting pregnant women and their newborn babies. CNMs must complete an accredited program of study and clinical experience in obstetrical care. Certified nurse midwives participate in a variety of services that include providing gynecological services like Pap smears and breast examinations, advising women about reproductive health and personal care, and monitoring the health of the mother and fetus during pregnancy. They also perform complete prenatal care including abdominal and pelvic examinations and evaluations. Another important service that CNMs provide is educating women and their families about childbirth methods, infant care, nutrition, and proper exercise. They work closely with obstetricians and other physicians when medical treatments and medications are necessary.

More definitions can be found at Midwives Alliance of North America.

Wednesday, September 7

What is purple pushing?

Purple pushing, also described as Valsalva pushing, is when you get to 10 cm and the doctor and the nurses order you to "PUSH" but you are not feeling it. You are forcing yourself to push, but your body is not ready. 

Many times they ask the mom to push, when is not ready, laying down, and in stirrups, where it may cause tears, and endanger the baby, because gravity many times is not helping, and a decrease of oxygen in the body to mom and baby can occur.

In Birthing Naturally, a post is dedicated to pushing, Birth Plan Options: Pushing, the break down "pushing" to three types, "Directed or Purple Pushing", "Spontaneous or Mother Directed Pushing" and "Exhale Pushing."  There are benefits to directed pushing and the only one I see is for those that are managing labor, and want to get out quickly, the author states, "This style of pushing can be helpful it there is concern for your baby's health because directed pushing does decrease the amount of time spent in second stage labor."  Now the side effects are, "directed pushing does increase the chance of a tear, increases the mother's fatigue and can decrease oxygen levels for both mother and baby."  Spontaneous pushing decreases the chance of tearing, and Exhale pushing, helps the mother relax if they can coordinate the breathing with the pushing.

This blog that I found has a nice description about purple pushing.  She describes a situation where you have eaten dinner, and than you are told go to the bathroom to poop...The logic is the same, you don't direct someone to poop, you just let them go when their heart desires...Purple Pushing: Just Say No

In this article, posted by Karen, called Pushing: Woman to Woman Childbirth Education again she goes ahead and talks about how impractical it is to tell a woman to push, when she is fully dilated.  She explains that there is a latent period, and that there may be a period where "nature" is giving the woman a "break" before she has to push the baby out after enduring the contractions.  I prefer this last blog as it offered a study of 39 first time moms that were allowed to do spontaneous pushing and had "intact perineums postpartum"

Again the same line is repeated, manage pushing helps decrease time in labor, but offer three serious side effect that anyone would like to avoid.  Spontaneous pushing during birth: Relationship to perineal outcomes reached the following conclusion: “These studies indicate that the only apparent advantage of Valsalva pushing is a shorter second stage, which, on occasion, may be desirable. However, expediting delivery by forceful, directed pushing is achieved at the expense of three negative outcomes: reduced oxygenation of the fetus, more frequent trauma to the birth canal, and potential injury to future pelvic floor function.” The above study was published on February 12, 1999.  

Another issue, discussed in the last article, is having an epidural. When you have an epidural, you lose sensation, and therefore you cannot feel when you have the urge to push.  In this instance, you need to be directed, but again the dangers to the pelvic floor and perineum continue to be the same.  An epidural is again managed labor, which with all the risks involved, most women should avoid and learn to trust and know their bodies.

Tuesday, September 6

Enlaces de Grupos de Apoyo

Estos son enlaces para grupos de apoyo en la lactancia y parto en español. Normalmente escribo en ingles, pero los problemas de maternidad nos afecta en cualquier idioma. 

Desafortunadamente, muchas mujeres no saben sus derechos, y caen a manos de medicos que no tienen experiencia en partos naturales, y terminan con cesearas innecesareas.

La primera pagina, es "¡Que no os separen!" Esta pagina habla sobre el apollo a la lactancia materna.

No separar es:

Asegurar el contacto piel con piel inmediato y constante entre la madre y el recién nacido. Método madre canguro
No cortar el cordón umbilical hasta que éste haya transferido toda la sangre de la placenta.
Facilitar el inicio de la lactancia materna en los primeros minutos de vida.

La pagina de la Doctora Parilla, http://www.draparrilla.com/index.html

http://www.promani.org/
La Fundación Puertorriqueña para la Protección de la Maternidad y la Niñez -PROMANI es una organización no-gubernamental sin fines de lucro cuya misión es contribuir al mejoramiento de la salud de la población de mujeres en edad reproductiva y de sus hijos\as a través de la educación, la orientación y el apoderamiento de todos los miembros del núcleo familiar, así como a través de la investigación de los factores que inciden sobre la salud de las madres y los\as niños\as, y la implantación de estrategias a esos fines.

Mujeres Ayudando Madres (MAM) tiene como misión promover los derechos, la educación y el bienestar de las madres durante la etapa de la maternidad. MAM se basa en la promoción de cambios dirigidos al apoderamiento y desarrollo sustentable de las madres durante la etapa de la gestación y posparto.

Monday, September 5

Empowerd Birth Awareness Week

Empowered Birth Awareness

This week there are events and things planned for the woman to learn about being empowered for birth.

Their description states....

The purpose of the event is to grow our paradigm of empowered birth by FLOODING the public yearly with our vision,


our definitions,

ideas,

...images ,

stories and

inspirations,

in short, to share our reality of what it means to have an, empowered birth
 
I hope that this movement helps woman all over the United States, Puerto Rico, and around the globe learn about their choices, and to know how powerful their bodies are.  They don't have to follow blindly the instructions of someone who does not list them as number one...They are number one and only they can determine what place and time to be, do, have what you need, when you need it.

Thursday, September 1

Homebirth! and New Jersey

About 3 months ago, I discovered that home birth after a c-section is not possible in New Jersey. If I want to home birth, I find to find the home of someone in New York to provide me their home, to actually home birth...since they are the neighboring states, or find an underground midwife, or a traveling midwife, and pay out of pocket.

I am very disappointed and frustrated at the laws that are created to supposedly protect us. Is there a waiver that I can sign, such as those that I do with vaccines! Let me have my choice! I already know that my body can birth, why do I have to submit to your rules! I know I can do unassisted, but that was not or is not my plan at the moment.

My advice to you is if this is your first birth, hire a competent midwife, and have a home birth...HOSPITALS are not safe, but can be dangerous during birth for a low risk mother. These are not my words, but the words of many professionals. You have chances of having a safer birth in 30 plus other countries, than in a United States hospital.