Blissful Birthing

✨Motivational Monday✨
Where I post positive birth affirmations to help with your birthing experience…

These are designed to help program your subconscious to tune into your natural ability to give birth, and your strength & resilience. Building up your self confidence and releasing fear is an important part of the birthing process.

Some people post these all over their birthing environment. Every time you look at them, take a moment to slow down, breathe, and connect with your body and your baby 🤍

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Babies cry a lot. You know your baby is trying to communicate, but you can’t seem to understand what they need. 😫 Your baby is upset, and you’re at a loss for what to do.

Priscilla Dunstan, an Australian mother and opera singer, spent years researching baby cries. Through her investigations, she noticed that newborn 👶🏼 babies’ specific cries tend to correspond to different needs. She outlined five primary cries and what they mean:

✨"NEH" - often associated with hunger. The “neh” sound comes from the baby sucking and the tongue being pushed into their mouth, indicating they might be hungry and looking to feed.

✨"OWH/OAH" - resembles a yawn, and often means that your baby is tired or sleepy. This sound is common when babies are ready for a nap or bedtime.

✨"HEH" - if baby is feeling uncomfortable they might use this cry. It often indicates a need for a diaper change or that the baby is too hot or cold.

✨"EAIRGH/EARGH" - often signals gastric distress. Babies experiencing discomfort from trapped gas or indigestion often use this sound.

✨"EH" - when babies need to burp, they may make this noise. It indicates that there’s trapped air in the chest that needs to be released.

Learning these sounds and their meanings is one step in understanding your baby’s needs. However, it’s also important to pay attention to your baby’s body language and other cues. Crying can sometimes just be about comfort, connection, or a sense of safety 🫶🏻

✨Happy Draft Week everyone!✨

Did you know that your baby is about the size of a football 🏈 at 37 weeks?

Have fun & be safe!

What do you do when your epidural only works on one side? 🫣

Let's first go over what an epidural is and how it works!

An epidural 💉 is an anesthetic technique using a small catheter placed in the lower back to deliver local anesthetic or other pain medicines near the nerves that cause pain in labor. The epidural space is filled with fluid 💧 and surrounds your spinal cord. This is where the catheter sits and administers medication.

Epidural medications are gravity-sensitive, meaning their spread and effectiveness can be influenced by the patient's position. Gravity can cause the medication to flow either upwards ⬆️ or downwards ⬇️ along the spinal column, potentially affecting the area of pain relief.

One sided epidurals occur when the epidural anesthetic is not spread evenly ⚖️ on both sides of the spinal cord, resulting in pain relief on only one side.

The first technique to fix this is repositioning! Turn ↪️ your body to the unblocked side so it can help the medication spread to the under-blocked side.

If that doesn't work, the next solution is usually repositioning 💉 the epidural catheter. The tip of the catheter may not be placed in the center of the epidural space, causing the medication to spread more on one side than the other. The anesthesiologist 👨‍⚕️ can simply readjust the placement without removing the catheter and having to redo the epidural.

While a one-sided epidural can be concerning, it's usually manageable with appropriate interventions!

Happy Easter from my family to yours! 🐰🌷

✨Umbilical Cord Blood Banking✨

Cord blood banking involves collecting blood 🩸 from the umbilical cord after birth and storing it for potential future use, particularly in stem cell transplants.

This blood is rich in stem cells 🔬 which can be used to treat various blood and immune system disorders including leukemia, aplastic anemia, and some types of cancer.

ACOG does not recommend routine cord blood storage in healthy babies 👶🏼 Some experts suggest that banking is not necessary unless your family has a history of a condition that can be treated with a stem cell transplant.

Cord blood banking is entirely optional. Some people choose to collect and store their baby's cord blood, and others do not. If you do not donate or store your baby's cord blood, it's thrown away with the placenta.

If you have questions, always consult with your provider! 🫶🏻

✨Motivational Monday✨

Taking time for your interests means you’re not actively caring for your children. Your choice affects others, so, you feel guilty.

Leaving your own needs behind creates more stress. More stress means you’re not going to live up to the expectations you have for yourself. That means more guilt, more stress, and potentially burn out.

Focus on self-care and avoid comparing yourself to others! You're doing great and you deserve breaks without feeling guilty about it! 🫶🏻

Here are some techniques to help reduce labor pain naturally!

Controlled breathing 😮‍💨 during labor works by promoting relaxation, focusing attention, and increasing oxygen flow, which helps manage pain and discomfort. It also reduces muscle 💪🏻 tension and anxiety, allowing the body to work more efficiently during contractions.

Visualization 👁️ works by promoting relaxation, reducing pain, and increasing a sense of control. By focusing on positive images and affirmations, you can shift your mindset 🧠 reduce anxiety, and feel more empowered during the birthing process.

Changing positions 🚶🏼‍♀️ during labor can help by using gravity to assist the baby's descent, increasing the pelvic opening, and improving the efficiency of contractions. It can also help you cope with pain 💢 and feel more in control, potentially leading to fewer interventions and a shorter labor.

Gentle touch 🫳🏻 during labor can be helpful in reducing pain and promoting relaxation due to its influence on the nervous system and the release of pain-relieving hormones. Firm, but gentle, touch, like massage, can help release endorphins, which naturally control pain. Touch can also signal the body to relax 😌 which can help manage pain during labor.

Hip squeezing during labor can help alleviate back pain 💢 and potentially encourage the baby to move into a better position. By applying pressure to the sides of the hip bones, this can help realign the pelvis and reduce 🔽 pressure on the sacroiliac joint, which can improve labor progression and comfort.

Water 🚿 can be beneficial during labor due to its ability to provide pain relief, relaxation, and increased comfort. The buoyancy of water 💦 reduces the stress on joints, allows for easier movement and positioning, and can improve circulation, potentially benefiting both you and baby.

Relaxing your face 💆🏼‍♀️ can reduce pain and promote overall relaxation by helping to release muscle tension, particularly in the jaw. A tight jaw can mean a tight cervix! This can also improve breathing 😮‍💨 by allowing for deeper, more relaxed breaths.

If you're looking for more ways to manage labor pain or just looking to learn about labor and birth in general, join me in one of my classes! Enlightened Beginnings and Birthing With Confidence are coming up! 🫶🏻