Being Prepared and Supported for Birth

Hey Tribe! On The Village Blog I love connecting with professionals in the community to share their knowledge regarding all things health and family related. This week we have Sandra Nishihata, owner and certified DONA doula at GreensboroDoula sharing about the importance of being prepared and supported during, before and after birth! Enjoy!

Dr. Kim

Did you ever think about what a woman’s body is going through during pregnancy and childbirth? We all see the obvious belly growing and we know that there is a baby born at the end of the pregnancy. But what are the important physical changes that we don't give enough attention to?

Hormones are responsible to make a woman’s body flexible and strong at the same time to be able to grow a little human being and give birth. Let this sink down a little bit:

Growing a little human…

That is a lot of work! While the uterus, which is a huge muscle, is growing and stretching with the growth of a baby, the cervix tissue is not giving in and keeping the baby where it belongs.

Our abdominal muscles are doing also a fantastic job by getting ‘out of the way’ and keeping the body upright at the same time. The abdominal muscles that are creating the ‘six pack’ are moving to the side to create space for the growing little human. The pelvic floor muscles are holding everything together, so uterus and baby are not falling out, and during birth, they stretch together with the cervix to an extend to let a baby out. Isn't that amazing!?!

Of course a woman’s body should know what to do instinctively, so why should we interfere with nature?

First, let me tell you that we are supporting and not interfering. And second, our lifestyle has changed a lot in the last few decades. And that is the main reason why it is a good idea to support our bodies a little when it comes to childbirth. Like every good and healthy lifestyle, it just makes you feel better and more prepared of what is coming.

An athlete wouldn't attend the Olympics without intense preparation, right? They have a whole team of chiropractors, physiotherapists, coaches, support people, dietitians, and more. It is not guaranteeing them the gold medal, but they are going to be in the best ‘mood’ and ready to win it!

The same applies to childbirth: You don't really know the way you will give birth in the end, but being mindful about your body and the life growing inside of you and a great team on your side is giving you a good start.

Who should be on your team?

A chiropractor, who is making sure your body is aligned and your nervous system is clear from interference can help dramatically for a comfortable and successful pregnancy, labor ,delivery and recovery postpartum. The Webster Technique is a way to get your body in good balance and specific for pregnant woman.

A healthcare provider, who you can trust and is fitting your needs. Women’s hospital in Greensboro, the birth center in Statesville, or Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, for example, give you plenty of options to find a midwife or OB that fits your idea of good care.

A doula, who will guide you through the whole process with nonjudgmental support, resources, and knowledge around pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. While doulas are getting more common to attend births, still few people know that doulas provide important support in the postpartum time.

Enjoy your pregnancy and check out our upcoming blogs around pregnancy, birth, and postpartum and how you can make the best out of it.

Stay healthy!

To connect with Sandra visit her website here. GreensboroDoula in Greensboro is providing full service to their clients. You will find everything from prenatal and postpartum exercise classes, over doula services, to placenta encapsulation.

Bengkung Belly Binding for Postpartum Recovery Support

Hey Tribe! On #TheVillageBlog I love connecting with professionals in the community to share their knowledge regarding all things health and family related. This week we have local doula and VBAC mama Cameron Trader sharing about the amazing benefits of Bengkung Belly Binding for postpartum recovery and support. Check out her upcoming class at Village Family Chiropractic to learn more! Enjoy!

Bengkung is a traditionally Malaysian method of binding or wrapping a mother’s midsection after the birth of her baby. Bengkung Belly Binding provides many benefits and aides in speeding recovery in the postpartum period.

During pregnancy, a mama’s body makes incredible changes to accommodate her growing baby. Organs become displaced from normal position, abdominal muscles stretch and can separate, ligaments are loosened to allow for baby’s passage through the birth canal and extra fluids and fat are retained. In the postpartum period, Bengkung Binding helps to encourage a quicker healing, shrinking and recovery in these areas.

Benefits of Bengkung Binding include:

*slims hips, tummy and ribcage
*gently applies pressure to encourage organs to return to pre-pregnancy
position.
*supports and assists abdominal wall healing including diastasis recti
 recovery
*stabilizes hips and supports lower back
*supports abdominal strength which supports the entire back. Many
breastfeeding mothers note that Bengkung binding helps them prevent back
pain and from sloughing as they feed their babies.
*decreased postpartum bleeding time
*aides in support of abdominal wall and uterine incisions after a cesarean
birth
*hastens loss of extra fluid
*supports the pelvic floor muscles
*IT FEELS AMAZING!

The Bengkung Binding method is superior to postpartum girdle type pieces available to moms today because:

- it is customizable to your unique shape

- it provides complete support for your entire midsection, from below your hips to your breastbone.

