HW#45

Comments to Johnny and Amon’s comments

I do agree with you both that my project has a lot of opinionated statements and I feel that to make it more legitimate and factual I should include more sources that prove my points. Another interesting thing that I could have done is include an interview with a doula that I was trying to contact to give a point of view from a person who is dealing with natural births and doctors everyday.

Thank you for your comments.

HW#44

Comments I wrote:

Johnny,

Based off of what I read in your project, I now have a much clearer idea of the two most commonly chosen options within the circle of pregnant women and couples seeking premarital adoption. The way your project was worded was very interesting to me; unlike most other projects who sought to get the same idea across, yours was very factual and had a lot of gritty remarks in it such as “This is shocking to me because I would think that the mother after dealing with the 9 months of labor and actually giving birth all by themselves would leave them wanting a companion, but as statistics show the woman actually don’t want to deal with there baby.” I would hope to see a more organized version of your project in the future that more clearly defines the different choices, benefits and cons of abortion or premarital adoption.

Amon,

Your project about the increasingly controversial topic of abortion really affected the way I look at it especially since I have not taken the time to learn about abortion more in depth than we have in class. Your focus on Thailand is especially interesting to me because it taught me about a side of abortion that is very different from the U.S. I am specifically referring to the difference in treatment of the woman in modern culture and the liberties that they are given or denied.  In a way I feel that the situation in Thailand is of great value to the U.S. because it shows how advanced and liberated we can be when it comes to making life changing decisions such as abortion. An interesting line from your project that made me think about what changes we can make to improve upon our system and possibly help others get on the right track is, “The abortion laws in Thailand are very strict, where legally it is still not allowed unless the situation threatens the physical and mental health of the woman.” Upon reading your project I wished to continue reading more but it came to an end. Your project is full of thought provoking ideas and facts that can really affect the mindset of a pregnant woman possibly thinking of getting an abortion.

Comments I received:

Amon   said...

Based off your paper, I can see that you are strongly supporting natural births. Unlike hospitals, doulas promote the mental stability and confidence which provides the birth mother with a calming atmosphere. I especially felt that your criticism concerning the false statistical evidence on home birth mortality rates evidently demonstrated the biased opinion of health officials.
I decided to read your assignment since I was originally planning on covering this topic. Though it was not the same essential question, I was interested in how significant of a role doulas are in giving birth, as well as the distinction between doulas and midwives. 
If possible, I would like to see a more well organized description on the process that doulas follow, rather than the promotion of natural birth. I also found some terms such as breech baby that could have been clarified for further knowledge on the topic. 
Overall I found the topic to be significant for coming generations who can benefit from being educated of alternative birth methods.
As you say, "Doulas are the real deal

Johnny P said...

I too like you want to see more doctors working hand in hand with the midwives and doulas in a more equal way. In my opinion i think midwives ans doulas are more important because unlike most doctors the doulas and midwives actually care about their patients. 
I valued how you use evidence to get you to your next point. i also valued how you made everything clear to let the reader know what points you made and what point you are trying to get across. 
This project matters to me because I wanted to have someone thoughts to compare to on this topic and i basically agree with everything you said here. I liked this paper and the only piece of advice i have is,i would only add 
more about what you think on this subject.

HW#42

Doula: labor coach: an assistant who offers support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes.

           A doula’s position is to be at the woman’s side during her birth process. Aside from giving her continuous care from a physical and emotional standpoint, the Doula is medically trained to assist pregnant women should anything go wrong. Much like a midwife, the Doula provides a peaceful environment with no stress. The only difference is that the midwife is much better suited to fix medical problems that can occur during the birth. The Doula’s main concern is the woman and giving her what she wants. The Doula’s main tool is his/her ability to stay calm even in the tensest situations which is why they prove to be so valuable to the pregnant women.

          Over the course of history while women have become more independent, they have also been losing connection with their family and the bond that it formed between its members when they pass though a situation such as birth, together. The Doula’s job was first the simple idea of what a mother or sister or any close relative did when assisting the birthing mother. Over time this idea formed into a job position that some women could fill although not in the exact same way a person related to you could. As women began to be encouraged to make decisions they also decided to take the necessary precautions to assure that their child would be born the way they wanted to without any real danger. The importance of this job especially stands out today because of the increasing number of teenage pregnancies and single mothers that like any woman want a natural childbirth without unnecessary risks.

