5 Things Your OBGYN Won’t Tell You - How to Have A Better Birth
Over the years I've realized there are things your OBGYN won't tell you about how to have a better birth and postpartum - 5 things in particular.
For my first pregnancy I used an out of hospital midwife and had my baby at a birth center. Because my pregnancies became a tiny bit higher risk after that, my prenatal care switched to an OB but then eventually ended with a midwife again. I'm also a doula and childbirth educator and what that means is... I just know too much. I know too much about what prenatal and postpartum care could be. 😉
With an OB my prenatal visits were short and rushed. Honestly, I spent more time waiting for the appointment than in my actual appointment. Even though the staff was very friendly and helpful, I felt like just a number. My experience left much to be desired.
Here are the 5 things I found that your OBGYN won't tell you about how to have a better birth and postpartum. PLEASE use this information so that you can have a strong birth and healthy postpartum!
1. Stay Healthy and Low Risk
One of the most powerful things a woman can do to help have a better birth and postpartum is to be healthy and stay low risk throughout her pregnancy. Some complications are out of our control, but some are not.
Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), for example, are three common pregnancy complications that can turn a healthy pregnancy into a more complicated fiasco, all increasing the chance of cesarean, induction, and sick babies (which obviously make for a more difficult birth and postpartum).
Did you know that these three pregnancy complications do not necessarily happen by chance? There are simple things you can do to decrease your risk.
For example, by eating probiotic rich food or taking a probiotic daily, you can reduce the chance of ALL the pregnancy complications listed above. I think that's pretty cool! (PLEASE click through the link above, read it, and check my sources before commenting below.)
I'm not saying that everyone can magically have low risk pregnancies always. I am saying that there are sometimes things we can do to lower risk during pregnancy. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, check out my natural pregnancy resource list. It's free!
2. A Less Painful and Shorter Labor is Possible
For whatever reason OBs don't seem to tell their patients how to have a less painful or shorter labor - they leave it up to them to figure it out. But we all want to have a shorter and less painful labor, right? Well, baby’s position has A LOT to do with how long and how painful birth can be!
As we all know, the best birthing position for baby to be in is head down - but that’s not all. Baby also needs to be facing mom’s back (anterior) with their chin tucked down. Baby best fits through the pelvis in this position making for an easier exit.
However, when baby is not in this ideal position mom's body will use contractions to reposition the baby instead of for dilation and descent. Once baby rotates things begin to move forward. This is one reason labor can take longer and therefore be more painful.
Now that we better understand optimal fetal positioning, doesn't it make sense to start working on this during pregnancy instead of waiting until labor?
Good news! Spinning Babies created a resource to encourage babies into more favorable birthing positions. I've used this resource and information so many times to help babies move to a better position prenatally or in labor, and subsequently had relatively fast and straight forward labors. Knowledge is power!
3. Epidurals Come at a Cost
The one thing I remember from my college economics class is that “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Basically, my professor was saying that there's a cost for everything - there’s always a catch.
This idea holds true for the epidural in labor. When getting an epidural there is a cost or a trade-off to that decision.
- There are side effects of an epidural to consider.
- Sometimes epidurals don't work, or only work partially on one side.
- Labor AND pushing may be longer with an epidural. (source)
- Parents are more likely to receive pitocin with an epidural. (source)
- The chance of having to use a vacuum or forceps to get baby out has increased. (source)
- Which then increases the chance of perineal tearing.
- With an epidural parents are confined to their bed, and cannot eat or drink.
- Being confined to a bed reduces normal maternal movement in labor, therefore lowering baby's opportunities to move to an optimal fetal position. This can make labors longer (see above).
I am not against epidurals! I am actually a big fan when used wisely and compassionately. I'm not a fan, however, when women aren't encouraged to weigh the benefits and risks to gain informed consent. This is so important!
Unfortunately, the current American medical model of care has not been created to fully support a woman in natural childbirth. Because of her high patient load and subsequent paperwork, sometimes all a nurse can do to help is offer drugs and epidurals. Parents preparing for a natural birth in the hospital should consider hiring a doula to avoid an epidural.
