tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12959314982193863652024-03-12T21:14:26.254-07:00pain free labourPain free labour is an achievable goal for the majority of women with a normal first stage of labour. Women are taught from an early age to fear going into labour. When they do they start secreting adrenalin, this causes changes in the body which cause labour contractions to feel painful. You can reduce adrenalin output by using relaxation techniques in pregnancy and labour. Once you know the truth, you have a chance to choose.Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-51656185979630514192020-04-01T04:43:00.001-07:002022-01-04T04:36:40.790-08:00Protecting baby from Coronavirus.The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) are keeping an eye on developments within the data extracted from different countries currently fighting the Coronavirus pertaining to pregnancy and birth.<br />
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They say "Pregnant women do not appear to be more likely to be seriously unwell than other healthy adults if they develop the Coronavirus."<br />
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Vertical transmission is when an infection is caught by the mother whilst pregnant and passed onto the baby through the placenta. A virus is usually tiny enough to do this and is why the flu vaccine is always offered to pregnant women as flu is also caused by a virus and can easily pass the placenta into baby.<br />
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Women protect their babies by producing antibodies to infections and passing these on to baby through the placenta.<br />
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Problems arise when the baby is born and no longer has this protection from every illness the mother has ever had. The only way to remedy this lack of protection is to give new born babies their mothers own milk.<br />
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Human milk contains all the antibodies a baby needs to protect him or her from illnesses the mother has suffered in her lifetime. The only alternative: formula milk (made from cow milk) contains zero antibodies and offers no protection whatsoever.<br />
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It has been known for many decades that breast feeding your baby develops their immune systems to full capacity making them much less likely to develop Asthma, Eczema, Diabetes, Obesity and Food Allergies.<br />
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If a mother picks up the Coronavirus during or after her pregnancy, and then fights it off, the antibodies she produces will protect baby in the womb and whilst breast feeding.<br />
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What greater gift can a mother give to her baby during these uncertain times?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WpPpDxdYQAZXu0t_q-j9FWdKpD_buPqryCpmboJ-eXaBW2yt4U_109uncVax8s2YqejYt5VUrEBpR6ckbqZeW8GYKxuc-y4YQ6Gna2FgTMc7uNnuXHqLAxlOZOInB_He0yvQSv58zys/s1600/Argentina+midwife.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WpPpDxdYQAZXu0t_q-j9FWdKpD_buPqryCpmboJ-eXaBW2yt4U_109uncVax8s2YqejYt5VUrEBpR6ckbqZeW8GYKxuc-y4YQ6Gna2FgTMc7uNnuXHqLAxlOZOInB_He0yvQSv58zys/s320/Argentina+midwife.gif" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are Women, We are Wonderful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">New Pain Free Labour Book now Available from Amazon to Download.</span></h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ4kN7gXrkpDoB04wE15HOEqnANHrTDtrHNsg_ed-LND2-APh08ktMZhrCj2UkPmJTR0nET3Pk_AWHv6yIimPZGQex34AZVf8cB_uOD6Ooqu99x5fRiOGdjfAMWpDJbwMqAkLPHC1fQ8/s1600/book+cover.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ4kN7gXrkpDoB04wE15HOEqnANHrTDtrHNsg_ed-LND2-APh08ktMZhrCj2UkPmJTR0nET3Pk_AWHv6yIimPZGQex34AZVf8cB_uOD6Ooqu99x5fRiOGdjfAMWpDJbwMqAkLPHC1fQ8/s320/book+cover.png" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discover why the hormone adrenaline can cause contractions to become painful during labour. And how to take measures to counteract this happening. xxx</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-49838406386897101932020-01-31T04:36:00.000-08:002020-01-31T04:36:03.997-08:00Are you human, or are you cow fed?<span style="font-size: large;">Research into giving new born human babies cow milk (formula) to drink instead of our own mum made human milk is costing the NHS millions in sick children!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As a retired midwife I am now working as a doctors receptionist and it breaks my heart to see all the damaged children. Susceptible children are suffering from Eczema, Asthma, Diabetes, Obesity and Allergies. All because formula manufacturers do not have warnings on the label to give mothers an informed choice.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<ul>
<u><span style="color: #000013;"></span></u>
<li><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">Azad
M.B., Vehling L., Lu Z., Dai D., Subbarao P., Becker A.B., Mandhane
P.J., Turvey S.E., Lefebvre D.L., Sears M.R. Breastfeeding, maternal
</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>asthma
</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">and
wheezing in the first year of life: A longitudinal birth cohort
study. Eur. Respir. J. 2017;49:1602019. doi:
10.1183/13993003.02019-2016. [</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28461293" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">PubMed</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]
[</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1183%2F13993003.02019-2016" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">CrossRef</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]
[</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Eur.+Respir.+J.&title=Breastfeeding,+maternal+asthma+and+wheezing+in+the+first+year+of+life:+A+longitudinal+birth+cohort+study&author=M.B.+Azad&author=L.+Vehling&author=Z.+Lu&author=D.+Dai&author=P.+Subbarao&volume=49&publication_year=2017&pages=1602019&pmid=28461293&doi=10.1183/13993003.02019-2016&" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">Google
Scholar</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: #1c1d1e;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans, icomoon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: quot;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Our
results strengthen the existing evidence that breastfeeding confers
protection against wheezing in early life, and further identify
features of this association. We observed stronger protection from
longer and more exclusive breastfeeding, primarily in infants with
maternal history of </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: quot;"><b><span style="background: #ffffff;">asthma</span></b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: quot;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "quot"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span>
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<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<ul>
<li><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">Klopp
A., Vehling L., Becker A.B., Subbarao P., Mandhane P.J., Turvey S.E.,
Lefebvre D.L., Sears M.R., Azad M.B. Modes of infant feeding and the
risk of childhood </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>asthma</b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">:
A prospective birth cohort study. J. Pediatr. 2017;190:192–199.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.07.012. [</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29144244" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">PubMed</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]
[</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpeds.2017.07.012" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">CrossRef</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]
[</span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=J.+Pediatr.&title=Modes+of+infant+feeding+and+the+risk+of+childhood+asthma:+A+prospective+birth+cohort+study&author=A.+Klopp&author=L.+Vehling&author=A.B.+Becker&author=P.+Subbarao&author=P.J.+Mandhane&volume=190&publication_year=2017&pages=192-199&pmid=29144244&doi=10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.07.012&" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">Google
Scholar</span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;">]</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.42cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
<span style="color: #006000;">M<span style="color: #2e2e2e;"><span style="font-size: small;">odes of infant feeding are
associated with <b>asthma </b>development. Direct breastfeeding is most
protective compared with formula feeding; breast milk
confers intermediate protection. Policies that facilitate and promote breastfeeding could have impact on the primary prevention of
<b>asthma</b>.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.42cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: #006000;"><span style="color: #2e2e2e;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border-image: none; border: medium; margin-bottom: 0.42cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006000;"><span style="color: #2e2e2e;"><span style="font-size: small;"><ul>
<li><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4839855/"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Medicine
(Baltimore)</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
2016 Apr; 95(15): e3391. </span></span></span></span></span>
</li>
</ul>
<div align="LEFT" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Published
online 2016 Apr 18. doi: </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FMD.0000000000003391" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">10.1097/MD.0000000000003391</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span></div>
<h1 align="LEFT" class="western">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Exclusive
or Partial Breastfeeding for 6 Months Is Associated With Reduced Milk
Sensitization and Risk of </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Eczema</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in Early Childhood</span></span></span></span></span></h1>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">The PATCH Birth Cohort Study</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Chiu%20CY%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Chih-Yung
Chiu</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
PhD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Liao%20SL%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sui-Ling
Liao</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Su%20KW%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kuan-Wen
Su</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Tsai%20MH%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ming-Han
Tsai</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
PhD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Hua%20MC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Man-Chin
Hua</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lai%20SH%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Shen-Hao
Lai</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Chen%20LC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Li-Chen
Chen</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Yao%20TC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Tsung-Chieh
Yao</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
PhD, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Yeh%20KW%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Kuo-Wei
Yeh</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD, and </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Huang%20JL%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=27082611"><span style="color: #2f4a8b;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Jing-Long
Huang</span></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
MD</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">T<span style="font-size: small;">he rate of breastfeeding for at least 6 months remains
low despite the widely recognized benefits of breastfeeding. Exclusive and partial breastfeeding for 6 months appears to
decrease the prevalence of milk sensitization and protect against the
development of <b>eczema</b> in early childhood. Although exclusive
breastfeeding is recommended as the primary health strategy,
continued partial breastfeeding for at least 6 months should also be
encouraged to reduce milk sensitization and the risk of developing
<b>eczema</b> in early childhood.</span></span></span></div>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "quot";"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border-image: none; border: medium; margin-bottom: 0.42cm; padding: 0cm;">
<ul>
<li><div style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Increasing breastfeeding worldwide could prevent over 800,000 child deaths and 20,000 deaths from breast cancer every year.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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January 29, 2016</div>
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The Lancet</div>
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<dt style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Summary:</dt>
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<dd id="abstract" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Just 1 in 5 children in high-income countries are
breastfed to 12 months, whilst only 1 in 3 children in low and
middle-income countries are exclusively breastfed for the first 6
months. As a result, millions of children are failing to receive the
full benefits provided by breastfeeding. The findings come from the
largest and most detailed analysis to quantify levels, trends, and
benefits of breastfeeding around the world. </div>
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<li><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a h="ID=SERP,5138.1" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116142/" style="color: #001ba0; text-decoration: none;">Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Immune System Development</a></h2>
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<div class="b_attribution" style="color: #767676; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; padding-bottom: 1px;">
<cite style="color: #006d21; font-style: normal; overflow-wrap: break-word;">https://<strong style="font-weight: normal;">www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov</strong>/pmc/articles/PMC6116142</cite></div>
<div class="b_caption" style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="news_dt">08/08/2018</span> · In addition to protecting against infection, human milk has both short-term and long-term effects, such as prevention and protection against allergic reactions; <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">optimal behavioral</strong>, <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">cognitive</strong>, and <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">gastrointestinal development</strong>; and, may protect against chronic diseases, such as <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">diabetes</strong>, <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">obesity</strong>, <strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">hypertension</strong>, and autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases .</div>
