Birth Plans

Ever been told by a friend/family member/”helpful” stranger not to bother writing up a birth plan because, “things never go according to plan during birth anyway” ?  Or have you ever heard, “this is our birth plan as long as things go smoothly”?  These are some common sentiments on birth plans.  The truth is, it is because birth does not always go “as planned” or “smoothly” that birth plans are important. I like the way that birthingnaturally.net explains it, “If every labor followed a normal pattern there would be very little need for a birth plan. Because every labor is different and you can not know what labor has in store for you before it begins, your birth plan is an additional tool to help you communicate how you have decided to handle both the normal variations of labor and the unexpected situations that may arise. It gives hospital staff who do not know you the opportunity to understand what assistance you will need and how they can best support you through a difficult labor.

The birth plan is a useful tool in communicating with your care provider, the hospital staff and others attending your birth on what your preference are but that is not its only function.  As you write your birth plan you start exploring your options; educating yourself on the risks/benefits of common interventions and procedures; asking questions of your care provider and place of birth on protocol and standard procedures. Not only do you start making choices but you know why you have chosen the things you have. The journey of creating the plan may be more influential on your birth than the actual piece of paper which you hand to the nurse.

Want to learn more about writing birth plans? The makeup of an effective birth plan? Using your birth plan to facilitate healthy communication with your care provider, hospital staff, and birth partner?  A rundown on options available (including explanation of many hospital procedures, interventions, standards of practice)? Then our birth plan workshop may be right up your alley!

When: 10am-Noon, Saturday, April 28th

Where: I will be hosting this workshop in my home, which is located directly across from BroMenn Hospital in Normal, IL.  After you’ve registered the address will be sent to you via e-mail.

Cost: $45 per couple (workshop fee is waived for students of Jessica’s Christian Childbirth Class and doula clients of Jessica or Malory).  Attendees will receive a “birth planning checklist” and will be given the opportunity to have their birth plans reviewed after the workshop is completed. To Register call Jessica at 309-319-6035 or e-mail her at one.doula@gmail.com

Unable to make it to the workshop but still interested in the information and assistance?  Both Jessica and Malory also offer a 90 minute private, in-home birth plan consultation for $60.  Contact them for more information and to schedule your consultation.

*** This workshop is intended to supplement, not take the place of, a comprehensive childbirth education class.***

Next set of classes to start in February!

Baby Teegarden is here!!

and it’s a BOY!

Henry Richard was born at home on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 3:51am! 8lbs 15oz and 21″ long!

Our winner of the $5 Starbucks gift card is….Robert Z!!!

You can view the results on the game page by clicking HERE

Thanks everyone for playing!!

Guess Baby Teegarden’s Birth Stats!

Hi everyone! Who wants to play a guessing game?

As some of you may know, I am expecting our third little one to be born any day now and I thought that it would be fun to let everyone put in their guess as to what baby’s birth stats will be: such as gender, birthdate, etc.

We do not already know baby’s gender and are so looking forward to discovering who this new little person is! I love surprises!

We will only keep the game open until Saturday morning- so get your guesses in quick!  All you have to do is click on the link below and then click on “enter a guess”- no need to register or anything like that.  Just enter your best guess and then wait for the big announcement to see if you’ve won! Of course, there will even be a small prize for the winner! How does a $5 giftcard to Starbucks sound? Yum! Who doesn’t like free coffee?!

CLICKY HERE —->Ready to Enter My Guess

Here are a few helpful hints:

*My due date with #3 is November 3.

*Our first, Ivory (girl), was born at 39weeks + 3days and weighed 8lbs 10oz.

*Our second, Graham (boy), was also born at 39weeks + 3days. He weighed in at 8lbs 4oz.

Go put in your guess now!!

Re-interviewing your doctor

Many women start seeing an OB/GYN when they start having a menstrual cycle.  The doctor that you see once a year for your annual takes on a whole new role once you become pregnant or start trying to conceive (and you will see them a lot more often!) But is the doctor that you have always seen for your yearly exam the right doctor for your pregnancy and delivery?

