MotherBloom Midwifery Service

Aviva Romm's Story

2011-12-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a such a long time since I have posted anything...the second half of this year has been a very busy time for babies, Sisters Midwifery business organizing, and the MANA conference I help with every year. Families have sent me lovely pictures to post and, sadly, I have not been able to keep up. This recent story from Aviva Romm's blog inspired me to begin posting again! She very eloquently tells here the story of her grandbaby's birth and describes many of the ideas I have and that have been affirmed for me this year about place of birth...READ HERE

First August Baby

2011-08-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

This summer has been such a whirlwind of travel and delight that I have barely been on my computer at all, much less posted to this blog....several babies have been born during the summer, but this is the announcement sent out by the first of the August born babies, late in the month as it is....two of our August babies came early at the end of July :)

Dear All,

It is the delight of our newfound parenthood to announce that our dear
daughter, Tvisha C Raj, the light of our lives & the joy of our
hearts, swam into the comfort of our home at 4:05AM on August 23,
2011. It was an amazing birth experience that has changed our lives
forever.

Tvisha - Sanskrit word meaning "Enlightenment", "Contentment", and
"Saraswati" (the goddess of knowledge and music.)
C - Chaswal, the mother's surname
Raj - Derivative of the father's name.

Tvisha was 7 pounds, 6 ounces (approx 3.4 kilos) - she is healthy and
responsive and supercute. The mother and baby are doing fine.

We are attaching two of her pictures with us and her proud and
overjoyed Nana and Nani.

Best Regards,
Vibha & Rajesh.

June 2011 Traveling and Welcoming Baby Bonnie

2011-07-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

I spent much of June traveling in South Africa. Mostly I went for the International Confederation of Midwives Triennial Council meeting and Congress. There were about 3000 midwives from all over the world attending. It was quite powerful to see so many women, from so many different places and life experiences all in one space, sharing stories about themselves, women and babies. I am planning to write more and share pictures as time allows.

The day I was flying back, my dear friend and client Lisa had her third baby. I was so hoping to make it back for her birth, as I helped her have her other babies, Lily and Grey as well. But alas, Little Bonnie did not want to wait. Her birth did not occur as everyone had planned, she was born by c/section. We are happy she is healthy and thriving, as you can see in these pictures.

Congratulations Sweet Lisa and Neil

Amanda, Sebastian, and Christy

2011-06-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

At 5 weeks old, this little guy is nearly bursting out of his clothes!

I am so glad they cam by for a visit

Postpartum Fun Hat

2011-05-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this clever little design Dad Giovanni made for his new daughter last Sunday. They had no baby hats, so he tied knots in the four corners of a cloth diaper and popped it on her head...Perfect!

This is Rosa Linda Gabriella, just after getting out of a nice relaxing bath with her mom.

Announcing Grace Ellen

2011-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Born on May 10, so fast!! This is Mama Ashley's second baby and home birth that happened so fast in the wee hours of the morning that we couldn't get water in the birth tub and she had a land birth! Grace weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces. Big Sister Kate is very happy :)

Welcome Myah Jean

2011-05-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

above: Mama Julia loving on her new little Myah

below: Myah during the newborn exam

Julia, Jeffrey and big sister Emma welcomed Myah on Mother's Day morning at 5:34am, May 8, 2011. What a sweet little 7 pound 8 ounce gift. It's so nice when second babies come fast after long first births and that is exactly what Myah did!

A very Interesting article and response about birth, midwifery, OBs, and (of course) women

2011-05-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

The following is from the May 11 Obstetric & Gynocology,

written by Annette Fineberg, MD (OB/GYN) and a response that follows from David
Hayes, MD (OB/GYN)

Obstetrics & Gynecology:
May 2011 - Volume 117 - Issue 5 - pp 1188-1190
Personal Perspectives: An Obstetrician 'b Lament
Fineberg, Annette E. MD
A few weeks ago, during a prenatal visit, a woman pregnant with twins told
me she would love to have a home birth, but did not have the $4,000 cash
required upfront to do so. She was afraid of potential interventions in the
hospital. After a discussion of her fears as well as potential
complications that can abruptly occur in a twin birth, she admitted she would prefer a
hospital birth if she could maintain some control over the situation. This
is not a woman who cares more about the birth experience than the baby, but
she was tempted, and in some ways I can understand her concerns. My
cousin's wife had her twin induction halted at 4 cm because the new obstetrician on
call did not do breech extractions for second twins. Her only option became
cesarean delivery.

I recently received a phone call from a woman 2 hours away who had planned
a home birth for her second baby after having an easy first birth. When the
fetus, which was anticipated to be a little smaller, was found to be a
breech, the midwife sent the woman to the local obstetricians. They would
only deliver the fetus by cesarean delivery. The midwife offered the woman
a home breech birth, but admitted she had only delivered one breech
(stillbirth) in her career. The woman appropriately questioned the safety
of this, and was referred to us. She met the criteria for our vaginal breech
protocol, and had an easy vaginal breech birth in our hospital.
Unfortunately, this is becoming a rarity. A colleague of mine in another
state watched the residents she was supervising emotionally bully a young
woman and her mother into a cesarean delivery. The young woman had a
rapidly progressing active labor with a normal-sized frank breech fetus. Had the
residents been open to the idea, my colleague easily could have taught them
how to deliver a vaginal breech.

The running joke in our community is that the only way to get a vaginal
birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) is to have the birth at home.
Unfortunately, this is a reality rather than a joke. Our small community
hospital, owing to regional liability insurance constraints, stopped
allowing VBACs in 2002 after many years of successfully offering them. This
has led many women to risk home birth rather than travel to a tertiary care
center to attempt VBAC. I recently counseled a woman against having a
cesarean delivery who had a BMI of 52 and who arrived in active labor at
over 35 weeks of gestation with two previous successful VBACs. I spent the
following months defending that recommendation, despite her considerable
operative risks and high likelihood of success.

Recent news and media excitement about the benefits and increased safety of
home birth over hospital birth have made the former seem like a very
attractive alternative. A growing notion among women in our region, and
perhaps across the country, is that hospitals and obstetricians are a more
risky option than lay-home midwives for birth. Although my initial reaction
is disbelief, perhaps we should look at how we, the obstetricians,
contribute to this trend.

Each of these women deserves an honest discussion about the fetal and
maternal risks of each birthing option. However, our lack of experience as
obstetricians colored by our fear of liability is narrowing women's
choices, and sometimes motivating them to ignore fetal and maternal safety in an
effort not to be coerced into unnecessary interventions. I sense a mounting
tension, because many obstetricians do not have the willingness, time, or
skills to provide maternal choices.

I believe we are at a crossroad in maternity care in this country, and I am
saddened that obstetricians are considered the culprits. Our contracting
skill set as obstetric providers, as well as the prevailing risk-adverse
culture among physicians and hospitals, have given support to home birth.
We can all agree that VBAC, twins, and breech should not be managed at home,
yet we frequently demand complete control of the situation and eliminate
some appropriate choices in the hospital. I understand that it can be very
unnerving to be ultimately responsible for the outcome, as we are, and yet
pushed into situations outside of our comfort zones. However, our
unwillingness to budge in these situations is causing us to lose the battle
regarding what is really important to most obstetricians: safety for
mothers and babies.

Certainly, we can be proud of the dramatic decrease in maternal mortality
in the last century. But, despite the highest per capita expenditure of health
care in the world, infant and maternal mortality rates in the United States
are higher than in all of western Europe. We have the third-highest
cesarean delivery rate in the world. According to a recent study, nearly half of all
primigravidas attempting vaginal delivery are induced, and half of cesarean
deliveries for dystocia are done before 6 cm of dilation, presumably before
active labor. It is amazing how many women begging for elective
induction change their minds when told it doubles their cesarean delivery risk.

We need to draw lines around patient safety, but must they be so rigid?
Most midwives know from experience that Friedman's curve is too strict. A recent
study validates that knowledge. I sincerely hope it is taken seriously. Expectant
management of ruptured membranes at term has been declared unsafe and of no
benefit. The study that settled the question did not account for
the number of vaginal examinations women received, and group B strep was
not treated, both important variables. Most women do go into labor in 24 to 72 hours.

The Cochrane systematic review concludes that, because
the differences in outcome are not substantial, women need to be given the
appropriate information to make a decision. This very rarely occurs in the hospital setting.

The Term Breech Study closed the door on vaginal breech delivery even for the

lowest-risk women in most obstetricians' minds (including the residents I
mentioned above). This, despite the opinion of the College that it may be
appropriate in carefully selected situations. In any case, vaginal breech delivery is not completely
avoidable, and should not be relegated to the history books with vaginal
delivery for previa and high forceps.

Our mission has become more difficult in the last 20 years as mothers have
become older, heavier, and of lower parity. Many women, admittedly, do have unrealistic
expectations. Although I am eternally grateful for the obstetric skills I
learned in residency, I have been amazed in my 14 years of practice to see
much of the dogma I also absorbed disproven with experience and patience
(both my own, my colleagues', and the midwives I have worked with in the
hospital setting).

Collaborative practice with midwives is a good start, but in order for
obstetricians to be more than providers of cesarean deliveries (a thankless
and, in most cases, technically simple procedure) we need to have
conversations with our patients that are not one sided and allow for true
informed consent. Many of the obstetric disasters we have all seen and
which
color our perspective (which David Grimes has called "numerators in search
of denominators"of are at least in some part iatrogenic if examined deeply
enough. That failed induction for convenience with early artificial rupture
of membranes and chorioamnionitis. The first cesarean delivery done at age
15 after 2 hours of pushing with an epidural that then leads to the fifth
cesarean years later, and then accreta and life-threatening hemorrhage, are
both typical examples. We need to recognize and own those aspects of
obstetric management that are driving our skyrocketing cesarean delivery
rate but having no positive effect on maternal or infant morbidity and
mortality.

Admitting what is truly evidence based versus what is tradition and culture
is a good start. It is essential that we offer real choices to our
patients.
We need to recover and disseminate the skills that make obstetrics an art
and a privilege. Seek out mentors skilled in forceps, vaginal breeches, and
breech extractions before it is too late. Then learn to be patient, so that
you very rarely need to use them.

----------------------------------------------------------
And a reply:

Friday, May
13, 2011 at 6:26AM

By David Hayes, MD
I am encouraged by Dr. Fineberg's recognition and admission that
the current standard of practice of obstetrics in the United States is
in fact lamentable. I am encouraged that she has felt the need to make
a public declaration of her concern over the disconnect between the
information available in the obstetrical literature (not to mention the
midwifery literature – which obstetricians rarely even concede
exists) and the routine practices in virtually every hospital in the
country.

I appreciate that she understands and delineates at least portions of
the various chains of events that lead to an increase in the number of
unnecessary cesarean deliveries. I appreciate that she describes the
role that dogmatic adherence to the long discredited Friedman curve,
overly aggressive management of rupture of membranes at term, and the
irrational discontinuance of performing and even training future
obstetricians to perform vaginal breech deliveries plays in driving up
the numbers of these unnecessary cesarean deliveries.

I am positively thrilled that she recognizes and calls out the extent
to which obstetricians routinely ignore the doctrine of informed
consent, except to pay lip service to the satisfy the legal requirements
for their own protection.

But then, just when I think she might scale those rarified heights and
suggest that we actually consider those options that make prenatal care
and delivery safer for mothers and their babies in virtually every
developed country on the planet, she retreats squarely inside the
obstetrical dogma.

"A growing notion among women in our region, and perhaps across the
country, is that hospitals and obstetricians are a more risky option
than lay-home midwives for birth. Although my initial reaction is
disbelief, perhaps we should look at how we, the obstetricians,
contribute to this trend."

Perhaps? Really? Yes, perhaps we should!

Consider first the state of obstetrics in our self-proclaimed best
medical system in the world:

"The United States' rate for maternal mortality is 1 in 2,100
– the highest of any industrialized nation. In fact, only three
Tier I developed countries – Albania, the Russian Federation and
Moldova – performed worse than the United States on this indicator.
A woman in the U.S. is more than 7 times as likely as a woman in Italy
or Ireland to die from pregnancy-related causes and her risk of
maternal death is 15-fold that of a woman in Greece."(1)

And:

"Similarly, the United States does not do as well as most other
developed countries with regard to under-5 mortality. The U.S. under-5
mortality rate is 8 per 1,000 births. This is on par with rates in
Latvia. Forty countries performed better than the U.S. on this
indicator. At this rate, a child in the U.S. is more than twice as
likely as a child in Finland, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg,
Norway, Slovenia, Singapore or Sweden to die before reaching age
5."(2)

The women who are increasingly asking for out of hospital care are
doing so because they are informed, intelligent, and empowered women who
are concerned about their health and the health of their baby. Indeed,
the international human rights organization Amnesty International took
the extraordinary step just last fall of issuing a report in which they
referred to the "maternity health care crisis in the USA" in
calling world wide attention to the state of obstetrical care in the
U.S.(3) The only people who seem not to see it are the obstetricians
who are at the root cause of it.

Any thinking woman who bothers to look should be disturbed by what she
sees. There is something very wrong here. Part of the problem
certainly arises from the for-profit health care system that even now
makes access to health care impossible for millions of Americans. But
the problem is much deeper than even that. The statistics cut squarely
across racial and socio-economic lines and there is no indication that
it can all be accounted for by access.

Yes, women are increasingly avoiding the medical model of childbirth
and the hospital setting for deliveries. They are fully capable of
reading and of obtaining good, accurate information. They are well aware
that the decisions their obstetricians are making on their behalf often
are not supported by the literature and do result in worse outcomes.
They do understand the problems endemic in the US obstetrical system.
And as a result they are well aware, if Dr. Fineberg is not, that their
risk of morbidity and mortality is significantly lower when delivering
their baby with a skilled birth attendant in their own home than it is
in any hospital in the United States.(4, 5, 6, 7) The fact is, 90% of
births in the US could be accomplished at home, at lower cost, with
better outcomes, and with more satisfied moms and babies.

We debate the causes, bemoan the rise in cesarean delivery rates, but
through it all we are missing a hugely important fact – a fact that
is not lost on a generation of intelligent, educated women. Outcomes
are better in a home birth attended by a skilled birth attendant than a
hospital birth attended by ANY attendant, midwife or obstetrician.hos
Until we admit that basic premise, we will make no progress.

Physicians are admonished to "first do no harm." In practice
that implies we should do nothing unless we have evidence it may
improve an outcome. Yet for the vast majority of things we do in
obstetrics, we do not have that evidence. In fact we often have
evidence to the contrary. We routinely order continuous monitoring that
has shown no benefit at all to fetal morbidity and mortality but
dramatically increases the rate of unnecessary interventions thereby
dramatically increasing maternal morbidity and mortality. We, without
thinking, perform or order invasive cervical exams that have very poor
prognostic value, have never been shown to improve any index of
maternal or fetal morbidity, yet have been shown to increase the risk
of fetal and maternal infection. Indeed, we routinely order or perform
dozens of procedures in every labor and delivery unit in the country
that have no proven benefit and in many cases fly in the face of
evidence in our own literature that they worsen maternal and fetal
outcomes.(8)

I cannot agree more with Dr. Fineberg's observation that "each
of these women deserves an honest discussion about the fetal and
maternal risks of each option." But she should not stop with that
discussion. After that discussion is held, each of these women
deserves a birth attendant that respects and supports her regardless of
the option she chooses. That is where the U.S. obstetrical culture has
utterly failed its clientele. We, as obstetricians, have entirely lost
sight of the fact that our first obligation in ethical medical
decision-making is to respect patient autonomy. We routinely order and
perform procedures against our patients' wishes, often exploiting
the vulnerability of our patients, enforcing our authority through
intimidation, fear mongering, and occasionally even obtaining court
orders that are virtually always invalid and overturned when it is too
late.

