Common Causes of Bleeding in Pregnancy

Featured image: Photo by Sierra St John on Unsplash

--- BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Instagram.com/homesweethomebirth ---

Hi there. I am just going come on and say hello, and I wanted to talk to you about bleeding in pregnancy. It's incredible. A lot of people online, on my social media pages, are asking me about bleeding in pregnancy - and they're freaking out. Of course, they're freaking out. It's scary. I get it. And in my own practice, when people call me and tell me they're bleeding, they’re scared.

I totally get it. 

But what I wanted to do is reassure you that in the first trimester, 25% of women will bleed. And many times, the causes are benign. Like nothing to worry about, easy to treat if needed, or monitor, kind of watch and wait. 

Sometimes the causes are more serious, so definitely if you have bleeding in pregnancy, you can post it on my Facebook group or post it on Instagram, you can tell me about it. But I really want you to check it out with your provider.

Let me go over some of the common things. First of all, I would say about half of people who bleed in the first trimester miscarry. So that means 50%, they're not going to miscarry. A lot of times miscarriages go unnoticed if people aren't tracking their cycles. It's just like, you have a heavier or a late period. But there are people that track cycles and they see bleeding, and that's scary. 

So, the first thing is that when the fertilized egg implants in the uterus, around the time of the missed period, that's implantation bleeding, and that might last a day or two, a little bit of spotting. Nothing to worry about. Okay. 

Also, some people have a little vaginal or cervical inflammation or infection, like a yeast infection, for example. Many infections or inflammation can cause a little bleeding and that's easy to treat holistically. It's easy to deal with. 

Sometimes, first of all, in pregnancy, your blood volume is doubling. You are so vascular. There’s just many more blood vessels in the area.

So that's how come people tell me they have bleeding and I said, did you have sex?, and they'll say, oh yes. Well, that's what it is.

Now, it's not dangerous to have sex, but if you notice a little bleeding after sex, intercourse, that's just a little tiny blood vessel in the vaginal area or the cervix that just broke, and you'll just have a little spotting, a little bright red blood, and then brown the next day or something like that, and then it will go away. 

If you had an internal exam that can cause bleeding. So first of all, I’d question why you're having internal exams, but many times I find that people are having way too many internal exams that are necessary, but that can cause bleeding. A pap smear can cause bleeding. And this kind of bleeding does not endanger the pregnancy. Yes, if you need to have a pap smear in pregnancy, you can absolutely have one, it does not affect the pregnancy. It's just scraping the little cells on the top of where the cervix is. That doesn't go inside the cervix or into the uterus, okay, but that can cause bleeding. I've even had moms that have had varicose veins vaginally, and have noticed some bleeding with that. 

So, these are all sort of innocuous things that can cause bleeding. 

Another is it benign growth, like polyps. It could be uterine or cervical, can cause a little bleeding. They have nothing to do with the pregnancy, it’s just that it's more in engorged, more likely to bleed. So these are just normal, nothing to worry about.

There is something called sub chorionic hematoma. I don't know if you've ever heard of it? I definitely want to hear in the comments your experience with bleeding in pregnancy too, because I want everyone to feel that they're not alone.

I want people to be able to share and to know how common it is to have bleeding in pregnancy. 

A sub chorionic hematoma is kind like a bruise, or like a collection of blood between the placenta and the uterus, and most of the time, the vast majority of times, it's something that might've occurred at implantation or somewhere after that. Most of the time, it just resolves, and does not affect the pregnancy. 

So, if you're in the first trimester, I definitely would check with your provider because there's some basic blood tests that we can do, and sometimes you need an ultrasound.

I'm not talking about routine ultrasound; I'm talking about if we're concerned about something. Sometimes an ultrasound can help us determine what's going on.

Anytime there's bleeding in the first trimester, we want to make sure that it's not an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is potentially life threatening. It's rare, thankfully, one in fifty pregnancies, twenty in a thousand pregnancies. I've seen it, I've detected it myself, and that's something that we want to detect before it actually ruptures.

So thankfully it's rare. What's more common of the serious is a miscarriage. And a miscarriage is most often related to a pregnancy that's just not meant to be, a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus, and it's sort of nature's way of releasing that. Sometimes it could be a low progesterone and the pregnancy is healthy, so that can be treated with natural progesterone. 

