Saturday, April 25, 2009

Guide map of labour

Birth is creativity... dads got into the equation of creativity in my previous stages of labour class. Once we cleared the "woman-labour-pain" roadblock, they just knew that they could be there for the moms in so many ways.


Of many classes I have discussed stages of labour this Saturaday was a exceptionally creative one. My recent experience, with my doula client, who kept timing her contractions and wanted internals to check progress was disappointed with how things were not as advanced as she thought they would be. I saw a collective disappointment on the faces of an entire family and it honed the fact that no matter how much we talk of natural birth, in the end we talk numbers. No matter how much we talk instinct but we try and make it rational. So this class I experimented with "feel of labour" rather than stages of labour.

The dads were incharge of mapping the lay of the land. Good! since they are the primary support people here. Instead of the numbers we talked of how they would see labour progress and it was divided into 5 categories of reference.

First was the Sense of rhythm: timing to begin to get a sense of things
Second was Feelings or emotional assesment: how she would look and feel
Third was What may be happening in the body: effacement, baby moving lower, rotating
Fourth was what she may be experiencing: backache, hot/cold
And the fifth was what mom could be doing and what the support person could be doing.
This led to a lively interactive discussion. Significantly, everyone began thinking of various possibilities as soon as I said a emotion, or experience.... the focus shifted away from the timing and numbers. As we went through the labour, the couples discussed various scenarios and each partner made the next step of his guide map.
At each point food, drink, mobility, rest was discussed.
Maybe I was able to convey that labour is timeless, unique and different for everyone. Its like preparing for the birthday party of the baby and both parents work hard to have a great birthday.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Resuscitating Birth Experience; Placenta printing


The idea of placenta printing seemed wonderful to me when I first heard about it. Its the most vital organ, facilitating the baby growth and two way communication between the baby and mommy. Yet its the most ignored organ in medical science. Many a times I have seen the doctor check the placenta and then discard it as "bio waste".

On the other hand my birth friend Janet Chawla was all excited about a project on the placenta. The midwives stories of resuscitate the baby with the placenta, the midwives rich tradition around it, the stories from other cultures where it was considered the second mother, or the baby's twin.

Recently I was supporting a woman who had a long labour and after 37 hours was facing a C section. Her perfect birth had spun on its head and landed face first. As she broke down and faced her worst case scenario, I desperately wanted to make it birth for her.

However, it was absolutely impossible to leave out the bitter disappointment of failure and fatigue and look at birth. It seemed important to let her be selfish in that moment, to grieve what could not be, before moving on to the next step.

Major surgery is a huge mountain to over look, to see the birth of the baby. Kind of the same way as the sterile partion that is erected seperating the mother, awake and aware, from the surgical site itself.

Two things I did in that OT that afternoon.

Firstly, I took a video of the birth of the baby... not the surgery. Infact it turned out to be the footage from when the baby emerged and cried. Somehow the angle and timing was such that the C section was not on the tape at all.

Secondly, I did a placenta painting for them. Taking a print each with the blood and then with paint, this is singualrily the most beautiful piece of art I have ever done. Loving framed and ready to watch over their baby, just like in the womb, the parents have taken to this painting.

It also brought home the fact that while things did not go the way they wanted it to ... it was the birth of their baby

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A doula's letter



Dear baby Samaira,
I wish to gift you this wonderful birth story as a welcome present into this beautiful world. I am sure you will hear many different versions of your birthday or should I say birth days, but this is how I, your doula experienced your birthday.
It began with a meeting with your mommy who was preparing in many ways to bring you into this world. She glowed and I am sure it was also the glow of your beauty within her, along with the joy at the thought of your birth. As I met your family on "the day" I realised how loved you were. The grand moms and great grand mom, the aunt and uncle, mom and dad... you were their dream girl.
Now many will say that it was a long labour, and lots of pain, and more at first glance, perhaps they did not witness what I did. I also saw love pure and simple of a mom for her baby, the determination of a woman who had a belief and went all out for her belief. The wonderful love and shared dreams of a couple. But most of all, it was amazing how much they already felt you as a real person in their life.
God tests the faithful. If that were true then you, dear girl, would be God's very own special baby since he really tested each one of your family before he was sure that you were in good hands. It is said that babies carry a imprint of their wombs and births. This birth had every thing that a life time could bring for you. Joy and disappointment, hard work and priceless reward, fortitude and gratitude and the dynamic working of a loving family. Their was a spectrum of emotions, an entire range of motherly concern and sisterly emotions, and most of all the vulnerability of a loving father and husband. I am sure deep inside you have an imprint of it all, this is Gods' ultimate gift, the valuable experience to draw upon no matter what life throws up at you.
It felt that every layer of planning was stripped, one by one until your mom was left with nothing but her spirit to continue and give birth to you. I would never forget that look of determination on her face, looking at all her plans stall and faced with the helpless eventuality, when she looked me in the eye and said... "I would do all of this again if I had to ... so lets do it."

I also cherish the expression on her face when she first heard you cry, first felt your hands on her face as you nuzzled into her cheek in an instinctive response.
For me it was a birth in all sense as she moved from a deep dark place she had reached to bright sunshine in a single moment... the moment of your birth.
Samaira, the enchanted one, you certainly enchanted your dad's heart in that very moment, as he stood aside and watch you and your mom together. He was great to step back and see the two lovely ladies of his life meet each other.
I carry so many special moments from your birth and am happy that I did witness your mom give birth in spirit. I hope as time will pass and you will explore your own potential for strength this memory of birth will be your guide. God bless you.


Your doula with Love
Divya