What did you do on resurrection Sunday? For many, the spring season is often symbolized with an Easter Lily, but this year, we were blessed to witness the natural childbirth of beautiful, Miss Alivia Rose. Labor began early, no doubt helped along by the full moon Saturday, March 31st, 2018 and Easter was right around the corner. Her basket would be full but not with eggs! Fortunately, there was plenty of family in town to oversee their son while she worked. A few days earlier, Trece had shared she was not happy about the thought of labor during the full moon, because they had a huge Easter dinner planned with extended family coming over. I replied, "well guess what, that is exactly when you should expect a baby then because they love to be unpredictable and crash plans!" And, so... she did! The Easter celebration was delayed. It began shortly after birth, in a different location and worse, everyone arrived hungry, because the cooks were at the hospital...lol. Now, don't get me wrong, we don't get to just make a wish, blow out the candles, birth a baby and someone begin singing Happy "BIRTH" day. No, first WE WORK! Make no mistake about it. It is called a Labor Marathon for a reason. There is, nor will there ever be, a "PAIN-FREE" labor and birth. You see this is where many go wrong. Their perspective is off. They think if they just skip labor and have a c-section or insist on their epidural as soon as possible they can avoid the pain all together. FALSE! They haven't considered all sides. At some point, mom will be uncomfortable, in pain, etc. either before meds, after meds (as many don't get the relief they were seeking or worse it doesn't work at all or stops working), after surgery for six long weeks, or simply DURING LABOR. Now, also one must consider wisely the use of long term pain management, also leads to many other interventions, such as, use of pitocin, restricted position, constant external fetal monitoring, internal monitor, increased likelihood of surgery, routine antibiotics, catheter, etc. etc... With preparation, training, education, skills for mom and dad, doula support, etc. you have a choice of which way to do business, but make no mistake at some point you WILL experience unpleasantries. Reality bites, don't shoot the messenger, but let's keep it REAL! The reality remains, "WHEN WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPERIENCE YOUR PAIN?" It's a woman's right to choose and still many women choose to labor, "YES, IT'S THEIR CHOICE TO LABOR & BIRTH NATURALLY." Birth itself, hasn't changed in thousands of years. However, what you experience, what you get billed for certainly seems to compound every year and yet, many women refer to their medicated hospital birth after all these amazing interventions (which are supposed to "SPARE THEM PAIN AND SUFFERING") in one simple sad word: "TRAUMATIZING!" Allow me to explain why and how Trece, rocked her contractions, one at a time, with the help of her supportive husband coach, her mother, her amazing natural birth supportive nurse, Tasha and her Your Birth Helper doula team. Let the Contractions Commence! The reason why most women will go into labor in the wee hours of the night is they finally get into a relaxed state. The body desires relaxation to progress. All of nature finds a way to get comfy, pull away from all the other animals, have a quiet, dark environment and work unencumbered. (For some reason, at CMC NE, there was no such thing as a dark room for mom to work, because the huge window did not have shades you could pull to block out the sunshine). Someone, didn't think that through. All of nature desires a dark quiet place. We will give them credit for the pretty fountain out front. We found a little less light to work in the bathroom. At least, you could shut the door and turn the bathroom light off. However, there were NO tubs, only a shower. Girls, make sure when you do your birth place tour, if such things are important to you, ask and not just if they have any, but how many rooms have this option. Some locations will have a few tubs, some all rooms have tub/shower combo available. Look for hand rails in hallway. Use the location amenities to stay out of bed as much as possible. Keep hip flexors nice and loose and use the water to totally relax and ease pain. Sadly, for many, depending on where (chosen birth place) and with whom (what practice or birth professional) they decide to hire, this can be quite a challenge. There is nothing worse that being led to believe during pregnancy your birth professionals will support your birth plan, only to find on the day of labor, this is far from the truth, as Trece and Wesley realized only a few hours after admitting. Their female OBGYN did not understand why anyone would care how they get the baby out. In fact, when she tried to tell dad that his wife could I quote, "Have an epidural and probably have a baby just shortly after and besides we all get to the same place so, who cares how we get there?" Even worse, she proceeded to tell dad, "Her baby is most likely posterior and you know what happens to OP babies, they get cut out because they can't do a back flip into the birth canal!" Let the personal opinions and BULLYING BEGIN... it is not very attractive to see any doctor choose to demand their own way, but particularly disturbing for a female OBGYN. A woman who has the same body parts, who has been a laboring woman herself and of all people should understand how crushing her words and disturbing negative attitude could be. Thankfully, for Trece, this conversation took place outside. Dad did his job, protected mom and asked the doctor to NOT SAY THE INTERNAL RESULTS OUT LOUD. Trece was smart and didn't want to focus on just a number. Lots of things have to happen to get a baby out besides just dilation. Now, is it possible a baby could get stuck, yes. More common with an OP presentation, but is it likely, no. We BIRTH POSTERIOR BABIES ALL THE TIME, not only out the vagina, but also DRUG FREE! Ironically, Trece was not even having back labor contractions. Note: a good doctor or midwife can put their hands on the outside of moms abdomen (without an ultrasound) and tell you what position the baby is most likely in. No, this doctor was simply aggravated that Trece wanted to try to labor and birth drug free, because "SHE DIDN'T GET IT!" Well guess what, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET IT, TO SUPPORT YOUR CLIENT AND ENCOURAGE HER IN HER GOALS." It's called kindness and patience and compassion. Birth professionals, even if you don't get it, YOU ARE GETTING PAID! We are going to do this, with or without your help and encouragement. We helped the couple prepare and we are skillfully executing her plans. If we do it with you, the client will be singing your praises after the baby is born and if we do it without you... well, we will be saying it was disappointing or maybe you had a bad day, were sleepy, tired, lost your basic manners, didn't want to be at work, etc.. My mom taught me manners can go a long way. And, I am a firm believer, manners will often get you further in life than any higher education. Look at the bright side, it doesn't create any more work for a doctor or nurse. In fact, it's less work, we didn't ask her to do anything before push phase, just let us work without unnecessary interventions. Work, work through each contraction, minus the doctor's support, is exactly what we continued to do. Trece and Wes did agree to the amniotomy, because it was clear their doctor would keep pushing for pitocin, if we did not compromise and agree to some sort of intervention, (despite no medical reason at that time to augment labor). Her OBGYN even referred to her marathon as a long labor... I was in shock, she hadn't even been in active labor five to six hours at this point. Hmmm, ACOG doesn't even consider a woman in active labor until 6cm dilated, so, was this statement possibly being based off of Trece being 5cm dilated for several weeks prior to active labor. Well, ladies, had Trece not had an internal exam prior to real labor beginning, would six hours constitute a long labor? If so, how many of you ladies would take that so called long labor any day of the week? LOL, most of us labor for days to birth a baby vaginally. #SymbioticBirth is a movement created by Your Birth Helper to be the liaison between medically necessary interventions and the natural process. There is no reason the two can't work well together. Not every woman desires pain management and that should be acceptable to. After all, if we respect a woman's right to utilize pain management options in the first place, birth professionals should also respect, support and encourage a woman's right to go drug free, as nature intended and all of nature still birth to this day! We want to bless the doctors and nurses and we attend to not only assist our clients with their wishes, we help the nurse, we stay proactive keeping couples active/moving, using positioning to progress labor and we have a strong desire to help couples positively communicate with their birth team. The goal for us is to encourage couples to work WITH THE MEDICAL STAFF not against them. Further to ask the right questions, create an atmosphere of cooperation and guide couples in asking the questions to fully acquire informed consent and take full responsibility for their decision making. Doctors in particular, and nursing staff, should appreciate this! However, everyone should remember, to fully accept responsibility, they need to know what they are agreeing to, why, and what their other options are when medical issues/ complications present. Jumping Hurdles: The doctor was very frank the water needed to be broken or pitocin needed to commence, because she was not progressing. Now, understand this is a valid concern when women show up to the hospital too soon vs. too late. If you are on their watch, you have a repeat internal exam and your cervix has not increased in dilation, this is what you set yourself up for. There is more to progressing than just dilation alone. In fact, we now educate women this way, in the natural realm of doing business, "We don't care what your cervix says. The cervix will do whatever it wants when it wants." But, sadly when on their watch "failure to progress" is almost always based on an unchanging cervix that has "failed to dilate"... If this is called a doctor, who supports Mom's birth plan, then I'd hate to meet the doctor that doesn't! We worked alone with the help of a their LDR nurse, Tasha who helped put positive energy back into the room when the OBGYN left behind her negativity. I am afraid some doctors forget, expectant parents are PAYING THEM for a service. Expectant mothers are NOT SICK or DYING, waiting for you to SAVE THEM, they just want you to catch their baby, do some perineal massage and help protect their bottom. And, when MOM is OKAY and BABY is OKAY, what is the problem? Why under normal circumstances can't you bring yourself to just support moms choices and perform the service she is paying you to do with a smile? We don't get re-do's. We have one shot at our baby's birth. Its a one day event, never to be repeated how it goes down matters! You see, YourBirthHelper has come to realize over the years, there is way more to it than someone speaking the words, "Of course, we will support your birth plan." In fact, let me play devils advocate for a moment. In the average doctor's defense, they know several things: Few will prepare adequately to achieve their own birth plan, first of all. Second of all, it is hard for doctors to keep a straight face or not out-loud eye roll, when moms say my plan is to have a natural birth, because 9 out of 10 women will ask or beg for their epidural at some point. Sad statistics, but fairly accurate I am afraid. So, we get why some doctors are not buying into moms birth plan in advance, but these same doctors need to know some women WILL WORK HARD IN ADVANCE OF LABOR, some women WILL TAKE QUALITY CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION, some women WILL TRAIN THEIR BODIES TO GIVE BIRTH, some women WILL HAVE A TRAINED COACH and some women WILL HIRE A DOULA WHO KNOWS HOW TO HELP THEM THROUGH OBSTACLES to birth EPIDURAL FREE! That choice for the select smart few is to prepare for their baby for 9 months. To stay healthy, to stay low risk, to build stamina, to learn how to work with their body during labor instead of working against it. It is not just words on a piece of paper sprinkled with fairy dust. We not only cross our fingers we uncross our legs. We practice productive positions, we teach the best ways to push a baby out. And, the smart ones like Trece and Wes, see the benefits of that process long before their labor begins. We understand why doctors feel this way, but we would ask politely please don't stereotype all of us into that category of "wait till 7cm she will be begging for her epidural!" In fact, the vast majority of YourBirthHelper students/ clients NEVER ASK for an EPIDURAL, nor do most desire one. They do, however, understand why they should not be opposed to medical interventions that could potentially keep them on track to reach their goals. There can be some obstacles we call, "variations of normal" and sometimes "complications" present. If so, no panic, we tackle one at a time. Sometimes, like Trece they do call upon a higher power to help them and well... thats perfectly alright with us! I had Trece supported in a squat and asked her, "Would you like us to pray over your labor and birth?" The next thing I know, she is in full blown worship and Trece herself proceeds to say a beautiful prayer for safety and favor. It was very moving indeed. Trece and her husband attended training with Your Birth Helper and came to understand how the natural process works and they learned to allow their uterus to work without interfering. They listen to instructions and they applied what they learned to experience THEIR BIRTH - THEIR WAY! We just helped navigate them through accomplishing their birthing goals. Mom was a complete rockstar while facing a typical first time labor despite being pregnant for the second time (since baby number one was born at 31 weeks of gestation the first time around). So, technically this was her first full term baby. She worked very hard to maintain her daily good nutrition, stay out of her head, increase her confidence level, make good decisions, maintain her health and stay fit for labor. She not only demonstrated during hard labor the perfect example of "how to use Relaxation as a means to progress labor" and how the support of her Husband Coach, Mother and YourBirthHelper Doula services complimented her My BIRTH ~ My WAY wishes! Mom learned, as a paying consumer, she had options in birthing, and after birth, she gets the bill. Why is it when it comes to medical services, people forget they are paying for a service? Trece did not desire a medicated labor or birth. Her main goal (quite the opposite of today's U.S. norm), an unmedicated, low intervention hospital birth. Her plan was to train her body to "GIVE BIRTH" and use proven relaxation techniques and positions that progress labor naturally to avoid having her baby "DELIVERED from her". When properly applied and executed, such specific training allows women the opportunity to naturally progress labor. Sounds crazy to many, but contrary to preparing and training your body for birth, many simply buy their relaxation in the form of an epidural, coupled by artificial means to augment labor, such as pitocin along with multiple other interventions that either happen simultaneously or as a pre-req to the epidural such as heparin lock/ IV, 2 bags of fluid, constant fetal monitoring and maybe worse possible fetal distress, possibly catheter, stirrups, vacuum extractor and more risk of tearing during to lack of mobility for mom. Not Trece! Not this time! She was focusing on one contraction at a time. Relaxing the right muscles, allowing the uterus to work its magic. The second time around, this smart couple signed up for one of Your Birth Helper birthing workshops to help them prepare for the marathon that they were going to be facing this time around. Trece connected with the local #BirthFamily to empower herself to make decisions, plan and prepare for her baby's birth and she did it! Boy did it pay off big! Think drug free~ low intervention BIRTH doesn't exist anymore, better think again! Let us help you plan for your happy "BIRTH" day! With the help of the YourBirthHelper.com team, like Wes and Trece you will realize... Congrats to the new family and welcome to the best darn birth family in Charlotte little Miss Alivia Rose!!!!!! Trece and Wesley it was an absolute pleasure to help you not only PLAN your happy "birth" day, but also execute it brilliantly! #OneProudDoula #OneProudChildbirthEducator #NotJustADoula #NotJustAChildbirthClass #BirthFamily #CharlotteBirthFamily #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam #Doula #DoulaLife #DoulaApprentice #naturalbirth #drugfreebirth #hospitalbirth #YourBirthHelperWorkshop #EasterBaby #DoulaApprentice #naturalbirth #DoulaAssistedBirth #hospitalbirth #SymbioticBirth #CharlotteBirthFamily #Charlotte #YourBirthHelpercom #YourBirthHelper

