pregnancy discomfort

Caring For Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy & Beyond
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Caring For Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy & Beyond

            One very uncomfortable (although very common!) challenge during pregnancy is varicose veins. “Varicose” actually means “distended”, this term describes exactly what is occurring. Due to a variety of factors (such as the increased blood volume, hormonal changes, weight of baby restricting blood flow, etc.) a mom’s veins will distend, which can cause considerable discomfort if not actual pain. Did you know that hemorrhoids are another form of varicose veins, just that these are located in the rectum?

If you notice the presence of hemorrhoids and/or extended veins (typically on your calves, but they can pop out in other places as well), it’s very important to start doing something about it right away, in order to have the best chance of keeping them from becoming a greater problem as the pregnancy continues.

Here are some practical ways to care for your varicose veins, and help to keep those veins strong and discourage further distention:

  • Exercise regularly (daily walks are great!) to keep your blood flow circulating.
  • Make sure your bowels are moving well, in order to prevent straining from constipation (this makes hemorrhoids worse). Take some extra fiber and magnesium if needed, and make sure your daily diet includes high-fiber foods such as flax meal, oatmeal, etc.
  • Take time to elevate your legs higher than your heart 2-3x a day for 20 min.
  • Whenever you need to sit, keep your feet elevated slightly and avoid crossing your ankles or knees.
  • Try not to stand or sit for long periods of time: keep your position changing!
  • Sleep on your side to encourage good blood flow.
  • Consider extra support: good quality support hose for varicose veins or a “V2 Prenatal Cradle” support for vulvar varicosities. Support should be put on first thing in the morning before gravity causes pressure on the veins.
  • Hot, moist compresses for pain relief.
  • Take care not to massage the veins, as this can dislodge clots.

Supplements are another way to build up the vein wall strength and encourage good blood flow:

And finally, if you’re looking for some topical ways to get some relief from the burning, itching and heavy sensations that varicose veins bring with them, you may find some of these options helpful:

I hope these ideas and suggestions can be a help to you, and provide you with some relief from this pregnancy discomfort! If you have a recommendation of something that really worked for you, I’d love to hear about it!

“The First Birth”: A Story from 18 Years Ago
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“The First Birth”: A Story from 18 Years Ago

Not the baby featured in this story, but another baby born early on in my training!

From the time I was young (8 years old or so!), I had an interest in midwifery. I’m sure it stemmed from the fact that my mother used midwives for her pregnancies and the births of my five younger siblings, which gave me exposure to this “alternative” type of care. This was back in the day when having babies at home was NOT the popular, photographed and blogged about way to have your baby as it has become today! The midwives that cared for my mother seemed like an extension of our family, and as a young girl growing up, they were certainly some of my heroes that I wanted to become like when I “grew up”.

I think I was about 14 when I seriously felt like midwifery was something I wanted to pursue. Still very young and extremely inexperienced…with no idea what all this profession entails! I had read lots of missionary biographies, and a common experience in most of them included helping in some way (either unexpectedly or because they were prepared!) in childbirth in various countries.  So it seemed to my 14-yr-old mind that this was certainly a skill that would be good to know, and I pictured myself helping women in some far-off jungle or desert clinic someday. As I got older, I continued to feel a major pull towards midwifery that wouldn’t go away.

By the time I was 16, I was convinced this is what I needed to start pursuing. My parents wisely recommend that I begin by doing some reading, and they told me that they thought I should probably try to attend a few births before diving in head-first in a midwifery study program. Their reasoning was that perhaps this was just a passing whim, and why sink all sorts of time, energy and money into something only to find out that I would faint at the sight of blood, or have some other sort of aversion to what all comes with the birth territory. This is no joke. I personally know people who were SURE midwifery was what they wanted to do, but when they faced the nitty gritty, it didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t their calling after all!

So, the next question was how on earth was I going to get any birth experience in, seeing as I was so young and inexperienced?!? I figured I would have to wait years for the opportunity, though I was reminded that if God wanted it to happen, He could figure out a way. That’s what makes my first birth experience so special-it was completely unexpected!

