Holistic Birthing Coach in Elimbah, Queensland, Australia | Medical and health

Holistic Birthing Coach

Locality: Elimbah, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 432 864 041

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24.01.2022 As we kick off the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week, we wanted to discuss a topic that is often swept under the rug or met with disbelief chronic low milk production. Friends, family or even perfect strangers may not understand how hurtful or frustrating it can be to hear things like: Milk production is based on supply and demand you just need to feed baby on demand to increase your supply. Only about 1% of women can’t make enough milk it’s extremely rare.... You just need to drink more water. Have you tried oatmeal? There seems to be an assumption that almost all women have the capacity to make enough milk if they just try hard enough. The mothers who have moved heaven and earth to make just a few ounces can tell us how false that assumption is. It can often be an extremely anxious and upsetting time for parents if they’re not producing enough milk or if their baby has signs of insufficient milk intake. It’s normal to feel many emotions such as anger, guilt, and sadness. Acknowledge these very valid feelings it may be the first step in your road to healing. If you’d like to do some digging to get a better grasp of what may be impacting supply, the first thing we’d recommend is reading Making More Milk (second edition) by Lisa Marasco and Diana West. It’s a great place to start on maximizing milk and understanding the factors related to low supply. Working with an IBCLC who has education in hormonal health and can help you evaluate your health history and/or thyroid, insulin or nutrient/mineral deficiencies that may be impacting supply can also make a world of difference. Also consider that breastfeeding doesn’t have to be ALL or NOTHING. Take pride in what you CAN offer instead of what you can’t. And let us know how we can help connect you to local or online resources to do a deeper dive into what may be impacting your supply. Credit: Legendairy Milk

24.01.2022 YOU CAN DO BIG THINGS! Like push a 14 lb 7 oz baby out naturally with NO VAGINAL TEARING! 4 hours of labor, 15 mins of pushing. Rockstar This mama saw a Licensed midwife throughout her pregnancy and prepared physically and emotionally for the birth of her second baby. During her 4 hour long labor she rocked, walked and danced her baby down, she instinctively pushed in the standing position for 15 mins and delivered all..... are you ready for it.... 14 lbs 7oz of... him! She was also able to deliver this chunky baby with no tears. After doing their research this family chose a midwife to guide them through their pregnancy and birth and were able to have an amazing experience in the comfort of their own home. This baby stayed with his mama on her chest breastfed within the first hour. Mama and baby are doing amazing. People are capable of delivering their baby, even when they are big! Way to go mama! Photo: Coastal Midwifery! Post: pregnantuniversity

23.01.2022 Study after study has shown evidence that due dates are simply estimations and that when left alone the average pregnancy goes past 40 weeks. Induction can be a tool, it should not be the rule. https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-/... Credit: Holistic Heritage Homebirth

21.01.2022 This is what birth should be. No fear. Just love, knowledge and power. ---- ... i snapped this photo less than 3 hours after the most redeeming birth of braeya...i couldn’t believe i was standing + about to walk out of the birth center to go home...her birth was so wildly different than her brother’s. i feared birth with ro..but with bo, it was the opposite. i knew my strength, used my informed voice, & leaned into sweet, sweet surrender. looking at that woman in the mirror, a new version of myself was birthed along with my daughter and if you have birth trauma, i see you mama...i was you. and know there’s opportunity to heal. they told you about the contractions, but did they tell you about the expansion? did they tell you how your body would open to make way for the whole universe to pass through? did they tell you how your heart would explode with a love bigger than anything you’ve ever known as you pulled your baby to your chest? they told you about the ring of fire but did they tell you about the crown of stars? did they mention that there’s a moment when your baby enters the world and you leave your body and touch the heavens and become the light of a million galaxies? did they tell you how the pain of stretching to receive your child would be more exquisite than any sensation you’ve felt? they told you would scream but did they tell you about how you would roar? did they tell you about the power that would rise up from your belly as you called your baby forth with your mighty voice? did they tell you how you would embody the wild woman within you and breathe fire with your song? they told you would bleed, but did they tell you how that sacred blood wouldn’t scare you? how you would feel grateful for that magical liquid of life as it trickled down your leg- how you would honor its flow and how it would help you heal a lifetime of hating your body’s bleeding cycles. . they told these stories and taught you to fear birth, to fear your power, to fear yourself. but you’re stronger and wiser than that mama. you know that birth is your divine dance, your soul’s song, your moment with God, and you walk fearlessly into her open arms. #birthwithoutfear ~words are @spiritysol Repost @wildflora.wellness Credit: 2life Doula

