Illuminating Birth Blog Musings - Illuminating Birth

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) Supportive Providers in East Texas

9/23/2016

As a practicing professional birth Doula in East Texas, I am frequently asked what providers are proven to be supportive of mothers who wish to have a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean, and also providers who are supportive of mothers who want to have a vaginal birth after two previous cesareans. Here is my resource list, compiled through personal experience supporting families across East Texas.

VBAC Providers: Out-of-hospital Options:

Melena Sandifer, CPM
(VBAMC)*
Childbirth Services Birth Center
http://www.childbirthservices.net

Vicky Wells, CPM
Labor of Love Birth Center
(Primary VBAC only.)
http://www.laboroflovetyler.com/LOLhome.asp

Diane Weatherford, CPM
(VBAMC)*
Fair Flower Birth Services
http://www.fairflowersbirth.com

Pam Wright, CPM
(VBAMC)*
Baby Bliss Birthing Center
http://www.babyblissbirthing.com

Kristin Green, CPM
EdenWay Birth Center
(VBAMC)*
http://edenwaybirth.com

Audrey Stucker, CPM
(VBAMC)*
The Baby Place Birthing Center
http://www.thebabyplacebc.com

Linda Turner, CPM
(VBAMC)*
Delivered With Love Midwifery
http://deliveredwithlovemidwifery.com

Tina Rowe, CPM
(VBAMC)*
Heavenly Hands Birth Center
http://www.heavenlyhandsrockwall.com/Birth-Center.html

In-Hospital Options: In-Hospital Midwives & OBs

Sylyna Kennedy, CMN (midwife)
Zeid Women's Health Center
http://www.zeidwhc.com/
(Sylyna is one of four midwives with Dr. Zied's practice.)

Dr John Shum
Tyler Family Circle of Care
http://tfcc.tmfhs.info/johnshum.html

Dr Darren Yeager
Trinity OG/GYN
http://www.tmfhc.org/care-treatment/pregnancy-birth/obstetrics-gynecology/

Dr David Doerrfeld, Longview
Diagnostic Clinic of Longview
http://www.dcol.net/diagnostic-clinic-of-longview/physicians/doerrfeld-david-md-facog-1104.aspx

Dr Ricky Paul, Marshall

Dr Paul Fanning, Tyler
Trinity OB/GYN - partner in the same practice as Dr Yeager.

VBAC Support Resources:

http://ican-online.org/ican-white-papers

http://vbacfacts.com/13-myths-about-vbac/

VBA3Cs - http://vbacfacts.com/2012/09/13/thoughts-on-vba3c-vbac-after-three-or-more-prior-cesareans/
&
VBA2C+ - http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/CSANDVBAC/vbac_after_2_cs.htm

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02498.x/full

VBAC
http://vbacfacts.com/2012/04/03/confusing-fact-only-6-of-uterine-ruptures-are-catastrophic/

*VBAMC - vaginal birth after multiple cesareans

One-Day Childbirth Class - Sept. 10th

8/31/2016

A one-day childbirth class open to families birthing anywhere, home, birth center, or hospital.
Ideal for women expecting in October.

Course Outline

Pregnancy Anatomy & Physiology
Cultural Views of Labor & Birth
How Fear Effects Labor
Review of Nutrition
Pregnancy Exercises
Optimal Fetal Positioning
Stages of Labor
The Mind/Body Connection
Pregnancy & Birth Consumer Choices – common interventions
Bishop’s Score for Induction
Informed Decision Making
Birth Preferences – why make a plan
Packing Your Birth Bags
The Benefits of Doula Care
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy
Comfort Measures
Positions for Labor & Pushing
What can the Birth Partner do?
Labor Scenarios
Cesarean Fact Sheet
Breech Information
Umbilical Cord
Newborn Procedures & Options
The Mind of a Newborn
Breastfeeding Info
Postpartum Care

The course fee is $95 and includes all of the supplies for you and your partner, snacks and refreshments, and two comfort measure tools to keep for your birth!

Hypnobabies Summer Class Series

5/5/2016

Doula Humor

4/24/2016

Doulas are a witty group of people.

These funny memes were created by my good friend and fellow birth worker, Cole Deelah of Sage Beginnings Doula Services. You can check her out on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SageBeginnings.

