birth at MMC

http://www.kbdi.org/news/index.php/2009/09/04/video-a-lower-cost-alternative-to-traditional-hospital-childbirth/

Should you get this flu shot?? *funny*

Local Freestanding Birth Center Catches Baby #500

ENGLEWOOD, CO, November 17, 2009 – On November 11^th, a local family celebrated the birth of their first child and Mountain Midwifery Center, a freestanding birth center in Englewood, celebrated the 500^th baby born in the facility. Mountain Midwifery Center (MMC) is Colorado’s only licensed birth center and baby #500 is a sign that this unique practice is established and here to stay.

Per Tracy Ryan, founder and CEO of MMC, “We started slow, only catching 6 to 8 babies a month. Now we catch almost 30 babies a month and we’ve caught 500 babies in just over 3 years of operation, so we are very excited. It’s a real privilege to offer independent midwifery care to so many families.” MMC was licensed in September 2006 by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a freestanding birth center. The center employs 5 midwives that focus on natural birth (no pain medications, no inductions, no extractions or surgical deliveries) and they achieve a natural birth rate of 90 percent. If the woman or unborn infant develop a condition where natural birth becomes too difficult or risky, MMC transfers their care to Swedish Medical Center, just a block away. MMC’s overall rate of Cesarean Section surgical delivery is 6 percent. For comparison, the national rate of C-Section delivery is 31 percent.

To achieve this high rate of natural births and such a low C-Section rate, MMC plans ahead for each birth. Expectant parents are assigned an education plan for child birth, breastfeeding and newborn care. At a minimum, births are attended by a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and a Registered Nurse (RN). Water birth or just laboring in a warm tub is available to every client. Doulas (birth assistants) are often present and are available for post-birth support. “Our immediate network of providers includes two wonderful physician practices and a strong and diversified team of doulas, including two ladies that also serve as our receptionists. We also work almost daily with a pregnancy-focused acupuncturist, an herbalist, and other holistic providers. This team is a critical asset that contributes to our high success rates in natural birth, breastfeeding and low newborn complications,” said Ryan.

Mountain Midwifery Center is located just a block from Swedish Medical Center at 3555 S. Clarkson Street, Suite 500, Englewood 80113. Those interested in learning more about Mountain Midwifery can visit www.MountainMidwifery.com or call (303) 788-0600.

Do you really need all that stuff?

You're expecting a baby. There is so much excitement at this time of your life. You are preparing for your labor and birth as well as for life with a baby. Maybe you are planning a baby shower or registering for baby items. But do you really need all that stuff at the baby store? They will most likely provide you with a list of things you "need" for your new baby.

Now that I have 3 children, I've learned a lot about taking care of babies and all that stuff from the registries and stores.

Needs:

• sling, wrap or other carrier-great ways to carry your baby so that you don't need to spend money on swings, bouncy seats etc. Also baby can easily nurse in a sling or wrap while Mom is on the go!
  
• nursing tank tops-I love these because you can wear them under any shirt and easily nurse without having to buy new "nursing shirts"
  
• cloth diapers-try cloth, you will save $$
  
• bed side rail or co-sleeper-it's easier to nurse frequently at night if you baby is close by either in your bed or in a co-sleeper of bassinet.
  
• breast pump (if working outside the home)
• diaper bag-or large purse that you can put some diapers and a change of clothes in
  

Waste of Money:

• changing table-I have my cloth diapers in a basket that sits on the floor and now that I have older children I spend a lot of time sitting on the floor with them anyway, so why not get down on their level to change diapers too. It's good exercise!
  
• crib-we've hardly used ours, all 3 of our babies have slept in bed with my husband and I, and have only used the crib for a few months before we tranistioned them to a big bed
  
• wipe wamer-not a necessity
  
• high chair-I personally think the seat that can sit on a regular dining room chair takes up less space than a high chair
• pacifiers-let you baby nurse on demand and for as long as he or she needs for comfort. You will have a great milk supply and this will also delay the return of your menstrual cycles.
• special hooded towels and wash cloths-they're pretty cute, but really a regular towel and wash cloth will do the trick just as well.
• expensive baby monitor with video and room temperature ect.-as above, if your baby is sleeping in the same room with you, as recommended by the AAP, this is unnecessary.

*These are my personal opinions based on an attachment style of parenting. Every family is different and will have differnent syles of parenting. Use common sense when shopping at the baby superstores and remember that you don't reallly NEED everything on the list they will give you!

Home birth is safe!

http://mothering.com/canadian-homebirth-study#

Breastfeeding beyond 1 year

My youngest son is turning one on Friday. This year has gone by so fast! It's hard to believe that he is already walking and can say, "mama" and "dada". And, he's still breastfeeding. In America most babies are done nursing by 6 months of age, so I know that we are in the minority. It is definitely a personal decision to decide when and how to wean your baby, or toddler, but I think there are some good reasons to continue breastfeeding for more than 6 months.