21.01.2022 Let’s talk CPD and Big Babies (Some info taken from ‘Why did no one tell me this?’ By Ash Spivak and Natalies Hales) What is CPD? A very frequently heard term......Continue reading

20.01.2022 Holistic birthing is about evidence based care. This extends into infancy. The evidence shows that hugging and kissing you baby 'too much' is not a thing. You cannot hug or kiss a baby too much. Do you ever stop consider how odd it is that so many advise that you don’t cuddle your baby too much? Picking up and hugging a baby is the most natural thing in the world, whether it’s your own baby or somebody else’s. We have this instinctive drive to wa...nt to squidge and protect them. When they cry, it sets off innate drives that have protected our species since the dawn of time. Avoiding picking a baby up ‘too much’ (whatever that means), literally goes against every ounce of evolutionary driven behaviour and biology in our bodies. What has the world come to when so many believe hugging too much is ‘spoiling’? What a broken and harsh world we live in where people believe that hugs should be rationed. Imagine the impact restriction of loving touch in infancy (and beyond) has had? We need to break this cycle of touch starvation, not perpetuate it. So, hold your baby while they cry, hold them when they’re happy. Hold them while they sleep, hold them when they wake. Hold them while you rest, hold them when you’re busy and think you have ‘more important things to do’. Never, ever be afraid to hold them ‘too much’; it just isn’t possible, neither is it a ‘bad habit’, or ‘ a sleep prop’. By holding your baby, as much as you and they want, you are taking one small step towards changing the world for the better - and what an important job that is! @neurochildhq Credit: Sarah Ockwell-Smith

19.01.2022 My next Hypnobirthing Australia- Positive Birth Class will be held in August. Gain the confidence and knowledge to birth your own way! Message now to secure your spot. ... Payment plans are available! Built to birth At birth, the newborn's skull consists of five major bones: 2 frontal 2 parietal 1 occipital These are separated by connective tissue junctions known as cranial sutures. These cranial sutures function as seams and they are highly necessary to facilitate the movement and molding of the cranium through the birth canal during labour. They also allow for rapid postnatal growth and development of the brain. However, the bones that shape the cranium begin unfused, leaving several gaps between the individual bones of the infant's skull. These gaps are composed of membranous connective tissue and are known as fontanelles. (Lipsett et al, 2020) Baby’s fontanelles, also known as ‘soft spots’ should be relatively firm to touch and when you keep your fingers there you may feel a pulse It should also curve ever so slightly inward. If the soft spot has a very noticeable inward curve it’s known as a sunken fontanelle. This often indicates dehydration. . Image by @wildheartphotoandfilm Repost @student_midwife_studygram #Repost @bodywise_birthwise Credit: 2lifeDoula

18.01.2022 "At least you have a healthy baby!" "At least you're alive!" REALLY!?! Are we not yet done with accepting the brutality, mistreatment and degradation of women in the name of having a healthy baby? Did you know a mum can feel over the moon, blessed and grateful for their beautiful, healthy baby, and simultaneously tormented, depressed, disappointed or TRAUMATISED by her birth experience?... Not dead is not good enough. A healthy baby at the cost of a healthy mum is not acceptable. Women are the ones expected to nurture and care for their babies. STOP DAMAGING THEM DURING BIRTH AND THEN EXPECTING THEM TO MOTHER THEIR BABIES AS IF NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED!! Please, for the love of mothers and babies, change the system that results in one third of women leaving their births with trauma. Women, please know that you don't have to accept this treatment! Call it out. Don't put up with it. Report mistreatment and negligence when it happens. It is not ok! If you need help, please reach out! You are not alone #ENOUGH #birthtraumaawareness #birthtrauma #notalone #obstetricviolence #informedbirth #thebirthroom #whatiswrongwithpeople #womensrightsarehumanrights #womensrights #birthisafeministissue #feminism Credit: Birth Aims - Blue Mountain Doula and Breastfeeding Mentor

