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.

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.

My VBAC story in You Tube

This is the visual version of the story.

Lyrics to the song!!

You Gotta Believe Lyrics
Artist(Band):Natalie Brown

N. Brown/J. Rwakaara

V1
You've been thinking about your life
And wondering what to do
You have some big dreams inside
But how do you see them through
When you don't know where to go
To make a start
Tell ya what, listen to your heart
Focus on the prize, dreams will be realized
No matter what people say, keep going anyway

Chorus:
You gotta believe, believe in you
You gotta have faith, faith in all you do
You gotta stay strong, no matter what comes your way
Get on your knees so you won't stray
You gotta believe

V2
Sometimes when you
Have a dream to achieve
Things get rough and tight
But ya gotta believe
That if you stay in the game
You'll come out on top
So give it your all, don't ever stop
Focus on the prize, dreams will be realized
No matter what people say, keep going anyway

Bridge:
Focus so you won't stray
No matter what people will say
Keep on goin' do your best
Know that you will be blessed

Not a happy birthday

Threatened, intimidated, bullied, violated: this is hospital birth as many mothers experience it. Amity Reed reports on the little-recognised crime of birth rape.

http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2008/03/not_a_happy_bir

Breastfeeding is Bestfeeding!

According to the birth plan, I had my son placed skin to skin to me at birth. Breastfeeding started a couple of hours after Victor was born, and continues today with full strength. For the past few weeks, we have been giving Victor a bottle, as he needs to learn how to use one because the fact is that he will be getting one when I happily return back to work.

I remember Nicolas struggled sucking on the bottle at first, after 6 weeks of breastfeeding at about 11 weeks old, I decided to try to give him a bottle again, and start pumping. At that time I realized that I didn't have enough in the freezer milk to go back to work anyway.

A learning experience it was, I know now what to avoid.

Nicolas had the bottle first, and he had them because the NICU wanted to know, how much he was eating. Nicolas arrived home, and I was still pumping and feeding, I didn't know what over pumping would do to me, or not pumping enough out, and I had mastitis. This is how I became a vegan, when I learn that cows get mastitis as well, yuck. My sister badly advised me that since I had a fever that I would need to stop nursing. My mother corrected my sister and said, no keep breastfeeding that child. I decided to do some searches, and I learned that goat and cows get antibiotics when this happens, and they give us that MILK. I'm drinking antibiotics, pesticides, in that WHITE stuff, the call the perfect food.

What I didn't realize was that it was best to just put Nicolas at the breast. That would avoid all supply issues. However, Nicolas was very sleepy, and he would fall asleep while eating, and get really angry when I put him down. After five weeks of trial and tribulations with Nicolas at the breast, I got in touch with La Leche League. I got some good advice, and breastfed Nicolas for 3 1/2 years.

Victor never fell asleep at the breast like his brother. That makes a huge difference in a full term and pre-term baby. This time around I have a freezer stash of about 60 ozs, and still growing. No experimental formula for this baby, only the best.

I read while breastfeeding Victor, Hirkani's Daughters by J.Hicks, and the Milk Memos by Cate Colburn-Smith and Andrea Serrette. La Leche League has these books at their Library. In addition, I recommend, Nursing Mother, Working Mother by Gail Pryor, I read this one when Nico was three months old, a little too late, but inspirational at best.

A video about Natural Childbirth for Twins and Triplets

Vitamin K injections

This article states reasons and information about the Vitamin K shot given to newborns routinely at the hospital.


http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/newborn-vitamin-k.html

The rationale for newborn vitamin K injection at birth is that newborns are born with a "deficiency" of vitamin K. This perceived "deficiency" can lead to decreased clotting ability of the blood, that can leave the newborn more susceptible to hemorrhage. The risk is quite small, only about 1 in 200, but it does exist....

GBS TEST

The Group B Strep Test is an test that is generally done about 35 to 37 weeks to find out if you are a carrier at the time of the test of the Group B Strep bacteria.

1) The problem with this test according to the materials that I have been reading is that one day the bacteria may be there, one day the bacteria may not be there.

The treatment for it if you are positive is antibiotic treatment (generally penincillin). If you are familiar with antibiotics you may or may not know that if you the strain of bacteria that you have is resistant to this or any other antibiotic. There are allergic reactions associated with antibiotics.

2) The other problem is that despite of the fact that you may receive antibiotic treatment while in labor, if you are not taking the right antibiotic for the bacteria that you have, the antibiotic treatment does not work.

The are thing that increase the chance of your baby getting infected such as cervical exam, rupture of the membranes, etc.

You can opt to say, I don't want the antibiotic treatment, but now they want to take the baby away for testing, for cultures...

Can you opt to say, I don't want my baby taken for testing now? What are the repercussions?