4. Lower the Risk of Cesarean
Unfortunately, OBs don't explain to parents how to lower their risk of a cesarean birth. I wish they would! Here are 5 ways to lower the risks of giving birth by cesarean, one of the big things your OBGYN won't tell you.
A. Consider a homebirth.
Yeah, I know this sounds so completely out of the box, but homebirth is a valid option to consider. I have personally witnessed some of the lowest cesarean rates in low risk, healthy women in a local homebirth practice. Believe it or not, research studies back me up on this.
There is something to be said about giving birth in your own home, not having to leave your home in the middle of labor (disrupting the flow of oxytocin), and having the extraordinary care from a competent and educated licensed midwife. The one-on-one care via a homebirth midwife is incomparable to even a hospital midwife. The time, the relationship developed, and the access to the midwife sets a mom up for success.
I understand if you need to have your baby in a hospital (I did!), but if homebirth is an option, consider it! The documentary The Business of Being Born is one of the best birth documentaries and will get you started.
B. Hire a doula.
A labor doula increases the chance of a vaginal birth (source) and reduces the need for extras like epidurals and vacuum assisted births. Doulas significantly lower the chance of having a cesarean birth. Amazing!
C. Avoid an Induction.
In a nut shell, an induction increases the risk of a cesarean birth. (source)
"One-quarter of those who had a labor induction ended up needing a C-section, versus 14 percent of those who had a natural labor."(source)
Familiarize yourself with common reasons for induction like low amniotic fluid and going past 40 weeks, beforehand, to have an answer when the induction conversation happens. And make sure to check out my posts about inducing naturally with things like castor oil and pineapple juice! 😉
D. Labor at Home
In my experience, the further along a woman is in the labor process, the harder it is to disrupt the flow of oxytocin, the hormone that causes contractions. If a woman shows up at the hospital 1-5 cm, her labor pattern is more vulnerable to influences like adrenaline, which can slow labor.
However, if a woman shows up at the hospital 6 cm and up (active labor), her labor pattern will often stay strong and resilient to disruptors like adrenaline. To lower your chance of a cesarean, try laboring at home as long as possible.
(But you know, make sure you get to the hospital and don't have a car baby too. I'm kinda over seeing birth videos all over the internets where women are unexpectedly having car babies. Car babies aren't fun! 😉 )
E. Plan a Natural Birth
Things like epidurals and pitocin increase the risk of cesarean. Therefore, planning for a natural birth will help decrease the risk of cesarean. This is where childbirth education and hiring a doula are mandatory. You cannot simply hope for a natural birth, you must plan for one.
I once heard an OB ask their patient if she had taken a childbirth class. Mama answered no, to which the OB said, “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.” Ummm....
Maybe the OB will walk her through the pushing stage, but they sure won't walk her through pain coping techniques, how to labor at home, how to lower your chances of surgery and other interventions, etc.
Women Have Been Giving Birth For Eons So...
Parents often think that since women have been giving birth for eons and eons they'll get through it just fine too, right? What's the big deal?
Here’s the thing - until recently (the past 100 ish years), women have not had to give birth in the medical system that modern women do. Women used to attend each other’s births and gain knowledge and wisdom from each other.
Since birth switched from home to hospital, women have lost the wisdom gained from one another. Birth became something unseen, which left the modern woman ignorant while navigating pregnancy, birth, and the medical model of care. What a mess.
Whatever you do, find a good childbirth class to plug into. A good way to find a class is to send an email to a few local doulas asking their opinions on classes. Doulas are the information keepers of birth communities. Or sometimes I call them the concierge of birth. 😉
5. Breastfeeding Preparation is a Must
Women have been breastfeeding their babies for eons and eons, so breastfeeding books and classes are a waste of time, right? Nope.
The same reason childbirth preparation is a must can be applied to why breastfeeding preparation is a must. For awhile in the 1900s breastfeeding almost went extinct (in America). Formula companies told doctors that their product was better than breast milk, formula was marketed to parents, and everybody believed the lie.
