Rabu, 30 Januari 2008

Epidural Anesthesia- Worth the Risk?

So you’re pregnant! It seems that one of the first things that a woman thinks about upon finding out she is pregnant is the pain of childbirth. It’s the first thing that popped into my mind when I found out I was pregnant with my first son. It seems that it is brushed aside quite easily though, once we remind ourselves that we have the option of epidural anesthesia. It’s safe, and everyone gets one, right? Wrong. If you find yourself considering an epidural, please make sure you are fully aware of all risks and side effects associated with it before committing to the decision of having one.

An epidural is a drug cocktail of opioids that is administered into the ‘epidural space’ which is a part of the spine. It causes a loss of sensation and a loss of pain by blocking the nerves near the spinal cord.

Quick Facts:

 Women who receive an epidural are more likely to experience a longer labor, increasing the likelihood of them receiving pitocin to augment labor.

 Pitocin highly increases the risk of the baby showing signs of distress (depressed fetal heart tones, decreased oxygen, etc) as well as possible mal-presentation, which can lead to a cesarean birth.

 Epidurals increase the risk of a posterior baby not rotating (due to the mother being confined to the bed and unable to labor in different positions), which increases the risk of cesarean section.

 The mother will almost certainly be given a bladder catheter which can cause bladder infection.

 There is the possibility that your epidural will have ‘block failure’ leading to no pain relief whatsoever (statistics state this is a 1/20 chance).

 When it comes time to push, the mother cannot feel the ‘urge’ that she would feel naturally, increasing the risk of vacuum and/or forceps extraction, as well as cesarean section.

 There can be loss of function of the sympathetic nervous system, which can cause respiratory paralysis in the mother (which would also cause lack of oxygen to the baby).

 Epidural has been known to cause cardiac arrest (although quite rare).

 Opioids in the epidural cross the placenta and get to the baby causing it to be drowsy and disassociated following birth. This can severely disrupt the breastfeeding relationship.


All women go into motherhood with the best of intentions, and yet I see so many that do not research their childbirth. An unmedicated childbirth is an amazing and beautiful thing. It’s a rite of passage and something you will truly never forget- and not only that, it’s completely doable!!!! Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time! During an unmedicated childbirth, your body releases endorphins, which is nature’s pain killer. Your brain will also releases a chemical called oxytocin (the love hormone). The release of oxytocin causes your uterus to contract, and it also initiates the bonding process with your baby. The baby being more alert after birth will help to cement the breastfeeding relationship more quickly which helps with bonding. Oxytocin and endorphin production are blocked when you receive medication.

On the flip side of things, there is a time and a place for epidural anesthesia in my opinion. I believe if a laboring mother is at a point where she is exhausted from a very long and drawn out labor, an epidural may be what she needs in having a successful vaginal birth. There are exceptions to everything of course. I encourage you all to do the research yourself and see what you come up with.

If you wish to have an unmedicated childbirth, consider taking action ahead of time! Consider hiring a midwife in a birth center or for a home birth. You drastically reduce your chances of asking for anesthesia if there’s none around! Hiring a doula will also reduce your chances of epidural in any situation. According to Childbirth.Org, having a doula will reduce your risk of requesting an epidural by 60%. I also strongly encourage childbirth education classes where you can learn coping techniques for your birth.

Above all, have a beautiful birth and make it exactly what you want it to be.


See more birth articles.



Danielle Griffin
Holistic Doula Services
www.holistic-doula.com

Senin, 28 Januari 2008

More Maternity Photos!

There was a second photographer at the shoot I had last weekend (was it last weekend? Hmmm). She got some really cute shots also that I wanted to share. Her site is located here:

Maternity Photography- Sindea Horste





Jumat, 25 Januari 2008

Maternity Photos!

I had my Maternity Photography done this last weekend and wanted to share!!!!

Baby is due in less than four weeks. I am very excited. :D












This is the guy that did our family photos last May. He's just getting better all the time!!!!