The universe has away of often finding the uterus in the wee hours of the morning and kicking things into high gear just as soon as the expectant mom lies down, falls off to sleep and gets relaxed. Sadly, for most women who don’t go to bed after the Andy Griffith show, this means they have had only a few hours of rest before labor commences. As in the birth story of Lora and Ty Robbins of Charlotte. Lora's first labor was extremely long and intense. A day's worth of hard contractions and sadly she was nothing dilated. In fact, her cervix was still posterior, meaning her doctor couldn't even reach it. Much more labor had to be done to reach 10cm and the best two things they did the first time was not allow Lora to hear the results from that initial triage exam (she said later had she had known she was nothing dilated she surely would've yelled for that epidural) but instead because she was put back in the car by her husband to return home to work and labor longer in moms relaxing environment Lora knew simply she was not yet 6cm dilated. She achieved her completely drug free natural birth, because they were educated, trained twelve weeks in The Bradley Method®, dad did his coaching job and they hired YourBirthHelper for doula support. We had talked in advance and everyone agreed if anyone deserved a shorter labor experience the second time around, IT WAS LORA! Lora’s due date was the day after St. Patty’s and no she did not get lucky enough to go into labor that day. However, the next day, she did get lucky enough to attend a Labor Workshop with YourBirthHelper and the #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam it was a beautiful day full of sunshine and labor positioning. On Wednesday, March 21st @ 1:05am Lora text: Hey Pam! Wanted to give you a heads up that I had mucous show bf bed and have started having contractions. Right now around every 6 min but only lasting 30-45 seconds. Haven't woke up Ty yet but wanted to give you a heads up in case I continue to progress. Lora had intentions of utilizing the spa like setting at her birth center Baby & Co Charlotte, but little did we both know the universe had way different plans in store. I packed my car and prepared to depart for Charlotte. Minutes later Lora shared, I can walk through them. Went to restroom and more brown mucus. Will try and get some more rest and see how it goes. Will keep you updated but don't want to make you come too early. I didn’t wait for Lora to ask me to head out (I listened to my gut and shortly after was on the road from GA). Several hours of driving had passed, around 4:15am Ty was texting me with updates and I was offering some position / technique suggestions, etc.. Fortunately, I was within 35 miles of them when Ty called to give me an update. He shared he had called Baby & Co. to give them a heads up that they were getting ready to head over after Lora's shower. Lora's contractions had picked up when she was enjoying the water. I replied, "Ty, I remember her being in the shower last time and my saying, unless you plan to have a baby at home we probably should go now." Ty laughed and said, "yup I remember that". What I didn't know at the time was Lora had went from the shower to the toilet, then found herself in transition, although she didn't initially realize it. Up until that point, she had been able to use her relaxation to work through each contraction. I asked Ty "awesome should I meet you at the bith center then?" About that time, I heard Lora in the background cry out for Ty. He said, "Pam hold on..." and put me on speaker phone. I heard some moaning and Ty calls out, "Pam the baby is coming!" I advised Ty, I was going to hang up, dial 911 and have medics in route to them. I instructed Ty to make sure front door was unlocked so they could get in. 5:08am Gaston 911 how may I assist you? Me: There is a baby being born at home and I need you to send medics to a Charlotte address. 911 Operator: This is Gaston County. Me: I know, I am currently on I-85 driving 75mph to get to that same Charlotte address. 911 Operator: Are you their midwife? Me: No, I am their Doula, this is an unexpected birth at home, they were supposed to be at the birth center. They clearly are NOT going to make it. 911 Operator: Hold please stay on the line while I transfer you to Charlotte. Charlotte 911 how may I assist you? Me: There is a baby being born as I speak and I need you to send medics to a Charlotte address. 911 Operator: What is the address? Me: The address is... 911 Operator: Please make sure they have the door unlocked. Me: Already have. 911 Operator: Are you their midwife? Me: No, I am their Doula, this is an unexpected birth at home, they were supposed to be at the birth center. I am 20 minutes out. 911 Operator: Ok medics have been dispatched. Me: Thank you very much. I immediately phoned Ty back, he answered and I spoke clearly yet loud enough over the moaning to calm down Lora. I said, "Lora zip those lips, no need to panic, nothing changes just because baby is born at home. We still do the same job, get ready to push, pull your legs back..." Ty said, "Pam, Lora is on hands and knees." I replied, "Great! Now, nothing out your mouth, bear down out your bottom. Ty, get ready to catch your baby." First push, head was born. Ty yelled, "Push Lora!" But, Lora told Ty she was in between contractions and wanted to wait for the next one. With only the second push, Ty caught his baby girl. "Baby is Out", Ty expressed with great excitement! I responded, "Put baby face down on mom's chest." I heard Ty say, "Lora turn over so I can put the baby on your chest." I inquired if any bleeding and Ty said, "No, Mom and baby are good." I reminded him to make sure front door was open. Allison, (my Doula Apprentice and also a friend/ neighbor of theirs, who lives right down the street) was on her way and should also be there any minute. 5:10am Called Allison and had her go immediately to the home of Lora & Ty. She arrived at 5:20am. I instructed Allison upon arrival to just help everyone stay calm and to keep first responders from trying to whisk her off in an ambulance (if no medical concerns existed for either her or baby) and have medics monitor any bleeding. Allison rocked that task! We estimated the baby's birth around 5:06/ 5:07am, a Beautiful Baby Girl, who daddy helped birth on the floor of their bedroom just shy of the bed when the uterus commanded mom into hands and knees. 5:40am I arrived at the residence to find a pretty red fire truck out front, an ambulance parked along the curb, a yellow gurney in front of the porch steps, with the front door wide open. Its still amazing Big Brother slept through all of this excitement. The firefighters were leaving when I entered the home. I walked up the staircase and into the bedroom to find Lora nursing baby. Dad, Allison, the nanny and two medics were standing quietly in the bedroom around the bedside. The lights were dimmed, there was ambience, relaxation and much peace that filled the room. This made me very proud, because it could have turned into a very chaotic experience real quickly had panic and fear crept in! It was quite uneventful considering baby came so quickly being born just shy of the bathroom and just shy of their bed. Kudos to Lora for remembering, Pam says "No toilet babies" and when that thought popped into Lora's head, she said she immediately got off the toilet and Ty attempted to get her to the bed when suddenly the baby decided she was coming. Mom dropped down into a hands & knees birthing position on her bedroom floor. One of the paramedics said to me upon arrival, "Great your midwife is here, we will be going. You're the midwife right? We can go now?" I said, "No, I am not her midwife, I am her Doula. I do not practice medicine. I'm a normality expert". A few minutes after arriving, Lora became very uncomfortable. I inquired had the placenta been born. Allison advised it had not. Lora said, "Pam I'm hurting." I shared it was probably the placenta creating pressure ready to be born. In my head, I'm thinking hey first responders, you can't really assess the bleeding until the completion of third stage labor. You need to stick around to check her bleeding, that was kind of the whole reason in having them dispatched to the home. The paramedic offered me a pair of sterile gloves. I looked at Lora and asked, "Would you like me to help you with your placenta?" She said, "Yes." The cord was already white with a silver tint. I grabbed hold of the umbilical cord, asked Lora to bear down a little and gently guided the placenta out of her body. The kind paramedics offered me a clear plastic bag to place the afterbirth in and they had previously clamped the baby's cord. We will give them credit for that! Our own Maggie G was picking up her placenta to encapsulate. The placenta was placed in a cooler on ice. If you are not familiar with this process check it out. Many women find it helps them through the postpartum time and eases the baby blues by helping regulate hormones in mom's body. Interestingly, it is said in some third world countries, if mom is bleeding too much, by placing a small piece of the placenta in the cheek of mom, the bleeding will immediately cease. Although, I have no personal knowledge of this to attest one way or another (and sadly there is little research in preventative health in this arena) however, it does make sense to many birth professionals simply because the placenta is full of natural hormones. Most of us do not like the sound of that, however, in a hospital setting, most will be routinely administered synthetic oxytocin (if you consent), either through IV or injected into thigh, regardless if medically necessary or not, unless you request otherwise. Commonly known as pitocin. The irony is, we have no way to know in advance who may lose too much blood or hemorrhage. The most common postpartum practice in the states regarding consumption of the afterbirth is a process of dehydrating the placenta into powder form and its placed within gel caps and mom consumes like a vitamin daily or in tincture form (which can also be saved/stored for menopausal years). Its a scientifically known practice called placentophagy. It is not overly common in the states, but allow me to point out, all of nature consumes the afterbirth. In fact, we may just be the only mammals who instinctively do not. In the states, few are even educated on the multitude of benefits of delayed cord clamping for baby (cord stop pulsating before clamping to ensure blood transfer to baby is complete). Sadly, most uneducated couples think the only task with the afterbirth is simply, who is cutting the cord? Do your research moms & dads. Invest in your birth long before the labor begins. Your childbirth training and your level of education in this process matters. Just like knowing the do's & don't's of Emergency Childbirth. You just never know when you may have to use that knowledge... right Ty? To prepare for this amazing birth, an UnexpectedHomeBirth, Dad and Mom trained formerly in The Bradley Method ® prior to their first natural birth. They learned about daily prep including The Brewer Nutritional plan, pregnancy exercises to tone and condition specific muscle groups and regular exercise daily for overall stamina to weather how ever many hours of labor mom shall endure and still have energy to push a baby out. The course is twelve weeks in length and for a twenty-four hour investment of time, couples find the training to be invaluable to gain the necessary skills to avoid unnecessary pain during the labor and birth process. Lora had a very long and challenging labor with baby #1 and sadly even after a day of labor arrived at her birthplace "Nothing Dilated" they could not even reach her cervix because it was still posterior. She shares very honestly, had she and her husband not been educated on first the four things vaginal exams measure, had an understanding of how to utilize the information to create progress and to NOT ALLOW the Doctor to SHARE the RESULTS ALOUD in the room, she surely would have thrown in the towel that moment and said forget it, give me the epidural. Instead, Dad stepped in the hallway with the doctor for the results and the decision was made to return home to labor in her relaxing environment. Those two very good decisions were ultimately her success with baby #1 aka Parker's drug free natural birth​. Sadly, for many couples a twelve week class and 12 weeks of baby sitting (for repeat classes) just doesn't always line up with busy schedules. Although, I do agree with Dr. Robert A. Bradley that Couples Should Prepare For Each Child Exactly As They Did For The First. It's what I call Mom & Dad's selfish time for this Baby. A traditional class once a week can help couples set aside time away from the other children to reconnect. You can never go wrong with that plan. However, work and life don't always allow. In those scenarios, YourBirthHelper.com offers 2-3 hour Workshops from basic childbirth education, to Labor Role Play, etc. and even customize workshops in both private and group settings. Preparation is key to the success of any happy BIRTH" day and having a plan B for possible "What If" scenarios is never a bad idea either. Lastly, I propose this question, what constitutes the definition of an Emergency Childbirth? I believe quite contrary to the common referral of an unexpected birth at home as an Emergency Childbirth. I pose this question often in childbirth class and ask the students to explain to me first their definition of an emergency. As you can imagine, I receive lots of various synonyms: danger, accident, crisis, but I challenge my students to consider why do most people go to an emergency room? The most common answer is potential loss of life. Then I share, Consider this... most of you are very healthy people. So, if we have a baby in an unplanned location such as home or in the car, does just "bringing forth life naturally" as a healthy person with a healthy baby constitute an emergency? Inevitably, they all answer NO. Birth is about bringing LIFE into the world. Now don't get me wrong, birth will never be free of inherent risks even for a healthy person in the best of care, however, the likelihood of there being a real emergency, just because a baby decided to be born in an unforeseen location, is not that great. It can still be a very normal natural act in which mom and baby are just fine. No doubt, in this situation, most would still go get checked out. Thankfully, The Robbins family, found themselves having an uneventful quick birth, in which mom did her job, dad did his and everyone was filled with JOY, just as if she had been present at her birth center. Sadly, she just didn't get to enjoy the amenities of the birth center spa like atmosphere. Instead, she enjoyed the calming water in her own shower and following birth the relaxation of her own bed and with the help of their nanny, my Doula Apprentice Allison (also a friend of theirs) who rushed over to assist, a couple of Charlotte-Meck firefighters who checked in and lit up the street with colorful birthday lights and two kind paramedics who also did the same. What excitement! Not panic, not chaos, not danger, just a natural birth in an unplanned location as it has been done for thousands of years, except it wasn't just Husband Coached Childbirth this time, it was also Daddy Helped Born Me!! Super proud of this amazing power couple and so happy to have assisted them with birth education and Doula services for both of their babies! Love my #BirthFamily #CharlotteBirthFamily #HusbandCoached #DaddyHelpedBornMe #SymbioticBirth #UnplannedHomeBirth #HomeBirth #CharlotteBabyCo Kudos on a job well done! Consider wisely Doula support even if utilizing an out of hospital center, maybe just as important as having an advocate within a hospital. At least, that's what Ty and Lora would tell you! Help me welcome to the World Baby Madalyne Marie 8.4lbs no doubt you are LOVED! Congrats to big brother Parker also! #DoulaApprentice #Doula #DoulaAssistedBirth #homebirth #UnplannedHomeBirth #SymbioticBirth #naturalbirth #CharlotteBirthFamily #Charlotte