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<span><strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">Cited by:</strong> </span><a h="ID=SERP,5135.1" href="https://academic.microsoft.com/paper/2887195915/citedby/?source=bing" style="color: #001ba0; text-decoration: none;" title="12">12</a></div>
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<li style="border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; list-style-image: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">Publish Year:</strong> 2018</div>
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<strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">Author:</strong> Julio Plaza-Díaz, Luis Fontana, Angel Gil</div>
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<strong style="color: #767676; font-weight: 700;">Location:</strong> 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD</div>
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<span style="color: #2e2e2e;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once damaged your children are damaged for good! Write to your MP and demand that formula cow milk packaging have warning on them so as not to mislead parents into thinking that this is a safe way to feed babies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2e2e2e;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the future when all the research into human milk comes to the attention of the popular mass media (what's trending) women are going to get really mad that they have been conned into damaging their precious children by not being made more aware of the risks of using formula cow milk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only we can change the future. Only mothers can give the precious gift of human milk to their babies to develop them fully into the person they were always meant to be. Only women can make this choice but it has to be an informed one. </span></div>
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Are we human or are we cow fed?</div>
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Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-50310167513851136432019-08-18T10:43:00.000-07:002019-10-05T09:56:34.286-07:00Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Labour?<h2>
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Labour? BOOK!</h2>
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As discussed previously in this blog it is the fear of labour that can cause women to have painful contractions. Tokophobia is rife in the modern world with influences from friends, family and most damaging of all, the media.</h3>
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In order to try and teach women how to approach labour so that they optimise their chances of it being pain free I have re-written my book with a new title. (labour being classified as the first stage of labour, while the contractions are opening the cervix to 10cm allowing the baby to descend into the birth canal) Includes new research that will help you deliver before your due date and thus avoid the dreaded induction of labour. Available NOW to download from Amazon.</h3>
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whos-Afraid-Big-Bad-Labour-ebook/dp/B07YQC6D3W/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=whos+afraid+of+the+big+bad+labour&qid=1570294068&s=books&sr=1-1<br /></div>
<h3 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vbHG5sFNDj6DCz_sqHAMcs6u09N2pVKYv9TlR3znPtirYM7zs99t2rNXK98K2VoKyES6N2kwBgGfnCQzfMjPHggQDQ5eP7aUlQ_MCA6jPDOsZ245-M8ML4nHBwnZb1ryZpu1SMet7c4/s1600/book+cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vbHG5sFNDj6DCz_sqHAMcs6u09N2pVKYv9TlR3znPtirYM7zs99t2rNXK98K2VoKyES6N2kwBgGfnCQzfMjPHggQDQ5eP7aUlQ_MCA6jPDOsZ245-M8ML4nHBwnZb1ryZpu1SMet7c4/s320/book+cover.png" width="203" /></a></h3>
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All it takes is for us to believe. The truth. xxx</h3>
Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-46668162632823819372019-06-25T03:35:00.000-07:002019-06-25T03:35:29.962-07:00How to best feed your new baby.How to feed your new baby is often an overwhelming choice that leaves women feeling lost and alone. Formula cow milk for babies was developed when premature babies started surviving their early birth and needed milk to keep them going until mum's milk came in on day three after the delivery. It was meant as a stopgap measure but along the way someone realised there was a heap of money to be made by pretending that formula cow milk was a viable substitute for human milk.<br />
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Human milk, produced by mothers for hundreds of thousands of years, has been perfected until it is the ideal food for your baby. Human milk is in fact responsible for elevating us above the other mammals that we share the earth with. It does this by feeding gut bacteria special sugars that in return produce compounds that further develop the human brain to amazing levels as well as strengthening the immune system.<br />
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Formula cow milk, when fed to gut bacteria did nothing. No compounds were produced and therefore the baby brains are not being developed to required human levels. It does not tell you this on the formula cow milk packaging does it?<br />
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In fact, research has shown that giving new babies formula cow milk causes ECZEMA, ASTHMA, DIABETES, OBESITY and ALLERGIES in susceptible children. This has been known for years and yet the formula milk people do not advertise any warnings to make new mothers aware that they are putting their children at risk by feeding them cow milk.<br />
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NUT allergies in children are reaching unacceptable levels and research shows the cause is not giving human babies human milk. A survival trait in any mammal is that any food eaten by lactating mothers is filtered through their milk to the baby to ensure they will not develop an allergy to that food. If a mother therefore eats a varied healthy diet (including nuts) whilst feeding her baby she can protect them from this life threatening allergy.<br />
<br />
Warnings are put on the side of cigarette packets to warn users that they are at risk of getting certain diseases by using the product. Why then are formula cow milk manufacturers getting away with damaging our lovely new babies by pretending that their milk is a good thing to feet to your baby? Giving milk to human babies from another species of mammal is unnatural and dangerous.<br />
<br />
Often women start with giving human milk to babies but do not get enough support to carry on within an NHS that is on its knees with lack of funds. However, there are local support groups available and charity organisations such as The Association of Breast Feeding Mothers (ABM), The Breastfeeding Network (BfN), La Leche League (LLL), The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and the National Breastfeeding Helpline (0300 100 0212 available every day 09.30 to 21.30 hr.)<br />
<br />
With the Climate Crisis finally being taken seriously we are going to need all the human fed clever people that we can get to ensure the human race does not become a victim of its own greed. In the future when all the research into human milk comes to the attention of the mass media women are going to get really mad that they have been conned into damaging their precious children by not being made aware of the risks by the formula cow people.<br />
<br />
Perhaps instead of kicking the poor old NHS to death with claims for compensation we should be suing the formula people for damaging our children in a way that is simply not fixable. Once damaged they are damaged for good! Write to your MP and demand that formula cow milk have warnings on the packets so as to not mislead parents that this is a safe way to feed babies.<br />
<br />
Only we can change the future. Only mothers can give the precious gift of human milk to their babies to develop them fully into the person they were always meant to be. Only women can make this choice but it has to be an informed one. Only we can save the planet by nurturing our babies as nature intended.<br />
<br />
Are we human or are we cow fed?Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-18234355228664778012019-03-29T10:29:00.000-07:002019-03-29T10:29:35.100-07:00Water births proved safer than land birth.Research in Canada shows that water births are safer for mum and baby than land births.<br />
<br />
Water Birth, Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes, Among Midwifery Clients in Alberta, Canada. 2014 - 2017.<br />
<br />
A retrospective study by S. Jacoby RM and R.D. Wilson MD found a significant difference in the amount of perineal damage between water and dry births. Water births reduced the number of tears and also produced less severe tears such as third and fourth degree despite larger babies born to the water birth group. I have noticed this on the birth centre and put it down to the fact that warm water softens the perineum and helps it stretch for the birth.<br />
<br />
There was also less bleeding after the birth as the placenta is detaching from the uterine wall. Plus a reduction in babies having a low APGAR score at birth (<7 at 5 minutes). Less babies were admitted to NICU after a water birth. All other criteria were too similar to determine a significant link.<br />
<br />
So, book yourself in for a water birth. Practice one of the relaxation methods outlined in this blog. Get ready for an awesome birth. xx<br />
<br />
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<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-56531232000464856202019-03-08T06:09:00.002-08:002019-03-08T06:14:50.878-08:00Pain Free Labour for International Women's DayEverything you really need to know about labour without really trying.<br />
Happy International Women's' day.<br />
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
that pain is the body's way of warning us that something is wrong. No
healthy tissue within the human body is designed to cause the
sensation of pain when working under normal healthy conditions. Most
labours are normal and healthy so there is no reason, other than
fear, that they should become painful. Dr. Grantly Dick-Read (my
hero) commented in his book, Childbirth Without Fear:</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm; margin-left: 1cm; margin-right: 1cm;">
“<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>There is no physiological
function in the body that gives rise to pain in the normal course of
health.”</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Any relaxation technique when
practised regularly brings your body and mind into balance which
increases energy and concentration levels. Energy levels are not
being wasted, having to deal with unnecessary panic attacks
throughout the day. When relaxed we have an increase in serotonin
levels which make us feel well and happy, without the need to get
drunk. When stress hormones are being released throughout the day
they have a long term negative effect on us, we become tired and
listless. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
that in labour you can easily reach a state of utter exhaustion, if
adrenalin is secreted for long periods of time. Sometimes it is not a
case of being too posh to push, more a case of being much too
drained. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">,
it is vital to find a relaxation technique that appeals to your
lifestyle and preferences. When you find the one that best suits you
personally it can be used throughout the pregnancy so when labour
begins you will not instantly go into panic mode. If you do then you
can pull yourself back and start to take control by practising
relaxing in a way that suits you best. Having calm people around you
helps a lot. Make sure your birth partners are aware of your birth
plans and are strong enough people to make it happen. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
to stay upright. It is very tempting to go and lie down on the nice
comfy bed when you are feeling tired, but you must resist. The most
dominant piece of equipment in a labour room is often the bed. When
showing women into a labour room I always asked them to sit on one of
the padded chairs. If I did not then they would make straight for the
bed. Labour is not an illness. You don't have to lie down to labour
or to give birth. In fact, lying down will make your labour painful
and last a lot longer. Gravity is your friend during labour. Use her
well.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Please try to stop smoking in
pregnancy. I know it is hard cos I did it three times. After my third
son was born I decided not to start again. When you become a mother,
it is incredible just how strong a person you can be. Having a tiny
baby reliant on you for everything is a life changing event. I
stopped smoking because I wanted to tell my children that taking
known harmful substances voluntarily into your body was not a good
thing to do. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
that there is help out there to give you the support you need to
quit. Ask your GP or community midwife for advice.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
to ask your midwife for a blood test at around 28 weeks gestation to
estimate your iron levels. A pain free labour is reliant on getting
lots of oxygen to your contracting uterus. Having good iron rich
blood will ensure that your uterus is not being deprived of oxygen in
labour. The easiest way to take in extra iron in your diet is to eat
extra fruit and vegetables in pregnancy. Anything dark has good iron
in it like kiwi fruit and broccoli. These naturally also contain
vitamin C, so the iron in them is automatically readily absorbed. Do
not drink tea and coffee with meals as they will stop you absorbing
any iron present there.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Drinking coffee in early pregnancy has
been linked to an increase in spontaneous abortions. Why take the
risk? Coffee is a stimulant as it contains caffeine and can become
addictive. How many people do you know who simply cannot function in
the morning till they have had a fix of caffeine? They are not very
relaxed people. By not drinking coffee in your pregnancy you can
become even better at the relaxation techniques. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
what adrenalin, secreted after drinking caffeine drinks, does to your
cervix in labour. It makes it very difficult to open. The
contractions have to become stronger and stronger and eventually
cause pain.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">not
to slouch on the couch. Sitting with your back rounded for long
periods of time in pregnancy will encourage your baby to adopt an OP
position. Try and support your back with some cushions before
spending down time on the couch. If baby does settle into an OP
position then try some of the postures outlined in this book. Whilst
walking try and keep your shoulders back and your head high. You will
not only look good but the natural curve in your spine will
discourage baby from snuggling into an OP position. In labour,
contractions have to become stronger as the baby's head does not fit
well in the pelvis when his back is toward your back. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Remember</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