There's so many that are involved, but you know, years ago, before we had all this testing, and people weren't using birth control, and people were having sex, and I would say, just about everybody who gets pregnant will have, in their lifetime, one miscarriage at least. That's how common miscarriage is. 

Once we get the heartbeat of the baby, it's rare. So if you have a fetal heart rate, miscarriage is rare. But anytime there's bleeding again, just check it out. 

Now, in the second half of pregnancy, we start thinking of, we’re not thinking of ectopic pregnancy anymore, or a threatened miscarriage, we are thinking if there is bleeding in the second half of pregnancy, in addition to possible bleeding after sex, or a little inflammation or infection, thinking also about a placenta previa, which means the placenta is implanted partially or directly over the cervix. That is something that we need to watch and monitor, and you do not want to have any internal exam if that happens. And thankfully it's rare, but we just want to make sure that that's not what it is. 

Also, placental abruption; if the placenta is partially separating from the uterus. That can cause bleeding.

Preterm labor; because look, as the cervix dilates, tiny blood vessels will disrupt and cause bleeding. 

In labor; labor, there's blood. You have bloody show and as you dilate you bleed, right? 

So, these are just some of the many reasons that you can have some bleeding in pregnancy, and I just love so many times we just don't find out the reason. All right? And then everything's just fine. 

But it's always better to just check it out. 

So that's what I have to say today. I would love to hear from you your experience with bleeding in pregnancy, whether it's your personal experience, the experiences of your clients, or people that you know, so that all of you will just realize how common it is, and that you're so not alone. Okay? 

And if you found this interesting or helpful share it ok?

Love to you all. Namaste. Have a good afternoon, or day, or evening wherever you are in the world.

--- END TRANSCRIPT ---

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Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies

Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies

Bladder infection is one of the most common ailments in all women. Also known as cystitis, lower urinary tract infection, or UTI, it can occur more frequently from bodily changes during pregnancy.

Prevention and prompt treatment of early symptoms are the safest courses, as the untreated infection can spread to the kidneys and then blood stream, and cause serious illness as well as preterm labor. Simple bladder infections can be treated successfully with natural remedies, and thereby avoid overuse of antibiotics and the cycle of multiple antibiotics. 

Early warning signs of a UTI include feeling an urgent and frequent need to urinate but only a little comes out; burning during and after urination; cloudy, odorous or blood tinged urine; pelvic pressure and aching or cramping in the lower abdomen. Some women feel exhausted and unwell, while others do not notice much symptoms at all.

Frequent trips to the bathroom (especially at night) is common in the first and third trimester of pregnancy from the pressure of the growing uterus and baby on the bladder, and isn’t necessarily due to infection.

Other predisposing factors in bladder infection besides pregnancy include:

• Sexual and hygienic practices that bring bacteria from the bowel towards the urethra

• Frequent or traumatic sexual intercourse

• Use of public whirlpool baths or hot tubs

• Bubble baths

• Perfumed soaps

• Use of the contraceptive diaphragm in some susceptible women

• Coffee and other caffeinated drinks

• Dehydration

• Cigarette and alcohol addiction

• Diabetes

• Menopause

• Urinary catheterization

• Kidney diseases and other illnesses

To Prevent and Treat Bladder Infections

HYDRATION

Drink at least 64 ounces of fluids daily between meals mostly during the day (at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating) to dilute the urine and increase the force of flow. Filtered tap or spring water, herbal tea, soup broth, some citrus drinks, and unsweetened cranberry juice is best. The last two help acidify the urine, discouraging bacterial growth.

You can limit intake of fluids and natural diuretics, like juicy fruits and vegetables, during the evening to minimize waking in the middle of the night to urinate. 

In the third trimester, recline on your side for a bit before going to bed. This relieves the pressure of your uterus on the major vessels and thus allows the increased fluid that has been trapped in your lower body during the day to return to the heart and kidneys, allowing you to urinate this additional amount out before sleep.

Urinate as soon as you feel the urge, or at least every 2-3 hours while awake, as bacteria grow more easily in concentrated urine held back.