The result was the loss of breastfeeding knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Ideas like how to get a good latch, how to know if baby is getting enough, and how to increase milk supply -all lost. The profession of lactation consultant was born, and boy am I thankful. Contact a doula or a midwife to get a good referral if you end up needing some extra help.
Luckily, new moms today have more breastfeeding support than their mothers and grandmothers did, but we’re still not back to where we used to be. I highly recommend taking a prenatal breastfeeding class!
Online Breastfeeding Course
For visual learners the online course Simply Breastfeeding From Day One is PERFECT for new parents! I've personally taken this course and LOVE it! But, why learn about breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding is natural but it takes time to learn. New mothers say:
“I never imagined breastfeeding would be so hard and so time consuming.”
“They don’t really prepare you for how overwhelming breastfeeding can be.”
Parents who wait until their baby is born to learn about breastfeeding feel overwhelmed. The learning curve is steep, especially when also dealing with exhaustion from the birth and overrun with company. I’ve seen plenty of tears and heard families’ frustrations over not knowing how often to feed, whether their baby was getting enough milk, or how to avoid breastfeeding pain.
It doesn't have to be this way! ------>>>> CHECK IT OUT!
Things Your OB Won't Tell You: Do Your Own Research
The one thing I hope you gleaned from this article about things your obgyn won't tell you is that parents need to do their own research and advocate for themselves to achieve a better birth.
You are your advocate, and you will find nobody advocating for yourself like you would. Speak up and let your voice be heard! You got this!
NOTE: If after reading this article you're not sure if your care provider is the best fit, it may be time to fire your OB!
NOTE: This article was so popular, I made another! Head on over here to read 5 More Things Your OBGYN Won't Tell You (About How to Have a Better Birth and Postpartum)
great post! i am so glad i took your class and highly recommend it. i'm also so happy that i chose to have a homebirth, what an incredible experience! i do wish i would have prepared more for breastfeeding...i wasn't expecting it to be as hard as it has been to get it going well, or prepared for the emotional upset caused by feeling, in that first postpartum week, like i couldn't feed my baby (we've had latching issues)
Great post! I would add to seek out an IBCLC while you are pregnant, so you have one on speed dial once baby has arrived, pretty much everyone needs extra help. And set aside the funds for one!
Most of this article is a load of crap. It's not a matter of the mothers-to-be against their physicians; it's not a war of wills. Certainly you must research the subjects presented and be your own advocate. But going into the process with the proverbial 'chip on your shoulder' is totally unproductive and a waste of precious energy. Listen to your OBGYN and make decisions with him/her as a TEAM. In the end, we all just want a happy mom and a healthy baby. :)))
Yikes! I wouldn't wish a war of the wills during pregnancy/birth on any mom. If they're finding themselves in that situation they likely need to switch care providers for a better fit.
They aren’t care providers they are doctors.
YES! I spent my pregnancy (first ever) reading all this junk and getting a major chip on my shoulder as you said and getting brain washed into thinking hospitals were terrible evil places where the staff only cares about themselves and not you or the baby. So, I decided to have a natural birthing center birth with only midwives. It was awful. They completely misjudged how progressed i was in labor to the point where I was never given antibiotics for being GBS positive, and was told I had 5+ hrs to go, and I decided I couldn't handle the pain any more and requested to be transferred to the hospital for drugs. Well, turns out I was in very very active labor and they let my husband and I get in a car and drive to the hospital. Half an hour after we left (and were told we had many many hours to go) I gave birth to my baby in the front seat of my car, alone, without anyone who knew what they were doing let alone any medical care/supervision. The hospital was wonderful. They were so diligent about taking care of the baby and me, kind, not pushy, answered all questions I had. It was great. They completely turned a horrible time around. I will never again consider a non hospital birth. And I completely disagree with the "the risks of an epidural outweigh the pros". That is the writer's OPINION, not a fact. Please don't state it as a fact and let mothers who don't know any better think it is a fact. For the writer, the pros of natural birth out weight the cons. That doesn't mean it's true for everyone. I will have an epidural next time. For me, the pain was not worth it. It took away the excitement and enjoyment. I feel like I COULD do a natura birth again, but, why put myself through that again? I just hate this brainwashing. I learned my lesson the hard way. I hope other mothers are smarter than me and don't take articles like this as die hard facts.
