Breathing and Bleeding
~ the Quantum Approach~
Over the years I’ve noticed that there are two areas that often raise the levels of adrenaline and anxiety in the room.
Is the Baby going to breathe and is the Mother going to Bleed!
In this two-day workshop we will look into these two arenas and address the physiology undergirding both the infant’s first breath and the successful separation and birth of the placenta.
Understanding these two functions will give us confidence and competence in case of experiencing a variation of normal in these areas.
A Word about complications...
I try to never disturb birth and, as the natural consequence,
I haven't seen many complications.
I recognize that there are a myriad of variations of what we might
consider as normal and I am comfortable to put my faith
in a mother and her instinctual responses to her birth
and to any variation that may be present.
As a birthkeeper/mentor/midwife it’s always
been my way to learn everything I can and to use it wisely.
I’m offering this information in this weekend program
to delve into the physiology of a baby's first breath
and a mother's placental separation and birth,
both in the clinical and quantum realms,
to bring about a sense of calm and trust in birth and
in a mother’s ability to handle what comes.
Sometimes you will be needed for guidance but, in my experience,
mothers are incredibly adept in recognizing
and handling most variations of normal.
As a caregiver, I am always ready to assist if a mother calls for me
but most women refer to their internal compass
rather than anything external that I could offer.
This happens when a mother is reassured in herself
and when she experiences her own birth.
What is confusing and detrimental to a mother is being interrupted
in her instinctual flow and forced to conform
to the midwife's idea of birth, or the system's idea of birth
or the hospital's, or the doula's,
or her sister's or her mother's or the nurse's...
Anyone's but her own.
When we consider the baby breathing or the mother bleeding,
we often become anxious and allow adrenaline to overpower
the oxytocin in the room. Ironically, we actually create
the situations we were trying to prevent.
Rising adrenaline levels can create a disempowering problem
that causes the mother to disconnect from her internal flow
and subsequently need to rely on external sources to birth
her baby and her placenta.
If we know our physiology, we know what the body is capable of doing.
The more you know what the body is capable of doing,
the less you will need to interfere.
Understanding physiology allows us to have a greater sense
of confidence in both women and the process of birth
and not disturb them as they flow.
Why does the baby breathe?
After all, most babies come out attached to the placenta and if we don’t cut the cord how long will the placenta stay attached and continue to oxygenate the baby.
So, why does the baby breathe…the answer might surprise you…and give you a new respect about what the body can do.
Join us for an enlightening Saturday devoted to understanding the changes from fetal to neonatal life.
We’ll start with one of the greatest miracles of anatomy and physiology…Fetal Circulation!
We’ll discuss the Adept Baby and how babies are built to survive.
The cord floats, fetal hemoglobin is time-release, babies can hibernate in case of a hypoxic event.
We’ll meld clinical physiology with stories and reflections from my practice and we’ll look at everything from secondary apnea to resuscitation in the quantum paradigm.
ON SUNDAY WE ARE DEVOTED TO THE PLACENTA
Every woman births twice…a baby and a placenta…and each birth should be respected and facilitated according to the mother’s wishes.
First we’ll look at the mechanisms of implantation and placental growth.
We’ll add information about the remodeling of the spiral arteries, paramount in understanding preeclampsia and placental growth.
We’ll keep track of the placenta during birth and we’ll understand placental separation.I’ll share an equation from William’s Obstetrics detailing the course of detachment that I find very helpful.
We’ll use our fruits to always know where the placenta is during separation…watermelon, honeydew, orange and grapefruit!
Knowing this will be valuable in determining where the placenta is without disturbing or intruding on the immediate postpartum and facilitating confidence and competence rather than adrenaline and anxiety.In the unlikely event of blood loss we’ll share the quantum approachto facilitating a mother’s ability to recognize and rectify her fluid balance.
Once again, competence and confidence.
And to finish up I’ll share more stories, reflections and Placenta Readings.
Here is some information about the placenta from our year-long Quantum Birthkeepers Cohort…
The Placenta is both the baby's twin and the baby's advocate.
First, it’s the conduit for oxygen and nutrients for the baby as it brings
oxygen-rich blood from the mother into close contact with fetal vessels.
Maternal and fetal blood do not mix.
The placenta is filled with lakes of the mother’s blood called lacunae,
in which tiny fingers of fetal tissue bathe and absorb oxygen and glucose.
Through this design, the placenta facilitates the life and sustenance of the baby.
It’s an organ grown by the mother and baby specifically for the purpose of linking the two and promoting the lifelong, lifeline relationship of mother and child.
The placenta is a transfer hub.
Next, it is the conduit for the fetus to release the by-products of metabolism as they build a physical body. Imagine building a house with no way to remove the debris and unneeded materials...bits and pieces of wood, brick, sheetrock, shingles, unneeded insulation, nails, screws etc...
The placenta deals in waste removal.
The placenta is the conduit of hormonal transfer between the mother and child. The fetus continually pees in the amniotic fluid, releasing hormones and other messengers which are absorbed by the placenta and ferried into the mother’s bloodstream.
These hormones initiate reactions in the mother’s body that facilitate
continued changes in the fetus. For instance, we know now that it is the fetus who initiates labor by releasing a hormone called CRH
(cortico-releasing hormone) into the amniotic fluid.
This hormone sends a chemical signal to the placenta that is then picked up by the mother and encourages the cervix to finish ripening.
The placenta is an organ of communication.
At any given time, after the complete development of the placenta at 5 months, one third of the baby’s blood is circulating in the cord and placenta.
After the birth, the placenta downloads this oxygen rich blood to the baby within 4 minutes thereby giving the baby a bolus of highly oxygenated blood to help with the transition to neonatal life.
The placenta has your back.
During the initial moments after birth the placenta will usually not separate until the baby is breathing properly. When the baby breathes, the placenta feels the pressure changes as the lungs inflate. The baby takes in air and once the baby is breathing smoothly and comfortably the placenta initiates the download of blood and then begins to separate.
The placenta is a lifeguard.
The maternal side of the placenta looks like a brain with it’s deep grooves between different areas. It’s almost as if the placenta has little neighborhoods separated by channels. These neighborhoods are called cotyledons and in the unlikely event of an intrauterine infection the placenta will localize the infection to one cotyledon and not allow the infection to spread throughout the entire placenta.
The placenta is not only a brain but the neighborhood watch.
Placenta means ‘little flat cake’ in Latin and we are always attached to
our placentas even though they be many years and millions of miles away.
It’s a connection that cannot be broken as is evidenced by the worldwide tradition of honoring the placenta every year by creating a little flat birthday cake.
And of course we put on it...the LIGHT.
And we SING!
Register to the class
Breathing and Bleeding
~ the Quantum Approach ~
Sat, Nov 23Via ZoomNov 23, 2024, 11:00 AM EST – Nov 24, 2024, 4:00 PM ESTVia ZoomTake the next step on your birth-worker journey! This program is designed to address two critical areas that often evoke heightened adrenaline in the birthing process: the anxieties surrounding a baby's breathing and the uncertainties related to placental delivery.