I found Dr. Fineberg's statement "This is not a woman who cares
more about the birth experience than her baby" very telling and
typical of the condescending attitude that has gotten us where we are
today. They do care about their delivery experience, not entirely in
the sense that they are looking to make a spiritual or emotional
connection to one of the defining experiences of womanhood (although
that is certainly much more important than the dismissive derision
implied by the statement). They care about it also because they want
control over, or at the very least input into, the decision making
process involving their life, their health, and their baby. They care
about it because they do not trust their obstetrician to make the
decision that's in their patient's best interest, rather than
their own. They care about it because they know the hospital protocols
being blindly followed with little reason are not necessarily
applicable to their particular situation.

In my experience, no mother cares more about the "birth
experience" than they do their baby. It is precisely because they
care about their baby and their life that they are making the
completely rational decision to avoid a hospital birth at all costs.
Many of them are avoiding hospital births because they have had
hospital births, because they have been bullied into unnecessary
inductions, which failed, because they've had "emergency"
c-sections and suffered through difficulties in bonding, breast
feeding, post partum depression, because they have been treated with
condescension and had their own wishes about their own bodies overruled
with coercion and fear tactics that were completely inappropriate.

There are many reasons we should encourage home deliveries attended by
qualified birth attendants: it's more comfortable and convenient;
it's less expensive; we should respect patient autonomy. But there
is one reason why we cannot ethically avoid it — it is safer. The
outcomes, for mothers and babies, are simply better.

I am an obstetrician. I too lamented when, at the behest of risk
averse pediatricians, my local hospital stopped allowing trials of labor
in women with prior cesarean deliveries. But I did more than just
lament. I studied the data carefully. I looked closely at the real risks
and who might be appropriate candidates, and I began doing VBACs at
home. I have done this for several years and had many successful VBACs
and no complications. I know the obstetricians reading this are quaking
in their boots, but there is no rational reason to. In one classic
study, 3 of the 17,898 women undergoing a trial of labor after cesarean
died, while 7 of the 15,801 women undergoing a repeat C/S died(9) It is
likely that the trial of labor morbidity and mortality would have been
even lower had the study participants refrained from inducing or
augmenting labor. But even those numbers are roughly half of the 2 in
10,000 risk that a woman will be killed in an automobile accident during
the period of time she is pregnant.(10)

Furthermore, other studies suggest that while around 5/10000 serious
uterine ruptures may occur during a trial of labor, around 2/10000
uterine ruptures occur prior to the onset on labor. In other words, any
pregnant woman who has had a prior C/S is at increased risk of uterine
rupture even if she elects a repeat C/S. And as we well know, there are
many other consequences of cesarean delivery that may be life
threatening. Why then are we not approaching performing a C/S with even
a fraction of the trepidation that we approach normal vaginal
deliveries?

A woman choosing to have a home VBAC rather than be forced to have a
repeat C/S in her local hospital is making a rational decision given the
data we have available, a decision which we should be prepared to
support if we cannot offer her a better alternative. I have delivered
several hundred VBACs in the past several years without incident. In the
same time frame, my local hospital has lost at least 3 mothers during
or shortly following cesarean deliveries.

U.S. obstetricians have already come to the crossroads and have taken
the wrong path. It can be fixed, but they need to start having honest
and open discussions among themselves about the real maternal and fetal
risks, about the rampant rate of unnecessary induction which leads to
unneeded cesarean delivery, about the continued use of continuous fetal
monitoring, restricted movement, withholding of nutrition, unneeded
augmentation of labor, artificial rupture of membranes, epidural
anesthesia and even multiple cervical exams, none of which have any
proven benefit and all of which contribute to increased morbidity and
even mortality.

Less than two per cent of what is routinely done on labor and delivery
units in the US has been shown to have any positive benefit. Over 15%
has been shown to have demonstrably adverse impact. ACOG continues to
spout, with no evidence, the tired old line that delivery is safer in
hospitals or birth centers joined at the hip to hospitals.(11) At the
same time, every EU member country is actively seeking to increase the
numbers of home deliveries, increase the numbers of midwife managed
pregnancies, and work to ensure there is a seamless interface between
home delivery practices and the hospital system. In the US, virtually
all medical boards and obstetrical societies, and most obstetricians
and hospitals, are actively hostile to the idea of home delivery and to
the practitioners and pregnant women who choose it.

Our maternal and infant mortality rates continue to climb. We continue
to do the same things and expect different outcomes. Is it because of
the "risk averse culture of doctors and hospitals"? Partly,
yes. But it is also pressure from their peers that prevents
obstetricians from actually practicing the evidence based medicine we
have and from even considering the vast realms of international EBM and
midwifery EBM. Obstetricians who attempt to practice based on the
literature rather than the "local standard of practice" run a
very real risk of losing their hospital privileges and possibly even
their medical licenses. If they practice according to the "local
standard of care" they almost invariably must violate all four of
the accepted principals of medical ethics: patient autonomy,
beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

We have the information to fix this problem. When we address the
culture of peer pressure, the local "standards of care" that
bear no resemblance to what the literature supports, when we recognize
that many (including some among the top leadership and most recognized
names in obstetrics) are more interested in procuring their positions,
promoting their ideology, protecting their power, and preserving their
market share than they are in really addressing the problems, improving
maternity care, and truly supporting their patients, then and only then
can we start to make headway towards creating a model of maternity care
that is both world class and genuinely supportive of its clientele.

David Hayes, MD has been offering home births since 2005 and has
attended exclusively home births for the last three years. He is
closing his practice this month to devote his energies to the
international humanitarian aid organization, Doctors Without Borders
<_http://www.doctorswhttp://www.dochttp_
(http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/) > (MSF).

This post is featured as one of a series of posts
<_http://www.theunnechttp://www.thttp://wwwhttp://www.theuhttp://www.http:
_ (http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2011/5/10/lamenting-the-system.html)
<_http://www.theunnechttp://www.thttp://wwwhttp://www.theuhttp://www.http_
(http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2011/5/10/lamenting-the-system.html) >>
by OB-GYNs in response to the May 2011 article, An Obstetrician'b
Lament, by Dr. Annette Fineberg.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. WHO. Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2008. (Geneva: 2010).
whqlibdoc.who.whqlibdoc.who.<Wwhqlibdoc.who.

2. UNICEF. The State of the World's Children 2011.

(New York: 2010) Table 1, pp.88-91. www.unicef.org/(New York

statistics.php

3. Deadly Delivery; The Maternal Health Care Crisis In The USA,
Amnesty International Publications, Nov 2010 Index: AMR 51/007/2010

ISBN: 978-0-86210-ISBN:

4. Patricia A. Janssen PhD, Lee Saxell MA, Lesley A. Page PhD, Michael
C. Klein MD, Robert M. Liston MD, Shoo K. Lee MBBS PhD. Outcomes of
planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned hospital
birth with midwife or physician., CMAJ 2009. DOI:10.1503/birth with

5. de Jonge A, van der Goes B, Ravelli A, Amelink-Verburg M, Mol B,
Nijhuis J, Bennebroek Gravenhorst J, Buitendijk S. Perinatal mortality
and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529 688 low-risk planned home
and hospital births. BJOG 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-and hospital
02175.x.

6. Hatem M, Sandall J, Devane D, Soltani H, Gates S. Midwife-led versus
other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004667. DOI:
10.1002/14651858.10.1002/110.10

7. Kenneth C Johnson, Betty-Anne Daviss: Outcomes of planned home
births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in
North America

BMJ 330 : 1416 doi: 10.1136/bmj.BMJ 330 :BMJ 330 : 1416 doi: 10.1136/bmj

8. Vincenzo Berghella, MD; Jason K. Baxter, MD, MSCP; Suneet P.
Chauhan, MD. Evidence-based labor and delivery management, American
Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, NOV 2008, pp 445 – 454.

9. Landon, MB, et.al. Maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with
a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery. NEMJ Volume
351:2581-2589 December 16, 2004 Number 25

10. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis
Reporting System. www-fars.nhtsa.Reporting SysReporting

11. AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES, Resolution: 205,
annual meeting 2008.

International Midwives Day, May 5th

2011-05-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Road to Durban: Midwives Walking for the Women of the World

Last year Bridget Lynch, President of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), called on the midwives of the world to attend the triennial ICM Congress to be held in Durban, South Africa in June 2011. The ICM also called on 99 member associations in 88 countries representing more than 250,000 midwives to organize 5 kilometer walks in cities and towns across the world on International Midwives Day, May 5. On June 18 when the midwives of the world gather for the ICM Congress, they will complete the walk into the city of Durban in celebration of our commitment to improving maternal and newborn health globally.

This is the first time in the ICM's history the Congress is being held in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a particularly significant opportunity for the ICM to bring visibility to midwives. The Congress will be taking place in an area of the world with the highest rates of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. With only five years left to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and improve maternal and newborn health globally, now is the time to highlight the central role of midwives in achieving these goals! In locations across the globe today, midwives and midwifery supporters are "Walking the Road to Durban" in solidarity. http://www.midwives2011.org/Congress/TheRoadtoDurban.aspx

Bringing the Message Home in the United States

Women in the U.S. are more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than in 49 other countries, including nearly all European countries, Canada, and several countries in Asia and the Middle East. Worse yet, the maternal mortality ratio for American Indian/Alaska Native women is four times higher than the Healthy People 2010 goal (the national target set by the government) and eight times higher for African American women. Maternal mortality is the death of a woman during or shortly after a pregnancy (up to 42 days postpartum) and is calculated as the number of maternal deaths per one hundred thousand live births. The U.S. average rate was reported to be 13.3 deaths per 100,000 lives births according to Amnesty International's 2010 report, "Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA."

In some places, and among some populations, maternal mortality is much higher. For example, in the state of Georgia the rate is 20.5 deaths per 100,000 births; in Washington, D.C., it is 34.9 deaths per 100,000 births; and in New York City, the ratio for Black women is 83.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to Amnesty International's report.

More Midwives Mean Better Outcomes

As the ICM points out, "The world needs midwives now more than ever." It is becoming increasingly clear that midwifery can be a solution to the outrageous statistics that continue to plague a nation that spends billions of health care dollars on maternity services alone. America also needs midwives now more than ever.

Today in Austin, many midwives, mamas, babies, and families met at Town Lake and walked the beginning of the "Road to Durban", promoting midwifery care as The Gold Standard in maternal/child healthcare in the US and around the world.

Stephanie's story of her pregnancy and birth of Samuel, VBA4C at home!

2011-04-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

I received several requests from people wanting to hear Stephanie's great VBAC story that goes with the pictures in a previous post from December. I asked her if she would be willing to share what she had written about her pregnancy and birth on my blog. This is what she sent....so empowering!

March 30, 2010

I found out that we were expecting our fourth child. It only took me a few days to decide that I wanted to seek out more information on the possibility of attempting a VBAC with this child, despite the fact that I had already had three c-sections and no vaginal deliveries.

April 3, 2010

I sent the following letter to a handful of midwives in the Austin area:

Hello!

My name is Stephanie and my family and I have recently moved here to Texas (I lived in NJ for 20 years) and I'm having a hard time finding some answers to a few questions I have regarding Midwifery laws, practices, etc. here in the state. So as a last resort, I thought I might directly contact some local midwives. Might be the best way to get the information, anyway!

A brief history--I'm 29 years old and have three children (5, nearly 4 and 8 months). All my children were born via c-section against my greatest wishes. First for failure to progress after 36 hours of labor. I was aiming for a Bradley birth in a hospital (hind-sight of course, tells me how dumb of an idea that was) and ended up being pressured to get an epidural after 24 hours of laboring then pressured to get a c-section after 2 hours of pushing and my baby still remaining high in the birth canal.

My second was an attempted VBAC (in the hospital as well--NJ is not a place where homebirths are common, thus my husband and family were VERY leery of my wishes for this, so we went to the hospital). My labor with my second child progressed very quickly and once at the hospital they required an internal fetal monitor (after breaking my waters). Once this was in place, my baby's heart rate was recorded around 60bpm and not rising, thus ending my attempted VBAC in an emergency c-section.

My third child was born via scheduled c-section 3 days prior to her due date as the midwifery laws in NJ prohibit attendance at VBAC after more than one c-section, and my OBGYN did not want to allow me a trial of labor, nor would they schedule my c-section past my due date. (An aside--I went into labor at nearly 42 weeks with my first and at 41.5 weeks with my second child). I tried everything I could to go into labor with my third child, but to no avail. Otherwise I would have given myself a trial of labor at home despite my doctors demands!

All of that to say, we will be having a fourth, and in me is still a desire to attempt a vaginal birth. I came VERY close with my second (full dilation and pushing in the hallway on the way to the OR but the epidural had already kicked in to strongly). What I am looking for is information on whether midwives here in Texas are allowed to attend a VBA3C whether at home or in a hospital, and also, if you or any other midwives you know of would recommend for/against it. And if anyone is for it, have they attended any such thing?

I have aspirations of becoming a doula and possibly a midwife myself, so I consider myself fairly well educated for a layman. I have researched the risks, the pros and cons. I am not sold 100% either way without the input of a professional with experience. If I had my druthers, I would turn back time and change so many things about my very first birth... but alas, I cannot. But if there is a possibility of avoiding yet another surgery, a long recovery and more emotional trauma, I'll gladly explore it.

Thank you in advance for any input you have to offer!

Sincerely,

Stephanie

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Many of the midwives I sent this letter to, did not respond. A few did and most of them advised against a homebirth in my situation. Two of them gave me the names of other midwives they recommended contacting. This is how I found Christy Tashjian. This was her email response to me:

Hi there, Thanks so much for contacting me. I really feel for your situation. I would be glad to chat with you on the phone and discuss options....It is fairly unheard of to do VBAC after 3 c/sections at home here in Texas....that said, I am not entirely against the possibility of helping you. We would have to REALLY talk about it thoroughly....

Many Blessings,

Christy

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Christy and I got together on April 23, 2010 to discuss my aspirations. I drove to South Austin and met her at her office located on her farmette. We sat on a wooden swing in her front yard and talked while Zoe slept peacefully in her carrier and Elijah and Isaac ran around exploring the chickens, rabbits and turkeys. We talked about my birth history, what I came to learn through it all, and what I desired for this pregnancy and childbirth, despite what the "system" would probably allow. I did a lot of talking. But I felt listened to. By the end of our visit, I didn't feel I had a read on whether I had Christy's vote of confidence, but then again, I wasn't sure I was all that confident either. I thanked her, hugged her and left after telling her I would be in touch.

I went home and took nearly the next 8 weeks to try and sort through things. I really wanted to come to a final decision--homebirth or repeat c-section?--before I established prenatal care anywhere. Time was running short. I was 15 weeks and still could not settle one way or the other. But I knew prenatal care was important, and aside from fear I still wanted to attempt a homebirth, so I emailed Christy asking her if she was still interested in working with me as a client. She said she was and we set up our first official visit for August 3, 2010.

Frank came along for my first prenatal visit. My mother happened to be visiting at the time which allowed us to keep the kids home with her. Frank and I went and chatted with Christy, reviewed copies of my medical records from Elijah, Isaac and Zoe's births. We listened to the baby's heartbeat, said goodbye and went home happy to be under such personal care.

The pregnancy was smooth sailing. Aside from the typical ailments--heartburn, back ache, etc.--it was fairly uneventful. We had our 20 week ultrasound and learned that we had another baby boy on the way. Samuel Lucas. We couldn't wait to meet him.

