Some of these are relevant to practitioners, others to families, most to both!

Welcoming means …

• …asking a father his opinion and what he wants and needs.
• …understanding that a man having an emotional or feeling response to his partner’s pregnancy is a form of connection to the child, family and becoming a father. This may include fear, anger, judgment or other forms of upset. All clues!
• …enquiring about how he is doing (feeling).
• …supporting him to speak openly and regularly to you, his partner, other fathers or supporters.
• …encouraging fathers to read and go to classes. This is best if it includes some material specifically designed for fathers. Recommend some, see F2B list.
• …if you do not have access to the father, then enquire through the mother about him. Not casually but with intention.
• …asking what they, the couple, have decided about his involvement during the birth. If they have not discussed it encourage them to do so.
• …making sure dad understands what he might expect during labor as regards ‘labor pain’. Describe the unique nature of ‘labor pain’ as distinctly different to other forms of pain he may be more familiar with and also that pain is temporary, intermittent and not necessarily inevitable. Remind them to work with the word YES during birth.
• …understanding ‘why’ is usually important for a man. Describe the relationship between adrenalin and oxytocin (birthing hormones) and the important influence fathers do have on this.
• …understanding feminine timing in birth. Each woman’s labor is unique and happens in her own time. Fathers learning to relax around this issue is paramount.
• …making clear to dads that there may be a hierarchy of influence in a birthing room which may need to be negotiated and offer suggestions to support him.
• …being sure the couple has a birth plan and that dad, as the mother’s advocate, is familiar with it and knows to present it to hospital staff.
• …letting him know that birth is inherently safe and his partner is ‘designed’ to give birth, she will be able to do it and his trusting this is important.
• …making sure he is informed about the benefits of breastfeeding for his new baby as well as the mother. Flag the possibility that it could cause him to feel certain unexpected things. Discussing in advance allows him to feel safer.
• …pointing out the importance and value of skin to skin contact with a baby, especially for him. He will benefit from his own hormonal responses to this contact.
• …supporting the mother in understanding that her trusting dad and his contact with his new child is important. She is the gatekeeper.

Taken from Top Tips of Fathers To Be USA.

Together, the women in centering programs get to:

• Build community with other pregnant women
• Learn self-care skills
• Get assurance about the progression of their pregnancy
• Gain knowledge about pregnancy, birth, post partum, and parenting,
• Have improved perinatal outcomes.

The benefits are endless! Some include:

• Increased gestational age (i.e, full term babies)
• Increased birth weight
• Increased success with breastfeeding
• Psychosocial Benefits Include:
• Increased prenatal knowledge
• Decreased prenatal distress
• Increased preparedness for labor and delivery
• Increased readiness for infant care
• Increased happiness with prenatal care.
• Decreased preterm birth.  Irregardless of age, socioeconomics, education, etc.

Over the last century, Preterm birth rates have significantly increased. Preterm birth is when a baby is born at or before 37 weeks; 34-36 weeks is characterized as late-preterm. The reasons are relatively elusive/unknown but some ideas include- increased utilization of reproductive technology and multifetal gestations. Adverse outcomes of preterm birth can include: neonatal and infant deaths, childhood neurological disability, prolonged hospitalization, increased cost, and adverse developmental consequences that can last a lifetime.

Groups provide a dynamic atmosphere for learning and sharing that is impossible to create in a one-to-one encounter; therefore, the patient gains a lot more during these meetings.  “Hearing other women share concerns which mirror my own helped me normalize my experience,” says Brenda Armstrong, owner and participant of A Bump in the Road, a value-added support group in Durango, CO.  A Bump in the Road doesn’t provide “prenatal care” or teach “self-care” techniques; however, A Bump is bringing local practitioners and pregnant women together. Local practitioners present on a variety of topics bimonthly at group meetings to women considering having children, women who are currently pregnant, and to new mothers.  The mix offers validation for everyone in the group. A Bump in the Road provides education, support, and resources for women traveling the path to parenthood.  “We are gaining a greater knowledge of the process while at the same time, we’re building community and learning from each other,” states Armstrong.

Groups also are empowering as they provide support to the members and also increase individual motivation to learn and change. Professionals report that groups provide them with renewed satisfaction in delivering quality care as well. Seek out a support group or a centering program in your area. If you are in Durango, CO San Juan Basin Health Department offers a complete “Centering Pregnanacy” program. For more information, contact Hannah at SJBHD at (970) 247-5702, Ext. 202.

Author: Brenda Armstrong, Owner/Founder A Bump in the Road

The part I did love was the following: We had a TV and a phone--so 1 hr. of TV/day, and 10 min phone call limit. That was the extent of our electronic stimulation guidelines.  Kids played outside on their own, and we called home, as were the other neighborhood children, by a gong or a bell.  This was usually only at mealtimes, which were a regular daily event attended by all members of the family.  Hauling kids around to practices and classes was kept to a minimum--mostly because I hated driving, but also because free time was deemed an important component of growing up.  I was lucky to be able to be a stay at home mom and fully share those growing years.