This isn't brainwashing, hon, this was a woman sharing her knowledge and backing it up with sources. I have no idea why your birth was the way it was (did you not take childbirth classes? Did you simply not get along with your midwife? Etc) but you are equally wrong for "brainwashing" other women into thinking that natural birth is a load of crap, or that anyone giving fair warning about legitimate issues with hospital birth is somehow scaremongering.
I too had a hospital birth, and I am blessed that they were so supportive...at the time of labor. Before then, when I had to switch to the hospital for back labor complications, a doctor tried to scare me into never having a home birth should I get a cesaeren (which is a load of crap), and the staff completely disregarded my pain as relating to labor. They were convinced that it was a kidney infection despite tests coming back negative, and even when I lost mucus plug!
Yes, there are good hospitals and wonderful OBs/nurses, just as there are bad ones. Just as there are good AND bad midwives. The point of this article was to allow women to educate themselves on something plenty of OBs may not properly explain well or at all to allow themselves to prepare for the birth they want. I never got a negative vibe from this, and I loved my OB who attended my birth (she prevented my need for a cesaeren!)
I am only returning to this hospital for my second delivery because there are no independent midwives in my area. Although I know the hospital is supportive of natural birth, they still have to follow hospital procedures that can disrupt natural birth, and don't even allow a woman to birth n a tub (she can labor, but must get out to push out the baby). Does that sound like something I should remain unprepared for? Simply because educating myself and speaking about it with my OB is somehow painting her and the midwives as evil???
Instead of tearing women down, respect that women will experience birth differently from you. No one needs your negativity, only your personal story and acceptance.
Well said, couldn't have said it better myself. Each woman's labor is different as well as each pregnancy. Educate yourself, it's power, then make the best choice for YOU and no one else! BTW I have three children and expecting my first grandchild next month.
AGREED! This article makes it seem like your provider is keeping information from you. ESPECIALLY your epidural section. False on a lot of counts. Googling does not = Medical Degree
Ps- I have a REAL eaRNed medical degree...
I have IUGR right now and I assure you I am a healthy woman. IUGR is not preventable by drinking a smoothie. Lol! What a joke! It is caused by a problem with the placenta like a tear or poor attachment in the early stages of birth. This article is ridiculous.
If you think the point of this article is saying to simply drink a smoothie and all your problems will be solved...I'm afraid you've missed the whole point.
I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 36 weeks and I did have a kale smoothie every morning.
Hey Hannah. Thanks for commenting. Sorry you had pre-e. It's definitely an unexpected turn of events especially when it seems like you've done everything right. Many things are out of our control and all we can do is the next best thing. ❤️
I've had IUGR with all 3 of my pregnancies.. All considering I'm only 5 ft tall and 110 lbs. And I know people that small can have easy pregnancies. I should mention this last pregnancy ate healthier. Stayed healthier. Did that help any? Nope!!! Actually more complications popped up. High blood pressure.. i was not having any caffeine drinks no sugar. Sometimes that ain't enough. I have had csection on all three pregnancies having small babies. So i know IUGR aint preventable. It puts the baby at risks. And with each pregnancy more risks pop up no matter what I do.
I had gestational diabetes and am really offended that this article is saying it is preventable. I was incredibly healthy before and during my pregnancy and everyone was shocked to find out I had it until they found out it was hormone related and completely out of my control
I totally agree. I am the healthiest person I know, and about a week ago I almost died from a massive blood clot that formed, completely out of the blue in my iliac vein. I was running until 18 weeks, eating a diet rich in bloody everything good for me and the baby and none of that makes any difference. There are things out of your control and having an OB is not connected to that. It was my OB that saved my life by admitting me when then public registrars were going to send me home (as a whinger with some hip pain). My birth? I just want to survive it. I can't stand this patronising crap, no doula would have been able to save me.
