Healthy outcome for birth centres

Ruth Pollard, Sydney
September 3, 2007

BABIES born in birth centres had significantly lower death rates than those born in hospitals, a new Australian study of more than 1 million births has found.
For the whole article, click here.

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Pregnancy Massage

Recently I've finished the Reidman course in pregnancy massage. Massage is wonderful, especially when you are in your 3rd trimester, when your belly is big and your body is heavy.
Massage is also a very safe method of treatment, as long as the therapist knows what not to do.
It is recommended to get a massage once a week, to help relieve tensed muscles, and to take a moment for yourself. It is also great for the bond between you and your unborn baby.

The massage should be given in an enclosed and intimate space. The room should be quiet without disturbances from outside. It is nice to have calming music in the background too. The room should be not too hot and not too cold.
There should be a massage table with plenty of pillows, preferably special pregnancy body pillows. There could also be a birth ball.

For the massage itself it's best to use plain almond oil. It is not recommended to add aromatherapy oils such as lavender or tea tree, unless you've been using it since before you got pregnant. There are certain oils that cannot be used in pregnancy at all. For a complete list and more info, click here.

I give prenatal massages in my clinic in Jerusalem. Please contact me for an appointment.
The massage is suitable for women in the 2nd or 3rd trimester (13 weeks and up).

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Relaxation techniques

I went to R. for another birth preparation lesson this morning. I was alone with her today, her husband was at work. It was the class about comfort measures and relaxation during birth. It was a really interesting because R. seems very into it. I have the feeling that she is well prepared for her upcoming birth, mentally as well as physically. She is interested in a natural birth without drugs.

Giving birth naturally is a realistic option for most women. You need to realize that giving birth, being in labor, is very hard work. But it can be done. Being mentally prepared for the tough job is half of what you need, the other half is relaxation. Being relaxed is key to having a successful drug-free birth. If you know how to relax your body, I mean really relax your body, you will be able to ride the contractions like a wave.

When you tense up, your contractions will feel more painful. And the more painful it is, the more tense you will be and before you know it, you're going around in a downward spiral. So, you need to train yourself to relax the different body parts. It is something you need to practice during your pregnancy, so that your body will know what to do when the time is there.

We did some relaxation exercises, and I noticed that R. knows how to relax her body really well. That is going to work to her advantage during labor! It makes my job a whole lot easier, because it's extremely difficult to teach someone how to relax, especially during the birth.
I also taught her some good positions and movements for labor, as well as the Lamaze breathing technique. Doing the Lamaze breathing is not the most important thing. It doesn't matter how you breathe, as long as you do it! Relax your body and keep breathing, that is what will get that baby out. The Lamaze breathing technique can help to focus on the breathing, which can be a good way to get through the contractions.

All that is left for R. now is the breastfeeding class, and then she will be ready to meet her baby!

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M.'s first prenatal meeting

I had my first prenatal appointment with M. this morning. M. is in her 3rd trimester, and pregnant with her first child. She's living with her husband and dog in a very picturesque part of town, in a cute little house. Before the birth, they're planning to move into a new house, in one of the suburbs of Jerusalem.

M. called me up a few weeks ago, after she found my name on the internet. She wanted to know all about my services as a doula, and how I would be able to help her with a natural birth.
I told her how I feel about birth, that is it a natural process, and that I am trained in methods such as reflexology, shiatsu and massage that can help her get through the birthing process. I also explained that I see my role first and foremost as a calming presence at the birthing scene.
We set up an initial interview meeting, and M. and her husband decided to hire me for the birth.

So today was the first official prenatal meeting, and the second time I went over to M's cute little house. Together we filled in the client questionnaire, which has questions about general health and the pregnancy, and also how she views my role as a doula.
She told me that her husband would be her main support, and she wants me to support them both, to be an adviser, and also to write down the details of the birth such as at what time the waters broke, at what time she started pushing, and things like that.

I think that M. is very well prepared for her birth. She has read books like Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Birthing From Within. Both are books that talk about natural birth, and are very empowering and informative.
It is not often that I get clients that have read up on birth so well. Usually they read the more standard pregnancy book which name I won't mention here because I don't want to give them any publicity.

Because M. is so prepared, it didn't take us long to put together a birth plan, something that often takes me more than 1 prenatal meeting. This means that we've got all of the next prenatal meeting to do something else. We are considering a nice prenatal massage.

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