DIET

Eat a well-balanced whole food diet with lots of:

• Fresh organic fruits and vegetables

• Whole grains

• Nuts, nut butters and milks

• Seeds and their products like tehina

• Beans, organic tofu and tempeh

• Organic whole eggs

• Turkey and chicken

• Beef, lamb, and wild game

• Organic fresh raw whole milk—ideally goat and sheep

• Wild Alaskan salmon

• Organic cold expeller pressed extra virgin olive, coconut oil or goat butter as your primary cooking fat

• Fermented vegetables and products like kombucha and live culture organic yogurt

Avoid highly processed refined white flour sugary foods laden with chemicals and unhealthy refined vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated fats, as they weaken the immune system and are harmful to your health. Also avoid irritants such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, spicy foods, red and black pepper, food colorings, sugar, cigarettes and alcohol. Make sure to take your vitamin and mineral supplements so you get the needed nourishment not supplied by diet alone.

Reduce stress and strengthen your immunity by following the general steps in a recent blog about natural remedies for the common cold.

HYGIENE

Always wipe from the front (vagina) towards the back (rectum), ideally using plain unscented toilet paper. Wash the rectal area with water and soap or hypoallergenic wipes after a bowel movement until clean. 

Wear all cotton underwear or no underwear and avoid tight synthetic clothing, as bacteria thrive in the moist heat created by this practice. If you need to wear panty hose stockings, use those with a 100% cotton crotch. Likewise, change into dry clothing after swimming and sweat-inducing exercise.

Change sanitary pads and tampons frequently, at least every time you go to the bathroom. Use the organic brands of tampons and/or pads or a menstrual cup instead.

Avoid bubble baths, perfumed soaps and bath oils, as they can change the delicate acid base balance and cause inflammation of the urethra. Even colored toilet paper and certain laundry detergents have been known to aggravate UTIs in sensitive individuals.

Women who get frequent bladder infections and use the diaphragm may need to be fitted for a smaller size or one with a less rigid rim, or switch to a different contraceptive. Some women react to the spermicide used with the diaphragm, as well as with sponges, condoms and foam and may need to consider alternative methods.

Avoid traumatic sexual or anal intercourse and repeated episodes of sex in a short time. Have a tall glass of water before intercourse to dilute and flush out possible bacteria. Urinate and wash with cool water afterwards, as sex may transfer bacteria from the bowel forward towards the urethra (the tube where the urine comes out).

Drink strong Nettle leaf Infusion every day to strengthen the kidneys if you are prone to UTIs. To prepare your own herbal infusion of Nettles:

1. Steep a handful of the dried herb in a quart of boiling water for at least 4 hours.

2. Strain to a glass canning jar.

3. Add a splash of lemon or lime juice, fresh mint leaf or a dash of honey to taste (optional).

4. Drink 1-3 cups daily. 

At the First Suspicion of a UTI

Reputable brands of the supplements and remedies I recommend below include Innate Response, Wish Garden, Gaia, Herb Pharm, Wise Woman Herbals, Pure Encapsulations and Eclectic Institute, or any of those in my online holistic apothecary.

In addition to upping your hydration, drink 8 fluid ounces of UNSWEETENED cranberry juice every 2 hours, which has been studied to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall, acidify the urine making it hostile to the causative bacteria, and effectively treat bladder infections. You can make your own by using cranberry juice concentrate diluted in water or other juices to reduce the sour taste, or by adding powdered cranberry as directed to your smoothie, apple sauce, yogurt or oatmeal. OR take encapsulated powdered cranberry 800-900 mg or the studied brand Cranactin 1-2 capsules every 3-4 hours with plenty of water until symptoms resolve. Dr. Aviva Romm reports the most success with a Cranberry-D-Mannose supplement, 2 capsules twice per day. If you are prone to frequent UTIs or are going on a honeymoon get-away weekend with your partner, you can take ½ dose of any of the cranberry supplements daily and drink extra water for prevention.

Take 500–1000 mg of Vitamin C with bioflavonoids every 4-6 hours for 3-5 days or until a few days after you are better, but limit dose to 500 mg daily in the past 36 weeks of pregnancy.

Eat a bulb of fresh garlic cloves daily. You can make it delicious by sautéing them in olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of parsley. If you prefer raw garlic, eat several cloves twice a day. You can crush it into your salad, or cut it and swallow as a pill. Eating it with parsley reduces the odor. Another wonderful option is to take New Chapter’s Garlicforce, a capsule of mild tasting supercritical fresh organic garlic, 1-2 capsules daily as directed with 8 ounces of water per capsule until the UTI resolves. Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic that safely kills unwanted germs while preserving flora that normally resides in the body.

