Top 12 Q&A's about Birth and Labor from Mamas Like You
Show Notes:
[1:25] Our Reviewer of the week, Charlield13, said, "I absolutely love this podcast! I listened to it throughout my entire pregnancy and it brought me knowledge and reassurance, which allowed me to have the most amazing all natural birth!"
This week's episode is going to be straight from you guys back to you guys. All of your questions will be answered right here on the podcast. We have grabbed all of the questions that we feel like we're getting the most or that we think will be the most benefit to our listeners, and we've put them all on a podcast with me answering you directly!
[3:16] Question #1: Should you let your provider break your water? The pros could be you break the bag of waters, and that does stimulate contractions. Whether or not you've had the Pitocin, or you've had the Foley bulb, or the other medication that helps to ripen the cervix. Let's say, that it gets things going and contractions start naturally, and you don't need Pitocin, or if you were using Pitocin and you break the bag of waters, you can turn it off because your body kicks in. The con is that once that bag of waters is broken, you are likely put onto a time limit before they say "Baby's not coming. We don't see enough progress. We have to call it a cesarean now." When they do a vaginal exam, it always brings in a risk of infection because you are pushing bacteria from one area, even good bacteria in the vaginal canal, into the uterine area where it's not supposed to be, even though it's good bacteria.
It's all just a matter of trying to figure out what you feel is best for you and trusting your body and your baby and the process. Even if you break a bag of waters and baby's head comes down and everything gets moving, would it have been fine to not do that in the first place? It really comes down to what you want to do. There's no reason to rush birth most of the time unless we create one.
[9:35] Question #2: At 36 weeks, do I have enough time to finish the birth course? The answer is absolutely yes. If this is something that matters to you and you're going to put the time and effort in for the next couple of weeks, yes! In fact, when you purchase the course, reach out to Stephanie individually, and she will help you work through exactly what you need to do.
[10:34] Question # 3: When should I start the 3 exercises? Start them now. Even if you are not pregnant, you can start doing these right now so it is ingrained in your mind that this is what I do every day, morning and night, hopefully morning, midday night, and you can continue on even through your postpartum. No need for the forward leaning inversion if you are doing it postpartum. We have a video walkthrough for you and an audio where Stephanie breaks down the pieces of what the benefits are, why you should do them, and why they're so beneficial for helping you have an easier, more comfortable labor.
[11:16] Question #4: When do I start red-raspberry leaf tea? This is one of those things that is completely safe to drink your entire pregnancy. However, if you notice uterine activity, because some women are going to be more sensitive than others. But with red raspberry leaf tea, if you notice uterine activity, an increase of your Braxton Hicks, any kind of cramping, or anything like that, then you either pull back on how much you're having, or you stop it completely until you hit 36 weeks.
[12:36] Question #5: When should I start evening primrose oil? Be sure you speak with your provider before taking it. Some women just take it orally and others do it oral and vaginal and some just do it vaginal. Speak with your provider, make sure it's safe to do, and then you can start at 34 to 36 weeks, and you continue on until you have your baby. The idea behind evening primrose oil is that when it's especially inserted vaginally, it will help soften and ripen your cervix, which is one of those things that needs to happen before your body naturally goes into labor
[13:56] Question #6: Can I take a Sitz bath a few days after birth? Yes, yes, you absolutely can. Sitz baths should only be hip height. They should not go up to where your stomach is because you just had a baby and that area where that placenta detached from your uterine wall inside of your belly area is healing.
[15:48] Question #7: If an induction is medically necessary at 38 weeks, what can I do to best prepare my body and cervix to be favorable for birth? Start doing your 3 Free Exercises, taking evening primrose primrose, eating dates, and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. You can do all of the things, and sometimes your body is just gonna do what it's gonna do anyway. So these are the things that we can do to help things along, and it's okay if our body is just doing what it's doing. Trust the process.
[18:05] Question #8: When is it too late in my pregnancy to switch providers? You guys are going to like this answer, never, literally never. Stephanie has had a mom do it during labor, "Get out of my room, you're not welcome anymore, I need a different provider." If you're not liking your provider, just know you can fire him in the middle of your labor. Although that is not the goal. The goal is to be on the same page with your provider from the beginning. If you take the time to interview other providers, you will not regret it. It's either going to solidify that you are with the perfect provider, which if you are with the perfect provider, it'd be unlikely that you're having a desire to interview other providers.
[20:38] Question #9: How can I better prepare for the transition phase when it comes to advocating for my desires? It is really important that you understand the why behind the questions that you're asking. Because that's going to give you the confidence that you need in order to have that very serious conversation with your provider. Have your doula or birth partner with you to give you the support you need.
[24:56] Question #10: How long can a mom stay home after her water breaks and no contractions begin? Think of the acronym TACO. Keep track of TIME, AMOUNT of fluid, COLOR, and ODOR. If it kind of has like a foul smell or a putrid smell, and not clear and odorless, then you need to head to the hospital right away. Some people say 12 hours, some are gonna say 18, others 24, I've seen it go up to 48. It really depends on your provider. At some point they are gonna want you to come in and get checked, make sure you don't have a fever, check your blood pressure, check your heart rate, check on baby, etc.
[28:02] Question #11: Is Fundal massage really necessary? It's important to work with your providers on what their procedure is and have that conversation prior to the birth. Even with a hemorrhage, sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes they use herbs and tinctures and a piece of the placenta. There's other ways to try to slow things before moving into more aggressive measures like Pitocin and intense fundal massage.
[29:59] Question #12: Is there anything I can do to up my amniotic fluid flow? Drink lots of water. Make sure you have water with a little bit of salt, which is supposed to help keep all of that water in there and really moving through your body the right way. I know a lot of people use liquid IV.
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