           Prime examples include nearly every result from a Google search on Doula’s and the experience that most of these people have under their belts is more than impressive and allows for a wide range of choice when a mother to be is faced with a decision. Taking a look at the first few results from a search it became immediatlly obvious that Doula’s have become just as important to some as doctors or OB/GYN’s and a lot of people have begun to notice. DONA International is a website dedicated to giving pregnant women information on Doulas with links to other web pages that allow the women to find a doula or consider becoming one. On this one site, there are links to every possible website with anything that has to do with Doula’s to avoid women having questions or worries. Aside from these links the website also has news articles related to homebirths and advances in medicine to update the reader on the latest news. Doula.com shows the basic in’s and out’s of hiring doula’s, the price ranges and other pages relating to doula’s and natural birth. The 3rd website (that to me is the most important) is a directory of all the Doulas in my general area with one general directory for each state. The importance of this website comes not only from its educational value but also from the help that it provides to women that would be otherwise oblivious to this “theory” of natural birth, midwives and doula’s. More specific websites are only about single Doulas such as www.doulaura.com. This website caught my attention and stood out to me like no other did because it helped me realize that being a doula is more a way of life than a way to make money. Laura Gigantino, the Doula that is being advertised tells her story and explains the reason why she became a doula. The more I read, the more I became convinced that she is a real person and how honest she was being to her audience. To make herself pop out a little more, she broke away from the traditional presentation of the straight facts such as her work experiences and went on a more personal note that more readers can relate to.

     Aside from this one example, there were pages upon pages of information on doula’s as well as actual doula’s for hire. Over the course of finding my sources and proof that doula’s are very helpful, I learned from looking at the results that doula’s are the real deal and many people are beginning to find it to be common place for a smart woman to seek for a midwife or a doula to assist her in birth. Along with many positive websites, I came across a handful of websites that took aim at the profession and attempted to make points that where either invalid or not supported by enough evidence. One of the most commonly talked about issues is the infant mortality rate and how having a homebirth (most common setting for a midwife or doula) can be a danger for the child and mothers life. The reason why this is not an accurate statement is because of the obvious contradictions with data that has disproved this theory. More of the ideas posed by these websites can simply be dismissed using common sense. Does it really make sense that a woman can be safe going to a hospital with the level of stress doctors put them through and the unavoidable Cesarean section? Having a birth at home rarely results in a visit to the hospital because the mood is incredibly different and there is practically no reason for a woman to need a c-section, unless the baby is too big or it is a breech baby.

       All of those failed attempts at bringing down the vocation only accentuate its growing strength amongst pregnant women and women planning on having children and how truly safe it is to have someone assisting you throughout your process. Over time I hope to see midwives and doulas become a more common thing as they are beginning to now and I hope to see each profession mix with medicine in a more equal way, such as doctors working hand in hand with the midwives and doulas.

HW#43

Doula: labor coach: an assistant who offers support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes.

           A doula’s position is to be at the woman’s side during her birth process. Aside from giving her continuous care from a physical and emotional standpoint, the Doula is medically trained to assist pregnant women should anything go wrong. Much like a midwife, the Doula provides a peaceful environment with no stress. The only difference is that the midwife is much better suited to fix medical problems that can occur during the birth. The Doula’s main concern is the woman and giving her what she wants. The Doula’s main tool is his/her ability to stay calm even in the tensest situations which is why they prove to be so valuable to the pregnant women.

          Over the course of history while women have become more independent, they have also been losing connection with their family and the bond that it formed between its members when they pass though a situation such as birth, together. The Doula’s job was first the simple idea of what a mother or sister or any close relative did when assisting the birthing mother. Over time this idea formed into a job position that some women could fill although not in the exact same way a person related to you could. As women began to be encouraged to make decisions they also decided to take the necessary precautions to assure that their child would be born the way they wanted to without any real danger. The importance of this job especially stands out today because of the increasing number of teenage pregnancies and single mothers that like any woman want a natural childbirth without unnecessary risks.