The summer that I was to turn 17 found me helping several families out on a weekly basis, going in to care for children, clean, cook, or do whatever was needed as a mother’s helper. One family was expecting their fourth child that summer, and they were excitedly planning their first homebirth in our state. Seeing as they had several young children, and that I had been spending a lot of time with them over a number of months, they asked if I would be on call to come and help babysit when the mom went into labor. This was the plan, with a backup plan being set where the children could go to a neighbor family’s home if the mom decided she could relax better without children in the house.

So one hot (Kansas is REALLY hot in July!) day, I got a call that the mom was in early labor, and that they would be glad if I could come care for the children so she could concentrate on resting and relaxing. I went over and made supper, took care of some household things, and entertained the children so mom and dad could focus together. An hour or so after supper, the mom decided that she would prefer the children leave the house, which left me thinking that I should probably go since my job was done. But the mom looked at me and said “I want the children to go, but you are to stay. I don’t want you going anywhere.” I sure wasn’t going to argue with that! She then went on to tell me that she wanted me to rub her back “just so” while her husband finished setting up the birth supplies and called the midwives, which I was more than happy to do. All of a sudden things kicked right in, and I vividly remember both parents bemoaning the fact that they hadn’t studied better on how to catch a baby if the midwife didn’t make it! I was blissfully ignorant, as I was only aware of my own mother’s very long labors, and figured we still had a very long night ahead of us. Little did I know!

I continued my “job” applying back counter-pressure as dad set up birth supplies, sweated nervously as he watched the signs of his wife progressing rapidly, read his childbirth class manual, and gave his wife emotional support. Thankfully, the midwives arrived just as mom started feeling more pressure, and all the last details were quickly set up and ready to go. About half an hour after the midwives arrived, a beautiful, howling, red little boy made his safe and smooth appearance, and I was in awe. I had no idea birth could be this beautiful, and I was so very, very grateful for the amazing opportunity. I was flying pretty high for days after this experience, and as you can imagine, I was totally convinced that this was what I wanted to do.

What is really hard to believe is that this baby will turn 18 this summer…I cannot believe that time has flown, and this many years have passed. After this first birth, I attended random births that I was invited to (word started getting around that I was interested, and some very sweet, very brave women invited me to share in their experiences, for which I will always be grateful!), and eventually began midwifery school when God opened the doors. It’s now been over 10 years since I graduated and started my own practice, and I continue to be thankful for those who initially helped me to start down this path by allowing me to be present at such personal, private life events.  As I continue to reflect back on memories and celebrate 10 years of practice, I want to especially thank each of you moms and midwives who took this very young girl under their wing and gave her experiences that will last a lifetime!

I’m so privileged to be involved in this work of ushering life into the world!

The Peaceful Birth of Talitha ~ Part 1
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The Peaceful Birth of Talitha ~ Part 1

Note to my readers: I kept thinking I’d get this story written long before now, but I finally finished it just before my baby turns one. How time flies! My apologies on the length…there were so many details that had to be shared to give the background, but if you aren’t interested in those, just wait for the actual “birth story” coming soon!

When I sit down to write out the story of Talitha’s birth, the subject that continually comes to mind is that God answered prayer. Seriously. The winter of 2015 was unlike any I have ever experienced to this date, full of stretching in areas physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In order to understand part of the picture of how so many things came together in order to make her birth the peaceful event that it was, bear with me as I give you some background to that cold February night…

My husband, Joel, has served with All-Nations Bible Translation for many years, and earlier in 2014 the decision had been made to build a training base in the State College area, just 2 miles or so from our home. It would take too long to recount the ways God opened doors for a location, permits, funds, etc, but suffice it to say that, as generally happens with construction projects, this one had taken much longer than expected before all the red tape was completed in order to begin building. Which translates into the “crunch” time beginning while I began my last trimester of pregnancy, even though it hadn’t initially been planned that way. While I was not helping with construction J, it was our responsibility to make sure the volunteers had coffee, snacks for break, lunch, and sometimes even a place to stay along with breakfast and supper. Joel had tried to get help in for this, but to make a long story short, nothing worked out-though he was able to get a number of churches and interested individuals to help with some of the food prep, in order to reduce my load. I will admit that these months were HARD. When I’m pregnant, I’m extra emotional, uncomfortable, unsocial, and ready to be DONE. To add hostessing, food prep, and all the effort that goes into that to having two toddlers to care for, all the while dealing with pregnancy issues stretched me beyond what I thought I was physically able to handle. Oh, and I should mention that our small church community (made up of about 7 families) had THREE pregnant mamas, two major moves, a house renovation project AND health issues during the last two months of my pregnancy. But God gave strength, and we pressed on, reminding ourselves that at least the construction project wasn’t something that was going to be repeated!