16.01.2022 SHE IS POWER.... SHE IS DOMINANCE. SHE IS A LIONESS ROARING OUT HER HEIR. SHE IS HERE TO CLAIM ALL THAT IS HERS AND NO ONE, NOT EVEN SHE CAN STOP HERSELF. ITS IN HER BLOOD, ITS IN HER DNA, SHE WAS BUILT FOR THIS. ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. Mama: https://www.facebook.com/alexandrea.purifoy FoundOn: The VBAC Link

16.01.2022 A great post about Nuchal Cord A Nuchal Cord is when the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck. This is one of the biggest fears parents have about childbirth. In actuality, a nuchal cord is quite common- 1 in every 3 babies is born with a Nuchal Cord!... . . . Babies receive nutrients and oxygen via the umbilical cord & not through their mouth or nose. Babies don’t actually breath until after the birth when they take their first breath of oxygen into their lungs, when they are stimulated to do so by air. In the case of a nuchal cord, your Midwife will usually loop the cord over your baby’s head when he or she is crowning or just after the birth of the head. . . . A normal, healthy umbilical cord is filled with Wharton’s jelly, a soft, gelatinous substance which protects the blood vessels inside the cord. This substance helps to protect the cord against compression as well as true knots (which can occur in 1% of births) as a result of normal movements of baby inside utero. The only time that complications may occur is if the cord is not in a good condition, there is a cord prolapse or if a medical condition impacted the amount of Wharton’s jelly inside the cord. For the vast majority of babies, the cord is very well protected. . . . The likelihood of a genuine cord accident due to the cord being wrapped around babies neck, cutting off babies oxygen, is very small. A nuchal cord seen prenatally on ultrasound, is not reason alone for a scheduled cesarean. Credit: New Life Birthing Centre

15.01.2022 It’s #blackbreastfeedingweek and this week gives everyone the opportunity to learn about why black babies are at risk. There is a disturbingly high black infant mortality rate. Black babies are dying at twice the rate(in some places, nearly triple) the rate of white babies.... According to the CDC, increased breastfeeding/chestfeeding among black parents could decrease infant mortality rates by as much as 50%. Research shows 57% of Black parents initiate breastfeeding/ chestfeeding. The average duration is 6.4 weeks. By six months, only 35.3% of Black families are still nursing. Black families are not supported properly in the delicate time immediately following birth to establish a healthy nursing relationship. They return to work sooner to jobs that do not adequately accommodate a nursing parent. And still, racism exists, hurting and hindering the nursing relationship even further. There’s also stigma, not enough resources available, not enough support from their loved ones, and outside stressors along with other challenges. Formula is also pushed more on black families than any other race. They are 9 times more likely to be given formula than white parents. We need more representation, support, resources, information, and images of black families nursing, and to stop racism. We have to be aware. This is a matter of health and saving lives. PhotoCred: Carma Collective Photography & Gemmed By Jewell Photography PostCred: badassmotherbirther

14.01.2022 Home Birth After Cesarean Birth Story #Repost @birthstorypodcast The very end. This is a sweet mama of 3 who had a cesarean section and 2 epidurals. She researched and empowered herself and decided on #homebirth for her VBAC. She was in prodromal labor for a week- calling me each night thinking this was the night. Then a week later it was her turn. She had felt contractions all day and as soon as she put her littles to bed- the surges came. I arrived, then the whole te...am arrived. She labored beautifully and right here in this picture she’s in transition. My counter pressure her pain relief. Minutes later she climbed into the bath and fell asleep after transition for 20 Minutes. #aquadural We all knew when she opened her eyes she would be pushing. Just a few amazing pushes with her fetal ejection reflex and he emerged in the water. It was so healing for her. Her first two stories medically driven - this story body wise and body led. @wildsagemama #waterbirth #doula #charlottedoula #doulalife #momlife #momof3 #vbac #midwife #midwifelife #homebirthing #homebirthbaby #laborsupport by Nicole Bertrand Photography Credit: 2life doula See more

