I am Not the Exception

 I am *not* the exception

I am the norm. My birth is normal~~unhindered~~standard~~regular~~easy~~simple.

It amazes me how when people hear about my birth experiences, they are amazed that a birth can be like that. They say things about how I must not have had contractions NEARLY like they did. They say things about how their birth was so painful that even the doctors were astonished by it. They say that I am so brave (or maybe so stupid) to risk what I did.

Yes- it wasn't in a hospital. No doctor was there telling me to push when I didn't feel like it. No pelvic exams to check my dilation and progress. No emergency, no drugs, no nurses telling me to count to 10 and then blow. No c-section, no forceps, no episiotomy, no stitches. Just my husband and I along with a midwife who sat on the bed and watched. Its been 16 years since my first homebirth. It's been 16 years since I reached into the water, between my legs, and pulled the baby out and to my chest. I've loved telling my story and talking to women who are unlearned in this area. Educating a woman about her body and how it functions is a true passion of mine. Isn't it simply sad that women have truly no clue on how their body works? The brainwashing needs to stop. After learning about the history of obstetrics, it infuriates me to no end how these professionals feel the need to manage something unmanageable. Celebrity Asia Carrera (who is a former porn star, true) had a UC (unasisted childbirth...no doctor, no midwife, NO ONE but her and her daughter). Her story is simply beautiful and perhaps she can enlighten the rest of the world in discovering how their own bodies can function. Ricki Lake had an amazing homebirth and a beautifully done documentary called "The Business of Being Born" where she shows how the American health case system approached childbirth compared to other companies. In the US, it's big business! These are both woman who reached deep within themselves to deliver their baby into an environment that wasn't hostile and full of noise and lights. Asia Cerrara birthed her baby on the floor in front of her fireplace! How truly romantic and peaceful! Ricki had an perfect and amazing waterbirth. 

Those of us who birth this way know that we aren't alone. We know that the homebirth idea is becoming more and more popular as women are seeing themselves as the empowered creatures that God created us to be. Yet to many, we are some strange breed of creatures. I hope that in the future, women will realize that deep within them lies a strength to birth in a new found way. That they will understand that the 'emergencies' they face in the hospital setting are often times CREATED by the hospital staff through the various interventions. Pitocin to speed things up, often cause such INTENSE contractions that epidurals become almost mandatory. Pitocin contractions don't cause the cervix to relax enough during contractions, which makes c-sections almost inevitable. Epidurals can often slow down labor and progress as well. When the female body is left to do what it knows to do, it normally functions in a way that delivers a beautiful baby with little effort and must ease. 

 

I am *not* the exception. 

 ~Dr Kelly~

Join me on The Empowered Family to share your story, learn more about homebirth 

3 Common Issues while Breastfeeding That Chiropractic May Help

 

3 Common Issues while Breastfeeding That Chiropractic May Help

So often we hear women say they they struggled with breastfeeding or that they couldn’t breastfeed at all. When we dig deeper into the situation, we often find that many of these issues we could have helped with.  With the recent formula shortages, it is more important than ever that women do everything possible to breastfeed their babies. The World Health Organization understands the necessity and recommends breastfeeding until 2 years old and recently the American Academy of Pediatrics has joined in and followed suit, changing their recommendations from just 6 months to 2 years. In the midst of the shortage, women were left with very few acceptable options. They were told goats milk was unsafe, recipes for making your own formula were unsafe and cows milk was unsafe. Women were left with little option and the fear and concern grew as to how millions of babies would be nourished.

Research has shown that while 80% of mothers in the US begin breastfeeding, only 58% are still going at the 6 month mark with only 25.8% exclusively breastfeeding (no formula supplementation). Less than 35% are still nursing their child at 1 year. Some of this is due to lack of support, a need to return to work or a mom who simply feels overwhelmed, there are several key issues that happen that hinder a strong breastfeeding bond between mom and baby.

So what are some of the common issues that we see with breastfeeding and how can we help?