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How the building project looked in January…so much snow that volunteers had to be taken up the lane in a 4 wheel drive vehicle!

Besides the building project, I also was committed to delivering babies! The “last” baby I had on my radar before my own was due the end of January. When I took on this sweet couple, it was with the idea that January would be my “rest month”, as Joel was actively lining up help for the month in order for me to prepare for our baby. I also figured that since there were a solid 5 ½ weeks between this mamas due date and my own, this also should be no problem. Well…sometimes God has other plans in mind! I started getting a bit nervous about how all of this was going to work out when I began having preterm labor signs of my own around 33 weeks. When I realized that I was beginning to dilate, and that baby was settling lower and lower, we seriously reduced my time on my feet, which helped to slow the contractions. I began praying that God would help baby wait at least until this other baby came…and that baby wouldn’t come before we could do it at home. We figured out a workable plan in which I would sit with my feet up after every hour or two of work, which helped to keep things at bay, though I started wondering if we’d be meeting our baby sooner rather than later. But back to babies…the one due in January was not to be my “last” one after all! One of the ladies in our church, who is a good friend, had some things come up which made their family feel like perhaps the midwife they had chosen was not a good fit for them. While I do not normally get involved with a situation such as this (there’s often a deeper reason when a couple and midwife part ways late in pregnancy, and it’s not something to delve into without concern), we had a close relationship with this family, and felt like we needed to help them out. Incidentally, this mama was due the same week as I was, and we had been neck-to-neck throughout our pregnancies, though she was convinced she’d deliver first, as her babies tended to come early. We lined up a back-up, just in case, as there was the real possibility we’d both be in labor at the same time…

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Getting things ready for baby sister to arrive!

So all of that brings us to the first week of February. At this point, I’m still having contractions whenever I ‘m on my feet for awhile, and I’m waiting on two babies before my own can come. It’s the kind of situation where you keep saying, “Okay, Lord, let’s see how you’re going to work all this out…” 🙂 In the middle of all this, we started a renovation project in our basement…we had help to do it, and wanted to have the basement ready by the time my mom came to help after our birth, and I didn’t want to be dealing with dirt, dust and noise with a newborn, so we dug in. There were times I cried-like when the heater came on in the basement and spewed concrete dust all through the house…but the guys made great progress throughout that week, and one afternoon a sister from church came over to help me clean. After waiting about 10 days from his due date, the “January baby” came…and I felt like it was a direct answer to prayer to have a clear night for travel (no snow and ice on the road) and a straight-forward, relatively short labor, complete with a healthy baby. I felt a huge sense of relief, too, as that was one more responsibility off my shoulders, allowing me to feel more prepared for my own baby.

By the time the third week of February began, my friend and I were wondering who was going go first. I had reached that point where one is chronically uncomfortable, but so had my friend. That Sunday night she went into labor (just 3 days after moving into her newly renovated  house…talk about cutting it close!), and early Monday morning I was called over, helping them to welcome a baby girl within an hour or two of my arrival. Once again, God was gracious, giving them a lovely birth, with no issues that would have been challenging for this very-pregnant midwife to take care of! This week were also trying to finish up the renovation in our basement, as Joel’s sister, Lucy, and her husband were supposed to be arriving that week in order for Daniel to do some trim work at the ABT project. So I napped around construction noise, and felt grateful that meals at the ABT project were being taken care of by another church family who had moved into our community just the week before (remember my mention of two moves over this time?!).

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Baby E around 24 hrs old…this was the day before my own baby came!

Another aspect of uncertainty surrounding this birth also had to do with the availability of my own midwife. Our dear friend, Rose, had been involved with our previous two births, and we really wanted her for my midwife again this time. For each birth, God answered specific prayer related to her availability, and this time was no exception! She was working down in Lancaster, and while she had permission from her employer to head our direction when needed, my last labor hadn’t given us a lot of warning-and Joel was not in a hurry to do a solo birth again! I had also been hoping to have my student, Emily, involved, even thinking that at least she’d get some good practice if Rose couldn’t make it in time. But she was already committing to attending her next midwifery class in Maine, which was scheduled to take place the last two weeks of February. So we prayed, and committed the situation to the Lord, knowing that He would work it all out somehow…but not knowing exactly who would be a part of our birth team.