           Prime examples include nearly every result from a Google search on Doula’s and the experience that most of these people have under their belts is more than impressive and allows for a wide range of choice when a mother to be is faced with a decision. Taking a look at the first few results from a search it became immediatlly obvious that Doula’s have become just as important to some as doctors or OB/GYN’s and a lot of people have begun to notice. DONA International is a website dedicated to giving pregnant women information on Doulas with links to other web pages that allow the women to find a doula or consider becoming one. On this one site, there are links to every possible website with anything that has to do with Doula’s to avoid women having questions or worries. Aside from these links the website also has news articles related to homebirths and advances in medicine to update the reader on the latest news. Doula.com shows the basic in’s and out’s of hiring doula’s, the price ranges and other pages relating to doula’s and natural birth. The 3rd website (that to me is the most important) is a directory of all the Doulas in my general area with one general directory for each state. The importance of this website comes not only from its educational value but also from the help that it provides to women that would be otherwise oblivious to this “theory” of natural birth, midwives and doula’s. More specific websites are only about single Doulas such as www.doulaura.com. This website caught my attention and stood out to me like no other did because it helped me realize that being a doula is more a way of life than a way to make money. Laura Gigantino, the Doula that is being advertised tells her story and explains the reason why she became a doula. The more I read, the more I became convinced that she is a real person and how honest she was being to her audience. To make herself pop out a little more, she broke away from the traditional presentation of straight facts such as her work experiences and went on a more personal note that more readers can relate to.          

           

HW#41

http://www.intuitivedoula.com/?gclid=CLDSspbO-acCFUvd4AodWmNKsA

Intuitive Doula is a website where you can apply to take doula training sessions. After taking this course you can contact Carla Stange, a registered midwife to become a doula in association with her self and Marilyn Lemos, a certified childbirth educator and birth assistant with a BA in Psychology. On her website she gives a definition of what a doula does and what the job entails. “A doula offers continuous presence and emotional care, comfort measures and an understanding of the laboring woman's desires for her birth. Beside her partner there may be no other person to provide a continuous presence, and the doula, unlike a doctor, a nurse, or a midwife, has no other obligation during labor other than the woman in labor. A doula's ability to remain calm and objective may prove invaluable.”

http://www.doulaura.com/About_Laura.html

This website includes a short autobiography of Laura Gigantino, a certified Doula. She begins by giving her background story and the reason why she became a Doula. “When I was thirteen, I helped a family friend with her newborn while she worked from home part time. I loved spending time with the baby, watching him grow and learning all the little joys of infancy. The same friend became pregnant two more times in the next few years. I continued to spend a lot of my time with her and her growing family and felt honored to be a part of such an amazing thing - the family unit! Observing all of the smiles, tears, ups and downs made me realize how amazing life is. This wonderful experience, among others, sparked my interest in human and family development.”

http://www.dona.org/mothers/index.php

What is a doula?

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula

·                            Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life

·                            Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor

·                            Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth

·                            Stays with the woman throughout the labor

·                            Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision

·                            Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers

·                            Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience

·                            Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA).
Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to a family, improve parental satisfaction and reduce the risk of mood disorders.
A Postpartum Doula

·                            Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester

·                            Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying

·                            Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/havingadoula.html

What are the benefits of having a doula?

Numerous studies have revealed the benefits of having a doula present during labor. A recent Cochrane Review, Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth, revealed a very high number of positive birth outcomes when a doula was present. When a doula was present, women were less likely to have pain relief medications administered, less likely to have a cesarean birth, and reported having a more positive childbirth experience¹. Find a Doula Now.

Other studies have shown that having a doula as part of the birth team decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, the use of oxytocin by 40% and the request for an epidural by 60%².

Doulas often use the power of touch and massage to reduce stress and anxiety during labor. According to physicians Marshal Klaus and John Kennell, massage helps stimulate the production of natural oxytocin. The pituitary gland secretes natural oxytocin to the bloodstream which causes uterine contractions and also secretes it to the brain, which results in a feeling of well being, drowsiness and a raised pain threshold. Synthetic IV oxytocin cannot cross into the blood stream and brain, so it increases contractions without the positive psychological effects of natural oxytocin.

What about the father's role when using a doula?

The role of the doula is never to take the place of the husband or partner in labor, but to compliment and enhance their experience. Today, many husbands are taking a more active role in the birth process, but some partners feel that this is a huge expectation and would rather be able to enjoy the delivery without having to stand in as labor coach. With a doula as a part of the birth team, a father can do whatever he feels comfortable with at each moment. Doulas can encourage the father to use comfort measures and can step in when he needs a break. Having a doula allows the father to be able to support his partner emotionally during labor and birth and also enjoy it himself without the pressure to remember everything he learned in childbirth class!

