A labour drink

Curtesy of Nicole who very kindly sent me this energising labour drink.  Thank you Nicole :-)

 1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 crushed calcium tablet

1 Litre of water

Anecdotically, calcium is said to help with the pain of labour, although I have not actually researched this.    

Blast from the past

I came across this early 1960's parenting book called "Modern Mothercraft" and thought I would share it with you.

"Time at the breast


     The time required for the average baby will be between ten to twenty minutes.  Both breasts should be offered at each feeding.  Ten minutes on both breasts, or ten minutes on the first and five minutes on the second, may be required, but babies do not take the same amount of breast milk at every feed, nor will the same amount be available in the breasts at each nursing, because there is more milk present in the early morning than later in the day.


     It is important to make sure that baby sucks well at the breast and that he does not dawdle, play or go to sleep.  The actual sucking time should not exceed 30 minutes."  


Well, at least they mention that it is important to make sure that baby sucks well at the breast.  Thank heavens that we no longer give this advice and the evidence suggests that, letting your baby feed when he/she wants for as long as they want will stimulate the release of the hormone prolactin which builds up the milk supply.  

Your baby will comfort suck and play at your breast, the eye contact and hormonal feedback mechanism between you and your baby is phenomenal.  It is the same hormones that are released when you fall in love, you and your baby are falling in love, we call it bonding.  Your baby is helping you fall in love with him that you cannot put him down because he is dependent on you for survival.  I tell mums that babes require three things, food, warmth and love.  Breast feeding and mummy and daddy give baby all three.


     Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (incorporated) Plunket Society.  (1964).  Modern Mothercraft.  Coulls Somerville:Dunedin.

Chit Chat

Had a wonderful home/water birth last week.  We used my new birthing pool for the first time and I have to say it was excellent.  I have two birthing pools, one where you have to put the frame together, then feed the outer liner through it and then the inner liner.  It was a great pool but fiddly to put together and there was no padding on the floor of the pool, which meant that knees got sore, or I put heaps of pillows inbetween the two liners.  

My  new one has an inflatable floor so knees are cushioned well and its walls are sturdy enough for someone to sit on.  Yes, I am very pleased with my new pool.

Patterns, schedules and breastfeeding your new baby.

Congratulations for choosing to breastfeed your baby, it is the best thing you can do.  As a midwife I am oftened asked when babies sleep through the night or, parents tell me that they were up all night feeding their baby.

Baby Behaviour
I think it would be great for our daughters to know how wonderful breastfeeding is and, that night feeds are really important. Babies do not read the book that say adults sleep at night, also, if I took that sandwich out of your hand and said you cant eat it until later or, tell you that you cannot have that snack you are looking forward to having. I am sure you would not be very happy with me, in fact, you would probably tell me, in no uncertain terms what I could do with myself.  

Babies do cry, it sounds obvious but they cry for many reasons, hunger is one, but also because they want our warmth and comfort, they are having a growth spurt, they are wet, dirty, bored or, they cry simply because they can and want to be held.  Speaking from experience both as mother and a midwife, I find it very interesting (and funny too) that we, as humans, expect our offspring to go into a different room, cot, away from us to sleep etc., when, in the animal world their young are continually clinging to their mothers for protection and, where there is free access to the breast.


Free Access Feeding
So, why do we think babies should be any different and conform to patterns and schedules?  Babies are like any other mammal, they seek out the warmth and protection from their mother and suckle at the breast. All mammals in the Kingdom allow what I call 'Free Access' feeding, in other words, letting your baby feed from the breast, whenever he/she wants for as long as they want. I do not call it 'demand' feeding, because it sounds like your baby is being demanding, when in actual fact, they are displaying normal behaviour and doing what any other mammal would do. 

By giving your baby 'Free access' to the breast, it stimulates the release of a hormone called prolactin to help build up your milk supply and, baby gets a nutritious drink at the same time. Prolactin, is mainly released at night, released during the day to a certain extent but mainly at night, that is why night feeds are important.  

Growth Spurts
Your baby will have a growth spurts, usually every one to two weeks and will want to go to your breast quite frequently for 24-48hrs because he/she has put on weight and needs to increase your milk supply, and he/she can only increase your supply by sucking frequently at your breasts. 

Do not expect any set patterns for a while because it takes at least 7-10 days to get breastfeeding established.  Some advice to get you through the early weeks are to ensure that you get adequate rest, is for you and your partner to sleep while your baby sleeps.  Do not feel that you have to entertain visitors, dust and housework can wait, in fact, organise a good friend/relative to come in to do some housework for an hour or so a day.  

KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO IT.....have the confidence to know that you will produce more than enough milk for your baby, if you allow 'Free Access' feeding to your breasts.  You are just awesome and we totally support you in mind and spirit. 

Some organisations (apart from your midwife) that are just wonderful with help, support and advice are your local Lactation Consultants and the La Leche league. 

http://www.lalecheleague.org.nz/
http://www.midwife.org.nz/index.cfm/1,78,0,0,html/For-Women

All in a day

You know this evening, I was thinking how wonderful and varied my work is.  In fact, I do not call it work, I actually call it a privilege.  To be the midwife chosen to share and participate in the care of the woman and her family makes it very special.

I can be on the road going from house to house doing antenatal checks and meeting the family one minute and then rushing off to delivery suite to birth a baby the next.  Then, if it is still early in the day, maybe do some more antenatal or postnatal checks on mums and babies.
 
I consider myself very lucky and I am humbled at the amazing inner strength of women as I share their journey with them as they go through their pregnancy, birth and grow into motherhood.  