Birth/ b∂rTH/ the emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being. Rec• la• ma• tion: the process of claiming something back or of reasserting a right. First, isn't it sad that a female would feel as if she had to reclaim her birth experience. Wouldn't it be a much more peaceful process if women could be supported during the labor and birth process to birth normally (as in the way nature intended- left alone and free from unnecessary medical interventions that do not directly apply to them), naturally (as in they way our ancestors birthed, completely DRUG FREE, if desired)? This is why #SymbioticBirth was created... to bring the best of normality in birthing with ONLY medically necessary interventions. There is no reason why the two can't go hand and hand, after all educated couples are not against medical procedures when they are actually needed, they are simply against unnecessary interventions being applied on the masses just because (one example) quote "everyone has an IV to have a baby"...FALSE. Healthy MOMS who are properly hydrated have no emergent medical reason for an IV, medical staff, however, will very often give the speech "In the event of an emergency..." Here is the irony, in the event of an emergency most every couple will gladly reexamine their wishes and welcome informed consent. Here is where most have the biggest issue, when a perfectly healthy mom walks into her birth place (typically a hospital) and she is greeted with a doctor who introduces himself/herself and follows immediately with "You know sometimes some women have to have c-sections. I'm sorry ~ what?... is my personal response in my mind. When I hear this and trust me, I have witnessed this exact scenario play out multiple times, I turn and say, "WE ARE GONNA PUSH THIS BABY OUT THANKS!" And, PUSH SHE DID THE FIRST TIME AND THE SECOND TIME.. Hence the second time around, the word, RECLAMATION for Sarah & Jorge Neri. The JOY and excitement of their first birth so quickly sucked from the room by an Obstetrician who could have said anything but Hi my name is Dr so & so and sometimes women have to have c-sections! I think, WHY? What would possess a medical professional to say such to a healthy mom who is managing her labor just fine, baby is head down, she has NO medical reasons which would warrant possible medical intervention, surgery, etc., is he just having a bad day, does he just want to make more money, what? Luckily, for the couple they had trained twelve weeks for natural birth. They had practical skills to carry them despite the lack of support of their paid birth professionals. They also chose to hire a DOULA to help advocate since they knew the hospital they were birthing had a reputation of not supporting couples wishes for their birth. They had a natural birth the first time despite all the negativity and lack of support, but you see the happiness in anticipation of their "birth" was sucked away and everyone was on edge after. It just didn't feel right. Dad felt like he had to keep MOM from being bullied into intervention she did not want nor need and often the staff out loud eye rolled the couple for choosing to labor free of unnecessary interventions. WHY? If anything these couples are lightening the often heavy load of nurses, these couples rock their labors independently and have a basis of understanding so, it seems nurses would be tickled to be assigned to a natural birth couple, but typically the opposite is true sadly. WHAT DID THIS POWER COUPLE DO DIFFERENT WITH BABY & LABOR #2... 1) They chose an out of hospital center that supports not only natural low intervention births, but also a COUPLES RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR BIRTH ~ THEIR WAY. 2) They chose to hire a DOULA (even though they reviewed labor and birth skills with YourBirthHelper.com labor role play workshops). 3) They chose to manage a great deal of their labor at home in moms comfy relaxing space. 4) They arrived at their birth place ready to push a baby out... (maybe a little later than Sarah would've liked), but no doubt Jorge wasn't taking any chances this time of someone stealing their JOY. 5) They chose to have a SURPRISE GENDER to add even more "HAPPY" to their second "BIRTH" day! I personally could not have been happier myself. Not only did they take the information they learned and apply it extremely well, they #NAILEDIT ~ BIRTH that is! I literally drove 3 hours up from Georgia to support their labor, alongside my #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam. Allison and I awaited the arrival of the couple at the front door of Baby & Co Charlotte. Approximately, five minutes later Jorge pulled the car up to the front door. Sarah was no doubt completely engulfed in her labor contractions. She was most definitely transitioning in the car, as upon exiting the car and entering the birth center push phase had commenced without her. I immediately reminded her we would not want to have a baby in the lobby of the birth center, but it literally felt to her as if the baby was trying to come out. I cupped her vagina (just in case) and to make her feel as if she could make the last steps to Birth Room 3. It was a little further than she had anticipated. Once she was bedside, I asked her to sit back on the bed, she didn't want to feeling as if she would be sitting on the head. I had just unexpectedly had to catch a baby in a hospital just days before when my client (also standing bedside) baby decided it was coming and the staff wasn't ready. I reminded Sarah and asked her to please not make me do that again, because, if my hands are tied, I can't capture any good pictures...lol. Sara wasn't into singing a song to help prevent overwhelming urge to bear down, therefore I suggested she use a low register noise or word. I pulled her pants down to find the baby was in FULL CROWN. She finally was able to gently sit back on bed and the midwife, Ife and & picked her legs up. We encouraged her to be easy, little grunts/pushes to allow the head to stretch her and avoid tears. With just a few active pushes, the head peeked out looking at me and then turning as it rotated on its way into this world. (Yes, I captured some amazing pics- even one of the fetal Heimlich maneuver). So fabulous! Once the head was out Sarah gave a gentle push, and out comes the baby onto her chest... there was a brief pauses and then Jorge calls out, "I GOT MY GIRL!!!" Then the tears commenced! Just like in John 16:21, her heart WAS immediately filled with JOY!! I would say, "and she could remember the pain no more" but, hello she still had third stage labor to go. The passing of the afterbirth. ( The BAG of Waters contains two layers, the inner & outer layers amnion & chorion) Sarah was never so happy to gently bear down and have the midwife assist as she birthed one of the largest placentas I have personally ever seen! Her placenta appeared to have something resembling an extra lobe attached, which is not a problem, just more cosmetic than anything they say. I could not be more proud of Doula Apprentice, Allison Termeer, as she was instrumental in capturing the midwife's logging times, etc. in the absence of a baby nurse, because the birth happened so very quickly one was not present till shortly after. Congrats to this amazing family, aka #BirthFamily #CharlotteBirthFamily and the latest addition to YourBirthHelper.com Charlotte team, Sarah Neri on her second low intervention drug free birth, and to she & her hubby, the RECLAMATION OF THEIR HAPPY "BIRTH"DAY! Congrats also to BIG BROTHER ADEN aka my little dinosaur! #SymbioticBirth #BradleyBirth #HusbandCoached #Doula #CharlotteBabyCo #BirthCenterBirth #BirthWithoutFear #MidwifeAssisted #PreventBirthTrauma #naturalbirth #birth #TheBradleyMethod #YourBirthHelper #BabyCo #naturalbirth #DelayedCordClamping #YourBirthHelpercom #YourBirthHelper #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #SymbioticBirth #Daddyhelpedbirthme #DoulaAssistedBirth #DoulaApprentice

Allow me to introduce our new Athens Doula Candidate, Nikki Reeves. She grew up in Georgia and was a Cum Laude graduate of Georgia Southern University in 2010. She studied education and taught three years in Atlanta. After birthing her two sons she discovered her passion for educating and supporting moms. She herself experienced anxiety, depression and trauma during pregnancy and postpartum. With little to no resources local to her, she began her own peer support group in 2017. Maternal Mental Health Support blossomed and she continues volunteering her time and knowledge. She is highly informed on maternal mental health and is certified with multiple trainings. I not be happier to offer her the second candidate spot on #AthensDoulaDreamTeam. No doubt moms are sure to be blessed and not just in the labor room. In her spare time, she enjoys advocacy projects and fundraisers for maternal health. I could not be more pleased she understands my #BirthFamily concept and the importance of ongoing support after baby has arrived. It doesn't end with the birth of a child, quite the opposite, it just begins there and last a lifetime. Nikki’s goal is to make the birth experience exactly what the mother desires by helping her avoid modern medicalized procedures that are not medically necessary, more specifically interventions that focus simply on science, technology, convenience and profits. Instead, turning to continuous care and support during labor, birth and beyond. birth of a mother and baby is a cherished time and together, along with Charlotte and all YourBirthHelper.com teammates can't wait to roll out the soon to be released Fourth Trimester Education Workshops & Family Support! Words can not express my excitement and gratitude to the good Lord for supernaturally orchestrating this amazing team, to be back in town serving the Athens Community with quality childbirth education in The Bradley Method®, but also to be able to pour my years of #SymbioticBirth skills into the next generation of passionate women ensuring even more happy "birth"days! It will be my pleasure to personally train these smart, strong and beautiful women. Get pumped Athens, Ga & surrounding areas, YourBirthHelper.com is growing again! Our motto, "You begin as students, but you end as FAMILY!" #Birth #Natural Birth #VBAC #DoulaSupport #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #BirthWithoutFear #BirthAdvocates #YourBirthHelperDoulaApprenticeship #Maternal Health #4thTrimesterSupport #DoulaApprentice #StillbornDoulaSupport #LaborCoaching #birth #SymbioticBirth #InfantLoss #BirthTrauma #PreventingBirthTrauma #DrugFreeBirth

Katie and Patrick were an amazing team and it is such a pleasure to work with a mom and dad that are trained properly and that greatly lean on each other during the most intimate time of their lives. I am so blessed to have the pleasure to witness the birth of Grace and provide doula support to each of them during their labor of love. Congrats Katie and Patrick, you applied what you learned with great confidence. Now, allow me to give you a quick glimpse of their initial journey into parenthood. Katie is the proud mama of two sweet boys and her first birth plan was to have "just an epidural" but we all know there is no such thing as "just an epidural". The use of an epidural is combined with what is commonly known as the "domino effect". First, your platelets and blood pressure need to be within normal range to be a good candidate; next mom must have an IV, two bags of fluid, hold still in a crotched position during contractions, hope the anesthesiologist properly locates L4 -L5, and that the meds are actually effective, do not settle on one side or the other, last long enough, it does not fall out, etc. After placement, comes a mom who is now confined to the bed and subject to a good nurse helping adjust her position, turning her in the bed after initially lying flat on her back, understand the use of the peanut ball, etc. Mom is then subjected to constant EFM monitoring and most often a second drug is used to augment labor/speed the labor back up, after a common side effect of the medication slows her labor down. Then we have the placement of a catheter, not just the small tube in her back, but also a catheter to empty her bladder. Many moms are not even aware the epidural does not eliminate all sensations associated with labor/ birth; in fact, many women struggle to even rest through the pressure, even though if working properly it does ease or eliminate the "pain" of the contraction. The epidural also commonly prolongs push phase and can lead to increase use of mechanical assistance and even surgery when baby does not remain happy and content with use of the drugs. Katie had decided with baby number two, she would simply repeat her first plan, but her second labor kicked in to high gear so quickly that the epidural was NOT even an option! Imagine the number of folks whose birth plan consists solely of "just having an epidural" and that goes right out the window. Have you considered the "what ifs"? The anesthesiologist is tied up in another room? He happens to be in surgery and just can not get to you in time? We commonly get these phone calls for women desiring a different birth plan, even when it was not that the epidural did not work the first or second time, it was simply it could not, did not happen quickly enough or did not even kick in until after baby was born. Here is the problem when we do not educate ourselves properly: a mom whose only plan to manage labor is "just an epidural" has not even considered HOW she will MANAGE her LABOR BEFORE the epidural, DURING labor if the epidural can not be administered quickly enough, fails her, or if baby comes before it takes effect, and even AFTER the meds wear off? You see, we as women, LABOR and endure CONTRACTIONS whether meds fail us or not, whether baby comes too fast or not! Why then would we as women not properly prepare and educate ourselves in the event of such scenarios? That thought, is exactly how we came to meet Katie, because she did NOT want to go into birth number three clueless of how to manage her own labor again. This time, Katie had a different approach to her birth, a plan to educate, apply what she had learned, hire a doula team to empower and support her and rock a low intervention natural birth, with the help of her husband coach. One simple truth , "no one knows your body better than you do". An educated consumer will be calmer, have a basis of understanding of how to make good decisions and acquire informed consent, learn skills to help manage contractions, and have a coach/partner that can help advocate for her. Now back to Katie. We first met this sweet mom when Tina Hayes referred her to us. Tina is a midwife here in Charlotte that we love to work with, she is the epitome of normalcy and natural child birth. She listens to and cares for the mom all throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. But anyways, Tina knew because of Katie's past history with quick labors that we would be a great fit to fill her doula needs. After Katie explored our YourBirthHelper services, she decided to change her next birth story by first registering for a birthing workshop (SMART MOVE- no matter the plan to utilize pain management or not) that we had