that most hospital staff firmly believe in painful labours and will
call your contractions PAINS! You can ask them to stop. One young
lady I booked for her second baby was telling me how she had got on
with her first. I had previously taught her how to approach labour
and she had been having pain free contractions at home. When the
contractions were every 3 minutes and lasting 50 seconds she informed
the hospital that she was on her way. On arrival the midwife noted
her calm demeanour and apparent lack of pain and sent her home
without examining her cervix or feeling her contractions. Once home
she gave birth on the bathroom floor with her mum in attendance. Your
midwife may not think that you are in labour if you are calm and pain
free, ask for a vaginal examination before she decides to send you
home. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 1cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
have lived with the knowledge that a pain free first stage of labour
is achievable, for the majority of women, for more than three
decades. I have tried spreading the word by telling friends and
family, they were not very interested. I have become a midwife in
order to teach women how to approach labour, they are too few. I have
written articles for midwives magazines, they did not believe. If I
had not experienced two pain free labours for myself, then maybe I
would also find it difficult to believe. I am asking you to take a
huge leap of faith; to try the coping strategies outlined in this
book. I was so happy after my first pain free labour, I just wanted
to sing and dance and spread the word. Please</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>
remember</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
to TAKE BACK CONTROL. All it takes is to believe. The truth.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
Please let me know if you use a relaxation technique (I used Progressive Muscle Relaxation for my pain free labours and there is a post in this blog to explain how to use this method) to have a more comfortable labour. We need to spread the word so that we can take back control from the medics with regards to labour. Thank you. Good luck. xxx<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-79066351717197103412018-11-04T05:14:00.000-08:002018-11-04T05:14:08.456-08:00Belief of painfull labours (Tokophobia)When a thing has been done a certain way for a long time, resisting
change can be a reflexive instinct, and the powerful interests of the
status quo are hard to move resulting in a pandemic of tokophobia.<br />
<br />
Hi Ann,<br />
<br />
That's so interesting that in England nurse-midwives are called
obstetric nurses. I tend to agree. The dynamics in the US are pretty
strange surrounding women's rights in birth. However, homebirth is not
illegal in any state, but there are a few states (not the majority by
far), that prohibit home births to be attended by midwives. That is a
terrible law for states to have because it leaves women vulnerable to
having an unassisted birth when they would've chosen otherwise or to
birth in the hospital. <br />
<br />
If I had my way I would've become a direct entry midwife (non-nurse
midwife), but the career opportunities are not as stable as if I became a
nurse-midwife. CNMs are legal in every state, as opposed to CPMs. <br />
<br />
I love your blog. I will keep it as a resource. You're so right that the
importance of caring for a woman so she can remain calm and relaxed is
the key to keeping her labor pain free. That's also one of the main
reasons why hypnobabies works. When mom is completely relaxed she no
longer interprets her birthing sensations as painful. I hope that when
it is my turn to be a midwife that I will live up to all I've ever
wished a midwife to be for moms and babies, so that their birth will be a
wholly positive experience for everyone involved. <br />
<br />
Thanks so much for reaching out. Be well.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #001000;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333;">From RCM, research by jean greer in Ireland re the fear of childbirth. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.45em;">‘Tokophobia’ is defined as morbid fear of childbirth </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">(Bhatia and Jhanjee, 2012), and this diagnosis has recently </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">been endorsed within the UK as an indication for planned CS </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">(NICE, 2011). This decision seems contrary to current trends </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">within maternity services that focus on promoting normality </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">in birth (Gould, 2012). However, there have been concerns </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">for some time among midwives that the conceptualisation </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">of fear of childbirth as a pathological process, situates the </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">problem within the individual woman, and deflects attention </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">from maternity care provision (Walsh, 2002).</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.45em;">All the women feared the pain of labour and were reassured </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">by the availability of a 24-hour epidural service. Despite this, </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">the majority of the women (65%) expressed hope that they </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">could labour without an epidural, although they lacked </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">confidence in their ability to cope and feared the pain would </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">be too severe. Six of the primigravidas in this study (40%) had </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">already been advised to have an epidural during labour by </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">family or friends and all the men wanted their partner to have </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">as much pain relief as possible during the birth: </span><i><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">“She [her mother] said: ‘If you want my advice, you get an </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">epidural as soon as you go into labour because you’ll never be </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">able to cope.’ You see they all know me and know what I’m </span></i><span style="line-height: 1.45em;"><i>like”</i> (W10, prim).</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.45em;"> </span>Four participants (11%) identified midwife support as a resource to help
them cope with birth. These were two multiparous women and partners.
Recalling previous births,<br />
they described how the midwife had reduced their fears: <i>“...from what I could see, the midwife had everything under control and like it seemed ok... so I was pretty relaxed”</i> (M3, third baby).<br />
<span style="line-height: 1.45em;">Normal birth was still very alluring for most of the women </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">in this study. It has been reported previously that women </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">idealise normal birth while also rejecting it as dangerous </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">(Maier, 2010). Most women in this study (89%) aspired </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">to a normal birth but more than half (68%) feared they </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">would not be capable of achieving it safely without medical </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">intervention. Gould (2012) contends that this is a consequence </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">of the language of risk that is used when offering birthing </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">choices to women. This perception of riskiness reduces the </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">comprehensibility dimension for women, and increases their </span><span style="line-height: 1.45em;">need for resources to help manage birth. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="panel-pane pane-node-title">
<div class="pane-content">
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">‘Fear of childbirth’ and ways of coping for pregnant women and
their partners during the birthing process: a salutogenic analysis</span></h1>
</div>
</div>
<div class="panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-date node-date">
<span class="date-display-single" content="2014-05-09T14:15:00+01:00">05/09/2014 - 14:15</span>
</div>
<div class="panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-summary node-summary">
To explore ‘fear of childbirth’ and its impact on birth choices among women and their partners in Northern Ireland.</div>
<i>Jean Greer</i> BS<i>c</i>, <i>RM</i>. <i>Anne Lazenbatt</i> <i>Ph</i>D, <i>M</i>S<i>c</i>, BS<i>c</i>. <i>Laura Dunne</i> <i>Ph</i>D, <i>BA</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333;"> </span> <br />
<span style="color: #333333;"> <a href="https://www.hypnobabies.com/free-mp3" target="_blank"><wbr></wbr></a></span>Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-10879731454577908442018-11-04T04:43:00.000-08:002018-11-04T04:43:27.247-08:00British Baby Box?<h1 class="story-body__h1">
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes</h1>
<div class="_fUc irc_mimg">
<a class="irc_mil i3597" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwja04zmiNDLAhUC6RQKHXXBBKAQjRwIBw" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/baby-box-canada-is-adopting-of-one-of-finlands-smartest-ideas-a6833376.html" target="_blank"><img class="irc_mi" src="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2016/01/25/13/box3.jpg" height="391" style="margin-top: 85px;" width="564" /></a></div>
<h1 class="story-body__h1">
</h1>
<div class="story-body__introduction">
For
75 years, Finland's expectant mothers have been given a box by the
state. It's like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even
be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the
world's lowest infant mortality rates.</div>
It's a tradition that dates
back to the 1930s and it's designed to give all children in Finland, no
matter what background they're from, an equal start in life.<br />
The maternity package - a gift from the government - is available to all expectant mothers. <br />
It
contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for
the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress. <br />
With
the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby's first bed. Many
children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the
safety of the box's four cardboard walls. <br />
<br />
<figure class="media-portrait has-caption body-width">
<span class="image-and-copyright-container">
</span></figure><figure class="media-portrait has-caption body-width"><span class="image-and-copyright-container">
</span>
<figcaption class="media-caption">
<span class="off-screen"></span><span class="media-caption__text"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a
cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95% opt for the box as it's
worth much more.<br />
The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with,
the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that
changed in 1949.<br />
"Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be but
new legislation meant in order to get the grant, or maternity box, they
had to visit a doctor or municipal pre-natal clinic before their fourth
month of pregnancy," says Heidi Liesivesi, who works at Kela - the
Social Insurance Institution of Finland. <br />
So
the box provided mothers with what they needed to look after their
baby, but it also helped steer pregnant women into the arms of the
doctors and nurses of Finland's nascent welfare state. <br />
In the
1930s Finland was a poor country and infant mortality was high - 65 out
of 1,000 babies died. But the figures improved rapidly in the decades
that followed. <br />
Mika Gissler, a professor at the National
Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, gives several reasons for
this - the maternity box and pre-natal care for all women in the 1940s,
followed in the 60s by a national health insurance system and the
central hospital network.<br />
<div class="_fUc irc_mimg">
<a class="irc_mil i3597" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjCg7esiNDLAhUEaRQKHW6rATAQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjCg7esiNDLAhUEaRQKHW6rATAQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fmagazine-22751415&psig=AFQjCNHSRwxGy8_N8i5vKtfFPVKavUUWgw&ust=1458590762275110&cad=rjt" target="_blank"><img class="irc_mi" src="http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/67954000/gif/_67954690_infant_mortality_464_2.gif" height="418" style="margin-top: 71px;" width="624" /></a></div>
<br />
<hr class="story-body__line" />
<h2 class="story-body__crosshead">
Contents of the box</h2>
<br />
<figure class="media-landscape no-caption body-width">
<span class="image-and-copyright-container">
</span></figure><figure class="media-landscape no-caption body-width"><span class="image-and-copyright-container">
</span>
</figure><br />
<ul class="story-body__unordered-list">
<li class="story-body__list-item">Mattress, mattress cover, undersheet, duvet cover, blanket, sleeping bag/quilt</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Box itself doubles as a crib</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Snowsuit, hat, insluated mittens and booties</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Light hooded suit and knitted overalls</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Socks and mittens, knitted hat and balaclava</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Bodysuits, romper suits and leggings in unisex colours and patterns</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Hooded bath towel, nail scissors, hairbrush, toothbrush, bath thermometer, nappy cream, washcloth</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Cloth nappy set and muslin squares</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Picture book and teething toy</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Bra pads, condoms</li>
</ul>
<a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://pre20031103.stm.fi/suomi/eho/julkaisut/mamuvauva/vauva_englanti.pdf">Dressing baby for the weather: Finland's official childcare advice</a><br />
<hr class="story-body__line" />
At
75 years old, the box is now an established part of the Finnish rite of
passage towards motherhood, uniting generations of women.<br />
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Box anticipation</h2>
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<span class="person">By <span class="name">Mark Bosworth</span><span class="bbc-role">Finland</span></span></div>
My partner Milla and I were living in London when we had our first
child, Jasper, so we weren't eligible for a free box. But Milla's
parents didn't want us to miss out, so they bought one and put it in the
post. <br />
We couldn't wait to get the lid off. There were all the clothes you
would expect, with the addition of a snowsuit for Finland's icy winters.
