Adirondack Birthcraft

04/13/2022

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katebubacz/photos-home-birth?fbclid=IwAR3HYNOVYoe0bbOgXWELFly3--Dc0RzhNcbsSDrgZ8j2wEplFPMgRWVtEPI

“Having control and just being comfortable are the two main things.”

04/08/2022

Oh yes... THIS ...

Everyone should have this information. 👇🏼
This way, if you choose to have IV fluids and or need them, newborn weight and loss/gain can account for this in the first weeks.
In 2011 a team of Canadian researchers published a study which linked routine IV fluids with excessive weight loss in newborns. The study concluded that it takes about 24 hours for babies to correct their fluid state and therefore a true birth weight should be done at 24 hours. Here's the issue with with weighing baby at birth with a mother who received IV fluids: those fluids not only over saturate the mother (throwing her into an electrolyte imbalance), but this same thing happens to baby!
So let's say you had the typical hospital birth..labored for 12 hours with fluids being pumped into you the entire time. Baby is born weighing 8lbs 8oz. You go to your 3 day postpartum checkup and baby is down to 7lbs 5oz! Well..thats over a whole pound lost. The provider you see suddenly encourages you to supplement with formula because your baby is losing too much weight. You wonder how could this be...youve been nursing round the clock, changed plenty of wet diapers. How could this happen? .
You spent months researching breastfeeding and all its benefits for it to come down to this?..and at only 3 days postpartum! You feel like you've failed, but you fear that your baby is starving. So what do you do? You supplement...with formula. Next your milk supply drops because you're not bringing baby to the breast, but rather to the bottle. Before you know it you have an exclusively formula fed baby. .
This scenario is SO common, and I believe receiving IV fluids in labor is a HUGE part of the problem. As if the obstetric community hasn't failed women enough..now their "harmless" interventions caused you to lose all confidence in your ability to feed & nourish your baby from your breasts. .
So what can you do???
1. STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEM!
2. Say NO to routine IV fluids
3. Bring this study to attention if this happens to you
4. Continue nursing your baby. Bring baby to breast as first solution when she cries
5. Nurse in demand NOT on schedule



Edited to add:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948093/

References:
https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-4358-6-9

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174114/pdf/1746-4358-6-9.pdf

https://www.nfaap.org/sso/sso.aspx?nfredirect=https%3A%2F%2Fpediatrics.aappublications.org%2Fcontent%2F127%2F1%2Fe171.abstract%3Fsso%3D1%26sso_redirect_count%3D2%26nfstatus%3D401%26nftoken%3D00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000%26nfstatusdescription%3DERROR%253A%2520No%2520local%2520token&no-redirect

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine put this as well in one of its 2017 protocols.
https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/3-supplementation-protocol-english.pdf

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2011/08/15/study-shows-link-between-maternal-iv-fluids-and-weight-loss-in-newborns/

Good info form evidence based birth.
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/iv-fluids-during-labor/

04/06/2022

Kissing your baby is a big deal ...

“Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?! Amazing, right?” ❤️

~via Momma’s World

04/05/2022

Other cultures really have some interesting and beautiful ways- foreign to us, but important to them...

04/02/2022

We don't really honor this but I believe it is true...

03/30/2022

The hospital in Malone will no longer be delivering babies.

03/29/2022

This!

Posted • .org.au Thank you for the reminder 🤍

03/19/2022

Perspective ...

03/12/2022

Is there any parent out there who hasn't been told by someone at some stage that they need to get their baby in a strict routine for feeding and sleep? That they should let their baby cry, stretch out feeds or not pick them up so much?

There are a number of (very well selling) books that promote the idea that you can train your baby to be a 'good' baby who sleeps all night and doesn't wake up. These types of books tend to promote very strict routines rather than more gentle or gradual methods that work around your baby whilst still keeping that responsive connection. The question is though - do they work? And how do they make parents feel?

A few years ago we did some research on that very question and found that although strict routines did seem to work for a small number of babies. This is most likely in some cases because those babies were leaning naturally towards a routine or were on the verge of becoming a bit more settled anyway.

How in most cases they didn't and often left mothers feeling more stressed, frustrated and miserable than when they started. Why? Because they fight everything to do with normal baby behaviour - in fact, adult behaviour too. Who of us eats and sleeps in a perfect routine and never finds comfort sleeping close to someone at night?

But babies are tiny with more frequent needs - alongside an inbuilt survival instinct to get those needs met. They have tiny tummies and shorter sleep cycles and are calmed by contact and reassurance.
Training babies fights all of this so often doesn't work.

