May Giveaway Winner

My first Giveaway was a great success!!  I had 19 people enter to win and my Facebook page is up to 62 fans.  I am so excited!  Thank you to everyone who participated!  I will plan a new giveaway soon.

I am happy to announce that the winner of the contest is....

Anna Titanic

Congratulations Anna!  I ask that you contact me with your email address and shipping address within 5 business days or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks again!

Natural Treatment for PCOS

It seems like many lifetimes ago now, but shortly after we were married we decided to have a baby. We tried and tried, but it would not work on our own. So we sought the help of a doctor. I was diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. The name of the condition comes from the appearance of the ovaries, enlarged and containing numerous small cysts located along the outer edge of each ovary.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include the following:

Infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, high blood pressure, acne, and obesity can all occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Menstrual abnormality may signal the condition in adolescence, or PCOS may become apparent later following weight gain or difficulty becoming pregnant.[1] 

When treating PCOS and infertility, it is essential to address the diet to assist natural weight loss and improve the chances of conception. One study found that 11 out of 12 women who had been overweight and not ovulating conceived naturally after losing weight. As women with PCOS lose weight, hormone levels start to return to normal. Testosterone levels fall, serum insulin levels go down, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels go up and the symptoms of PCOS start to diminish. Women also report significant improvements in the growth of excess hair. The weight loss has a remarkable effect on ovarian function. [2]

Changing your diet and supplementing with good vitamins and minerals are essential steps to controlling PCOS.  Correcting any dietary imbalance will go a long way towards treating the root cause of the problem. [2] [3]

• Avoid conventionally raised beef and dairy products. (They may contain residues of estrogenic hormones used as growth promoters.)
• A good multivitamin and mineral tablet will provide a ‘little bit of everything’.
• Chromium is essential for insulin’s response on blood sugar, cravings, hunger and weight loss.
• Zinc helps with appetite control and is necessary for the correct action of insulin, promoting a healthy blood sugar balance. It also functions together with selenium and vitamins A and E in the manufacture of thyroid hormone.
• Magnesium balances blood sugar levels. There is a strong link between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance. It is an important mineral to include if you are suffering from PCOS.
• B Vitamins are important for energy production, fat burning and hormone imbalances, including your thyroid gland and metabolism.

Herbs are extremely useful in treating PCOS. Making changes and adding supplements to your diet will help control weight and balance blood sugar, while herbs go a step further, targeting any problems involving hormone balance. [2]

• Chaste tree (Vitex Agnus castus) is one of the most important herbs for PCOS because it helps stimulate and normalize the function of the pituitary gland, which controls the release of luteinizing hormone (LH). Chaste tree has been successfully trialed in the treatment of PCOS as well as infertility. It enhances progesterone levels, which lengthen the menstrual cycle.
• Adrenal tonics such as Rehmannia, Rhodiola, Siberian Ginseng and Withania support the adrenal stress response and help the adrenal glands return to a state of balance.
• Paeonia lactiflora (peony) is another valuable herb as it positively influences low progesterone, reduces elevated androgens (testosterone) and modulates estrogen and prolactin.
• Licorice, especially combined with peony, helps regulate hormones, reduce androgen levels and improve the LH to FSH ratio.
• Gymnema is helpful in reducing carbohydrate and sugar cravings, thereby assisting in weight loss. Gymnema is one of the most significant herbs to improve insulin resistance.
• Tribulus helps restore menstrual regularity and regulate ovulation.
• Blue Cohosh is a particularly useful herb. It acts as a uterine and ovarian tonic and a pelvic anti-inflammatory.
• Milk thistle, rosemary, Bupleurum and Schizandra are excellent liver herbs, aiding in the removal of excess estrogen.

Note. You should not take any of the above herbs if you are taking the oral contraceptive pill, fertility drugs, HRT or any other hormonal treatment or other medication unless they are recommended by a registered, experienced practitioner.

