Nitrous Oxide for Labor Pains

As many first time moms prepare their birth plans, pain management is one of the concerns that most women are apprehensive about. 

"Do I need pain management for my birth?"

Every birth is different and many women experience very little pain through their labor transitions and others need pain management assistance. If you are looking into pain relief options for birth, there are tons of choices that are recommended by health care providers. 

Many hospitals and birthing centers utilize Nitrous Oxide as Pain relief for birth; the same inhaled gas combination that many dentists use for more invasive in-office procedures. 

How does Nitrous Oxide work?

Since this is a gas mixture that is inhaled, it enters the blood stream quickly to help the patient feel more sedated and relaxed through a procedure. Nitrous Oxide can be administered in different strengths depending on the recipient's comfort level.

Because the gas molecules enter the blood stream, this does pass through the placenta to the baby fairly quickly but because it does not leave any chemical byproducts, it is eliminated fairly quickly from the body. Nitrous is fast acting and works through and out of a mother and baby's blood stream more efficiently than some pharmaceutical products. 

Does Nitrous Oxide come with good reviews? 

The results from Nitrous vary with every birth and 20% of patients report the gas providing some form of pain relief, less than 50% find it to be satisfactory and 30% of women find it did not help them. This is a pain management option that has a broad range of results so it's best to consult with your doctor and birth team to see if Nitrous is a good fit for you.

How is the gas administered?

The gas can come from a wall fixture in a hospital setting or in some cases it can be available in a portable canister. With the wall mounted gas, the dosage and strength can be adjusted and controlled but usually won't be able to stretch to a birth suite's tub or shower. With the portable canister, it can be used for home birth and other alternative birth options. The portable mixture is 50:50 Nitrous and Oxygen so for some women it can be too much Nitrous and for others it isn't enough to help them with the pain. 

What are some of the Advantages of Nitrous Oxide for birth?

• Allows a birthing mother to remain in control of their body during birth.
• Using Nitrous places the patient more in control of their pain relief. 
• It does not interfere with contractions and the natural progression of birth.
• The effects are short term and research suggests it leaves no short term effects on mom or baby.
• It can help women remain confident and more comfortable during labor. 

What are some of the Disadvantages of Nitrous Oxide for birth?

• Nausea, headache or vomiting 
• Not a guaranteed pain relief method.
• Some women feel disoriented, confused or drowsy. 
• The oxygen mask can make some patients feel uncomfortable or claustrophobic.
• Any long term side effects are unclear.

Birth Centers Offering Nitrous Oxide for Birth in the Kentucky Area

While Nitrous Oxide isn't new in the medical or birth world, there aren't many birth locations that currently offer Nitrous as a pain management option for birth. In the greater Kentucky area, Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, IN, Clark Memorial in Jeffersonville, IN University of Louisville in Louisville, KY are the only locations that it is optional for laboring parents. 

The choice is yours.

Whether you're researching pain management solutions or choosing a natural birth, finding preferences that make your birth more comfortable and rewarding. It's your birth so feel empowered to make the decisions that keep you feeling confident. 

Placenta and Postpartum Depression

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

One of the areas of mental health that often go misdiagnosed or mistreated is postpartum depression in new and veteran mothers. 

Each year almost 20% of new mothers in the United States are diagnosed with postpartum depression.

When including mothers that experience infant loss or miscarriage, these numbers total to 900,000 women each year. 

Postpartum depression is a serious mental illness and with the stigma surrounding the diagnosis, many women avoid seeking help or acknowledging that something is wrong. It's not just the women experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety but the safety and well being of their children who may be subject to developmental lags and susceptibility to childhood illnesses when mothers are unable to bond or care for their new baby as well as they should.

In many cases, postpartum depression is sparked by hormone imbalances and stress in our bodies as they recover from birth. Balancing these hormones and chemicals in our bodies during postpartum recovery can often reduce the chances of developing postpartum depression or dramatically improve symptoms. 