Check out his site if you're interested in photos (and you're in WA):

Maternity Photography

Rabu, 23 Januari 2008

Gas pains pay off

In an earlier blog I reported problems with my vehicle. Let me remark and confess - my "bad feelings" about the experience proved to be WASTED ENERGY! Everything turned out fine: the car is good to go, the station owner was true to his word, the insurance company has paid the claim. Yes, I was needlessly nervous about the cash output I made at the end of last year. It's all back in my pocket.
So the only one who needs to learn from this is ME. Some days it is OK to be a Pollyanna. My gosh, how tainted was I while a part of the corporate world? What happened to trusting people? I have got to get my groove back and go about believing more in my fellow man.
Remember the movie "Pay It Forward"? One of my corny favorites, I do recommend it highly. All it takes is one person to do a good turn for another. Now, granted, this station owner had the insurance and knew the routine, etc. All the same, the good turns were done by the people impacted by the water in their tanks; we helped each other. With any sense at all we each will go on and pay the favor forward to someone else in some other way. Give it a try and make your corner, edge, circle of the world that much better.
Go out and see "The Bucket List" in spite of the reviews. Those had to be written by people who haven't lived fully. Yes, it is predictable but that's fine. It makes smiles and tears and sense. Then, as the list says, do something for a complete stranger, just for the good of it.
Happy Wednesday!

The Girls Are Here!


Friday we picked up our two latest foster dogs: Serena and Venus. They were part of a group of dogs which had been tied together and to trees, one county away. None of the 20 + dogs, numerous cats, and couple of horses had much care. It is not that they'd been abused, but they had been neglected. They were hungry and cold and very scared. Serena (black) is now energetic and vivacious but we have to keep her calm. Venus (blond) is still very shy, perhaps she never felt a human's touch before, and so she stays willingly in a warm crate without any interest in leaving right now.
Both girls have heart worm so will be here for awhile. They have their spay surgeries Thursday and HW treatments start after that. Please keep them in your thoughts. They need good homes! They have been housetrained easily in spite of the fact that we've had to feed them several times a day to get their weight up as well as make sure the meals are small enough to not upset their systems and cause problems.

Sabtu, 19 Januari 2008

New Foster Dogs - Ultimate Challenge

Dog gone it the outside is cold! Lucky us we don't have to spend a lot of time out in it. And, now that we have two new foster dogs, neither do they. A nearby county drew attention around here this week with the discovery of 20 dogs kept outside at a farm. There were plenty of outside cats and at least 2 horses suffering also. Our APL took a majority of the dogs. We have females who were picked up yesterday. They and the other two still at the shelter were the last to be rescued. One of ours is extremely frightened, just now willing to sit next to me without being held on to and not ready for a leash but wearing a collar. She did eat. All the dogs that came in yesterday have heartworm. Ours have fleas and perhaps some other worms. The second one we have has a more outgoing manner and clearly was in a home at one time. The story goes that people left animals at this farm knowing the woman would care for them. OK so far, for she did. But then she died. You can imagine. Only a part time caregiver who was in over her head. The result: Pregnant dogs. Dead puppies. Dogs chained together. Disease. Stress. To stay warm one dog clawed its way to a rotting tree and dug out enough to have a shelter. The good news is there will be more good news as these animals have employed all their survival instincts and are alive to be treated, trained, cared for, and placed in loving homes. Won't that be a great start to 2008?
People who dump animals - well, that's a topic unto itself. But, anyone who thinks having pets is easy or inexpensive needs to change their thinking. Months ago I stated to staff at APL that the economy's downturn was going to start showing in the adoption rate. It probably has but it sure has shown up in the number of abandoned pets. Be careful with your critters. Take care of yourself and them.

Selasa, 01 Januari 2008

In Memory Of


In a few days we mark the 2nd anniversary of my dad's death.It seems like forever yet it was almost yesterday.I didn't know until a couple of years before his death that he wrote poetry, meaningful poetry.There were many about WWII but more about his love for my mom.It was quite a discovering.I learned from them.Learned some more of why I do what I do.
If you can, reach out to your family and learn about yourself before there is no gift of time during which you can do it.