When I first met Dr. P, we immediately hit it off. Her zest for life and her passion to keep people healthy, free of meds and thriving is a view we both share very strongly. Our dedication to the natural process and overall health of individuals connected us. We are not opposed to medical intervention, but we prefer to do everything we can in our power to help keep those in our circles thriving naturally, focusing on “WHAT THEY CAN CONTROL.” Sometimes, medical intervention is necessary to resolve a number of issues life brings our way. And, we can’t always solve every health issue with good nutrition, exercise, chiropractic care, etc., but a vast number of health issues could be avoided if we put more emphasis on preventative care instead of the after effects of always treating symptoms instead of the cause itself. More particularly with pregnancy, labor and birth, focusing on the overall health of mom and baby, keeping them healthy and low risk, equals way more choices in regards to your birth plan and also helps with avoidance of unnecessary medical interventions.
Most women can handle a labor contraction of the uterus, but what goes on between their ears: self doubt, worry, anxiety, etc., it has the ability to make or break your target birth experience. Now don’t get me wrong, we all want the contractions to stop before the baby emerges, but it helps to know what to expect during labor and to have practiced good positioning to ease labor pain, to know the self doubt - surrendering phase is supposed to happen to allow the baby to be born. Knowing these things can help remove FEAR. FEAR has no place in progressing labor. FEAR causes tension, which also causes more pain on top of the contraction. FEAR causes chest breathing aka panic breathing, which again causes more pain. These are things a woman HAS control over when much of labor we do not. However, if couples are not educated in the birth process and go into this blindly... well, you can see real quick how when women cannot bring themself to a level of relaxation in which the body can do its work, many end up purchasing their “relaxation to progress labor” in the form of an epidural and Pitocin to speed the labor back up after epidural slows it down. Birth Education and specifically (knowing how to RELAX during contractions) is the key to staying calm and also your best chance of avoiding unnecessary pain in addition to the uterine contractions. It is important to keep your body in a healthy state and remain low risk. This ensures you have even more birthing options in a hospital setting.
I asked Emily the following questions for our readers to be better prepared for the growing family:
Can you share how you would rate or compare / weigh differences between your first pregnancy, labor & push phase to second?
- 1st labor & birth:
It was extremely different as with 1
I really didn’t know I was in full on labor since, I had in my mind I wouldn’t be having a baby till the next day (thought I was being induced) and my push phase wasn’t exactly what I wanted as far as pushing position and a little more challenging.
- 2nd labor & birth: early labor was much longer than I expected, but active labor went quickly and push phase was good. I felt like I had control over something finally!
What has been the most exciting part of your second time journey and what has been you greatest challenges?
- Seeing my first daughter get to be a big sister and growing and adapting to the changes. Going back to work with two and trying to get two to take a nap has been rough!
Any tips for couples having baby #2 in terms of managing childcare, breastfeeding, household and your work/ business?
-Remember, if things don’t get done well it is fine. Let the house fall apart for a few days, no one has ever died from a dirty house.
What postpartum tips do you feel were most helpful and why?
-This pp recovery has been pretty good. I’ve loved my high waisted compression leggings/yoga pants to help me not feel like I’m falling apart the first few weeks (although they are much harder to get off while holding a baby to pee). I had After Ease tincture for cramping, but didn’t really need it, only used it a couple times, and a postpartum baby blues tincture that I thankfully never needed to open. I wish I had had it the first time though. I see now how rough I had it the first 4+ months with my first daughter.
Any tips for moms managing growing households?
-It’s been a ride and just hold on for it. Enjoy it! It’s quick, but don’t be too hard on yourself when you lose it. Give yourself a time out away from the babies and collect yourself, they will survive even if everyone is crying.
What was your most magical moments from baby #2? -Getting to hold her as soon as she came out and to just cuddle her for so long before we had to do anything else. She is such a sweet cuddly girl, I can’t get enough of her.
Dad Cory, how do you feel your comfort level with labor and birth experienced with baby #2 was different from labor and birth with your first baby.
-It was good, because knowing you are having a healthy baby makes a BIG difference! (First one was a little scary because we learned our daughter had a heart defect early on).
In closing, remember to seek out a local Webster certified chiropractor to ensure your pelvis is in optimal alignment for baby's exit. And, don't forget infants can benefit from chiropractic care, as well. Baby's are used to standing on their heads, not being upright. Labor and birth are hard on them too. Sometimes after a great adjustment, we find infants are much nicer and sleep better, too!
Dr. P and I, challenge you to give chiropractic care a try and don't be afraid to try non-medical ways to relieve discomfort during childbirth, like doula assistance during labor, for example. We capture priceless moments along the way and help guide you along your path into parenthood. You can never go wrong with other self care and preventative efforts like miles circuit or spinning babies exercises to help realign baby. Just remember, before reverting to medical intervention, try less invasive remedies. Save external version for a breech baby as a last ditch effort to avoid surgery. Try the above and try a Webster Certified chiropractor. It has a much higher success rate than external version and way less invasive- worth your time regardless! Take a self care break moms- you deserve it!