To boost your immunity, fight infection and reduce inflammation, take Gaia’s Echinacea Supreme, 1-2 dropperfuls in juice or water every few hours, and then three times daily for a week after your symptoms resolve. 

Take Marshmallow Root as directed if you need to soothe the pain of inflammation in your urinary tract. 

Drink even more fluids (up to 14 glasses a day, or a glass of water every ½ to 1 hour) to further dilute the bacteria and flush them out. Try drinking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with juice 3 times daily to acidify urine and kill bacteria. 

Drink a cup every half hour of barley water with lemon juice. To make this concoction, simmer a handful of whole barley and cut pieces of one lemon in plenty of water for 40 minutes, strain off and drink daily. 

Take a high colony count mega probiotic (2-4 capsules twice daily until symptoms resolve, then continue with 1-2 capsules per day) to increase the amount of normal bacterial flora to offset the imbalance which created infection. This is especially important if your gut microbiome has been disrupted from antibiotics.

Homeopathic remedies are very safe in pregnancy, and when you get the correct remedy to your particular symptoms, they can help your body to heal quickly and naturally on its own. Start with a common effective remedy like Cantharis 30c; take 3-5 pellets under your tongue every few hours for the first day, but if no relief, you may need a different remedy. An excellent reference is Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine by Dr. Stephen Cummings MD and Dana Ullman MPH. If you need more personalized support, consult your professional classical homeopath. You can also drink Weleda’s Sarsaparilla tea at least twice per day.

Take a daily bath or use a sitz bath to direct the healing where it is most needed, and add to the warm water a few drops of essential oils of bergamot, lavender, and/or sandalwood. Use the mixture in your peri-bottle to wash yourself after urination, squirting your genitals towards the back while on the toilet. Both the sitz bath and peri-bottle will come in handy postpartum as well. 

Get extra rest and keep warm with additional clothing or blankets as needed to avoid feeling chilled.

If You Are Passed the First Trimester or are NOT Pregnant

Take a short course of encapsulated extract of Uva Ursi while temporarily stopping the cranberry which blocks its effect. Dosage recommendations are 1-2 capsules, 400-800 mg tablets, or 1 dropperful of liquid tincture 3-4 times per day up to 3-5 days. You can also make your own herbal infusion by adding a handful of the leaves of Uva Ursi to a glass canning jar filled with water, brew for a few hours, strain and drink. Dr. Aviva Romm advises drinking it hot or cold ¼-1 cup every 4 hours, increasing the dose depending on the severity of your symptoms. For bladder pain, spasm, and cramping, she recommends 1-2 dropperfuls each of Cramp Bark and Wild Yam tincture every 2-4 hours the first 24 hours, then every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours. You can also take oil of Oregano 1 capsule three times daily to treat the infection.

When to Call

Consult your practitioner if you do not notice improvement by 24 hours, and full resolution of symptoms within 3-5 days, after following the above suggestions or if you start to feel ill and develop such symptoms as:

• High fever

• Shaking chills

• Sweats

• Muscle aches

• Marked weakness and exhaustion

• Low back or flank pain

• Severe abdominal pain

• Headaches

• Nausea and vomiting

• Increased burning pain or persistent blood in the urine

Under these circumstances, you may need antibiotics for a more serious infection. Always contact your practitioner if you feel consistent cramping, contractions, or hardening of the uterus (over 4 per hour), lower back ache or pelvic pressure, or bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina, as these may be signs of labor.

Healthy nonpregnant women may wait 48 hours of trying the natural remedies before reaching out to a professional, if the burning pain is slight, the frequent urination is mild and there are no other symptoms.

Ideally get a urine culture before treatment, to not only confirm or rule out a urinary tract infection, but also to determine what organism is responsible and what antibiotic it is sensitive to. If you must take antibiotics, take the full course even after you feel better. Eliminate sugar intake and take probiotics, 2 capsules twice daily for a week after your finish the antibiotics, to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in your body, prevent a vaginal yeast infection and minimize stomach upset. And continue to follow the above suggestions.