And then the box itself. I had never considered putting my baby to
sleep in a cardboard box, but if it's good enough for the majority of
Finns, then why not? Jasper slept in it - as you might expect - like a
baby. <br />
We now live in Helsinki and have just had our second child, Annika.
She did get a free box from the Finnish state. This felt to me like
evidence that someone cared, someone wanted our baby to have a good
start in life. And now when I visit friends with young children it's
nice to see we share some common things. It strengthens that feeling
that we are all in this together.</div>
</aside>Reija Klemetti, a 49-year-old from Helsinki, remembers going to the post office to collect a box for one of her six children.<br />
"It
was lovely and exciting to get it and somehow the first promise to the
baby," she says. "My mum, friends and relatives were all eager to see
what kind of things were inside and what colours they'd chosen for that
year."<br />
Her mother-in-law, aged 78, relied heavily on the box when
she had the first of her four children in the 60s. At that point she had
little idea what she would need, but it was all provided. <br />
More
recently, Klemetti's daughter Solja, aged 23, shared the sense of
excitement that her mother had once experienced, when she took
possession of the "first substantial thing" prior to the baby itself.
She now has two young children. <br />
"It's easy to know what year
babies were born in, because the clothing in the box changes a little
every year. It's nice to compare and think, 'Ah that kid was born in the
same year as mine'," says Titta Vayrynen, a 35-year-old mother with two
young boys.<br />
For some families, the contents of the box would be
unaffordable if they were not free of charge, though for Vayrynen, it
was more a question of saving time than money.<br />
She was working
long hours when pregnant with her first child, and was glad to be spared
the effort of comparing prices and going out shopping.<br />
"There was
a recent report saying that Finnish mums are the happiest in the world,
and the box was one thing that came to my mind. We are very well taken
care of, even now when some public services have been cut down a
little," she says.<br />
When she had her second boy, Ilmari, Vayrynen
opted for the cash grant instead of the box and just re-used the clothes
worn by her first, Aarni.<br />
A boy can pass on clothes to a girl too, and vice versa, because the colours are deliberately gender-neutral.<br />
The contents of the box have changed a good deal over the years, reflecting changing times.<br />
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The story of the maternity pack</h2>
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<ul class="story-body__unordered-list">
<li class="story-body__list-item">1938: Finnish Maternity Grants Act
introduced - two-thirds of women giving birth that year eligible for
cash grant, maternity pack or mixture of the two </li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">Pack could be used as a cot as poorest homes didn't always have a clean place for baby to sleep</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1940s: Despite wartime shortages, scheme continued as many Finns lost homes in bombings and evacuations</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1942-6: Paper replaced fabric for items such as swaddling wraps and mother's bedsheet </li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1949: Income testing removed, pack
offered to all mothers in Finland - if they had prenatal health checks
(1953 pack pictured above)</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1957: Fabrics and sewing materials completely replaced with ready-made garments </li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1969: Disposable nappies added to the pack</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">1970s: With more women in work, easy-to-wash stretch cotton and colourful patterns replace white non-stretch garments</li>
<li class="story-body__list-item">2006: Cloth nappies reintroduced, bottle left out to encourage breastfeeding</li>
</ul>
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<h1 class="story-body__h1">
www.britishbabybox.com</h1>
Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-13122229791407537882018-11-04T04:41:00.000-08:002018-11-04T04:41:06.357-08:00Authentic parenting<b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
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<h2 class="date-header">
Thursday, October 10, 2013</h2>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3001170409644341721"></a>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/2013/10/pain-free-labour.html">Pain Free Labour</a>
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Posted by
<span class="fn">Laura Schuerwegen</span>
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Labels:
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/search/label/childbirth" rel="tag">childbirth</a>,
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/search/label/epidural" rel="tag">epidural</a>,
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/search/label/medical%20intervention%20in%20childbirth" rel="tag">medical intervention in childbirth</a>,
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/search/label/modern%20medicine" rel="tag">modern medicine</a>,
<a href="http://www.authenticparenting.info/search/label/Pregnancy%20and%20Birth" rel="tag">Pregnancy and Birth</a>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Written by Ann Bentley, <a href="http://www.painfreelabour.blogspot.co.uk/">Pain Free Labour</a></span><br />
<br />
Hi, I am a midwife from Manchester England who is pashionate about giving women the best chance <br />
possible for a lovely labour. I have experienced myself 4 labours, 2
very painful and 2 pain free. Society teaches women that labour will be
painful, when they start to labour they become naturally anxious. It is
this anxiety and the hormones secreted that cause changes in the body
that lead to contraction pain.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNGROCtQekASuSOSthSIEMP-7dktv3nksq9Pph9JP6zOiTbWTEsO0ORMi4o81zfPbO7LNhLDIp8KhJUzLST0WcPlxMQVaNEtq3NfUkD94nuSqfxVRGf35mqdmEuze6xQWoYWAJ5hxb3g/s1600/8570833723_8d274ea89b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNGROCtQekASuSOSthSIEMP-7dktv3nksq9Pph9JP6zOiTbWTEsO0ORMi4o81zfPbO7LNhLDIp8KhJUzLST0WcPlxMQVaNEtq3NfUkD94nuSqfxVRGf35mqdmEuze6xQWoYWAJ5hxb3g/s400/8570833723_8d274ea89b.jpg" width="400" /></a>The international best-seller Dean Koontz captured the essence of why we accept painful labours so easily when he wrote:<br />
<br />
“Fear is the engine that drives the human animal. Humanity sees the
world as a place of uncountable threats, and so the world becomes what
humanity imagines it to be.”<br />
<br />
In our dark dank past women were exploited. No surprise there then. They
were not even allowed an education so that they could say “Hey, stop
exploiting me you patriarchal society you”. We have had to fight tooth
and nail for our relative freedom. The only battle that has yet to be
won in the civilised world is childbirth.<br />
<br />
Fear of childbirth has been instilled in us for hundreds of years.
Doctors have made money out of us by keeping us in fear so that their
services are needed to provide a medical model of care to help us birth.
Early midwives were burned as witches so that women would turn to the
medics in their time of need.
<br />
<br />
Modern health care follows blindly the believe in painful labours as the
norm. There has been no research that I know of to support this belief.
Within the UK we pride ourselves on offering evidence based practice
and yet there is no evidence that uterine smooth muscle is designed to
cause the sensation of pain when contracting normally. Yet we continue
to believe. “The world becomes what humanity imagines it to be.”
<br />
<br />
Perhaps women want painful labours. Perhaps fear is the engine that
drives the human animal. Perhaps we only feel comfortable when something
we believe in comes true. Any other outcome would be too hard to
accept, too big a paradigm shift for us to relate to.
<br />
<br />
Well tough. Get with the plan. Pain Free Labour has begun to seep into
our belief system concerning childbirth. Midwifery led birthing centers
are springing up all over the UK. Women are having pain free labours
during the first stage when taught how to approach labour. Relaxation
techniques are being learnt in parentcraft sessions to keep women from
entering the stress/pain cycle often seen in labour.
<br />
<br />
We are being allowed to learn the truth about labour now in the UK only
because the strain on the NHS from medicalised care has become too much.
A calm pain free labouring woman in a pool is cheap compared to a
theatre full of expensive equipment and staff. The caesarian section
rate has reached an all time high. We have lost faith in our innate
ability to labour naturally.<br />
<br />
If I had not experienced this phenomena of pain free labour personally
then I may well have been one of the supporters of offering elective
caesarian sections for maternal choice. As a midwife I have helped
countless women to have a pain free labour. As an author, I have
explained in detail why uterine smooth muscle was never designed to
cause the sensation of pain during a normal contraction.<br />
<br />
So, who will join me in supporting the massive shift that we need in our
belief system that will enable women to labour as nature intended; with
medical support on stand by if needed? Who will be brave enough to swim
against the tide and face the wrath of humanity when one of their
“uncountable threats” is removed leaving them uncertain and afraid? Who
will take a leap of faith in order to free women from the last of
societies manacles holding us down? Who, maybe you?
