2nd labor shorter than 1st labor's pushing stage! An ROA story

Doula Liz tells her own birth stories
You'd think as a doula who witnesses birth on a relatively regular basis that I'd be peaceful and zen like throughout pregnancy and labor. I love it when my clients ask me about my own labors thinking that I had these easy as pie labors that started with perfectly aligned babies and straight forward births.  During my first pregnancy I had no idea what fetal positioning was. I knew vaguely what a doula was and made the (regrettable) decision to only have myself and my husband at the birth of our first daughter, thinking that it was such an intimate event that we couldn't possibly allow others in.  
 
First Baby 
Its true that my first labor was straight forward in that I started contracting early in the morning, progressed steadily and calmly, until my water broke and I raced to the hospital with bags in tow. I got to the hospital and was definitely not calm or collected. I was the opposite of that. I was climbing the walls of the shower. I needed someone to tell me this was normal - and yet, no one did. Feeling so much fear and pain I asked for the epidural. Upon receiving the epidural I was checked for only the 2nd time since arriving at the hospital and was declared 10cm!  I then was laid on my back for the next several hours in order to have the baby get lower in the pelvis, sometimes called "laboring down".  
 
I began pushing and continued pushing for 4 1/2 hours. It was only after an episiotomy, a significant 4th degree tear, and a vaginal birth,  that I was told that my sweet baby Lillian was OP. Her puffy, bruised little face gave us slight indication what she must have been doing in there during those pushing hours as did her extremely molded beautiful little cone head. 
 
Second Baby
Three years later, now a working doula planning to birth at home with an amazing home birth midwife, I was quite familiar with fetal position and how it can impact a woman's labor. Here I was again, in the third trimester of pregnancy with an obvious ROA/ROP (she liked to snuggle back and forth) baby. Thinking back to my previous pregnancy I was struck with fear and terror when I realized that my previous baby had also hung out on my right side for the end of pregnancy. Which naturally led me to believe that I would be suffering another 4th degree tear with a long pushing phase. I remember telling my midwife I couldn't sleep at night I was so concerned with my baby's position. I would wake up on my right side and dutifully switch to my left.  If I just did EVERYTHING right, then maybe, MAYBE that baby would switch!!  I followed Gail's advice to a "T", I took supplements, changed my diet, swam regularly, and sought out chiropractic care. 
 
Five days before my due date my vigorous and exuberant Lucy Jane soared into this world. My labor was 3 hours from first contraction to her first breath.  Would I call it painful? No, not really. I would say 'intense' and my husband would agree with you on that description. I did not cry out or scream because I was supported by experienced women, friends, family, and my first child.  I did not fear. Lucy Jane decided to come out in the way she liked to hang out, which was ROA. I had no tearing whatsoever. 
 
 
"Everything will be ok"
I'm writing this not because I don't think Gail's work is life-changing, because I certainly do! I have been to plenty of births that without Gail's wisdom and techniques would have ended in very different ways. I'm also not writing this because I think its not important to be aware and active in your goal of optimal fetal positioning, you absolutely should!  I'm writing this because I want you mama's out there who are doing your techniques religiously to take a deep breath and say, "everything will be ok". The more you say it, the more you believe it. "Dispel the fear of childbirth", that's what Ina May Gaskin told me to do and I aim to do just that. I'm hoping that this little letter will find you, sweet mamas with babies in positions that seem daunting, so that you may release the fear and worry from your mind and body and allow yourself to move forward without fear. 
 
Peace, 
-- 
Liz Hochman CD(DONA)
Website: www.minneapolisdoula.com



When Liz wrote me back later, she said,

Gail - 
Feel free to use [this story; how you wish - cut, paste, edit... or even save for those days that you need a pick me up and knowing that we all value your work so much might just do the trick. 
 
BTW - last week at your Spinning Babies [presentation to The Childbirth Collective at Blooma] I had 2 clients in attendance. One of them called at 3:30 am only mere hours after going to sleep after your class telling me her water broke. Little acynclitic posterior baby that was giving her a tricky lip of cervix. Luckily your information was fresh in her head and we did all of your tricks. Vaginal birth - no tears ;)
 
L

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Spinning Babies is facing an immediate "migration," new software installation for the behind the scenes portion of the website at cost of $680. This massive update is crucial for security and functionality. Alternatively, I could take the 100+ pages down and restart the site with new software at a lower cost, but much less content. Would you be ok with a 10 page site carrying only an outline of information? That's about how many other websites treat their content.

 Are you a woman or a loved one of a woman helped to avoid a cesarean by Spinning Babies Website? Has Spinning Babies helped you serve birthing families with techniques for labor progress? Do you have a little time to help Spinning Babies in return? If the migration costs $680 and 100 of my loyal users gave $68 dollars each, we'd get it covered. 

Did you know that Spinning Babies was hacked a few summers ago and had to go off line while I found hosting with security? Security is a real issue on the internet. 

Several years ago a grandmother donated $150 after a visit to Spinning Babies Website helped her daughter avoid a cesarean. Once a woman sent $50 because exercises on Spinning Babies stopped her hip pain and she was able to sleep well for the first time during the end of her pregnancy. Today, just a few dollars a year come through donations. Ever since the booklet went on sale donations dropped off. Could it be that people think sales income is significant to carry the website? I wish it were so, and do hope to boost the store soon.

Right now Spinning Babies is in need and so I'm asking those of you among my 4000 daily visitors to give something back. "Wait, Seriously?" you ask, "4000 people a day and only a few small donations a year!?" Yep, that's true.  If 100 of you, 1/40th of one day's visitors, gave $6.80, or about 5 British Pounds (or, 68 people giving 10.00 each) we could get this job done and secure the website. 

ICould it be that Spinning Babies has become such a part of the childbirth education scene that its taken for granted? Spinning Babies doesn't get grants. Spinning Babies isn't a nonprofit (But my husband will be surprised to hear that.)  I love giving this information as a gift to the birthing world, I'm rather delighted to help a woman understand she doesn't have to accept a cesarean before labor just because her baby is posterior! Or, help a woman flip her breechling head down. But with the cost of web maintainance increasing, I have to rethink how I might support my work.  

If you aren't able to give such a chunk of change, can you send your sympathy for $5? Or, are you a loyal Spinning Babies user who gives their undying support for $100? 

What ever you can send now will be seen as a huge message of support to keep Spinning Babies safe and online. Protecting one woman's birth just takes 4 minutes.

How are we doing? First day, 6 donations: $80 was given, Second day,  2 donations: $20.   Third day 3 donations: $70.  We can do it! Can we do it in a week??

 


 

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