Prenatal visits continued to be pleasant and relaxed meetings. With such an uneventful pregnancy, my mind was very focused on reaching the end. Which also meant the need to make a final decision on where and how I wanted to welcome my baby from the womb. Towards the end of October I really began to feel pressure mounting to make a decision. I was entering into the final 6 weeks of pregnancy and I was still wavering, nearly day to day, on the decision. So much of me desired a peaceful, natural experience of birth. To be able to hold my baby after he came out of me. To enjoy those first precious moments not under the influence of heavy drugs while being strapped down to a hard table. But when I would try to imagine laboring in the comfort of my home, my mind would flood with images of "what-if's"... uterine rupture, hemorrhaging, attempts to transport ending in loss of one or both of us. I would find myself in a vividly detailed world of the worst case scenario encased in fear. I struggled day to day with my oscillating confidence.

I decided that I needed some outside opinions; wisdom in the counsel of many. I sent out an email to a few of the "older and wiser" friends I have. I was not requesting their input from a medical perspective, but more so was I seeking to have them impart to me the correct way to seek Godly wisdom on this decision to be made. A few of them did not respond at all, a few of them responded with their opinion on homebirth, and one of them responded with precisely what I was requesting. She sympathized with my fears and confusion, she spoke into my need for wisdom and really was a God-send in my moment of weakness. She challenged me, by her own story, to search my heart and my motives. She advised that I fervently go to God in prayer.

It was early November. I spent some time in prayer and in reading, seeking and searching for answers. I had a long talk with Frank about her email to me and how it had sparked me to really do some "soul searching" regarding my ever-vacillating thoughts on how to welcome this child into the world. After we talked, I really felt I needed to journal. I needed to get all of these thoughts down on paper and sort through them. This is the entry in my journal that came as a culmination of my previous few weeks:

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November 12, 2010

I feel torn between mediocre and mediocre. What an apathetic place to be. To make a choice between vanilla tainted one way and vanilla tainted another--all to result in an amazing end, provided the taint doesn't kill me.

One month remains until my due date and I have never been less certain which course of action to take. It's moments like this when all of my study, logic and reasoning seem most inconvenient. Why am I not like majority of women who just go about their lives, get pregnant, have babies and keep moving forward? My cousin's wife had a baby just this morning--she was induced early because they were "expecting a large baby". Labor and delivery went fine, producing a whopping 7lb, 8oz kid. This ANNOYS me on so many levels. That she conceded to an induction based on the doctor's "guess" of a 10lb plus baby... that she was induced... that everything went fine despite the lies she was fed... and that in her ignorance she got what *I* have always wanted. it seems that no amount of self-education has gotten me anywhere in my desire for a natural birth.

Part of me deeply desires to do this at home. I want the challenge of labor in the comfort of my environment. I want my son to come into a peaceful place, surrounded by his family and not whisked away to be rubbed down, weighed, bathed and kept in a small plastic box by a total stranger. I want to be able to care for my newborn without the limitation of pain brought on by a freshly wounded abdomen. I want to sleep in my own bed with my husband on one side and baby nearby as we adjust to being a family of six. I would love all of this and more but I find myself fearful of the small chance of it all ending in disaster. But then I look at the alternative and shudder as well. Do I voluntarily walk into Labor & Delivery *asking* to be strapped down and sliced open again? Do I roll the dice, taking a chance that everything goes as smoothly as it has the last three times? Do I suck it up and deal with the stress of a hospital environment for another 96 hours of my life?

I want so desperately to do what is right and what is best. In the end, I want to enjoy my newest baby and us to both be well. In talking tonight, I've wondered if all I am fighting for is motivated by selfishness. I *do* feel like I'm being selfish, but for the "right" reasons--if there is such a thing. But perhaps I am looking to control this too much. Or maybe I am fighting the system more than is good for me or Samuel. Maybe my unrest about doing this at home is because there is a heart issue at hand here. I think I had sold myself on the idea of homebirth, but as the date draws near--the time to make the commitment--I'm getting cold feet and asking myself why. I don't want to regret whichever decision I come to, but what is regret anyway, but a choice. A perspective. If I have another c-section will I forever wonder if I could have avoided it? There is an interesting difference this time that I just realized... with Isaac, I tried. With Zoe, my hands were tied. I had no options except perhaps, a date. This time my options are open--mine for the choosing. And I thought I knew what I wanted and now I'm not so sure.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

I want to get to the bottom of this unrest. I want to make a pure choice. I want to do what is best and I would love to stand in confidence in that decision so that I may not continue to waver. Show me any clouded areas in my thought or deceit in my heart. Make my path straight. I want your will and your best for this birth and this precious baby... this gift you have given us. Thank you for this process--may I find more of You as I continue along this path. It's hard to know exactly what to ask for or expect, but You are so faithful. I pray my motive be found pure in your eyes. And if it be your will, that all will go well as we welcome another member into our little family. Amen.

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In the week following that journal entry, I found myself really feeling like I had finally sorted out some of the emotions pooling inside. Though the entry contained a lot of unanswered questions and uncertainty, something about getting them all out in some kind of order brought me peace about the situation. It was an odd calm that I was experiencing. I got together with Erica (my doula) and talked about it. I also talked with Christy about it. Each day I felt like I was waiting to wake up and be paralyzed by fear again, but it wasn't happening. I ordered my birthing kit, washed Samuel's little clothes and actually felt myself get a little excited at the prospect of having my baby at home.

During one of my prenatal visits, Christy had given me a stack of beautiful pictures that contained "birth affirmations". Most of them had pictures relating to birth and a line or two of text regarding the birthing process, the power and ability of a woman's body, etc. I took them home and read through them a handful of times. I found it hard to really read them as if they were my own. Having had my body "fail" me three times before as I had my babies, it was difficult to honestly recite something that talked about how "I trust that my body knows what to do"... etc. So I opted to write my own birth affirmation. Things I could go back and read while in the throws of labor to remind myself why I was doing what I was doing. Here they are:

December 3, 2010

My "Birth Affirmations"

*I have wanted a natural birth since before having Elijah. I feel it is the best, most peaceful and natural way to welcome a child into the world.*

*I have been *so close* to birthing two of my children. I don't want to get that close and lose the opportunity because of fear or a decision within my means to make.*

*I have spent over 160 weeks of my life carrying babies... waiting to meet each one of them. A few more days, hours or minutes are mere moments in the grand scheme of life. I can wait a few moments longer.*

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As the days got closer and closer to my due date, I grew more and more desperate for the *day* to come. My back was aching, I was tired and feeling quite useless around the house. I wanted to meet my baby. Here is a short journal entry:

December 9, 2010

Thirty nine weeks today. It's been an overall good pregnancy. This last month or so has been tough with the tiredness and a lot of back pain. Sleep has been rough. But despite all that, I am so excited to be so close to the end. I cannot wait to meet Samuel... to see what he looks like, to hear his little voice, to kiss his little head and count his tiny toes.

I think I will miss being pregnant; I have enjoyed it every time. But I am more excited to meet this tiny munchkin than I am to remain pregnant. Samuel, please come soon! At least before Christmas--you have Christmas pajamas waiting for you! <3 I love you so much already!

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My due date (December 16, 2010) came and went. In the back of my mind, I fully expected this would happen. Elijah and Isaac both arrived late... why should this one be any different? On December 22nd, I sat down and wrote this entry because I didn't want to forget the course of events that had taken place that week, later to realize that I was in the beginning of real labor as I wrote:

December 22, 2010

I pray it's almost time for your arrival. Last Friday, December 17th, I started having more frequent and stronger contractions. A few woke me out of sleep. I started getting really excited. I got up Saturday morning and decided to go out and finish up my Christmas shopping. The contractions slowed while I was out and about. That night they picked up again, but still didn't feel strong enough to be serious.

Sunday came and went with some contracting but little else.

There was talk of a full moon on Monday night. Erica sent me an article describing not only a full moon but a total lunar eclipse that would paint the mood red and was happening on the night of the winter solstice. There were lots of people rooting for the full moon to bring on labor. Monday night as the sun went down, my contractions became increasingly stronger but still only every 15-20 minutes. These contractions, though far apart, certainly felt more productive. I awoke many times Monday night and by morning had lost my mucus plug. Though the contractions never weakened, they became more sparse throughout the day on Tuesday. I continued to lose more small bits of mucus throughout the day. By evening, contractions had picked up strength once again and were now feeling fairly painful, though still far apart.

As I tried to sleep Tuesday night, contractions were hard enough to wake me up for each one. That night the bloody show began. I had a 10am appointment with Christy on Wednesday morning. I got up, despite wanting to stay in bed, and drove to her office. She listened with the doppler to baby's heartbeat and found it quite high in my belly. She asked me if I would like to get an ultrasound just to make sure Samuel wasn't breech, as well as to have my amniotic fluid level checked. I thought it would be a good idea as well, so she called and set up an appointment for 3pm that day. Erica came with me to the ultrasound. Everything looked fantastic and baby is head down. I'm really hoping labor kicks in soon as this pre-labor period is getting quite tiring. And I'd really like to meet my newest little kid soon. =)

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December 26, 2010

Within hours of writing that last entry, labor really started to pick up. I sent a text to Erica around 9pm to let her know that contractions were coming every 3 to 4 minutes, lasting about a minute each since about 8pm. Around 10pm I sent her another text letting her know that all my laundry doing and walking around was making it worse. I told her company would be nice. I had also sent a text to Christy at 930pm to update her on all that was going on. She asked if I could try and rest at all and told me to let her know when I couldn't talk through the contractions anymore. I replied, saying that I felt I was almost to that point but perhaps once Erica saw me, she would be a better judge of that.

Frank was helping solve a crisis at work and finished up around 10pm. All the kids were in bed and sleeping. Erica arrived at 1030pm. She helped talk me through the increasing pain and massaged my back and thighs during contractions. She took out my birth kit and baby clothes, put plastic sheeting on my bed and got our room and bathroom set up. I had been in the shower when she arrived. I got out, got dressed and continued putt-ing around as my contractions grew harder. Erica was fantastic--she encouraged me and coached me through each contraction, reminding me to breathe and relax my shoulders and legs. Frank had put some Christmas music on in the bedroom which I then asked him to change to a mix of John Mayer, Coldplay, etc. As labor intensified, I would move from leaning on the wall or dresser or counter to being on my knees leaning over an ottoman. Evidently Erica was watching how I was progressing--she mentioned to Frank that with the laughing and joking in between contractions, things were not quite serious enough yet. I must have turned a corner a little after midnight because I was handed my phone to call Christy. I can't even remember what I said to her, but I recall passing the phone back to Frank to get through another contraction.

Sometime shortly after that call, I decided to get in the tub. I think Erica had suggested the bath. I requested a nice hot bath be drawn. I got in and it felt so nice. From that point forward, nothing got any easier. I would have a contraction, try to breathe through it, feel like it would never end and then realize it was over the peak of strength. And then the next one would come all too soon. I remember asking Erica to remind me why I wanted to do this. It was so intense. I had Frank soothing me, gently tickling my shoulders, as Erica continued coaching me through each wave.

I had lost all concept of time. Part of me felt like it could be eternity before it would be over. Frank says that Christy finally arrived at 130am. She had asked me if I wanted to be checked and I told her no--I was too afraid to find out that I was nowhere near the finish line. Within minutes of her arrival, I began experiencing a new sensation at the peak of my contractions: every muscle in my torso would quake. At first, i wasn't sure what the feeling was and I fought it. To describe it, I would have to say it felt as violent as vomiting except from the ribs downward, instead of up. I asked out loud about this new addition to my contracting after feeling it a few times. Christy said, "Does it feel 'pushy'?" Ah. Yes. Pushy. Maybe that was it. Was this what it really feels like to have to push? At that point, Christy did an internal check and said I was complete and could feel free to push through those urges.

I was in the bathtub, with legs outstretched, leaning against the back wall of the tub. I pushed through a few contractions in this position. Christy was monitoring the baby's heart rate. At one point, his heart rate dropped low. She asked me to lay back a little further. I tried to, but felt the baby's head descending in my pelvis and had an odd notion that I might push his head into the floor of the tub. At that point, I wanted to be on my knees. I flipped over and used Frank's thigh (he was sitting on the tub edge this entire time) to lean my head against while pushing. I LOVED his thigh being there; it was so comforting to lean on him. I laughed a little in a short break between contractions, as I asked him to remove the wallet and chapstick from the pocket where I had tried to lay my head.

I continued pushing. I was being quite vocal at this point, moaning and then letting my voice rise in pitch as the intensity of the contraction rose. It was all I could as I tried to allow my body to lead me in each wave. In between pushes, I remember once laughing. I felt so bi-polar in that moment. I think someone made a similar observation and said something. Laughter sandwiched between such strong feelings and internal focus was odd, but wonderful.

I don't know how long I was on my knees, though I remember them getting tired. Pushing became super intense and I started feeling a hot, burning sensation down below. I said something about the pain and Christy told me to push through it. I reached down to feel for a head. It felt as if there was a balloon making it's way out in front of the baby's head. The amniotic sac was still intact and had formed a small bubble. Erica and Christy both told me that I could pop it if I could but it was very thick and tough. I could not get a grip on it. I'm pretty sure I asked Frank if he wanted to feel it. He declined.

It may have only been a few more pushes accompanied by the intense burning and suddenly the baby's head was out. The relief from the burning was amazing. With the next urge to push, I felt the baby slip out. I quickly reached down and picked him up from the water, unwrapping a cord from his neck and peeling back some of the amniotic sac that still covered him. I sat down and held him close. Our fourth baby, Samuel Lucas, had finally arrived. It was indescribably wonderful. In disbelief of what I had just accomplished, I wasn't sure to laugh, cry or just be silent and enjoy this precious moment of which I had so often dreamt.

It was 2:16 on Thursday, December 23rd. We had finally met our fourth little one in the calm and quiet of our own home, surrounded by loving hands and accompanied by the rhythms of John Mayer while my older three slept peacefully in their bedrooms above. It was better than the best I had imagined. And I realized that despite my "odds", despite the risks, I had done it all without fear. I had such a calm--an unexpected peace--during labor. It was a beautiful experience, and a beautiful evening. One I will not soon forget.

We spent the next couple of hours making sure I was stable and well patched up. I sustained a second degree tear and had lost a decent amount of blood. Christy stitched me up while I nursed Samuel. Erica made me a delicious bowl of oatmeal that Christy fed me. I was given hemhaw, methergine and a shot of pitocin to try and slow the bleeding. After a couple hours it finally slowed. Samuel was weighed and measured--8 lbs, 8 oz and 21.5" long!--and Frank cut the umbilical cord when he was about an hour old.

Erica and Christy cleaned up, packed up and left around 530am. Frank and I laid in bed with our tiny newborn for a few hours sleep before the sun would rise and it would be time to introduce Samuel to his brothers and sister. It was all so perfectly timed and it all went so wonderfully. I could not have imagined it better. I am so thankful for this Divine orchestration, for the peace and calm I experienced, for the hands of Christy and Erica and my husband, who were so loving and encouraging and who believed in me and my body. I am so grateful. And I am so glad my little boy finally decided to come meet the world, even if he was a whole week past his due date. =)

Otis in the Sun

2011-04-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

This picture made me crack up and get a heart rush all at once. Often midwives encourage parents to take their newborn babies out into the sun, naked, for a 5 minute spell once or twice a day. The UV light helps decrease the occurrence of high levels of bilirubin that cause jaundice. Little Otis here seems to be a natural sunbather :)

Announcements

2011-03-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post this email I sent to clients this morning so others could join in support as well.

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring and that your hearts are happy :)

There are three things I want to let you know about:

First....

