Lesson 2: Choosing Your Birth Team & Location
"The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source. She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power." ~ Heather McCue
Introduction
Who you allow and invite to accompany you during childbirth can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of your birth, as well as how you FEEL about your birth afterward. In this class we will address some of the following tough questions in regards to your birth team:
~ How do you decide which health care provider is the best choice for you? ~ Does your provider view birth the same way you do, or close to it? ~ Will you feel supported in your birth choices by everyone in the room? ~ What is a doula, and how does their support differ from a friend, family member, or midwife? ~ What needs to be considered before inviting anyone to attend your labor and the birth of your baby? These questions are some of the most important considerations for any birth, whether a natural delivery or a planned cesarean...Join us to learn more! |
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Learning Goals & Focus Guide
Right click to download, print and fill in this Focus Guide as you complete the lesson!
After viewing and completing Lesson 2 - "Choosing Your Birth Team & Location", students will be able to:
- Connect how differing philosophies on birth between the client and their provider could cause conflict in the end of pregnancy and/or during labor, (offering two examples to illustrate understanding).
- Summarize the midwife's philosophy of normal birth, after reading the "Midwives" article.
- Describe why and how midwives were marginalized, beginning in the late 1800s; as well as their revival in the 20th century.
- Discover and infer the safety of Nurse-Midwives, per the "Midwives" article.
- State the role of a professional labor doula, and evaluate their own birth support team using some of the following parameters when choosing who might be asked to attend their birth:
* What is their experience with birth? How many have they seen? How much variety in labor patterns?
* What is their comfort level with seeing the mother in pain?
* What influence could their own birth experience have on the mother's labor?
- Connect how differing philosophies on birth between the client and their provider could cause conflict in the end of pregnancy and/or during labor, (offering two examples to illustrate understanding).
- Summarize the midwife's philosophy of normal birth, after reading the "Midwives" article.
- Describe why and how midwives were marginalized, beginning in the late 1800s; as well as their revival in the 20th century.
- Discover and infer the safety of Nurse-Midwives, per the "Midwives" article.
- State the role of a professional labor doula, and evaluate their own birth support team using some of the following parameters when choosing who might be asked to attend their birth:
* What is their experience with birth? How many have they seen? How much variety in labor patterns?
* What is their comfort level with seeing the mother in pain?
* What influence could their own birth experience have on the mother's labor?
video lesson
The provider and location that you choose for your birth may be the most important decision you make when it comes to having a natural childbirth. In this video we'll discuss why that is the case, as well as what you can do to make sure you've set yourself up for success by hiring the best support team possible!
Audio Only:
How the Birth Team Works Together to Support the Mother:
This beautiful birth story was filmed at a birth where Jacquelyn was the labor doula. Notice how incredibly powerful a woman can be when she is surrounded by love and well-supported by her partner and her birth team!!!
resources
Choosing Your Birth Team & Location
~ "Prepared Childbirth: The Family Way", By Debby Amis and Jeanne Green (Your Purple Book, specifically pages 3 and 33)
~ "8 Stats You Should Know About Your Midwife and Obstetrician", Copyright 2011-2014 GrowingSlower
~ "What is Patient-Centered Maternity Care?" © 2012 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "Midwives" - By Janet Isaacs Ashford
~ "The History of Midwifery and Childbirth in America: A Time Line" from Midwifery Today
~ "How Doulas and Dads Work Together"! From DONA International
~ "The Evidence for Doulas", © 2013 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "The Evidence for Birth Centers" ~ © 2013 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "A Non-biased Look at the Evidence about Home Birth", © 2012 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "8 Stats You Should Know About Your Midwife and Obstetrician", Copyright 2011-2014 GrowingSlower
~ "What is Patient-Centered Maternity Care?" © 2012 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "Midwives" - By Janet Isaacs Ashford
~ "The History of Midwifery and Childbirth in America: A Time Line" from Midwifery Today
~ "How Doulas and Dads Work Together"! From DONA International
~ "The Evidence for Doulas", © 2013 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "The Evidence for Birth Centers" ~ © 2013 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
~ "A Non-biased Look at the Evidence about Home Birth", © 2012 Evidence Based Birth®, Blog Post By Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Linked with permission.
diving deeper
Want to Dive Deeper? Let's Go!
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"Why You Should Hire a Doula for YOUR Birth!" Featuring L & B Doulas: (Due to a very busy schedule Jacquelyn now works only as an independent labor doula through Powerful Mamas)L & B Doulas // About Us from Ryan Paul Buck on Vimeo. |
~ "Comparison of Certified Nurse-Midwives, Certified Midwives, and Certified Professional Midwives: Clarifying the distinctions among professional midwifery credentials in the U.S." ~ From The American College of Nurse-Midwives
~ "States Vary On What They Allow Midwives To Do" - From NPR.org
~ "Doctors Say Don't Give Birth To Baby In A Tub, But Midwives Disagree" - From NPR.org
~ A Father’s Point of View—by Anthony Wilson - Fathers play a vital role in pregnancy and birth. See this miracle from their point of view.