12.01.2022 How sad that women and their families are digging themselves into debt for the chance to birth in a place they feel safe - their own homes!! The access issues that have always surrounded homebirth have been made even more fraught by the pandemic and associated economic crisis. Homebirth is a model of care that gets great outcomes, that women rave about, and that saves the health system money. Now more than ever, we need to support women to stay home - families shouldn’t nee...d to push themselves to the financial wall to do this. Much work has been done over the past few years to open up access to homebirth. A key recommendation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule review was to create Medicare rebates for homebirth. These recommendations have broad support, and hundreds of families have written in to the consultation to share stories of what Medicare rebates for homebirth would mean to them. But these needed reforms have gotten stuck in the Medicare / DHS processes - there is no timeline for when these Medicare rebates will be approved. Homebirth Australia call on Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt MP to personally intervene in this stalled process, to add Medicare item numbers for intrapartum homebirth care onto the MBS. You can do likewise, by emailing the Health Minister ([email protected] ) and your local MP. Let’s all get behind this final push, and help families stay home. Link to today’s ABC article: https://www.abc.net.au//home-birthings-rise-durin/12491226

11.01.2022 Following on from my previous post It’s #BirthTraumaAwarenessWeek & we are going to focus on prevention of and support for this phenomena. ... Thank you @naomisawatzkyppdoula for the original post. Let’s be clear. A healthy baby is NOT all that matters. We hear this message regularly, but what does it mean? Well, maternity services globally often focus primarily on the safety and well-being of the baby. And they sometimes do this in a patronising way. Let’s keep repeating the message that women matter. Birthing people matter. We all matter, and physical and psychological safety is as important for the mother as well as her infant. As midwives, doulas, maternity support workers and obstetricians - what we do and how we do it, what we say and how we say it - can make a woman’s birth experience either transforming or harrowing. We have that potential impact. The images in this post demonstrate the fact that women are influenced by the words we use. Sometimes we don’t realise what we’re saying - let’s keep being mindful during each interaction. Tomorrow this account is being taken over by @mumologist. The wonderful Emma is a psychologist specialising in pregnancy and birth - so do look out for her post and come along to chat to her! #enough #languagematters #wordsmatter #ahealthybabyisnotallthatmatters #womenmatter #birthingpeoplematter Credit: The Practising Midwife Journal

11.01.2022 A woman body is made for birth. Our bodies are not failing us. The health care system is. ... Are you afraid of childbirth? Are you conditioned to believe that you are not capable? Conditioned to believe that as a woman, you can’t possibly do it by yourself? Has society led you to believe that you are stupid for wanting an intervention-free labour and birth? There have been a recent newspaper article blaming the rise of "natural births" as to why birth trauma is also on the rise. I beg you, do your own research, these "studies" are misleading and not showing the entire picture. The powers that be have an agenda to continue pumping woman through the hospital system, believing they are inadequate of birthing their own babies, making the hospitals a very profitable conveyer belt for birth and while home birth is on the rise (probably one of the very few positives to the pandemic), it's very convenient that the media are trying to scare women away from wanting a natural physiological birth. It’s Birth Trauma Awareness Week this week.. and just the sheer thought that this subject has it’s own week of recognition hurts deep within my soul. Sure let’s spread awareness but how about we cut the shit and stop the abuse that is causing the trauma to begin with!? Obstetric rape, coercion, fear mongering, failure to gain proper consent are just a few things I have witnessed firsthand while being a birth photographer for the past 2 years. I have seen woman screaming stop while an obstetrician continues to shove his hand up her vagina, women being spoken down to like little children who couldn’t possibly make decisions for themselves. Umbilical cords being yanked so hard while trying to deliver the placenta that the cord has detached from the placenta. Would you like me to go on? Our hospital system is what's failing our women, NOT women's bodies. Credit: My Midwives