Are doulas only useful if planning an un-medicated birth?

The presence of a doula can be beneficial no matter what type of birth you are planning. Many women do report needing fewer interventions when they have a doula, but the role of the doula is to help you have a safe and pleasant birth, not to choose your type of birth. For women who know they want a medicated birth, the doula still provides emotional support, informational support and comfort measures to help the women through labor and the administration of medications. Doulas can work alongside medication by helping mom deal with possible side effects and filling in the gap that medication may not cover; rarely does medication take all discomfort away.

For a mother who faces a cesarean, a doula can be helpful by providing constant support and encouragement. Often a cesarean is an unexpected situation and moms are left feeling unprepared, disappointed and lonely. A doula can be with the mother at all times throughout a cesarean, explaining what is going on throughout the procedure while the partner is able to attend to the baby and accompany the newborn to the nursery if problems arise.

HW#40

Hello Ms. Vincent it is nice to meet you! Let me just say thank you for writing Baby Catcher. Your main idea formed as a result of all your personal experiences made me truly believe that first-time moms as well as women who have had children before can in fact have a calm, natural childbirth without the need for unnecessary interventions or use of unprincipled methods. Hearing this new refreshing theory on birth after believing my whole life that birth was horrible and painful made rethink how I feel about our medical system and what drives them to make certain decisions.

"Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?"

In the last third of your book I understand that you were beginning to bring together all your ideas and insights presented earlier to culminate into the big idea that birth can in fact be natural which connected back to the first two thirds of your book by restating the main idea you want to reader to understand by using personal experiences. More specifically the most important parts of your book for me (although it was all very interesting and educational) were the parts where you mentioned your own births and decisions you made through your birth process. The concept of spirit babies resounds with me even now and throughout your whole book from the point you mentioned it on approx. page 140-150. On page 260 when you learned that you were being sued I felt the other side of midwifery where things can actually be dangerous and midwifes are putting themselves at risk when they take responsibility for the birth of a child.

But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?"

I honestly feel as if this book was perfect because it definitely succeeded in getting its point across and if I enjoyed it I can only imagine how great it must be for a woman who is expecting or a woman who is planning to get pregnant to read this fresh book and be able to gain a new perspective. If you were to add anything else I would ask for more statistics that blend well with your experiences with your clients or with your time working as a nurse. I understand that your style of writing focuses on narratives from the perspective of a midwife but I think that including data to support your experiences can help your book reach out to a wider variety of readers that are looking for a educational book that is also fun book." The author

"Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!"

“I know! If only there were more people like me!”

HW#39

Vincent, Peggy. Baby Catcher- chronicles of a modern midwife. Scribner Edition. 1. New York, NY: Scribner, 2003. 110,112,125,149. Print.

(Vincent 110) At this point Hallie begins to give birth and Peggy describes the process of determining whether the baby’s umbilical cord is wrapped around its body and a physical description of this process and how it felt.

(Vincent 112) When Janelle is introduced, Peggy recollects when they met and the fact that Janelle is a “Christian Scientist”. Through this introduction I learned about the Christian Science Church and their policies regarding childbirth and Midwifery.

(Vincent 125) The idea introduced by Colin regarding “Spirit babies” Stuck me as particularly interesting because someone in my family went through the same experience of losing a child although it was much farther along.

(Vincent 149) Building off of the idea of “Spirit babies” Tammy’s Experience is much like the story of my family member who went through the same. I won’t ever be able to imagine how a mother or father must feel losing a child even if they look at it from Colin’s perspective

The major insight the second hundred pages of Baby Catcher tries to get across is the importance of the relationship between children and the mother during the pregnancy. Each of the stories that Peggy tells the reader relate to each other because they all have to do with mothers who have children and how they deal with being pregnant and ultimately the birth. I enjoy reading through the process that each of these mothers went through including Peggy because I went through this process (but from a different perspective). I remember never wanting a sibling and gradually changing how I felt about my parents having a child as I grew older. But to now think of it from my mother and father’s perspective as they consciously prepared me for a sibling is nothing short of amazing.