Babies have immature immune systems and breastfeeding helps prevent them from getting sick since they get antibodies from their mother through her milk. Our pediatrician made a comment one time that my kids had such thin charts because they hadn't been sick very much. Now, don't get me wrong, we've had our fair share of colds and stomach bugs, but we have not once had an ear infection or strep throat! I truly believe that my kids have been so healthy because they have all breastfed past one year.


The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at LEAST the first 2 years of life. Any woman in the USA who has breastfed her baby until he or she was 2 probably got some negative reactions from others. The average age of weaning worldwide is 4 years old. That's right 4!! Again, it is a very private and personal decision when to wean your baby, but I think that Americans can learn from the WHO and other countries that support long term breastfeeding.


I breastfed my first two children for 15 and 16 months respectively. I only stopped breastfeeding them because I was pregnant again. (There are a number of women though, who tandem nurse, or continue to nurse their toddler and a new baby). I intend to keep breastfeeding my youngest at least through this winter and hopefully until he turns two when his immune system is more fully developed.


For more information please see:

www.llli.org
http://www.parentingweb.com/lounge/ext_nursepage.htm

Cloth diaper update

I wrote last spring about our switch to cloth diapers. We are sill going strong! My youngest will be turning 1 next week, so we have been using them for about 7 months. That's big savings!! The diapers we chose are "All in Ones" or AIO diapers. This means that they do not have a separate diaper cover. They are also "pocket diapers" there is a slot to insert a liner, or a couple liners for overnight. I like that I can choose the absorbency as I need it for different situations. The above is an open diaper, the brand is Rumparooz. I particularly like the inner gussets in these diapers, they prevent leaks and blowouts!

The above picture shows how this type of diaper grows with your baby. All the snaps are undone, so this is sized for a large baby or toddler. To make the diaper smaller, you snap down the front of the diaper so the rise is lower and the leg openings are smaller. I love that we only need ONE size diaper!! It is true that they grow with your baby!!!


This picture shows the "pocket" with a liner inserted.


Here is my little man modeling his Bum Joy diaper!


Diaper with liner.


This shows the diaper snapped down for a newborn. Again, I can't say enough how much I like that they grow with your baby!


This is a Bum Joy brand diaper, sold on Etsy.

I have learned quite a bit about cloth diapers over the last few months. I'm sure that other mamas will have different opinions about some things, but hopefully this will help you decide which kind of diapers you will like. I like diapers with snaps and not velcro. I don't like that the velcro seems to stick all the diapers to each other in the wash. Other parents like the more custom fit that you can get with velcro vs. snaps. I like the fleece liners vs cotton liners. The fleece has microfiber on the inside for absorbency. Fleece does not feel as wet against the skin as cotton and seems to be more absorbent. I know that some will prefer a natural fiber such as organic cotton or wool.

As for cleaning the diapers, at first I was worried that I would be spending all my time washing or scrubbing diapers, but it isn't so! It has been so much easier than I thought. We have a diaper pail that sits on top of the washing machine, it is literally a bucket (like one that would be used to mop your floors). I just throw the diapers into the pail all day long. I do not pretreat or soak diapers. I do knock any solid waste into the toilet first before putting them into the pail. I haven't invested in a sprayer yet, but you can buy a sprayer that attaches to your toilet that can be used to spray off any solids that are stuck to the diapers. Each night before going to bed, or after my kids are in bed, I throw the diapers into my washer on the heavy cycle with regular detergent. If I'm still up when the wash is finished I will throw them in the dryer, otherwise I dry them first thing in the morning. There is no folding for me, as I just throw them in a basket once clean!

I'm still convincing my husband to also use cloth wipes, but I'm sold. It is just as easy to use cloth wipes once you are using cloth diapers, they go in the diaper pail and in the same wash load. I have flannel wipes that go right in the basket with my cloth diapers, I have squirt bottle of cleaning solution that I use to wet them right before I use them. You can make your own cleaning solution too:

Diaper cleaning solution:
-2 cups water
-2 tablespoons olive or other oil
-2 tablespoons baby soap (liquid)
-2 drops lavender essential oil (or other based on your preference)
-2 drops tea tree oil

Happy diapering!

Protein...are you getting enough?

Good nutrition is very important during pregnancy. You body is growing a baby! You can't give your baby what you don't have, so it is very important is eat a well balanced diet. Every day you should include fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, fats and protein. The Brewer diet stresses getting plenty of protein. Protein is so important because proteins are the building blocks for your baby. Also, Americans tend to already eat plenty of carbs and fats. You should be eating 80-100grams of protein every day. It is helpful to keep a food diary and tally your daily protein. Protein can help prevent swelling and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy.

Good sources of protein:

• greek yogurt
• other dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt
• seeds and nuts
• legumes served with rice or corn
• quinoa
• whole grains
• meats
  

The following links have some further recommendations for your daily intake, as well as a protein tracker.

http://www.birthingnaturally.net/nutrition/nut101/brewer.html

http://www.bradleybirth.com/PD.aspx

Natural Family Planning Method As Effective As Contraceptive Pill, New Research Finds

Natural Family Planning Method As Effective As Contraceptive Pill, New Research Finds