10.01.2022 Love this Raise those strong women!

10.01.2022 Nothing rocks your pelvis better than a good flight of stairs. And nothing helps a baby move down and out better than some good pelvic rocking. Another great op...tion? Step outside and do some curb walking. That's simply where one foot is up on the curb and the other is on the road. Walk a bit in one direction then switch legs and go back. @preparedbirth . . . @careylaurenphoto . . . . #itsyourbirth #beglorious #beprepared #positivebirth #lovewhatyoudoula #birth #birthclass #childbirth #childbirtheducation #pregnancy #prenataleducation #hospitalbirth #laboranddelivery #thirdtrimester #pregnancylife #babylove #laboroptions #pregnantandperfect #babytime #naturalbirth #waterbirth #momblog #birthphotography #photooftheday #birthdoula

10.01.2022 " Amniotic fluid is generated from maternal plasma and passes through the fetal membrane by osmotic and hydrostatic forces. Your baby’s kidneys start to function around the 16th week of pregnancy and his/her urine starts to contribute to the fluid as well. The fluid is made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, phospholipids and urea, which all aid in the development of your baby. The amniotic fluid also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrien...ts, water, and biochemical products between you and your baby. The amniotic fluid keeps your baby at perfect temperature at all times and allows the baby movement for proper development of their limbs and bones. The fluid also serves as a cushion to protect the baby from jabs and blows from the outside world. Your baby’s breathing completely bypasses it’s lungs for the entire pregnancy. The amniotic fluid fills your baby’s lungs and keeps the sensitive linings moist in preparation to breathe air. " #birthcenter #midwives #ecuador #birth PhotoCred: Natalia Eidt Fotografia Repost Credit: New Life Birth Centres

09.01.2022 Breast milk is amazing!

08.01.2022 Pregnant? Want to learn how to have an empowering birth where you are in full control?? Learn evidence based data. Learn your options!! I am a Registered Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner. Teaching the Positive Birthing Course

08.01.2022 Birth matters. You matter. Your team matters! This truly is one of the most, if not THE most, important things you can plan for your birth. Do your research and find a birth team aligned with your wishes! In those moments of vulnerability a birth team, even a single person in that team, can help it to be a positive, empowering experience, or a traumatic, unsupported one. #Repost @kate_randall_photography --- Don’t underestimate the power of a carefully chosen birth team... Choosing the right people that you connect with, that can hold space for you, support you, love you and empower you throughout your birthing journey is so very important. Please don’t skim over this part of your birth plan. Your birth team can be detrimental to the way you bring your baby earth side. This birth team that I was apart of was magical, all of our energy’s came together perfectly to fully support this goddess and her baby - - - #katerandallphotography #birthteam #birthsupport #bluemountainsbirthphotographer #birthphotographer #birth #exposingbirth #homebirth #birthplan #homebirth #birthphotography #waterbirth #homebirthaftercesarean #hvbac See more

07.01.2022 - . Mama: @cheis_way ...on IG Photographers: Nya turner From Within Arts Photography MUA: Kera Kera Article: https://nltimes.nl//amsterdam-researchers-find-covid-19-an

06.01.2022 This one is 100% worth sharing. So many people think that just going in without a plan is a good idea because it means that they are flexible with their ideals of how baby is born. This is so wrong! You need to know your options. Because if you don't know your options before hand and you are having to make decisions during labour then those decisions are not being made with all the information. You won't have enough time to weigh out pros and cons. And if you leave the decis...ions with the doctors ... they will more then likely do what's easier for them, not what's best for the birthing mother or baby. Know the options Know the evidence based data Make a plan! So if need be, you have all decisions already made REPOST the problem with this is that if you don’t know what your options are in birth, you don’t have any. Many people think writing a birth plan is a waste of time, but it’s SO SO SO IMPORTANT! Winging it can leave you feeling out of control if things take a different path. The process of researching and writing your birth plan means you: research your options (and yes, they are options. Nothing is compulsory and you do the consenting, which makes it even MORE important you understand what it is you are consenting or declining) discuss your options with your birth partner. If you’re busy labouring, and your birth partner is advocating for you, how can they do that effectively if they don’t know what your preferences and non-negotiable are during birth? feel confident and empowered to make decisions and stick to your guns if you feel strongly about an aspect of birth. It’s much easier to explain why you want to decline an intervention, or wait before consenting, if you know the research, the risks, and the guidelines remove the unknown! So much anxiety around birth is due to not knowing what to expect! Put a plan in place, for most eventualities including caesarean birth, and you’re going to feel much more prepared, less anxious, and much less likely to experience birth trauma if things deviate from your ideal plan! Informative #Repost by @betterbirthuk