scheduled for January 14th. At this point Katie was 36 weeks pregnant with her third child. I'm sure many are thinking, why would a third time mama (with successful vaginal births) need or want to take a birthing workshop going into their 36th week of pregnancy? First, Dr. Robert Bradley (an OBGYN who fought to get dads into the delivery room and who understood the unique aspects of labor and birth) always recommended treating each pregnancy like it is your first because labor and birth for each child can be different lengths and strengths from the last. YourBirthHelper.com recommends at least one workshop, there are many to choose from, but in particular, a Labor Role Play workshop can be just what the couple needs to change their entire experience. Preparation, including mental, physical, and emotional, is absolutely paramount to achieving a low intervention natural childbirth or what we like to call a #SymbioticBirth. It was at the workshop where I first met Katie and her husband Patrick. They are two of the sweetest people you will meet and you could definitely tell Patrick was up for the challenge of birth coach. He had already done it two times before! As I mentioned before, this was Katie's third pregnancy. She has two little boys and both have their own unique birth story. But there was a common thread in both of those births - Katie's body does work quickly! And by quickly I mean in minutes. Once her body decides it's time, it's time. She will have several hours of early labor but once she gets moving, baby gets moving too, literally. After their recent birth, Tina, their midwife remarked she now understood their urgency to arrive sooner than others and was thankful Katie and Patrick had warned her! 5cm to complete in minutes~ WOW! The fun that can follow the unpredictability of a drug free uterus - this photo of their midwife and I says it all! A quick birth is better than coffee to wake you up at 4am, ha! I was thankful to be part of such an interesting and unpredictable labor marathon. Speaking of timing, did I mention, the couple had just found out the night before in urgent care their son had pneumonia? Nothing like the joy of dealing with a sick child at home when another one wants to enter the world. Katie's birth story began Thursday February 8th, 2018, just one day before her due date. At this point, Katie had been dilated for 2cm for a while. So given her past history and the fact she was dilating, Patrick and Katie were on edge waiting for go-time. She started to have some inconsistent contractions throughout the day. Luckily, Pam was already in town and Katie had been in constant contact with her not only throughout the day but for several days before hand as both her boys had come early too. Despite inconsistent short contractions, around 10pm, the decision was made that Katie and Patrick were going to head on over to the hospital in Matthews since they were coming from Ft. Mill and Patrick did not like the thought of baby number three trying to jump out in the car nor did he want to have a baby on the side of the road; so even though her contractions were lasting only about 30-40 seconds long and every 3.5 minutes a part, they headed to the hospital to get checked out. After speaking with Pam and Nancy (our fabulous doula-in-training who is also a Labor and Delivery nurse) who were nearby, they arrived at their birth place but made the decision to hang out in the lobby and see if she could get stronger more consistent contractions going. Pam and Nancy met Katie and Patrick in the lobby of the hospital. For approximately 2 hours, they walked around, did some hip flexor stretching, squats, and talked about random things to take her mind off of home and eventually ending her lobby fun with having her visualize her baby moving down and out. Then they all made the trek upstairs to have the midwife check her for progress in triage. Nancy and Pam just love a reason to see Tina Hayes! Since no change of her cervix or head position, the decision was made that Katie should try and get some rest. A good rule of thumb is if you are not in active labor (6cm dilated), then you should rest when you are supposed to be sleeping and go about your day when you normally would be doing that. Since at this point it was 1230am, everyone headed home for hopefully a few hours of much needed rest. Katie got home and settled into the comfort of her own bed mentally preparing to try sleep as much as she can. But what story would not be complete without a twist? An hour after laying down, Katie noticed a pop and some fluid leaking out. Her water had just broke! The first contraction after her water breaking lasted a full minute and 27 seconds. Remember before this point all her contractions were 30-40 seconds. Her body was gearing up to do some work! She immediately got in contact with Pam asking what they should do, Pam made contact with Tina and Tina advised to send the couple back in. They quickly got back in the car and make the trek back to Matthews, NC. This is where I came into the birth story. Pam advised me to head over to the hospital to assess the labor and doula assist as needed. Katie and Patrick arrived back in triage at 345am and the contractions were anywhere from 30 seconds a part to 4 minutes a part, lasting from 30 seconds to 60 seconds in length. She received another internal exam in triage which showed she was now 5cm dilated. They quickly got her settled into a room and Tina was told to come down to Katie's room at 355am (just 10 minutes after being checked) because Katie was already having the urge to push. At 4am, I arrived at the hospital and walked into a room full of nurses because Katie was pushing! I had made it just in time to capture some amazing birth shots. Giving birth is the most athletic event a woman will ever do. These are priceless moments much like your wedding day; a one-time event of which details are forgotten so quickly. Such an added valuable service. Did you know all our YourBirthHelper Doula contracts come with FREE LABOR/BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY? Grace came barreling into this world at 405am. Dad supporting mom, midwife supporting baby and thus another happy "birth" day party commenced! Just a mere 20 minutes after being checked in triage with a cervix "only 5cm dilated". This is why we try and impress on all our pregnant mamas that it does not matter how far dilated you are, it is just a number! The body can do amazing things. Like a cervix that goes from 0 to 10cm (or in Katie's case 5 to 10cm) in no time. We do not have any real way of determining if that will happen and we have to rely on our training (both as birthing professionals and as the expecting couple) to figure out what is going on with the mama and her body. A mama walking around talking and eating most likely is not going to have a baby in the immediate future. A mama who goes from 30 second contractions to 1min 27sec contractions that increase in intensity greatly, is probably doing some work. We always assess the mama's demeanor in determining how far along she is no matter what the contractions are doing. But let me back up a little bit and brag on Katie and Tina. I left out a super key part that is really neat to look back upon. Grace came into this world 20 minutes after mom going into active labor but she also came into this world with a double nuchal cord - meaning the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. Check out this amazing birth photo I captured. Most OBs would have stopped Katie from pushing, clamped the cord in two places, and cut the cord to free/deliver sweet Grace. Not Tina, many leave cords in tact and are trained to birth babies like this. With a quick move of her hand, she gently removed the cord from Grace's neck. Grace was perfect and there was no reason as to why the cord needed to be cut prior to Grace being born. It just goes to show how amazing the natural birth process, how amazing our bodies are, and how amazing midwives are! Mom did not need a c-section because a cord was around the neck, she did not need a c-section because there were two loops of cord around the neck, she did not need her push phase halted to cut/free the baby. Current evidence-based birth shows leaving nuchal cords alone and simply birthing the baby is best and this old school practice dates back to Erasmus Darwin M.D. 1731-1802 who shared, "another thing very injurious to the child, is the tying and cutting of the navel string too soon; which should always be left till the child has not only repeatedly breathed but till all pulsation in the cord ceases. As otherwise the child is much weaker than it ought to be, a portion of the blood being left in the placenta, which ought to have been in the child". Funny how history seems to repeat itself. Major props to Tina for another job well done and we commend Katie and Patrick for their dedication to not only educate themselves on the natural process, but also how to properly manage labor and work with their body, apply what they learned despite such an intense, speedy, and unpredictable John 16:21 birth journey! This mom just gave birth a few hours earlier ~ and Baby Grace had the ride of her life! And, below Baby Grace all cleaned up! #birth #PreparingforBirthing #EpiduralFreeBirth #CharlotteBirthFamily #DoulaAssistedBirth #Doula #DelayedCordClamping #MidwifeAssistedHospitalBirth #HusbandCoachedChildbirth

It warmed my heart to receive a message from Kelsey sharing they were moving and could I help direct her to an OBGYN office because she was expecting baby #3. It always tickles me to hear one of my former Bradley Method® student couples are expecting, but especially exciting, because it was one of my couples from Charlotte, NC. Andy had accepted a ministry position very close to my own home town of Loganville. Kelsey had heard I was back in Georgia starting a new Doula Team. We planned a Doula Consult meet up at the Chik Fil A in Bethlehem. I had the privilege of seeing both big brothers, David who is now 3 (declined to join our photo) and Josiah now 20 months over some chicken nuggets and fruit. It's funny really to see how that side of town has grown. I shared with Andy in my 41 years of growing up in Loganville, Ga no one ever went out to Bethlehem except to mail our Christmas cards. May sound funny to some, but think of the significance of that birth. Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem to bring forth life in a manager to our Savior. The King of Kings! No doubt, we have it easier today when it comes to the conveniences of birthing indoors, free of animals, a clean bed, room, etc. and even have assistance by medical personnel in what is commonly known today as a Labor & Delivery suite. However, those of us who understand God designed our body for "giving birth" often have an idea of how we would like to endure our labor of love as expressed in the bible in John chapter 16 verse 21... for when the woman is in travail/labor she is un-joyful (Really Lord I don't think un-joyful properly expresses our efforts when drug free), but as soon as the baby is born her heart is full of JOY and she can remember the pain no more. Much like the normality of the birth of Jesus, as healthy women carrying a healthy baby we should be able to experience the normality of birthing. It doesn't have to be a medical procedure to have your baby rid from your body. In fact, most educated couples who understand how the body works during labor and birth prefer quite the opposite. Its fear of the unknown that leads women to solely rely on someone to "deliver their baby" those of us who have properly prepared for birth and know what to expect and how to work with our body actually prefer the birth to be free of unnecessary medical interventions. Therefore, the baby is NOT quote "delivered from our body", we as strong supported women, "Bring forth Life!" Much like Mary in the manager, but with medical help available, should it be needed, however, unlikely. On Thursday, February 15th around 2:06pm I was notified Kelsey was having some mild cramping. I encouraged her to eat well and try to squeeze in some extra rest just in case. Friday around 10:25 am Kelsey text me an update that she was still cramping but no defined noticeable contractions. She ended her text with "Baby Luke is still cooking!" LOL My next update was Thursday, February 22nd 11:37am poor thing was feeling as if her hips were going to pop off...she only had relief by full squats or straddling a chair... the things children put us women though. Bless! We talked about natural ways to relieve those poor hips. Kelsey said, "This must mean I will have a baby tonight right?" If only it worked that way. Baby Luke's escape the womb story began early Saturday, February 24th @ 12:55am when Kelsey's bag of water burst. Andy was busy like Noah after the flood except instead of wrangling the animals up, he was wrangling all the wet linens! Yes, Andy excelled at his Labor Coach job and was ever attentive to her laboring needs. He was just overly eager, now that the water had broken to arrive at their chosen birth place sooner vs. later because of Kelsey's unpredictable labor patterns. They phoned me at 2:16am the contractions had started and were 45 seconds in length but 2-3 minutes apart with constant cramping in between. I encouraged them to get their sitter squared away just in case things picked up. I went ahead and dressed and packed my things because interestingly the day before I had a feeling another baby was coming and not knowing if I would be heading to Charlotte, NC or birthing here I had packed a suitcase just in case. Oddly, because I rarely ever dream just two nights earlier, I had caught a baby in my sleep. Some find what I call my discernment radar interesting, I find it to be quite accurate most of the time. Little did I know what was to come. But first, a little history of how men returned to such valuable work in the U.S. In Denver, Colorado, Dr. Robert A. Bradley, an OBGYN fought long and hard back in the 70's to get husbands into the delivery room and for that often ridiculed he continued to fight for the normality of birth saving medical intervention for those clients who truly needed them. For that, willing supportive men like Andy, still thank him to this day and consider it a pleasure to assist their wives through such meaningful work. Dr. Bradley noted the Hawthorne Effect and how a supportive husband could do way more for his laboring wife than any amount of medication. No doubt Dr. Bradley would've been pleased that even to this day couples like Kelsey and Andy can find a local class and literally train and learn how to give birth naturally. I am fortunate to still teach this valuable class. Not only does it help couples bring their baby into the world keeping the focus on the natural process saving medical interventions for those who truly need them, but it helps strengthen marriages & family bonds and best of all produce healthier babies and healthier moms from valuable nutrition and exercise plans when if utilized even though we have variations they do not have to become complications. Interestingly, Dr. Bradley never wanted the class / method called, The Bradley Method®. He thought it should be called, "God's Way!"