Happy Spring

3/21/2016

Snazzy Hypnobabies Info Graphics

3/10/2016

The blog title does not fit the above picture, admittedly, but hold judgement until the end of this post. ;)

I recently decided to get creative and make some new info graphics to share with my Hypnobabies students. The purpose is two-fold. In addition to sharing the images online, I also wanted something a little more visually appealing to share with my students.

At the end of each class series I like to print off Hypnobabies affirmation cards, laminate them, and then gift them to my students to decorate their birth space.

I'm a big proponent of diversifying the different ways in which Hypnobabies messages are reinforced and used during birth. We have the audio tracks, which are well known, and the physical and verbal cues that are used by the birth partner, but it's also great to have a visual communication and reinforcement for mothers. In this way we can keep a steady and varied stream of Hypnobabies messages flowing to support a birthing mother.

Until now I was just typing and printing affirmations on white paper and using decorative scrapbooking paper as a border. (Example above.)

I was happy enough with the look, but then I got inspired by another Hypnobabies instructor to take these visual gems to the next level.

So without further ado, here are my new Hypnobabies graphic cards. Feel free to save and share them, and don't forget to post a comment with feedback!

Success - A Visual

2/16/2016

To succeed at any goal (becoming a doula, having a positive birth experience, learning how to breastfeed, feeling like a competent parent) requires that we travel a winding and sometimes unnerving pathway. Never give up!

I Dream Of Becoming a Doula

2/15/2016

I love being a birth doula. It is truly my calling. Just last month I celebrated the beginning of my eighth year as a doula.

I've established and re-established my business three times because of moves for my husband's work.

I've met and worked with and served many amazing people.

It still excites and scares me every time I get called to a birth because of the responsibility I have to meet my obligations to that family, to help them reach their goals, to help them make in-the-moment choices, to help them process and adapt to minor and major changes in their birth plans, all of this and more, and all for an indeterminate amount of time away from the rest of life.

I have had doula mentors that have helped to guide me, both emotionally through this journey and educationally on how to set boundaries and to have a financially successful business.

I'm finally seeing a consistent profit each year, so my family isn't feeling the financial burden of all of my doula trainings, certifications, re-certifications, yearly renewal fees, supplies purchased, traveling, continuing education, etc.

It is also extremely hard...

It is hard on me mentally, physically, emotionally, and it is hard on my family. I've missed holidays and birthdays and family gatherings, I've had to leave sick kids when all I really wanted to do was to cuddle my own babies, and I've been taken advantage by a few clients (there is a balance that I better understand now between bleeding heart and bankrupt).

I am on call 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year (i.e. my phone is always with me, I often take my own car to events that are more than 30 minutes from my home in case I get called to a birth, I have childcare scheduled, I have back up childcare scheduled, and much more).

Still, this is what I am meant to be doing.

Make sure that as you begin this journey you connect with other doulas in your community and talk with them about the amazing things about being a doula, and the very stressful things about being a doula. Figuring out who to train and certify with is the easy part. Keeping your family going, not spending infinitely more through this process than you will wind up making (which is going to be the case anyway for the first year or so; it's just like starting any other business), not burning out only a few years later, and not losing a marriage in the process are all important touch points to continually be assessing.

Ultimately, your service to other families must not come at the expense of your own family (and it will in certain ways by default, as mentioned above) but they need to be prepared for the journey as much as you will be preparing!

Some certifying organizations you can Google (and yes, I am a firm believer that certifying as a doula is an important part of taking your profession seriously and asking others to do the same) ...

DONA - http://www.dona.org

toLabor - http://www.tolabor.com

CAPPA - http://www.cappa.net

Birth Arts International - http://www.birtharts.com

ProDoula - http://www.ProDoula.com

Childbirth International - http://www.childbirthinternational.com/courses/birth_doula.php

And for additional training, especially helpful to a new doula but also valuable to seasoned doulas, 100% Doula.

http://100percentdoula.teachable.com

Be humble, be warm, be generous, be thankful, be smart, be willing to work really hard, have boundaries, take good care of yourself, and develop a network of support.

Know that this service will never make you rich, but neither do you need to be poor.

You can do this, but it will take sacrifice in ways you might not be anticipating, and it will provide rewards you have to experience to fully appreciate.

15 Measures for a Family Centered Cesarean Birth

6/25/2015

There is a growing national awareness that our current status quo on cesarean sections has to change, both for the health and safety of the mother as well as for the baby.

My focus today isn't on the prevention front, which is an important initiative all on its own, but rather on the subject of what can be done to make a cesarean a birth rather than just a surgery when a cesarean is medically necessary and there is time to discuss options in advance of the procedure.