I realize that most of these freedoms are impossible today with both parents working and with the complexities of life on the street and in the schools.  Either way--raising kids is a treat!

Author: Janet Armstrong, Mother of Three, Grandmother of Three

Eating Right Before You Are Pregnant

Eating right before you get pregnant, is one of the best ways to improve your chances of conception.  Given the most critical days for human development are the first few days post conception, a properly balanced and nutritious diet before you are pregnant can help to ensure implantation and a healthy pregnancy. Another benefit, you probably won’t know you are pregnant until 6-8 weeks into pregnancy, eating right for yourself will provide your growing baby with good nutrition right from the start.

A healthy, balanced diet includes controlled portions of fresh veggies, fruit, whole grains, dairy products, and lean protein. Professionals recommend minimizing saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar as well. Being healthy also means getting adequate exercise. If you don’t exercise regularly, talk to your health care provider, they’ll provide you with tools and referrals to help you get started.

A few things to include in your diet:

Prenatal Vitamins- Get into the routine of taking a daily supplement before you are inundated with all the baby stuff.  It’s a sensible way to provide you and your baby with key nutrients especially if your current eating habits are poor, or if you are experience morning sickness when you become pregnant. Evidence shows that prenatal vitamins may also lower the risk of childhood cancers like leukemia (Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics).

Folic Acid- Since Folic Acid was added to cereals, the rates of serious- even fatal- birth defects has decreased. Loading up on Folic Acid before pregnancy and during, can reduce your chance of delivering a baby with neural tube defects and other serious defects to the spine or brain by 50%. Food sources of folic acid include legumes, dark leafy green veggies, citrus fruits, and whole wheat bread.

Omega-3’s- Essential fatty acids, DHA and EPA are commonly found in fish. Omega-3’s are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the human body. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food or supplemented by vitamins.

Zinc- This trace mineral plays a huge role in reproductive health. It helps with ovulation and fertilization in women and maintains correct semen level and testosterone levels in men.

Chasteberry- Talk to your physician about Chasteberry before taking this herb.  It has been indicated in at least one study to help regulate ovulation and resolve hormonal imbalances. However, if you suspect you might be pregnant, stop taking this herb at once. This herb should NOT be taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding!

Durango, CO (February 17, 2010)- Beginning March 2, 2010, A Bump in the Road and Liv MacKenzie, MA, LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), will offer a five week Mental and Physical Wellness course for new moms. Over the course of the five week session, Liv MacKenzie, MA, LPC, will facilitate collective discussion exploring topics such as: common barriers to achieving your goals, creating goals/boundaries, developing a support team, emotional eating, mommy guilt, and nurturing oneself.

Many women find that when they become a mother for the first time there are unanticipated challenges that arise in addition to the miracle of the motherhood experience. The collective goal for course participants is to nurture positive emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness. The group format will allow for group support and unique understanding, as all participants are walking the path of motherhood.

Sessions include: two weekly meetings - one fifty-minute group discussion on Tuesdays at 10am at Liv MacKenzie’s office (766 Main Ave. St 201, Durango); the other will be group exercise, journaling, and meditation time/day tbd by group. Cost for 10 classes is $60 and prepayment is required. Class size is limited, for more information and to register, please call 970-779-8556.

Liv MacKenzie, MA, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 10 years of clinical experience. Liv has a general private practice, in which she counsels adolescents, college students, families and women of all ages. She especially enjoys working with women who are experiencing major life transitions and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of maternal anxiety and depression. www.livmackenzie.com

While the APA recommends a minimum of six months, any amount of time that you can do it will help both you and your baby. Breastfeeding isn't the only option for feeding your baby; however, every mother has the potential to succeed and make it a wonderful experience!

Babycenter.com lists the following benefits.

Breastfeeding your baby:

• protects your baby from gastrointestinal trouble, respiratory problems, and ear  infections
• can protect your baby from developing allergies.
• may boost your child's intelligence
• may protect against obesity later in life
• may protect your baby from childhood leukemia
• may protect your baby from developing type 1 diabetes
• may protect preemies from infections and high blood pressure later in life
• may lower your baby's risk of SIDS

For Mom, Breastfeeding:

• helps you lose weight (but don’t cut your daily calorie intake/diet)
• can lower your stress levels and reduce postpartum bleeding
• may reduce your risk of some types of cancer
• may protect against osteoporosis later in life

In the workplace, employers are even recognizing the benefits to the working mother. The Office on Women’s Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services notes that breastfeeding reduces costs to employers due to lower health care costs, de-creased absenteeism, enhanced productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and a better corporate image. Employers are creating the space and time for employees to pump milk or feed their baby. If you are going back to work, be sure to communicate with your employer, they may be very open to the idea.

