Bloom Birth

03/25/2022

Hands and knees with an epidural?! YES!
I have supported clients who chose to have an epidural and were still able to move into positions that they wanted. Evidence supports this and your care staff should too.

Hands & Knees with an Epidural⁣
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During our Physiologic Birth Training for Nurses yesterday, a few nurses said that it is in their policy to not put a patient in hands & knees if they have an epidural. ⁣
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If this is your unit, here are some thoughts I have:⁣
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1. Look at the evidence on the policy. What are the resources they used?⁣
2. Talk to the anesthesia team with curiosity and ask “why?” Is it safety of the patient (risk of falling)? Is it so the epidural doesn’t travel up? Is it BP reasons? ⁣
3. Start addressing the concerns. If it’s for safety of the patient falling… what if there were 2 nurses there? What if there was a requirement that the patient was able to lift at least one leg? If it’s for dermatome levels what if you were checking them every 5 minutes? Same with BP?⁣
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Leading change on a unit can happen! We actually have an on-demand class in our store guiding you to do this 🎉🎉🎉😎 ⁣
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Nurses that put their patients in H&K with an epidural… do you leave the bedside, or do you hang out there during your intervention? How long are you usually suggest this position?⁣
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Photo from:

03/19/2022

Mister Google has led me wrong on so many things. Connecting with a real professional on anything is going to be your best bet.

Love Kelsey's insight from Bravely Born Midwifery

‘I liked that I could just contact you with questions instead of googling 💩’ -Recent comment from a client about her experience with homebirth.
Well, that’s real! Can we just pause and acknowledge how upsetting and FALSE google advice is when you are pregnant? (Or ever?!)
Don’t rely on google- find a midwife you love who will answer your questions with respect, honesty, and within the context of YOU. You are not anyone else and a good midwife will consider all the parts of you and giving you advice 🙏

03/12/2022

If you haven't been exposed to home birth, it may be a foreign, even scary idea. But more and more families are choosing to have their babies at home. The reasons vary but I can tell you from personal and professional experience, the hospital doesn't hold a candle to it. I realize it will not be everyone's choice, but I encourage you to look into it.
You birth where you are most comfortable. For some it is the hospital. For others it is a birth center. And others it is home. Either way, you deserve to be taken care of and respected.

This is what home birth looks like,

Midwives sitting at the table chatting, sipping coffee and water.

Your best friend sitting on the floor playing with your toddler.

Your partner holding your hand while you work with the waves that rush over you to bring your baby into this universe.

Home birth isn’t how the movies depict birth. It isn’t an agonizing mother in hospital bed. It isn’t a woman who’s left to do the work all on her own. It isn’t unfamiliar doctors and nurses ushering in & out of your hospital room.

Birth is,
Powerful.
A rite of passage.
Transforming.
Empowering.
Normal.

03/05/2022

Multiples can be born vaginally!
There are reasons why your doctor or midwife won't suggest anything other than cesarean. 1) It's all they have done or seen 2) they are not comfortable with vaginal birth of multiples.
But don't let their inabilities stop you. If you want a vaginal birth, seek out and find a provider who will support your decision confidently. Educate yourself of this variation of normal and how you can birth your babies the way you wish.

02/27/2022

Even in times of crisis, babies will be born.

This beautiful baby girl was born at a Kyiv metro station, a bomb shelter for people in Ukraine.

02/01/2022

Inductions are on the rise. PPH is on the rise. There is a correlation.

Postpartum hemorrhage is ON THE RISE…

(I repost this every so often for new folks here)

Why? Likely due to the staggering increase in the use of induction, augmentation, epidurals & c-sections.

The most common reason for hemorrhage (up to 80% of cases) is uterine atony - when the muscles of the uterus have been so overworked during labor that they are too exhausted to help stop bleeding after birth.

What’s one of the top reasons for uterine atony to occur?

Induction or augmentation WITH PITOCIN.

So, let’s get this straight - we tell people that it’s too dangerous for them to stay pregnant past a certain date & administer Pitocin to get their labor started or hurry it up.

Because the contractions caused by Pitocin are more frequent/stronger/longer than natural contractions, the uterus becomes exhausted. There is more bleeding than usual because the uterus can’t clamp down & stop it. A hemorrhage is suspected (blood loss is usually visually estimated, not truly measured), and the same drug that caused the problem is given to solve the problem.

The circle of Pitocin is complete.

Because of the highly medicalized active management of labor & birth in hospitals, Pitocin is often given to everyone preventatively in the 3rd stage of labor (unless you know to decline). It’s always optional.

Are there ways to help prevent postpartum hemorrhage naturally?

YES!

👎 NO Pitocin (or other uterotonics) during labor
👎 NO pulling on the cord (cord traction)
👎 NO immediate cord clamping (wait for white)
👎 NO vigorous “fundal massage” or unnecessary manual removal of placenta

👍 YES to immediate skin-to-skin with baby
👍 YES to breastfeed baby right away after birth
👍 YES to waiting for the cord to turn white & the placenta to be birthed on its own

01/15/2022

At 40 weeks gestation the uterus is the largest muscle in the female body. The sheer power and intensity of this is something to marvel at.

📸PhotoCred: Fresh Pine Photography - St. Louis Motherhood Stories📸

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Contractions are moments that your body is proving to you just how f**ken powerful you are. Don't be fearful.

-Love,
Flor Cruz

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12/30/2021

With the rise in inductions, I wonder how many women are being scared and robbed of their VBAC's? You have the right to refusal and evidence based care.

The often-cited uterine rupture rate after two cesareans of 0.9% – 1.8% is based on a 49% – 65% induction and augmentation rate. This is an important factor to consider anytime we discuss VBA2C.

As a result, it’s possible that the rate of uterine rupture during a spontaneous labor after two cesareans is lower than 0.9% – 1.8%. In fact, Macones revealed that of the 379 people who labored spontaneously, 3 had a uterine rupture for a rate of 0.8%.

Continue reading: https://vbacfacts.com/2021/12/15/vaginal-birth-after-two-cesareans-vba2c-evidence/ [LINK IN BIO]

12/29/2021

yup

What an amazing way to show support. Sometimes the question of “how can I help?” can be too hard to answer.

Found on .labornurse

12/26/2021

Love this commentary.
Also love that you can see the contrast in skin color. Most babies will be born blue because they have not used their lung yet. As they adjust to being outside and breath on their own, blood flow from the placenta begins to slow and baby will pink up. This is why leaving the umbilical cord attached until it is white is good practice. And also good to know that your baby, in most cases, cannot suffocate from a nuchal cord (cord around the neck) because of the intricate system already giving them oxygen.

“This birth was epic in so many ways...

Second baby, 7 years of dreaming about this home birth...

27 hours of birth support... (I took a 20 minute nap in her closet LOL!)

The most swollen cervix I've EVER seen that the midwife magically melted away...

All the labor positions...

But ended in the most beautiful water birth, in a dark room with Christmas lights and her husband in the tub helping.

See the baby's immediate eye contact and the reaching reflex as he finds his way to his mama! It's such a beautiful thing!

As usual, I have so many favorite images from this birth... and it's not one I'm likely ever going to forget.”

Image and words by by BBY Certified Photographer Nicole Hamic

Instagram: instagram.com/nicole_hamic

Website: nicolehamic.com

12/20/2021

As a momma of four angel babies, I can feel this momma's pain. I love that this family was able to meet their baby girl and be able love and grieve her life.