But you can understand why parents try - they're exhausted and probably doing it on their own. It's not one big either / or though. There are gentler ways to encourage your baby to get the best possible sleep for them that can be effective.

But mostly we need a culture which also supports, protects and values new parents better through those exhausting months rather than suggesting something that doesn't work and can leave them feeling even more exhausted.

03/12/2022

Aside from the birth work I did for years and years, I also worked with children- particularly young children. I learned a great deal from them and their parents/families. Not sure I agree with every point made in this list of conditions for healthy development in children, but I do agree with the importance of play. I loved hanging with the wee ones and y'know... I do miss it sometimes.

Let The Children Play
Bev Bos sets out eleven conditions for healthy human growth, and play provides the possibility of obtaining all eleven conditions:
1. 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 - feeling that you are a part of something bigger than yourself
2. 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 - going outside of what’s comfortable, physically, emotionally, socially
3. 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 - learning what your special gifts are
4. 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 - feeling a sense of autonomy or control over your experiences
5. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 - creating or producing something that wasn’t there before
6. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 - learning how to give and receive help
7. 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 - having the chance to have some time to yourself
8. 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿 - enjoying Life and laughing at it’s absurdities
9. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - waiting to get what you want
10. 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 & 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 - knowing that you can look toward others for guidance on how to handle situations and learning that you can be that person for others
11. 𝗥𝗲-𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 - learning how to give back to others or to your community
(list via Richard Cohen's 'Zen and the Art of Early Childhood Education')

Play Podcast: Sarah Aiono of Longworth Education interviewed me for my take on the importance of play in children's lives, and the importance of play in the outdoors. If you are interested, here's the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/09Ofqx4gDGn3ZEt7DSVquq?si=0NWzMt-gQHWb_3_J726l1g&nd=1

03/08/2022

You
Belong

03/05/2022

Interesting ...

ROCHESTER, N. Y. (WHAM) — The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of Americans' lives. One side effect is more parents are giving birth at home instead of hospitals. Virginia just celebrated her first birthday. Her parents, Naomi and Jared Sittig, are some of the many who chose....

02/24/2022

This is tough to read, but... it's the truth...

Today in Black History Month we honor Anarcha Westcott. She was a 17 year enslaved girl who underwent roughly 30 operations without anesthesia for a vesicova**nal fistula ( abnormal connection between va**na and bladder= urine coming through your va**na).

She healed after this surgery. James Marion Sim (we refuse to refer to him as doctor) was the racist man who performed these surgeries on her, and is denoted as the father of Gynecology.

However, we would like to say Anarcha is the mother of gynecology. Without her strength, grit, and bravery she wouldn't have survived those procedures. We couldn't imagine doing surgery on someone without some form of anesthesia. Black history is America's history. The story must be told even when it's not pretty.

02/19/2022

INTERESTING!

We have the evidence, let’s “shout it from the rooftops” so that both parents and practitioners can make the best informed choice for families!
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Preterm-born children are at higher risk for more developmental needs and delays when compared to full-term peers. Inaccurate understanding of bilingualism leads many to abandon their home language “to help” the child! 😳
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But research is suggesting otherwise so our decisions and recommendations should be otherwise.
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September is NICU awareness month - Would you please help spread this information, whether via social media or by word of mouth!? The more of us who know it, the better chance these kiddos and families will have of sustaining family languages 🤍
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Thank you to these researchers for advancing our evidence that bilingualism is beneficial and not harmful EVEN for those at higher risk or with delays and disabilities: Baralt, M., & Mahoney, A. D. (2020). Bilingualism and the executive function advantage in preterm-born children. Cognitive Development, 55, 100931.

02/17/2022

Herstory being told truthfully ...

02/12/2022

Happy black history month!

We are showcasing different black birth workers to share the rich history, we hope you enjoy.

Mrs. Mary Coley

Coley pursued a career in midwifery at a time of increased scrutiny and regulation and during an era when public resources were invested in the expansion of hospitals and obstetric care rather than the midwifery model of care. Although increased surveillance of midwifery practice cut in half the number of midwives between 1930-50 (dropping from 3000 to 1,322), Coley went on to provide a range of birth and family services across Georgia for more than three decades. As an African American, she advocated for the health of Georgia's black population and was known for her willingness to work with women regardless of race in a time of segregation. It is estimated that she delivered over 3,000 babies in her career,and she offered additional services to families such as assistance in cooking, cleaning, child-minding, laundering, and helping new parents file official forms and birth certificates. She was known affectionately by her patients as "Miss Mary".

02/10/2022

Co-sleeping family ...

Elephant or human, cosleeping does a little one good. 💕