*DIGNITY*EMPOWERMENT*RESPECT*
Birth Beautifully
My Birth Offerings to You:
*Birth Plans*
There are so many choices available to birthing women. Again, a happy, successful birth is when the birthing womans own choices are being supported. We can work together to create a birth plan that suits your needs to present to your caregiver, with ideas such as: delayed cord clamping, drug and intervention free births, baby to be placed directly on mamas tummy. Birth plans vary, and it is important to me to support your choices, we will explore your feelings deciding what is important to you during labour and the birth of your baby.
Birth is influenced by a variety of factors but birth cannot be controlled. Unexpected events may happen, welcome or unwelcome. I will support you through any event. Envisioning your birth will go exactly as you plan it, does not leave room for out of the box events, keep an open mind and an open heart to how your baby wants to be born, it may be different from what you had planned.
*La Bassine Birth Pool*
I share with my clients the choice of using an inflatable birth pool for labour comfort until we transport to hospital, or for home birth. (Or I can rent it to other birth professionals and birthing mamas) It is optimal height to keep mamas body & belly submerged, it has insulated walls to keep water warm, side handles excellent for transition and pushing, recognized by midwives, doulas and many home birth professionals. Waterbirth is becoming very desirable, water is extremely beneficial in reducing pain, increasing intimacy, restoring control of positioning and birth to the mother, and the risks of tearing, or episiotomy /and cesarean rates drop drastically.
La Bassine pool is available to rent to birth professionals or birthing mamas for $20.00 per week.
*Belly Casting*
If you choose,we can do a belly casting of your pregnant body. I take pride in doing belly casting, a special way to honour your beautiful, pregnant belly. Leave it plain white or decorate it with paints, beads, shells, use your maternal creativity!
$70.00 for full breast and belly cast.
$35.00 for just mamas belly.
*Blessing way Rituals*
We can, or your family can create a blessing way ritual to honour the mother and bless the arriving baby. Blessing way rituals are similar to baby showers with more emphasis on loving and nurturing the mother, rather than traditional gift giving. Some things that are done at blessing ways, are belly casting, hair braiding, massage, mehndi, sharing of birth stories, sharing food & tea, lighting candles.
Instead of bringing gifts, women sometimes each bring a special bead to create a nursing necklace, or flowers for mamas hair.
*Honouring the Placenta*
The ancient art of placenta medicine is being shared today by traditional wise women, midwives and doulas, as the placenta holds so many magical and healing properties for pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
The use of placenta medicine has been lost over time, with medicalization of childbirth, and over the counter drugs replacing the natural placentas powerful healing medicine.
Humans are the only mammal that do not consume their placenta naturally after birth, as with medicalization, we have lost our natural instincts. It is truely beneficial on many levels and should be restored as a natural & normal part of childbirth. The placenta is a beautiful life force, and holds so much amazing energy and nutritional value. The placenta contains estrogen and progesterone, & when eaten by the mother (placentophagy), the placenta restores hormones that were lost during birth, ensures high quality colostrum and milk production, prevents hemmorage during birth, and most importantly prevents post partum depression.
The placenta is a magical part of pregnancy and birth. I have been sharing with clients the sacred traditions of honouring the placenta. If you choose, I can share various techniques to make medicine, to use for ingestion, or keepsake / preservation or share rituals for burial of the placenta in your garden or under a tree. I carefully, and with much love prepare your placenta, the sacred life giver that was connected to mama and baby for all those months. There is a tree of life inside every placenta. I also offer to make a placenta print immediately after birth while it is still in the midst of transformation.
I offer Placenta Encapsulation free to my full contract clients, to non clients, and for other doula's, my Placenta Encapsulation fee is $125.00.
*New to Homebirth Clients - 2 DOULAS FOR SUPPORT*
The past few homebirths I have atteneded, I have had the honour of working with other doulas. This helps to make a wonderful support team for the birthing mother. There are many great reasons to invite 2 doulas to a homebirth. Although some women may still want the privacy of only having one doula in attendance. Some women like the option of having that extra support and the added special touches, that two doulas can create together. Some of the tasks that can be paired off between two doulas are:
~ child (sibling) minding, or helping the sibling(s) be involved and making the birth be a positive experience for them.
