Hello , I am Victoria Blankenship , IDI certified Birth Doula . First and foremost I would like to give the disclaimer that I am not a medical professional , simply a birth professional. I make no claims that the below article will guarantee a perfect outcome. Through this article you will see and hopefully feel my passion for this topic however it may give the impression that I am "anti" doctors and hospitals. I absolutely believe both have a place and I am very thankful for them in the instance of an emergency. I know multiple doctors that I respect and truly love so please do not misinterpret my passion for anger or slandering towards doctors. Furthermore, I am very aware that every woman , birth ,and outcome vary greatly. Woman share with me on a regular basis their experiences and how they wish they could go back and further their education and/or hire a doula. I am shocked at the amount of woman I encounter that when asked at 30 weeks pregnant " What kind of birth do you think you would like to have "? The response is , " I don't know . I haven't given it much thought". My hope is that this article might save a woman like this potential regret.
Being a doula I have the opportunity to see something that is amazing... the dance of birth. I have held the hand of a woman as she buries her head in my shoulder from the unforgiving pain of her child making his way earth side. I have felt the bones in a womans hips physically move between my palms from pressing her hips together easing baby deeper into the birth canal as it can only be done in this brief time in her life due to the wonderful relaxin her body is producing. What I have learned is that the human female body is resilient, strong , and when allowed , absolutely marvelous. I have seen how a baby makes decisions using his mothers body as only a mere guide to the outside world he has never known , yet he knows she has. A baby has unwavering instinctual trust his mother will continually breathe in the oxygen that keeps him alive. Beautiful is the sight of equal trust returned to baby. This is your baby's story , you are only part of it. I've seen the pain of a natural contraction moving with the rhythm of the woman's harmonious contractions that come at precisely the right moment , as well as felt it myself. I have also stared into the eyes of a woman that is lost. Somehow she finds herself confined to a bed hooked to the movement prohibiting epidural catheter, blood pressure cuff , IV Pitocin dip , heart rate monitor , and external fetal monitor bands. She thinks to herself , "How did this happen ? This is what birth is" ? She didn't know . She didn't know that doctors orders were this. She didn't know that this is what is considered "best". She didn't have time for a birth class. No one told her what a doula was. She heard the term lightly used in her local moms group but whatever that is I definitely don't need one , she thought. "I have lots of family for support so I'm good". She read a few pages of What To Expect When You're Expecting and that was all she invested. After all , she has an expert on her side. She goes to her regular monthly OB appointments. She is covering all the bases, right ? Little did she know with her lack of education she would lose her ability to make decisions for not only herself but her baby as well. Now, she has no choice but to obey orders and follow all the "right" steps. "I need to be induced because I am passed my EDD ? Finally"! "You need to break my water because my labor "stalled" ? Sure! Whatever you think is best"! "I need an epidural , this hurts"! "Wait ... why am I still in pain? Why isn't this thing working"?! The pain increases to a cruel and unusual level that I am all too familiar with witnessing. She knows not how to handle the pain of the contractions that she had zero intentions of enduring . No one told her. No one told her that epidurals don't always work the way they should . No one told her labor will hurt one way or another regardless of drugs. No one told her to be prepared for true birth. Hours pass with little progress being made. Family and friends fear rise for the health of the baby but who is watching mother ? She is insecure , scared , and poorly informed. Babies heart rate falls. There are signs of fetal stress. Doctors watch anticipating what is now nearly inevitable. Her doctor informs her that her beloved baby is in danger. "I need a cesarean to save my baby ? Thank God I wasn't trying to deliver at home"! Family is so elated that she is in the hospital. After all, the baby was saved. A cesarean is performed and mom and baby now need additional time to heal and adjust to the unnatural occurrence of their recent journey. Not to mention the 90% increase chance for additional cesareans in her future pregnancies as well as other potential issues. This is your every day mother. This is your first time mom. This is too common.What the family , the friends , the mother, and the father don't know and may never know is that this was all caused by an unnecessary interventions that none of them had any knowledge of . The Dr didn't inform the mother that going passed her due date is utterly normal and safe. The nurse didn't tell