doula site post 3: birth

Birth

For many expectant mothers, labor is a big and scary looming event.  At the same time, you are excited to finally meet the little person growing inside you.  There are some things that can make your birth experience easier. 

How to Prepare:

Go to a birth class.  Go to a good birth class that meets over the course of several weeks and covers breastfeeding initiation and coping techniques.  Yes, they take more time.  Yes, they sometimes cost more money.  But you will know a lot more about your own labor and the various tools midwives, doctors and doulas use to help your baby come into the world.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: hire a doula.  Even if you plan to get an epidural, even if you end up with a scheduled c-section.  Doulas do more than just help you cope with a natural labor—they can suggest positions that speed up progress with an epidural.  They can help you have a gentle c-section, and walk you through the process as it occurs.  And they can help you establish breastfeeding, which can sometimes be a challenging experience without lactation support. 

If you plan on having a natural and intervention-free birth, then you really need a doula.  A doula can help you through each phase of labor with a wide range of knowledge about coping techniques, optimal baby positioning and pain management tools.

Packing your bag:

We packed wayyyyy too much for our son’s birth.  Here’s a list of what I felt we should have packed:

Your own clothes.  Hospital gowns are so . . . hospital-y.  Bring some old clothes that you don’t mind getting ruined and/or cut off.

Slippers.  The hospital has slipper socks but I prefer my own.

A list of restaurants that deliver.  Trust me on this one.

Large underwear.  You’ll want something a size up from what you normally wear. OR just wear those mesh panties the hospital gives you.  You don’t have to worry about staining your nice underwear.

Something to relax/pass the time.  Cards, DVD’s, board games.  This is good for early labor as well as the postpartum.

The basics: cash, your camera, toiletries, a going home outfit for you.

Breastfeeding Made Simple.  If there’s not a lactation consultant when you are there, you will want a good resource at your fingertips.

Phone numbers for your lactation consultant and your placenta encapsulation person, if you choose to encapsulate.

Stuff for the baby: A few onesies and some non-toxic baby shampoo.  I like California Baby and Earth Mama Angel Baby personal care products for both mom and baby.  Their stuff is organic and contains no sulfates, parabens, carcinogens or pthalates.

What the hospital provides:

Really, you don’t have to bring anything.  Most hospitals have gowns, mesh undies, baby clothes, diapers, toiletry products and baby care products.  Personally, I don’t like to use products that contain sulfates, parabens, pthalates and carcinogens, so I bring my own.  However, you should know that your hospital has everything you need if you just don’t want to pack.

When you leave, I highly advise you to grab, um, a few free samples on your way out.  Extra mesh undies, extra gigantor pads for postpartum bleeding, extra alcohol wipes for the babe’s umbilical cord, and most importantly, AT LEAST ONE BULB SYRINGE.  The bulb syringes from the hospital are far better at sucking out snot than any bulb syringe you will find in the store.  If you have pets that like to chew things up, I suggest you pilfer a couple bulb syringes.  Your insurance is going to pay for that stuff anyways, might as well milk as much as you can out of it.

The moment of birth:

Your birth class should cover the key details of the first few moments after birth.  The most beneficial thing for mom and baby is to place the baby directly on mom’s skin immediately after birth.  Skin-to-skin contact with mom (and to some extent, with dad) immediately after birth helps to jumpstart the baby’s system and is the best way to get breastfeeding started. Most newborn procedures, shots and tests can be administered to the baby while he or she rests on mom’s stomach or chest, and measurements can be taken after breastfeeding has been established.  Check out my breastfeeding page for more information about biological nurturing and a gentle start to breastfeeding.

Also, try not to let the nurses wipe all the vernix off.  Scientists have recently discovered that vernix is full of antibacterial and moisturizing properties—it is essentially the best lotion ever for a baby’s skin.  Just spend the next few hours rubbing it in!

Finally, you might want to look into the option of delayed cord clamping.  If the doctor waits until the cord stops pulsing, the baby will get more blood.  Many medical professionals believe that delayed cord clamping helps with iron stores and provides other health benefits.

A note about vaccines:  Vaccines are safe.  Vaccines are important.  The risks of the diseases are far greater than the risks of the vaccines.  Vaccines do not cause autism—that study was inherently fraudulent, the guy who conducted it lost his medical license as a result, and multiple subsequent studies have proved it wrong.  If you are worried about vaccines, or are thinking about an alternative vaccination schedule, I STRONGLY recommend that you read The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Sears.  He explains the diseases, the vaccines, and lists the contents of every vaccine for you to make an informed decision.  He also has several alternative vaccine schedules to help make sure your child is protected from some very scary childhood illnesses.

And a note about circumcision:  If you are having a boy, this question has probably already been weighing on your mind for a while.  There are many people who feel extremely strongly about this topic, one way or another.  Some people feel it is needless mutilation, others feel it offers many health benefits.  Peer-reviewed empirical research has shown one health benefit: in Africa, circumcision seems to result in reduced transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.  The American Academy of Pediatrics remains ambivalent about circumcision, stating that the benefits are not strong enough to suggest routine circumcision at this time, but that there are not any significant drawbacks to circumcision either, leaving the decision up to parents.