Pampered Pregnancy – Blissful Birth

Emily planned on being induced at 41 weeks, on Thursday, March 29.  I was the doula on call that Thursday, so I contacted Emily to make a plan.  She was going into the hospital on Wednesday night for cervidil, and they would start Pitocin on Thursday morning.  She said that she or her husband, Thomas, would call me when they were ready for some support.  At about 8 am Thursday morning, Thomas called me to let me know that they had started the Pitocin and that Emily was starting to feel her contractions but that she was managing fine.  They would call me again when they needed me.  At about 1:30, Thomas called to say that Emily’s doctor broke her water at 1, and Emily was ready for some support!  That AROM was bringing on some intense contractions.

When I arrived at the hospital at about 2, Emily was dealing with her contractions really well, supported lovingly by Thomas and her mom, Ann.  The contractions were short but pretty strong.  Luckily, Emily is a yogini and a master of deep, focused breathing.  The baby was having some heart rate decelerations, so her doctor wanted her to be in bed, but we tried different positions to make her more comfortable because side-lying was really doing a number on her hip.  She alternated side-lying with sitting on the edge of the bed and sitting upright in bed.  Thomas climbed onto the bed with her so that she could hold his hand and lean on him.  He was a steadfast support and a great cheerleader.

Emily’s doctor had limited her to ice chips, but she was hungry.  She hadn’t eaten since about 9 the evening before.  I suggested asking if she could have a popsicle.  They asked their nurse who said she would get approval, but Thomas took matters into his own hands.  As it turns out, Emily’s friend, Bree, is actually her OB’s nurse.  Going (almost) straight to the top, Thomas called Bree, and she said she would see what she could do.  In a couple of minutes, the nurse returned to ask what flavor popsicle Emily wanted.  It helps to have friends in high places!

After what Emily said was the best popsicle she’d ever had in her life, she got back to work dealing with those contractions.  We made a plan for her to get up and go to the bathroom and switch positions every hour or so.  Since she was attached to so many hospital contraptions, getting up to go to the bathroom was no easy feat.  Once she was in there, I suggested staying on the toilet for a contraction or two so that she could really relax her pelvis and encourage that baby to move down.

At about 3:30, Emily’s contractions started to get really strong.  Amusingly, this coincided with a visit from both Emily’s mom and Thomas’s mom, Diana.  They were respectful of Emily’s space, but they were also excited and full of their own memories of childbirth so they stood tittering in the corner for a while.  Eventually, they left, and Emily was at the point in her labor when she really needed quiet to focus and concentrate.  I told her that the great, deep, yoga breathing that she had done earlier would help her get through the tougher contractions, too.  And that’s what she did.  As they got closer and stronger, she tapped into her breath and focused on getting through each one as it came.  Thomas would hold her hand and cheer her on, and I would tell her when the peak of a contraction had come and when it would be receding.

Emily dealt with these intense contractions for several hours.  When her doctor checked on her at about 5:30 pm, he said that her baby had moved down a bit but that she was still dilated about 2 cm.  He suggested an epidural because it would help her relax and rest, which would hopefully allow her cervix to dilate more quickly.  Emily had planned for a natural birth, so this advice from her doctor came as  a bit of a surprise.  She and Thomas decided that they wanted some time alone, so I went to meet Ann in the waiting room.  After about an hour and a half, Thomas let us know that they had gotten the epidural.  When I returned to the room, Emily was no longer dealing with the contraction pain, but she was incredibly shaky from the epidural.  She said that right after the epidural, the new doctor on call came in and wanted Emily to know that if she didn’t dilate any more in the next hour or so, she would need to start thinking about a possible C-section.  Baby was having some decels that were concerning her.  Emily, Thomas, and I discussed their options.  We decided that Emily should spend the next hour or so resting and waiting for the next cervical check to make a decision.  Resting was hard for Emily because the epidural had made her so shaky.  Once her body adjusted, though, Emily was able to doze for a bit.  At about 8:40, twenty minutes earlier than the doctor had wanted to do her second cervical check, she came back in because she saw some decels that concerned her.  She suggested a C-section.

