Rachel’s Birth and Postpartum Care

03/13/2022

Preconception to postpartum and everywhere in between.
Massage! Do what feels good.

After delivering vaginally, your body has gone through dramatic changes and needs time to heal postpartum. Abdominal massage involves gently massaging the abdomen and pelvic region to stimulate blood flow that supports optimal functioning of the digestive and reproductive organs. Read on to learn h

03/04/2022

This is an intense and very informative episode. It describes the non-progressive labor that accompanies a difficult posterior-positioning (forward-facing) of the baby. In these cases, contractions can present as strong and close together but lasting for less than a minute of duration. The uterus is doing its best to squeeze and shift the baby into a more suitable birthing position so that the baby can descend through the pelvis and put pressure on the cervix to dilate. Some of the posterior positions are more difficult than others and it’s hard to tell if the baby will shift easily when labor begins or if it will present as it does in this story.

I am finding out how precious birth stories are to deepen knowledge. I can easily understand and comprehend information and then my mind seems to stow it away and it doesn’t feel accessible. Listening to a personal story of an experience brings the book studies and class material to life and the knowledge becomes intimate and infused with breath.

I am also finding this birthing podcast to be my favorite.

‎Show Evidence Based Birth®, Ep Birthing a Posterior-Positioned Baby with EBB Childbirth Class parent, Kathryn Remivansan - Aug 11, 2021

03/02/2022

This is an excellent talk on the progression of labor. The model for expected norms for the last 70 years is based on an outdated model (detailed in this podcast).

There is a lot of variance in how slow or fast labor progresses and though this model is outdated, it’s still influencing us and will continue to do so for some time.

Educating ourselves on the true variabilities and safe practices will help us collectively expand into a more inclusive vision of support for our bodies and birthing people.

PS this 90 year old doctor is committed to maintaining his legacy and is fighting in opposition to new evidence….So! Keep spreading the News!

‎Show Evidence Based Birth®, Ep EBB 159 - Failure to Progress - Jan 13, 2021

02/23/2022

Skin-to-skin. We do it instinctively and now we are researching the immense benefits of caring for our infants by keeping them in direct contact with their mother/birth giver, chest to chest with as little interruptions as possible.
It’s a huge journey for both the baby and the birther! The tenderness of supporting them in an extended embrace following the months long journey is a sweet sentiment. And it’s so much more…
Devotion to Oxytocin!

The evidence for premature infants provides a deep dive into how vital this practice truly is. Remembering that even a term newborn is considered to be in the fourth trimester for the first three months of life outside the womb.

Immediate kangaroo mother care for preterm and low birthweight babies requires dedicated Mother-Newborn Intensive Care Units GENEVA, 27 May 2021Kangaroo mother care, which involves skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding, significantly improves a premature or low birthweight baby’s chanc....

02/16/2022

Who among us does not want to be more aware? More capable? There are studies cited in this article however for this particular research, it is highly encouraged to be your own subject.
Meditation as a practice of noticing ourselves and the space we inhabit, inside and out. It’s incredibly simple and also we can make it incredibly complex.
Keep it Simple. That’s where the goods are. Start small. Enjoy the effort.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

New research is starting to suggest that mindfulness practice can protect the health and well-being of mothers and their babies.

02/16/2022

Casual chat with Nancy Mohrbacher about breastfeeding a newborn, specifically relating to positioning.

This highlights another time that I find we pull from what we have seen on the television and other realms of exposure in our formative years to direct us. My minds image is of Baby wrapped up tight in a swaddle and held under the breast.
There are so many positions to connect and a range of benefits that are naturally fascinating.

http://www.naturalbreastfeeding.com/ Some breastfeeding positions are easier for you and your newborn because they allow your baby to help. Nancy shows how t...

02/11/2022

Hungry in labor? Are ice chips not offering enough calories to take on the physical demands of bringing a human into the world? Is orange-flavored jello not your go-to when you need a little pick-me-up? Okay…point made.

Is this a safe space for me to share that I’ve been to countless births where I arrive and the birthing person is pale and weak after a days long induction process with no food and I slip them a Game Changing scoop of nut butter/high calorie snack? Or I solidify a friendship with a square of some dark dark chocolate?

NPO is a Latin term that stands for Nothing By Mouth and is used for procedures in the hospital setting to reduce the risk of aspiration (inhaling food into the lungs) It has been instituted for laboring folks and often begins upon settling into the hospital gown, regardless of where the person is in the labor process.

This article shows how things are changing in the hospital setting. Follow up article= a recipe for no-bake cacao power balls … coming soon

In many hospitals, patients are told not to eat or drink during labor. Are these eating bans based on best evidence?

02/11/2022

Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) is when the first sign of labor is the breaking of the amniotic sack. The image that comes to my mind is shaped by television from the 90s where the pregnant person is waiting in line at the market to check out and huge gush of fluid erupts and they yell//cut to next similar intense scene of being wheeled down a hospital hall on a gurney. Then…baby!! And partner adorably passing out at the sight of blood.

Sometimes it is a huge gush, sometimes a steady leak and also if the membrane tear is small, it can be a slow and intermittent leak.
This occurs in about 1 in 13 pregnancies. ROM does not mean contractions will start at that moment.
There are evidence-based options on how to respond as well as many considerations that will help make a healthy decision.
This podcast offers a range of information to consider.

‎Show Birth Story Podcast, Ep AHHH My water just broke. What to do when your water breaks at home... - Feb 8, 2022

02/10/2022

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