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVjPtC1EYoRfwi38MZLiiZliJBR8bjhO79FBa4fHx_ozHQsYWrZVY_a_wC18cz0w2ibMHgGqio-M8VQKHEoF3aqJyeBZxOfn_HwmVj6CTcEXXwhR3865PNp59WN3ilPdBDsTo3Dif37c/s1600/ann+and+markafter+a+pain+free+labour.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVjPtC1EYoRfwi38MZLiiZliJBR8bjhO79FBa4fHx_ozHQsYWrZVY_a_wC18cz0w2ibMHgGqio-M8VQKHEoF3aqJyeBZxOfn_HwmVj6CTcEXXwhR3865PNp59WN3ilPdBDsTo3Dif37c/s320/ann+and+markafter+a+pain+free+labour.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann and Mark after a pain-free labour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i>About the author</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<i>Midwife from Manchester trying to change the way women approach
labour today. My first labour was so horrid that I set out to find a
better way to labour before I had my second. My second was wonderful and
the first stage was pain free. A midwife from hell made my third very
painful as I was not allowed to sit up to labour. My fourth was a home
birth and once again pain free. If I can do it then anyone can. Simply
follow the advice in my blog and you too can discover the secret that the medics have kept
from us for the past three hundred years. The first stage of labour was
never designed to cause the sensation of pain. </i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Labour well. </i></div>
<div>
<i>Ann Bentley.</i></div>
Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-53196113267704883362018-11-04T04:16:00.000-08:002018-11-04T04:16:41.106-08:00Modern, affluent women are really too posh to push.A publication in the Lancet (V. 392 I. 10155 P. 1341-1348) by T. Boerma PhD et al explored global trends in outcomes of how we choose to labour with disturbing results.<br />
<br />
169 countries were looked at with an impressive total of 98.4% of the worlds births. They found that overall the percentage of caesarean births accounted for 21.1%. The numbers have therefore doubled since 2000 when the figure was 12.1%.<br />
<br />
Have women become rubbish at labouring in the past 18 years or is a CS birth simply becoming the norm? The highest number of CS was found to be 5 times more common in affluent societies than in poorer regions. Private hospitals had a 1-6 higher CS rate than public ones. Definitely<u></u> too posh to push.<br />
<br />
In the Dominican Republic the CS rate was 58.1%! Closely followed by Latin America and the Caribbean at 44.3%. Areas of the world not to visit as your due date approaches!<br />
<br />
Medicalisation of birth is of growing concern worldwide. Let us not forget that a CS is major abdominal surgery which can lead to morbidity and mortality for the mothers. It reduces your options for future births as once done your uterus has a scar on it that can rupture during following pregnancies. It is thought that babies born by CS do not have the advantage of being colonised as quickly by much needed good bacteria found in vaginal secretions. Breast feeding baby can become a challenge when mum has a much more painful recovery from the birth and is not as mobile. Not giving babies human milk for the first 6 months of life greatly impacts on their future health and well being.<br />
<br />
Once women discover that labour need not be the negative experience that society teaches us that it will be then perhaps they will begin to take charge of their labour and not put themselves at the mercy of medicalised care. Information on having a more comfortable labour is abundant in this blog.<br />
<br />
It would appear that women have lost faith in themselves when it comes to labour and birth. The only way we can change these perceptions is to teach women how labour really works. How to optimise their chance of a normal birth to secure the best outcome for both mother and baby. X<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-77093400967519204782018-10-14T03:53:00.002-07:002018-10-14T03:55:30.672-07:00Labour drugs negatively affecting neonatal behaviour.Research was conducted by Kajsa Brimdyr PhD et al into The association between common labour drugs and suckling when in skin to skin during the first hour after birth.<br />
<br />
The findings are not very surprising. Women today are subjected to constant unnecessary medicalised treatments during pregnancy and birth that cannot help but have negative outcomes for both mother and baby. Society often forgets that pregnancy and birth are normal physiological events and not illnesses to be treated by doctors<br />
<br />
Drugs used in labour such as Fentanyl (epidural) and Oxytocin (induction of labour with a drip) were previously studied with conflicting results. Brimdyr set out to define how these drugs impact on neonatal behaviour after birth.<br />
<br />
The results found a strong inverse correlation between the amount of drugs given during labour compared to Widstrom's 9 stages of newborn behaviour. Especially focusing on no. 8 which is suckling during the first hour after a vaginal birth.<br />
<br />
There was an increase in babies not being able to suckle effectively at birth while in skin to skin. Putting a newborn in skin to skin at birth regulates their heartrate, breathing, temperature and normally stimulates them to find food. This was not the case after prolonged amounts of Fentanul and oxytocin were being used in labour. Fentanyl use was found to lower neurobehavioral scores after birth and breastfeeding rates were much lower at 6 weeks post partum.<br />
<br />
This outcome is very sad. There are simply too many women suffering from being given these drugs in labour. Babies are the ultimate victims as they are being denied the best start in life by being unable to suckle at the breast.<br />
<br />
Research constantly shows that giving babies human milk instead of cow milk increases their intelligence and immune system. Human fed children are much less likely to have eczema, asthma and obesity. Cow fed babies on the other hand do not get these benefits. We are breeding generations of Cow people due to how we treat women during their labour.<br />
<br />
Widstom's 9 Instinctive Stages of Neonatal Behaviour During Skin to Skin after Birth.<br />
<ol>
<li>Birth cry - expanding lungs. (this is not necessary as a calm baby after a calm birth simply starts breathing and does not need to cry)</li>
<li>Relaxation - baby becomes still. (this behaviour is often noted after pool births when a baby will calmly look around taking in their new surroundings)</li>
<li>Awakening - baby starts to move limbs.</li>
<li>Activity - baby uses larger movements, head is lifted, eyes remain open.</li>
<li>Resting - baby rests between bouts of activity.</li>
<li>Crawling - toward the nipple using limbs and head bobbing.</li>
<li>Familiarization - nipple found baby licks, tastes and touches area around nipple. (this makes the nipple more erect so baby can find it easier)</li>
<li>Suckling - baby self attaches to the nipple and starts sucking.</li>
<li>Sleeping - an involuntary action lasting 1 and a half to 2 hours after birth.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Posts in this blog aim to teach women how to approach labour so that their chances of having a medicalised birth is reduced. Read the post on avoiding induction of labour and posts on using relaxation in labour to avoid use of pain relief. See post on not lying down in labour even if you are on a CTG machine to monitor fetal heartrate. Get off the bed and sit on a chair! Good luck. x</div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-80056689946207072152017-11-21T09:36:00.000-08:002017-11-21T09:36:29.545-08:00Allergies and breast milk.Remember in the post:- <br />
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I reported that research had found oligosacharides in breast milk that were only there to feed certain bacteria in the baby's guts, in exchange they produced compounds that sealed the stomach so that bacteria couldn't get through infecting baby with gastroenteritis, and developed the brain so that your child could become the person they were always meant to be.<br />
<br />
New research has now found that the milk of mothers who eat known allergy foods (nuts, eggs, wheat, shellfish) in pregnancy and while breastfeeding protect their babies from those very allergies. This is of course as long as the mother does not already have an allergy to these foods herself!<br />
<br />
Not so long ago women were advised not to eat peanuts in pregnancy in case this is what was causing the rise in children with dangerous nut allergies. This turns out to be the wrong advice and children could have been protected if mothers had eaten nuts in the pregnancy and then continued whilst breastfeeding.<br />
<br />
It was found that the immunity from allergies was not fully passed on if the mother did not breastfeed. But when a baby is breastfed, immunity is given. When a nursing mother is exposed to a food protein, her milk contains complexes of the food protein combined with her antibodies, which are transferred to the baby through breastfeeding. Aided by a protein in the baby's gut lining and some immune cells, the food protein-antibody complexes are taken up and introduced to the baby's developing immune system triggering the production of protective cells that suppress allergic reactions to the food. This protection persists after the baby is weaned from breast milk on to a more varied diet at six months.<br />
<br />
Now that we understand a little better just how good human milk is for our babies we should be shouting it from the rooftops. Imagine if you, and only you, could not only make your baby's brain develop so that they have a higher IQ, protect them from stomach bugs in their vulnerable early months, but also ensure that they do not develop allergies that could endanger their very lives. WOW. Such power.<br />
<br />
And yet UK breastfeeding rates are the lowest in Europe. I often wonder why.Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-22738345711893805292017-06-01T03:55:00.000-07:002018-11-04T04:19:02.421-08:00Having a Doula in Labour<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">Happy International Doula Month!</span></span></div>
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<b><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">Post from the wonderful women at Orgasmic Birth.</span></span></b></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;"><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">All the time, I hear from women that they aren’t hiring
a doula - because they have a great partner, the nurses will be there, they have a midwife, or that their hospital is great. </span></span> </span></span></i><br />
<div style="border: 0; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;">
<i><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">I
like to ask - just because your car is safe, you trust the driver, and
the weather is perfect with nearly empty roads - do you not wear your
seat belt anyway?</span></span></i></div>
<i> </i><br />
<div style="border: 0; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;">
<i><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">Doulas
are the seatbelts for birth - the continuous, supportive, agenda free
safety net that is there only to honor and protect your birthing space. </span></span></i></div>
<div style="border: 0; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;">
<i><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">Not
only is a doula there to protect your memory of birth, science and
research supports the many benefits including shorter labor, less use of
interventions, and healthy MotherBabies. </span></span></i></div>
<i> </i><br />
<div style="border: 0; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;">
<i><span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;">“Peace on Earth Begins at Birth”</span></span></i></div>
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<span class="m_3494223470130746294body-text" style="border: 0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="border: 0; color: black;"> Doulas are what midwives used to be before all the paper work was heaped on us. We used to be able to rub backs and work with women in labour instead of sitting down writing about women in labour. And yet I have found that only Jewish women, who take birth very seriously, have a doula during their labour and birth. I love them, they do everything I wish I had time to do and they really help the women take control of their labour and as a consequence, labour much better than most women who do not hire a doula. I do not know how much they charge, could a normal lancashire lass even afford one? Please let us know if anyone out there has knowledge on how much you can expect to pay for a doula during your labour. Thank you.</span></span></div>
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Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-38614812745117958622017-06-01T03:23:00.002-07:002018-11-04T04:19:41.064-08:00MUM'S UP AND MOBILE for labourMUM'S UP AND MOBILE (MUM)<br />