Typically, a fourteen year old girl does not go into picking a doctor (if she had a say in the matter at all) asking what their philosophy of childbirth is or under what circumstances they would preform a cesarean section.  Once she is older and starts thinking about that area of her reproductive health- it is time to “re-interview” her care provider and find out if they are the right fit.  Going along with a doctor because that is who you’ve always seen is not necessarily the best method for choosing a care-provider for your pregnancy/birth.

photo source: blog.drfirst.com

One of the first questions that you want to ask yourself is whether an Ob/GYN  is the type of care provider you would like to use for your birth- would you prefer a family doctor? a midwife?  You should also think about where you would like to give birth (hospital, birth center, home) as that will also have an impact on the type of care-provider you choose.  Of course, not every community offers every option (for instance, the Bloomington/Normal area does not currently have an out-of-hospital birth center).

The Childbirth Connection has developed great pdf documents of questions to ask potential care providers that you can print off and has plenty of extra space for your notes.  You can find the links below:

Questions for midwife
Questions for physician 

And don’t forget- even if you are far along in your pregnancy- it is not too late to switch care-providers.  If you have concerns about your current care make sure to address them with your provider.  If communicating these fail to bring an acceptable resolution then, by all means, you may want to begin the process of switching care providers.  While it may not be easy, especially if you are close to delivery, it most likely will be worth it!

Healthy Babies Are Worth The Wait

There has been a lot of talk in the news and on social media outlets about the new March of Dimes’ campaign, “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait” which has shined a spotlight on elective inductions before 39 weeks.  Even our local paper, The Pantagraph, featured a story about how our hospitals are joining the effort.

I was excited to read that Maureen Corry of Childbirth Connection recently visited Peoria where she spoke about “Preventing Elective Deliveries Before 39 Weeks” at Quality Quest’s annual meeting, visited OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, and met with members of the Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms Team. I was even more excited to see she shared her presentation “Steps Toward a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System: Preventing Elective Deliveries Before 39 Weeks.”  Be sure to check out her article on how attempts at transforming maternal medical care is playing out in Peoria and check out the presentation slideshow below.

Quality Quest for Health Peoria, IL

View more presentations from childbirthconnection

Support our Local La Leche League and WIN!

Monday marks the beginning of the 2011 World Breastfeeding Week- and we have the perfect way to ring it in!

Our local La Leche League of Bloomington-Normal is having a bake sale table at the Downtown Bloomington Farmer’s Market THIS Saturday. The mother-t0-mother support and encouragement that this group offers is invaluable to our community. Go. Buy baked goods. Support this amazing group. And, as if yummy-baked-goodness and a good cause isn’t enough of a reason to go, we have a giveaway to sweeten the deal (get it? “baked goods”…”sweeten”… teehee)

Upload a picture of yourself with your purchase at the La Leche League bake sale table for an entry into our giveaway. You can either upload the photo onto the bake sale’s Facebook event page here, post a link to your photo in the comments of this blog entry, or tweet the photo @doulajessica. Only one entry per photo.

Our gracious friends at Fusion Brew have offered not one, but two $5 gift certificates to their café (their Vietnamese Iced Coffee is A-Ma-Zing) so we will choose TWO winners.

Recipe: Veggie Omelet

Wanted to share another WIC friendly recipe- Veggie Omelets.  The awesome thing about omelets is there are no set rules about what you can add to them (or if there are- I don’t listen).  This can be especially helpful when feeding picky young eaters because they can choose their own fillings and it is easy for everyone to get exactly what they like.  You can give them a few options (mushrooms, different colored peppers, onions, avocado, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, olives, etc.- heck you could even try adding some fruits like pineapple or strawberries, why not?) and have them fill a bowl with their choices to be added to their omelet later.  I personally like to saute my veggies before adding it to my omelet but you can add them in raw if you like.  All that being said, just take the below recipe as a springboard and be as creative as you like.

Veggie Omelet
Serving Size: 1 omelet

• 2 large eggs (fresh and room temperature are best)
• 1/4 c. diced green pepper
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 1/4 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 c. shredded cheese (if you are using the block cheese you can just cut off a long, thin “strip”- I use whatever cheese we have on hand)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Grab your skillet and melt 1 T. spoon of butter .  Then add your green pepper, onion and mushrooms- cook until they are nice and tender.  Remove veggies with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. While your veggies are sautéing, whisk together your eggs, salt and pepper (if you like softer, “fluffier” eggs you may want to wait to salt until after they’ve cooked and you can add a little bit of water or milk at this point).