... he would say, What I applied with great success in my practice of 94% of couples birthing drug free was learned on the farm in which I grew up not in medical school. All of nature imitates sleep, pulls away from the other animals to a quiet spot where they can labor uninterrupted, the time in which many labor varies greatly and in an unmedicated labor things can be quite unpredictable. Relaxation equals progress... it is amazing when mom remains in a relaxed state of mind, assuming good positions what an unmedicated uterus can accomplish. Here the couple is utilizing the stroking technique, one of my personal favorites. Andy uses his fingertips and by hovering over the skin or in Kelsey's case, stroking over her hair every so gently is one of the many useful relaxation techniques they learned years ago in their initial Bradley Method® childbirth training. Andy and Kelsey are once again living examples of the John 16:21 journey. Kelsey was working hard, but trusting in both her own body, the support of her husband and by making good decisions following informed consent she stayed her path to achieve her birth plans for baby # 3. Now back to Baby Luke's grand entrance, upon arriving Kelsey was 6cm dilated, after approximately 30 minutes of monitoring, we began our positions to progress labor. As in the popular movie line from Star Wars, "The force is with you" for Kelsey, Andy and I, it became quite literal statement. After several position changes and ever growing in intensity contractions she utilized the shower to best manage the pain of her contractions. Kelsey began grabbing the squat bar and squatting and rocking with each, Andy replied, this is what she does when baby is getting closer. Once she began having some vibrations in her voice, we took a warm blanket dried her off and we walked back to the bedside closest to the windows. The staff had shared the amniotic fluid had tested positive for meconium and there would be an extra nurse in the room from NICU just in case baby had any issues. 85% of the time it is a normal occurrence as baby is receiving oxygen through the cord not their mouth, about 15% of the time they can inhale the meconium and it cause respiratory issues/complications. It was there Kelsey began swaying her hips and we switched to using productive labor noises. She chose the word, "LOW" a few minutes later, the NICU nurse pointed and said there it is. Andy was standing on Kelsey's left side and helping support her. I had helped clean up mom a little, went to wash my hands, had just enough time to walk back around when I looked down and saw the head emerging. Immediately, I bent down and outstretched my arms calling out to the doctor - come come here is the head (her OBGYN was on the other side of the bed putting her gloves on), along with two other nurses. Remember, when I said "the force was with Luke"... well, literally it WAS! So much force, the he came barreling down, gravity assisted, into my hands, then rolled into the doctor's arms, his cord burst, I looked down and saw the blood quickly clamped moms cord as the doctor passed the baby over to the NICU nurse and they quickly compressed his cord to stop the bleeding. A cord clamp followed for baby and shortly after the surgical tech brought over a pair of hemostats to clamp off moms cord as the placenta has not yet released. Kelsey and Andy both were rock star champs, as were the medical staff. And, allow me to this moment to publicly apologize to the sweet little housekeeping lady on behalf of Baby Luke and what appeared to be a crime scene upon his unexpected, unpredictable and rather "forceful" exit. May I also say, although my brand new tennis shoes washed clean as new, each time I wear them from here on out, I will giggle a little recalling the 8 pound 3 oz bundle of JOY that although fell straight into my arms. All Glory to God ~ welcome to the world Baby Luke! You are a special little man and both your parents and Northside Presbyterian Church will be blessed! And, despite my Doula rule #2, I would've never let Luke fall to the floor. So, now, I suppose I will have to reword my Doula Rules. Maybe, now I shall say it this way from now on: YBH Doula Rule #1 Dad does Dad's job - Pam does Pam's job- Pam don't do dad's job. YBH Doula Rule #2 I do not catch babies- well, thats not exactly true, sometimes, I have to, because the force is with them and despite a room full of medical staff the baby chose me! Special thanks to Doula Apprentice Charlotte~ here's to our next exciting birth @ 4am. Funny, I had my very first doula birth in Monroe and now caught my very first baby here. #FullCircle #SymbioticBirth #YourBirthHelper #AthensDoulaDreamTeam #Doula #naturalbirth #ClearviewRegional #BradleyMethod #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #forcewaswithhim #standingbirth #DoulaHelpedBornMe #BirthWithoutFear #birth #naturalbirth #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #DrugFreeBirth #ClearviewRegional #YourBirthHelper #YourBirthHelpercom #SymbioticBirth

And then there were three... People describe new additions to their family in a multitude of ways including: bun in the oven, baby, little one, child, infant, newborn but have you ever had anyone refer to your baby as a basketball? Well, poor Melissa had no hiding place for baby to camp out. You see she was one of those mothers who appeared to have swallowed a basketball. It was just there like BAMB! POW! Oops there it is! WHAT?.. You are Pregnant? From behind I couldn't even tell...lol. She just went with it and was slightly surprised by the comments because she never considered herself a small or petite woman but she had such a wonderful healthy pregnancy, she ate right/ focused on good nutrition, stayed active and had gained only 22 lbs (35lbs is average) but fast forward to 41 weeks and the dreaded "induction / c-section" speech. Followed by the full term ultrasound & non-stress test. Baby looked great! Although, the conversation that had commenced that morning at her prenatal check did not reflect healthy mom, healthy baby. Actually, the opposite, it was very defeating including the words, "You should just schedule a c-section this baby is going to be too big to be born, could get stuck, cause damage to your body and still be born via c-section. So, why not just schedule surgery and skip labor altogether? I mean what if you do all that work/ labor and still end up in surgery? When mom phoned me Friday morning crying after having endured this unpleasant conversation, I began to explain... In 1986, a study was released explaining the benefits of labor to an unborn fetus. The article was titled, The Stress of Being Born by Hugo Lagercrantz and Theodore Slotkin shared in Scientific American magazine. The question was posed is the birth process actually traumatic for baby? More specifically the role of catecholamines the so called- stress hormones, including adrenaline and noradrenaline during labor. They found the substances actually help rather than harm the fetus by protecting it from hypoxia and enhancing its ability to adapt after birth. The authors shared, "it is actually important to undergo the events eliciting the production of stress hormones. The resulting surge of hormones prepares the infant to survive outside the womb. It clears the lungs and changes their physiological characteristics to promote normal breathing, mobilizes readily usable fuel to nourish cells, ensures that a rich supply of blood goes to the heart and brain and may even promote attachment between mother and child." The authors suggest that babies delivered by elective cesarean section before labor begins miss the benefits of the "catecholamine surge" during labor. This was positively correlated with higher Apgar scores suggesting the hormones counteract the effects of oxygen deprivation. For short, LABOR improves breathing by increasing lung-liquid absortion, dilates bronchioles, protects heart & brain through increased blood flow to vital organs, breaks down glycogen in liver, breaks down normal fat into fatty acids and facilitates bonding through dilation of pupils. Let me just tell you, little Miss EJ, as daddy called her, was totally focused on gazing into her daddy's eyes each time he spoke. Kudos to this amazing power couple! Against all odds, being overdue & pressured to throw in their plans for their birth, not only got herself into labor but labored over 18 difficult hours of every two minute apart back labor contractions drug free. Melissa Pikulin & Todd Gozur together rose above every obstacle to still give birth minus the suggested surgery! Did they get to put a gold star beside every line on her birth plan: No. But very few if any of us do. Did she find herself overwhelmed with contractions wishing she had never labored at all: No. Did she work together beautifully with her coach to utilize relaxation methods during her marathon: Yes! Did she give that giant uterus air each time a contraction started: Yes! Did her cervix hit a speed bump we call Natural Alignment plateau: Yes! Did she & Todd make some awesome decisions which kept them out of the O.R.: YES! And, before they knew it, it was time for Todd to help hold a leg and mom to push her baby out. I could not be more proud of Todd & Melissa. They trained, they applied, & they succeeded. She didn't have a 9 & 1/2 lb baby as the ultrasound & doctors eluded. She didn't need an induction as they suggested and she didn't need surgery to get the baby out. What she did need was a loving encouraging coach by her side helping her make good decisions that were best for mom & baby not anyone else or their schedules. A man who cared enough to not only help create a new life but also help bring that life into the world with as few medical interventions as possible. It's what we call the safest right of passage of baby into the world. It's not always free of all intervention, some are medically necessary. It's not always free of medication, some are necessary. We didn't create the process of birth nor try to change it. We just tried to stay out of the uterus' way and allow the big bag of muscle to work. On a very special fellow's birthday(Todd's dear friend) a new life was born. An 8lb 13oz baby girl. A very alert newborn. A bun in the oven- cooked like a turkey till she was done. A perfect infant child with ten fingers & toes emerged right into the arms of her hard working dedicated mother. Something tells me this perfectly round "basketball" that bounced only when she was ready to play the "labor game" has found herself in the court of two very special parents both ready to coach her through life. Baby Eliza Jane, you began your last day in the womb in church with your mother & your father and you shall be blessed... For the bible shares in Psalm 139:13, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. And in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord... and personally as your mom & dad's doula, being present when you took your very first breath, I am pleased to announce your arrival. In addition to mom & dad, Mrs. Pamela Sauls loves you and I welcome you into our www.YourBirthHelper.com ‪#‎BIRTHFAMILY‬ #DoulaAssistance #PregnancyEducation #EpiduralFreeBirth #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #Doula #DoulaAssistedBirth #BirthWithoutFear #hospitalbirth #DrugFreeBirth #naturalbirth

Dear World, Allow me to introduce Barrett Mason, born epidural free despite the challenges of a slow to dilate cervix and early urges to push (no doubt a challenging push phase indeed) was placed skin to skin on his mothers chest by midwife, Sage as he drew his first breath. Simultaneously, as he let out his first cry to communicate for the very first time, his mother cried out, "OH MY GOD!" Daddy just cried tears of joy! Nurse Robin called out 15:38 (time of birth) said, "Hello BIG BOY, let me get those brown bubbles." Baby Barrett couldn't wait for that first diaper- HIM HAD TO GO! Meconium happens. The baby nurses, along with the rest, cheered and celebrated Amanda's devotion to the natural process, along with Barrett's hard work entering into this amazing world. Some wonder, Why Natural Birth- Why does it matter? There are many reasons both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, although you may or may not share the same views as the expectant couple, as there are many options in birthing today: in hospital, out of hospital, midwife, doctor, a private event, friends or family present, what matters is MOM feels totally comfortable with HER DECISION MAKING and HER WISHES for HER BIRTH ARE SUPPORTED & ENCOURAGED! Not debated, not questioned just SUPPORTED & ENCOURAGED. She may not be able to have a check mark off each line item on her birth plan. You see, IT MATTERS! In the end, as an educated couple, who understands the difference between informed consent, medically necessary and unnecessary routine interventions, IT MATTERS that she not only was supported but maybe even more so, "did she feel ENCOURAGED to give birth?" No doubt, during such a long challenging labor of love, MOM deserves at least that. The history books call it the John 16:21 birth. An unjoyful marathon... now make no mistake when I get upstairs God and I will have a conversation about adjective "unjoyful" being used to further describe "travail". You see it wasn't just mom who worked hard, DAD DID TOO! Aaron was an AMAZING HUSBAND COACH. He worked tirelessly along side of Amanda utilizing positions and relaxation techniques they had learned about in their twelve week childbirth training in The Bradley Method®. Their childbirth instructor, should be extremely proud of them. Few couples understand the value of properly preparing to "GIVE BIRTH" we do NOT have to have our Baby DELIVERED from our body. The uterus when healthy does the work and we as women must learn how to ALLOW it to work NOT FIGHT the LABOR PROCESS. Amanda #NailedIt ~ she assumed the necessary positions to progress her labor despite the unpleasantries associated with some positions like sitting on the toilet where we instinctively relax the correct muscles. Every wondered why our bodies want to do the opposite of what they should during labor? I mean, we have the body parts- why then do we not instinctively know what to do with them? Yup, I ask the creator that all the time...lol. We are fortunate, the Bradley Method® is still taught to this day with great success for couples seeking a low intervention natural birth. By the way, those who prepare for natural birth are not overly pain tolerant people, THEY ARE SMART PEOPLE! They use common sense, they understand they are a paying consumer who, if educated on the process, understand, if healthy and low risk, they have MANY MORE OPTIONS. Now pause, wrap your brain around this concept, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW YOUR BODY WORKS DURING THE LABOR AND BIRTH PROCESS, how every will you know whether you will need interventions such as an IV, amniotomy, epidural, pitocin, episiotomy, what pushing position you feel most comfortable in, etc. how will you know how to properly nurse your baby, etc.? There is no such thing as a painless childbirth. We simply have choices as to which phase of the process will be uncomfortable. You can pay to prepare yourself ahead of time, or you can pay to have multiple interventions/pain management even surgery to bring your child into the world. Now as a matter of perspective, many feel preparation is key and as for your pocket book, most also come out way better on that end too. Please understand BOYS, if mom doesn't quite even understand the ends and outs herself, even with the body parts, then you guys are surely doomed. As a loving partner or husband, you will want to reach out and assist your wife during the difficult journey of labor, but your hands will be tied, you have ZERO KNOWLEDGE TO ASSIST OR SUPPORT HER. You will be left in a position to question everything you know, have every heart string pulled, because the one you love lies in pain and you can't help her because you didn't take time to learn how. Some men, not so clueless, make an educated decision that childbirth education and doula services are too expensive, require too much time, don't fit our schedule nor our budget. First, allow me to share Aaron had every reason to use that excuse he works 2:30am and works through the night- they figured out how to make it work because they made their baby a priority before he was even born. Aaron, Ms.Pam could not be more proud of YOU! If only I could CLONE you for all the other women who lack support and encouragement through this difficult journey into parenthood. Mom was no doubt exhausted, but perked up quickly after two large glasses of orange juice, to celebrate along side of us. Dad cut the cord and set his son free and both daddy and Barrett received their bracelets! Aaron also quickly removed his "Daddy to Be" sticker and rejoiced in the birth of his BIG BOY!!!!! If baby Barrett grows up to be like his daddy, then he will no doubt make a fine Husband Coach himself one day!! On behalf of the entire YourBirthHelper team, Congratulations and Happy "BIRTH" day to Amanda, Aaron & Barrett Mason. May you grow to completely understand and comprehend that your parents DECIDED YOU BARRETT were worth all the love, effort, study and application and that you were born into the physically strong football loving arms of your daddy, too! Your sweet momma now completely agrees, She couldn't have done this without SUPPORT & ENCOURAGEMENT from not just your father, but also her amazing Birth Team! It was our pleasure to have helped train and support you to BIRTH YOUR WAY! Remember, you began as students but you end as Family. #HusbandCoached #BradleyMethod #DaddyHelpedBornMe #WarriorWoman #PowerCouple #BirthWithoutFear #NotJustADoula #NotJustAChildbirthEducator #CMCPineville #PiedmontOBGYN #midwife #naturalbirth #birth #CharlotteBirthFamily #LongLabor #EpiduralFreeBirth #Doula #PregnancyEducation #YourBirthHelper #CMCPineville #BradleyMethod #SymbioticBirth #DelayedCordClamping #MidwifeAssistedHospitalBirth #LaborCoaching #DrugFreeBirth #DoulaAssistance