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Research by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust found that when they got mums off the bed and let them move around in labour. freely adopting positions that they felt comfortable in, their normal delivery rate rose from 59.9% to 64.7%.<br />
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At Last! A trust that is giving woman centred care instead of work load led care. They should be given a medal!<br />
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OK, my blog has been telling women for the past 6 years that they should never lie down in labour or allow themselves to be laid down by hospital staff who do not give a toss if they get a normal delivery or not. Now I am backed up by the whole of Gloucestershire. Yay.<br />
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For women who needed a trace of their baby's heartbeat due to a risk factor they used CTG machines that were wireless. However, I have found that even if you only have the wire CTG machines, you can still get your Mum Up and Mobile, you just have to be a little more inventive.<br />
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Comments from mums who took part in the project: "<i>Moving more during labour really helped me as I had a quick labour due to me walking all day and using the ball."</i><br />
<i>Invited to move around as much as I wanted to, informed about wireless monitoring to enable easier movement." </i><br />
<i>"Felt able to move as much as I wanted and I was encouraged to find comfortable positions for myself."</i><br />
<i>It was nice not to be confined to the bed!"</i><br />
<i>I was encouraged to move around in labour by my midwife but chose not to."</i><br />
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Hopefully, this initiative will spread and become a UK wide project. This will happen faster if women actually mention this research in their birth plan and ask to have the choice of movement during their labour. Giving women back control has been found to empower them to feel confident that, yes, they can do this. They are not just a piece of meat waiting to be processed. They have a choice. A real one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No matter what you see on One Born Every Stupid Minute, get off the bed, it is no place to labour!</td></tr>
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<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-7588357426308926272017-04-13T08:41:00.001-07:002018-11-04T04:20:10.978-08:00One Born Every Minute Just had to share this blog with you on a normal midwives view of One Born Every Minute. All the midwives working on OBEM are simply Obstetric Nurses. Do not trust them with your labour!<br />
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Midwifes view of <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/oneborn?source=feed_text&story_id=1242492919192235"><span class="_5afx"><span class="_58cl _5afz">one born every minute.</span><span class="_58cm"></span></span></a><br />
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<a class="lfloat _ohe" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=631033241" href="https://www.facebook.com/kemi.johnson/posts/10156059416278242"><img alt="" class="_s0 _54ru img" role="img" src="https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-1/p32x32/17903401_10156060775353242_1288029694241281015_n.jpg?oh=50bdf784b49756536de825a12b670ad3&oe=599A0D39" /></a><br />
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<span class="mbs fwn fcg" data-ft="{"tn":"C"}"><span class="fwb" data-ft="{"tn":";"}"><a data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=631033241&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/kemi.johnson?fref=nf">Kemi Johnson</a></span></span><span role="presentation"></span><br />
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Seriously
OBEM midwives are you dumb???? IT'S 2017!!!!!!!!! Why are you still
pulling babies out by their heads from women in stranded beetle
position? You are supposed to be the experts in normal birth. Do any
other mammals lie back with their legs in the air? Do you poo lying
down??? You are promoting a drive angle of the baby right at her
perineum creating a higher chance of wounding. You are causing babies to
cry when many babies could birth themselves from upright women without a
murmur. You're deceiving women into thinking that they couldn't have
birthed without you. <br />
STOP IT!!!! <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/couldbeadealbreaker?source=feed_text&story_id=10156059416278242"><span class="_5afx"><span class="_58cm"></span></span></a><br />
And now that all of the defensive comments have started rolling in,
some clarification. Some midwives are the best thing that ever happened
to a birthing woman. But I refuse to collude with those that blame
editing and pressure to work a certain way. Midwifery, for the moment in
the UK remains an autonomous profession. It is a very old one. We have
access to knowledge, experience and research. There are plenty of
midwives around enabling healthy birth without having their hands all
over a woman's perineum, encouraging her into an unfavourable birth
position and exposing her to a harder labour with more risk of tearing.
The health and future health of all takes priority over feelings. I
would rather be considered rude on my own profile page than politely
steer women into pushing uphill, potentially suffering increased trauma
to their perineums that I 'rescue' them from with my hands on their
private parts whilst they lay vulnerable on their backs. This treatment
of women in childbirth has gone on long enough. It is coercive and
unnecessary. Midwives get together and say NO to practices that you KNOW
make no sense. We sign the register to keep women and their children in
the centre of our care. I won't be silent.<br />
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Well said Kemi, we are with you on this one, yay.<br />
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Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-10699085695396845892017-03-10T04:32:00.002-08:002017-03-10T04:32:25.574-08:00Spiritual Midwifery in Argentina.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYJsMM-E_5L9uG7VYZo_0cNfH4PfN3MoSCyvChWJ9t-_DNhp7Ba5gPkqlL_CuGxFdPubiTZ9DwIkKg7_a6BJ8A6IfqDxhQC40xs4TCPyeudFAkT8com2Q_M6mgzkpoT5a0Ml_ks1YK6A/s1600/Argentina+midwife.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYJsMM-E_5L9uG7VYZo_0cNfH4PfN3MoSCyvChWJ9t-_DNhp7Ba5gPkqlL_CuGxFdPubiTZ9DwIkKg7_a6BJ8A6IfqDxhQC40xs4TCPyeudFAkT8com2Q_M6mgzkpoT5a0Ml_ks1YK6A/s320/Argentina+midwife.gif" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting by Annie Ibanez</td></tr>
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After reading an article in Midwifery Matters Issue 151 Winter 2016 I was deeply moved by the experience of a newly qualified midwife's experience working her elective in Argentina. Annie Ibanez chose to work with the Awaike school of midwifery in the mountain province of Cordoba. They train lay midwives in the ways of tradition and they celebrate the spiritual journey of motherhood and birth.<br />
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The students there are taught anatomy and physiology but also the use of local herbs, songs to be sung during labour and rituals almost lost in the relentless medicalisation of care spreading throughout the world. Annie recognised that the science directing midwifery care in the UK has all but drowned out any traditional 'with woman' care that takes into account the spiritual meaning of labour and birth. The fact that giving birth is intrinsically linked to emotional processes is all but ignored in our high tech obstetric led hospitals today.<br />
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The Awaike school is focused on recovering and conserving the wisdom and rituals from native peoples of Latin America. Women in their care develop a trusting relationship with a midwife, a luxury that is often missing in our overloaded GP clinics today. Women are encouraged to rest, bond and feed their baby and are given this opportunity for 40 days after the birth. What a wonderful concept, how high would our breastfeeding rates be if our women were given this time to truly engage with their newborn.<br />
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Annie comments that the women she saw in labour were using instinctive behaviour surrounded by the rituals of birth including song and that seemed to be "a powerful analgesic judging by the way women responded". Perhaps the women felt so loved and cared for and free to move, eat and drink as their body dictated that they were simply not afraid of birth as women in developed countries have learned to be. By now all my readers know how damaging adrenalin is in labour. Perhaps women cared for by the Argentinian midwives did not know any fear at all and were free to have a pain free labour as most women could achieve if society would stop treating labour and birth as an illness to be cured.<br />
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Annie concludes her article by saying that we need to truly listen to women and honour skills and intuition, to value our ancient as well as our modern midwifery tools. Thank you Annie.Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-63386811352771328762017-01-27T04:18:00.000-08:002018-11-04T04:21:48.093-08:00Can women orgasm during childbirth?<b><i><i>Article by Julie Revelant, health journalist and a consultant who
provides content marketing and copywriting services for the healthcare
industry. She's also a mum of two. </i></i></b> <br />
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The grueling, intense pain that (can) come along with labor is something
pregnant women are warned about and told to prepare for and fear. It’s
how childbirth is almost always portrayed in movies and a part of most
women’s birth stories.<br />
Some women however, say labor and childbirth doesn’t have to be this way and the experience can be pleasurable— even orgasmic.<br />
When Kenya Stevens, of Asheville, North Carolina,
went into labor with her first child, she was prepared to use
meditation— which she’d practiced for years— to help her through her
planned home birth.<br />
Something the now-42-year-old hadn’t prepared for
however, was that when it came time to push, her contractions stimulated
an orgasm.<br />
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“I was laughing and crawling around the room as if I
was intoxicated,” Stevens recalled. “I am in bliss,” she recalled
telling her mom during the birth.<br />
With her second child, she labored quickly but the feeling was the same.<br />
“I felt like a tiger in the forest, just pushing and enjoying the flow,” she said.<br />
When she gave birth to her third child, Stevens
labored in the shower and enjoyed the water running down her back and
the pleasure that ensued.<br />
“Because I had the breathing techniques and the understanding, I could easily shift into orgasm the third time,” she said.<br />
<b>Orgasmic birth and “birthgasms”<br /> </b>“Giving birth is a part of our sexuality as women,” said Debra Pascali-Bonaro,<b> </b>director
of the film “Orgasmic Birth,” and co-author of “Orgasmic Birth: Your
Guide to a Safe, Satisfying and Pleasurable Birth Experience.”<br />
“The term ‘orgasmic’ also includes all kinds of
pleasure from experiencing birth with joy, ecstasy, intimacy, connection
[and] bliss because so much of our language around birth is about pain
and fear and we don’t give voice to the many other emotions that can be
felt,” she said.<br />
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Not only are there women who say they have orgasmic
births, but some report having an orgasm during birth or as
Pascali-Bonaro calls it, a “birthgasm.”<br />
According to a survey by the Positive Birth Movement and Channel Mum, 6 percent of women said they had an orgasm during birth.<br />
Midwives say they’ve attended approximately .3
percent of births where the mother had an orgasm, according to a survey
published in the journal Sexologies.<br />
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Although it’s not entirely clear how an orgasm is
possible during birth, experts say it makes perfect sense from a
physiologic perspective.<br />
“You have a baby that’s moving down, through our
bodies, through our vagina and many times hitting the G-spot, which is
certainly a place, as women, many of us know from bringing great
pleasure that can also sometimes trigger orgasm,”<b> </b>Pascali-Bonaro said.<br />
Although a “birthgasm” can be triggered by a kiss or
the touch of a partner, most occur from G-spot stimulation while the
baby descends or as the baby is delivered. Some women may even choose to
masturbate and use a vibrator.<br />
“Pain and pleasure really travel on the same pathway.
