Smile

This may seem like a weird video to put on a birthing blog, but I find we need the same sort of thing presented in this video when we are laboring. Not that we always need to smile, but to be filled with love, hope, and peace helps so much during this time. Not only that, but we also need to feel like our choices are validated, that what we are going is right and good. So here's your validation for the day...to all mothers, you are beautiful and heroic. So I encourage you all to take this to heart....our little ones deserve to come into this world with a smile:)

Peace on earth begins at birth

"At Jesus' birth there was a midwife; of this, I'm very sure,
A tired woman left her bed to help His mother, so young, so poor.
The midwife held the mother's hand, gave quiet words of praise,
Used her hands, her heart, her skills - all her practiced ways.

The midwife shared the mother's joy in the miracle she bore,
Helped her bathe Him, feed Him, care for Him, taught her mother lore.
She helped her with the swaddling clothes and put Him in the manger,
Helped her rest, regain her strength - but never as a stranger.

The Bible does not tell of this, as we are all aware.
It was understood in that day and time a woman would be there .
A dedicated person always responsive to the need...
No matter the hour, the mother's status - to care, her creed.

Jesus had a midwife, a woman helped His mother...
His birth an event so human and yet divinely other.
The midwife chose to answer the call, helping other women,
Attending at births - her vocation, her place in God's dominion"

The title of this post was from the birth center I had two of my children in, in Tucson, AZ. I thought it was appropriate for this time of year. The poem, I got from someone on Facebook. Many gifts were given that night to the Christ child, including those not mentioned much. We don't know if there was another woman there to attend to Mary(I would assume there was, but I'm not a history major), but both Mary and Joseph gave of themselves on this night. And in my personal belief, Christ continues to give to and love all of us.

Here is a neat link I found about Jewish midwifes in the Bible. http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/461823/jewish/Midwives.htm

I wish all a Merry Christmas, peaceful and loving births, and a hope that we all can share love which we receive at birth with others around us through our lives....as Christ has and does.

To Create

I've actually been wanting to write a blog on this for awhile. The opportunity came when I was contacted by this company . They asked me to write a blog for them, which I am very happy to do since art and creating is something that I think can very much be a part of pregnancy, labor and birth.

If you've noticed, I have a video called "Create" at the top of my blog. It was not specifically meant for birth. But, me being who I am, I immediately thought of becoming a mom and the role we play in creating. It speaks of the beauty of our bodies and our souls...and how we can have a great capacity to create. When I saw this, I thought of us as women and how we create little bodies inside of us, that grow and become as we nourish them for the first nine months of their lives.

I also think of the connection we create with them while we wait for them to come. So often, we become anxious for the time to come when we are able to hold them in our arms, and don't cherish the early opportunities to create this connection. I remember one time specifically singing to my first little one when I was still pregnant. I remember how that helped me to feel connected to her in a way that nothing else would have. There are so many ways to form that connection and I think it is so important to do so. The arts offer a great way for us to do this. Music, painting, writing...all these things offer us a way to create that connection before our babies even come.

I would encourage all to reach out and find ways, as a mother, to create.

I have also added new art to the gallery, so take a look.

Guest post-Athena B. Serapio

I'm going to repost this in a little bit:) Stay tuned.

Placental problems

As previously discussed, labor is normally tolerated well by the baby. There are some things, though, that can decrease the babies ability to tolerate this and thus decrease the amount of oxygen they are getting I'm including a list of possible problems:

1. Long, strong contractions. These can be something that happens without interference, but pitocin can cause this also.

2. If the mom is on her back, this presses on an artery in mom that can then cause hypotension. This then leads to a decrease in the amount of oxygen that baby is able to receive.

3. An epidural could also cause hypotension in mom which can lead to a decrease in oxygen for baby.

4. Placenta previa, which is where the placenta is covering the cervix, can lead to hemorrhage in mom, and thus decreased oxygen for baby.

5. Abruption placentae is where part of the placenta pulls away from the uterine wall, can lead to hemorrhage.

6. Some diseases that can cause poor perfusion of the placenta are: hypertension, pre-eclampsia, collagen vascular disease, diabetic vasculopathy disease, and prolonged pregnancy.

References:

Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 5th ed. Gabbe et al.

Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 8th ed. Martin et al.

New artist

I've got a new artist up at http://journeyofbirth.blogspot.com/2009/12/toni-rakestraw.html

If anyone knows someone who would like to contribute this to me, let me know:)