The healthier and low risk a woman remains during her pregnancy, the more choices she has when exploring where and with whom she brings forth life. An out of hospital birth is not for everyone, however, for those who have a healthy baby and healthy pregnancy, more and more are finding the out of hospital birth experience to grant them the best of both worlds. A low intervention birth, focusing on the normality of the natural process, is once again being researched and desired by more and more couples who in understanding there will always be inherent risks involved in birthing, also understand the labor and birth process has worked for countless generations who do not need to be quote "saved by their doctor". If mom and baby are fine, the process continues until otherwise a need presents that would warrant extra help for either mom or baby. Likewise, variations of normal or what Dr. Robert A. Bradley called the whammies of birthing, such as longer than average labor, back labor, high pain levels, longer push phase, etc. do not necessarily constitute a medical emergency or transport. The couple, must acknowledge and take responsibility for their choices of where they decide to birth, as well as, giving informed consent throughout. The mother should also feel she is supported, continuing to be supported and understand that if at any time the baby is not handling the labor process well, or mom has a reason for medical intervention such as a need for mechanical assistance for stuck baby, etc. a transport takes often takes place. Each labor and push phase should be individually assessed as normal labor has a multitude of variations and / or possible variations. Allow me to introduce power couple, Angie & Mark. They contacted me seeking labor support for their out of hospital birth planned to take place at Baby & Co. Charlotte. I explained the necessity of proper training to manage contractions and her pain level in an out of hospital center. In fact, considering normal pain management that unprepared couples often utilize such as the epidural not being an option at all is reason enough to make preparation and gain valuable skills to relax during contractions. Angie and Mark understood those skills were necessary to be successful in an out of hospital birth experience. Therefore, they willingly signed up for a #YourBirthHelper training workshop to gain confidence and enhance their level of education on the natural process and boy did it pay off big. It also gave them an opportunity to establish a relationship with our #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam. As support to our couples, we always offer 24/7 access to call, text, face time to receive assistance through all the I'm not sure's, should I go to work, should I be timing contractions, what if I feel crampy, what position should I assume, how can I get my own body into labor and avoid induction? Just to name some of the most popular for a first time mom. And then before you know it, it's go time... Friday morning, the phone rang all bright and early Angie had experienced her first bloody show and was curious if she should head into work or stay home. We stand by following your normal daily routine unless a danger sign presents. Otherwise, if we stand idle by and time every single contraction, we would be timing them for days. Three days to be exact for Angie and Mark. Which by the way is not unusual for a first labor. No one likes the sound of it but its often the case. She went to work on Friday and rocked her workday like a champ with only loose bowels and some light cramping. Friday came and went with no other signs of progressing labor. On Saturday, she and Mark did some things they had learned to speed labor along and spent the day between visiting family and working toward bringing on stronger contractions. By early afternoon things seem to be trucking along. Our YBH team was notified and standing by if needed. All of a sudden Mark called to say her contractions had jumped over active labor and were now around 90 seconds in length. I immediately jumped in the car to drive to Charlotte. Within an hour and half, Mark had observed some definitive signs of progress such as contractions which had settled into a pattern, but also much closer together and lasting longer, and Angie was having lots of pressure. They contacted their birth center midwife and were advised to come over to get checked. To everyone's shock she was only maybe 1 cm dilated, -1 station but fully effaced. By this time, taking mom out of her relaxing environment had most likely produced some adrenaline and sadly adrenaline whether we want it to be released or not happens. It typically causes labor to slow and sometimes even stop completely. The pattern of 90 sec long contractions every few minutes had totally spaced back out. Angie was very tired and understandably so, as the contractions had kept her awake through the night and fatigue of labor was setting in. This is why women must maintain a level of physical fitness going into labor that allows them to have the stamina the staying power to overcome and push through fatigue. Some laboring moms are also capable of sleeping in between contractions, few sleep through them at this point. We recommendation at least thirty minutes of regular physical exercise a day for stamina. Angie was a champ, overcoming a multitude of stumbling blocks to birth naturally and out of hospital including slower than normal labor, slow dilation and long strong contractions to move baby down. It is important to understand that Natural Alignment Plateau is a normal part of many labors, as well. This is a time when mom's uterus continues to contract as normal but the cervix is not showing signs of increased dilation. In a hospital setting this is what is often deemed, "Failure to Progress" and the staff simply appear to give up on mom, her body, the normal process or mom gives up on herself and is ready for someone to escort the baby out via surgery, help baby out with vacuum, etc. but there are no other apparent reasons to intervene, no medical reasons such as a baby in fetal distress, etc. In these situations, it is important one understands the definition of progress. Progress is NOT JUST DILATION ONLY. If one's station changes (the downward decent of baby in relation to the ischial spines), if mom has been effacing, if contractions are continuing to grow longer and stronger, those are ALL SIGNS OF PROGRESSION. Many women will experience the slow to dilate cervix, even myself. But, what we know about the cervix is when it is time to expel a baby, often the woman's cervix goes from whatever number to complete in a matter of minutes. This is a trait of a healthy, un-medicated and yet unpredictable uterus! It simply does what it wants to do and doesn't ask us permission. Every woman does NOT dilate a cm an hour, heck some of us women don't dilate a cm in hours of labor but there are many other things that may be taking place during Natural Alignment Plateau than just dilation. Angie was no doubt starved at this point, Doula Apprentice Allison Termeer, went to pick up food them. We know labor can often slow or stop allowing mom time to take care of necessaries such as rest, food & hydration. Preventing a laboring mom from eating or drinking during labor is NOT evidence based. Even if a medical situations arises, we do not have the same anesthesia as we did in 1955 when that was first established as routine. The couple, along with their midwife made the decision to return home, try to sleep Saturday evening and return when labor picked back up. She said SLEEP during labor is clearly overrated #NOT...lol however, she continued a horizontal position, resting in between contractions and only getting up through the night to empty her bladder every hour. And, then once again the contractions started picking up and then a text came in at 2:57 am Sunday morning that Angie had once again experienced bloody show and contractions seem to be settled in a pattern again. It wasn't long after that Mark asked me to join them at Baby & Co birth center. Together, actively, the three of us continued to work through each contraction, utilizing good positioning, deep abdominal breathing exercises, visualization, peanut ball, birth affirmations, etc. we don't focus on the how much longer, how many more contractions, we just take them one at a time and overcome any obstacles that present along the way. If mom & baby are okay, we continue the labor journey as planned. No doubt Angie was in her head, discouragement from the fatigue of labor, her lack of cervical dilation coupled by back pain and an overwhelming urge to bear down during contractions didn't help her stay positive either, but her ever present husband coach was ever attentive to her! Reassuring her all the way! Even after being up for days, we had to completely twist his arm to take a break and get horizontal for a few minutes. I told him I wouldn't let him miss anything and finally he agreed to take a cat nap while we had mom in the tub. Angie kept saying she did not want to be in the water. The shower or tub just didn't appeal to her mind. Here is what we know about water/ shower/ tub & the toilet, women naturally relax the right muscles there. It comes instinctive to relax your pelvic floor on the toilet (which we need to do to progress labor). Also, we are conditioned to relax in water. Water has been used for countless generations for pain relief and relaxation and despite whether you desire to push a baby out in a tub (which Angie did!!!!!) it is still a great position to rock late first stage labor, transition phase and labor down! Around 7:30am there was talk of encouraging Angie to transport to Presby Main due to her slow labor. She was fully effaced, zero station but only around 5cm dilated. Once again, we got Angie moving, we walked around the center, even throwing in some full squats too! The urge to bear down was consuming Angie and we began using low register noises. At 7:51 a.m., I text team member Nancy Cook to come in and assist for additional encouragement for the couple. I reassured Mark and Angie that no one on our team would jeopardize health of mom or baby to simply have a baby in an out of hospital location, but also if there were no medical complications, she could continue normal labor. Nancy arrived around 8:33 a.m. and considering all we had already tried to get baby to drop down put pressure on cervix to open, inversion positions to help baby readjust head, including the midwife and I sifting with the rebozo, Nancy suggested maybe a side lie position without the peanut ball and we continued the process of working through her contractions. Angie was also able to sleep in between. Then after successful dilation, correcting the asynclitic head position, we were able to get her up to use gravity to bring the head down with use of pilates bar, more deep squats, more sitting on toilet (although the pressure was intense) and hands & knees, but most of all we were able to convince her that her body was made for this work, that is new what it was doing and to surrender to the process. Let go and let her baby come out. What was beating her down was right between her ears. Truly, Angie would tell you how very difficult and extremely painful at times her first labor was, she would also tell you once we did coax her into the tub, but that she most definitely did NOT like GETTING OUT. In a tub or pool we have weightlessness! Out of the water, we do not. It is important to keep mom moving and Angie did just that. She made the first labor, the long first labor process look easy. We salute Angie for staying focused and letting go of the right muscles during contractions. With numerous change of positions, also came the news of a finally completely dilated cervix and the green light to bear down with her contractions. She was a rock-star at push phase and literally push her baby out in less than 33 minutes giving birth in the water. Prior to the baby exiting her body, I had Angie reach down and touch her baby's head. She wept in light of the finish line. Dad couldn't help but to sneak a peek while the head was descending and he also took advantage of touching his sweet baby's head as she was crowning. You go DADDY! Ifeona (midwife) caught her in the water and placed baby in her arms. As you can imagine, Angie was not only thrilled to have given birth naturally, but also thrilled against the odds baby's heart tones were great throughout. Angie was great throughout and her first glimpse of her baby out of her body a precious moment indeed! The birth climax is a rush of hormones that floods moms body after birth. These amazing hormones are what allows a tired momma like Angie to interact with their new baby even though the birth process is quite exhausting . The baby also passed meconium during the act of pushing/birth. It is estimated, around 85% of the time its a normal occurrence, approximately 15% of the time it can lead to a medical complication if baby inhales into its lungs. And, last who do you think cut the cord? MOM DID! I'm so proud of both of you! Thank you Angie and Mark for entrusting YourBirthHelper for your happy "birth"day party! Congratulations to big sister ❤️ Oh happy day MISS SCARLETT MAE ~ 7lb 7 oz, 19.5 inches long #HusbandCoached #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam #YourBirthHelper #NotJustADoula #CharlotteBirthFamily #NotJustAChildbirthEducator #BirthFamily #naturalbirth #birth #midwife #asyncliticheadposition #slowdilation #waterbirth #babyandco #LittleBadger #SymbioticBirth #BirthWithoutFear #CharlotteBirthFamily #YourBirthHelper #naturalbirth #EpiduralFreeBirth #birth

Well, much hard work literally pressure points, relaxation techniques, cold cloths, in & out of tubs, much sweat- even more tears (of JOY), long sleepless nights, thousands more miles on the car but somehow with the help of my amazing #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam we did something we weren't sure could happen... we brought quality childbirth training/ educational workshops & full DOULA services to both Charlotte, NC & Athens, GA and surrounding areas!!!! So very proud of my team- beyond excited to grow this amazing business with them... Coming soon two more Certified Childbirth Educators, another team member in Athens & many more valuable services including lactation services & marital counseling services... we do way more than prep families for childbirth~ we do life together! Sometimes, there are challenges before birth, sometimes the birth itself is challenging, sometimes families suffer loss of health, loss of marriage, jobs & even loss of life. Your Birth Helper is proud to support families through whatever life brings their way! We pride ourselves in loving and supporting ALL PEOPLE & ALL FAMILIES. Please help me congratulate this amazing group of women: Nancy Cook, Allison Termeer & Lena May!!! Thank you EXPERTISE.COM for recognizing our dedication to families and the natural process! And, a special thanks to Nancy Cook for pouring into the next generation of DOULAS with me!! Below our own Violet Mae xoxox born to Doula Apprentice Allison T #birth #CharlotteBirthFamily #Doula #EpiduralFreeBirth #Birthwithoutanepidural #DoulaAssistedBirth #YourBirthHelper #BirthCenterBirth #SymbioticBirth #OvercomingInductionnaturally #BradleyMethod #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #LaborCoaching #BirthWithoutFear

