Natural birth presentation

It. was. amazing.

So, I planned this event for Parity. There's a really long story behind the event, also that it caused some ill feelings with Women's Services and Resources on campus, so I won't go into that long story. But... let's just say that I decided to take matters into my own hands. And I'm so glad I did.

Tonight we had an event/meeting on campus where I invited a local midwife to present a little thing on childbirth (mainly comparing different options, everything from episiotomy rates to length of prenatal visits to how the newborn is handled). Ok, back up. First of all, I had planned this event and was given money from our budget to buy refreshments. So, of course, we ordered yummy pizza and I got snacks and drinks (Simply Limeade. Is there any other beverage to have at a meeting?) I figured the pizza would attract quite a few people, and I was expecting about 20 or so. Well, about 20 people showed up in the first five minutes! We ran out of pizza quickly (which I felt bad about, but couldn't really do anything about it...) and we ended up having about 50 people there total. Some came late, some left early, but about half stayed the entire time (over an hour and a half, with the questions and answers). I couldn't believe how many people came! And I think most were genuinely interested in natural childbirth, considering the incredible discussion and questions that followed her presentation. I couldn't have been happier with the outcome of the night.

The midwife that came does home births in Utah County. Her name is Heather Shelley (you can find out more about her services here). She also is a doula and childbirth educator, and teaches "Not your Mama's Lamaze" classes. Her presentation, like I mentioned earlier, just examines all the different choices women have about how and where and with whom they birth. She obviously has bias towards home births and natural birth, since that's what she herself practices as a midwife, but she's also been a doula for many years and so has been at many a hospital birth as well. She has really unique perspectives in that she has practiced in a multitude of states and in Indonesia as well. Her presentation was phenomenol, and I think the question and answer at the end was the best. People were so interested in knowing more!

Interesting fact that many of us who are obsessed with birth didn't even know: Doctors often cut the cord much faster than midwives. I figured this was just because they want to get it over with so they can go home and eat dinner. However, it's actually (yet another) legal issue: as long as the baby is still attached by the umbilical cord, that baby is the OB/GYN's responsibility, so if something happens in those few moments, that doctor catching the baby could be sued. However, as soon as the cord is cut and the baby is handed over, that baby becomes the pediatrician's responsibility. The severing of the cord is a legally definitive transer of responsbility. That's why OBs are so eager to cut it as soon as possible. However.... much research has shown that the ideal time to cut the cord is when it ceases to pulse. The baby gets an extra boost of red blood cells, decreasing the chance of anemia and hemorrhage. There also is less chance of it getting infected since it the blood flow clamps off naturally after a few minutes of being born.

Anyway. It's fascinating. I love educating women.

And I'm so eager to see how many people Women's Services gets at their childbirth conference tomorrow. I think we might win :)


During question and answer, someone wanted to know about positions and things you can do to ease pain. Heather is demonstrating on me the squeezing in and up of the hips, apparently does great things for pain as it holds your hips together when they get all lose and achy.