Lactation: Educate & Support by Laura Maxson, LM If it’s August, we must be talking about breastfeeding/chestfeeding/providing babies with human milk. National Breastfeeding Awareness Month includes:Week 1: World Breastfeeding WeekEducate & SupportWeek 2: Indigenous Milk Medicine WeekStrengthening Our Traditions from Birth and BeyondWeek 3: Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander WeekEducate & SupportWeek 4: Black Breastfeeding WeekBBW 2022: 10 Years, A New FoundationOn Thursday, August 4, from 10 am-1 pm, families in Santa Cruz County can swing by the Watsonville Hospital parking lot for a drive-through World Breastfeeding Week event. People will learn about breastfeeding and the local support provided by event co-sponsors: Salud Para La Gente, Community Bridges…
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Healthy Lamaze
Six Healthy Birth Practices by Laura Maxson LM Parents looking to develop a birth plan can often feel a little bit lost, wondering where to start, and what do I want? Lamaze International’s Six Healthy Birth Practices is a great place to start. Lamaze has a rich history of supporting parents in childbirth since the 1960’s. The Lamaze website provides parents with vital information including the Giving Birth with Confidence blog, videos, and many articles about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices Let labor begin on its own. Walk, move around, and change positions throughout labor. Bring a loved one, friend, or doula for continuous support. Avoid interventions…
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Postpartum
Postpartum OCD? by Laura Maxson, LM The first months after birth are filled with many new and important baby-related tasks and broken sleep patterns – a stressful combination for most. Parenting can be overwhelming, and teary moments are common, but most parents and care providers are on the lookout for moods that swing too low or hang on for too long. Postpartum depression is on just about everyone’s radar nowadays.Santa Cruz County’s Perinatal Mental Health Coalition (PMHC) provides information and support to parents, and those who work with parents, around mental health and wellness in the childbearing years. Their website SpeakUpSantaCruz.org provides families and professionals with local information for referrals,…
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Heads Up?
Pandemic Parenting By Laura Maxson Babies, overwhelmingly, go head-down by their due date. Close to 75% are head-down (vertex) by 28 weeks. While some babies linger for a few more anxiety-filled weeks, only 3-4% refuse to turn head-down by 37 weeks. No one plans to have a breech (head-up) baby at term, but everyone should consider the possibility – just in case. There are several reasons a baby might not go head-down on schedule. The uterus might have an unusual shape, a large fibroid or scar tissue, or there might be a very short umbilical cord, unusual placental position, or an abnormal amount of amniotic fluid. Occasionally, a baby might…
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Pillows more than fluff
Pillows: More Than Fluff By Laura Maxson LM Pillows and relaxation go hand in hand; in fact, a pregnant couple arriving at their first childbirth class with pillows in hand is a classic image of pregnancy. Pillows can make the difference between a few hours of sleep, or tossing and turning all night. So, let’s see… turn on the left side, one pillow under the head, a small flat one under the belly, a nice fat one between the knees, and a firm one for the back – with any luck there’s even one left over for your bed partner. Many swear by a long snake-like body pillow instead of…
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Love Birth Matters
Love, the Best Drug of All By Laura Maxson LM Love – it’s something you want in big doses during labor. Feeling loved and being loving, both help release the hormone oxytocin – the fuel that runs the engine of labor. Pulsing into the bloodstream from the posterior pituitary gland, oxytocin goes directly into the brain, triggering the release of endorphins (nature’s opiates) as it also finds oxytocin receptors in the uterus, causing contractions. Oxytocin and endorphins go hand in hand in labor, resulting in a cycle of oxytocin release, answered by heightened endorphin levels. As labor progresses, the laboring person sinks further and further into their body, deepening their…
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Circle Family Center
The Circle Family Center Helping New Families Find Help by Laura Maxson, LM Many expectant parents look longingly at a prenatal yoga listing, an independent childbirth class, or parent/child art class and sigh with the realization that it is not within their budget. The Circle Family Center is trying to turn that sigh of resignation into a positive affirmation – “yes, you can!” Newly opened, the Circle is an idea that has been incubating for some time in the minds of Nora Yerena, Elisa HavensStokes, and Kim Guiley. As parents and birth workers, the cofounders of the Circle know firsthand about the support new families need and the difficulty in…
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Birth Happens
Birth Happens by Laura Maxson, LM Shared experiences help us understand our world. Local midwives have committed to sharing their combined wealth of knowledge and history around childbirth. “Our efforts are focused on highlighting midwifery and homebirth,” says midwife, Elizabeth Yznaga. She and Kate Bowland, both highly experienced certified nurse-midwives, are partners in the Birth Happens project. The influence of homebirth and midwifery changed obstetrics in the U.S. due in part to the courage of the women and families of the San Lorenzo Valley. They were pioneers in bringing birth back home, while reinventing childbirth education and attending births as midwives. Birth Happens puts a spotlight on local history with…
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Optimal Cord Clamping
Optimal Cord Clamping BY Laura Maxson, LM Mothers of animals born with intact cords are focused intently on their babies – sniffing, licking (kissing), and nuzzling – stimulating them to breathe and bond. Before birth the placenta does the baby’s breathing (gas exchange), so the lungs are resting and essentially bypassed by blood circulation. The lungs are made up of fluid-filled air sacs surrounded by tiny blood vessels that are tightly constricted due to lack of blood flow. After birth, as the baby begins to breathe, blood circulation changes dramatically and rushes to the lungs as these tiny vessels relax and swell with blood to begin working. This means that…
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Protecting Breastfeeding
Protecting Breastfeeding A Shared Responsibility By Laura Maxson, LM The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) joins with other organizations for 2021 World Breastfeeding Week: Protect Breastfeeding – A Shared Responsibility, August 1 – 7. Here in the USA, the entire month is dedicated to supporting breastfeeding. The remaining weeks have the following focuses: second week – Native Breastfeeding; third week – Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Breastfeeding week; and Black Breastfeeding week closes out the month. Locally, the first week of August would usually include a Health Fair and Breastfeeding Walk hosted by WIC and the Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition, but not this year, as…
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Doula
Aiming High – Or a New Normal? by Laura Maxson, LM The birth community is breathing a sigh of relief as pandemic restrictions begin to lift. Getting back to normal sounds pretty good after the past year and a half, but why stop at normal? Families will be better served with higher goals – so let’s aim beyond normal. Consider vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) in Santa Cruz County.(Note: families travel to our county because we have better VBAC options than others.) Studies show pregnancies following a cesarean should result in a vaginal birth about 70% of the time, with only 30% of attempted VBACs resulting in a repeat cesarean.…
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Who Holds the Power?