06.01.2022 Absolutely no evidence shows it is beneficial to keep mothers and babies seperate.

06.01.2022 There is structural racism in healthcare, including in birthing and lactation. Black people and allies are working to change that, but we need to first recognize that it exists. #BlackBreastfeedingWeek #BlackBreastfeedingMatters #BBW20 #nbm2020 American Academy of Pediatrics: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827 [Image: Photo person nursing a baby. Text: In one study, African American infants were more than nine times more likely than white babies to be ...given formula in the hospital. Pediatrics, the Offfical Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012] Credit: La Leche League

05.01.2022 No coached pushing! 10cm just means the cervix is wide enough for the baby to come through. It DOSEN’T mean the baby is ready to descend.... that comes next after mum and bubs has had a rest Credit: Doula Network Australia Inc.

05.01.2022 Found on Badassmotherbirther A letter from @szpakkey on IG to all of us here:... Dearest Flor and the entire BadAssMotherBirther community, I want to thank you all for sharing your most intimate and transformative moments with the world. When I found out I was pregnant with my firstborn, I was petrified. Images of childbirth with screaming, cursing women on the movie screen regularly popped into my brain. Once I found your feed, I began to rewire my brain. Even though we chose to deliver in the hospital, my husband and I felt educated and empowered to handle any situation that came our way. I had a long but beautiful first birth filled with lots of rocking and swaying to the surges in my body. Fast forward to June 2020 where I excitedly awaited the arrival of our second child. Even though I already knew my body could handle it, the fear of labor and childbirth crept into my mind again. I scrolled through your videos to remind myself of the divine glory of the female body. This time, I had a precipitous labor and didn’t make it to the birthing center. As I howled under the moon and the midnight sky, I harnessed the strength of each and every woman I’ve ever watched on this feed and felt completely at peace with a rapid and spontaneous birth on the side of the road. My husband settled our son with a video in the car and got to me in time to catch our precious daughter. Thank you all for helping me tap into my innate feminine power. Never underestimate the power of what we share here with each other.

03.01.2022 Both my babies needed resuscitation. Well I was told they did. Not too sure now that I know what I do. But anyway ... wouldn't this have been amazing. Instead of having them taken away before I could cuddle them, have the midwives do the resuscitation while attached to the cord. Makes sense. Breathing support In the uterus your baby is completely dependent on the placenta to provide oxygenation through the umbilical cord. ... Your baby is swimming in amniotic fluid and needs to clear that fluid to make room for air once born. Most babies born vaginally will have no issues in doing this, they will let out a big cry and the pressure from that inhalation forces fluid in the lungs to move out into the tissues and let air in. As the placenta stops pulsating to your baby and inhalation begins the reduced pressure will cause 3 shunts in the heart to close. These were alternate paths for blood flow while your baby is in the uterus and they are not needed after birth. At times this transition can be delayed and that can be due to many things such as maternal medications, poor placental function etc. So what do we do as midwives? First we stimulate give bub a nice rub, ask mum to blow on the face to try and initiate a cry if these aren't working we go straight to a bag and mask. If you think of the lungs as 2 flat balloons. We all know how hard it is to get that first breath into a flat balloon and once there is a little air in there the balloon inflates a lot easier. Putting it simply that is what the bag and mask does, it pushes air into your baby’s lungs to inflate the balloons (lungs) and makes it a whole lot easier to take that first breath. Keeping the CORD INTACT is a resuscitation technique on its own, research has shown babies with delayed cord clamping started to breathe and establish regular breathing earlier then babies who had early cord clamping. In Australia it's rare at the moment for resuscitation to take place by the bedside in a hospital setting. At home births this can easily be achieved as you can see in the above photo. Midwives : @ittakesavillagemidwifery : @emma_jean_photography Words and informative Repost by @peacewithbirth @thebirthimpact #newbornresus #birth #beinformed #homebirth #intactbirth #intactresus #homebirthmidwife #trustbirth #transition #birthwork #breathwork #birthskills #thebirthimpact #doulaviewllc #thelamazedoula