~ photography.
~ food/drink preparation for mother and father.
~ take turns sleeping/resting and attending labouring mother, for long labours.
~ one doula can be with mother at all times, while the other does laundry (heat blankets and towels in dryer for birth), tends to music requests, candles, cleaning, placenta prints, assisting the midwife, fills/drains birth pool, special requests, etc.
~ assist the mother & father with position ideas, calming techniques, rhythmic breathing.
Charlene Toews CD (DONA)
Charlene Toews CD (DONA) is a certified labour and birth doula, we have collaborated ideas to offer women a birth support team consisting of two doulas, myself and Charlene. If this is something you would like to consider for your homebirth, please contact either Charlene or myself to discuss options. We are proud to offer this service at the same price as regular doula fee $500.00. / $250.00 for each doula. That is two doulas for the price of one!
Charlene Toews CD (DONA)
OR/
Steph Bernath CD (CBI)
*Massage*
If you are comfortable, during our visits I can work on your tired muscles, offering belly massage, back massage, legs and feet massages, using natural 100% organic oils.
*Book/Video Share*
I have many books with up to date evidence based research and also some great classic crunchy/granola style birth books and videos for sharing.
VIDEOS FOR LEND (ON LOAN)
The Business of Being Born, What Babies Want, Sacred Birth, Birth Joy & Raspberry Leaves X2,Delivery & SelfAttachment, Yoga Mama, Gentle Birth Choices X2, Birth Into Being, Born in Water, The Hug.
BOOKS FOR LEND (ON LOAN)
*Unassisted Childbirth, Laura Shanely
*Resexualizing Childbirth, Leilah McCracken
*Gentle Birth Choices, Barbara Harper
*Mother Rising, Cortlund,Lucke,Watelet
*Birth Without Violence, Frederick Leboyer
*The Birth Partner, Penny Simkin
*Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, Sarah Buckley
*Birth and Breastfeeding, Michel Odent
*Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, Simkin, Whalley, and Keppler
*Pregnancy and Childbirth, Tracy Hotchner
*Herbal For the Childbearing Year, Susun Weed
*Breast Cancer, Breast Health, Susun Weed
*Healing Wise, Susun Weed
*Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskins
*Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Ina May Gaskins
*Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, Ina May Gaskins
*Labor Pain, Nicky Wesson
*Baby Catcher, Peggy Vincent
*Birthing From Within, Pam England
*Husband Coached Childbirth, Robert Bradley
*Rediscovering Birth, Sheila Kitzinger
*Breastfeeding your Baby, Sheila Kitzinger
*Becoming a Grandmother, Sheila Kitzinger
*In The Womb 3D images from conception to birth, Peter Tallack
*Mamatoto, Carroll Dunham
*The Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth, Henci Goer
*Silent Knife Cesarean Prevention & Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, Nancy Wainer Cohen & Lois J. Estner
*Birth in 4 Cultures, Brgitte Jordan
*Pushed, Jennifer Block
*Childbirth Without Fear, Grantly Dick Read/Michel Odent
*Born in the USA, How a broken maternity system must be fixed to put women and children first, Mardsen Wagner
*A Holistic Guide To Embracing Pregnancy, Childbirth & Motherhood, Karen Salt
*Natural Healing for the Pregnant Woman, Burch, Sachs
*Giving Birth, Catherine Taylor
*Mothers Favourites, Catherine Young
*Gentle Baby Care, Julia Goodwin
*Natures Children, Juliette deDairacli-Levy
*Aromatherapy For Women, Maggie Tisserand
*Secret Universe of Names, Roy Feinson
*Various issues of 'Compleat Mother' magazine
*Various issues of 'New Beginnings' La Leche League magazine
*Mending Invisible Wings A healing journal for the loss of a baby, Mary Burgess, Shiloh Sophia McCloud.
*Support*
OB / Dr. and prenatal class visits, ongoing support through pregnancy, labour, and postpartum.