her that an induction can have severe consequences. Her own mother never told her an induction doubles her chances of a cesarean . Her best friend never told her to research everything before making a decision. Her sister never encouraged her to find a local doula. No one will ever blame the process that has taken place. The family will go on admiring the Dr that saved their baby. Unbeknownst to them it was all superfluous. Allow me to show you some facts that many woman will never see or hear of , and I do mean never. The person they hired to keep them safe will never speak of such things. As a doula myself, one of my absolute favorite things to be for my clients is an educator. The ACOG states ,"Labor should only be induced when it is safer for the baby outside the uterus rather than inside" Despite their stance many woman will elect for or be very easily swayed to be induced for minor to absolutely zero reason. Common reasons a woman will be induced that statistically show no evidence of benefit and should be avoided are as follows- *Tired of being pregnant * Baby is too big . Your pelvis is made up of several bones held together by ligaments , as is your baby's head. Your body will produce relaxin to open and adjust perfectly to deliver your baby. * Your water has broken but there are little to no contractions . In a study done in 1995 , the LARGEST study to date , examined 5,000 woman that went 48 hours after breaking of waters and there was not one single report of an infection. With some hospitals being at an astonishing 90% induction rate it is no surprise our national cesarean rate is 32%. 1 in 3 woman will be induced , ironically 1 in 3 woman will also endure a cesarean. Duke University conducted a study of 625,000 children born to mothers whose labor was induced or augmented with pitocin. The results showed that these children were 27% more likely to have autism. That may seem unrealistic but when you come to the realization that 1 in 36 children have autism it is a bit more believable. The National Center For Biotechnology shows that pitocin use increases chances for Bi Polar disorder in the child by 240%. Furthermore, when pitocin is administered you are almost sure to receive the epidural . Why would that be ? Pitocin prevents your body from releasing its own endorphins. Your body responds to your natural oxytocin with its own brand of a morphine like pain reliever from your endorphins. These endorphins pass through the blood brain barrier to signal a release of your pain management from the wonderful endorphins. This simple fact is the reason many woman are able to have wonderful drug free births full of love and ecstasy. Many woman report a "high" after their drug free delivery ... endorphins. However unlike oxytocin , its artificial counterpart , will not only halt your body from further producing oxytocin it will NOT pass through the blood brain barrier meaning NO endorphins NO pain management.With the pitocin, contractions come hard, fast, and uncontrollable. To further prove my point , in a UK survey of 1,000 woman who received an epidural reported the highest level of pain relief yet the lowest level of satisfaction with their birth experience. Pain is a very underutilized tool when a woman is in labor. Pain guides you to the positions that your baby wants you in , therefore making further and faster progress. Often times a babies plan for their entrance is something tossed to the side. Not only does the pitocin cause its own issues it generally always includes its BFF ,the epidural . In 2018 studies showed that over 70% of woman will receive epidurals despite the fact that it doubles... DOUBLES your chance of a cesarean when administered after an induction. Pain guides you to the positions that are most comfortable which in turn are usually the positions that your baby needs you to be in. However , if you visit a friend or family member in todays society you will walk into a room and see a woman hooked up to a bunch of cords laying on her back. That is all. No movement. Laying on your back is not only by far the absolute worse position to deliver in it also compresses the large blood vessels that serve your placenta and uterus. Birth is meant to be experienced not simply endured.With an epidural your baby is also four times more likely to be posterior apposed to a mere 3% chance without an epidural. If a baby is posterior only 26% of first time moms and 57% of experienced moms will deliver vaginally without the use of tools. The other percentage of woman will receive a cesarean . Do you hear doctors educating their patients about the risks of an epidural ? No. Will their doctor tell them their labor is so dreadfully long because their baby was not ready ? No, they will say you are probably having a big baby. False. In closing , your oxytocin and your baby's oxytocin are different because they have different jobs. They work flawlessly and harmoniously in unison with glorious hormones running from the brain to the placenta and finally to the baby and on further. Allow your baby the chance to show you how well they know what they're doing. Trust your baby , trust your body.
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