If you are having difficulties with breastfeeding, there are services that can help:

Joy Kanevski, Certified Lactation Consultant - Joy of Life Family Medicine

La Leche League- meets at the Family Center on the first Monday of every month.

Mercy Regional Medical Center- free consultations at the Birthing Center.

The soft-focus daydreams of pregnancy suddenly fast-forward into a blur of diaper changes, feedings and bonding to meet the needs of a newborn.

“We enter motherhood and we often have very unrealistic expectations of what it’s going to be like,” said Liv MacKenzie, a licensed professional counselor in Durango.

For some women, the postpartum period – up to a year after birth – is a time of bliss. But others are surprised to feel the sting of anxiety or depression. The tricky part of postpartum depression is first recognizing that you have it, then breaking through emotional barriers to seek help.

Bayfield mother Laura Lopez had a traumatic birthing experience, followed by several days of her daughter going through interventions in the hospital.

“Because of the constant vigilance over my daughter, I suffered severe sleep deprivation, and as a result, I spiraled into severe anxiety,” said Lopez.

“I tried to seek help, but it seemed no one recognized what I was experiencing was postpartum anxiety. Liv was the first one to put a name to it and validate it for me. That acknowledgment in itself was the beginning of my healing.”

Defining a disorder
About 80 percent of women get the “baby blues,” a normal bout of sadness, crying and increased sensitivity in the three to five days just after birth. On the other extreme, psychosis is rare and can happen one to two weeks after birth. Women have scary visions or hallucinations they think are real, or wish to harm themselves or their babies. This is a medical condition that demands immediate treatment by a doctor.

Postpartum depression, or PPD, is similar to other mood disorders and depression, but it’s induced by the major adjustments of life with a baby. Doctors haven’t pinpointed exactly what causes it, but the condition can be brought on by a combination of social, emotional and biochemical factors.

“It’s the sleep deprivation, the extra work,” said MacKenzie. “She could be having an identity crisis at the same time and be stuck on the couch nursing all day, or recovering from major surgery, and the partner goes back to work – it’s overwhelming.”

PPD can occur up to a year after birth – sometimes longer – and ranges from mild to severe. About one in five women suffer from it. There’s also a 30 percent chance for recurrence after a second baby.

“Some of the symptoms are very clear, and some are not,” said MacKenzie, who has practiced in Durango for more than 10 years and specializes in treating adolescents, young adults and mothers.

Symptoms include a range of physical and emotional problems triggered by anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive behavior. A woman may say “I’m not myself.” Some symptoms, such as fatigue, could be discounted as normal. The key is to recognize when the symptoms become chronic and affect daily life.

“The population I’m concerned about is women with mild PPD,” MacKenzie said.

Who is at risk
Certain women can be predisposed to the condition, although there is no way to know for sure who will get it, said MacKenzie. Typically, it’s someone with a Type A personality, a history of mood disorder and a lack of a support system. Women who experience depression during pregnancy are also at risk.

“This is the woman who is very adept at looking right and doing things right. On all outward appearances she’s fine, but internally she’s suffering. There’s a lot of comparison, looking at other mothers or families, and making the conclusion that ‘they’re doing it better than I am.’”

The Type A woman tends to put pressure on herself and set high expectations, said MacKenzie. She may have trouble admitting a loss of control, which creates a block to seeking help.

“Speaking out is part of helping take away that shame for myself, and hopefully to normalize the experience for other mothers,” said Lopez, whose baby is now 8 months old.

If a woman is on the fence about seeking treatment, MacKenzie offers important motivation: Postpartum depression can have a negative effect on bonding with the baby, partnerships and the woman’s sense of self. If left untreated, PPD symptoms may get worse, stay the same or eventually go away – but it may take years.

Road to recovery
The good news is that PPD is treatable with swift intervention, and may be prevented during pregnancy with preparation. MacKenzie said many women recover within a month to six months. Recovery depends on early diagnosis, in some cases medication, and a client’s active involvement in their recovery. Her therapy for PPD is short-term, adaptive, client-driven and focused on practical advice.

“What helped me the most was learning some self-care,” said Lopez, who was treated by MacKenzie. “I didn’t feel I had a right to my own time. There was so much to do with a baby, how could I possibly take a break for myself? She
encouraged me to get outside, to get exercise and to take time away by myself doing something I enjoyed.”

Lopez said that in never taking a break, she was exhausting herself and not allowing her husband to learn how to care for the baby. MacKenzie encourages clients to involve their partners in child-rearing so they don’t feel they have to do it all on their own.

MacKenzie has two young sons, ages 2 and 5. She said didn’t have “full-blown” PPD, but she can relate to the experience.