I don't think the article is telling you to disregard your OB or ignore medical advice that should be taken seriously. I think her goal is to encourage mother's to be informed and educated about their options and health, including the options discussed in thr article. With the birth of my 2nd child, I considered, used and, benefited from much of the advice in this article, including Lindsey's advice to focus on my baby's position and use spinning babies to prep for the birth. I went from a 36 hour labor and emergency c-section with my first child (where I didn't do these things and had a poorly positioned baby) to a 4 hour labor and natural birth with absolutely no complications or issues with my second. I wouldn't change a thing for my second birth, and would have done everything different if I could do my first birth over again, following much of this advice. Every OB is different, every mother is different, and every birth is different. Being aware, educated, and mindful of your own body, baby, and needs is a benefit for every expecting mother, regardless of whether your OB is on your side or not, whether you chose a hospital or home birth, or want an epidural or unmedicated birth.
I totally agree with you. I have had three kids and three epidurals, for one. As soon as I birthday my children, I was scarfing food down-since you cannot eat before. Also, I breastfed two of them, while one I was unable to due to a complication (due to how brutal it was, the epidural actually partially saved my life). Although I breastfed, I would NEVER judge or try to push another mother into breastfeeding. This article is ridiculous.
It’s not a war against the patient and the doctor but it is an a big on written non-verbal argument. In the hospital with a regular Doctor Who has thousands of patients you’re just not going to get the care you would get if you don’t do your own research your own searching your own classes and all your homework for yourself. Being an RN and having three homebirth I can promise you that’s true. In the hospital is where all the germs live all the inductions live all the nurses live that have no experience having babies of their own and no nothing about nursing a baby will always almost always. Two in the shortcut wrong way. I cannot believe when I hear coming out of the mounds of nurses and doctors. I watched a burst last week of my daughter-in-law. The doctor called in a PZI to me and later said that the patient to war so the insurance would cover it. She lied she lied I want to do an a PZI to me there was no tear and she lied. But the patient loved her. That’s my daughter-in-law. They’re going to get that baby out of there One way or the other and she’s the fastest way and it won’t be anything near the natural way. 35 years ago you were a rebel if you wanted the husband in the delivery room. Today 2018, you cannot take a video of a baby coming out of the vagina with the doctor standing there.. Now the only reason you can’t videotape the birth of the baby from the vagina point of you is because they don’t want it on video when they make a mistake. Or do something stupid. I’m done
Sometimes it is a fight and "having a chip on your shoulder" could save you from unnecessary medical intervention. This happened to me. Planned home birth things took awhile but all vitals were perfect. Transferred to hospital as precaution. I'm 9cm dilated and 6 staff members came in my room to coerce me into having a cesarean. " You can't give birth naturally" I may have believed them had my midwife not been there. Hours of fighting them off and my son was born naturally with no complications. I didn't even tear. Too often doctors will do what's convenient to them regardless of the bodily or financial cost to you.
What an interesting article!! And it's made even more interesting by the fact that you're unwilling to post comments that challenge the content. Readers beware.
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Looks like somebody spoke before their comment was posted by the system. lol This is a great article, Lindsey, with really helpful insights. I don't know why somebody reads something and thinks they need to take it all or leave it all. Take what you need, research some more, find what you think might work, and then let Mother Nature throw all the cogs in the wheels She can. lol
There are useful comments that contribute (respectfully) to a conversation, and there are angry and disrespectful comments that only inflame. I think the author has the right to decide the difference. If I wanted to listen to people rant and criticize I could turn on the daily news.
Thank you for sharing this! I think it is absolutely ridiculously crazy how birth has changed so much in the last century. What have we got yo show for it? Not much! I also am not anti epidural but, like you, a mom needs to know everything that comes with the package (and it needs to be discussed before delivery day!). Any way, I can go on forever I'll just say again, thanks for writing this.