The lifestyle can be unpredictable, in the sense that I can be anywhere at any given time, that said, I would not change that for the world.  Thank you for allowing me to share your journey.

Partners in the birthing room

I am going to talk about men.  Not men in the general sense but those who are planning to be present at the birth of their baby.  Usually sometime after the birth, I chat to the men to see how they got on when their partners were in labour and their thoughts and feelings on the process.

To give a sense of history, men have only been invited into the delivery room for the last 35 years.  Before then, when woman went to hospital to birth the baby, traditionally the men would have been sent home and told to come back the following day, or they were sent to waiting room where they would either chain smoke or pace the corridor until they were told the baby had been born. 

The results of a study carried out by Bedford & Johnson (1988), found that, father's perceived their presence and role in the birthing room as one of guidance, comforting and protection from an alien enviroment. However, recent research suggest that fathers felt they were excluded from the decision making and were left feeling isolated and frightened (Harvey, 2010).




The main concern that came from the discussions were that men perceived themselves as not being able to do anything for their partner, particularly the pain.  To put this into perspective, pain is subjective and it means different things to different people. That said, the pain in labour that your partner will experience is completely normal, in fact, I call it 'Good Pain,' because it lets us know that the woman is in labour and her body is working hard for the baby to be born. The pain of labour also helps her body to release endorphins which are its own powerful morphinelike painkiller.  

There are many things that you can do to help your woman in labour.  You can be there to hold her hand, tell her you love her, massage her back, tell her you are proud of her, wipe her brow, support her through the pain by  telling her how wonderful she is.  Help her to remember to drink water between contractions, to breathe through the contractions, to connect with her baby.  You can be there to guard the doorway to prevent over excited relatives turning up unannounced and interupting the flow of her labour (unless she has invited them).  The Midwife will be there as advocate and support you both, she will explain everything fully so both of you are able to make informed decisions.  

While searching for a link for new fathers, I came across an article where a top obstetrician suggests that men should never be at the birth of their child.  Michel Odent, who I have quoted before (see Oxytocin the love hormone) in my blog, suggests that, "his presence is a hindrance and a significant factor why labours are longer, more painful and more likely to end in intervention."

Makes interesting reading, here is the link to the article.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-559913/A-obstetrician-men-NEVER-birth-chttp://fatherandchild.org.nz/hild.html


For fathers and their children
http://fatherandchild.org.nz/ 

Bedford, V.A., Johnson, N., (1988).  The role of the father. Midwifery. 4 (4). 190-195.
Harvey, M., (2010).  More support needed for new fathers in the delivery room.  
http://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/more-support-needed-for-new-fathers-in-the-delivery-room

Diet in pregnancy

The reason why it is important for you to have a good diet is, not only for you to feel healthy and well during pregnancy, but also for your growing baby.  

I thought I would list here the important vitamins and minerals and the food sources where they can be found.

Vitamin A (needed for bone and tissue growth, , healthy skin, eyes and mucous membranes)
Raw carrot, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, pumpkin seeds, parsley, celery, capsecum, cabbage, watercress, tomatoes.  Also found in fruit such as mango, papaya, oranges and dried apricots.

Vitamin B (For development of the nervous system and brain)
Also known as the complex vitamin and is found in leafly green vegetables, meat, yeast extract, egg yolk, fish, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beansprouts, avocados, banana, nuts, mushrooms, currants and wholegrains.  


Vitamin C (For the immune system, tissue formation and helps with iron absorbtion and is depleted by smoking)
Found in red pepper, leafy freen vegetables, tomatoes, parsley, kiwi fruit, cherries, broccoli, papaya, strawberries, citrus fruit and melon.

Vitamin D (Needed for bones and teeth)
Also called the sunshine vitamin.  Spend 20 minutes a day in full spectrum sunlight. Also found in fish liver oil, salmon, egg yolk and butter.


Vitamin E (Needed for circulation, wound healing and tissue growth)
Found in dark green vegetables, broccoli, eggs, whole grain cereals, tomatoes, olive oil, nuts, pumpkin seeds, avocados and wheatgerm oil.


Vitamin K (Required for normal blood clotting)
Found in leafy green vegetables, kale, turnips, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spring onions, tomatoes, lettuce and asparagus.


Iodine (Thyroid function and energy levels)
Found in seaweed, kelp and iodinised salt.


Zinc (Immune function, nervous and skeletal system)
Found in green vegetables, lentils, almonds, tofu, rice, nuts, pumpkin seeds, whole grain, brewers yeast and oats.

Calcium (Needed for muscle contraction, brain function, involved in blood clotting).  Stored in the bones and found in leafy green vegetables, kale, almonds, chick peas, carrots, avocado's, brown rice, sardines and celery.


Iron (Needed to make oxygen carrying proteins and found in red blood cells)
To prevent anaemia, it is found in egg yolk, fish, meat, brewers yeast, kelp, sunflower seeds, pulses,lentils, oats and seaweed.

A friends sister used to make a wonderful nutritious energy drink for our labouring ladies and consisted of delicious lemon and honey, both of which are easily absorbed by the body. 

Thank you to Nicole who loaned me, "The Birthkeepers" by Veronika Sophia Robinson.  A wonderful book that helps us, as midwives, women, and mothers to remember our roots and to protect and reclaim the ancient tradition of birthing.  I have to say that I loved it and it totally resonated with me.

Donley, J., (2003).  Compendium for a healthy pregnancy and a normal birth.  Auckland.  
Robinson, V.S., (2008). The Birthkeepers:reclaiming an ancient tradition.  Starflower Press.