A recent systematic review identified a big hole in the evidence for practice: how can we improve communication between maternity care staff and
women during labor and birth?
Midwives assist
women during labor and birth while focusing on prevention and education.
Traditionally, women have attended and assisted other
women during labor and birth.
Not exact matches
OB - GYN Dr. Christiane Northrup, midwife Ina May Gaskin,
and childbirth educator Debra Pascali - Bonaro all agree that under the right circumstances, i.e. when a
woman is relaxed (
and in my opinion very comfortable with her body),
and due to the huge hormonal changes that occur in the body
during labor, a kind of
birth ecstasy is possible.
In the 1950s, most
women were medicated
during labor and birth and most had no memory of the experience afterwards.
A recent review of a number of scientific studies compared outcomes for
women who had three kinds of
labor support
during birth: nursing staff support, family / friend support,
and doula support.
It is proved by science
and it does make sense when you learn more about
women's hormones that work
during labor and birth as well as the the
women's anatomy.
Although it is important for me to work with highly professional
and skilled
women (who are also mothers) who are put to the strictest standards of high quality
birth artwork in the event I have an imminent emergency
during a client's
labor, my goal is to always be dependable
and attend every one of my
birth client's
births myself,
and I am glad to say in four years of
birth photography (out of my ten years of working as a photographer), I have attended each of my client's
births myself.
I don't know where people get the idea that «native»
women don't scream
during labor because despite already having given
birth twice before when she was in
labor with my mom's second brother another
woman was in there giving
birth and she was scaring the crap out of my grandma.
- Relaxation methods - breathing
and massage techniques to help relief a
woman's discomfort
during labor and birth.
Giving
birth in water is a safe, healthy choice for
women who want to minimize their pain
during labor and maximize their experience of
birth.
Examples I personally can document: a plague of deadly bacteria in the newborn nursery killing 3 previously healthy newborns, exploding the fetal lungs with too forceful dose of oxygen after
birth by inexperienced doctor, crushing the skull
during forceps extraction, overdose of adrenalin to newborn by a nurse, slow paging or slow response to call to resuscitate newborn, exploding the uterus (uterine rupture)
and / or placental abruption as a result of high IV dose of oxytocin in
labor in a low risk
women.
The focus of a
birth center is natural childbirth, which means that
women are moving around freely
during labor, eating if they are hungry, availing themselves of comfort as needed (massage, compresses, visualization,
and relaxation techniques),
and generally allowed to have their babies their way.
Childbirth in a medical
birth center means that a
woman has access to pain medication
during her
labor and delivery if she chooses to avail herself of it,
labor will be induced if the doctor doesn't feel it is going along as it should,
and the mom will be hooked up to an electronic baby monitor for the entire process.
In fact, «only 19 percent of
women actually go into
labor during week 40, with 14 percent going into
labor at 41 weeks or more,» says Allison Hill, M.D., author of Your Pregnancy, Your Way
and co-author of The Mommy Docs» Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy
and Birth.
Education prior to
birth, support at home in early
and active
labor are just 2 of the ways doulas assist
women during pregnancy.
That is a personal choice, however, I think all
women benefit from the care
and attendance of a doula
during labor and birth.
It clearly explains about how
women's brain work
during labor and birth and how those brain waves can affect your hormones.
You have a higher chance of complications
during labor and birth than a
woman delivering a single baby, so you should plan to deliver in a hospital.
However, most
women express a preference for a specific
birth setting (model of care
and place of
birth)
during pregnancy, long before
labor begins [12].
Our study demonstrates significant differences in the course of pregnancy
and labor in relation to preferred place of
birth, as showed by the fewest number of diagnosed medical indications
during pregnancy
and the fewest intrapartum interventions among
women who preferred a home
birth.
We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional
and informational support to
women and their partners
during labor and birth, as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth.
Another study looked at
women who used the hands
and knees position intermittently
during labor and found that it didn't significantly reduce the number of babies who were posterior at
birth.
Choices as to whether a
woman wants to move around or whether she prefers to remain in bed
during the
labor and whether or not she wants access to a tub or shower are some of the things discussed in a
birth plan.
With the many unknowns that can occur
during childbirth, many
women feel comforted by having a
birth plan that expresses her desired wishes for
labor, delivery
and postpartum care.
Nurse
and patient advocate Carolyn Rafferty, RN, BSN, answers:» «Mother - friendly» is a term that has been applied to maternity care in hospitals that reflects the best information from all the research available as to how
women and families should be treated
during labor and birth.