Do another follow-up urine culture after you complete the natural treatment or prescription medication, and every trimester if you are pregnant or have a history of recurrent UTIs, to make sure the infection has been successfully eradicated and does not recur (which can happen, even though you do not feel symptoms).

As always, if you need more guidance, schedule a consultation with me.

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Interested in learning yoga? I created online class series for pregnancy and another for all.

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This course has 16 yoga classes plus bonus material:

• Seven ~ 60-80 minute Prenatal Yoga classes

• Seven ~ 60-80 minute Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga classes

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• Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet.

The prenatal yoga 7 class series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath. Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. The classes are taught with modifications for pregnancy, incorporate positions for positively influencing baby’s position and active birthing as well as those to relieve common discomforts in pregnancy. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques and tools for coping with and easing sensations of labor and birth, which will transform your childbirth experience with regular practice.

The seven classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels, and beginners too are welcome! If you are not pregnant, you can use the prenatal classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use any mention of pregnancy and labor as it pertains to any labor of your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone. Or simply take the general Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series online course.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow 7 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for pregnancy or wherever you are on your yoga journey, or simply start them after you are recovered postpartum. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

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Mindful Hatha Yoga Class Series Online Course

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This course has 14 yoga classes plus bonus material:

• Seven ~ 60-80 minute Level 1 Yoga classes

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• A soothing Gentle Slow Flow Yoga class

• A Restorative Yoga class for deep relaxation

• Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet..

The classes are for all people able to take them. Part one of the series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath.

Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. Classes are taught with modifications as needed. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques which will transform your experience and life with regular practice.

The classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other from Part one to Part two; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels of experience, and beginners too are welcome! You can use the initial classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use the tools and techniques as they pertain to your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the other multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow Part 2 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for wherever you are on your yoga journey. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

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Interview With a Family in My Practice on Their Podcast

“Julia and Gino were blessed to have Anne attend the birth of four of their children in the comfort of their home (they attribute Anne for saving Julia's life by detecting an ectopic pregnancy when the doctors did not!), and wanted to share with the community what an amazing midwife, mother, and entrepreneur Anne is.

In this week’s show, Anne discusses her passion for midwifery, what led her down the path of homebirth, the amazing power and joy of giving birth, and how her struggles in life led to her own transformative healing, growth, deeper joy and inner calm.

Anne draws parallels between raising a family and creating a successful in-person and online business, and how she did not set out to write two books or create online courses and coaching sessions, but a conversation with her daughter about joining Instagram changed it all. And then it grew organically.

Since that conversation, Anne has collected more than 97,000 followers on Instagram alone, and more importantly to her, has been able to serve mothers all over the world, including Australia and Europe.”

Source: Entrepreneur, Midwife, Author, and Mother, Anne Margolis with Julia and Gino Barbaro | Jake & Gino (jakeandgino.com)

Cesarean Birth and Prevention

Blog post featured image: Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

--- BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Instagram.com/homesweethomebirth ---

Hi. I wanted to come on and talk about cesarean and why I'm so passionate about preventing it. 

But what I want to mention first is that the rates in this country, in the United States, are going up and our outcomes are getting worse. Okay. The national average is 30%.

That's just unacceptable.

Some hospitals around where I live, the rate is 40 to 50%. Unbelievable. Why? There are so many reasons why, but I just want to share something with you.  

My rate is 5%. My rate of cesarean birth is 5%. I'm not bragging. This has nothing really to do with me. I, 

What's different. Why is that?

Why do you think the rates in my practice are 5%, and the rates in the national average of hospitals are 30% and climbing?

The families that come to my practice don't have different bodies. The people don't have different bodies. 

You know what's different. They're getting midwifery care.

They're getting midwifery care. They are low risk and healthy. And maybe someone even labeled them as high risk, but they're not really high risk. They're just healthy. They might have an issue or two, but you know what they're doing? They're taking responsibility. That's also what they're doing.

They're preparing as I recommend them to prepare, and they're taking responsibility for the birth, they're not just saying to me, do whatever, right. 

They are taking it upon themselves. 

Why do they need to prepare? I'll tell you why they need to prepare, because I know that women's bodies know exactly how to give birth. A healthy body knows how to give birth. Right? 

Why in the West do we need to prepare? Because we're in the West. We're in the Western culture.

I feel so strongly about this because I do hospital shifts. I do hospital shifts and I love to do hospitals shifts in hospitals that serve the immigrant populations.