It’s never easy to hear a doctor mention a C-section, and Emily and Thomas were understandably upset.  They wanted to speak with their doctor, and they wanted to have some time together to discuss it.  They ultimately decided that it was the best option for them, and everyone started getting prepared.  Thomas and I suited up so that he could be with Emily in the OR, and so I could swap out when he went to be with the baby.

Things move fast when C-section preparations are underway, and in a little while, as I was waiting outside the OR to swap in, I heard a loud cry and knew that baby Max had been born!  After seeing her baby for the first time, Emily felt much better.  In the OR, she was a trooper, brave and peaceful.  She even fell asleep for a bit after Thomas left to be with Max.  When they were reunited, after Thomas spent time with Max in the nursery during his assessments and bath (which Thomas even helped out with), it was a beautiful moment.  Max snuggled right up on his mom, so happy to finally be there.  Thomas and Emily snuggled him and hugged each other, and it was just such a beautiful family moment.  Congratulations, Emily and Thomas!  It was not an easy labor, but you managed it with strength and grace.  Good work!  Now go enjoy that adorable little man!

Stretchy Max!

Burrito Max!

Did you know that all children are musical?

Have you ever wondered what you can do to nurture the musical growth of your child, regardless of your own musical ability?

Experience Music Together^® and find out how important–and how fun–your role can be! Our Music Together® classes build on your child’s natural enthusiasm for music and movement.

From infancy and throughout early childhood we’ll help you provide your little one with the basic musical skills needed to enjoy school and social musical activities, and to study an instrument should he or she choose to do so.  Even little babies are great percussionists and vocalists, so come join the fun!!

Wednesday 5/23 at GET BABIED – email noelle@getbabied.com for further details or visit www.thesingingtree.net!

Mixed ages 9am

Babies 10am

The best defense is a good offense, and that’s especially true when it comes to avoiding PPD. There’s no guarantee that you won’t get PPD if you follow the steps below, but being proactive will reduce your chances of ending up a victim of PPD, and you’ll have more of a safety net to help you out if you do develop it.

Preventing PPD starts while you’re still pregnant, and continues until your baby is off to college. (Just kidding. Sort of.) If this list of things to do seems overwhelming, just try one or two things. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE PPD ALREADY, tell your partner, provider, and best friend so they can help you get help. PPD is an illness, it’s easily treatable, and it’s not your fault. You will feel normal again, and you won’t even have to stop breastfeeding if you don’t want to.

1. Pick a provider you feel comfortable with. The labor and delivery will almost certainly not happen the way you imagine it. That means you need to trust your provider absolutely to make decisions that are right for you and your baby. Find a provider that takes you and your concerns seriously, and seems comfortable with the preferences and situation you’re bringing to the experience. Don’t be afraid to switch if you think the fit isn’t right.

2. Find support for feeding problems while you’re still pregnant. Many women attempt to breastfeed, and most of those women discover that it’s not as easy as they thought it would be! While you’re still pregnant, find an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in your area. Put her number on your refrigerator, so when you’re crying on the first day home from the hospital you have someone to call for knowledgeable help.

3. Line up help for the first few weeks after the baby arrives. Caring for a new baby is hard, tiring work, but it’s also lonely. Even if your partner is going to be home from work for the first week or two, you’ll still do much better if you have another adult around the house for a few hours each day to help you with laundry, feeding yourself, holding the baby while you nap, and providing some adult conversation.

Choose your help wisely, though—pick someone you can stand to be around for long hours under stressful conditions. Surrounding yourself with people who are happy and kind will make the first few weeks better.

4. Drink lots of water. The more water you drink, the faster your body will flush out the toxins, reduce swelling, and start to heal itself. Try to drink a glass of water every time you sit down to feed the baby.