Women are literally taking things into their own hands,” Pascali-Bonaro
said.<br />
Instead of reporting pain, these women describe labor as “intense” or “challenging.”<br />
Hormones also play a significant role. Oxytocin, also
known as the “love hormone,” is the same hormone responsible for both
bringing on labor and having an orgasm.<br />
To get labor moving, midwives will often give the
couple privacy to kiss, and have the partner stimulate the woman’s
nipples and sexually arouse her.<br />
“Often that will initiate regular contractions,” said Dena Moes, a certified nurse-midwife and writer in <i>Chico, California.</i><br />
Experts agree that in order for women to experience
an orgasmic birth or a “birthgasm,” they must feel safe, unobserved and
given the same level of privacy they would have while being intimate
with their partners, whether that’s at home, in a birthing center or at a
hospital.<br />
“We should be creating environments and giving women
and their partners more intimacy and birth would be easier,”
Pascali-Bonaro said.<br />
In fact, when women feel afraid, they are more likely
to feel tense and experience more pain, something that’s referred to as
fear-tension-pain syndrome.<br />
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Pascali-Bonaro said. “Giving birth is an incredible day in our lives and
every woman— however birth turns out for her— I hope she feels pride in her
achievement to bring life into the world,” <br />
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<i><br /></i>Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-36270592728900321232017-01-18T10:35:00.000-08:002017-01-18T10:43:35.890-08:00Babies remember their birth language.Dr Jiyoun Choi of Hanyang University in Seoul led this research into how talking to a baby in any language during the first year of life can imprint on them the individual nuances of different languages. Dr. Choi advises all new parents to ''Try to talk to your babies as much as possible because they are absorbing and digesting what you are saying.''<br />
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The process of acquiring language starts extremely early, even while the child is still in the womb. Babies have learned their mother's voice by the time they are born.<br />
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If you have any friends or family members who speak a language taught at school then invite them over to talk to your baby so that when they are at high school, learning French or German, they will have a natural advantage.<br />
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One young lady I met in pregnancy had a toddler with her and she told me that she only spoke English to him even though she was from France. I advised her to speak both languages to him as this was the time that children picked up the flow of language and it would not in the long term confuse him. I do not know if she ever took this advice but turns out I am now backed up by science! Yay.<br />
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38653906&source=gmail&ust=1484848414034000&usg=AFQjCNGvmOhwfrLEZzbvBcnbB_ucdfvPAg" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38653906" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/<wbr></wbr>science-environment-38653906</a>Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-38342009785336251362016-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:002016-12-03T10:57:07.993-08:00It was like looking at midwifery care from the 1950's.
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
article 'Where to now?' published in the Autumn 2016 issue of Midwives Magazine was a very
interesting read on how to deliver continuity of care in today's cash
crippled NHS. However, the illustrations to accompany this piece were
draconian and outdated to say the least. All five of the pregnant
women shown were lying submissive on hospital beds. It was like
looking at midwifery care from the 1950's.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
care givers are all stood over the women in positions of authority and
seem to be totally disempowering them. There are some token birth
balls and birth pools scattered about but none of these are actually
being used. If this is a reflection of how we view women today during
birth then it is a very sad picture indeed.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
gave birth to my children in the 1980's when women were just a piece
of meat to be put through the system. No thought was given to our
physical or psychological needs at all. It took champions like Sheila
Kitsinger, god rest her beautiful soul, and Sally Inch to fight for
the rights of women during all aspects of pregnancy care. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
fact that such a demoralising illustration is being presented to us
in our own Midwives Magazine is very disturbing. Society as a whole
treats pregnant women with distain, constantly teaching them that
labour WILL BE a very painful and traumatic event to be feared.
Television programmes like One Born Every Minute do a great
disservice to women by editing and highlighting births that appear
very disturbing in order to win the rating wars. They often show
midwifery practice at its worse. The hospitals who take part in these
programmes should be ashamed of themselves and have set birth
emancipation back decades.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
sometimes seems to me that pregnancy and birth is the last hurdle we
have to overcome in a patriarchal society that takes every
opportunity to treat women as 2</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">nd</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
class, keeping us in our place. Showing such illustrations does not help
feminist aspirations concerning birth or any other aspect of
pregnancy care. Has anything in the last 30 years really changed or
do we just give the same old authoritative care, only now are we
being taught to do it with a smile on our face to soften the insult?</span></span></div>
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Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-41220437001675174852016-11-02T08:10:00.001-07:002018-11-04T04:24:45.994-08:00Clare's Home Birth After Caesarian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> I read
an interesting article in Midwifery Matters magazine by Clare Caro
who jumped through all the hoops put in her way to have a home birth
after a previous caesarian section (CS). She was traumatised by her
first birth where she says she was in labour for 3 days which ended
in an emergency CS.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Women
who are in labour for such a long time have mainly adrenalin to
blame. As soon as women start to have contractions they become afraid
and anxious. This is because society has taught them that labour WILL
be painful and pain is to be feared, hence the fear. Watching One
Born Every Minute should be banned for all women as it plants the
seeds of fear that sprout and grow as labour approaches. Adrenalin,
the natural result of anxiety, 'sticks' to the human cervix and makes
it harder to open so labour goes on and on and on.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Just
like me with my second, Clare lied about her due date from her last
menstrual period so that she would have extra time to go into labour
before the INDUCTION word would be mentioned. She justifies this by
saying “<i>I felt slightly bad for telling a lie, but if women are
being told a date that has a 7% chance of being true, then who
exactly are the ones being lied to here?</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Clare
says that home births are a natural choice when giving birth as you
feel safer in a place “</span><i>free from intruders, dark, warm
and quiet. A place that harks back to the cave, where for thousands
of years our ancestor's would have found safety from the world
outside.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">” She goes on to
explain how as soon as she reached hospital with her first they
insisted on performing a vaginal examination (VE) and how this made
her feel violated as she was put under pressure to have one. All
women who present to a hospital in ? Labour are expected to undergo a
VE, if you do not want one then you will not be allowed onto the
labour ward. Some birth centers do not perform a regular VE, they use
their experience of labour to assess the contractions and watch the
woman's body language to decide if someone is in labour or not. A VE
is very useful information for midwives and lets us plan your labour.