After much deliberation, contemplation & consideration of all the Amazing Births we had this year, allow me to share Your Birth Helper's choice for: "2017 Georgia Birth Story of the year" Athens, GA... Congrat's to Amy & Josh Clevenger! HOW THIS COUPLE OVERCAME MAJOR WHAMMIES TO ACHIEVE THEIR BIRTH GOALS! I created Your Birth Helper.com with a few simple goals: Healthier Moms & Healthier Babies with a specialty of creating more happy "birth" days! I did not realize that narrowing down from a years worth of amazing "birth" stories, I would have such a difficult time choosing only two special two special couples & births. One from Georgia & one from North Carolina to feature for 2017. Allow me to first share some basic thoughts every expectant couple should consider, no matter whether your first or your fifth birth. Congratulations! You are going to be parents they say, but no one says, Oh by the way are you aware of all the risks, what if's and whammies associated with bringing life into the world? Of course not! Geez, we would all be a nervous wreck if we allowed such a vast list of unexpected situations to overpower our happy thoughts about childbearing. Sadly, many couples spend way more time researching their next new cell phone, computer or car than they ever will spend to bring forth life... WHY IS THAT? Seems a little geek'd up right? How do we go about changing that mindset? To bring attention to the fact you should know how to meet your nutritional needs while pregnant and you should learn how to properly tone and condition your birthing muscles, but even your obstetrician doesn't share these basics. This preventative education alone could spare women dozens of poor outcomes. Shockingly, one of the few doctors highly educated in nutrition as it applies to reproduction and lactation is a veterinarian. Although, we are all grateful for our amazing farmers and more options in clean eating, it leaves me pondering, when did the health of animals before or during reproduction become more important than our own human offspring? Labor and birth for a woman is the most athletic event she will ever take part in. Indeed a marathon by every definition of the word. Therefore, you should acquire enough stamina through regular physical exercise daily to fuel you through the labor from start to finish. Simply put you need a good nutritional plan, exercise regiment and proven relaxation techniques for not just physical relaxation, but emotional and mental relaxation, as well. The twelve week course in The Bradley Method® has all the above besides with YourBirthHelper.com its not just a childbirth class or doula service, we do life together! Couples can plug in as little or as much as they would like. My mantra, "You begin as students, but you end as family!" Below classmates of Amy & Josh aka their #AthensBirthFamily! Interview with Josh~ FOOD FOR THOUGHT FROM DAD'S POINT OF VIEW: Me: The biggest challenge preparing for labor/ practicing for the big day? Josh: Sadly we did not do our relaxation homework as much as we should have. We did do it sporadically, but we couldn’t connect practice with the real thing: Meaning the pain she would need to relax through we couldn’t simulate (of course!). So we neglected relaxation practice. We did read all the material for each class. I read many books, Husband Coached Childbirth twice, and a few other natural childbirth books my mom gave me. Amy was amazing at keeping to the diet. She loves planning and detail and so recording everything she ate and making sure she hit her goal every day was right in her wheelhouse. We celebrated everyday when she ate 90 g and above protein. I was very proud of her dedication. Me: How do you feel your relationship has changed since your son was born? Josh: I don’t think our relationship has changed. We have been together for a while (12 years) and are very committed to one another. I will say that I certainly could not have felt more love than watching what she did during the birth. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. But, to be fair, I knew she was like that from the beginning so I wasn’t too surprised. No man would ever be able to endure that. Me: TRUE ~ VERY TRUE! LOL AMY'S TIPS ON TRAINING: Me: Why did you chose The Bradley Method®? Amy: Josh was a Bradley baby so we were open to the idea. We wanted to give our baby the best possible start and loved the idea of minimal interventions. We did it for our baby! Me: What you feel (in your words) was the most beneficial prep during the 12 weeks i. e. Nutritional plan, exercise prep, relaxation practice, labor role play etc. ? Amy: For me, the combination of all of the prep was important. I wanted to do everything possible to prep for the big day/marathon... and we used every bit of it after all! Dean Pannell, of Pannell Designs & Events in Bogart, provided each mom a beautiful rose during their childbirth class graduation celebration. Why should you attend Birth Training? Because, what comes instinctive, is to do everything wrong! Oh the irony. Likewise, men do not naturally possess "labor coaching" skills either. Most possess zero knowledge on how to best support their partner without proper advance research, education and skills. Let's face it, just because we have the body parts as women, does NOT mean we know how to best handle a contraction, let alone expelling a baby from our body, nor the proper breastfeeding basics and the list goes on. Dr. Robert A. Bradley said it best, "It takes 9 months to grow a baby full term and it takes 9 months to learn what you need to know to properly care for and nourish it before its born." And, in the words of Pamela Sauls, AAHCC, " It takes 12 months to determine which birth story contained so much unpredictability, while maintaining our goal of #SymbioticBirth collaborative teamwork, despite days of labor, with an amazing birth team, at an amazing birth place! In this particular 2017 feature birth story, despite all odds, the couple still managed to accomplish their goal of an "epidural free birth!" Luckily, for Amy Clevenger, her husband took his role as Labor Coach seriously and agreed the twelve week training in The Bradley Method® just made sense because he desired the skills to better assist her and not go blindly into birthing. Not only did the couple attend a two hour weekly class in Athens, Ga, they reviewed the student workbook, instead of allowing the book to collect dust or stay in the car all week. The exercise & nutritional plan alone are the basics to staying healthy and low risk, ensuring as a laboring mother, Amy would have even more choices. Often what comes natural to us during childbirth is to do everything wrong- not right. That is the same reason why I caution clients who go with the "do whatever your body tells you" concept to labor and birth, you might need a different plan. Now don't get me wrong, you CAN do business that way, but why would you want to be in higher thresholds of pain and discomfort if you didn't have to? For starters, you need to know when a contraction hits and everything in you wants to RISE UP~ you gotta welcome your inner namaste and allow your body to SINK DOWN! It is not as easy as some think. Its also why many couples who do not educate lose site of their target birth experience in late labor. Their plans all of a sudden change and they are asking for epidural or surgery to bring a sudden end to the process. Cooked like a turkey DONE, as I like to say. You see labor has a way of making us feel this way, "just get it over with already!" In my book of birthing, there is little instinctively done correct by the average woman, experiencing an average labor, especially if transition is involved. However, when we teach ourselves how to properly respond to contractions, all of a sudden the ball game changes. We flip the script. Moms are no longer objecting to more contractions, when they understand the process they are welcoming contractions so as to finish strong. The closer together, the stronger- the BETTER! In Bradley® classes we call this, Relating Pain with Progress. Daily training is very beneficial, utilizing the training plan that weekly builds, pays off big on labor day. Being a relaxation expert by the time you go into labor, pays off big and couples like Josh & Amy would never had been able to weather the challenges they faced during their labor and birth without applying what they learned. Couple's that experience a difficult long labor and those couples who have not prepared for unexpected variations or medical complications are in a position where even one small challenge can derail mom's birth plan. In this years, Georgia Birth Story of the Year, Amy had six major stumbling blocks and it took many hours of endurance and active coaching to overcome and still birth vaginally, let alone without an epidural. A prime example, Training matters. Practice matters. The natural process of childbirth hasn't changed much but what you are subjected to in a medical birth experience varies greatly from hospital to hospital and even from practice to practice but the very best start to life remains a low intervention drug free birth. That hasn't changed at all and FDA continues their stance that NO DRUG has ever been proven 100% safe for mom or baby. We are grateful for our medical professionals and the advances that save many lives, but we are also grateful for medical professionals who welcome the natural process and save those interventions for the few who actually require them during true medical complications. Josh and Amy desired to avoid as many routine procedures, intervention and drugs as possible, including induction. In the days leading up to active labor, they did a number of things to help prep her body. We did pressure point work for her Friday before while she enjoyed floating in a friends pool. On Wednesday following, we met up for a very country breakfast @ Strickland's family restaurant in Athens. After, together we traveled to Clarkesville, a city in north Georgia, to walk up a mountain literally! For lunch, she ate crazy asian food covered in all sorts of wild sauces, then we walked some more! When I dropped her off back at home, she was having mild contractions. Active Labor kicked in high gear on Friday Sept 1st , 2017 (she was due Aug 23rd). Her baby was born epidural free on Sept 4th @ 11:40am against all odds in classic position. As the baby was placed on her chest, Amy cried out, "Awww his head looks like a peanut!" Keep reading and find out why and how unbelievable it truly was that baby Phoenix managed to find the exit. My earlier years of assisting births dates back to end of 1991, but this birth story contained a first for me as shortly after arriving at their birth place, they learned they were placed on lock down for an active shooter in the hospital. Yup, you can't make this stuff up. The shooter was on the 5th floor, Labor & Delivery lock down on the 3rd floor. That certainly could destroy your relaxation in about 2 seconds flat. Yet, despite all the craziness, Amy maintained her relaxed state to the best of her ability. To better understand just what all Amy overcame to birth vaginally, allow me to take you through the hurdles she jumped and cleared with help from her husband coach, myself as doula, supportive nurses and two awesome "hands off" midwives. AMY, along with her husband JOSH coaching, endured an extremely long labor. Which challenged both dad and mom. Josh did not realize how difficult it was to stay awake 2.5 days while assisting Amy through contractions every few minutes. Amy had a slow to dilate cervix and at one point a tired uterus with contractions spacing out and getting shorter. An Asynclitic head position certainly didn't help any (Phoenix decided to put the side of his head into the birth canal). Misaligned head presentation was suspected as a possible reason for holding up the labor. If the baby fails to align the smallest portion of the back of the head in the birth canal, a variety of labor challenges can follow. Often we find in the weeks and days prior, prodromal labor occurs. Not only can this create more rapid short contractions (often the body's way of trying to alter the position), but often only serves to burn up a lot of moms energy and keeps her from sleeping prior to active labor. It is never a good starting point for a woman to go into hard labor already exhausted. This is true for dad, as well. When accompanied with other unusual pain, such as glut pain, we can have a baby who decides to come out looking all cute (like Phoenix did) hand up under his chin... so now Amy is not only birthing a head but also a hand. The hands and knees position can be beneficial to ease glut pain and added pressure. Needless to say, this power couple together handled each stumbling block, maintained the dedication to the natural process by not focusing on the length of the labor but assuring good positioning throughout, that both mom and baby were fine and a hands off relaxing environment, along with, avoiding an epidural was key to her successful push phase. Upon birth we also realized she had a short umbilical cord (on average they are around 21 inches long) her cord was also fused into the membranes. Interview with AMY~ TIPS FOR MOMS WHO DESIRE TO AVOID PAIN MANAGEMENT: Me: What would you describe was the key element, other than your own stubbornness that allowed you to endure such a trying Labor without an epidural? Amy: I wanted the best for our baby and wanted to avoid an epidural. I also had a supportive coach/husband and doula that helped me through. Our midwife was also helpful, being open to working through our situation and options, respecting our preferences and safety. Me: What you feel helped you the most? Include positions or tub, ball, etc. or certain relaxation techniques, such as 8th grade dance, counter pressure, music, low verbal noises, etc. Amy: changing and trying ALL positions was the key to progressing the labor. It is not easy but so important in labor, especially one like mine. The low verbal noises, grunting and music were also important getting through the labor contractions. Me: Best Advice for moms who experience long labor who want to labor epidural free? Amy: I had faith I could get through the labor, even though I may have doubted myself at times. If you have faith and trust yourself, your coach, support and medical team, I think you can do more than you expect. Rely on what you learned and trust your body! Thinking about meeting your baby and the gift you’re giving it helps too! Their labor, no doubt, was by every definition of the word, a prime example of what I like to call, "SYMBIOTIC BIRTH"... normality plus only medically necessary interventions. A perfect blend of two mindsets. This concept is very refreshing to educated couples who have prepared, practiced and are devoted to properly apply what they have learned. Having a basis of knowledge of common issues during labor, with proper informed consent, they dealt with each unexpected situation one at a time! It is important for doctors, midwives and other hospital staff to realize educated couples, like Josh and Amy, will gladly alter their birth plans, if a medical complication arises. Likewise, if mom and baby are fine, they prefer to be left alone to work through labor using a variety of comfortable positions, keeping disruptions to a minimum and avoiding routine interventions that do not apply to them. Having supportive staff can often make the difference between drug free and/or low intervention birth and failure to progress/unproductive labor that often ends in surgery. What staff says in front of the laboring MOM & DAD also matters! Negative words have the ability to empower or defeat the couple. Dr. Bradley shared approximately 3% of mothers truly have a medical need for a c-section and another 3% have a true medical need for various medicine, including things like BP lowering meds, pitocin, etc. Statistically, that leaves approximately 94% of women, particularly if educated, trained and in a supportive birth