I love that. And I can actually do prenatal care and help a mama in labor as much as possible with my heart and with my Spanish. Now I am not fluent, okay, but I love working with this community, the immigrant population that's coming up, because I'll tell you why. Not just, I love them, but the less Westernized they are, they don't need to take childbirth classes, they just come and birth just like that. 

And you know why? Because the newer they are to this country, the less westernized they are, they came from countries where they were surrounded by people having birth. And in a community. And the women in their community, the elders, the wiser ones would talk to them about it and they would see it. 

I mean, I just spoke with a grand-momma, an abuela, who had 11 babies in her casa - back in her country. 11 babies in her Casa. That's what everybody did.

She didn't need a childbirth course. She was surrounded by everybody doing that. So, she got that education, and she got that by osmosis, that “We know how to do this. This is what we know how to do". And you know what, it's hard, but we can do hard things. Like we don't need to numb ourselves from pain. They deal with pain. They just deal with it. The more westernized they are, the more we are in our brains, the more we are in fear. Not “we”. No, because I've healed myself, I've tried to de-Westernize myself when it comes to helping moms give birth.

And I feel strongly about this, because, we can't help the way of our culture. Okay. We get fear messages. Oh my gosh we get fear messages all over the media. You know, someone sees you're pregnant they're going to tell you a story. And we are addicted to Googling everything. We're just too much in our brains. It's just, it's just the way it is. We have to research this, we have to research that, and we have to numb. We're not comfortable with discomfort.

And that's why I love my yoga training. That taught me, that deep in yoga, to combine that with being a midwife is just an amazing combination. Yoga doesn't come from the West. It comes from the East. To be comfortable with uncomfortable. To be comfortable with discomfort. To be comfortable and relax into intensity. 

And I needed that to help me understand and how to help other people do that. But there are cultures around the world, here are countries around the world that never did any yoga. They just live in a community, and are surrounded by the elders and other women in the community. They just do it. You know, we do hard things. And we just give birth.

So, that’s why I think a huge part of the success of a lot in my practice, and a lot of my colleagues, is that we're really are, to the families that have a baby in the home, in our practice are Westernized. They might want to have a home birth, but it's their first time, they know nothing about birth. They haven't been around it. 

They tell me they don't know anybody that's had a home birth that I can connect them with. Well, I know tons of people that have had a home birth.

So, that's why I love connecting moms and their partners, so that they don't feel so isolated. But a lot of times the families that come to me, their parents gave birth in hospitals with all kinds of interventions and they just, they feel very isolated and unprepared. And, and just looking at videos and pictures, scrolling down, on Instagram is not the way to prepare. I'm sorry. It's not. And that's why I really think a lot of the success comes from myself and my colleagues really being insistent that the family who comes in to have a home birth is going to prepare like a boss, right? 

Get de-Westernized, get primal and get sensual, and learn how to relax into intensity and learn about birth because no one ever taught you. Right. And learn the techniques that you need to do to master your calm. And, and to just let your body do it. And, and I think that's a huge part of our success. 

I track my stats, and unfortunately the 7% of times that I have to go into the hospital, it's not because of an emergency. Emergencies are rare. We deal with them, or I can count them on my hand.

I'm the EMT. The midwife is the EMT at the birth. We prevent and we deal with any problems that come up. And if we need to go to the hospital, we need to go to the hospital.

But that's 7% of the time. That means 93% are having births at home.

But who is my 7% that needs to go to the hospital?
It tends to be, and I track my statistics. I've been tracking them for years. It's people with long, stuck labors, first time birthers, first time vaginal birthers, who did not prepare.

They just didn't want to take a course, they were preparing on Instagram or they, or they just weren't preparing at all before Instagram.

You can't prepare on Instagram. You have to take a class today. Yes. In the West. You have to take a class, unless your mom and your grandparents have given birth at home, and you're surrounded by, natural birth. Because natural birth in the West is very different. It's a very different experience if you've never done it before and you can't prepare on social media. Okay? 

Then, you have to think about who are you going to, who are you going to - let's say you want a natural birth. Well, if the hospital or the provider that you're going to is, let's say you're healthy and you want a natural birth, if the hospital and the provider that you're going to doesn't do natural birth. They're not into it. They weren't trained in it. They're into interventive birth, it's going to be very hard for you to have a natural birth, right? And one intervention leads to another intervention, leads to the other intervention, and unfortunately ends up in too much intervention and complications and cesarean births. 