It is important to recognize that a cesarean section is still the birth of a baby. It is performed via medical means, but it is still an emotional and metal transition that deserves respect and special consideration by the surgical team.

Here are specific considerations for having a Family Centered Cesarean. Each of these points should be discussed with your care provider.

Maternal Monitors - Requesting that the heart monitors and pulse ox monitor be placed in locations that do not restrict the mother's ability to hold and touch her baby immediately without interference. (i.e. Heart monitors placed on the sides of the body and/or on the upper shoulders, pulse ox placed on the toe vs. the finger.
Preparing to Seed the Baby's Microbiome - Requesting a gauze 4x4 be placed in the vagina for an hour prior to surgery, then removed and saved to wipe over the baby's body, and in the mouth and nose. The purpose of this is to attempt to return some of the beneficial microbes that baby would have been exposed to through a vaginal birth so they can be seeded in the baby's gut to help initiate their immune system. (http://www.pcnguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2-Seeding-and-Feeding-the-Microbiome.pdf)
Lowered Voices in the OR - Only conversations directly related to the procedure occurring, explination of what is happening, if desired by the mother, and allowing the mother and father to really focus on the experience vs being subjected to non-pertinent conversations by the medical staff.
Music - Music of the mother's choosing to be played during the procedure. This can help create a calmer and more relaxed environment during the procedure.
Unrestrained Arms - The mother's arms to be unrestrained during the procedure, allowing her to touch her face and partner as desired, and to be able to hold and begin bonding with the baby immediately after birth.
Lowering the Drape - Allowing the mother to visually see the birth of her baby by lowering the separation drape. This visual is an important mental connection and bonding stimulant, allowing the mother a sensory experience of the birth of her baby since her physical sensation of the experience is impaired.
Mother Assisted Delivery - The mother is scrubbed and gloved up so that once the baby's head and shoulder's have been delivered, she is guided to assist in helping to deliver the rest of the baby's body and bringing to baby to her stomach or chest and waiting for delayed clamping of the cord. (http://www.exxpectations.com/news/maternal-assisted-caesarean-sections)
Delayed Cord Clamping - Delaying the clamping of the cord, as long as the mother and baby are transitioning well and there is no medical reason to intervene, for at least one full minute. (http://cord-clamping.com/2011/09/08/cesarean-delayed-clamping/)
Immediate Skin-to-Skin in the OR - As long as the baby is transitioning well, the baby is placed immediately on the mother's chest, skin-to-skin, and then both the mother and baby are covered with blankets, allowing the mother's natural thermal regulation to assist in warming the baby, and allowing bonding to continue immediately and uninterrupted in the OR vs waiting until the transfer to recovery or postpartum. To aid in this measure, the mother's hospital gown should be put on to open in the front. (http://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-skin-to-skin-care-after-a-cesarean/)
No Sedation Medications - Declining any sedation medications that the anesthesiologist may offer for the mother's comfort or rest, that may interfere with the mother's ability to be fully awake and aware, holding her baby and beginning breastfeeding as soon as desired, even potentially while still in the OR.
Additional Support Person - In addition to the father/partner, allowing a second support person (doula, midwife, etc.) to help support both the mother and the father through the experience or a professional birth photographer to capture the special moments.
Pictures - Taking pictures during the procedure, just as one would take pictures during a vaginal birth, so the family has the ability to share and reflect on the experience in a positive way.
Releasing the Placenta - Keeping the placenta to be processed by a non-hospital placenta specialist, a measure to help the mother boost her emotional and physical recovery postpartum. (http://www.ancient-hearts.com/placenta-services.html)
Keep Mom & Baby Together, Always! - No routine separation of mother and baby unless medically necessary (i.e. there's an issue with the baby and testing/treatment can only occur in the nursery or NICU, etc.) Any routine separation should be avoided so that bonding and breastfeeding can have the best start possible.
Lactation Support in Recovery - Requesting that a lactation consultant be ready to assist breastfeeding as soon as the cesarean is complete and the mother and baby are transferred to the recovery room.

Additional resources...

Contact me for more information on East Texas providers who are currently practicing, or who are open to discussing, Family Centered Cesareans.

Mother's Day

5/10/2015

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mother's with babies, to all of the mother's who want babies, and to all of the mother's who are without their babies. You are strength that the world needs and you are held dear on this day, and really on every day.