On May 5th, International Midwives Day, I am organizing a walk around Town Lake to help raise awareness about Midwives, what we do and how we can help decrease maternal mortality here and around the the world. This is in response to the International Confederation of Midwives, who is encouraging the organization of walks in cities all around the world, on May 5th. You can read more about ICM and the "Walk to Durban" at International Midwives Day Walk. In June, the triennial ICM Congress is convening in Durban, South Africa, where 2000 midwives from all over the world will gather and walk a final 5 K into the city.

I am hoping that many of you can join us on Thursday, May 5th!

Please spread the word to all other families and midwife supporters to gather at

10 am Thursday, May 5th

at the Town Lake trail, south of the river at the Congress bridge, near the water station and the little, freshly re-filled pond with the fountain.

We will walk the 3 mile loop, making small detours up and down Lamar and Congress so people can see us more!

Babies, children, grandparents, pets, and all welcome to join...

Please bring large signs to carry in support of Midwives, the Midwifery Model of Care, and how midwives help keep moms and babies safe.

I hope many of you can come!!

Second...

Illysa and I have been training hard for the upcoming triathlon on April 16 in San Marcos. We would love for any of you who can to make a donation (small $5- $10 is just fine) to Mamas of Color Rising. This group is doing great work to increase knowledge about natural birth, midwives, and home birth and access to care for women of color here in Austin. The donation is tax deductible. Checks can be written to Mamas of Color Rising and mailed to either:

Christy Tashjian

9001 Oak Valley Rd

Austin, TX 78737

Illysa Foster

1210 Rosewood Ave.

Austin, Texas 78702

We really appreciate your support in our efforts both in the triathlon and the in raising money for this cause :)

Third...

I will not be at the First Wednesday lunch at Freddie's in April but I am hoping many people will still gather. It is nice to go for a walk with the group at 10:30 at Town Lake and then head to Freddie's for lunch.

The details again are:

Client walk, every Wednesday at 10:30

Meet under the Mopac bridge on the north side of the river near the water station

babies, children and other family members welcome!

At noon,

Lunch at Freddie's

1703 South 1st Street

Austin, TX 78704

next to Jovita's

there is a great outdoor eating area with a fun place for the kids to play.

Love,

Christy

Community Stories: Catching Our Babies!

2011-03-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up

Robin Lim- CNN Hero of the Week!!

2011-03-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

This week CNN chose Robin Lim as CNN Hero of the Week! Robin is a dear and lovely person I am honored to call a friend. I love that a midwife was chosen as a hero this week, particularly Robin, who has done so much work and provided support to women and families in both Indonesia and Haiti during times of disaster and crisis. And especially in light of the tragedy that occurred in Japan just a few days ago. She is an expert in setting up and running disaster relief "places" for women to birth their babies at. I have not heard yet, but I am sure she is probably thinking of going to Japan to help. Thoughts of healing to the people of Japan....

Welcome Naia Serene

2011-03-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

Leah pushed little Naia out at 4:01 am on March 2nd surrounded by seven, yes seven, women who loved, pampered, and supported her in labor. At one point in labor, Leah was on her hands and knees, swaying with contractions, and I looked up and she was encircled by all of these women who had given birth before, knew what she was going through, yet riding the waves with her. It was such a beautiful experience to behold. Mama is still glowing.

Yummy, Healthy Recipes

2011-03-08T11:24:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday, I hosted the Sisters Midwifery Quarterly Seasonal cooking class at my house! It was quite fun for me.

You all may or may not know that when Jonah was a baby I took a series of cooking classes at the Natural Epicurean school, loosely affiliated with Casa de Luz. I was also employed for a year as a dessert baker at Casa de Luz. Since then I have expanded my palette to include meat, eggs and dairy. In fact, I have a little farm and raise my own eggs, milk my goats, make cheese, have "meat birds" that I have processed myself, and recently ventured into homebrewing. I enjoy raising, cooking and eating local whole foods and foods that I have been "involved" with through the whole growth process, whether of vegetable or animal sources.

The cooking classes Sisters Midwifery offers are of the vegetarian variety :) and are hosted with the intention of helping clients feel comfortable preparing wholesome nutrient dense foods high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and fresh greens of all kinds

I thought it would be fun to share the menu and recipes that we "chefed" up on Sunday, so you could enjoy the recipes yourselves and to entice you to come to the next class!

The menu:

Black bean pate

Quinoa - taste test between white and red quinoa varieties

Dandelion green/pecan pesto (eaten with crackers, sweet potato chips, and on quinoa)

Sweet potato chips

Seasonal salad - all ingredients from Boggy Creek Farm I love this place - good people and good food in east austin

You should know that I usually don't follow recipes exactly and I rarely measure things :)

Black Bean Pate

2 shallots

2 cups green onions

3/4 cup cilantro or mild roasted green chili pepper

1 cup white onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms

2 tsp peppercorns

3 cups cooked black beans (canned okay)

6 TBSP tahini

2 TBSP miso

3/4 cup dry roasted pumpkin seeds

1 tsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350

In food processor, blend shallots, green onions, cilantro, and white onion until very fine. Add peppercorns, grind coursely. Add beans, mushrooms, tahini, miso and pumpkin seeds. Process till smooth.

Oil loaf pan, spread mixture evenly into pan. Bake until golden crust surrounds edges, 1 1/2 -2 hours. Remove from over and put parchment paper over top and add a weight. Let cool to room temperature. At this point the pate can be cut into slices or eaten as a dip. Will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Quinoa

Cooking ratio 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water.

Bring water to a boil and add quinoa, cook at gentle bubbling until most of the water has been absorbed, add 14 to 1/2 tsp sea salt, cover with lid and turn off heat. Let sit for 10ish minutes before eating.

Dandelion Pesto

1 clove garlic (or to taste)

1 bunch dandelion greens

1-1 1/2 cups pecans

1/2- 1 cup parmesan cheese

1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Pulse garlic in food processor till finely chopped. Add dandelion greens, pecans, cheese, and salt. Process while slowly adding olive oil until smooth paste is formed. Taste and add more salt, cheese, oil as needed.

Sweet Potato Chips

2 Sweet Potatoes

Salt

Coconut oil

Slice sweet potatoes 1/8-1/4 inch thick

Toss in bowl with slightly warmed, liquid coconut oil

Layer on baking sheet

Season to taste with salt and any other desired seasonings

Bake in oven at 350-400 degrees until crispy

The Fabulous O

2011-02-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Our clients Cari and Stephen were so excited to share the news of their coming baby with their family that Stephen created this little song with the baby's heartbeat taped from a prenatal visit. They played it for their families to announce the Surprise. Called The Fabulous O because they had chosen the names Olive for a girl and Otis for a boy....since the recording, they have discovered that this Fabulous O is Otis !!

Autumn's Story of Dominic's Birth

2011-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

I asked Autumn if she would like to write the story of Dominic's birth and I received this the next day...

Our little man finally arrived December 31, 2010. I have to preface this by saying a few things…
1. Baby’s due date was December 15, 2010. Yes, he came 16 days past that.
2. I was huge! Everyone said so (in some not so nice ways at times). They also said there was no way I was making it to my due date and thought I’d be lucky to make it to December! That kind of messes with your mind b/c you then begin to think “maybe they know something I don’t, maybe they have more experience than I do, maybe they have an intuition about this kind of thing and maybe I won’t make it”. I actually found myself being anxious about just trying to get to my due date. Never thought I’d go past.
3. I just knew baby was coming before Christmas! Baby had to!
Well apparently Dominic didn’t get the memo on any of these. It was such a wonderful, yet hard, lesson on what it means to really trust God’s timing. Because he was so overdue I had so many people asking why I wasn’t inducing and wasn’t that dangerous, was my midwife okay with this, did I need to see a doctor? I was always reassured by my midwife and he moved quite regularly and with great force at times so I knew he was just fine.
So with this baby we decided to do a homebirth. I just didn’t want to go anywhere once in labor and I had it in my head that baby would come quickly and it would be this nice “pain free” experience and I would hardly know I was in labor and out baby would pop ☺ We chose Christy Tashjian as our midwife through a recommendation of Bridget Brown (our Bradly instructor with our first baby). As I got to know Christy, I felt more and more at ease with doing a homebirth. I knew my body could do it, but I still had reservations about some things, most that didn’t even come out until the very end of my pregnancy. It seemed that as I got to talk things out little by little, I was able to let go more and more and just let things happen.
So back to the birthing part…our foster kids were staying with another family and Jovi and Dane and April (Dan’s sister) were sleeping in Jovi’s room. I woke at about 3:45 am with a funky feeling. I had lots of back and lower abdominal pain and had to go to the bathroom. I had had this feeling before somewhat and it turned out to be nothing but having to go potty and then rearrange myself in bed. So I tried the same tactic this time. However 15-20 minutes later the feeling was still there and was getting more intense, mainly in my back.
I called Christy and told her something was up but I wasn’t sure what it was. While on the phone with her I had several contractions but they just seemed to run together and I couldn’t tell if it was just happening fast or if something was wrong. She said she thought I was having regular contractions just based on how I sounded and told me to get in the bath or drink some wine (I have never wanted a glass so badly in my life!). I got in the tub and it helped me relax but the contractions were coming pretty quickly. I don’t think I ever timed them though. Anyways, I called her back and told her things were progressing. She came over, getting there sometime after 5 am I think…it’s all a blur as to the timing. I got out of the tub and just felt more comfortable sitting on the toilet so that’s what I did. They were getting more and more intense and I needed Dan there to help me through them. He had woken while I was on the phone with Christy the first time.
I was having to grunt/push through the end of the contractions and Christy asked me if that’s what I was doing. I said yes, but I didn’t think I should push yet. She asked why. I didn’t have an answer other than she hadn’t told me to push yet. I was used to having hospital workers giving me the green light to do anything that this new found freedom to “just try it” was a little scary. I eventually got on the bed and she checked me saying I still had a little more to go and why not walk around. I didn’t like walking around. I didn’t like any of it actually. I remember finding it so hard to focus and relax, my hips were really hurting during the contractions. The contractions seemed to be coming so close that I wasn’t getting a lot of time to refocus in between. Nothing felt ok, not sitting or standing or walking or leaning over. I just wanted baby out and I said that quite forcefully several times I know. I also began to cry at one point, to which my husband replied, “it’s going to be soon, this is what you do when you’re about to push!”. While it was somewhat comforting, I still had to figure out how to “cope” in the meantime.
So standing by the sink in our bathroom, I was trying to do as Christy suggested and let gravity help baby down. All of a sudden my water broke, but honestly I didn’t realize it was my water at first because it was this dark colored yucky and chunky stuff. Then it hit me, meconium! I called for Christy and she immediately listened to baby’s heart and said happy baby. This helped a lot! However I was a little freaked by the meconium and she could tell that. She asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. There was no way I was making it! Either I’d be having this baby in the car or I would be in so much pain trying to get comfy in a car with the contractions, neither of which I was a big fan of trying.
So I got back on the bed and she had me push some with the contractions. Here’s the weird part, I think I forgot how to push! I thought I was pushing and then right at the end of the contraction I’d finally figure out what I was doing wrong and get a bit of a good push then the contraction would stop, I’d stop and forget how to do it the next time! It was very frustrating. However baby eventually moved down enough and was crowning. I could tell something had changed but I didn’t know what. Christy said your baby is coming out with this next push and she was a little more serious in how she said it and so I just kept pushing, the head popped out then shoulders then all of a sudden he was on my belly. I didn’t know it was “he” yet. I just couldn’t believe I finally had my baby in my arms. The relief, the joy, the happiness, the blessing and grace of being allowed to birth this baby was quite overwhelming. I finally looked to see if we had a boy or a girl and saw he was our baby Dominic.
Turns out his cord was wrapped around his neck and Christy had heard some heart tones she knew weren’t good and he needed to come out right then. Christy was amazing and so calm and supportive. I remember thinking during the labor “I was supposed to do better than this, she’s going to think I’m a total wimp for this being my 3rd baby!” I don’t know if she thought it or not, but she never said it, thankfully. She cleaned me up and checked baby over, she made a wonderful bath for us to just soak in for a little while. It was so nice! The black and white photo we have of him is in the bath. I think it was no more than 2 hours after his birth. His labor and birth by the way was less than 3 hours. He came out at 6:59 am. Fast and furious ☺ but wonderful!
He was bigger than we thought. He didn’t look big to me and I just hoped (for whatever reason) that he was more than 8 lbs. I was surprised to hear her say he’s 9 lb 3oz! And, he was 21 ¼ inches long. A good inch longer than our other 2 babies. He latched on right away to nurse and we’ve had no problems since. Well, other than the fact that he wanted to nurse so very much at the beginning.
The weird thing now is that at that time I kept thinking, I can’t do this again. This just might be it for the # of kids I birth. However, now, 4 weeks later, I so hope that at just the right time God will let me birth at least one more baby. Rose colored glasses! ha!
I love this little man. It was a crazy pregnancy and birth and adjustment afterward with a lot of external “junk” going on. I pray he knows just how much I love him and what a special little boy he is. God has a plan for his life and I just love that I get to be a part of that.

Dominic James

2011-01-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Born December 31st, 2010
9 pounds 3 ounces
Congratulations Mama Autumn, Papa Dan, Big sister Jovi, and Big Brother Dane

MamaWise Store Opening in South Austin

2011-01-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

Jenny and Wade Wood, who I helped have a baby in June 2009, are opening
Mama Wise
The Place for Wise Mamas and Natural Babies

Please help support this new family owned business in south Austin
6800 West Gate Blvd #S3
Austin, Texas 78745

512-282-WISE (9473)
jenny@mamawise.com

www.mamawise.com

Stephanie's Amazing Home Birth after 3 C/sections!!

2011-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am so happy for all of my mamas, but this birth was especially delightful as Stephanie quickly pushed out her fourth baby for the first time! If you can't wrap your head around that, you are not alone. I still shake my head and smile when I think about how beautifully, confidently, and efficiently Stephanie birthed her fourth baby, vaginally after having her other three children born by cesarean section. She and her husband kept saying over and over after the birth..."we just had a baby, right in our bathtub!" and "we are laying in our own bed with our baby who was just born here, in our house!" Little Samuel decided to come just over a week late, on December 23rd, weighing 8 pounds and 8 ounces. I'm still waiting for Stephanie to send me her birth story in her own words, which she tells me fills several pages in her journal. She wants to share her story so other women know what is possible. What a powerful and encouraging mother she is!

Welcome Stella Luna

2010-12-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Born December 22 at 2:20am to Haicam and Sean.
7 pounds 3 ounces
What a sweetie!!
I think the parents are in love with her :)

Jovani Nicola

2010-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

Little "Joey", as he was called when still inside mom, was born on December 1st, with a rush of three other babies who were born in our practice on that day!! It was a very busy day...
Both mama and daddy are getting some snuggles in the pictures above...Jovani was a little peanut at birth, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces, but is quickly adding weight - he loves to eat!
Happy Blessings to this sweet family.