I feel that at my stage of pregnancy, over 35 weeks, with a baby that most likely weighing over 5 lbs, and doing alternative treatments for to ensure that the bacteria is not there when I and the baby are ready for birth that my son will be one of the thousands of babies that is not infected with this bacteria.

However the way the medical model is arranged, I will be treated like an infected person. If I did not do the test, it would have been the same way. I would still be treated as an infected person.

Until later

32 weeks!!!

At 32 weeks the baby is able to live outside the womb, if he is born pre-mature. I learned this with my first son, he was induced at 34 weeks, 4 days for low amnio. I'm approaching that time, the time where my other son was here with us, and I was not ready. I had a car seat, and I had a bassinet that was passed on from a good friend. I was blessed with a baby shower 4 days after my son's birth, where I chose from there my son's home coming outfit, I got plenty of blankets, oh, and how can I forget about the baby shower I had at work. I had the boppy pillow, cover, and some disposable diapers, bottles, etc. I received a used double pump by Medela.

According to the information I got from the midwife I saw at my 31 weeks appointment was that I was measuring 30 centimeters, it felt like I had enough fluid, the head was down, and everything seem to be coming together perfectly for me. She read my birth plan, and said that the hospital staff would be supportive, and that I should not have any problems with having my baby with me 24/7.

I have decided not to vaccinate my newborn baby because the risks are the side effects plus the contaminants inside the vaccines are not safe for my precious baby, nor were these for my older son, but I trusted the system. I feel as though for my first pregnancy, I became a victim of the system. The system took the choices from me, made them for me, and I just went along with them. A college education did not provide me with all the knowledge and common sense that I have with me through actually living and observing life. Today, I know how to really AVOID a c-section, today I know how to live life better, today I know how to feed myself better, today I know that I love myself and my family more than ever.

Breech birth!!

Interesting information about care providers and people who are willing to go against the norm to preserve a natural process.

http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/04/breech-birth.html.

Enjoy!

Five Good Reasons to Delay Clamping the Cord

The following website is from Gentle Birth. They discuss Five Good Reason to Delay Clamping the cord (http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/lateClamping.html).

The first reason is basically that is what nature intended. The second reason it gives the parents a chance to bond with the newborn, slows down the drill. The third reason is because it may cause unusual lesion in the brains of infants. The fourth reason is the problem with Rh negative mothers, it is advised to wait until the placenta is delivered. The last reason is because the baby is designed to have the blood at birth, scientist have discovered t-cells which have cancer fighting properties in these blood...we shouldn't wait until 30 years later to give the blood to that baby, but now...to build strong bodies.

Part of my birth plan is to delay the clamping of the cord. I already advised my midwife of the cord clamping. I gave them the birth plan. When I arrive at the hospital, they should be aware of all my requests, such as not asking me for my level of pain, not asking me whether or not I want my epidural, not asking me whether my baby should be circumcised, not administering Vitamin K shots, or hep B, or eye ointment. I wrote that I don't want pacifiers and bottles for my baby. I took care of everything I could possibly think of using other people's ideas of birth plans, and merging them into what I needed for myself.

At 30 weeks, waiting for the next few 70 days or so...to pass by smoothly and happily.

Another book!!

I have a little less than 100 days left to the actual guess date!!

I just received a new copy of the book "Back Labor No More" by Janie Mc Coy King. I started reading the book which includes a door hinge...yes, I said it includes a door hinge. The purpose of the door hinge is to illustrate to the mother, another reason why back labor is not good for the mother. The book describes a technique to help you use gravity to your advantage. The technique must be used without drugs that may prevent you to feel every sensation that you need to know that you are doing this right. Another tip, and another way to learn to birth better.

This book is very easy to read. I ordered my book through this website and a great internet offer. http://www.backlabornomore.com/.

Have a great day!!

25 weeks

 
This is me at 25 weeks! It is as solid and healthy as it can possibly be. I am really excited looking toward the next fifteen weeks or so for the baby to arrive. Time is going by really fast, and I'm only getting bigger!!

In the next few days, I plan to be doing a birth plan...Birth plans can be very involved. The hypnobabies course that I am doing encourages everyone to do a birth plan. The birth plan addresses everything you need. It informs the nursing staff and the doctors where you are willing to be flexible or not. I think this will be an excellent opportunity for me to do more research once again, and ensure that I know what I am putting on the plan.

There are several subheadings that can be included in a birth plan. The birth plan can state to everyone what your preferences are as far as hydration, vaginal examinations, episiotomy, management of labor, about the umbilical cord, whether or not you choose to have certain vaccinations, especially if you do not want them, breastfeeding, visitors, etc. The birth plan can reflect your personality. It can be written in your own words.

I am going to keep my plan within 2 pages. I plan to use a size 12 font, and some sort of arial for easiness in reading. If you are pregnant, and plan to have a hospital birth, I suggest you start looking into the birth plan as well. You will be making informed decisions and choices even before you walk into the hospitals doors. Until later!