Note: There are many approaches to childbirth; this article offers information and insight into one of those approaches. The opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of Portland Family magazine or its management.
Welcoming you at Alma Midwifery is a beautiful mosaic that reads, ?Mothering is a Season.? It?s a season that is part of the natural cycle of life, and a season for which our bodies, minds and hearts are intuitively prepared. However, many pregnant women under the care of obstetricians often feel that pregnancy and childbirth are serious medical conditions, fraught with potential peril ?? an approach to childbirth that does not take into account that for thousands of years before hospitals, the vast majority of women gave birth safely.
The proof? We as a species are here today! Yes, there are times when medical intervention is necessary and we are grateful to have advances in medical care to assist in those cases. Yet the standard of care seems to have shifted from assisting women with a natural process, and being prepared for intervention if required, to a standard of intervention to prevent something that seldom occurs.
To quote Carla Hartley, founder of Trust Birth and the Ancient Art of Midwifery Institute, ?We?ve put birth in the same category with illness and disease, and it?s never belonged there. Birth is naturally safe, but we?ve allowed it to be taken over by the medical community.?
?Preparing to Birth
A pregnant woman, or one pondering pregnancy, has more options today than ever with regard to both conception and delivery. Often the prevailing attitudes among family and friends, or primary care physicians, make up the bulk of the information to which a woman has access. Though doctors are an important source of information, it is unfair to expect them to know all the options available. As consumers of medical care, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to ask questions, do research and become the coordinators of our care ? especially during pregnancy, when we are going to be in partnership with a care provider while we are growing a life, not fighting an illness.
Alma Midwifery wants women to feel empowered to make informed decisions about their care. As with many choices we make, our community, beliefs and lifestyle contribute to our decision-making process. As Laura Erickson, Director of Alma Midwifery says, ?Out-of-hospital birth is a philosophy of life that suits the whole Portland lifestyle,? a philosophy and lifestyle that encourage community and connection, and value the role of mothering. While there might be preconceived notions about the types of women who seek out midwifery care, the range is broader than you might guess. According to Laura, ?A professionally diverse group of women choose birth center and homebirths: business women, attorneys, longshore workers, actors, servers, dancers, stay-at-home moms, nurses and physicians.? In fact, Laura continues, ?it isn?t unusual for medical professionals to give birth at Alma.?
Many women prefer to give birth in a warm and homelike atmosphere, surrounded by people they love. Rooms at the birth center are cozy and have big tubs for water births. The great majority of births at Alma utilize water, whether it?s a warm shower or the tub. Family and friends can be in the room, including children. The midwives work with families to prepare them for the birth, and help them decide if everyone is comfortable with witnessing the birth ? some children may not be ready, and their wishes are respected.
Women enter care at various stages of pregnancy. Some enter pre-pregnancy, and others may transition to a midwife after beginning care with an obstetrician. Alma offers the same range of ultrasounds, lab work and other screenings that hospital-based care provides. Your midwife team meets with you regularly.? Because midwifery care and births are generally less invasive and procedure-laden, the cost of midwifery care and birth at the birthing center is quite a bit lower than a standard hospital-based birth. Even so, odds are good your insurance plan will cover midwifery as out-of-network provider care.
Giving Birth
Alma subscribes to the biodynamic birth model, in which birthing is seen as an individual event. For moms-to-be this means they will be treated ?? in a way that is biologically appropriate, but also dynamic in its view of women as individuals with different needs, desires and strengths.?? This does not rule out medical interventions and transport to the hospital if the mother and baby need it.
Midwives consider themselves the gatekeepers to the sacred space for bonding needed by mother and child during and immediately after birth. Some women choose to birth at home, in the comfort of familiar surroundings. If you want a water birth at home, a tub can be delivered. Keeping the mom and baby together, especially in the few hours immediately after birth, is important to the bonding and lactation process.
Following birth, Laura Erickson says, ?Mother and baby will both experience the highest levels of oxytocin in their lives in the few hours immediately after birth. The skin-to-skin contact is important.? Oxytocin, often referred to as the ?love hormone,? is what allows a mother to relax and bond with her baby and it may prove to be an important tool in managing post-partum mood disorders. Oxytocin is also being researched for its effects on mood and anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, overall mental health, and perhaps even its role in decreasing the odds of addictive behaviors later in life.
After Birth
While in residence in a birthing room, you are free to bond as a family, with minimal interruption and the support of post-partum doulas. You can sleep and eat according to your own schedule. Doulas are also able to assist with lactation and basic infant care if needed. After two nights in residence, new moms are treated to a massage by the on-site massage therapist ? a little boost of self-care before you step out into the world as a new mom.
House calls are something you usually read about in history books, but when you return home after an Alma birth, midwives come to you and your baby to check in. Midwife Melissa Gordon-Magnus, a CPM/LDM, shares that she ?provides care to mothers and babies for the first six weeks after seeing them through their birth experiences. This continuity provided to families whom we?ve gotten to know through their prenatal care is the essence of what being a true care provider is. We provide care to these families for the first week in home, and then follow up in the clinic. Through our relationships with these families, they often graduate at six weeks feeling like we became a part of their extended family, and are looking forward to coming back to have another baby!?
Pediatric care is another service Alma hopes to provide in the future to families who wish to stay connected to the birth center. Pediatrician Rebecca Stepaniak, M.D., who has had two home births with Alma midwives attending, is, according to Laura, ?considering working alongside the Alma midwives to offer pediatric care to the 270 newborns born yearly at Alma. Rebecca also brings advanced training in medical lactation. Her expertise would benefit many, as Alma has a close to 100% breastfeeding rate.? Further proof that Alma is an inclusive, welcoming and accommodating center that is interested in what is best for you and your baby, building trust and relationships from the prenatal stage to post-partum and beyond.
Beyond
Alma has expanded their Education and Movement Space, located at 1233 S.E. Stark, with the addition of the Gathering Place at 433 S.E. 13th. Both spaces are designed to provide support for new and growing families from pre-pregnancy to postpartum and well beyond. The spaces are warm, inviting and energetic places for parent support groups, birthing classes, acupuncture clinics, yoga classes, baby care classes, vaccination education, infant hearing screenings, yarn spinning (literal spinning of yarn; not telling of tales!), managing work and breastfeeding, cloth diapering, infant CPR, potty training and so much more. While some of the classes require a fee, many of the educational sessions and screenings are free to the public as a community service. The spaces are also available to rent for private events such as family celebrations and baby showers.
Whenever a mother is in labor, a laboring candle is lit in the lobby to alert everyone, so that they may ?send her positive thoughts and blessings.? With each child born at Alma, the flame of that candle hops, skips and jumps through the community, spreading the light, blessings and warmth that will continue to support mothers and families for many seasons to come.
Category: 2013_February, Health, Motherhood
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