Placenta Encapsulation

Placenta encapsulation is a growing postpartum trend in the U.S. that has for centuries helped women abroad feel more control over their body's adjustment to healing after birth.

The placenta is a powerhouse of nutrients and can provide some of the hormones in our bodies that are lost during birth and hormone levels that become strained or reduced as you transition home with your new baby. During encapsulation, your placenta is professionally processed into capsules that can help your body find the balance it needs to encourage healing and rejuvenation. Placenta puts oxytocin back in our bodies and promotes bonding behaviors with your baby and can even help your uterus shrink back down to it's appropriate size. 

A placenta regimen can also restore your body's CRH supply, a hormone that naturally reduces stress and helps manage the stressful transition home during those first few weeks. 

With less strain on a mother's body, many experience a more pleasant and comfortable postpartum recovery. These improvements in mood, emotional and mental health have been used to decrease postpartum depression risks and symptoms in many and continue to be a resource. Some medical professionals recommend to their patients as a healthy alternative to prescribed medications for mood disorders.

If you or a loved one has experienced postpartum depression or are researching prevention measures, placenta encapsulation might be a great option for you. 

Take control of your postpartum recovery to feel more confident through your journey into motherhood. Your doula or postpartum placenta specialist can help you design a routine that works best for you and your family. 

Postpartum depression deserves our support and together we can encourage victims of mental illness, postpartum depression or anxiety to seek the help and resources they need.

Support for Military Moms to Be

Having a new baby comes with it's fair share of challenges. 

When you're in a military family, those postpartum challenges can be even tougher on parents. Most military families have relocated far from home and have difficulty finding the support they need while they're navigating the first few weeks postpartum.

A strong support system is as important as ever for military families relocating or at the helm of deployment and a postpartum doula is there to fill in all the gaps. 

Planning for Baby 

Trying to come up with a birth plan is stressful enough and military parents are often required to make decisions on their own while their partner is away. With all your family and friends in other towns it can be difficult to feel confident and excited about welcoming your new baby. Whether it's deciding on nursery colors, thinking of the perfect baby name or just getting all your supplies in order, there's a lot on your plate as a military mom-to-be and knowing you'll have doula support as your baby makes their big arrival is incredibly reassuring. 

Baby's Big Arrival

We understand how difficult it can be for new and veteran military moms to settle in during those first few weeks postpartum. It's our job to make that transition as seamless as possible. Postpartum doulas offer a helping hand with baby care, breastfeeding and lactation support, overnight feedings, bath time, and even some help around the house. 

The Role of a Doula

For new moms, your doula can keep you feeling confident and you can be sure that you're receiving all the answers and resources you need for all things baby care and postpartum recovery. With your other half far from home, a postpartum doula offers physical and emotional support that can really boost your confidence while you're settling into parenthood. 

For veteran moms welcoming another baby into their family, postpartum doulas offer a unique element of comfort while their partner or family is absent. As your doula takes over some of your to do list, moms are given the chance to rest, shower or devote some of their energy to a healthy amount of daily self care.

No matter how big your family is growing, those first few weeks settling in with your newborn is stressful.

We're setting out to be the comforting and supportive foundation that parents can count on and the force that keeps all military families empowered to be as happy and healthy as possible on or off their military base or with their partner absent. 

Parenthood takes teamwork. 

The Decision

“You want to hire a what?” I replied to my wife.
“A Doula.” She clarified.
“Like a Ma ‘Doula’ oblongata? (Water boy reference)” I jokingly retorted.
“Now you’re being silly.” She said with a look of disapproval.

Okay so I can’t say I really understood her request at the time. Being a guy, and not a particularly informed guy on all of the intricacies of being pregnant, I can say I only vaguely understood the dynamics of her request.

She had mentioned something about Doulas before, but I thought it was just another one of “those things” my wife had read about during the course of her latest pregnancy.