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[1] Mayo Clinic.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423

[2] Humphrey, Katie.  http://www.natural-hormone-health.com/natural-treatments-for-PCOS.html

[3] Weil, Andrew.  MD.  http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400395/Are-There-Natural-Treatments-for-Polycystic-Ovarian-Syndrome.html

There's An App For That

So DH and I have been considering baby #2... Maybe... Kinda... Sometime in the near future.  : D  As you can see we are a little indecivise about this decision so far.  I want another baby and I don't want a big age gap between Logan and his sibling, but it took us 3 years to conceive Logan.

Here are a few things about me you might want to know.  1.  I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which makes it difficult to conceive.  2.  My cycles are very irregular.  This is due to the PCOS too.

Stay tuned for a whole article dedicated to natural treatments of PCOS. 

In preparation of possible trying to conceive time (TTC), I have found a few useful apps.  I use all of these on my iPhone, but I'm sure other smart phones have similar apps.

1.  iBirth Pregnancy App ($2.99)- This is my favorite app.  It is several apps combined in one.  This app includes a contraction timer, videos, positions for labor, prenatal nutrition guide, tips, and lists.  Excellent app!

2.  My Cycles (Free)-  This was the first app I bought to track my fertility.  Since my periods are irregular it doesn't work well for me.  If you have a regular predictable cycle, then this is a nice free app.  It includes your ovulation day, fertility window, and symptom tracker.

3.  Period Tracker Deluxe ($1.99)-  I upgraded to this app after using My Cycles.  Period Tracker logs your dates and calculates your menstrual cycle based on the average of your last 3 periods.  Also allows you to chart your basal body temperature and other symptoms.  Comes with nice graphics and beautiful charts.

4.  Pregnancy and Baby (Free)-  An app that is full of information.  Follow a week-by-week outline of your baby's development with brilliant images from inside the womb.

5.  Due Date Calc OB ($1.99)-  This app is a little strange to use at first.  It is filled with acronyms and it is hard to understand.  Once you figure out how to use the app, it is informative.  Or if you can calculate you date of conception, you can lock it in and it will count down to the due date for you. 

6.  My Diet Diary (Free)-  One of many apps to keep track of what you eat.  We all know how important nutrition is during pregnancy, so this app will help moms make sure they are eating right for their babies. 

My question to all of you out there...  What are your favorite apps to use??

Networking

Starting a new business is hard work.  For the last 2 months I have been studying for my upcoming Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator training sessions (scheduled for July).  There are study guides to complete, required books to read, educational videos to watch, childbirth classes I still need to take, and so much more. 

Then comes the really challenging part... turning all of this into a business.  I have been advertising, networking, and trying to find clients.  I have immersed myself in the whole new birthy world and I'm loving it!!  I'm always thinking of new blog topics, I keep a running list of books I want to read, and I carry business cards with me everywhere!

So here is my request to all of you:
Please help me build a repertoire of resources for this new business.  I would love some good blogs to follow or a great article that you want to share. 

If you would like to return the favor, here are my contacts:

Website:  www.journeydoulaservices.com
Blog:  http://journeydoulaservices.blogspot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/journeydoulaservies
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/KristaWDoula



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Delayed Cord Clamping

Research is supporting the need for practioners to delay umbilical cord clamping after birth. Currently, most providers are cutting the cord after only 12-17 seconds.



There is a clear benefit to delaying cord clamping, even if it is just for 30 seconds after delivery. These benefits include important outcomes such as decreased rates of intraventricular hemorrhage and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates. Furthermore, this intervention seems to reduce the rate of neonatal anemia. This practice has been shown to be safe and should be implemented to increase neonatal iron storage at birth. (Barclay and Fogelson)



If the baby needs resuscitation, it is important to leave the cord intact and do all the work on Mom's body. Cutting the back-up oxygen supply doesn't make any sense at all.