5. Take your vitamins. Especially the B-complex vitamins, which have been shown to help elevate mood. Consider adding a B-complex supplement to your regular multi-vitamin/prenatal.

6. Take Omega 3 fatty acids. Fish oil or flax seed oil in capsule form is the easiest to take. In addition to regulating your moods and serotonin levels, Omega 3s will help prevent plugged milk ducts, lower your cholesterol, and make your hair shiny.

7. Exercise for at least 20 minutes a day. Things that strengthen your core and help regulate your hormones (like T-Tapp, yoga, and Pilates) are good choices, as are cardio exercises that will get your heart rate up (like walking, swimming, and climbing stairs). Even dancing around the living room with your baby for 20 minutes will help.

8. Ask someone to give you a massage every day. Seriously. Evidence is showing that as little as 15 minutes of massage a day is as effective as anti-depressants in preventing PPD. Your partner and friends love you and want you to feel good, so they’ll be happy to take turns giving you backrubs every day.

9. Get as much sleep as you can within the limits of your situation. It’s going to be a loooooong time before you get eight hours in a row again, but the consensus among tired parents seems to be that if you can get one four-hour stretch and a few other stretches each day you’ll be able to function decently. See if you and your partner can take turns so that each of you gets a four-hour stretch each night.

If you can, keep the baby in the room with you so no one has to make the long trudge down the hall whenever the baby wakes up. This is no time for heroic sacrifices on the altar of How Your Baby Should Be Sleeping, so do whatever you have to do to get everyone as much sleep as possible.

10. Turn your face to the sun. Getting 5-10 minutes of sunshine a day can really help your body feel better. As an added bonus, if you take your baby into daylight first thing each morning it will help her start to regulate days and nights better.

11. Go out every day at the same time. Whether it’s for a walk around the block, to run an errand, or even just to walk around at the mall, setting a time to go out of your house and into the outer world will give your day some structure and help you feel like a normal person again.

12. Force yourself to make new friends. You’re feeling insecure and puffy and tired and shocked, but so is everyone else with a new baby. You’re all in the same situation, so it’s an excellent time to make new friends. Force yourself to get out to breastfeeding support groups, new mom drop-in groups, the library and bookstores, and the places in your neighborhood where the new parents hang out. Then start talking to people. (Commiseration about lack of sleep is always a good topic.) Eventually you’ll start to find people to hang out with and share the experience with.

13. Keep your baby as close as you want to. There are tons of wives’ tales about not picking up your baby too much, but babies and mothers are built to be a close unit at the beginning. Carrying and holding your baby will help him regulate his movements, digestion, and sleep, and make him cry less. Staying close to your baby is good for you, too, as it helps regulate your moods and milk production (if you’re nursing), and pumps up your biceps. Your baby will be running away from you soon enough, so enjoy the snuggle time as much as you can right now.

14. Be gentle with yourself. You’re doing the best you can, and that’s all anyone can do. You’re the perfect mother for your child.

Once you have attended a minimum of three births as a shadow within our collective of doulas, you may qualify to become an apprentice doula at our collective.  Apprentice doulas are doulas that are continuing to work on their certification, and are working at a reduced cost to parents while doing so. Apprentice doulas at Get Babied work on a 24/7 scheduled on-call rotation, and care for clients prenatally and postpartum in the same way as our certified doulas do.  Being an apprentice at Get Babied is a great way to continue your education by learning from seasonsed certified doulas, and by having a resource for any questions that crop up during your prenatal and postpartum care, as well as phone/email/text support while you are at births.  Get Babied! as a collective has quarterly in-house training sessions for all of their doulas, as a committment to our continued knowledge growth and professionalism.