Doula: A
birth coach or aide who gives continual emotional
and physical support to a
woman during labor and childbirth.
Research shows that
women who have continuous support
during labor have a shorter, more comfortable
labor, experience fewer interventions (including cesarean
birth),
and use pain medication less often.
For
women who end up pregnant after experiencing a sexual assault, they're at a greater risk for experiencing longer
labors, longer pregnancies, higher
birth weights, more terminations, earlier age at first pregnancy, more medical problems, greater stress
during pregnancy
and more use of ultrasound.
Review of perinatal deaths in the planned home
births group identified inappropriate inclusion of
women with risk factors for home
birth and inadequate fetal surveillance
during labor.
«
During the most intimate time of their life, women need support beyond what their doctors, and often their husbands, can offer during labor and delivery,» says Leslie Ludka, M.S.N., senior technical advisor at the American College of Nurse - Midwives and a certified nurse - midwife who has attended the births of nearly 4,000 b
During the most intimate time of their life,
women need support beyond what their doctors,
and often their husbands, can offer
during labor and delivery,» says Leslie Ludka, M.S.N., senior technical advisor at the American College of Nurse - Midwives and a certified nurse - midwife who has attended the births of nearly 4,000 b
during labor and delivery,» says Leslie Ludka, M.S.N., senior technical advisor at the American College of Nurse - Midwives
and a certified nurse - midwife who has attended the
births of nearly 4,000 babies.
In this post, I will discuss risk factors that may arise
during labor that are associated with a negative or traumatic
birth experience,
and also describe specific intrapartum words or actions that are designed to reduce the trauma
and prevent PTSD from developing.What you need to know about the childbearing
woman:
We refer
women to OB's when necessary based on risk factors present at initial interview
and any that should come up
during pregnancy,
labor,
birth or postpartum.
Even without the added risk of a multiple
birth and premature
labor, pregnancy
and childbirth are still inherently risky,
and healthy
women who reach their due date can still experience complications that couldn't have been anticipated, like problems with the placenta or umbilical cord
during delivery, for example, or unexpected fetal distress.
Provide education
during pregnancy that builds
women's confidence in their ability to
labor and give
birth without medical intervention that can pose additional risks.
Since the 19th Century,
women have been searching for pain relief
during labor and delivery —
and this is not surprising as giving
birth is incredibly painful!
Numerous studies have demonstrated that the confidence a
woman has in her ability to give
birth is related to the amount of pain she will feel
during labor and her ability to cope with the stress.
Why: Directed pushing
during childbirth became the standard half a century ago when
women were heavily medicated
during labor and birth.
The curriculum also teaches
women how to experience a feeling similar to daydreaming, while remaining controlled
and happy
during labor and birth.
ACNM (2000) further states that «midwives are qualified to manage care
during pregnancy,
labor and birth for
women planning a vaginal
birth after cesarean if appropriate arrangements for medical consultation
and emergency care are in place.»
As a
birth doula, I hold the hands of
women who face sudden, unexpected
and intense emotional triggers
during labor relating to prior abortions, miscarriages
and / or stillbirths.
A 2005 study conducted in India
and published in the Journal of Alternative
and Complementary Medicine found that
women who regularly practiced yoga
during pregnancy were less likely to have preterm
labor or to deliver a low -
birth weight baby.
You will learn about what is happening to you physically
and emotionally
during labor and birth - changes that you have never experienced before, how to feel confident, empowered
and tap into your own strength,
and capacities as a
women,
and to really love your experience.
During the study, the researchers tracked the duration of
labor as well as the health
and well - being of the
women's babies, such as
birth weight
and blood oxygen levels.
These effects have been studied
and women who used
birth balls regularly
during pregnancy typically had shorter
labors, less need for pain relief,
and fewer c - sections.
They also help pregnant
women develop
and stick to a
birth plan before
and during labor, when a family member or medical professional may be more willing to deviate from a mother's original wishes.
Many
women are still under the false assumption that exercise is a no - no
during pregnancy, but the truth is that regular movement can help your baby reach a healthy
birth weight, alleviate the aches
and pains associated with pregnancy
and possibly even make your
labor easier
and shorter (nice!).
Using effective
labor and birth positions can greatly increase a
woman's comfort level
during birth and also shorten her
labor time.
It is proved by science
and it does make sense when you learn more about
women's hormones that work
during labor and birth as well as the the
women's anatomy.
This type of claim can be brought against the obstetrician caring for the pregnant
women during the pregnancy, the doctor who delivered the child, the nurses
and medical caregivers involved in your
labor or the medical facility at which your child's
birth took place.