I think it is interesting that scientists are now discovering that umbilical cord blood is full of valuable T-cells which have cancer fighting properties. A whole industry has sprung up to have this precious blood extracted, put in a cooler with dry ice, and taken to a special storage facility to be ready in case the child gets cancer at some time in the future. Parents are paying big money for this service! That blood is designed by Nature to go into that child's body at birth. We need to acknowledge that there are things about the newborn circulation and blood composition that we just don't know. We need to assume that Nature takes care of our children and provides babies with the nutrients that they need.



**Don't forget** Become a fan on Facebook and leave us a comment to join in our FREE Giveaway for May!



Links for more information:
 
N. Fogelson. http://academicobgyn.com/2009/12/03/delayed-cord-clamping-should-be-standard-practice-in-obstetrics/ 
 
L. Barclay, MD. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/530352

Happy Month of May

The month of May is filled with so many special days and times for celebration.  May is Springtime, which is a time for rebirth and renewal.  It was announced yesterday that Journey Doula Services is happy to honor May as Pregnancy Awareness month.  Let us all celebrate the new life and creation that takes place every day around us.  I love to see the flowers in bloom the same way a new mother glows expectanly and blossoms with a new baby on the way.

I also just found out that May is International Doula Month.  This celebration is a worldwide commemorative time for doulas.  As a doula in training, this makes me very happy.  If you had a doula, this would be a great month to give her a call, an email, or a card.  Don’t forget to include a recent photo of your child(ren)!  Be sure to spread the word about doulas and refer others to a doula you know!


Other causes for celebration in May include the following:
May 5, 2011- International Day of the Midwife
May 8, 2011- Mother's Day
May 12, 2011- International Nursing Day
May 15, 2011- National Day of Families
May 28, 2011- National Multiple Births Awareness Day

**Don't forget**  Become a fan on Facebook and leave us a comment to join in our FREE Giveaway for May!

~Krista Wampler

May is Pregnancy Awareness Month

Journey Doula Services is happy to celebrate May as national Pregnancy Awareness Month! All month long we will be sharing great articles, resources, and videos that celebrate pregnancy and birth.




To help honor this special time in a families’ lives, we are having a FREE prize giveaway. To be eligible for the free prize, follow the steps below.



1. Become a Fan of our page on Facebook. Click here http://www.facebook.com/journeydoulaservies

2. Comment or like any of JDS's posts between May 1, 2011 and May 30, 2011

3. Winner will be randomly drawn and announced on May 31, 2011



Prize:

We will be giving away a great gift box from Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics. The Postpartum Mama Care Kit includes:

• 2 Organic Monthly Comfort Tea samples (1 tea bag)

• 1 New Mama Bottom Spray (1oz. bottles)

• 1 Earth Mama Bottom Balm (1oz. jars)

• 2 Natural Nipple Butter samples

• 2 Organic Milkmaid Tea samples (1 tea bag)



Rules:

• Drawing closing May 30, 2011 at 12:00 am CST.

• This drawing is open to residents of United States only.

• You must be at least 18 to win.

• Winner must claim their prize within 5 days with their valid shipping address, or the prize is forfeit and a new winner will be selected.

• We will post the winner on our Facebook page and on our blog.

• By accepting a prize, the winner agrees that Journey Doula Services may post his/her name on the blog and on Facebook.

Find more info on Earth Mama products on their website.  http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/

This sweepstakes can be found on the page www.Online-Sweepstakes.com

Attacment Parenting

I recently started hearing the term “attachment parenting.”  I knew it had to do with women that wore their babies in slings and believed in a positive discipline approach.  These things sounded great to me, so I did a little research on attachment parenting and I was very impressed.

The long-range vision of Attachment Parenting is to raise children who will become adults with a highly developed capacity for empathy.  It eliminates violence as a means for raising children and will help to prevent violence in society as a whole.  By providing a nurturing environment for our children, we can communicate better and build a relationship based on trust.  This sounds like the kinds of morals I want to teach my 2 year old son.

