Your Birth Online
Many of the videos, links, and downloads referenced in class can be found here. Browse below to view all the online content. If there’s something you think should be added, feel free to contact me.
Workbook: Prepared Childbirth The Family Way
Weekly recommended reading:
Week 1
Complete the “How Well Do You Know Your Body?” questionnaire on page 99.
Practice the Birth Fitness exercises on Page 16 – 18.
Read ACOG guidelines on page 19.
Try the exercises on Page 100 for a quick work you can do anywhere.
The Progressive Tense/Release Practice on page 104 only takes a few minutes.
Review “Progressive Relaxation” page 25.
Take another look at pages 34 thru 43. They discuss in detail what we covered in class.
Week 2
Practice the “Movements for Labor” on page 47.
Review HBP #2 on pages 6 & 7 of Healthy Birth Your Way: Six Steps to a Safer Birth
Workbook Page 49 through 53 discusses childbirth choices and medications available during labor and birth.
Practice rhythmic breathing in your workbook Page 107.
Pain medications preference scale are listed in your workbook on page 110.
Week 3
Read Workbook Page 44: “Strategies for Second Stage”
Practice the positions for second stage in your Workbook page 45.
Review page 46 in your Workbook: “Possible Challenges of Labor”
What to do if the laboring woman panics? Read page 48 or your workbook!
Read over “Life with Baby” in your workbooks page 78 thru 84.
Finally, the birth stories on pages 85 thru 92 are worth the read.
Week 4
This week I’d like you to thumb through your entire workbook! Pay particular attention to those topics which peak your interest and make it a point to research them on your own. Review those topics that we may have discussed early on in the class and make some notes. If you have questions on anything, please bring them to class this week.
Video Library
These are all well worth your time. Take a few minutes each day and watch one or two.
Downloads
Additional Web Resources
Lamaze and I have done the Googleing for you! If you can’t find it here, contact me below. As a Certified Lamaze Educator I have access to professional online databases and periodicals.
Comfort Zone
10 Healthy Pregnancy Tips
Labor Day
Stages of labor – Labor day: Your step-by-step guide to giving birth by Judith Lothian
The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI)
In addition to the foundation from Lamaze International, all childbirth professionals
should be familiar with the document from the Coalition for Improving Maternity
Services (CIMS) that defines the ten steps of Mother-Friendly care. You may download
this and other documents such as “Are your Birth Classes Mother-Friendly?” at
Body beautiful by Charlotte DeVries
Imagine a pregnant body. It’s pretty easy when our imaginary woman is 7 or 8 months pregnant. But what about a woman’s body in the early months of pregnancy?
Lamaze Food for Thought
Though you should maintain a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy, nutrition is especially important during the third trimester.
Choose My Plate
Health Canada
Facts About Listeria
At least 90% of people who get Listeria infections are either pregnant women and their newborns, people 65 or older, or people with weakened immune systems.
Family Ties
Lamaze Breathing
Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Care Provider
Now that you know more, you may be wondering how to choose the best health care provider for the job. Finding the right person to care for you and your baby during pregnancy, labor and birth is one of the most important decisions you will make, and it can help you feel confident to push for the safest, healthiest birth.
Questions to Ask Your Doula
We talked about the importance of labor support this week. If you're in the market for a birth doula there's some things you should ask:
AVPH Lactation Support Group
- Meet other new moms
- Get support
- Get expert advise
- Be reassured your baby is getting enough breast milk
- Get your baby weighed by a RN Lactation Specialist, IBCLC
Mondays at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Tips for Establishing Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is nature’s most powerful way of helping mothers recover from birth, learn mothering skills, and fall in love with their babies. It’s also nature’s way of ensuring that babies are well nourished, protected against disease, and allowed to develop optimally.
Using BRAINS when Communicating with your Care Provider
Effective communication with your care provider is one of the keys to having a good birth experience. Being sure that what your care provider is suggesting is the best, most appropriate course of action is important. Having full informed consent before any test, procedure or medication is given is not only important, but it's the law.
The Three Sisters
The “Three Sisters” refer to the three “sisters” of Balance: Rebozo Sifting, Forward-Leaning Inversion, and the Sidelying Release. These techniques balance the pelvis and surrounding areas for comfort, birth preparation and labor progress.
Rub It In: Making the Case for the Benefits of Vernix Caseosa
Childbirth educator, doula and midwife apprentice Cole Deelah recently posted her thoughts on the beauty of vernix caseosa on her blog site Sage Beginnings. Referencing a 2004 study published in ACOG’s Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Deelah reminds us of the protective benefits vernix provides to the fetus and newborn–some of which include antimicrobial activity and maintenance of skin hydration following birth.
The Red/Purple Line: An Alternate Method For Assessing Cervical Dilation Using Visual Cues
So how does this line work? And why does this it appear? Practising Midwife Magazine presented a graphic which I have attempted to recreate here.
Majority of Preeclampsia-Related Maternal Deaths Deemed Preventable
Research published in the April 2015 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that 60 percent of preeclampsia-related maternal deaths were deemed preventable.
Preeclampsia Foundation
Thousands of women and babies die or get very sick each year from a dangerous condition called preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Preeclampsia and related disorders such as HELLP syndrome and eclampsia are most often characterized by a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to seizure, stroke, multiple organ failure and death of the mother and/or baby.
Making Progress in Labor is More than Just Dilation
"How far dilated are you?" When you get past 36 weeks of pregnancy, this is most likely a question you'll hear again and again -- from several people. And more than likely, you'll wait in anxious anticipation after a routine pelvic exam to hear the report, and quite possibly feel crestfallen when you hear, "You're about 1 to 2."
Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey
Sign up for the helpful and informative Your Pregnancy Week by Week emails, and you’ll be automatically registered to participate in the survey. You will receive the survey 3-4 weeks after your expected due date. If you choose, you can opt out of the survey and still receive 40 weeks of valuable tips and information to help you have a safe and healthy birth!
How to communicate with your OB
1. Don't hesitate to ask questions
2. Remind yourself to ask questions
3. Don't wait until labor
4. Keep communicating throughout the process
5. Remember, you'll only have this experience once
Simple Pleasures, Shared Discoveries
Our babies offer us a second chance to discover the joys found in simple things – blowing bubbles, splashing in the tub, walking barefoot.
Safe Sleep
Ask anyone how much sleep you’re likely to get after your baby is born and they’ll all tell you the same thing: “Not much.” But ask where your baby should sleep and you’ll probably get several different answers.
Postpartum Depression
The first step in battling the severity of postpartum depression is knowing how to spot the symptoms.
Returning to Work
Going back to work after having a baby isn’t an all-or-nothing decision.
Cloth Diaper Facebook Group
Cloth Diaper Mommies of the Antelope Valley Facebook group.
Mallard Peanut Ball
Link to purchase the small sizes on Amazon. You're looking for the blue or green.
Babywearing Intl
Visit their facebook link in the article below for up to date information.
Omni Massage Roller
One of my favorite relaxation tools for labor. Can be used with massage lotions or oils. All Omni Massage products can be cleaned easily with soap and water
Rebozos
For those of you that were interested in purchasing a rebozo, I have them for sale in my Etsy shop:
Heather S. Turner, LCCE, CD(DONA)
Doula & Childbirth Educator
Why Your Birth?
Heather’s out of hospital class and hands-on approach includes techniques you won’t learn anywhere else including peanut ball, rebozo, TENS units, Spinning Babies, and more. She has over 17 years of experience educating families including personal doula clients and Red Cross Healthy Pregnancy classes for the men and women of our armed forces.