• Must have completed a doula workshop (DONA, BFW, ToLabor, BAI, ICEA, etc)
• Must have attended as a doula at least 3 births
• Must have shadowed at least one birth with a Get Babied Certified Doula
• Must attend a Meet the Doulas Night
• Must have access to email and cell phone to be available 24/7 on-call for births
• Must have reliable transportation and the ability to be at any Austin hospital within 1 hour of a call on your on-call day
• Birth(s) may be used toward certification if you actively serve as a doula at the birth

The Yoga Instructor coordinates and teaches pre-natal and post-natal Yoga to the moms of Get Babied and the community at large. This position provides education and guidance through use of yoga techniques to help individuals seek more flexibility, comfort and increases individual stress management. The Yoga Instructor is responsible for creating and providing structured classes. Will teach proper alignment so that students can internalize poses, while ensuring safety and prevention of injury to students. Preferred requirements: Course work required to receive ERYT-Registered and Certified Yoga Teacher, and RPYT-Registered Pre-Natal Yoga Teacher. Minimum one year of practicing yoga teaching. Knowledge of yoga teaching. ERYT-Registered and Certified Yoga Teacher. RPYT-Registered Pre-Natal Yoga Teacher

Compensation: $9/student.   Classes currently running are on Saturday mornings – 10-11am prenatal yoga, 11-12 postnatal yoga.  Also willing to open other time slots, depending on the interest and availability of qualified applicants.

Please inquire at info@getbabied.com.  We look forward to working with you!

Thursday May 10, 2012 – Thursday May 31, 2012

1825 E 38 1/2 st.

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Description:

Karen Shopoff Rooff
CI- Certified Personal Trainer
CI- Certified Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist
Balance Personal Fitness Training, LLC
www.balancepft.com – 512.569.3965

Register

Katie woke up with what she thought was a broken bag of water on May 5th 2012. Katie emailed the doulas about what to do, and we encouraged her to go in and get checked to make sure it was really broken, but the advocate for going home. That is just what she did. Katie and her husband Hunter were “allowed” to go home to try to get labor started in their own space on their own time. They just had to be back by 10pm if contractions didn’t bring them in sooner.

Katie was contracting all day, but they weren’t big enough to bring her in early. I met her and Hunter at the hospital just before ten to talk about what to expect and make a game plan. After a quick pep talk, we walked upstairs and were put into labor room two. Katie’s contractions slowed down while she was getting checked in, which was totally normal for a laboring mama thrust into a new birthing space. Over the next hour and a half, several nurses tried unsuccessfully to start an IV in Katie’s fortress-like veins. They gave up for a bit and did a cervical check while they waited for someone fancier to try the IV. Katie was 1 cm dilated and 40% effaced, a big change from earlier in the week, but according to the doc she still had a long way to go and told her that even with pitocin, it might be a long time before we saw a baby. I reminded her that when a body is ready to open it will and not to worry about the time that it takes.

While we waited for the IV that would eventually bring the pitocin, Katie, Hunter, and I walked the halls. We enjoyed the storm and the super moon that were both raging outside. Around 2am, we aquired a new nurse who was able to place the IV (finally!). Katie was given a pole with fluids, a wireless monitor, and we set out into the halls for some more walking and squatting. I admitted to Katie, that I had a feeling about her birth. I had this nagging feeling that once her bag of waters truly burst, the baby would come and come quickly. We all hoped that would be true!

After what seemed like forever, I think somebody somewhere out in hospital land got in trouble for not already starting the pitocin and it was administered. Katie’s labor had already really picked up even before the pitocin, so it brought the contractions on with a fury. Katie labored fantastically. She listened to her body and changed positions a lot. Hands and knees was very productive for her, as was squatting. Hunter was the best labor support person I have ever witnessed (and I have been at some amazing births!). He gave her some much emotional support. He said all the right things. Their love filled the room. I know it helped Katie through some of the challenging parts of her labor.

Once Katie started to get tired, her and Hunter had some time in the shower. The shower was short, but it rejuvenated her spirits and relaxed her. Soon after at 6:30am, while laboring in hands and knees Katie had a super intense contraction that broke her fore bag with a POP. Labor progressed very quickly after that. At about 6:45am they did the second cervical check. Katie was 80% effaced and 7 cm dilated!