- it is more comfortable as it has no velcro or firm edges

- it’s breathable and is made from batik fabric

- it doesn’t move

This unique binding technique externally imitates the abdominal wall muscles. This allows your body to function function in a less stressed manner. It puts the muscles in proper alignment,as they were pre-pregnancy. The abdomen or core is very important in protecting the rest of your body.

For best results, moms should bind 2-3 days after baby’s birth. The bind should be worn 10-12 hours per day for at least 40 days, but can be worn longer. Most moms that follow this protocol return to their pre-pregnancy size in 6-8 weeks. Mothers recovering from a cesarean birth should wait for their incision to heal and can usually bind around 4-6 weeks after delivery.

Village Family Chiropractic is hosting a Natural Baby Doulas Binding class:

Thursday, August 18, at 6pm.

Belly Binding Class: $20 to attend class, $75 for bind (class fee waived)

If you can’t make the class, there is the option of a private binding class in your home. $100 (bind included)

Or a premier postpartum healing package which includes 1-2 hours of postpartum support, herbal bath preparation and belly binding teaching. $200 (bind included)

Please email Cameron Trader at cameron_trader@yahoo.com to RSVP, to reserve your bind or connect through the Facebook.

Preparing for Birth: Childbirth Classes

GUEST BLOGGER INTRODUCTION

Here on The Village Blog I love connecting with professionals in the community to share their knowledge regarding all things health and family related. This week we have Lanette Tyler.

Lynette showed up at a Bradley Method natural childbirth class with her husband Brad about fifteen years ago, hoping to have a natural birth. Six naturally born babies later she is a Bradley teacher herself. Lanette is from North Carolina, studied engineering at Duke University, and worked for a medical device manufacturer and a Christian campus ministry before embracing her current gig as a homeschooling, homesteading, natural-living mother of six. Her passions include faith, marriage, motherhood, books, world cultures, and Duke basketball.

DR. KIM

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I recently met a new mom, and our conversation naturally turned to her birth experience. “Everything was fine until the pitocin,” her story began. I smiled at her in solidarity, and said, mildly, “Sometimes you just have to say no to pitocin.” She agreed fervently. Since 47% of US births involve accelerating labor with pitocin, expectant parents should be familiar with it. A good childbirth class would have helped this mom better understand the pros and cons of using pitocin, so she could have made a more informed decision. In general, a childbirth class is a good idea because most expectant parents don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know how medicalized birth is in our culture, they don’t know what birth is really like, and they don’t know that commitment is required. The birth experience is a momentous event for any family. If mom wants it to be natural, she should prepare for it.

Parents often do not know what hospital birth can be like. It tends to be more medical than well-meaning but uninformed naturally oriented parents realize. There is a path of least resistance when it comes to birth, and a mom with dreams about her birth probably does not want to be on that path. Artificial acceleration of labor with pitocin isn’t the only birth intervention that happens too much. Labor is artificially induced for 42% of first-time moms, and 34% of births occur by C-section. Expectant parents need the knowledge to turn their preferences into plans so that they do not contribute to the statistics of overused birth procedures. Routine procedures and common interventions are not necessarily in the best interest of mom and baby, and can open the door to even more negatives.

Parents also do not know what birth itself is like. At one extreme people consider natural birth an experience so harrowing that it is not possible for modern women, and at the other people view birth as a simple, natural process easily handled like animals in nature. For most women, with preparation, the reality falls between these extremes. Healthy lifestyle choices like good nutrition, exercise, and relaxation help prepare mom and baby for the birth and make complications less likely. Knowing what actually happens and how to best work with mom’s body and emotions through the process make it possible and doable, though challenging.

Finally, parents do not know that they must commit. Natural birth rarely happens when parents simply hope for it. Moms with a wait-and-see approach to pain medication tend to choose pain medication. That’s the way the hospital system works. It’s the way moms tend to work emotionally, as well, when the medication is readily available. It takes commitment and preparation to forego pain relief. Choosing beforehand to do it and learning beforehand why and how to do it matter.

Why take childbirth classes? Take childbirth classes to learn how to navigate the medical birth system to your advantage, to learn what birth is like and how to cope with it, and to solidify your commitment to natural birth. Must this be learned in classes? No, but it is best learned in classes. An experienced and knowledgeable guide teaching a respected and effective curriculum is worth the time and money considering the significance of birth in your life. This birth is your entry into parenthood for this child, and odds are it will be a formative experience. Prepare for it.

Source for Statistics: Maternity Practices in the United States Table by Rebecca Dekker at evidencebasedbirth.com

Lanette holds Bradley classes Monday evenings in Winston Salem. Her next class starts October 17th. To learn more contact Lanette at: lanette.tyler@gmail.com.