Women's Health Care Philosophy

2010-12-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

I just concluded a class in my women's health nurse practitioner program called Contemporary Framework in Women's Health. I want to share my final paper here as it is speaks to my practice philosophy. It's kind of long, I apologize in advance for that :)

Cornerstones of Women’s Health Care Philosophy

The health of the women in any society is the most essential piece of the health care system in countries around the world. This is my belief and the belief of a leading human development expert, Joseph Chilton Pearce. Several years ago I had the honor of hearing Joseph Chilton Pearce speak to the midwives in Austin about how the birth process affects mothers and babies. Mr. Pearce is a firm believer that women, given the fact that they bear the children of the world, hold the power of creating a more peaceful world through the birth process. I was touched to the depths of my soul in hearing him say that if women are nurtured, fostering a sense of content security during their pregnancies, and allowed to nurture, breastfeed, and bond with their babies in the physiologic way that nature intended, women will bear children who have more robust forebrains. Science has shown that a larger forebrain allows humans to have the capacity to think and feel on a deeper level, therefore leading to the potential for a deeper, more compassionately intelligent human kind. (Chilton Pearce, 1992, 2003). Similarly, Dr. Sarah Buckley states “birth is a culturally and politically powerful act, whose domination represents domination of the feminine principle” (Buckley, 2009, p. 25). These ideas, more than anything else, have helped form my philosophy about what caring for women, especially when they are pregnant, really means.
I believe that truly compassionate care of women and babies can help change the world and bring about an increased level of human connection to each other and the earth. The compassionate care of women, when pregnant and not pregnant, includes: empowering women to take care of their own bodies and make decisions for themselves, connecting on a personal level to encourage a strong relationship with her healthcare partner, and ensuring care that is completely accessible and affordable. These are the tenets that immediately came to my mind a few months ago, and still resonate with me as the most important factors in providing care to women. During the course of this class, new thoughts have occurred to me and I would like to expand on each topic and explore them a bit further in the following paragraphs.
“Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.” (Whatley, 2010, para 1). This definition speaks to the necessity of women feeling confident in caring for themselves and their families in order to feel empowered. Women must live into their ability to make decisions for themselves. Not only do the providers need to let go of the notion that they are in charge of the care situation, but women also must seize hold of the opportunity and take responsibility. This might require a large paradigm shift, depending on what part of the world the healthcare provider-client relationship is emerging in. I know a midwife who recently returned from Haiti where she was assisting at births. The Haitian women are accustomed to birthing their babies in, what US midwives would consider, a very undignified manner. This midwife spent much of her time trying to find ways to add a little dignity back into the birth process for these mothers so they might be able feel a little sense of empowerment. An example of this action was placing a plastic bag under the birthing women to collect blood and bodily fluids so the mothers did not have to lie in the fluids after the birth (Iorillo, 2010).
In some societies this shift will be slow and take time to help build women’s confidence in her own abilities to care for herself and her family. It might take gentle, yet firm, teaching of practical skills, and much encouragement. In other societies, such as the community I live in, most women want to and do make their own decisions. I see my role as a midwife, and soon to be women’s health nurse practitioner, as an assistant to the autonomous decision making process of informed consent; to lay out the options of care for them, answer their questions, give my opinion (if asked), and support them once their choice has been made.
An essential part of this empowerment process is helping women understand how their bodies work. Self-knowledge on a physical and emotional level helps women feel in control of the things that can be controlled and helps them to let go and accept the things that cannot be controlled. Truly informing women of all of their options of care, including the plan of doing nothing at all to “fix” something, is the most important, empowering step in actualizing women’s autonomy.
Pregnancy and childbirth is a crucial time in a woman’s life for her to explore empowerment. Each pregnancy and birth is different for each mother and sometimes it takes time, sometimes years, for women to figure out their feelings and thoughts about being a woman and what actions are called for to live into Womanhood. In her book, Birth as an American Right of Passage, Robbie Davis-Floyd touches on this empowerment process through birth. She, in fact, suggests similar ideas that Joseph Chilton Pearce promotes. Davis-Floyd (2003) writes "The core values and beliefs of both individual women and the wider society in which they live condense into visible, focused form in childbirth, where their perpetuation is either assured or denied. It is both my belief and my hope that in the end—or the beginning—the salvation of the society which seeks to deny women their power as birth-givers will arise from the women who, nevertheless, give that society birth" (p. 307).
A society that holds women in high esteem and honors them for their innate creative abilities is a society that will flourish. When maidens, mothers, and crones feel empowered and deeply supported in taking care of themselves and their families, feelings of fear and insecurity are dispelled and clarity of thoughts and actions to support wellness prevails.
Women-centered care must also foster a clear intention of connection. The relationships women have with their care providers should be close, trust-filled, and extremely respectful. The best way to encourage this kind of relationship is to ensure a positive experience from the beginning with thoughtful therapeutic communication. Mark Brennan, project director for community support training at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health in St. Louis, suggests four key elements to therapeutic communication: Being empathic, Being genuine, Being respectful, and Being concrete. I use the word “Being” in front of each communication characteristic intentionally because it might just be the most important part. Often simply sitting with someone, quietly “being”…listening, is very healing. There is connection that occurs in silence. So many times women just want their stories to be heard and acknowledged. Brennan eloquently explains each of the core dimensions of therapeutic communication as follows: Empathy is “understanding someone’s experience through your own emotional and feeling states,” genuine is the ability to “accept this situation, this relationship in the loving and trustful way it was intended,” respect is “positive regard- treat [others] how you would want to be treated,” and he describes concrete as being as “clear as possible in boundary and limit setting, telling the client what they should expect from your relationship and what you should expect that they do.” (Brennan, 2006, time 1:54 to 8:52). When these elements of communication are utilized, both parties involved in the conversation feel they are an important, equal part in the exchange.
A slightly more practical aspect of caring for women that lies at the heart of quality care is affordability; if women cannot pay, they are often left uncared for. This notion leads to the even broader discussion of accessibility to care. According to Amnesty International (2010), “in 2009, an estimated 52 million people in the USA-more than one in six-had no health insurance.” (p. 6). Another piece of data shows that Medicaid paid for 42% of women who gave birth in the US in 2005 (Childbirth Connection, 2010Sakala & Corry, 2008). This is sobering because so many women in the US would not have access to care without government assistance. And, even when women have financial coverage for maternity care, it is often not high quality care. The maternal mortality rate in the US is higher than virtually every other industrialized country and African-American women “are nearly 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women.” (Amnesty International, 2010, p. 3). Often the paperwork of Medicaid and private insurance companies is so overwhelming that women decide not to deal with it, forfeiting the only means to pay for their health care.
Although an aspect of my women’s health theory supports women being confident and knowledgeable enough to care for themselves on many levels, there are times throughout their lives when women cannot and must not be their own care takers and should seek help. Limited access to care can be a huge hindrance. Of the women who have financial access to health care, many of them are required to see providers who are covered by their insurance even though they do not feel empowered by or connected with them. It is important for women to see care providers of their choosing, whether these professionals are medical model providers or have a holistic background. There are many health care business models that allow for differing fee scales depending on a woman’s economic or social situation. I implore nurse practitioners to find a way to provide high quality, woman-centered care at a fair and reasonable rate to all women.
This exercise of fleshing out my women’s health philosophy over the last few months in this class has been a helpful process in discovering what I will choose to focus on in my midwifery and full scope women’s health practice. Mr. Pearce’s ideas will continue to guide my vision of helping women and society see the vital importance of women being strong, healthy participants in caring for themselves, their families and society.

References
Amnesty International. (2010). Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA Summary. New York, NY.

Brennan, M. (Presenter). (2006, June 15). YouTube. Therapeutic Communication Skills. Podcast retrieved November 529, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpFkrD02t1A

Buckley, S. J. (2009). Gentle birth, gentle mothering. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Childbirth Connection. (2008). Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve. New York, NY: Sakala, C. & Corry, M.

Chilton Pearce, J. (1992). Evolutions end. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Chilton Pearce, J. (2003). Proceedings from Central Texas Midwives: Fetal/Newborn Brain Development. Austin, TX.

Davis-Floyd, R. (2003). Birth as an American rRight of pPassage. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Iorillo, M. (2010, September 1). Nou La [Blog comment]. Retrieved November 30, 2010 from http://wisewomanchildbirth.blogspot.com/2010/09/nou-la.html

Sakaka, C., & Corry, M. (2008). Evidence-based maternity care: What it is and what it can achieve. New York, NY: Childbirth Connection.

Whatley, L. (2010). Definition: Women eEmpowerment. Retrieved November 2429, 2010 from http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Articles_Women_Empowerment.html

Midwives in Far North Canada

2010-11-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Check out this sweet video my friend Gisela Becker just sent to me about her midwife practice way up in the Northwest Territories in Canada.

Mollie's face says it All

2010-11-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken just minutes after Mollie's baby boy was born on Sunday evening, November 14th. I was quietly watching as the parents were welcoming their baby when Brian, the dad, said oh, get some pictures. I grabbed my camera, continuing to not say a word and took these pics...O, the emotion of BIRTH.

Tabby Biddle Blogging....

2010-11-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

for The Huffington Post, one of my favorite news sources :)
Women Speak Out About What's Gone Wrong with the United States Birthing System

Birth Article by Shafia Monroe

2010-11-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice article with good stats published in Sojourner Magagzine. It's written by Shafia Monroe, president of The International Center for Traditional Childbearing, the Black Midwives and Healers.

RECLAIMING CHILDBIRTH

Midwives Alliance Conference in Tennessee, October 14-17, 2010

2010-11-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

My job on the Midwives Alliance board is to oversee the organizing of our annual conferences. We usually have 300-400 attendees with both national and international speakers. It is a fun and educational time for midwives to gather together and share, laugh, and learn from each other. This year I had the lovely privilege of helping give Ina May Gaskin the MANA Sage Femme award. This award is given every year to an elder midwife who has devoted her life to serving women, babies, and families. I knitted her the spiral shawl she is wearing in the above picture where we are hugging. The top picture is of all the Farm midwives who were at the conference. We wanted to honor them as well. Geradine Simkins, MANA President, and myself are also in the picture, not to confuse us with the Farm gals.

Ina May is such an amazing story teller, definitely a woman whose feet you can just sit at and listen to for hours and hours When she starts talking, it is hard to get her to stop...how can you take a microphone away from Ina May? It was a little nerve wracking though as the conference schedule got further and further behind and it was my job to keep it on track :)
Thanks Ina May and all the Farm Midwives for all of your wisdom

My October Travels

2010-11-03T20:49:00.001-07:00

October is always traveling month for me as I have the Midwives Alliance (MANA) annual conference and board meeting to attend. Because of this, I rarely help people have babies in October, which is unfortunate because it is such a nice month to be born in. This past month I had the good fortune to not only go the the MANA conference, but also the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) conference in Edmonton, Alberta. Next year, in November 2011, I am helping plan a joint North America conference with MANA and CAM in collaboration with ACNM. Pictured above are the representatives from each organization, from left to right,
Ann Wilson, incoming CAM president, Christy Tashjian (me), MANA 2nd VP, Gisela Becker, CAM outgoing president, and Holly Kennedy, ACNM president. We are all looking forward to working together to help increase access to midwifery care through education and collaboration. I am sure you will be hearing more about it as the months pass.

My next few following posts though will be about the 2010 MANA conference in Franklin, Tennessee....

Lunch at Freddie's!!

2010-11-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided to have a standing lunch date with current and past clients on the first Wednesday of every month. I miss seeing everyone and, besides, it seems that all my wonderful clients should know each other. I picked Freddie's on South First street as the location because it has a great outside play place for the kids. Today was a little chilly and wet, but no worries, we went inside and took over the couches and ordered food from the bar. The couches were very cozy for breastfeeding. Outside they had a fire going and people could make smores! The kids were thrilled with that.
Please come join me every first Wednesday at noon at Freddie's AND thanks to Priscilla, Greg, Brenden, Caleb, Lisa, Debbie, Gwen, Stacy, Willie, Siler, and Winnie for showing up today, even though Mother Nature was not completely shining.

Welcome Little Annabelle Mae

2010-10-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

This little sweetie is the baby that was inside the belly in the previous posts' pictures! She was born on September 21, an equinox baby! Annabelle weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces at birth and apparently she sleeps a lot...
Congratulations Ruth, Phillip and big brother Liam!

Pregnant Belly Pictures from Ruth!

2010-09-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Ruth and her husband Philip and little boy Liam had a fun time creating a photography studio in their home a few weekends ago.

HomeBirth Article in the Huffington Post

2010-09-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Check out this great article by Missy Cheyney, Director of the Midwives Alliance of North America, Division of Research!
Huffington Post

Surprise!

2010-09-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

This was written and sent to me to post by Melissa, one of my dear clients, who I am so delighted to have gotten to know:

Maela Ember Schmit
Born on Sept. 5th, 2010
10:18pm 7 lbs 14oz 20.5 inches long

We experienced a wonderful unintentional unassisted homebirth last night. It was such a blessing for our little family. It was quite an intense and powerful experience for my husband and I and for our 2 year old son as well. My husband and I were not afraid and worked very well together getting this baby out and getting her to breathe and breastfeed. And our son did a wonderful job of not being afraid or concerned, but instead he was joyous and delightfully bounced around us as I pushed the baby out. The midwives arrived a little while later and were great about helping get us cleaned up and cared for. Then my family arrived a while after that to help welcome the new member into the family. Overall it was a wonderful experience!

A little Surprise in my Inbox

2010-08-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was checking my email and discovered this very nice note from one of my clients...she said I could share it!
Thanks Alex

Good Morning Christy,

In a little more than two weeks we will celebrate August's first birthday.
Yesterday, after work Gus and I headed over to my grandfather's house to wish him a Happy 90th Birthday.
Its not every day that a mother gets to watch her son and grandfather share ice cream on such a special day.

August is the first 'home birth baby' in our entire extended family since my grandfather was born on August 19, 1920. He has the bed he was born in in his guest room. Yesterday I looked at the beautiful old bed and thought of my great grandmother, delivering her first son, 90 years ago, in the Texas heat. I wondered how much of her experience I shared last summer. Did she have a midwife?

I remember how doubtful I was the first day I came and talked to you about homebirth as we sat in your yard while Laurel jumped on the trampoline. I cannot thank you enough for your calm, confident guidance through my pregnancy. With all that I remember of the birth experience, the overwhelming pain, the fatigue, the intensity, I have no recollection of fear. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me achieve the most incredible experience of my life.

Love,
Alex

Born Tonight!

2010-08-19T22:02:00.001-07:00

Corrina and Scott along with big sister Mariah are very happy that this little swaddled bundle decided to be born today. She is so new she doesn't even have a name yet. After a long early phase of labor, Corrina pushed her into the world in only 6 short minutes, right in the tub Mariah takes her baths in. Just a few hours earlier, Barbies lined the tub wall, until Corrina decided it was time to labor in some water. Thanks and Blessings to this family, Oh and more thanks to them for the yummy homemade granola bars in their fridge....

Home Visits

2010-08-18T20:41:00.001-07:00

Me and Eli

Me and Joanna (taken by her big brother)

I think I have written before about postpartum home visits to my clients being one of my favorite parts of my job. I really like letting myself into a home I have come to consider myself family in, winding my way along the hall, "hello, it's Christy" and hearing in response, "we're back here!" In July I helped two families have babies just before taking my own children on our family vacation. Because I was going to be out of town, I arranged for my friend Brielle to visit the families and help them while I was away. When I returned, I went to visit both babies immediately, as I missed them and doing my usual postpartum visits. Both babies were over two weeks old by this time; they were passed the early potential breastfeeding difficulties and weight loss and both mamas were up and about doing their mama things...we just chatted, drank tea, watched the older kids color and squabble over markers, I heard how Eli's family's dogs came to live with them, and Joanna's big brother really wanted to use my phone to take a picture...it was relaxing, sweet, and therapeutic for me and the moms. At least I am hopeful that my visits to the families I care for impart a sense of calm, that everything is OK, that being with their new baby is all that is important in that moment. Babies are such good reminders of just being present, but sometimes it is Oh, so hard to do that.
The day I visited Eli and Joanna, I managed to remember the gift of being present with them and am very grateful.