Katie transitioned like a warrior! She truly surrendered to her labor and let her contractions come. They were big and intense and beautiful. Hunter and I praised and applauded her while she vocalized through them. The doctor came in to check-in a little bit later, heard the vocalizing and checked Katie. She was 9cm! Katie headed over to the toilet to let her cervix finish opening.

Just around 8am, Katie was ready to birth her baby. She tried a variety of positions on the bed. Settling on changing from side to side, since baby girl hadn’t like moving down so low, so fast. With Hunter and I helping to hold legs and offering encouragement, Katie birthed Coriander June Cohen just before 9am on May 6th. It was beautiful. The new Cohen family were given space by the hospital staff. Once the baby nurse had the apgars, she said to just call her when they were ready to have her weighed. They got to hold and snuggle their sweet Cora for a good long while. Cora even latched on to the breast quickly and with no assistance. We even heard her loud swallows!

This was hands down, the most powerful birth I have ever been to. In spite of the inconvenience of her water breaking before labor, Katie toughed it out and got the birth and the baby she wanted. Congratulations Katie and Hunter! It was a huge honor to be at your birth!

The Happy Cohen Family!

Wednesday September 5, 2012 – Wednesday September 5, 2012

2027 Anchor Ln

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Description:

Address:
2027 Anchor Ln
Austin, TX
78722
USA
Map and Directions

Date: July 25, 2012

Start Time:7:00 pm
End Time: 9:00 pm

Register

Wednesday July 25, 2012 – Wednesday July 25, 2012

2027 Anchor Ln

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

It’s pregnancy, labor and post-labor: for dads… by dads.”  Note – this class is offsite, and is at Contigo Bar & Grill, just around the corner from the doula collective.    2027 Anchor Lane 78722.

In this class, you will learn:

* Things to do well before labor
* What to expect in the delivery room
* Dad’s and Doulas as birth partners
* Comfort measures dads can do during labor
* Infant care 101

Register

May is here, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner!  At Get Babied, we’re big fans of moms and moms-to-be, and we’re devoting the month of May to pampering moms and future moms.  If you are expecting and interested in having a blissful birth and pampered pregnancy, please stop by one of our Meet the Doulas Nights this month!  This is also perfect for moms with little ones looking for postpartum support to come find out more about what our postpartum doula team has to offer and how they can spoil you a bit this month.  Our Meet the Doulas Nights are always a lot of fun, and they are a great opportunity to meet all of us face to face, take a load off, have some yummy food and soothing tea, and find out more about our services.

We will hold our Meet the Doulas Tea on Tuesday, May 8, from 7-9 pm.  This is a casual Meet the Doulas Night with tea and light snacks.  We won’t have a guest speaker, but we will have a birth testimonial from previous clients, Christine and Jay, and then we’ll break up and do a speed-dating session so that you can meet all of the doulas, and we can all meet you!

Our second Meet the Doulas Night this month will be on Saturday, May 19, from 7-9 pm.  Please note that we are moving it up a week this month in order to avoid Memorial Day conflicts.  Sleep consultant, Bruce W. Meleski, Ph.D., will be speaking about the importance of sleep and suggesting ways to help new parents get some much-needed rest.  And, as always, we will have a birth testimonial from a previous client.  It will be a fun and informative evening!  You won’t want to miss it!

All of our Meet the Doulas Nights are held in our office at 1825 38 ½ Street.  You don’t need to RSVP.  Just show up!  We look forward to seeing you!

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And in honor of Mother’s Day, let us pamper you at the Get Babied! Spa Fest at Baby Earth in Round Rock on May 12!  Admission is free, and there will be tons of giveaways, free massages, speakers, lots of awesome vendors, and all kinds of goodies.  If you came to our Baby Expo this past January, then you know that the Get Babied! doulas know how to throw a party.  Mark your calendars, and join us Mother’s Day weekend for some extreme pampering!