Have You Given Birth in the Last Three Years?

If so, take The Birth Survey and provide feedback on your doctor, midwife, birth center or hospital at www.TheBirthSurvey.com.

We are pleased to announce our new
online survey of mothers’ sleep and
fatigue. Please tell mothers you work
with about our study. The more
mothers we can get to participate,
the more valid our findings.
This study is open to all mothers
with babies 0-12 months old. We
would like to include breastfeeding
and non-breastfeeding women, and
women of all ethnicities and income
levels.
We hope to document:
• Where and how much do babies sleep?
• Are mothers who breastfeed and co-sleep more or less tired than
mothers who don’t?
• Are mothers telling their friends, relatives and health care providers
where their babies sleep?
• Are there ethnic group differences in where babies sleep?
• What is the role of depression, psychological trauma and difficult birth
in mothers’ ongoing daytime fatigue?
The questionnaire takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete
and is confidential. It has been approved by the Institutional
Review Board at Texas Tech University Health Sciences
Center, Amarillo, Texas.

Follow this link if you are eligible to participate in the survey.

The experience of having my own 2 children encouraged my interest to work as a doula or labor assistant. When a woman goes through the birthing process she welcomes the support of the people around her. Support can be given by different people in many different ways. A woman’s husband may support her in a different way than a doula or midwife would. Both types of support are needed during the birthing process. Statistics have shown having the support of a doula may decrease the chance of having a c-section.

While I was in labor with my son I can remember being very scared, but as members of the medical team and my midwife came to my room to support me, my labor progressed to a safe and positive birth.

Currently, I am attending Child Birth International for my doula coursework. I feel this professional education will enhance the experience I already have, so that I can become a knowledgeable, caring doula.

There is no cause for worry; all you really need to care for your newborn baby you already have access to - body heat, mother’s milk, and love. Your baby will need to stay warm and dry, to be comforted by human touch, closeness, and voices, and to be nourished by mother’s milk. Rarely does an infant need anything other than these simple basics. So, rest easy and welcome your baby, knowing that you can already fulfill his or her every need.

If, like many parents, you wish to have a plentiful supply of amenities such as, sleepers, bibs, diapers, etc. or you are creating a baby registry and do not know where to begin, I have created an easy to print and use layette checklist.

Congratulations and best of all wishes to you and your growing family!

I was privileged to attend the Appleton screening of The Business of Being Born last month, hosted by Jill Coulter, LM of BirthWise Health & Birth Center, with my husband. The film does a really good job of portraying the current atmosphere of birth in America and comparing our outcomes to the rest of the modern world. The graphics used to illustrate the dozens of developed countries who have better mortality statistics than the United States is very effective. It is shocking to discover that our world-renowned health care system is next to last in producing healthy moms and babies!

The Business of Being Born tells the history of birth and obstetrics in America in a humorous and captivating way. I could even hear my husband chuckle, especially at the Monty Python hospital sketch and the cartoonish portrayals of a typical experience of hospital delivery. However, in the evolution of the film, the product becomes personal as the director finds herself in the very midst of making her own decisions regarding her first pregnancy and birth, and choosing to film her journey even through its unexpected end.

The Business of Being Born makes a thought-provoking case for the resurgence of midwifery care in America. To date, a very small percentage of pregnant women will choose the care of a midwife, and even smaller yet will these women choose an out-of-hospital birth experience. The midwives model of care is a key element which differentiates the most successful maternity cultures in the developed world from those which, like ours, have fallen short of expected goals. Through striking and sensitive birth footage, The Business of Being Born depicts the very real differences through the different potential avenues of giving birth, from home to birth center to hospital, and even cesarean surgery.

The Business of Being Born is available now through Netflix, and is being released in a limited number of theaters nation wide. Every pregnant mother in America deserves to see this film!

Although there have been advancements in anesthesia for labor and delivery in recent years, many couples today choose to have a natural childbirth experience. It has been substantiated by research that birth outcomes for mother and baby can be greatly enhanced through the natural childbirth process. Many free-standing and hospital-based family birthing centers are popping up around the country to meet this growing need. Several nonpharmacological interventions are available to laboring mothers including hypnosis, biofeedback, touch and massage, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation. Another successful pain management technique being explored is the application of prepared music programs during Music Therapy Assisted Childbirth.

In the early 1980’s, Music Therapists began to explore the use of “audioanalgesia” (sound for pain relief) in the music therapy process in working with labor and delivery patients. Music therapists assist patients in the clinical application of music in suppressing the pain response, but can also work with patients in deeper psychological and emotional ways. The process of “music therapy” differs from “music medicine” based on the establishment of a relationship between therapist and patient. Music therapists specifically design and develop unique treatments for each patient based on the patient’s need and condition.

A Music Therapy Assisted Childbirth program is conducted by a board-certified music therapist, (with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree) and consists of a series of sessions usually offered in the last trimester of pregnancy. Some music therapists also provide labor and delivery support for the couple during the birth and post-natal visits. Couples are taught how to use music to support their physical and emotional needs throughout the stages of labor and delivery.

The music therapist assists the couple in selecting and applying a specially chosen music program to calm, comfort, block pain and focus breathing for each mother. The music therapist may also provide instruction in imagery and relaxation techniques, movement training, singing of lullabies and womb songs, and other creative arts experiences. (A womb song is a special song that is written for the baby while in utero.) Familiar music can help comfort the mother during the birth experience and practice with the music before the birth is essential. This therapy has been found to significantly decrease the mother’s anxiety and pain responses, decrease the need for analgesic medications during birth, and has contributed to overall positive feelings about the birth process (DiCamillo, 2000).

A recent study of 14 couples who participated in a Music Therapy Assisted Childbirth program found that music therapy was very beneficial during the labor and delivery process (DiCamillo, 1999). The use of music during labor and delivery was most effective in supporting (rhythmic) breathing (86%), remaining calm (86%), focus (71%), and in pain management (64%). Women who practiced the techniques at home and who were familiar with their music felt in control and had more positive birth experiences. Many of the women (64%) felt in control most of the time during labor and delivery. Imagery techniques were effective when paired with the music and (71%) stated that these techniques were the most beneficial. All of the women (100%) felt well supported during labor and delivery. All participants (100%) stated that the music therapy program enhanced family bonding with the baby during the immediate postpartum period.

For more information, or to consult with a Music Therapist in the Fox Valley area for your birth, contact:

Tiffany Vollrath, CD (DONA), MT-BC
Home - 920-303-9567
Cell - 920-716-1018

*DiCamillo, M (1999). A bio-psycho-social model of music therapy assisted childbirth: an integrative approach to working with families. Doctoral Dissertation. Pepperdine University.

*DiCamillo, M. (2000). Music therapy assisted childbirth: a case study of an emergency high-risk pre-term delivery due to pregnancy-induced hypertension. International Music Society for Prenatal Development Review. 12. 2. 8-13