02.01.2022 Homebirth has always been an option - but the pandemic is making it a more desirable option for lots of mothers https://www.ogmagazine.org.au//3-22/homebirth-in-australia/

02.01.2022 ‘Failure to Progress’ = Failure to wait YOU HAVE NOT FAILED TO PROGRESS. THEY HAVE FAILED TO WAIT Have you ever heard the words ‘not progressing’ muttered with reference to your own or another persons labour? ... Dr Friedman’s research was the first to depict a ‘labour curve’ and divide labour into stages. He said that a woman’s cervix should dilate 1.2-1.5cm per hour. This research has been discredited about 20 years ago! We know that the Friedman curve to plot labour progress is incorrect. But current hospital practices still use this as a common way to track labour. And start interventions if the labouring woman deviates from the curve. If you deviate from the curve you have ‘failed to progress’ according to their expectations... BUT what is actually happening is that your care provider is applying an outdated and incorrect expectation onto your body... YOU HAVE NOT FAILED TO PROGRESS, THEY HAVE FAILED TO WAIT Zhang et al (2010) found that ‘Labor May take more than 6 hours to progress from 4 to 5 cm and more than 3 hours to progress from 5 to 6cm of dilation’... However, approximately 50% of the women in their study were under the influence of synthetic oxytocin (syntocinon/pitocin) in order to speed up their labour. So, this research still cannot fully inform us about the physiological unfolding of labour and how fast or slow it might progress... but it does open up an opportunity to change our beliefs about labour progress ... Words and #Repost by @melaniethemidwife #Repost @byron.babymoon Credit: 2Life Doula

02.01.2022 Who has experienced their baby literally being ejected from their body? This is one of the best pictures I have seen to show what your body is doing during labour. Incredible hey! ... The fundus and it’s relation to dilation We think in pictures and we should be painting accurate pictures. The cervix nor the vagina bloom. The cervix is not a zip lock bag. The purpose of labor is NOT the creation of an opening or a hole... The purpose of labor contractions and retractions is to BUILD the fundus, which will, when it is ready, EJECT the baby, like a piston. Without a nice thick fundus there is no power to get baby out....the cervix does not dilate out....it dilates UP as a result of the effort to pull muscles up into the uterus to push muscles up to the fundus. The cervical dilation is secondary to that. The cervix is pulled up as a result of the building of the fundus. Assigning a number to cervical dilation is of little consequence and we make a huge mistake by interpreting progress or predicting time of birth to that number. Any experienced midwife or OB can tell you that the cervix can be manipulated and that a woman whose cervix is at 7 could have the baby in a few minutes or a few hours. If more providers and educators knew the truth about birth physiology, we could make a huge difference for mothers. What is important is to keep her well supported for the purpose of the appropriate chemistry, to keep her well hydrated and nourished for muscle strength, and to believe in her. We should be supporting her so that her physiology and that of her baby are unhindered, so they can finish what they started. We should not be measuring, poking, or interpreting her labor. THIS CHANGE in teaching about labor could make such a difference for women who are imagining what is happening in their bodies during labor. How much more strength might they have if they have an accurate picture?" -Carla Hartley http://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/nova-birth-services Thanks for sharing this @kirstenlyle_fullcircledoula Credit: Birth Aims - Blue Mountains Doula & Breastfeeding Mentor