You know how it is.

Mention you are pregnant, or that your significant other is pregnant, and everyone has an opinion on the most important thing you can do for your baby, or yourself during your pregnancy.

Advice comes in all forms; everything from scientific fact, to a surefire old wives tale, to down right horror stories that happened to someone’s
sister/cousin/family member somewhere.  With all of this unsolicited advice one could simply go crazy trying to follow everything ever said about the proper birthing of children.

“Okay, I apologize.  What is a Doula?” I inquired.
“Well, They are someone you can ask questions to regarding your pregnancy in general. They are there to support you through the kind of pregnancy you’ve chosen.  They will act as an intermediary between you and the doctor so you don’t have to feel rushed or bullied.” She explained.
“So what you’re saying is they are a Mother-in-law for hire.”

I said almost instantly regretting my untimely wit.
“Well,” she said pensively, “Kind of”.

I had only mentioned this because we had recently moved to Kentucky from Utah only 7 months prior.  My mother had travelled down to Utah to be this
kind of support for us at the hospital for our previous 3 children, and I thought it would be an advantage to have her there for this one as well.
You know seeing how we were now so close.

I honestly couldn’t understand why we needed to hire someone to guide us through a process we’ve already been through 3 times before.

“Here is why this is important to Me. “ she began
1.      The Doulas can travel to us in less than an hour if needed. Your mom is 6 hours away.  Should I go into labor, I know my support will be here on
time.
2.      Doulas have experienced hundreds of births.  They’ve seen everyway babies can be born. They are trained to support multiple birthing
techniques, from lamaz to Hypnobabies and several others.
3.      If something unexpected happens, like the baby decides to come late, doctors are trained to follow a prescribed action like c-section. Doulas are trained in other techniques that may encourage movement from the baby
before needing to resort to expensive surgery.
4.      And most importantly, and I mean no offence to you, they offer an emotional support that you simply don’t understand.  They’ve been through
childbirth before and understand how emotionally taxing the process can be.
5.      Unlike mother-in-law, they’ve received certified training, in labor support.  I know you’re mom had 8 children herself, but that was nearly 30 years ago.  Things have changed and the Doulas are ready with the latest health knowledge and techniques

So as I’ve mentioned before I’m not an informed guy when it comes to Childbirth.  I mean I listen to my wife, I validate her concerns, and support her decisions, so even though I know I don’t understand; I know this is important to her.  Reluctantly I agree.

Meeting the Doulas of Kentuckiana

So after a quick phone call, Janette scheduled our initial consultation with the Doulas of Kentuckiana.  To my surprise they offered to meet us at our home.  This was my first indicator these ladies were the real deal.
This was a confirmation to me they cared to meet us in our space, they got to know everyone in our family, and really personalized the experience to
us.

A different set of Doulas we had interviewed wanted to meet us at their office.  They made no effort to know our family and the whole experience
seemed somewhat impersonal.

Jesse and Brittany were super professional and gave us the time we needed to ask our questions and explore our potential solutions.  They shared
their knowledge of what our options were and took into consideration Janette’s previous experiences and feelings.   They stayed until everything was asked and answered and it didn’t take a lengthy discussion after they left to decide to hire them.

The Birth

Leading up to the due date we weren’t sure which way we were having this baby.  Janette wanted to do a VBAC but our situation was tricky because we
had already done 3 cesareans.  It’s difficult to find anyone who wants to deal with that.
The Doulas of Kentuckiana supported our decision to do a trial of labor.
Although Janette and I made the decision previously that if our baby boy hadn’t come 4 days after the due date, we were going to deliver again via c-section.  No-one probed or coaxed us to do it this way.  This was Janette’s plan and our Doulas supported us.

The day came and we found ourselves at the hospital prepping for surgery. Brittany was on call that day and she met us at the hospital according to our plan.  To our surprise the Doctors at the University Hospital asked us
if we wanted to continue the Trial of Labor for a while longer, they gave us our options and the pros and cons and allowed us to make a decision.