However, if you decline then you should not be punished for it. Also
lying down in labour is very uncomfortable and may make the
contractions become painful so ask the midwife to be as quick as
possible as you need to be upright for a pain free labour. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Clare
explains that when you are at home you can relax and feel safe so
that your brain can enter a theta frequency which is the deepest
level of conciousness that we can experience in a waking state. This
is what relaxation techniques taught in this blog and outlined in the books strive to achieve,
a level of total relaxation whilst still being awake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Eating
Miso soup in labour was a new one on me. Apparently it contains all
the 9 essential amino acids, is high in Vitamin K and minerals. This
is the beauty of being at home in labour, you can eat and drink what
takes your fancy and move around, adopting different positions to
suit your own personal labour.</span></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Clare
had her home birth with no problems at all with a midwife she knew
and her own doula in attendance. Whilst pushing her baby out in her
bathroom after a nice warm bath she states “</span><i>There was no
time for thoughts right now, I was my body not my mind.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">”
This is how women who are totally centered on their labour feel, no
one shouting PUSH at them, just going with the flow of a fast moving
stream delivering your baby to you. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>hot
flannel</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (on the perineum to help
it stretch) </span><i>and immense contractions, and with just one of
those contractions out came a head and body – slipping right into
my hands, I placed the baby gently on the towels in front of me. Nick
and I got to know our girl, touching her, holding her and holding
onto each other. Here she was, at the end of the journey.” </i></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">See
the post VBAC AT HOME<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">?</span> ( http://painfreelabour.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/vbac-at-home.html ) for why a home birth could be the best way to
avoid a second CS. However, an interesting fact that Clare brought up
was to do with how hospitals in the USA sew back together a uterine
opening, they do it differently to our surgeons in the UK rendering
their CS scar weaker and more likely to rupture. Do they do this on
purpose so that they can keep on getting more dollars for performing
section after section and to hell with what the woman wants? Would not
be surprised. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-41438737657222188602016-09-27T10:03:00.001-07:002018-11-04T04:27:11.196-08:00Breast Feeding - giving baby more than you thought.Human milk has been found to contain complex sugars known as oligosaccharides with far more variety than our fellow mammals. There are to date 200 human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) identified and they are the third most abundant ingredient after lactose and fats. However, it has been discovered that babies cannot digest HMOs, so what are they for?<br />
<br />
It is known that HMOs pass through the stomach and small intestine without being digested and are destined for the large bowel where most of our useful bacteria are. Kuhn and Gyorgy et al determined that the HMOs in human milk are there to feed microbes in your baby's gut.<br />
<br />
The microbe who benefits most from the HMOs is Bifidobacterium longum infantis (B. infantis), often the most prolific microbe found in the guts of breast fed babies. In repayment for being fed such a plentiful diet the B. infantis releases short-chain fatty acids, a food for gut cells. This food allows the gut cells to make proteins that act as a glue, sealing any gaps between the cells that could allow harmful microbes into the blood stream causing infection. B. infantis when fed on cow milk does not perform this service and explains why breast fed babies are so much healthier.<br />
<br />
Research shows that breast fed babies have higher IQs. HMOs could be responsible for this. B. infantis also releases, when fed on HMOs, a nutrient named Sialic Acid. The amazingly fast brain growth that humans experience is nurtured by Sialic Acid and so it is safe to say that human milk makes your baby clever. Cow milk does nothing for a baby's immune system or brain development.<br />
<br />
Scientist have put HMO fed B. infantis to the test and so far they are protecting your baby from:<br />
<ul>
<li>Salmonella.</li>
<li>Listeria.</li>
<li>Vibrio cholerae (cholera).</li>
<li>Campylobacter jejuni (bacterial diarrhoea).</li>
<li>Entamoeba histolytica (dysentery).</li>
<li>E. coli.</li>
<li>HIV.</li>
</ul>
Research is now being done on premature babies who can develop a fatal gut condition called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). As the name suggests, the baby's gut is being eaten away by bacteria which commonly turns the gut tissue black. Premature babies are now being fed breast milk and B. infantis to try and prevent NEC. B. infantis is no use without the HMOs proliferate in breast milk. They will not protect the baby if fed cow milk alone. Premature babies are not good at sucking but maternal milk can be pumped and kept out of the fridge for 5 hours to ensure that the ingredients are still alive when given to baby, often via a feeding tube. This new research could revolutionise how we feed early babies and put a stop to the all too common condition of NEC.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-90801197106053312732016-08-16T10:15:00.002-07:002018-11-04T04:28:40.273-08:00Active Birth Pools <span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 16px;">The benefits of using water for labour and birth are well known…</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="Meadow Birth Centre Venus Birth Pool" border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgIFBCynxMEZcGkoH9S5km2pgZfWCDYu8TI4vnm15LuXh5uPZd2LbedFkdcW73mZ8fvnCFxzrtB4W1sGEQpPvhqcTKBvKGXYW6VIYDnAcVwyHKyFnF6wHvw0bs7PWEwABDvNhaiXeBts0aVRr4zhS7UsNSk5aZfuOcsBjzw2S3w-qJ4HogXQR-4rQAF9ExgEes_Feke7UZk-Kg9JBjN-GI=s0-d-e1-ft" style="max-width: 691px;" tabindex="0" width="378" /></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Here are the facts…</span></strong><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Relaxing in a deep pool of warm water can be a wonderful aid in labour. It’s worth having a pool mainly for this reason.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Using a birth pool helps mothers to considerably reduces the need for medical pain relief.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">The buoyancy of the water
supports the mothers body weight allowing her to relax more easily and
deeply. They can cope better with contractions and also rest more
comfortably in between them.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">It’s easier to use upright or squatting positions and move freely from one position to another, than it is on land.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Being in a birth pool
gives mothers an increased feeling of privacy and security. This
enhances the secretion of hormones which stimulate uterine contractions
and act as natural pain killers and relaxants.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Studies show that labours tend to be shorter overall when a woman enters the pool at around 5cms. dilation.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Fewer women need the help of obstetric interventions.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">I cannot get rid of this number 8 no matter how I try.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Now there is a number 9 as well!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;">Thank you Keith for your lovely information on pool births.</span></li>
<li><h3 class="iw">
<span class="gD" name="Active Birth Pools">Active Birth Pools</span> <span class="go">keith@activebirthpools.com</span> </h3>
<h3 class="iw">
</h3>
<h3 class="iw">
</h3>
<h3 class="iw">
<span class="go"> </span></h3>
<h3 class="iw">
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<span style="color: #7d4498; font-size: 14px;"> </span></li>
</ol>
Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-31300649131447472292016-07-20T12:20:00.000-07:002016-07-20T12:20:26.986-07:00Avoiding Induction of Labour - 2In the last avoiding IOL post I reported on the use of date fruits, in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, to get you into labour before your due date. Well.<br />
<br />
Just for you I have been eating date fruits to see what they did to a non pregnant woman with some interesting results.<br />
<br />
Our guts are made up of smooth muscle as reported previously in this blog. The uterus is also made up of the very same smooth muscle. There is only one type of smooth muscle and it all works in the same way.<br />
<br />
So. I started eating date fruits at the rate of one a day and there was no difference that I could detect. So I moved up to two a day and have noticed a big difference in the way the smooth muscle in my gut is working extra well.<br />
<br />
This is really good news as my guts are not known for their regularity if you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I can say with confidence that eating date fruits do have an influence on smooth muscle. The research that I reported on recommended that pregnant women eat SIX date fruits a day for the last 4 weeks of their pregnancy, they had some very impressive results.<br />
<br />
Dare I try eating THREE date fruits a day?<br />
<br />
For you I will do anything.<br />
<br />
Please please please let me know if the date fruits work for you and how many you had to eat.<br />
<br />
P.S. I cut mine up into a salad or my daily porridge. Yummy. xx Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-63972703574572859042016-06-28T10:23:00.000-07:002018-11-04T04:29:50.401-08:00Research shows Pool Births are the Best.<h2 class="entry-title">
Study confirms… Women who labour in water have lower rate of epidural analgesia</h2>
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<h2 class="entry-title">
</h2>
23 June 2016: K.D. Brainin<br />
Randomised controlled trial of labouring in water compared with
standard of augmentation for management of dystocia <b>(cervix not opening)</b> in first stage of
labour<br />
Objectives:<br />
To evaluate the impact of labouring in water during first stage of
labour on rates of epidural analgesia and operative delivery in
nulliparous women with dystocia.<br />
Design Randomised controlled trial.<br />
Setting University teaching hospital in southern England.<br />
Participants 99 nulliparous women with dystocia in active labour at low risk of complications.<br />
Interventions Immersion in water or standard augmentation for dystocia (amniotomy and intravenous oxytocin).<br />
Main outcome measures:<br />
Primary: epidural analgesia and operative delivery rates.<br />
Secondary: augmentation rates with amniotomy and oxytocin, length of
labour, maternal and neonatal morbidity including infections, maternal
pain score, and maternal satisfaction with care.<br />
Results:<br />
Women randomised to immersion in water had a lower rate of epidural
analgesia than women allocated to augmentation (47% v 66%, relative risk
0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.49 to 1.01), number needed to treat for
benefit (NNT) 5).<br />
They showed no difference in rates of operative delivery (49% v 50%,
0.98 (0.65 to 1.47), NNT 98), but significantly fewer received
augmentation (71% v 96%, 0.74 (0.59 to 0.88), NNT 4) or any form of
obstetric intervention (amniotomy, oxytocin, epidural, or operative
delivery) (80% v 98%, 0.81 (0.67 to 0.92), NNT 5).<br />
Conclusions:<br />
Labouring in water under midwifery care may be an option for <b>slow
progress in labour,</b> reducing the need for obstetric intervention, and
offering an alternative pain management strategy.<br />
(Extract from abstract of Randomised controlled trial of labouring in
water compared with standard of augmentation for management of dystocia
in first stage of labour by Elizabeth R Cluett, Ruth M Pickering,
Kathryn Getliffe, Nigel James, St George Saunders published in British
Journal of Midwfery January 26, 2004)<br />
<br />
Women who receive less medical intervention generally stay in hospital for a shorter period of time.<br />
The combination of an intervention free birth – with a short hospital stay result in a better experience for mother and baby.<br />
Hospital staff and resources can be employed more efficiently.<br />
<b>Importantly</b> – this results in significant financial savings!<br />
A birth pool is a simple, inexpensive piece of equipment that can
make a major impact on the quality of care and cost of having a baby.<br />
The experience of hospitals who have birth pools shows that the cost
of installing a pool is soon recouped by savings achieved through the
reduced use medical methods of pain relief and intervention and shorter
hospital stays.<br />
<a href="http://www.activebirthpools.com/">www.activebirthpools.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1295931498219386365.post-52801245393250253512016-06-16T08:31:00.000-07:002018-11-04T04:30:34.356-08:00Avoiding Induction Of LabourOne of the main reasons that women are unable to give birth on their local birth center is that they go past their due date and face Induction Of Labour (IOL). This is usually offered when you are 10, 11 or 12 days past your date. Women undergoing IOL are not usually allowed on birth centers due to the extra risk to baby from a speeded up labour where baby may become distressed. This risk can result from the hormone pessaries used to initially soften and open your cervix or from the hormone drip that makes the contractions stronger and more frequent.<br />
<br />
Researchers have found a very surprising way to try and avoid IOL. They recommend women start eating date fruit four weeks before their due date and have had some encouraging results.<br />
<br />
The research was carried out at Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2008. Women were asked to eat SIX dates per day four weeks before they were due till they were in labour. They had a control group who did not eat any dates at all.<br />
<br />
The women who ate the dates were more dilated when presenting in labour. On averate 4cm compared to 2cm. Intact membranes where more common amongst the date eaters, 83% vs 60%. As you know from reading this blog it is better for a pain free labour if your membranes remain intact untill you are ready to push.<br />
<br />
Spontaneous labour occurred in 96% of those eating the dates compared with 79% who did not get a date. Use of the drip to speed up labour was only 28% in the date group and a very significant 47% in the control group.<br />
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Early labour was shorter in the date group and the researchers concluded that the consuption of date fruit in the last four weeks of pregnancy significantly reduced the need for IOL. So, in the interests of science I bought a bag of ready to eat dates to see what they tasted like. I liked them and am currently eating one a day to use them up. Not sure I could eat 6 a day, would have to cut them up and put them on porridge or have them with ice cream. But, what the heck, who cares what they taste like as long as they work.<br />
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Let me know how you get on. x :-Q<br />
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Ref: Al-Kuran O, Al-Mehaisen L, Bawadi H, Beitawi S, Amarin Z. (2011) The Effect of Late Pregnancy Consumption of Date Fruit on Labour and Delivery. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 31(1) page 29-31.<br />
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<br />Ann Bentleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054754437042471227noreply@blogger.com0