Tuesday night, the 17th/18th, I slept fitfully, being awake for several hours with contractions. While intense enough to keep me from sleeping, they wouldn’t get any stronger, and I kept wondering at what point I should be calling Rose to come. When morning finally arrived, I was tired and discouraged. By this time I had experienced many uncomfortable nights with little sleep and lots of contractions, and wasn’t sure how much longer I could survive physically and mentally. After so many hours of consistent, time able contractions through the night, finding myself at only 4cm was so disappointing…surely things should be happening by now! Joel was so understanding, and after giving me time for a good cry on his shoulder, he sent me for a long, relaxing bath, after which he put me back to bed to see if I could sleep. He then proceeded to tell our friend who was working in the basement to wait to come for several hours. I know this seems like an unrelated detail, but it played into the events of the rest of the day!  I was able to sleep in the quiet house, and once I woke up refreshed, Joel told Chris to come back-we found out that Daniel & Lucy were coming that evening, instead of waiting for the next day-so we needed the basement for them to sleep in!

I still look back on that Wednesday as a gift. Up to that day, my life had been so full, the schedule so tight, so many urgent, pressing things to take care, running from here to there. No time for reflection, or for that mental preparation that is so helpful when facing something like labor. Even after having had two natural births, I found myself fighting fears of a different type this time. Nightmares of having to be taken to the hospital, because I couldn’t take the pain. Wondering if I could mentally cope with whatever might come in labor. Every time I would voice those fears, my husband would remind me that they weren’t coming for the Lord, and that I needed to trust in Him, and resist those fears. Yet having a day in which to reflect, and be able to gear up mentally for labor was something I needed in order to be prepared. Joel encouraged me to take the day “off”, and he even suggested taking our little family out for lunch. It’s one of those sweet memories I have…our last outing as a little family of 4, enjoying some relaxed time together at the local Chinese buffet. Talking about when the baby might come, and the children soaking up the time with mommy and daddy.

Contractions continued to come and go throughout the day, and Joel (wisely) wondered if it might not be a good idea to touch base with Rose. He really didn’t want her to be very far away if things did start to happen! Rose informed me that she was off work the rest of the week, and was thinking of heading up to her family’s place in order to do some study, and be closer to us in case baby decided to come. I went for a walk in order to get some fresh air and sunshine (though a storm was brewing), and found contractions very strong and intense while walking, though they would slow down again whenever I would sit. Around this time, Joel and I discussed whether or not I should consider taking castor oil. While we didn’t want to interfere with God’s timing of this birth, we also knew that I was physically very run down, and we were concerned about how I would handle more DSC_0632csleepless nights should things continue. After talking with Rose again, and finding out that she was studying at a nearby restaurant, as she felt from the tone of my voice earlier that she should be close by (and a snow storm was predicted for later on in the evening!), we decided to try castor oil if things didn’t move forward on their own. The mind-body connection is amazing, as contractions began to pick up again after just knowing that Rose was 2 miles away!

To be continued….

Preparing yourself for labor and birth…
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Preparing yourself for labor and birth…

During pregnancy (and even before!), it’s important to spend time preparing and educating yourself about what to expect during the remainder of pregnancy, and for your upcoming labor, birth, and postpartum period. Fear of the unknown can cause more tension, thus causing more pain, and adequate preparation can help you to avoid not knowing what to expect. Moms and dads who have seriously prepared for birth are often rewarded with a much more satisfying birth experience, especially due to the fact that they had a better idea of what to expect, and what was going on with mom’s body during the different stages. Being able to learn about the natural processes, how these things affect mom and baby, what positions can help at what times, etc. all serve to enable a couple to work as a team as they bring their baby into the world.

childbirth456While it’s ideal to take a live childbirth class whenever possible (this gives you personal time with the instructor, the chance to ask questions, and the fun of interacting with other couples experiencing pregnancy), there are often times when there are no natural-minded classes available in your area, or when time constraints make it impossible to attend a series of classes. When this is the case, don’t give up the desire to be prepared! There are many different online classes, videos and books that can all help to educate you on the labor and birth process, and this list is intended to give you some pointers on where to start:

Actual Childbirth Classes-either online or DVD:
http://birthbootcamp.com/online-childbirth-education-classes/online-class-faq/ Birth Boot Camp is an intense class, available online or in various locations around the US, focusing on preparation for a natural childbirth by teaching relaxation techniques, exercises, etc., taught by midwives, childbirth educators, lactation consultants and others.

http://spinningbabies.com/classes/eclass-for-pregnant-parents-2 Gail Tully teaches an incredible class on optimal fetal positioning, and this is a link for the online childbirth classes that she recommends.

http://injoyvideos.com/mothers-advocate-dvds.html This DVD is a “mini childbirth class”…30 min. of good advice and information, available to purchase, or on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/MothersAdvocate
Other Helpful Links/DVD’s:
http://spinningbabies.com/videos/spinning-babies-video Taught by Gail Tully at Spinning Babies, the Parent Class DVD is an excellent resource for teaching couples techniques and exercises for encouraging baby to get in a good position and prepare mom for birth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZDeozklQw8&app=desktop An older Lamaze video, this shows several moms in labor, and talks about ways to be prepared for natural childbirth.

http://www.happyhealthychild.com/ This DVD set, available through Amazon, is taught by a variety of OB’s, midwives, doulas, and other professionals. It covers prenatal nutrition, labor preparation, natural childbirth, birth choices, newborn care, and more in a lecture-type style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xath6kOf0NE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDP_ewMDxCo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze53Ep-gwBQ&index=5&list=PLD8C569116E48F504, Short, 3D animated medical videos giving excellent visuals on the birth process, contraction action, station explanation, and more.

http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/ Excellent documentary explaining birth choices in the US. Features quotes by OBs, midwives, doulas, and home/natural birth moms. Available to watch for free on youtube!

http://www.mothering.com/articles/6-birth-videos-used-prepare-child-siblings-entrance/ Various birth videos

http://babies.littlethings.com/husband-wife-home-birth/?utm_content=buffer0f17b&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_source=sungazing&utm_campaign=PFPost A really sweet home water birth video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvk08EfgECk A brief overview of the stages of labor.

One more thing to note…if you live local, I’d be more than happy to share with you some of the great options for live childbirth classes in this area!

Helping Baby Achieve the Best Position…a little report on my day at Spinning Babies!
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Helping Baby Achieve the Best Position…a little report on my day at Spinning Babies!

At the end of April, I had the special opportunity to take the Spinning Babies workshop taught by Gail Tully at the Midwifery Today Conference in Harrisburg. While the day was packed with information, I enjoyed every minute of it…I honestly felt excited about the prospect of having another baby myself after learning so many practical tips on how to promote optimal fetal positioning for both the baby’s sake and the mother’s comfort. Gail has a wealth of information at her fingertips, and I think I’d have to take the class several more times before I could really retain it all (even though I took lots of notes!), but I wanted to at least give a few pointers from things that I learned. Visit her website at: http://spinningbabies.com/ to learn more yourself.

To begin with, Gail showed a diagram about the structure of the uterus, and how it is covered in fascia, just like all of our other muscles. When the fascia is pulled or stretched in an unnatural angle, it is going to affect the way that the baby is positioned in the uterus. This is one reason why it is important to watch your repetitive movements…do you carry a child on your hip? bat a baseball? If the muscles and ligaments are too tight, too loose, or twisted, the baby will NOT be able to settle into the correct position. The balance of your soft tissue can be more important than your pelvic size. Thus, doing specific exercise techniques throughout your pregnancy (and during labor when needed) in order to help align these muscles can make a big impact on what position the baby settles into. When the womb is symmetrical, the baby will naturally assume a more flexed position.

When it comes to the “perfect position”, the place to aim for is having baby settled on the left side. The tendency is for baby to settle on the right side, as our uteri have a natural propensity towards this direction. However, the shorter, curved left side encourages the baby to flex his head and assume a “C” type position-his physiology is actually enhanced by this flexed position, as well as this position providing more consistent, even pressure on the cervix, which in turn encourages dilation. When the baby is on the mom’s steeper right side, the baby naturally wants to assume a more “military presentation”, where the head is not flexed-this causes uneven pressure on the cervix, and can really reduce progress in preparing the cervix for labor, and stalling progress during labor itself.

