FAM series

The first class of my FAM series this fall is finished (last night was the make-up session) and I've had a great turnout! We have 10 lovely ladies participating in the class, all excited to learn about their fertility and the fertility awareness method to avoid or achieve pregnancy. We even have 3 single ladies in the classes, which is awesome! The second and third classes of the series are 11/13 and 12/18, so if you couldn't make it to the first one, I'd be happy to email you the powerpoint and try to get you caught up for the last two.

Certified!

I am thrilled to say that as of last Friday, I am officially certified through DONA. We ran into a couple of snafu's with one of the births I submitted (too short), but I was able to submit another one quickly, which was great. I'm so excited! Soon you'll be able to do a search on the DONA website for doulas in Champaign, and see my name.

I also got my sealed certificate from the county clerk that officially registers Gentle Transitions as a business. I'm thrilled!

And I apologize for not updating this blog. Life has been crazy. I promise I will do better :)

It's Official!

gentle transitions is officially a trademarked business in Champaign County, Illinois! I'm so excited to have that under my belt. The only thing left is waiting (and waiting, and waiting) to hear back from DONA about my certification. I sent in my packet awhile ago, but they did say it could take a few months to get it done. I plan on finishing up my FAM certification packet this weekend, so things are really on a roll. Thanks so much to those of you who have helped me throughout this process, especially you mommas out there who have let me participate in your precious, precious moments. I certainly wouldn't be doing any of this without you!

28 Days on the Pill

For a long time, natural birth control has been a "Catholic" thing, with NFP. It's not just for Catholics anymore!! This video is totally enlightening.

The Birth Control Pill Documentary from T Herbert on Vimeo.

Cloth Diapering 101

B. Lime is a "green store" in Champaign. They carry a ton of great natural products. Everything from composting bins and rain barrels to dog toys and cloth diapers. Every Tuesday evening at 5pm they have Cloth Diapering 101. You can stop by for a fun 40-minute "how-to" on cloth diapers, and learn about the different brands they carry: FuzziBunz, Loveybums, Bummis, gDiaper and soon BabyKicks hemp diapers. They also have wetbags, diaper sprayers, doublers and many more accessories for diapering. If you live in the C-U area, you should definitely stop by and check it out!

Doula-ing...we're lucky.

Despite the fact that the two area hospitals have relatively high c-section rates, moms are pretty darn lucky to be birthing there right now. This week has seen an explosion of anti-doula, anti-birth-plan, anti-women-making-their-own-decisions-about-their-bodies propaganda, and it's sick. The Feminist Breeder has a great synopsis of what all has gone down here.

Thankfully, most doctors and providers in the C-U area are open to reading your birth plan. Thankfully, both hospitals in the area allow women to birth naturally, and help moms attempt this with whirlpools, birth balls, a water-birth tub, squatting bars, etc. Thankfully, doulas (trained labor coaches) are allowed in the rooms with moms.

If your provider laughs at your birth plan, or doesn't let you have one, or tells you they "will" perform a c-section if you don't dilate x amount in y time, or makes fun of the childbirth class you took, or tells you that they don't encourage the way you want to birth, fire them. Find someone who WILL respect your body and your wishes for YOUR birth. Be an advocate for yourself, and for other women who will follow you.

Rising C-Section Rates

The rate that Cesarean Sections are rising is getting out of hand, according to the World Health Organization. Their "optimal rates" of C-Sections are between 5% and 10%--no country is meeting this standard. There are hospitals around the US even with upwards of 50% or more births being done by Cesarean. C-Sections are major surgery, and shouldn't be taken lightly. Obviously there is a medical need for c/s for some moms and babies--and that is totally important, life-saving surgery. There is no arguing that! There is argument, however for the number of moms who are told they "have" to have a c/s, but really who could have birthed on their own if they had the time, a patient doctor, and a little extra TLC.

From Our Bodies Our Blog:

Judy Norsigian, executive director of Our Bodies Ourselves, and Timothy R. B. Johnson, MD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan and an OBOS advisory board member, have penned an op-ed in today’s Boston Globe on the high cost of medically unnecessary caesarean sections, both in terms of a mother’s health and rising medical costs:

Even though caesareans are associated with higher rates of complications than vaginal births, they are becomingly increasingly common. Problems range from infections, including the more serious antibiotic-resistant ones, to blood clots, prematurity, respiratory problems for the baby, and more complications with subsequent pregnancies. There is even a small but measurably higher risk of death for the mother.

Between 2000 and 2006, while the Massachusetts caesarean rate climbed from 16th to 10th highest among all states, the state’s ranking on neonatal mortality has slipped from 4th best to a tie for 9th. Six hospitals in the state have caesarean rates greater than 40 percent for first time mothers, yet none of these hospitals is designated as a high-risk center. So much for the argument that high-risk pregnancies are the reason for these rates.

There are also cost consequences for taxpayers — the caesarean rate for Massachusetts mothers on Medicaid is increasing at a faster pace than among privately insured mothers. Nationally, in 2008, average hospital charges for an uncomplicated caesarean section were $14,894, while such charges for an uncomplicated vaginal birth were $8,919.

In the United States, about one in three births are via c-section, and in some communities the rate is much higher. Childbirth Connection explains the myriad conditions that have led to the increase, including: low priority of enhancing women’s own abilities to give birth; side effects of common labor interventions; refusal to offer the informed choice of vaginal birth; casual attitudes about surgery and cesarean sections in particular; limited awareness of harms that are more likely with cesarean section; providers’ fears of malpractice claims and lawsuits; and incentives to practice in a manner that is efficient for providers.

In the op-ed, Norsigian and Johnson argue that while the media often focuses on how extreme obesity can raise the risk of having a caesarean, more emphasis is needed on “system-based approaches” — steps that hospitals and obstetricians can take, such as instituting policies that restrict the induction of labor, unless there is a good medical reason, and following the new National Institute of Health recommendations to offer the option of vaginal birth after a caesarean for women who want to avoid repeat surgery.

Finally, they note, hospitals should expand access to nurse-midwifery care:

Enhancing access to midwifery care might well be the most effective approach to safely reducing the overall caesarean rate — and could lead to significant cost savings and improvement in other priority areas such as breastfeeding. It would also address the impending shortage of obstetric providers. The Legislature should pass a bill to expand access to midwifery care in Massachusetts. We must finally make midwives more central in maternity care — as do all other countries whose birth outcomes are superior to ours.

Read the full op-ed here.

If you have time, I highly recommend reading the full op-ed--very good read.