Green Mom - Happy Mom

Our feet are a very complex part of our body. When we are born our feet have only 22 partially formed bones. As we grow, the bones grow and harden. Over the first year, your baby’s feet will reach almost half their adult size. By the time he/she is 18, their feet will have 26 bones, 19 muscles and over 100 ligaments. This amazing growth is why proper footwear is so important.

Pediatricians and Podiatrists say barefoot is best, but that is not always practical. When you are selecting shoes for your baby or toddler, these are some of the things you want to consider:

• Thin soles allows your child to feel the ground, allowing a better grip and promoting natural muscle development. When toddlers walk outdoors and soft soles aren’t enough, try to find a shoe with a sole that flexes easily.
• Make sure the shoe stays in place. If it is too big/small, callouses can form.
• Your child’s shoe should bend at the metatarsal joint, that spot right underneath the ball of the foot. Without flexibility at this joint, the muscles may be impeded.
• The weight of the shoe is another important factor. Stiff soles and toe caps can cause your baby to trip, especially as they learn to walk.

Another added bonus is that soft sole shoes are super easy to put on, no where near the struggle of a traditional hard soled shoe, and I speak from experience. Plus, once your toddler is a bit older he/she can put on most soft soled shoes without much help. This is a wonderful confidence booster for any independent sprite. Soft soled shoes are very stylish as well, some are just downright cute! Most manufacturers of soft soled shoes have styles for all 4 seasons, the boots are so nice I wish I could find a pair in my size!

I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful support system of my husband Matt and my family when I chose to have a natural birth. It is something my mom chose for herself and therefor had some experience with. Not all women are as fortunate. The more new moms I cross paths with and share birth stories with, the more I realize how our society has a preconceived notion about child birth. I had a recent conversation with a friend’s brother about his wife’s birth. She had to have an emergency c-section after being induced. He said she was disappointed since she really wanted a natural birth. Further into the conversation I learned that she opted to have an epidural, so basically, their definition of natural child birth was to have a vaginal birth, not a birth without the use of drugs…interesting.

I do not judge any mom who chooses to use an epidural or other forms of medication to help manage the discomfort of labor. The ultimate goal should be to have a positive experience, not a nightmare story to tell. That being said, here are a few things expecting moms and parents should think about.

By definition natural childbirth is birth without medical intervention; no drugs are given to relieve pain or aid the birth process.

First and foremost, you as a pregnant woman and/or expecting couple (whatever your situation may be), are a customer. You are not sick, you do not have a disease that needs a cure. You are a woman about to give birth, something that women have been doing since the beginning of humankind. Now some women can fall into a high risk category due to a number of factors, I am writing this based on someone with no other medical contradictions. In many other countries, England included, a midwife assists births at parents homes. They think we are crazy for the way we treat and perceive child birth and that it is almost automatic to go to the hospital where we are “plugged in” to a bunch of machines and restricted to a bed. If you educate yourself about your pregnancy, your rights as a woman giving birth and find a doctor or midwife who is enthusiastic about natural child birth, you have the best chance of having the birth you want.

The following is a list of interventions:

• Amniotomy - Otherwise known as breaking the water. This is an all too common intervention that can be a slippery slope into complications. Occasionally it may be performed if “Mom” is 8-9cm and can benefit from the direct pressure on the cervix to allow complete dilation to take place, but is not necessary.
• Pitocin - This is used to stimulate the uterus to start contracting and to get things going, but it brings waves of such un-natural intensity and frequency that it is nearly impossible for a birthing woman to tolerate without the help of medication. It is also used post delivery to help stop bleeding, not as big of a deal, I had this done myself.
• IV’s - This is not necessary at all. You are not sick and to assume you will become dehydrated is ridiculous. Sipping on water, juice and sucking on ice are all sufficient ways to keep you hydrated. If it is so called “hospital procedure” then opt for a Heparin lock. It is a little device ready for an IV without you having to connected to one at all times.
• Episiotomy - This when a woman is cut to avoid tearing during the crowning stage of the birth. Here is some statistics for you: When there is no Episiotomy performed, 25% of the time there is a wound and with perineal support is very small. With an episiotomy there is a wound 100% of the time, often extending into the rectum. Trust me, tearing is not as bad as it sounds. You are so enthralled with being a new mom, you don’t care. Plus you heal faster!

Bottom line, be confident in your body and its ability to birth your baby all the while putting yourself in an environment of like minded individuals who want to support your decision to have a natural birth.

Having a solid, one page birth plan is an essential item for any mom planning a natural birth in a hospital setting. I am confident that having such a plan directly contributed to me achieving the birth experience I wanted and made sure that my post birth wishes were respected as well. If I had the choice I would have had my daughter at home, but home births are illegal in New York state. (Any New York doctor or midwife who participates in a home birth will lose their license.) There are important elements that should be in your birth plan in order to clearly communicate with the nurses, doctors and midwives who will be assisting your birth.

1. Do your best to keep it to one page - Nurses are busy people and a good nurse makes all the difference. They will be one of the main people you are writing this for since he/she will be who is with you during the beginning stages of your “birthing time”.
2. Start with a paragraph like this: Dear Hospital Staff, We trust in your expertise and sensitivity and thank you in advance for your support during our birth. Below is our “ideal” birthing scenario, but we realize that in the event of a life-threatening emergency, we will be relying on your professional judgement and skills to see us through. If the labor is normal, we ask that you refrain from using any interventions nor previously agreed upon. INSERT YOUR NAME HERE will be using various techniques of INSERT YOUR METHODS HERE, and for this reason we ask the staff to speak softly and avoid references to “pain”. PLEASE DO NOT OFFER PAIN MEDICATION.
3. List who will be present for your birth. This allows them to prepare and know who is/not allowed in your room.
4. Break things down in an outline form such as: “Labor” or “Birthing Time” then list your preferences,”Delivery”, “After Delivery”, “Infant Care”, “If C-section needed”, or any other heading you feel are needed.

Within those headings there a number of issues you will need to address such as:

• Pain management you are using and/or allowing
• Food and drink
• Need to be able to move around
• Fetal monitoring
• Time limits or lack there of
• delivery position
• Yes or no to an episiotomy
• Holding your baby right away - delaying any non urgent procedures
• Have your significant other cutting the cord
• Use of pitocin post delivery
• Baby to be in your or your significant others presence at all times
• Whether or not to allow bottles or pacifiers
• If you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding

You get the idea. I have an additional article that is my birth plan word for word. Please feel free to copy it and change it as you need. I wish you all the best and hope your birth is all you hope it will be.