Great article and right on point. It's funny bc my doc said the exact same thing to me about walking me through the birthing process after asking about childbirth classes. Turns out, she wasn't able to make it to my daughter's birth and I had a doc that had no clue what I knew or didn't know about the process. He was wonderful but a typical hospital doctor aka BUSY. He would come in every couple of hours to check on me but really didn't offer much else. He was kind and compassionate but had many laboring mothers to deal with. Luckily, I'd taken your class AND had you as my Doula so I felt confident in my decisions. Nurses are wonderful and a great source of information, but depending on how long you are in the hospital, you may go through many many rounds of nurses. I think we had 4 sets during my labor and delivery (yeah, it was LONG). So that means the knowledge about what was working or wasn't working (pain coping) might not be passed down the chain. Anywho, I see the point you are making here. It's not about having a "chip on your shoulder" as previous commenter stated. It's about knowing what you are getting yourself into and how to make decisions that are right for you and your baby.
I would like to challenge the statement that labor nurses only know how to offer epidurals and drugs. I am a seasoned labor nurse. I work hand in hand with all providers and try to work with each family to give them what they want, and work with their plan. We have just as much training in assisting a natural birth as a doula. I have used tubs, pools, showers, balls, walking, positioning, massage, and any other trick to help a laboring woman have the natural birth she wants. I also help to push them through when they beg for drugs if they came in with a natural plan. However plans can change and that's ok. Many nurses stand up to ob's for unnecessary interventions such as breaking their water for no reason, or augmentation of a progressing labor. Please consider that even in a hospital setting there are great nurses who work their tails off and do so much more than push drugs.
Hey Jeani! You are totally right. There are some AMAZING nurses in hospitals that act as doulas and are invaluable. I'm so grateful for nurses like you! I've had the pleasure (a few weeks ago) of having an amazing RN for my most recent birth. She went above and beyond. Blessings to you!
I went from 0 to 8 in 4 days in week fourth-one and labored almost the whole time. I had some sleep the first night. I went to the hospital twice and was a 3 both times and would leave. The next time I was a 6! Yay! When I reached 8, I stayed there for 5 hrs. The Dr did not like that. I consented to c-section. I did not have any drugs prior to(unless you count the stability ball, that made the first few days easier). When Charisma came out, i was told she was in the posterior position and her head was situated funny, so she never would of come out. I was thankful but also irritated as I had heard about spinning babies a week prior. And was mad the Dr had been checking where she was for the last month(pelvis wise). I'm hoping to have vbac the next time around. The book "natural home birth" helped but I didn't know about it till week 40 lol.
Great article! I disagree with you that you must hire a doula to have an unmediated hospital birth. I have had 3 unmediated births with just my husband, so it is possible. The extra support would definitely be helpful, but not necessary.
*unmedicated
Thanks for commenting!! Yes I see where you're coming from. Yes, it's totally possible but research articles like these show that by having a doula present you're more likely to end up with a natural birth. http://summaries.cochrane.org/ CD003766/PREG_continuous-support- for-women-during-childbirth
I wish I had read this when I found out I was pregnant. I ended up in an emergency c-section 19 hours into labor. I showed up to the hospital because I thought I might have been having contractions (all while telling myself I was wrong and contractions had to have been worse than what I was feeling. I was in labor, contractions coming about 3 minutes apart and dilated to four cm so I was admitted. I told everybody I could possibly tell that I was having a natural labor unless they needed to act to save my baby's life. They convinced me that I needed pitosin after 7 hours because I "was not progressing quickly enough" due to the fact that I only dilated 3 cm in those 7 hours. I now know how crazy that was. They stopped the pitosin after 5 hours because my baby's heart was "stressed" ( now that I know what pitosin is... Um, DUHHHH!). Another 5 hours later baby had completely left station and I was back to 5 cm dilated and they told me I would have to have a c-section due to my baby's heart doing dips. We had every complication that is typically expected from the spinal/c-section and it was a purely awful experience. I wish I could go back and do it all over and do it more knowledgeably. I truly believe they rushed us just to free up the L&D room because I was a Medicaid patient and they only get a portion of the costs reimbursed from Medicaid. Oh, to be able to do it all over again.
Im so sorry. Remember, when you look back on your birth, be kind to yourself. You did your very best.