Kathy and Chad's Family

2010-08-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

This Happy Family welcomed their new baby, Joanna Therese, on July 9th! This picture was taken just a couple of hours after the birth. I love the giant smiles on all of the older children's faces. Daniel, Rachel, Aaron, and David were practically climbing over each other to get their hands on their new baby sister! Rachel was most thrilled of all about not being the only girl anymore!
Joanna weighed so close to 10 pounds, at 9 pounds, 15 ounces, that I told mom and dad we could call her 10 pounds, but they wouldn't let me, honest as they are!!

Welcome Eli Jackson

2010-08-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

I am a little (well, really alot) behind posting this little cutie's picture...Eli was born on July 6 to happy parents Mary and Ian! He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces at birth, but quickly surpassed that without losing much weight to begin with! Many Blessings to Eli and his family

Iron and Wine Midwives Alliance Benefit Concert on July 29th was a HUGE success again this year!

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Seen from backstage, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine playing his lovely, poetic, and harmonic music. This was the 2nd Annual Benefit concert for the Midwives Alliance. Sam is so generous to donate proceeds from the concert to help the Midwives Alliance increase access to Midwifery Care for more families.

Twins Born at Home!

2010-08-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, August, 3rd, I was honored to attend my second twin birth! This was Mama's first pregnancy and she was so determined to have these babies naturally at home. She carried them 40 weeks and 2 days! Both babies were head down, which is the perfect positioning for a first time mama to push twins out. Little Maverick came first at 3:24am weighing exactly 8 pounds and then, little Marilyn came at 3:41am weighing exactly 7 pounds.

Above they are hanging in the tub with mom, happy dad close by.
Then Illysa and I got to snuggle with the little swaddled babes!

Mama Mindy

2010-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mindy gave birth to little Ellis Coen on June 19th at 5:49pm. She had the added blessing of having her midwife who helped her have her first baby, travel all the way from California to be here for this birth. Ellie and I made a great team, although Mindy made our job rather easy. Ellis weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. His big brother, 2 year old Jonah, slept through the whole birth, but woke just in time to have a snack with dad and snuggle with mama and the new baby as Ellis was starting to breastfeed for the first time. I snapped this picture at a postpartum visit just after Ellis finished eating...I always love when baby's fall off to sleep but still keep a hold on the breast where so much nurturing comes from.

Caleb

2010-07-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Caleb was born a bit early but has been welcomed with so many warm embraces by Mama Priscilla, Daddy Greg, Sister Breeanna, and Brother Brenden. Here we are at postpartum visit, checking his weight AND I had the honor of being serenaded by Breeanna singing "You are My Sunshine" while dressed as a sunflower! I love this picture of Priscilla with the three children. I have helped her at all three births and feel so honored to now be able to call her my friend. That is one of the many perks of being a midwife, a broadening circle of friends.

Welcome Veda Belle

2010-07-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Veda was born on May 31, 2010, 8 pounds 2 ounces, 19 1/4 inches long.
She was welcomed into her home by her many sweet siblings: Miles, Cecilia, Lilah, and Holden. During our postpartum visits, we were all piled on the bed playing with Veda. I will always remember the image of all four children, snuggled around their mama, Tiffany, and new baby.

Mia Grace

2010-07-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Before traveling to Mexico, there were some babies born at the end of May that have not been properly introduced to the world on my blog... Little Mia Grace was one of them. She was born on May 21, 2010 with the help her midwife Auntie Scottie! It was a very sweet family occasion with all the women in the family present and helping. Mia weighed 7 pounds 14 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. Apparently her late Grandfather was a friend of Willie Nelson's so her uncle could not resist buying her the little Willie Onesie pictured above. I am sure she will have no choice but to be a fan!

Travel to Mexico!

2010-07-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from San Cristobal, Chiapas where I attended the Midwives Alliance of North America Mexico conference, Saber Nacer. Midwifery in Mexico is relatively unregulated by the government. Parteras in the villages have been helping women have babies for centuries, but now there is a movement in the country to form a national Midwifery Organization in Mexico. This is very exciting news for when midwives unite and become more visible in the communities and in the medical word, maternal/child health will improve. It will be a challenge and a strength in the new organization to preserve the traditional midwifery practices the parteras have been doing for all these years. Pictured above on the right is Cris Alonso, the MANA Mexico rep who is playing and integral role in organizing and growing the practice of midwifery in Mexico, in the middle is Michelle Peixinho, the MANA Midwives of Color rep with little Kaleo (whose 1st Birthday is on July 4th), and me on the left.

Roanna Sue

2010-05-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Roanna’s Birth…as told by her mom, Ashre

Our love, Roanna Sue was born at home, Friday, 5/14, at 6:18pm. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, and was 20 inches long…here is her story…and the story of my transformation into motherhood….

Roanna’s birth began on Thursday, when I lost my mucus plug and began to have mild contractions about 15 minutes apart. I thought I could be in early labor, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I continued with my regular plans for the day. The contractions were only mildly distracting, but they remained constant throughout the day while we took some belly pictures (just in the knick of time) and ate dinner with family. We went to bed around 2am, our normal time, and I told Todd that I thought something would be happening very soon. I was due on the 15th, which was also our 5 year wedding anniversary.

I woke up at 6am with contractions that I had to quietly moan thru. I decided to get into the tub to see if they would subside or increase in intensity….they got stronger. I woke my husband at 7:15 am and told him to prepare for a birthday and do his “morning routine” so he could assist me. I called Christy about 8 am and told her my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart and that I was managing them by moaning thru them. As soon as I hung up with her I had a large amount of bloody show, and my surges picked up dramatically. I got back into the tub and asked my husband to time them. My contractions were lasting a minute and coming 2-4 minutes apart. I told him he’d better call Christy back and tell her she ought to come over. I knew she had a 12:30 appointment she was trying to keep, but I thought I would need her by then. She arrived at approximately 11:30 am, and found me on all fours hanging over some pillows on the bed. I told her I had given up moaning, and rocking and abdominal breathing now became my new strategy.

I gave Christy permission to check my cervix, and I dreaded being told I was 2 cm dilated, but I thought I’d be happy to hear I was at a 4. I couldn’t believe it when she checked me and said I was fully dilated. Labor had not been as bad as I expected it to be, and I felt like I’d dealt with it very well. My bag of waters was still intact, so she told me to go bear down a bit over the toilet to see if it would break. I hung over my husband’s neck and gave a little push and my bag broke like a water balloon exploding…clear fluid. I was very happy. I thought, “I’m going to have this baby in the next 2 hours.” However, Roanna had other plans for us.

Ilyssa, the assistant midwife, arrived as I began to push shortly after noon. Pushing felt great. I was surprised by the intensity, but it wasn’t painful. I pushed with all my might thru each contraction, although some of the contractions weren’t strong enough to be much help. I pushed in every conceivable position…supported squat, lying flat on my back, laying over pillows on all fours, hanging from my husband’s neck, on the toilet, on a make-shift birthing stool Christy and Ilyssa crafted out of yoga blocks, pulling on a bungee cord while Ilyssa held the other end….literally every conceivable position. I was making progress, but Roanna’s head was presenting in an unfavorable position and was not coming under the pelvic bone. We all decided I needed a break, so I lay on my side and tried not to push and just relax for an hour. Roanna’s heart rate never dropped or gave us any reason to worry about her. She was so strong.

When I was done with my “nap” Christy jostled my pelvis to see if she could get her head in a better position. She also decided she needed to manipulate my pelvic bones by pulling them apart while I was pushing to help get Roanna’s head to come under it. I did not like that feeling, and I remember telling her so. She replied with a very sympathetic “I know, but I really think it will help.” After some nipple stimulation, it seemed like I started to make some progress. I could tell by Christy’s voice which pushes were working. I fought hard to maintain that progress, but some of my contractions weren’t very helpful. I was a bit confused because it was taking so long. Christy and Ilyssa were telling me I was doing great, but then in the next breath they were telling me I needed to dig deep and push harder. I already felt like I was pushing as hard as I could.

It was suggested that I walk around with Todd’s help and so I did. I could feel the contractions getting super strong. I ended up lying on the floor, flat on my back, with my knees by my ears, and my pelvis pointing to the ceiling. I’ve heard this position is effective for getting a baby under the pelvic bone, and it started to work for me. I could hear the excitement and encouragement in their voices as Roanna’s head started to present itself and not recede between pushes. Christy and Ilyssa kept telling me how strong I was being and how I was such a determined Momma. I silently agreed. I never thought I couldn’t do it, and they always appeared to have confidence in me as well. They held up a mirror and I could see her head, about the size of a silver dollar, with a ton of dark hair. I was encouraged. After a while, they told me to reach down and touch my baby’s head. It was out to the brow. I did, and I just said “Oh My God!” At that point I knew she was really coming. My surges were also doing their job by coming long and strong, and I could really feel that my pushes were working. Finally, I felt the “ring of fire” I briefly thought I didn’t want to tear, but it felt so good to push into it, so I didn’t care. Next her head was out. I heard her making some noises, probably clearing her airways. I thought “how surreal to have her half inside of me and half in this world.” As her head came out, it was obvious why the pushing stage was taking so long. She had her hand under her chin. Christy gently reached in and pulled the arm on through. The rest of her slid out, and Todd reached down to help Christy place her on my chest. I was so relieved and so elated to see her. We learned her sex at that time, and I was so happy to hear she was a little girl. Pure adrenaline and excitement rushed thru every cell of my soul.

However, it wasn’t over. After over 5 hours of pushing, Roanna was in a bit of shock. She was breathing and whimpering and her heart rate was good, but her limbs were limp. Christy breathed a couple breaths into her, and I rubbed her back and told her I was so glad she was here and how beautiful she was and how happy we were to meet her and welcome her into this new world. She was given a bit of oxygen and her color turned normal and she looked up at me and reached out for my face, licked my nipples a bit, and I was totally and utterly in love. As I waited for the placenta to come out, I just stared in amazement at her and in awe of the wonder of life. With the placenta came more blood than usual, so the midwives gave me some herbs to firm up my very tired uterus and prevent too much bleeding. I was never worried for a second. I knew I was in good hands, and in good health.

Once I birthed the placenta and it stopped pulsing, Roanna and the placenta were moved to the bed and Todd cut the cord. Roanna had pooped meconium all over me as she came out, so we both needed a bath. We took a wonderful herbal bath together. She was very alert and looking around. Christy sang her a beautiful song, and I had to turn Roanna to look at her more easily because she was straining her neck to look toward the music. Roanna floated about like a little angel and latched onto my breast. I was surprised at the intensity of her suck.

Christy examined me, and even though Roanna’s hand was under her chin, my perineum was totally intact, and I required no stitches for the stress marks around my labia. After cleaning up after the birth and showing me how to breastfeed Roanna lying on my side, they gave Todd some instructions for caring for me, and headed out. Christy and Ilyssa couldn’t have been happier for us and I could tell they were genuinely proud of me.

I give thanks to God, my wonderful and attentive husband Todd, and the caring hearts and knowing hands of my wonderful midwives. I knew I could do it, and I’m grateful they all believed in me as well. The care I received by Christy was always thoughtful, sympathetic, and extremely knowledgeable. I always knew I was in good hands with her, and I totally trusted her all the while taking full responsibility for my health and my experience.

May 14th was the best day of my life and I love being a Momma to this lovely little girl.

SunRise Baby

2010-05-05T18:41:00.001-07:00

This morning at 6:37, this sweet family welcomed a new baby sister! Now there are three sisters! She looked bigger than she is, with little fat rolls down her arms and legs, but only weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces. I love the way the sun shone in on them as they laughed and snuggled with the new baby. Congratulations Darby, Jessie, Marisa, and Linnea!

Welcome Little Winnie Wooster!

2010-03-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Well, after waiting for well past 42 weeks for this little baby to present herself, she did so in lightening bolt fashion in the wee hours of the morning on March 18th! From the looks of her, she was clearly not really late, but extremely cute! After she nursed, and floated in an herb bath with mama, we swaddled her up....which made her look like a little Buddha baby, with her knees all bundled up in the blanket. In the above picture we were laughing at how she promptly fell asleep when I laid her down, looking even more like a blissed out, toppled over little Buddha. I am so delighted to know this sweet, funny family...I helped them at big sister Siler's birth almost 5 years ago. She is so in love with her little sister Winnie, as you can see in the picture above!

Travelings

2010-03-13T09:33:00.001-08:00

This past month has been so eventful. In February I went to San Ignacio, Belize to finish certification training in the Arvigo Technique of Mayan Abdominal Massage. I have been practicing this massage with my clients for the last couple of years and although it is amazingly simple, I have found it to have profound results in affecting the birth process positively. Going to Belize was not only beautiful, it was deeply nurturing for me personally. The above picture was taken outside of Rosita's home, where the classes were held. She is showing us some of the local herbs/vegetation and what their uses are.

When I returned home, the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) Forum was happening in Austin. This is a large coalition of organizations who strive to promote positive changes in maternal/child health. CIMS is the initiator of the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative. I was honored to meet so many movers and shakers in the midwifery and maternal/child health movement.

After the CIMS forum, I traveled to Washington, DC to meet with the Midwives and Mothers in Action Campaign steering committee. The first day of our meetings was spent on Capitol Hill lobbying for Certified Professional Midwives to be recognized as maternal/child health care providers and to be included in federal medicaid reimbursement programs. Being in DC was very exciting, although I never did get a really good look at the White House! Above is a picture of me, geared up for lobbying!

Following the MAMA campaign meetings, I was able to attend the National Institute of Health consensus meeting on VBAC. VBAC or Vaginal Birth after Cesarean has been a controversial subject for many years, and the rate of VBAC is declining as the rate of primary c/sections is increasing. This meeting brought together a panel of 15 interdisciplinary professionals who, after listening to 20 research presentations on VBAC, formed a statement which will hopefully help influence change in VBAC policies. The draft NIH consensus statement can be found here.

Surprisingly, through all of these travels, I have not missed one of my mama's births! Thanks for waiting Stacy, I am so grateful to get to help you. I am hopeful your baby will come today.

Pregnancy Meditation

2010-02-13T13:52:00.001-08:00

I got this great meditation from my good friend Laurie Fremgen. I like to read it with my clients toward the end of their pregnancies, at the point when they are teetering on the fulcrum of not really looking forward to the birth and saying, " I really want this baby out!" It seems that every pregnant mama experiences that feeling at some point at the end of her pregnancy, it is part of the journey.

The birthing mother keeps her mind always at one with birth:

that is what gives her radiance.

Birth is ungraspable, how can her mind be at one with it?

Because she doesn't cling to ideas.

Birth is dark and unfathomable. How can it make her radiant?

Because she lets it.

Since before time and space were, birth is.

It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true?

I look inside myself and see....

As I breathe in, I am calm and relaxed.

As I breathe out, my baby shares my calmness.

As I breathe in, my baby and I are a team, ready for the work we are about to do.

As I breathe out, I know that my baby and I are normal and well connected.

As I breathe in, my uterus works by itself.

As I breathe out, I know the waves hug and massage my baby.

As I breathe in, I see my uterus as separate from the rest of my body. I watch my contractions come and go much like the waves of the ocean coming to shore.

As I breathe out, I know this normal.

As I breathe in , I touch my strength.

As I breathe out, I release my fear.

As I breathe in, my legs, hands, and jaw are loose.

As I breathe out, my belly and bottom are loose.

As I breathe in, I know my baby's head fits perfectly through my pelvis.

As I breathe out, I know my vagina can stretch to accommodate my baby.

As I breathe in, pushing feels good and exhilarating.

As I breathe out, I know the baby will be here soon.

As I breathe in, I love my baby.

As I breathe out, my baby will be beautiful.

As I breathe in, I see my baby's head crowning and my skin as supple and soft.

As I breathe out, I see my baby's head out.

As I breathe in, I see my baby's shoulders coming out easily.