~ A Note to Fathers: It’s You She Wants—by Lois Wilson
~ DoulaMatch.com - A wonderful resource for finding local doulas!
~ From Midwifery Today:
~ "States Vary On What They Allow Midwives To Do" - From NPR.org
~ "Doctors Say Don't Give Birth To Baby In A Tub, But Midwives Disagree" - From NPR.org
~ A Father’s Point of View—by Anthony Wilson - Fathers play a vital role in pregnancy and birth. See this miracle from their point of view.
~ A Note to Fathers: It’s You She Wants—by Lois Wilson
~ DoulaMatch.com - A wonderful resource for finding local doulas!
~ From Midwifery Today:
- Why Homebirth?—by Jill Cohen
“…One of the more potent myths of obstetrics is that women and babies died in huge numbers until obstetricians saved them from the ravages of the natural process and the ignorance of midwives. Quite the contrary is true. The endless parade of procedures and drugs that obstetricians have inflicted on women and babies since that time, including the much-lauded forceps, have maimed and killed more women and babies than ever have been saved by their use.” - The Homebirth Choice—by Jill Cohen
“The birthing process is allowed to take its own course and set its own pace. The general philosophy is that any interventions (administering drugs or trying to hurry things along) cause more harm than good.”
Web It! Resources from The Family Way®:
Labor Support (page 31)
~ The Essential Ingredient: Doula (video)
~ A Birth Partner Cheat Sheet
~ Locate a Doula
~ The Essential Ingredient: Doula (video)
~ A Birth Partner Cheat Sheet
~ Locate a Doula
reflection opportunities
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Student Poll: |
Journal Entry:
Please visit the forum below under "Unit 1: Preparing Your Birth Foundation - Choosing Your Birth Team & Location" to reflect on the following questions:
- Be honest with yourself. Does your provider view birth the same way you do, or close to it? What are your instincts telling you when it comes to the provider you've chosen??? Follow your gut, and begin interviewing other practices if you think you need to find a better fit!!!
- What is a doula, and how does their support differ from a friend, family member, or midwife? Consider interviewing a few doulas if you haven't already done so! It might take a few meetings to find the doula that is right for you, but interviews are generally free, so it doesn't hurt to check into the idea of having a professional labor support person!
- Be honest with yourself. Does your provider view birth the same way you do, or close to it? What are your instincts telling you when it comes to the provider you've chosen??? Follow your gut, and begin interviewing other practices if you think you need to find a better fit!!!
- What is a doula, and how does their support differ from a friend, family member, or midwife? Consider interviewing a few doulas if you haven't already done so! It might take a few meetings to find the doula that is right for you, but interviews are generally free, so it doesn't hurt to check into the idea of having a professional labor support person!
Please note you must log in to the forum at the beginning of each online session, even after you have already logged into the Class Portal. Click below on "Powerful Mamas Online Student Forums" to access this feature:
inspiring birth stories!
"We decided this pregnancy was going to be as hands off as possible. We had no ultrasounds or unnecessary testing done and we decided to go with midwives for a home birth. This being our fourth child, we felt like we knew what to expect and were very comfortable with that decision. The other three were born in the hospital and we had fairly good experiences with them, but we were really looking forward to being in our own space this time around. We also knew, because of previous fast labors (2 hours, 5 hours, and 1.5 hours respectively), we needed to be prepared. So, the midwives prepared my husband in case they didn't make it in time.
It was almost 2 weeks before my due date and I was ready to not be pregnant anymore. My other three children (now ages 10, 6, and 2) were born before their due dates, so I was hoping this baby would be as well. Saturday night we went to bed fairly early after a busy day. I laid in bed for a half hour or so with several braxton hicks contractions, which wasn't out of the ordinary for me as I contracted much like that the whole last trimester of my pregnancy! Shortly before 11pm, I decided they seemed kind of regular, so I downloaded a contraction counter app for my phone. I knew counting contractions isn't always helpful, but it made me feel productive. They came every few minutes until about midnight when I needed to get up to use the bathroom. I was disappointed when I got up and they went away. I bounced on my birthing ball to see if I could open things up for labor a bit and get my contractions to come back. I was desperate to try anything by this point! They stayed fairly regular for a while but eventually got further apart and died out altogether. So by about 1pm, I realized nothing was going to happen and I fell asleep.
I got up once to use the restroom again in the very early morning and finally woke up at about 6:30am when the contractions came back. They weren't painful but they seemed to be coming again every few minutes. By this point, I decided maybe I should give my mom a heads up. She was planning on coming to help out at the birth. She had been my labor coach with 2 of the other kids and we thought she could help with that or with our other kids. We really wanted them to be there and have the option of watching their new sibling be born if they wanted to. I sent her a text shortly before7am before I got out of bed to let her know to listen for her phone just in case something happened. Soon after I sent her a text, I felt a small "pop" in my belly. I thought it was strange and wondered if my water broke, but nothing else happened. So, I thought I should get up to use the bathroom (again!).