You offer some great advice here and I learned some things I'd never heard before! I do find it discouraging when such negative comments are made about OBs as a whole, though. There are some bad ones out there but there are some great ones too. It seems like a lot of people go into it their dr's office assuming their OB just doesn't care and won't support natural childbirth. I delivered in two different hospitals in two different states without an epidural (or a doula) and had a wonderful experience and a supportive nursing staff. Prior to delivery day I had a very open dialogue with my OB. She knew what I wanted and I understood what she was comfortable with and what the hospital would allow. I definitely agree that every woman should do her research (we took a 12 week childbirth class that was fantastic and my OBs really encouraged taking whatever classes we were able) and I'm sure there is more medical intervention going on in healthy pregnancies than is necessary these days (you would certainly be more knowledgeable about this than me ) but I think moms-to-be can be informed and encouraged to become informed without casting such a negative light on the dr who is trying to help them before they've even met the OB. That's just my perspective. I appreciate all you're doing to help women like myself be as prepared for pregnancy as possible. I'm glad we have so many wonderful resources available!
I like to challenge your statement of having an epidural you are stuck in a bed, I had an ambulatory epidural, which means you can still walk. I only had freezing in my belly and hoo hoo (advanced medical terminology). It allowed me to enjoy each moment of my labour, all 40 minutes of it after they broke my water. The bonus was that I didn't feel the stiches when I tore naturally on having an almost 10 lb healthy baby.
On another note, the 4 public health nurses, 2 lactation consultants and finally a breastfeeding Dr., all had varying ideas on what was wrong with my "latch" during feeding. My own research allowed me to figure out that I had way way too much milk, enough for 4 babies. Block feeding advice from other mom's is what ended up helping me the most and miraculously the "latch" was fixed.
There are many other "facts" in this article I disagree with but all my points are the same, no matter what profession the person is in "trying" to help, they are just people. And like all people in a job, some are good and some are bad, so YOU have to be your own advocate.
Best example is a friend of mine whose baby died at 15 weeks and midwife missed the fact that there was no heartbeat. She carried the baby for another 2 weeks before demanding another check up because SHE didn't hear the heartbeat. Everyone makes mistakes, be as educated as you can be on a topic and don't let things that are bothering you go, your instincts are best.
Good luck to all the soon to be moms, Congratulations!!
Formula companies didn't " lie" to doctors. The 1940s is when women entered the workforce for the first team time mass with WWII ( think Rosie the Rivioter) and newly working mother's needed an alternative option than breastfeeding. Before you start making false claims, please consider the socioeconomical needs of the time
Formula companies didn't " lie" to doctors. The 1940s is when women entered the workforce for the first team time in mass with WWII ( think Rosie the Rivioter) and newly working mother's needed an alternative option than breastfeeding. Before you start making false claims, please consider the socioeconomical needs of the time
It's articles like this - which lead me to believe in a pack of lies about natural labor- that lead me to a very physically traumatic natural labor that ended in third degree tears and post traumatic stress with my first birth. Don't believe everything you read in blogs ladies. GD and preeclampsia cannot be prevented. It's not your fault if you end up with either. Epidurals are a warm magical blanket of peace and tranquility that can help you experience the intimacy of birth- rather than COPE with the pain of it. Natural Birth should never be something you are intimidated and threatened into. It should be something you deeply desire and want. And as for the evils of formula? Tell that to my healthy toddler who is in the 90% for growth, can count to 20, read letters, and speak sentences before the age of two. Clearly the formula has stunted her ability to thrive.
You don't need to be aggressive about formula just because you chose to use it. The companies are unfortunately corrupted and have caused huge damage in underdeveloped countries... We need to be aware of this. Formula isn't going away, but it is still a public good to promote a societal return to breastfeeding - we can ALL stand behind this together regardlesss of individual choices/circumstances. I think that's the best way to support the formula-feeding mother, too. By not minimizing its value by making it about "choice" and "you do you" but instead by treating it as the rare but life-giving nourishment that it is. The rarer the instances of formula, the more valuable it really is.