Under normal circumstances we had some tough decisions to make.  This was a weird variable from the plan we had set. We had come in to have a
C-section but because of the clear instructions the Doulas of Kentuckiana set in our birth plan, the hospital wanted to verify we were okay with
proceeding.  After some checking and deliberating with Brittany Janette decided she was okay with the C-section.

After the delivery Brittany stayed with us till Mom and Baby were together, calm, and settled.

That’s when I understood.

A Doula is more than a hired mother-in-law.  They’re more than just a sideline cheerleader.  They are a professional support, an informed and
experienced advocate, and luckily, in our case, new friends we can turn to with questions.  They have been a support to Janette in ways I never could
during the first months of postpartum.

Janette is my best friend, closest companion, and the love of my life. She’s supermom to my children, and the mother ship to our newest arrival.
I’m grateful to know I was able to give her the support she wanted, during a time I couldn’t understand why.  I just knew it was important to her, so it was important to me.  Hiring the Doulas was a major piece of the puzzle, which allowed us to tuck this experience away as one of the most
beautiful of our lives.

Christopher d'Argy is a Mentor, Blogger, & Father of Four with a passion
for sharing the things he loves. Technology, Talent, and Personal stories
are amongst some of his favorite things to share.
www.christopherdargy.com

Quick Spring Getaways

As the seasons change, we start itching to be more active and get bit by the vacation bug.

It's not always realistic to plan a big vacation before your annual summer vacation with the kids or even a babymoon before your little one's arrival. Instead, why not improvise and take a weekend trip away or even a daycation!

The act of getting out and about will keep you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the last of your wintertime blues. 

The Big Beautiful Babymoon 

The last minute opportunity to indulge before your baby officially makes their debut is the new craze with expectant parents. Since you won't have the opportunity to squeeze a vacation into your postpartum routine, a babymoon is a breath of fresh air to keep your pre-baby jitters at bay. Take a weekend to get a couples massage, relax at a fancy bed and breakfast like Maple Hill Manor or take in some fresh air at one of the beautiful state parks nearby. Your babymoon can be as fancy as you'd like, but if you're in those last weeks of pregnancy it might be a good idea to skip theme parks and attractions that are more physically demanding. 

Quick Kentucky Getaways with the Kids

Your kids are feeling the cabin fever of the winter months too and anxiously awaiting spring break and a chance to adventure. There's no rule that says a great family vacation means a week long excursion that's hours away. With all the great attractions for kids right here in Kentucky, you can put together a fun family friendly vacation on the fly.

Kentucky Kingdom is an obvious favorite with the kids and only a short drive away. Make your theme park stay a little more extravagant with an overnight hotel stay and a big breakfast at a family friendly restaurant like Wild Eggs where the kids can order whatever breakfast strikes their fancy. You can check out the Lost River Cave that features underground boat tours through a natural cavern with plenty of workshops for the little guys. We also have a ton of kid friendly museums to explore during a weekend getaway that isn't going to break the bank. 

Staycation at Home

Who says you even have to leave home? As the weather gets nicer, there's plenty of family fun that's free in your own backyard. Literally. 

Why not plan a big movie night outside, complete with a campfire and s'mores? You can order some take out or a few pizzas and make your outdoor movie night a real event. Get your hands on a portable mini projector that will take your family's movie nights to new heights! Grab some inflatable kiddie pools and fill them with pillows and blankets for cozy lounging in the grass. Hang a few strings of Christmas lights around the backyard to make things extra special. 

A staycation doesn't have to be crazy or even expensive to be a fun family adventure, just think outside the box and don't be afraid to get a little creative. 

Awaken some springtime adventure!

Whether you're planning a romantic babymoon with your sweetheart, an exciting weekend adventure around Kentucky or even a backyard party at home, there's plenty of fun to be had without even wandering far from home.