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Demonstrating how the different muscle layers work to support or constrict the uterus

Another interesting aspect Gail brought out is how thyroid malfunction can cause the baby to assume a negative position. A root metabolism issue can affect the way in which the uterus operates, as well as causing it to be more susceptible to twisting. Making sure your entire body is working optimally can help prepare you for a better pregnancy and birth! The fact that we spend so much time sitting both in the car and in a reclined position also contribute to a asymmetrical uterus. Women used to be encouraged to sit “like a lady” with good upright posture, which can also help to promote good posture of the womb.

In presenting exercise techniques, Gail focused on three separate types of exercises that she calls the “3 Sisters” to provide balance and room for mom and baby. Each of these exercises helps the mom to relax, and thus in turn helps to relax the fascia of the uterus, which then helps to provide the balance to help the uterus to become more symmetrical. She would encourage pregnant mamas to do these exercises at the minimum of once a week, but once a day would be even more ideal! Besides encouraging baby to engage in a good position, these exercises can also help to improve mom’s comfort by relaxing the muscles that receive so much strain during pregnancy. In labor, these techniques help to promote descent of the baby, and can be done multiple times. Rather than try to explain these techniques myself, I’ll point you in the direction of where you can find instructions on her website:
– First, encourage deep squats and calf stretch. Then move on to the “3 Sisters of Balance” http://spinningbabies.com/techniques/activities-for-fetal-positioning/423-the-3-sisters-of-balance- :
1.  Rebozo sifting: helps relax the broad ligament and get the mother loose and relaxed herself. http://spinningbabies.com/techniques/activities-for-fetal-positioning/rebozo-sifting
2. Forward Leaning Inversion: This is best for resolving a transverse lie, and helps to encourage healthy circulation. http://spinningbabies.com/techniques/the-inversion
3. Side Lying Release: Helps relieve pressure on ligaments.

Once these techniques have been performed to help achieve balance, your next goals are Gravity and Movement-especially to help during a pause in labor.

During labor, you can use these techniques to help whenever you reach a point where progress is being stalled. Gail encouraged us to rethink the usual question of “what is dilation?” and instead think “where’s the baby?”. If the baby isn’t descending, then something needs to change, regardless of what dilation is. And depending on where baby is at, different techniques are needed to get the baby to descend. For any stall, she recommends trying the “3 Sisters of Balance” in order to relax mom and balance the uterus.

As you attempt the three above techniques, consider where baby is: If he is stuck at the brim of the pelvis (characterized by a long latent phase, or start-and-stop labors for days), then the baby needs to flex his head in order to enter the pelvis. Tight round ligaments can prevent baby from descending. At this point it is much more important to get the baby to enter the pelvis, rather than trying to get labor to become more regular. Dilation won’t do any good if the baby isn’t in the pelvis! Trying Gail’s Abdominal Lift and Tuck followed by Walchers, can help to flex that little guys head and get him to descend. http://spinningbabies.com/techniques/activities-for-fetal-positioning/abdominal-lift-and-tuck  http://spinningbabies.com/techniques/activities-for-fetal-positioning/walchers

If baby is stuck in the mid-pelvis (right at the ischial spines), labor tends to stall around 5-7cm. This can often be caused by a tight pelvic floor, and special attention to the side-lying release technique can help to relax those tight muscles. Trying a lunge, and the “Shaking the Apple Tree” techniques can also help to get the pelvic floor relaxed and help baby to descend.

When labor stalls around 9-10 cm (think anterior lip, etc), realize that you must address the root cause, not just push back the lip. Trying positions that open up that part of the pelvis can provide more room (deep squat, McRoberts, hip press, toilet, etc.). Sometimes putting pressure on the sacrotuberal ligaments can help them release and provide more room for birth. If there’s not an urge to push, try to rest, and wait until the body is ready-sometimes mama just needs a break!

There were many, many more things that Gail taught and shared…not to mention all the stories of different complicated, stalled labors where these techniques were used. If you ever have a chance to sit in on one of Gail’s classes, I would highly recommend it! Much of her information is located on her website, as well, which is an excellent resource for both midwives and mamas alike.

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Where is baby’s position in relation to the mom’s pelvis? How can we use that information to help us decide which technique(s) to try?