According to Dr. Sears, Attachment Parenting is a style of caring for your infant that brings out the best in the baby and the best in the parents.  He believes this style uses 7 basic tools.  He calls them The 7 Baby B’s:

1.    Birth bonding

a.    The way baby and parents get started with one another helps the early attachment unfold. The days and weeks after birth are a sensitive period in which mothers and babies are uniquely primed to want to be close to one another. A close attachment after birth and beyond allows the natural, biological attachment-promoting behaviors of the infant and the intuitive, biological, caregiving qualities of the mother to come together.

2.    Breastfeeding

a.    Breastfeeding is an exercise in babyreading. Breastfeeding helps you read your baby's cues, her body language, which is the first step in getting to know your baby. Breastfeeding gives baby and mother a smart start in life. Breastmilk contains unique brain-building nutrients that cannot be manufactured or bought.

3.    Babywearing

a.    A baby learns a lot in the arms of a busy caregiver. Carried babies fuss less and spend more time in the state of quiet alertness, the behavior state in which babies learn most about their environment.

4.    Bedding close to baby

a.    Wherever all family members get the best night's sleep is the right arrangement for your individual family. Co-sleeping adds a nighttime touch that helps busy daytime parents reconnect with their infant at night. Since nighttime is scary time for little people, sleeping within close touching and nursing distance minimizes nighttime separation anxiety and helps baby learn that sleep is a pleasant state to enter and a fearless state to remain in.

5.    Belief in the language value of your baby's cry

a.    A baby's cry is a signal designed for the survival of the baby and the development of the parents. Responding sensitively to your baby's cries builds trust. Babies trust that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs.

6.    Beware of baby trainers

a.    Attachment parenting teaches you how to be discerning of advice, especially those rigid and extreme parenting styles that teach you to watch a clock or a schedule instead of your baby; you know, the cry-it-out crowd. This "convenience" parenting is a short-term gain, but a long-term loss.

7.    Balance

a.    In your zeal to give so much to your baby, it's easy to neglect the needs of yourself and your marriage. As you will learn the key to putting balance in your parenting is being appropriately responsive to your baby – knowing when to say "yes" and when to say "no." [1]

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[1] Sears MD.  What Attachment Parenting Is.  http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t130300.asp

Inducing Labor

Talking about birth all the time seems to bring up a lot of personal stories.  Women love to share their birthy world stories.  As a doula in training, people love to ask me about the birth of my son and they wonder if I had a natural birth.  Unfortunately, I developed preeclampsia.  I was on bedrest for 2 months and my labor was induced.  I was strapped to a bed with 7 different kinds of medical interventions and it took over 2 days before Logan was born.  My story is special and everything went well.  The induction was necessary because of my high blood pressure, but what about other women?  Are inductions overused today?

Under some circumstances induction is absolutely called for and will improve the outcome for the mother and baby.  Unfortunately, when it’s not necessary, induction can actually have the opposite effect.   This blog is about educating women and helping them understand the need to ask questions.  We want to stop the unnecessary inductions and let labor begin naturally.  According to research, the number of inductions being done in the United States is steadily rising. 

Let’s explain some of the risks involved with inducing labor.  Oxytocin or prostaglandins occasionally cause contractions that come too frequently or are abnormally long and strong. This in turn may stress your baby.  In rare cases, prostaglandins or oxytocin also cause placental abruption or even uterine rupture, although ruptures are extremely rare in women who've never had a c-section or other uterine surgery.[1]

With labor induction and the increased risk of c-section, you’re creating large problems and making all sorts of extra medical interventions necessary. A medical induction with oxytocin requires an intravenous fluid (IV) and continuous electronic fetal monitoring.  The woman is now considered high-risk, and over-stimulation of the uterus with oxytocin or even induction by cervical agents can cause more fetal problems than if she were in spontaneous labor. And she’s now stuck in bed, which leads to abnormal labor progress and makes her more likely to have a c-section. She’s also more likely to require an epidural, which gives effective pain relief, but causes a need for more oxytocin, so labor will be prolonged by three to four hours. The epidural also decreases her ability to push, so she’s more likely to need vacuum extraction and forceps, there’s more perineal trauma, and again, a c-section is more likely.  Induction changes everything.[2] 

To keep mother and baby healthy, it is best to let labor begin naturally.  You can continue your regular daily walking or light activity, but there are no home remedies that are proven 100% effective in starting labor.  Remember, when the baby and your body are ready, labor will begin.