* Certified Post Partum Support*
As a post partum Doula, I can offer my services to new families who have had recently had a baby with or without a birth and labour doula. A post partum doula helps new families adjust to the transition of being at home, with their newborn. Also known as "BABY MOON'. It is a special sacred time, and many women do not get the chance to enjoy the realm of sleepy, snuggley newborn love and rest they deserve. All other animals on the planet have this crucial time to spend snuggling and nursing with their baby, bonding and loving. But "we" seem too have lost this ritual, women are too busy, and have too much to do, and miss out on their special mama/baby birth love transition time. It is essential for mother and baby have this time together. It opens realms into our being that only a mother and newborn can draw upon, creating loving and intelligent, soulful babies. With fathers working, and lack of family & support, housework, chores, other children, and especially mothers who have had a cesarean birth, a post partum doula can help with this transition saving mama from being overwhelmed, and allowing her the space to enjoy it.
Typically a post partum doula will come to your home, talk about breastfeeding issues, postnatal health topics, assess Post Partum Depression... but most importantly, she will lighten the load for mother, by doing her daily tasks. Letting mama stay comfortable and connected with baby, no need to clean house, or get dressed during this sacred loving time.
The Post partum doula can do up dishes, throw on a load of laundry, do some shopping, vaccuming, dusting, cut vegetables and prepare meals to pop in the oven for the family... she can can hold baby while mama showers or sleeps, or tidy up, water plants, or help with other children.
The mother defines the role of the post partum doula, and lets her know what needs to be done so that she gets the rest she needs, and spends the crucial quality time with her beautiful newborn.
As a post partum doula, when I come to a womans home, I am glad to find a naked mother and baby curled up in bed or on the couch, with an untidy home, and I tend to worry more, when the house is neat, mama is dressed, hair/makeup done up, baby laying in a crib... something essential is sadly missing.
Grandparents sometimes hire Post Partum Doulas as a baby shower gift, understanding that all the help mama and baby get, the more time they have to enjoy each other.
There are a few Post Partum Doulas in our Okanagan Area contact your community Health Centre, for more information.
I offer my Post Partum Doula services for $20.00 per hour.
*Breastfeeding Support*We are mammals, Breastfeeding is Natural and Organic!
As mammals, women are created to breastfeed their young. It is beneficial for mama and baby on many levels, spiritually, physically, psychologically. A womans very strong natural instinct during the birth process, is to breastfeed her baby, and every baby deserves to receive this essential gift during the first moments of life. It becomes the birth processes next transition, and a harmonious balance for mama and baby. During pregnancy a womans body is preparing the breasts and during labour and birth, the mother naturally, instinctively, and eagerly attends to breastfeeding.
Immediate breastfeeding is important for mama physically as it helps contract the uterus (preventing hemmorage), helping mamas uterus and the rest of her body return to its pre pregnant state. Breastfeeding importantly sends a variety of hormones through mothers body that will combat Post Partum Depression. Breastfeeding helps to prevent uterine cancers, breast cancers and decreases the risks of other cancers as well. Breastfeeding helps to protect mothers from obesity and osteoporosis.
Mothers make colostrum the first milk specifically for her baby, which is full of antibodies, and life giving nutrients that provide a lifetime of protection for baby that can not be replaced. Importantly for baby, the colostrum acts as a laxative and ensures babys bowel is clear of meconium, as the meconium can be reabsorbed by the intestines causing jaundice. If for any reason a mother cannot breastfeed, before considering formula, she should be able to pump her breast milk to ensure baby is getting the proper nutrition, as formula feeding contains certain risks that should be carefully considered. If mama cannot breastfeed or pump milk, there is a breast milk donor association, contact your doula or caregiver. Babies deserve the best start to life, and only you can make that choice for them, they depend on you.
Breastfeeding supportSome herbs can be very useful in encouraging milk supply and ensuring your milk is rich & nutritious for your baby. Some teas breastfeeding mothers choose to make include nourishing herbs such as comfrey, raspberry leaf, nettle, alfalfa, red clover, blessed thistle leaf, borage, and fennel. Eating healthy foods like apricots, asparagus, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas pecans and all leafy greens help sustain lactation. Mineral rich nourishment will help keep mama relaxed and healthy, and protect mama from mineral loss during stress, hormonal changes, and nursing.