I am so grateful for cesarean births for when it's necessary and that's why I post on it. And yes, we could have gentle cesareans for those mamas. Five percent - they're still human beings, and that's still a birth, and those mamas are rockstars because they need to have a compassionate, human, respectful family centered, gentle cesarean, and we can have as much as possible that home-sweet-home birth in the hospital or in the operating room, but we still have to prevent. 

So, you have to think about – even if you want a vaginal birth - let's say you want an epidural - if you want a vaginal birth, you have to know. Ask “What's the rate of cesareans in your hospital?”. Is it 30%? Is it 40%? Is it 50%? Then it's very unlikely - unless you prepare. Then have to prepare even more, right, to fight that system. Because, I don’t know, I talk about this all the time and I'm so passionate about it because I think that's how we make the change. 

How we be the change, how we make the change, is for you all to prepare yourselves and take back your birth and know what setting and what provider you're going to. 

And if you are blessed, if you're healthy, or you have a little issue or two, that doesn't risk you out of midwifery care. Find a midwife. 

That's the model of care in a lot of countries where the midwives who are trained. You know, I have seven years of training, it's not just a weekend course. I had to get my bachelor's, and I got my master's, and where I live, I need a master's degree. I have seven years of training and education, and it's specifically focused on supporting the low risk healthy.

Yes, we screen, we prevent, and we look. That's what prenatal care is all about, that relationship, and making sure that it is still safe and appropriate for that mama to have a home birth, or a birth with a midwife in the hospital. 

But midwifery, our specialty, is supporting normal. Keeping it normal. Lay low on intervention. No intervention. No interventions necessary when it's working well. 

What's an obstetrician? What's an OB/GYN. Do you know the difference? There’s a huge difference, and we need them, thank god, but an obstetrician and a gynecologist, OB/GYN, goes to medical school and does residency and extra training for high-risk pregnancies and surgery, to use very highly sophisticated technology to diagnose and treat high-risk situations, medically or surgically. But that kind of provider, I have doctors, I love the obstetricians that I work, but they always tell me they know nothing about natural birth. They're bored of it. They don't know what to do. They love the midwives. If someone's healthy, they say “you're going to get better care with a midwife”. 

So, it's very important for you to know the difference between a midwife and an obstetrician, their training and their background, because if you want a surgical birth, then no, you don't go to a midwife – go to a surgeon.

And that's what an obstetrician and gynecologist, OB/GYN is. And we need them. 

And that's why there are certain countries, that's why the United States ranks the lowest among all developed countries in the world, in terms of maternal and newborn outcomes. We're losing more babies and mamas, or having more serious complications with mamas and babies, than all the other developed countries in the world.

The countries that have the best outcomes are countries where, like Sweden, there's a lot of countries where everybody sees a midwife, if they're healthy. The doctor (obstetrician) is there for the high risk. High-risk and when surgery is needed. When medicine and surgery is needed. 

And that's how we serve the whole population of people having babies, and that's how we get excellent outcomes - live, happy, healthy mamas and babies. 

So last week I talked about a bleeding in pregnancy - this week I thought I'd talk about this.

If you found that helpful, comment, share. I'd love to hear what you have to say, but that's all for now. 

Have a wonderful weekend. Bye.

--- END TRANSCRIPT ---

Plan like a Boss! Create your ideal birth plan and take back your birth!

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Creating your ideal birth plan with this FREE video and ebook guide will not only help you prepare in advance, it will:

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Getting Real With A Mama in My Practice Who Rocked Her VBAC

Part one and two of a an awesome video I was invited to do with Joni, a mama in my practice who had a homebirth birth after cesarean, that really brings together many things pregnancy, birth, and breathwork, holistic health and healing.

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Sale

Love Your Birth Course

Sale Price: $337.00 Original Price: $449.00

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A Walk With Anne - Tips & Insights on Holistic Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Online Course

$77.00

Add To Cart

Get deep in this childbearing bible, a reference guide for the whole journey from planning a pregnancy, expecting, birth, postpartum and newborn care, with effective holistic modalities for common discomforts and issues along the way.