As soon as I stood up, I felt a small gush and knew immediately that, indeed, my water had broken. So, I sat down on the toilet and kept leaking more amniotic fluid. I heard my son wake up and told him to go get my husband (who was sleeping downstairs on the couch that night so I could have the bed to myself as it was getting so hard to sleep well!) Immediately I started having more intense contractions. I called my midwife who told me to see how the contractions do and that she'd call back in 15 minutes or so. I decided to take a shower. By the time I got out of the shower, my contractions were one on top of the other with hardly a break in between. My husband talked to the midwife while I was in the shower and told her that things were progressing quickly. At 7:45am, my husband said that our midwife would be here in about 45 minutes. I knew there was no way this baby was going to hold out another 45 minutes! My husband set up pads on the floor (as the midwives told us that was the safest place if they didn't make it in time). My mom arrived then and shortly after 8am, I felt small urges to push. I laid down on my side and in 2 contractions and 2 pushes, she was born at 8:12am with her 3 siblings watching! Both the baby and I were a bit shocked, but soon, I picked her up and we started bonding.
Soon after that, the midwife arrived and the placenta was delivered. We had skin to skin contact and my daughter did the newborn crawl to the breast. Then, we got cleaned up and climbed in to bed. The midwife took her vitals while she was still in my arms and then did her weight and length. We spent the rest of the day in bed just bonding and nursing. It was so amazing.
I still can't believe how empowering it was to give birth the way I wanted in my own home. The midwife was so supportive and prepared my husband and me for how to have a birth even if they didn't make it in time. I never once felt like a patient. I felt like I was in charge of myself and my baby. I trusted my body and nature to do what it was made to do. I would not have changed anything about my daughter's birth. It was perfect." ~ Rachel K.
It was almost 2 weeks before my due date and I was ready to not be pregnant anymore. My other three children (now ages 10, 6, and 2) were born before their due dates, so I was hoping this baby would be as well. Saturday night we went to bed fairly early after a busy day. I laid in bed for a half hour or so with several braxton hicks contractions, which wasn't out of the ordinary for me as I contracted much like that the whole last trimester of my pregnancy! Shortly before 11pm, I decided they seemed kind of regular, so I downloaded a contraction counter app for my phone. I knew counting contractions isn't always helpful, but it made me feel productive. They came every few minutes until about midnight when I needed to get up to use the bathroom. I was disappointed when I got up and they went away. I bounced on my birthing ball to see if I could open things up for labor a bit and get my contractions to come back. I was desperate to try anything by this point! They stayed fairly regular for a while but eventually got further apart and died out altogether. So by about 1pm, I realized nothing was going to happen and I fell asleep.
I got up once to use the restroom again in the very early morning and finally woke up at about 6:30am when the contractions came back. They weren't painful but they seemed to be coming again every few minutes. By this point, I decided maybe I should give my mom a heads up. She was planning on coming to help out at the birth. She had been my labor coach with 2 of the other kids and we thought she could help with that or with our other kids. We really wanted them to be there and have the option of watching their new sibling be born if they wanted to. I sent her a text shortly before7am before I got out of bed to let her know to listen for her phone just in case something happened. Soon after I sent her a text, I felt a small "pop" in my belly. I thought it was strange and wondered if my water broke, but nothing else happened. So, I thought I should get up to use the bathroom (again!).
As soon as I stood up, I felt a small gush and knew immediately that, indeed, my water had broken. So, I sat down on the toilet and kept leaking more amniotic fluid. I heard my son wake up and told him to go get my husband (who was sleeping downstairs on the couch that night so I could have the bed to myself as it was getting so hard to sleep well!) Immediately I started having more intense contractions. I called my midwife who told me to see how the contractions do and that she'd call back in 15 minutes or so. I decided to take a shower. By the time I got out of the shower, my contractions were one on top of the other with hardly a break in between. My husband talked to the midwife while I was in the shower and told her that things were progressing quickly. At 7:45am, my husband said that our midwife would be here in about 45 minutes. I knew there was no way this baby was going to hold out another 45 minutes! My husband set up pads on the floor (as the midwives told us that was the safest place if they didn't make it in time). My mom arrived then and shortly after 8am, I felt small urges to push. I laid down on my side and in 2 contractions and 2 pushes, she was born at 8:12am with her 3 siblings watching! Both the baby and I were a bit shocked, but soon, I picked her up and we started bonding.
Soon after that, the midwife arrived and the placenta was delivered. We had skin to skin contact and my daughter did the newborn crawl to the breast. Then, we got cleaned up and climbed in to bed. The midwife took her vitals while she was still in my arms and then did her weight and length. We spent the rest of the day in bed just bonding and nursing. It was so amazing.
I still can't believe how empowering it was to give birth the way I wanted in my own home. The midwife was so supportive and prepared my husband and me for how to have a birth even if they didn't make it in time. I never once felt like a patient. I felt like I was in charge of myself and my baby. I trusted my body and nature to do what it was made to do. I would not have changed anything about my daughter's birth. It was perfect." ~ Rachel K.