This is a video supporting the extended breastfeeding of your baby, nursing your baby is truly one of lifes most precious gifts!
*Herbal Remedies for Childbearing*
Families choosing a natural path for birth and raising children, look for natural alternatives to health care. Nature offers many gifts that can be used as remedies to most ailments. I have studied and applied while raising my family, the use of herbs for pregnancy, and illness. If you choose, and prefer to use natural herbs through pregnancy and birth, I can help guide you in the direction right for you.
The information I share concerning the use of herbs are not intended to treat, cure, prevent or diagnose any disease or underlying problem. Please educate yourself on the benefits of the uses of herbs, as the information I share is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified health professional.
*BIRTH INTERESTS*
Trust your body, birth with dignity, empowerment, and respect
Below and the following page contain some birth interests. In order these interests include:
*Mother friendly childbirth Initiative
*Quiet & Darkness during labour
*For the Fathers
*Routine Procedures during labour
*Routine Procedures on the newborn
*Mother baby separation
*PKU testing
*Turning a Breech Baby
*Birth Videos
*Womens issues
*Raspberry Leaf tea
*Vitamin K
*VBAC & HBAC
*Keeping membranes intact
*Lotus and delayed clamping
*Circumcision
*Healing the Perineum
*Post Partum Depression
*Adoption
The traditions of childbirth are now being restored by the women who are educating other women to reclaim mastery over their bodies and their ability to give birth.
Hospitals are now becoming more mother friendly due to the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative group in 1996. Hospitals must abide by the World Health Organizations recommendations for being baby-friendly. This mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes, focusing on prevention and wellness. It is the hope that the Mother-friendly Childbirth Initiative will be the standard to which all maternity care practises will aspire. A "baby friendly" hospital must recommend and facilitate breastfeeding initiation within the hour, prioritizing immediate skin-to-skin contact over routine weighing, measuring, and testing in order to allow for bonding and nursing first.
*THE IMPORTANCE OF QUIET AND DARKNESS DURING LABOUR AND BIRTH*
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
A crucial element for mama and baby during birth is respect for quiet and darkness. The intimacy of lovemaking created this baby, and the same intimate quiet darkness will bring this baby out. A womans ability to concentrate and enhance her endurance by moving inward into herself without distractions will ultimately assist in ease of babys birth. By maintaining a quiet and darkened atmosphere the mother can better move into her deep recesses and draw upon her inner strength and wisdom. Labour inside, anything outside will distract and bring mama out of her inner trance labour realm, into the outer world here and now, labour will slow. Spin a cocoon of love and warmth around mama and belly during labour.
*FOR THE FATHERS*
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
Fathers have been burdened as 'The birth Coach", a label. "Coaching is central to success". This is an unfair position to put fathers in. Fathers are going through the birth process too (on a different level) and need love and support. Fathers are the birth guardians, the loving partner. A fathers presence in the birth room is a calm, loving, watchful eye, protecting the fragile harmony of birth. Frantic coaching is not a part of this. If mama believes she needs coaching, she loses touch with her inner instinctive & intuitive core to birth with the strength and dignity of a birthing woman, and she becomes dependant on a coach rather than herself.
*Some information about "Routine Procedures"*
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
A doula is trained to attend both medically managed births, and naturally managed births. A doula will work in harmony with the birthing woman, her family, and her doctor or midwife. Some doulas attend unassisted births, with only the birthing woman and her chosen family and friends present, usually at the birthing womans home.
Some procedures performed on the birthing mama:
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
Throughout labour and delivery the womans physical and emotional well being are regularly assessed by your professional care attendants. This implies regular intervals of measuring temperature, pulse and blood pressure, checking fluid intake and urine output, assessing pain and need of support, this monitering will be continued until the conclusion of the birth process as results can have implications for the final outcome of the birth. These procedures are performed routinely on all patients with their births being managed at the hospital, or with a midwife. The hospital care givers as well as midwives practise a model of maternity care that is mother and baby friendly and try to consider the birthing womans physical and emotional well being in the best way they find managable. The hospital caregivers and midwives have extensive education & specialize in obstetrics, they very effective at their skills. It is always an honour for me to work with them. The hospital caregivers usually incorporate a more actively managed birth outlook, where as midwives view birth as a natural physiological event, and tend to let birth unfold, rather than manage it. Both perspectives have the birthing womans health and the babies safe delivery as priority.