place, quite capable of birthing their baby free of medical interventions. FINAL THOUGHTS FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH THIS AMAZING POWER COUPLE : Me: Why did you decide to hire YourBirthHelper.com? Amy: We knew you were very experienced in ‘happy birth days’ and that you would support us and make sure we made educated decisions throughout labor. Having your support was a major factor in sticking as close as possible to our birth plan. Me: What was your Biggest challenge of your Birth marathon. Amy: the pure exhaustion of being in labor so long was the biggest challenge, which let doubt creep in at one point. I’m glad I didn’t let it beat me down! Me: Why Did you Decide to Hire a DOULA and your biggest challenge during long labor? Josh: The best thing I did in my life was ask Pam to be our doula. I wouldn’t have held up the whole time without her there, and I can guarantee Amy would have ended with an epidural or surgery. I think what helped me the most was having run many half marathons and a full marathon. Dr. Bradley says childbirth is an endurance event, and not just for the moms. When running long distance it is a mental game, you always have small goals. Every time you hit a goal you move on to the next one. Then before you know it you’re at the end. During Amy’s contractions, I thought of every one as a small goal. Every time she made it through one that was one she didn’t have to endure again. That helped me keep going. I will admit it made her mad when I told her that every one got her a little closer. She called me a liar. The best thing I will do next time (if there is a next time) is pay attention to my rest (as coach) and nutrition as the date got closer. I thought we would do the relaxation at home for a while, go to the hospital at the right time, and be there for pushing and pictures. I never envisioned I would have to not only be awake for two and a half days, but also do so much work. Amy’s contractions started on Friday, but they weren’t that strong or very close together. On Saturday I was a dumb dumb and didn’t read the signs well enough (even though my mom let me know) and I went on a 5 mile run! That was so stupid because I didn’t go to sleep again for the night until Monday! When it gets close I should have made sure I was well rested and full of carbohydrates. Childbirth is a serious business and is even work for us men. Not as much obviously, but I was not going to take breaks or relax when she had to do so much work! I also think being more serious about talking about plans when you are thrown curve balls is good. When it’s 30 hours in and your partner is really getting blasted things can get emotional and it’s hard to make decisions. I think the decision we made (thanks to Pam) was awesome, but I wish I could have made it earlier. We maybe pushed it a little too far. So if I had to be concise I would say: (1) Have help from someone who has experience (2) Take care of yourself and be well rested as the date gets close (3) Be overly prepared for complications and how you and your partner want to handle them (4) Marvel at the miracle. Dear WORLD, This is baby Phoenix. The little "peanut head" as mom proclaimed after birth. Some may find it interesting to know, his proud father, Josh, happens to be a Research Scientist who studies peanuts... how ironic? On behalf of the entire Your Birth Helper Family, Thank you Josh & Amy for your dedication to the natural process of BIRTH! Special thanks to the amazing midwives of Women's Healthcare Associates & the amazing nurses of St. Mary's hospital Athens, GA. Your support to couples and their birth plans is greatly appreciated. It is my utmost pleasure to honor your efforts during your birth marathon as, 2017 BIRTH STORY OF THE YEAR FOR GEORGIA P.S. I often contradict moms & dads who say they could not have accomplished their birth goals without me... I respond this way, "Sure you could have, you just wouldn't have had as much FUN! Happy Amazing belated "BIRTH" DAY Phoenix! Love, Ms. Pam #YourBirthHelper #DoulaAssistedBirth #Birthwithoutanepidural #MidwifeAssistedHospitalBirth #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #AthensBirthFamily #PregnancyEducation #PreparingforBirthing #EpiduralFreeBirth #AsyncliticHeadPosition #LongLabor

How does one decide to take childbirth classes, to hire a Doula, to birth in or out of a hospital? First, allow me to introduce you to Jon & Ashley Attard. They were expecting baby #1 together and Ashley desired a natural out of hospital experience. Jon wasn't new to birth, he has a ten year old son, but he was new to playing an active role of Coach during labor. You see, with his first son, he had not attended any childbirth education classes and only filled the role of spectator during a medicated birth in a hospital setting. The trouble going that route, is most men have zero prior knowledge or applicable skills instilled in them to assist their wife during her birth marathon thus leaving them feeling powerless and simply having to watch their loved one in pain. With this labor & birth, not only would he assume his role as husband coach eagerly, he would have training from the YourBirthHelper team on ways to best handle labor and assist Ashley with more productive positions, effective proven relaxation techniques to help reduce her pain, coach her throughout various stages of labor & birth, labor with her at home, assess her labor & when to leave for the birth center, etc. Nope, willingly assuming his role as a trained husband coach, he understood he would be ever present, hands on while lovingly assisting Ashley. To compliment his active participation, they would also have the assistance of a team of helpers. Together, they would bring their baby into the world! Yes, Ashley was planning a complete opposite experience of Jon's first. When Ashley explained to Jon what a doula was and why she desired to hire one he was not offended. Actually, he admitted during their initial consult, he felt quite clueless when it came to childbirth. More so, with his easily excited/nervous personality, he could possibly be too freaked out during hard labor to know what to do and how to help her, especially should she have a first labor worse case scenario. (That was, of course, before he trained). Step One: Chose training that WORKS. Anyone can say they teach a childbirth class, but it is way more than just saying you took a class. You need skills to take with you. You need at least the basics: how to eat properly to grow a healthy placenta, healthy uterus, healthy baby & keep mom healthy & low risk, (especially if considering an out of hospital birth). You need a proven exercise & relaxation plan that grows with you. The closer you get to your due date, the more time you focus on your homework, finish strong. You need skills including: what does mom do during labor, what does dad do during labor, how does dad help mom reduce unnecessary pain & discomfort, etc. You must APPLY what you learn. The best case scenario would be the twelve week preparation in The Bradley Method® a proven tested method of natural birth. Bearing you make good decisions, you do not have medical reasons for surgery, mom stays healthy & low risk and you actually apply what you learned, the method is quite successful in drug free, low intervention birth. On average, 87% of couples who properly train & prepare experience low intervention drug free birth by choice. Search www.bradleybirth.com to find an affiliated teacher near you. Keep in mind as with all others, these are independent instructors. It is important to know the experience level of who is teaching your class. If your work schedules simply will not allow you to participate in a 12 week course, consider at least attending a few training workshops like YourBirthHelper.com offers. You need to, at least, acquire the basics and begin prepping your body by the second trimester, if all possible. Then a labor role play can be particularly beneficial to your coach, closer to your due date. Practice makes perfect. What comes natural to us in labor is often the opposite of what we should be doing to reduce discomfort. Having zero training is never a good plan, despite your choice to medicate or not, have an in hospital birth, birth center or home. Training is key and can prevent a multitude of problems near term & throughout pregnancy in general. First, Jon recognized he was pretty clueless about how to help. In his words... Jon: “I wanted some professional to help Ashley birth naturally & free of medical intervention. The thought of the pain she would be in just blew my mind. I didn’t know where to even tell her to put her legs or how to breathe! At our initial consult, I was left feeling confident that I could be a great coach and you would help guide me! Pam: "After training, Jon not only knew how Ashley should properly breathe, but helped her with a variety of positions both throughout early, active & late labor and actively supported Ashley during the birth, as well. I could not have been more proud of him!" Step Two: Choose a DOULA you feel comfortable with. Start by searching local doulas in your area. Often your doctor, midwife or birth center can make a referral. Likewise, check in with your mommy groups, are there local speed dating events, etc. You can hire a Doula at any time, but keep in mind like your practitioners, they work from a calendar. It is helpful to doula's to at least be able to hold your due date in their planner. With babies being quite unpredictable, some on time, some two weeks early, some two weeks late, the earlier you hire a doula, typically the better. What if dad starts feeling overwhelmed in late pregnancy? No worry, YourBirthHelper.com has taken clients due anytime, but again thats not the best case scenario. Having some time to get to know your doula, get some training in, etc. is the best plan for success. Join in our #BirthFamily events around the city. You can't ever go wrong surrounding yourself with likeminded people. I think Jon enjoyed the help of the #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam as much as Ashley did! Often men in particular, do not realize the Doula serves as support to the couple, to achieve their wishes, for their birth, their way. Dad included! Jon: "I would tell other men, not to worry about the little stuff, because as you guided me, I learned more and more that as a team, we would be able to get through it and have a successful labor." Jon also learned, not every stage of labor is overwhelming. In fact, most couples do not need any assistance during early phases of labor. We teach if its not at least a 60 second contraction, go about your business as normal. In fact, many practices ask healthy moms to use the 4-1-1 meaning 4 minute apart or less contraction frequency, at least (60 seconds) 1 minute long duration, consistent for over an hour prior to heading over. For many couples, a great majority of their labor will be managed at home prior to arrival at their birth place, as was the case for Ashley. Since she was birthing at Baby & Company Charlotte, they suggest arriving during Active Labor (around 6cm as ACOG suggests). Jon & Ashley took comfort in knowing they had 24/7 access to consult or acquire tips for the earlier phases. After training, Jon was able to properly assess the stages of labor and made a great decision of when to leave for their birth place. Simply put, he rocked his coach role at home and at the birth center. As you can see here, even in late labor, Ashley and Jon enjoy some laughter during a break between her powerful contractions. Pam: "With quality education comes knowledge, when knowledge is applied that becomes power! It is not that mom can not take another contraction physically, but often a lack of emotional support during her labor that holds her up or causes increased pain levels. Mentally, she should be "ever present" on this most important work, freeing her mind of all other matters. Her body needs her to relax, sink down & surrender to her uterus. Her job is to fill the uterus with air, lean in and stay out of its way. It matters that her coach loves her enough to help her through the contractions and has the skills to assist her into productive positions, etc. There are some tricks to the trade. We can make our labor & birth harder by doing things incorrectly and we definitely can make labor easier to manage when we do things right during a contraction. That takes practice it does not typically come instinctively. I do believe most men truly want to assist their wives, they just don't know in advance what to do. Much like us women...remember, just because we have the body parts, does not mean we know what to do with them during labor, birth or breastfeeding for that matter." Ashley: "I could not be more pleased with what a great help Jon was and he has continued to be since we came home! Both of us totally misjudged his abilities!!" Dr. Robert A. Bradley: "A trained husband Coach can do way more for his laboring wife than any amount of medication." Jon: "Actually seeing the birth happen and being a big part of it was my favorite aspect of the process!" In engineering, The Hawthorne Effect (the effect of personal attention on another) is extremely powerful. In birthing, the teamwork aspect goes a long way. When dad has the right training & tools to help mom, quite remarkable results occur. Ashley & Jon parents were both 12 hours away, in different directions. They knew they wouldn't have a support team of family members in Charlotte to help out. Therefore, when they found out what exactly a doula was, they immediately were on board with hiring one. Ashley first looked over several different profiles and websites for doulas in the area and kept coming back to YourBirthHelper.com Our motto: You begin as students but you end as FAMILY~ #BirthFamily #CharlotteBirthFamily We do life together! Ashley: "I honestly felt something in seeing your picture on your doula speed date profile, which ended up being a picture of you with a couple you helped deliver twice. Our reasoning for wanting a doula to support us while laboring at home initially was because of the birth center delayed arrival and just wanting you there closer to delivery. I knew we were going to be laboring at home for a big majority of the time. I was very proud that I labored the first 12 hours on my own, while texting you to confirm that I was legitimately in labor! Once that 13th hour hit though, the pain got more intense and I knew I needed you and your team to head my way. I started really feeling more labor pains and Jon started to get nervous. I guess if someone was to have a hospital birth, they may not be concerned with laboring at home, but knowing what we do now, we would recommend laboring at home, regardless of the planned birth location." Your own environment with familiar surroundings and family pets can be very comforting during the labor process. They have a keen sense of awareness when mom is near or in labor. It is recommended to bring the baby's first (unwashed) hat home so family pets may acquire the scent of the baby prior to baby's homecoming. Ashley: "I knew from the start of my pregnancy that I wanted a natural delivery and that I did not want to deliver in a hospital. I also know that we are very lucky that I had such a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery, there are so many things that could happen. I believe the birth center and your workshop totally helped prepare us and helped with our goals! Once labor started, it was just needing everyone to keep reminding me what my plan and goals were to keep me on the right path!!" Happy "Birth"day Noah Ross Attard, weighing 8lbs 1 oz, 19 3/4" long ten days early. Mom & Dad couldn't be more proud and neither could the entire YourBirthHelper #CharlotteDoulaDreamTeam! Special thanks to Baby & Co staff and the amazing Nancy Cook & doula apprentice, Allison Termeer (who gave birth herself just 17 days after)! #YourBirthHelper #naturalbirth #SymbioticBirth #DrugFreeBirth #BirthCenterBirth #HusbandCoachedChildbirth #Daddyhelpedbirthme #DelayedCordClamping #BabyCo #CharlotteBirthFamily #DoulaAssistance #Doula #LaborCoaching #Birthwithoutanepidural