Who Holds the Power? Laura Maxson, LM It’s hard not to feel frustrated by the state of maternity care in the United States. We spend more than any other country on our health care, yet we have some of the worst outcomes for mothers and babies, with black and brown families bearing the brunt of maternal mortality and morbidity (childbirth-related death and illness). There are some glimmers of hope this year with the federal government’s response to Black Maternal Health week with some mandates in training and spending, but real change in our broken maternity system is going to take continued pressure on the powers that be. Much of that…
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Growth Spurt & Milk Supply
Growth Spurt? By Laura Maxson, LM Resolving an unexpected dip in an established milk supply includes recognizing frequency days, decreasing pacifier use, increasing nighttime nursing opportunities, and possibly temporary breast pump use to help build the supply.. Once breastfeeding is established, most parents breathe a big sigh of relief. Got this! Then one day, the baby is suddenly inconsolable and wants to nurse all day and all night, too. A quick check for anything obviously wrong most often finds no fever or symptoms other than a baby who wants to be at the breast constantly. Before hitting the panic button (is it colic, reflux?), it’s good to remember the supply…
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Speak Up
Speak Up! By Laura Maxson LM Many parents are facing more stress than ever with all that is going on in our world. Those who need help with postpartum depression or mood disorders are encouraged to speak up and get help. Want a peek into the complexities of life with a new baby? Just take a look at the greeting card aisle. You’ll see new baby cards that describe the birth of a child as a gift, a promise for the future, and nothing but snuggles, giggles, smiles and of course, love, love, and more love. Intermixed with the sweet new baby cards, however, are plenty with another message. These…
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Childbirth Classes
Families have let go of many activities as they shelter together in the safety of their homes during the COVID-19 outbreak. But one activity expectant parents - especially first-time parents - should not give up is attending a good childbirth class.
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Movie Night
Movie Night By Laura Maxson, LM People are sticking pretty close to home with the recent COVID-19 flareups in our community. Families know the drill by now. Everyone already has a plan in place to safely shop, order food to go, and function in our partially functioning society.One thing that is often missing in this partial lockdown is casual conversation among friends and the opportunity to make new acquaintances. For those currently pregnant, there is no more lingering in the midwife’s waiting room to finish a conversation with someone who has the same due date, comparing childbirth education classes, or setting up playdates for kids. Considering all the lost opportunities…
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You’re Already Ready
You’re Already Ready By Laura Maxson LM Most of the resources needed to cope with labor already exist within the pregnant body. Be open to the flexibility of whatever might work in the moment works best when surrounded by those who can help along this journey. Preparing for labor is often more about a mindset of trust than an elaborate plan. Simple can still be powerful. SoundIt is expected that labor will hurt. What might be unexpected is that by giving into the process, the pain can become a song in the body and the voice becomes a powerful instrument, taking the intensity of labor and channeling it down deep…
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Black Babies’ Live Matter
Black Babies’ Lives Matter by Laura Maxson, LM The American Journal of Public Health published “Black Lives Matter: Claiming a Space for Evidence-Based Outrage in Obstetrics and Gynecology” in October 2016. This article points out that continuing to document poor outcomes for Black patients and accepting it as a given is not progress. The authors conclude, “Race is a social construct and the overwhelming statistics we present are attributable to a broken racist system, not a broken group of women.” This is a message that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) need to hear loud and clear; because the message they’ve been told is that they are indeed broken;…
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Breastfeeding Month
Breastfeeding Month By Laura Maxson, LM August is here and, like the rest of the year, nothing is business as usual. Normally, Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) would be inviting everyone to their annual Breastfeeding Walk and Health Fair, but that is not happening this year due to COVID19.Although families will not gather together in the park to celebrate this year, they will be able to participate in virtual activities all month long during National Breastfeeding Month. Locally, families can connect with the Breastfeeding Coalition and their member organizations on Facebook to learn more about the benefits of human milk and local/virtual events. (facebook.com/SCCBFC)…
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Keeping Cool
Keeping Your Cool BY Laura Maxson, LM While summer may not be the most comfortable season to be pregnant, Santa Cruz with its many microclimates is a great place to be for the summer. Damp and foggy mornings provide a welcome break to hot afternoons. A walk on West Cliff in the early evening can provide exercise, a beautiful view and most often a cooling ocean breeze. A quick drive up to Felton, Boulder Creek, or the Aptos hills will find shady redwoods and babbling creeks. To beat the heat, dress for comfort from top to bottom. A sundress, airy and lightweight (and no waistband), is perfect for a heat…