As I breathe out, I reach for my baby's body and help it out of my body.

As I breathe in, I smell my baby.

As I breathe out, I hold my baby in my arms.

As I breathe in, I know that my placenta will be gently released from its home.

As I breathe out, I know that my uterus will contract.

As I breathe in, my baby is here.

As I breathe out, my baby is perfect.

Welcome Lucille Rose

2010-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Little Lucy was born last Tuesday, January 19th. She looks so much like her oldest sister, Grace, who just turned 6! I have now helped Lucy's parents, Katrina and Sam, have 3 babies...what an honor.

Lucy is the biggest at birth, weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. But she will definitely have a tricky time keeping up with Marie, who is now in the middle and so full life, as only a 3 year old can be. Such a sweet family!

My Babies-all grown up!

2010-01-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

.....well, at least a little grown up!

I want to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year and share with you some of the babies I have helped over the past year. The first picture is of my children, Jonah and Laurel....they were wrestling and then, just when I was about to....well, you know....they stopped wrestling and started dancing together.

Jonah age 11, Laurel age 8

The next adorably cute pictures are some of my 2009 babies!!

They are growing, rolling, smiling, crawling and occasionally walking!

Thank you to all the families who have let me be a part of their lives this past year.

Sadie Pearl

January 17, 2009

Kaiya Anastasia

February 14, 2009

Madelena

April 26, 2009

River Indigo

June 28, 2009

Summer Rose

July 1, 2009

Sadie Elizabeth

July 21, 2009

Jacquelyn Rose

July 29, 2009

Sylas Orion

August 10, 2009

Iris Tamsin

August 19, 2009

Stockton Enzo

August 28, 2009

August Alexander

September 8, 2009

Ronald Wilson

September 11, 2009

Lylah Simone

November 23, 2009

My First New Year's Birth!!

2010-01-03T21:31:00.002-08:00

This year I had the pleasure of attending the first new year's birth I have ever been to! I was so excited when Illysa called me late on the 31st and said. "the baby is coming!" It was about 10pm and I was hoping Colleen's baby would slip into the world right around midnight. Colleen was pushing when I arrived, she had been in labor for many, many, many hours and was still so strong. Her little baby boy, Wyatt, popped into the world at 12:15am on January 1st, 2010! He did literally pop into the world, as he went from not quite crowning to full body out in one contraction, surprising us all! We are thinking he was probably the first baby born in the Central Texas area in 2010, as the first baby reported in the news was born at 12:53am on the 1st, way after Wyatt showed himself. He came with fanfare-there were many fireworks and loud booms going off in the neighborhood as he emerged. Such a joy and honor to spend the turning of the New Year at a birth!

My First New Year

2010-01-03T21:31:00.001-08:00

Seeing Babies about Town

2009-12-20T00:40:00.000-08:00

Sadie and Lenee

Today my little girl Laurel really wanted to go to the Farmers Market. For some reason she is a big fan of the Sunset Valley Farmers Market, last year she even wanted to have her birthday party there. We set out today with no particular thing to shop for, although she may have had some ideas, she did not share them with me. It was crowded....kids and dogs were everywhere, long lines to buy coffee and greens, local musicians played, Santa even had a little tent. As we were strolling along, I happened to see little Sadie, her mama Lenee, and big sister Mila also strolling along. There is NOTHING that warms the heart more than seeing one of the babies or families you helped. I immediately felt a big smile spread across my face and ran up to give Lenee a big hug! Sadie was born in July and is such a happy, big girl now! Ahh....pure midwife bliss....

Rainy Appointment Day

2009-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today, Tuesday, December 1st, was such a cozy day for doing appointments in my office. The rain was pouring outside but inside we were warm, dry and smiling. Erin and baby Iris, who was born in August, came by for their last postpartum visit. As we were finishing the appointment, Mindy came in with son Jonah for her first prenatal appointment; Mindy is due in June and we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time today.

Welcome Baby Lylah Simone

2009-11-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

Mama Jax and Baby Simone pose here on the third day postpartum! They look so HAPPY!

Lylah was born on November 23 at 6:59 am after a long but steady labor. She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces, 21 inches long. Papa Matt clucks over her like a little papa hen.

Look what one of my clients wrote for a local magazine!

2009-11-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

I was first introduced to the idea of midwifery by a friend who opted for that model of care for her first birth. The idea intrigued me to the point that I explored midwifery as a choice when I became pregnant. I thought about what types of experiences I wanted to have throughout my pregnancy, such as my prenatal visits because I felt this to be a key part of preparing me for labor and early parenthood. I enjoyed my hour long sessions where my experiences were received, discussed and informed. I also considered what type of birth I wanted to have~ I wanted someone there with the wisdom of previous births but be allowed to have faith in the primal instincts that my body would know what to do.

My husband supported my choice for a homebirth with a midwife, as he told me that I was going to be the one doing most of the work, but others react differently. Some family expressed concern and one friend even angrily lectured me. However, I had done my research, and my head, heart and gut gave me the go-ahead. I am so grateful I listened to my own intution because I felt the freedom to make my own birth choices and I had control over my environment and support, which allowed me to deeply trust my body's processes to lead me into motherhood.

My primary midwife was Christy Tashjian of www.motherbloommidwifery.com and I also received support from Faith Beltz.

by Stacy Wooster, mom of Siler

Autumn Knitting

2009-11-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. Not because it starts to get cooler and the leaves change to beautiful colors, that just doesn’t happen in the south. And autumn is not my favorite because it is the time of year for inner reflection and family festivals, although I do enjoy these as well. I love autumn because it is the start of knitting season! I knit out of season all year long, but when autumn arrives, I feel my needles begin to twitch extra vigorously. Knitting is my meditation; it settles my mind and calms my soul. I always feel a little unsettled if I don’t have something to knit when I am at a birth; my knitting project of the moment is usually the first thing I pack when a mama calls me to her home to help her. My clients tell me it is comforting to see me sit in the corner, knitting and humming; they know everything is just fine. Knitting at births helps me stay out of the laboring mom’s way as well. If my hands are busy, I am less likely to interfere with the birth process; sometimes I keep telling myself one more row over and over so the mom can continue on her journey through labor without outside, unneeded interference. Sometimes I can knit whole socks at births and other times I don’t even get to work one little stitch if the birth moves along quickly. I like looking back at what I’ve made, thinking of the places and people who were around me as I carefully knitted each object.

Here is a pattern for a pumpkin hat to fit your little one’s head, just in time for autumn knitting season:

Pumpkin Hat

Sizes: 6months (1 year, 2 years)

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch

Yarn: 100 yards main color – MC - (orange/pumpkin) for pumpkin

75 yards contrasting color – CC- (greenish/brownish) for leaves

Needles: 16 inch circular and double point needles, size #5-7 (whatever you need

to achieve gauge)

Cast on 72 (80, 88) stitches. Join and *knit 7, purl 1 * repeat in the round for

4 ½ inches (4 ¾ in, 5 in). The purl stitches create the pumpkin ridges up the sides of the hat.

Start knitting leaves with green starting at bottom of chart below. Begin decreasing stitches after first 5 rows of knitting leaves, changing to double pointed needles when necessary.

Pumpkin yarn= empty space, X = green/brown yarn, D = knit 2 together

Continue to knit in green yarn, decreasing as follows:

Rows 1-5: follow chart above

Row 6: knit 2 together, knit 6

Row 7: knit 2 together, knit 5

Row 8: knit 2 together, knit 4

Row 9: knit 2 together, knit 3

Row 10: knit 2 together, knit 2

Row 11: knit 2 together, knit 1

Rows 12-17: knit 6 rows plain with remaining stitches

Row 18: Knit 2 together around, cut yarn leaving 6 inch tail and draw yarn through remaining stitches to create a stem.

Work in loose yarn ends

Embellish pumpkin top with green chain crochet vines if you want to.

Midwives Alliance Conference 2009

2009-10-28T19:57:00.001-07:00

I just returned from the Annual Midwives Alliance of North America conference, where just over 500 midwives and other birth workers from around the US, Canada, Mexico, and other Latin countries gathered to share their knowledge, experience, and hearts for 3 days. I had a fabulous time seeing friends I only see once a year and meeting new friends. I got to talk to Ina May Gaskin and Eugene DeClercq and Suzanne Arms; Hear a very inspiring address from Sobonfu Some; Walk every morning along the beach with friends; Hear about centering pregnancy prenatal care and how I might fit that into working with my mamas and families; Dance till my breath was gone and my knees ached to an amazing Brazilian band; and gather with some of the most brilliant and caring midwifery minds I know of who I am so honored to serve with on the Midwives Alliance of North America Board of Directors. The Midwives Alliance Board works tirelessly to help bring attention to the Midwives Model of Care, to promote evidence based practice through the Division of Research, and to provide a central gathering place for ALL midwives at the annual conferences.

In this picture below I am joined by Gera Simkins ,MANA president, in the middle, and

Maria Iorillo, MANA 1st VP, on the right.

In San Francisco

2009-10-16T01:20:00.000-07:00

I am in San Francisco visiting my sister midwives here in the Bay Area before the upcoming Midwives Alliance board meeting and conference. Today I enjoyed a little ritual that some of the midwives and childbirth educators here invite their pregnant clients to participate in if they wish. We met at the amazingly beautiful Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill and walked the labrynth together. It was a beautiful little ceremony that involved being annointed with rose oil and a small drop of flower essence called "support and unconditional love" before beginning the walking meditation. If you are interested, you can read a little about walking the labrynth if you are not sure what it is. The pregnant mamas who came were between 28 and 39 1/2 weeks.

As I walked the labrynth, I started thinking about my cleints due in the next few months, Jax, Stephanie, Katrina, Kori, and Stacy....about how I am envisioning empowering, peaceful births for them and how blessed I feel to be able help them birth their babies.

Home Birth Article and Video from San Antonio

2009-10-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this very positive article and video from the San Antonio Express News, "Giving Birth at Home". My friend Alyssa Voss is the midwife. Be sure to click on the video in the middle of the page, you don't want to miss the 3 year old big sister singing Happy Birthday to her new brother!

Love them Belly Pics

2009-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

One of my clients recently sent me these amazing pictures from above and below her 38 week belly!! I love these pictures, they make me smile every time I look at them. Thanks Jenny!

Birds Eye View

Worms Eye View

International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)

2009-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

ICAN is a powerful organization supporting women who want to preserve natural childbirth. ICAN is a huge supporter of VBACs and is a leading authority on the safety of VBAC.

The first meeting of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) of Austin will be Saturday, October 3rd, 10:30am at 2302 Rae Dell Ave, Austin, 78704.

The meeting topic will be "Building an ICAN Community." After this initial meeting, we will choose a more permanant time/place for our meetings.

ICAN of Austin is a support group for women in the greater Austin, TX area. We welcome all who are striving to prevent unnecessary cesareans through education; who need support for cesarean recovery; or who are interested in vaginal birth after cesarean. You do not have to pay dues to ICAN to attend meetings or join our yahoo group. We want this to be a safe place to share birth stories, ask questions, receive advice, and find and give support and encouragement, as well as find the resources you need.

For more information on ICAN please go to: http://ican-online.org/

You can also join our new yahoo group at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ICANofAustin/

Welcome Ronald Wilson

2009-09-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Born on September 11, 2009, at 1:40 in the afternoon, right into his daddy's hands in the water... actually he kind of quickly shot through his daddy's hands out into the water and had to be caught and brought to the water surface. His mama is a powerful pusher!

He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Foot printing time! At the one week postpartum home visit, we stamped his footprints onto 3 different certificates, that's each foot 3 times, 6 prints total.... He was very patient with the whole proceedings!

Huffington Post Pro-Homebirth article

2009-09-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, after the whole Today Show anti-homebirth/midwife segment, I am glad to see that some high profile blogs and authors are writing rebuttals. Here is what Amie Newman wrote in the Huffington Post today!

All babies follow around after their mom

2009-09-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken today off the porch of the MotherBloom office. This mama turkey hatched out 10 baby chicks a few weeks ago. We just started letting them roam around 2 days ago and these babies are doing a fine job of keeping up with the Turkey Mom. And Turkey Mom is doing a fine job of keeping unwanted guests away from her babies. Maternal instincts are maternal instincts no matter what the species. At first I thought all the chicks were turkeys, but as they get older, I can tell that 3 of the 10 chicks are guineas. A female guinea must have laid some eggs in the turkey nest right along side the bigger turkey eggs. These different fowl do not seem to matter to this turkey mom as she treats all the babies the same.

Directions to the MotherBloom office

2009-09-21T17:11:00.001-07:00

Outside view of MotherBloom office

MotherBloom Office

9001 Oak Valley Rd

Austin, TX 78737

Directions:

The MotherBloom office is located in Southwest Austin in the Oak Hill area. Take 290 West towards Dripping Springs and Johnson City, Highway 290 follows the left fork at the "Y" in Oak Hill (where Highway 71 splits off to the right). Pass several traffic lights after the "Y" turn left at the light onto Southview Rd, Buddy's Corner Store is a distinguished landmark. Pass the Waldorf School on the right and follow the curve to the left. Turn right onto Oak Valley Rd, it's the 2nd street on the right after the big curve. 9001 is down a little hill, 4th (and last) driveway on the left.

Inside views of MotherBloom Office

Welcome August Alexander

2009-09-20T18:03:00.001-07:00

Look at this sweet little one born in the wee early hours of Tuesday morning, September 8, 2009. Alex, first time mama, did an amazing job during labor and pushed little Gus out in a very timely fashion, after initially having rupture of membranes with no contractions. Both are looking extremely cozy here….too bad daddy Sean could not be in the picture, but he is taking it. Gus weighed in at 7 pounds 5 oz. Here are some more very alert August pictures; his hands seem to always be up around his face and head. Usually when babies spend time like this in the early postpartum days, they were born with a nuchal hand up near their face; but not the case with Gus. He must have decided it was much easier to come out with his hands down by his side….but he has quickly discovered them!

Eleanor Violet is One Year Old!

2009-09-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

One year ago

Today

One year later, here is mom Alix’s remembrance of her daughter’s birth:

We had not found out if we were having a boy or a girl, so we referred to our fetus by the lovely gender neutral name of George. His due day came and went, with numerous evenings of contractions leading nowhere. Eventually I cringed every time the phone rang. People had been calling for well over a month asking if George had arrived yet, even though I told them all the baby was due “in september.”

The evening of the 9th I remember talking to Christy and her suggesting a homeopathic remedy that would either kick labor up a notch, or get it to stop so I could sleep if it wasn’t the real deal. Of course nobody in town actually had it. The woman at the store suggested I pick up black cohosh to try and get things going, since I was hoping to get some sleep (among other reasons) I declined and we went home empty handed.

I did eventually get to sleep, but by now I don’t remember the details.

Finally I woke at about 3am September 10th with yet another round of contractions. Sure they were going to stop, I ran a bath, because what else is there to do? Eventually I woke Chuck, and he asked if it was time to call Christy yet, and I remember telling him not yet, and then suddenly telling him to call. I was sure this baby was going to arrive as fast as his/her older sister. I was also sure this was going to be easy, I had told myself for months it wasn’t going to hurt, and George was just going to slide right out.

Of course I had checked my cervix and it was still very high and posterior. I had told Christy numerous times I wanted her to be as hands off as possible. When Christy arrived she asked if she could check my cervix since I said it felt posterior but she thought it might just be from me checking it myself. Since it made sense to me I agreed, then asked if she could try to pull it forward which would make things go more smoothly. Of course this has to be done during a contraction, and I remember that morning I let her try three times, but each time could not handle it. What I remember most is that while the contractions were strong, there was pain radiating from my cervix. As things progressed it got worse, and worse. If I was in the bath the contractions would start to slow down, so I’d get out against my will. I was not ready for this baby to come out, and just wanted the sharp pain to go away.