3. Pour you egg mixture into the same skillet that you removed the veggies from (you may have to add a little more butter to the pan beforehand) and cook over medium heat. Pay especial attention to the sides of your omelet to make sure they don’t stick to the pan.  You can take your spatula and lift the edges a little as it cooks.

4. Once the bottom is set but the top still a little runny, evenly spread about 3/4 of your veggie mixture and 3/4 of your cheese to one side then fold omelet over.

5. Cover and let stand 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Place omelet on plate and cover with remaining ingredients.  (I also like to top with salsa and sour cream).

Omelets are great for expecting moms (and those trying to conceive) because they give you the opportunity to add some variety to your meal, adding more nutrients and making a more balanced choice.  Another great thing about this meal is that it helps get your protein in – which is so important to your pregnancy and your baby’s health!  Here is a great resource for info on nutrition in pregnancy (including recipes, menu ideas, etc.)- http://birthingnaturally.net/nutrition/index.html

*Depending on the coupons you have- the eggs, various fruits/veggies (look at your WIC info to see which fruits and veggies) and cheese are all covered by WIC.

Our local WIC offices:

McLean county
200 W Front St
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: (309) 888-5457

Peoria county
2116 N Sheridan Rd
Peoria, IL 61604
Phone: (309) 679-6076

Woodford County:
1831 S Main St.
Eureka, IL 61530
Phone: (309) 467-3064

2011 Breastfeeding Friends Fair

 

 

I received this information from the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at our local WIC office and wanted to be sure to pass it along to you!  This event is open to the public.

Resource List- help!

About four years ago I started the process of compiling a list of local resources for moms and families in my community.  About a year later, I started the process of becoming certified as a birth doula through DONA International and one of the requirements was to create a resource list for my community, so I expanded and updated the list once again.  The current list has many categories ranging from birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, chiropractors, parenting support groups, yoga and prenatal exercise classes, VBAC and Cesarean support groups, local baby speciality shops (cloth diapers, baby carriers, breast pumps and supplies, etc.), and is mostly focused on the Bloomington/Normal area. I have tried to keep the list up-to-date but now that it is over three years old- it may just need a major overhaul  I would love for the list to include resources in Peoria, Champaign/Urbana, etc. as well since some of our readers and clients are in those areas.

photo used with permission. photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimi3/3096166092/

So, now is the part where I ask for your help  Do you provide a service to women, children and families in Central, IL? Do you know of great resources that should be on this list? Are there categories that you think should be represented (At the end of this post I will list all the categories that are currently on the list)?  Please- let us know!  I will be spending the next couple weeks contacting everyone that is on the existing list to make sure their info is current as well as looking to expand the list to meet the needs of the families in our area.  If you would like to speak with me personally about this- feel free to e-mail me at one.doula@gmail.com or call 309-319-6035.  Thanks!

Categories on the current list: (Many of these categories where those suggested by DONA)

Abused women shelter and support groups

Addiction services and support groups

Breastfeeding pump and equipment suppliers

 Baby Wearing

Breastfeeding Support Groups

Child abuse protection agencies

Childbirth Educators

Childcare Options 

Children’s Consignment Shops

Children’s Hospitals

Chiropractors

Cloth Diapering

Community Services and Programs

Cultural/Multicultural Resource

Doulas (Birth, Postpartum)

Early Intervention Programs for Babies with Special Needs

Family Doctors/ Pediatricians

Health Food Stores

Hospitals / Minor Emergency Services

Infant Massage

Lactation Consultants

Libraries

Massage Therapists

Maternity/Nursing Clothes

Midwives

New Mothers/Fathers/Parents groups

Obstetricians

Online Resources

Parent’s Support groups

Parenting Classes

Perinatal loss support groups/bereaved families support groups

Photographers (Birth, Maternity, Newborn, Family)

Play groups

Prenatal / Postpartum exercise classes

Support groups for parents of children with special needs

VBAC/CA support groups