 Let Labor Begin On Its Own

For more information on elective induction of labor, click here
http://intermountainhealthcare.org/

[1] http://www.babycenter.com/0_inducing-labor_173.bc?page=1

[2] Klein, Michael MD.  Natural Labor’s Best.  http://www.thebump.com/stages/topic.aspx?topic=labor_induction&MsdVisit=1

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~Krista Wampler

Pregnancy and Nutrition

The single most important thing that you can do for your baby is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.  Research has shown that good nutrition during pregnancy decreases the risk of pregnancy related illnesses, low birth weight, pre-term babies, and other risk factors. 

I am not saying that all of these things are completely preventable, but if we guide mothers to the proper authorities and help educate them… maybe there will be fewer problems for them and their babies.  After all, we want to eat healthy and give these babies the best start possible.  Right?

Now how many of you have ever been given this information by your OBGYN?  I wasn't told a anything about eating 80 grams of protein a day.  All I was told in the way of nutrition was not to gain weight.  I was already considered overweight, so I was on a pretty strict diet.  I was told to decrease my salt and watch my calorie intake.  There were never specific numbers given to me, pamphlets, or information.  Pregnant women need salt to help maintain the 40-50% increase in blood volume.  When a mom is taken off salt, her blood volume shrinks and ultimately it is the placenta and baby that suffer.  I developed pre-eclampsia and I was on bedrest for the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy.  Was this preventable?  I will never know, but I want to provide this information to you and hope to prevent someone else from making my mistakes!!

Dr. Thomas Brewer is a leading expert on pregnancy nutrition.  His article If You Are Pregnant references his years of research and offers several tips for delivering a full-term baby with a healthy birth weight.  He offers a daily nutrition checklist and a sample of a nutritious diet.  He states, “If you are an expectant mother, you must eat a good, nutritious, balanced diet every day during your pregnancy. A good diet is the best insurance that your baby will be healthy and strong with a normal weight at birth!”[1]

The World Health Organization recommends that a pregnant woman eat a minimum of 75 grams of protein per day.  Pregnant women need more protein and calories in general. While this may seem like a lot of food, it will supply the 2000 to 3000 calories needed per day to make a healthy baby.  This means including:

• 2 to 3 servings of meat, fish, nuts or legumes, and tofu
• 2 to 3 servings of dairy (milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese)
• 2 servings of green vegetables; 1 serving of a yellow vegetable
• 3 servings of fruit
• 3 servings of whole grain breads, cereals, or other high-complex carbohydrates
• salt to taste
• 6 to 8 glasses of clean, filtered water each day. [2]

Premature rupture of membranes, also known as PROM, refers to when a pregnant women’s amniotic membrane, which surrounds the fetus, either bursts or suffers a hole to it.  Research shows that women who get little vitamin C both before and during their pregnancies have an increased risk of suffering a ruptured membrane and subsequently delivering prematurely.  The incidence of PROM was 14 per 57 pregnancies (24.5%) in the placebo group and 4 per 52 pregnancies (7.69%) in the supplemented group. Therefore, daily supplementation with 100 mg vitamin C after 20 wk of gestation effectively lessens the incidence of PROM.[3]

 One more suggestion.  There is a great book out there on pregnancy nutrition, What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know.  The link is What-Every-Pregnant-Woman-Should/

[1] Brewer, Thomas M.D.  http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyouarepregnant/

[2] Haas, Amy.  http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/nutritionpreg.asp

[3] Casanueva, E.  http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/prom.html#Prevention

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~Krista Wampler
Labor Doula and Child Birth Educator in Training