• 1.       Milk dries up

One of the biggest things that we hear is that the mom wasn’t producing enough milk. Quite often this is due to a poor latch where the baby just isn’t causing enough of a letdown and is basically signaling to the body that it doesn’t need as much as the body is creating.  Over the course of a few days, the milk starts to decrease and eventually dries up, thinking that the baby doesn’t need it. Some of the reasons for improper latch include:

·         Poor positioning-quite often babies prefer one of two positions while nursing.  A lactation consultant may be able to help you find the best position for your baby that will give the best latch and milk flow

·         Inability to fully turn the head-this is one that we see quite often in our office and with our newborn patients. Often times there are small microtraumas in the neck that contribute to the baby not being able to fully turn their head to the left or right.  When the baby is brought to the breast, it is painful or difficult for the baby to remain in that position and they end up with a weak latch in an effort to try to move back out of that position and get more comfortable. Often, the mom will say that her baby “favors” one breast over the other or maybe that the baby will only take one side at all. Typically several small, sustained pressure adjustments will resolve this issue and get baby latching on both sides equally.

 

• 2.       Tongue and lip ties are becoming more and more common in infants and while it can often lead to milk drying up, it really stands by itself as a reason for struggling with breastfeeding. Tongue/lip ties are being shown to be a result of the MTHFR gene mutation. The gene is carried by one of both parents and passed on to the baby.  When a baby has a tongue or lip tie, it will cause them to not be able to fully latch and suckle on the nipple. In children (or yourself) you might notice that you can’t tough your tongue to the roof of your mouth or that you have difficulty saying certain sounds (like “s” or “th”).  I will have more in depth on this in a future article but for now, know that it is often something that pediatricians miss or sometimes will negate all together.  More and more are learning what to look for, many still don’t fully understand the impacts of them. While we aren’t able to correct a tongue or lip tie, we can assess your child fully and make the proper recommendations to a local dentist who is able to perform a laser treatment that can help.
  
  

• 3.       Inability to coordinate the suck-swallow-breathe actions-The Suck-Swallow-Breathe synchrony (SSB) is one of the primal reflexes that we are born with, typically developing while still in the womb, but it’s not always strong or active in some newborns. SSB allows an infant to eat and breathe without choking. Both the swallowing and breathing reflexes originate in the medulla oblongata in the brain stem. During the birth process, excess pressure can be applied to this area causing microtraumas. If the baby was pulled out at all by the doctor or midwife, that can cause a stretch trauma to the neck, pulling mildly on the brainstem. By applying a light, sustained pressure to the misaligned vertebrate at the top of the spine, we can sometimes help to “reset” this area in the brainstem, improving the BBS reflex, allowing your baby to better breastfeeding. (Even if breastfeeding isn’t an issue, if you notice your baby is having an issue with breathing, give us a call so we can check for dysfunction in this area.)

Typically if the latch is good and not the issue, then it is a hormonal issue more than anything else. Prolactin is one of the biggest contributors. When your baby is nursing, your body will automatically make this hormone in the pituitary gland. The more you pump and breastfeed, the more your brain will stimulate prolactin. Often when we hear a new mom say that they aren’t producing enough milk, we find that they aren’t nursing or pumping enough. Remember, your newborns stomach is the size of a walnut or an olive for the first week so it won’t take much. HOWEVER, because of the small size, the newborn will metabolize this milk quickly, wanting to eat again in a couple of hours. Many new moms mistake this as “not making enough milk to keep baby full”, but that isn’t the case. The more you nurse and pump, the more your body WILL make. (Smoking, depression and birth control all decrease prolactin levels in the body and will have an effect on your milk production). Avoid supplementing your baby with formula during the first several weeks after birth to help increase your milk supply and have a successful breastfeeding relationship.

Remember, any duration of breastfeeding offers significant benefits to you and your baby and we are here to help you have the best breastfeeding experience possible.

Kelly Milano, DC
Chiropractor and Natural Birth Advocate