When a family chooses to give birth in a hospital environment, there are procedures which should be introduced and explained to the birthing family, before the labour and birth process begin (as surprises during labour may throw your labour off balance, or slow labouring down). The medical procedures which may seem invasive or degrading, begin with a hospital wrist band and gown and lead to more invasive procedures where insufficient evidence exists to support recommendation (according to the World Health Organization) such as electronic fetal monitoring, vaginal exams to check dilation, artificial rupture of the membranes, intravenous infusion of oxytocins, episiotomy, perineal stretching during second stage, cord traction during the third stage etc. Be sure to talk to your care provider about their management of labour and birth, making certain your choices are supported (in a normal healthy pregnancy). It is crucial to find a care giver who shares the same views about birth as you do.
Mama will experience more interventions in an active medically managed labour and birth, some care providers and most midwives choose to have a natural expectantly managed outlook, (a wait and see approach) trusting birth physiological and normal. Discuss with your caregiver your concerns regarding labour and birth management including the risks, benefits and alternatives concerning the procedures. Your care provider will provide you with enough information to determine your comfort zones, letting you determine the amount of intervention you are comfortable with (in a normal healthy pregnancy). On the other hand some birthing families are more comfortable with a highly medically managed birth, and the procedures do not seem invasive, but rather precautionary. A doula will support the type of management in labour and birth you desire, honouring you with dignity and respect for the way you choose to give birth to your baby.
Some procedures performed on newborns:
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
After the birth of your baby there are more routine procedures. Again, some families are happy to have their new baby cared for by the medical staff professionals while others are not. Your doula will embrace your choices, always in the moment with you, supporting your choice in the care you desire for your baby. Still important that the mother and father be introduced and understand the procedures that may be performed on their baby at birth.
When your baby is born recommended immediate care (according to the World Health Organization) involves, assuring airways are clear, mantaining body temperature (skin to skin), sterile (not immediate) clamping and cutting of cord, & put baby to breast as early as possible.
Some care givers routinely have baby taken to a neonatal table for examining: apgar testing, vitamin K injection, eye prophylaxis, routine suctioning (which has risks even when there is meconium present), immediate cord clamping and cutting.
Babies vernix may be rubbed off (a protective layer of pure, perfectly and naturally designed silken cream from mamas womb just for baby. The vernix is absorbed into babys skin if left alone, and helps with the gentle transition from womb to outside realm on many levels. For baby it moisturizes, protects from infection, the familiar birth smell, the warmth, the life force energy, helps to keep baby & mamas beautiful sacred connection.) Following these procedures, baby is then returned to mama bundled in a blanket and knitted cap.
*Vitamin K is essential for helping blood to clot properly, the two forms of vitamin K are K1 and K2. It takes about two weeks for a babies gut to be colonized with the required microorganisms to make adequate levels of Vitamin K. THIS IS NORMAL. Naturally babies have lower levels of vit K than adults. Vitamin k is present in colostrum and breastmilk. The routine injection of vitamin k is to prevent a "rare" but serious condition called vitamin K deficiency bleeding VKBD. This condition occurs in approx 80 babies / 100,000. Only a fraction of babies with VKBD will actually die.
Some babies have higher risk factors of VKBD including but not limited to:
* Circumcision
* Forceps Delivery
* Vacuum Extraction
Immediate clamping and cutting of the cord will prevent infants to receive their full blood volume and result in having reduced amounts of clotting factors present.
Risks associated with Vitamin K include neonatal jaundice, increased risk of bacterial meningitis, increased risk of childhood cancers. The amount of vitamin K injected is 20,000 times the needed dose! and may contain preservatives which are known toxins to the baby.