I remember Gin showing up about 7am, she had been up late and was exhausted, but I was so glad to see her.

I kept asking Chuck to go get things between contractions, but then another contraction would start and I needed him RIGHT THERE, RIGHT NOW.

At some point I was sitting on the toilet trying to bring baby down, and I remember the pain in my cervix was just horrible, and I kept trying to stand up, but didn’t quite have it in me. Somewhere in there I threw up, but I just have a vague memory of telling Christy I was going to be sick.

Joy showed up at some point, and was lounging on the chaise trying to attend to work, and taking pictures here and there.

Faith was going to be the other midwife in attendance, but she had so many births that week and so Christy had asked me if it was ok for her to have Laurie come help her out. Laurie had been one of the other midwives in town I really liked when we did our interviews, we said fine. I have no idea when she arrived, she was so calm and inobtrusive.

At one point in the tub I had a contraction and told Christy I wanted drugs, and then when it was over I told her “I don’t really want drugs.” So the next time I remember asking for drugs, I remember Christy reminding me I said I didn’t really want them.

The contractions started slowing down, So Christy had me up and changing positions. I remember trying to get up on my hands and knees on the bed, but the pillowtop bed was just too soft.

At one point I was lying on the bed and Gin was rubbing some part of me, my head, my arm? Christy was rubbing my leg. Chuck must have had his hands on me too, but it felt like a hundred hands and it was just the most delightful thing.

My father in law, Charlie, called (turned out to be an hour before George made his arrival.) He asked me what I was up to and I told him “having a baby, Charlie.” We chatted a bit, and I remember suggested they go ahead and get in the car. They planned to drive down from Illinois once George made his arrival, and I knew it wouldn’t be long. Another contraction started and I told him “I have to go now” and he said “Wait, are you in labor?” “Uh-huh” was all I could mumble as I handed away the phone for somebody else to hang up. One of my favorite pictures from the birth I’m hanging off the edge of my bed, chatting on the phone.

Sometime after that the contractions seemed to get stronger, with the sharp pinching being intolerable, but the contractions were still far apart according to the notes I read after. I remember crying, I told them I wanted to go to the hospital. They assured me I didn’t, and I agreed, I didn’t want to go anywhere, I just wanted drugs. No drugs, and Chuck told me I didn’t want an aztek baby either. There was no way I was going to make it down the stairs anyway. “I just want the pain to stop.” to which the response was to get it to stop I had to push.

Marilyn kept coming in, she so wanted to see her new baby brother/sister come out. Everytime she came into the room I couldn’t focus on anything but her. So each time she had come into the room I had to ask her to leave.

Push? I hadn’t pushed a baby out before, and I hadn’t planned to try it this time. But my cervix was still posterior, and pushing was my only choice. Every time I tried pushing the pain got worse, the baby’s head was low enough that it was now pinching the cervix against my pubic bone. During one of the pushes my water broke, and there was meconium in the water. I gave in and started pushing, I was sure I was doing it wrong because the baby wasn’t moving, I pushed and I pushed and nothing happened. Then all of a sudden I felt my hips spread. Chuck tells me I told him “that is so cool.” I have no clue how long I pushed after that, but I know I was loud. Not only was I loud, I was cursing. The entire trip down I was telling little George to “get out” with the f word thrown in for good measure. He had been in there quite long enough. Time must have slowed because I had to push every inch of this baby out, and it felt like he was a mile long, I remember pushing and pushing and pushing. Sometime during the pushing Christy looped the cord over the baby’s head so it wouldn’t get pulled as he came out. Joy told me after to her it looked like the baby just came right out.

I had been up on my hands and knees, and couldn’t figure out what to do, or how to see the baby. Somehow I got flipped around and handed a baby who promptly pooped on my leg, somebody announced we had a baby girl. Because of the meconium they had to suction her, but all right there next to me while I was watching, able to touch her. When Nic was born with meconium in the water they grabbed him away before I could even see him, and it was a good 20 minutes before they let me see him, and longer before I could hold him. When Chuck and I would discuss names he said the baby would name itself. I asked him part-jokingly “Since she’s purple is her middle name going to be Violet?” She was a bit chilled, so Christy got the heating pad set up on the bed. The baby started rooting around. I could not for the life of me get my brain working enough to figure out how to feed my baby, so I asked Christy to come help me. Nic came in and quickly said hello and disappeared. Marilyn and my Mom were in by then watching, and I asked Marilyn if she wanted to cut the cord since she didn’t get to watch the birth like she had wanted. My Mom went down to start washing things and cooked me some eggs and toast, which became my standard breakfast until she had to go back home to her real life.

It’s taken me a year to write this out. From the moment she was out the memories were hazy. I was upset that instead of the mellow birth I had imagined it was hectic, there were complications, and I was loud. That my sweet baby was welcomed to the world with her mommy cursing like a sailor. That wasn’t how I wanted my daughter to think about birth. I haven’t watched the video, even without sound. I’m glad we were home, with the support we had. I know had I been in the hospital I would have been given the drugs, I would have been stuck lying on my back not allowing my hips to spread the way they needed. With the meconium in the water and the cord wrapped around her neck I likely would have had a c-section to recover from. Instead I had no tearing, no stitches. I wasn’t separated from my baby for anything. I think there were things I could have done to possible make things smoother. I kept wanting to go float in the pool, but the idea of walking all the way there in the heat was too much for me, and loading up to drive the burning hot van there wasn’t much better. I do think that floating in the pool might have helped reposition her better.

Eleanor Violet Holbrook
Born 9/10/2008 at 11:46am
7lb 14oz, 20.75″ long

Amongst all these human baby births....

2009-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

these cute little goaties joined our farmyard at the end of August. I really wanted to video the birth to post here on the blog, but mama Maizie had different ideas and they were already born when I went out to milk early one Thursday morning. The darker girl is named Chocolate Chip and the lighter colored boy is named Almond. We are very fond of naming our animals after food! In this picture, they are just a few hours old. Now that they are about 3 weeks old, they are jumping, and frolicking about. Nothing makes one smile more than watching little goats leap about after each other, I do not know how they get so far off the ground.

Stockton Enzo born on August 28

2009-09-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

This little guy came 3 weeks early, and we are very glad he did! He weighed in at 8 pounds 15 ounces and 21 inches long, the the fifth and biggest baby in his family. Aren’t his cheeks so cute?!?! The top picture was taken at the one week postpartum home visit, just after weighing him. So far he has lots of nick names given to him by his big brothers, including Spider Monkey and Badger.

Christy's Philosphy

2009-09-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

I am a home birth midwife committed to providing personalized midwifery care. I believe birth is a natural, miraculous life event. A woman’s body deserves much respect for the amazing changes it goes through in order to carry, nourish, birth, and care for a baby. In addition to the physical changes that occur, I believe that pregnancy and birth can be a great emotional and spiritual growth opportunity, and I see it as my duty as a midwife to assist this process as best I can. Therefore, I support the mother's body and the baby to do the work that must be done to grow, give birth and be birthed; I intercede only when difficulties arise. There are many aides to help assist pregnancy and birth to be a wonderful experience, and I try to provide these to my clients.

I believe a baby is the most precious thing we are given, and there is nothing sweeter than holding and nursing your newborn. Over the years I have gained much experience helping mothers give birth and families care for their babies. I enjoy sharing this knowledge with families; however, I believe each person should have the opportunity to explore what fits best with their belief system.

It is extremely important to me that each woman is fully informed about all aspects of her care so she can make educated choices regarding her own health and that of her child.

As a midwife committed to the care and well-being of mothers, I will do everything I can to help support women and their families during the miraculous journey through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Services Provided by Christy

2009-09-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Prenatal Care

The first visit includes a detailed medical and reproductive history and a full laboratory obstetric profile to analyze the client’s blood and rule out any present or future concerns. Prenatal visits occur once a month through 32 weeks gestation, every two weeks through 36 weeks gestation, and every week after that until the baby is born. Two of the visits in the last month are homevisits. The majority of the prenatal visits are spent chatting, answering questions, discussing the mom's emotional state, choices in care, and, really, whatever the mama or family wish to talk about. Prenatal visits are scheduled for one full hour. During the prenatal appointments, I also do such things as check the mother’s blood pressure and urine, listen to the baby’s heartbeat, and measure the size of the growing belly. During the last months of the pregnancy I also spend some time during each appointment doing Arvigo Technique Mayan Abdominal massage on the mom's abdomen/uterus and lower back/sacrum. All of this hands-on, in-depth care is very important to help build a strong, trusting relationship between the client, her family and the midwife. This is one of the cornerstones to midwifery care .

Birth Care

I come to the birth when both the mother and I feel it is time; usually during active labor. Often the mom and I have been in touch on a daily basis in the days preceding the birth. I bring another experienced midwife with me to help, whom you may meet during your prenatal care if you desire. I also bring essential equipment that may be used in emergency situations, such as oxygen, ambu-bag, and various other items. During labor, I can be attentive and provide emotional support, or stay in the background knitting while the mom goes through the labor journey; often it is a dance between the two. I try to take my cues from the mother and assist her in whatever way she needs. I stay after the birth a minimum of two hours to help the family,monitor both mom and baby, and help breastfeeding get off to a good start. Often I assist the mama and baby into a relaxing herbal bath. Many times the babies get very blissed out and the mama can sink into the hot cleansing water. The bath also provides a nice picture moment!

Postpartum & Infant Care

I visit with the new family in their home at 24 hours postpartum, three days postpartum, one to two weeks postpartum, and at my office eight weeks postpartum. The eight-week postpartum visit includes a Pap smear and a complete blood count. During these visits I check the mother’s healing and vital signs, as well as the baby’s weight, color, feedings, elimination, and vital signs. I also support the new family in caring for their baby and adjusting to their new life together. The postpartum visits are one of my favorite parts of my job. I love going back to visit the family, talk about their experience, laugh at funny things the older siblings have said, cry with them if the birth was harder or different than they expected, and basically support them with whatever it is they need at the moment. I usually find myself just staring at the baby and have to peel myself away and out the door.

Iris Tamsin

2009-08-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Iris was born on August 19 around 4am, a full 2 weeks and 1 day late. The extra time she spent cooking made her extra chunky as she weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds--Way to go Mama Erin.

Here's Iris floating in the post-birth herb bath with her mama.....so blissed out.

And here's Iris and Me at the 24 hour postpartum visit. I am pretty sure she likes me more than it looks like she does in the picture!

Welcome Sylas Orion

2009-08-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

When I found out that I was pregnant in December ‘08, I was already 7 ½ weeks pregnant. The last thing on my mind was whether or not going to the hospital was even an option. Making a meager wage as a barista at a teahouse wasn’t exactly going to fund a childbirth of any kind. When my boss found out I was pregnant and took me off the schedule (because of morning sickness, supposedly) I was even more unprepared for the whole adventure of pregnancy. I applied for Medicaid and tried to find an OB-GYN who hadn’t filled her quota of Medicaid patients. That was an adventure in and of itself. There weren’t many options for Doctors at all; I had to take whatever I could get-that is as soon as I qualified for Medicaid. It took forever- so it seemed. I was finally able to see the doctor after 19 weeks. I was far enough along that they were able to tell the baby’s sex at the first ultrasound! (Yeah! We were having a boy!) The doctor was nice enough as far as I could tell from the fifteen minutes I saw of her. I left the germy, uncomfortable hospital feeling pretty good. I wasreally pregnant. It was all really happening.
My boss put me back on the schedule in February making a shabby $2.13 an hour and only one shift a week. I was back in the work-force… sort of. All my co-workers were chock full of advice (even the ones who had never had children). One Co-worker in particular kept bugging me about my birth plan. I didn’t even know what that was! He was always bombarding me with questions about whether or not I planned to have an epidural, or if I had ever considered Homebirth. I initially just brushed off his questions and his information. By the 100^th time he suggested that I watch The Business of Being Born, I finally caved. If it was sooo important that he relentlessly asked if I had watched it- maybe I should check it out. I am so glad I did. That documentary opened my eyes to things that I already subconsciously feared. I did more research and realized that a Homebirth was what I wanted. It was what my unborn son deserved! Having him in the Hospital was suddenly completely out of the question. My partner completely agreed with me but we had no idea what to do next. I was nervous and still seeing the OB-GYN (who wouldn’t talk about a birthing plan-at all.) I was distraught and wanted to do the best thing for me and the baby, but what could I do?
A close friend of mine listened to all of my woes and told me that I should talk to the midwife that she was seeing, Christy Tashjian. My mind was full of a million questions. Could I afford this? I was having a hard enough time getting food on the table. I was another young 20-something surviving on food stamps, Medicaid, and what money my partner could provide. It was tough times and I was already scared that I wasn’t going to make it. I called the Medicaid office to find out if they covered Midwives, only to find that of course they didn’t. I didn’t think my Homebirth dream could come true! I was distraught but Christy was willing to work with me.
I had another scheduled appointment with the OB-GYN which I figured I would use to get my medical records for my appointment with Christy. I told the nurse, when I arrived, that I wanted copies for an appointment with a midwife and she was very helpful with providing those. However, when the doctor arrived to the room, she was the most talkative I had ever seen her. She took my blood pressure and did the usual routine but then she paused , “So I hear that you are going to go see a midwife.” It all went downhill from there. I felt like I was listening to a used car salesman as she ranted about all the possibilities for horrible things that could occur with a homebirth (all the things she mentioned could’ve happened in a hospital) and how she didn’t feel that midwives were good enough for me and my baby. What do you know, she was also suddenly interested in discussing a birthing plan. She continued to try and sell me the idea of a hospital birth and she included “You can try and do it drug free but if you need we have everything else for you as well.”… but my ship had already sailed. I was not interested in her spiel. In fact I was completely appalled and offended. I’d already done my research.
Thanks to an amazing, kind-hearted midwife like Christy (who was willing to trade services; barter) I was able to have my dream homebirth! Christy was so sweet, kind, considerate and always armed with practical, healthy advice during my pregnancy. When my partner called her on August 10^th because I was in labor, she arrived promptly and calmly at my front door. It was such an amazing experience to say the least! I was in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by the few that I loved and chose to be there. We listened to my own choice of music. I was able to move around at my own leisure, walking, chilling in the birthing tub or hanging out in the bathroom. It was so empowering to be able to do this. I feel like it helped my self-esteem tons! I ended up giving birth in my own bed under the incredibly calming guidance of Christy and her assisting Midwife, Faith. Everything went so well! I was amazed when my little son was laid in my arms at 2:48 am. I had done it! I gave birth without all of the drugs, without stitches or a c-section! Women are amazing and Midwifes are Incredible. I am totally blessed to have Christy in my life and to have been given this amazing opportunity to have a homebirth!

Such a Busy Baby Summer!

2009-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy helping mamas have babies this summer, I have not been keeping up with my blog! At least I have been able to keep up with what is most important...the mamas and the babies! Here's announcing just two of the many new bambinos:

Little Sadie Elizabeth, born on July 21st to Lenee and Alvin. She was born in the family's tiny bathroom, in the small white porcelain tub, without water. Sometimes when a woman gets in a position to have a baby, there's no moving her! Here she is with big sister Mila, at just an hour old.

Next announcing Jacquelyn Rose, born at home on the afternoon of July 29th to happy parents Rebecca and Nick. Big brother Chris bounced in shortly after she was born. This little girl was much bigger than we all anticipated, weighing in at 9 pounds. No wonder her mama had to push so long and hard to get her out.

Ina May

2009-07-21T19:23:00.000-07:00