“When a woman gives me the privilege of walking this path with her, I feel a heartfelt connection and joy when she feels better,” she said. “So it’s partially the therapist in me that’s drawn to this work, and partially the mother and woman in me that acknowledges what a major life transition and passage this is.”

From the Durango Herald

by Karla Sluis

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Features/Family/2009/10/11/Dont_suffer_in_silence_Therapy_eases_postpartum_depression/

You need two kinds of knowing to birth from within. The first and most basic is the intuitive knowing in your bones. The second kind of knowing is modern knowing being savvy about the birth culture and the wide range of birth choices. BIRTHING FROM WITHIN classes offer you a soulful and holistic approach to birth preparation that integrates both kinds of knowing. Our classes prepare you to birth-in-awareness whether you are birthing at home, in a birth center, tipi, taxi or hospital.

Contact Sharon Mauldin sharon@gobrainstorm.net 970 884-4229 for details. To read more about Birthing From Within please visit http://www.birthingfromwithin.com/welcome_parents

I would definitely recommend Sharon and Kenneth's Birthing From Within Weekend Birthshop to any new parent who is wanting to cultivate and strengthen their relationship with themselves, with their partner and with their new baby. It provides you with an opportunity to evolve together- an opportunity that I'm so glad we embraced! Brenda Armstrong ~  Ken's Wife and Isaac's Mom

by Jenny M.

I had an amazingly easy as well as comfortable pregnancy. Heidi, Amy, and Mary Louise at Southwest Midwives in Durango, CO with the help of their great staff offered warm care and encouragement to my partner and I while we awaited our baby’s arrival.

True’s estimated due date was November 8^th, 2008. Well, the 8^th came and went with out even a hint of offering our son True. I felt fine and apparently True did too. Nice and cozy I can only imagine. But, who could blame the guy. I don’t like getting out of bed in the morning in November; I can’t comprehend leaving a womb!

My partner and I walked to a Mexican dinner under a hypnotizing full moon on November 12^th. Which was it that peaked True’s curiosity about the world beyond the womb? Was it the guacamole that he loves so much today, or the magnetic glow of the moon who’s viewing proved to be nothing more than a tease to his unborn eyes? I’m certain that it wasn’t the walk being as the cruiser ride I’d taken that afternoon didn’t tempt him. Anyhow, I began having contractions around 7 that evening.

Around Midnight the activity was enough that I decided to get out of bed and start timing my contractions. They seemed to be 5-6 minutes apart, so I made the call. I reached a soft and sleepy Amy. She instructed my partner and I to make our way to The Family Birthing Center about an hour from then. I followed the phone call by a shower to distract me from the clock.

I awoke my partner about 1 o’clock with the classic “it’s time” statement. His bag was packed and by the door; I honestly, hadn’t been as organized. We made our way to the hospital with my hand clung to the “oh sh*t” handle in the car, squeezing with a tight hold with each contraction as if it might reach the birthing center with out me.

We arrived. The nurse checked me. I was a 1. 1 whole cm dilated.

Upon Amy’s approval, the nurse allowed us to stay. Amy believed me to be in labor to the nurse’s trying to be subtle surprise. I was relieved about being there and snuggly checked in. I could not imagine going home. My contractions felt substantial enough to me that had we gone home we would surely just turn right back around!

Heidi came in to check me at the start of her shift to find me at 2 cms dilated. Needless to say; things were off  to a slow start. She returned during her lunch to find a 4. So, this was the beginning? Only then was I in active labor? I thought I’d been hard at it for 12 hours!

I labored. Then labored. I labored some more…

…Heidi and nurses alternated appearances throughout the day. A warm bath may have initiated a 7 at 8pm, but I had 3 cms to go. Heidi stayed at the hospital. She gave a phenomenal foot rub, and every time that I discounted my pain by calling myself “a weeny” she’d so confidently grin and say, “it’s hard”. I wondered how she could stay so calm and encouraging when I felt as though I had had my fair share of her time; whining at that!

I had had a couple doses of medication to take the edge off of the contractions throughout the evening, but I found it time for the real deal. I asked Heidi if she could call the anesthesiologist. It was nearing 24 hours since I’d made the call to Amy. I wanted help, and once I gave into the idea of help I felt it couldn’t come soon enough!

The anesthesiologist was incredible! He was fast and his confidence bordered arrogance because he was so good. Once the epidural was in place it provided pretty close to instant release. My body seemed to soften, and I was able to relax. Contrary to what I’d heard, I was still able to feel. The intensity went from fire to warm. Heidi then broke my water which seemed to speed up my dilation process. The next 3 hours were a snap compared to the previous 24. Heidi gave me the go to push, and after an hour of that, True was born. Healthy & beautiful. A blessing that seemed to good to be true. But, it wasn’t. It was all True.