*Eye Prophylaxis is a preventative medicine placed into the newborns eyes, to protect baby from STDs : gonorrhoea or chlamydia from the mother. If mother does not have these STDs baby does not need this intervention, preventing baby from gazing directly into mama and dads eyes at birth. Silver nitrate used to be used, and does not protect against chlamydia, now the drugs of choice are either tetracycline or erythromycin, although neither of these offer 'complete protection'. Topical agents placed in the eyes of a newborn cause babies to keep their eyes closed, and interfere with their vision. A crucial bonding process.. gazing into mama and dads eyes immediately after birth will be lost, first hour of bonding after birth, is an important process. Sometimes eye medication can cause chemical conjunctivitis, and inflammation of the eyes with symptoms of swelling and a yellowish crusting discharge.... If you do decide to do an eye medication it is recommended to wait an hour or two, so you and baby benefit from those crucial eye to eye moments with your newborn.
*APGAR is a test performed on baby that can be done right on mamas tummy, determining factors such as Activity, Pulse, Reflex, Appearance (colour), and Respiratory effort.
*Other testing the pediatrician will perform on the neonatal table include examining Moro reflex, mouth, genitalia, limbs, fingers, toes, spine, hips, chest and abdomen, baby's eyes and now a new hearing test.
*MOTHER BABY SEPARATION*
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
This causes great anxiety and distress to a newborn and the mother. They can both suffer permanent psychological and spiritual damage. Some professionals think that a newborn crying is a healthy sound, but studies have shown that their anxiety and distress reach unsafe levels and the effects are profound for the newborn, and for the mother who hears her baby crying in distress. Baby should immediately be put on mamas tummy, skin to skin. Skin to skin contact allows baby to be colonized by mamas bacteria rather than hospital or birth attendants bacteria. Mothers and babies should not be separated unless it is a medical emergency. During pregnancy and birth the mother instinctively longs for her baby to be born, and the baby instinctively longs for the mothers smell and touch. It is a spiritual connection that should never be severed.
*PKU TESTING*
-Steph Bernath CD, CPD
After 24 hours a Newborn Screening Test is done. Babies are routinely tested for (PKU) phenyletonuria, galactosemia, and hypothyroidism. These diseases are detected through infant screening tests and if detected can be treated :
-Biotinidase Deficiency-a serious metabolic disorder. Can cause seizures, hearing loss, coma.
-Maple Syrup Urine Disease-metabolic disorder causing mental retardation, physical disabilities or death.
-Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia-defect of adrenal glands, affecting and deforming childrens genitals.
-Congenital Hypothyroidism-lack of thyroid hormone, poor mental health and abnormal development.
-Cystic Fibrosis- protein missing from the cells of the lungs, pancreas and other organs, building up mucous and causing infections.
-Phenylketonuria-a missing enzyme to break down certain amino acids, leads to severe mental retardation, seizures, autistic behaviour.
-Galactosemia-an inability to digest sugar in breast milk. This condition is fatal if untreated.
-Homocystinuria-enzyme deficiency, leading to a build up of amino acids causing mental retardation, seizures and can be fatal.
-Sickle Cell Disease-abnormalities of hemoglobin.
-Thalassemia-severe anaemia, enlarged spleen, cannot make enough hemoglobin and become very ill.
-Tyrosinemia-lacking an enzyme to metabolize tyrosine in proteins. Results in kidney and liver failure can be fatal.
ALL PROCEDURES ARE REFUSABLE WITH THE MOTHER AND FATHERS CONSENT!
BREECH PRESENTATION
Having a baby in a breech presentation can cause distress to the mother for the upcoming birth, and some caregivers will simply not attempt a vaginal breech delivery, opting for cesarean birth. Here are some ideas concerning turning a breech baby to a more favourable position for vaginal birth.
YOGA TECHNIQUES FOR TURNING A BREECH BABY
WEBSTERS TECHNIQUE FOR TURNING A BREECH BABY
EXTERNAL CEPAHLIC VERSION FOR TURNING A BREECH BABY
*BIRTH INTERESTS* ARE CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
