Bradley Method versus lamaze vs. hypno vs...whatever?

I often get asked by patients what the best method is for going "natural" during childbirth. Many patients are becoming more educated and realizing that often the things we "routinely" do in the hospital may pose added risk of c/section, infection, etc. Some of things such as pitocin use, rupturing membranes artificially, frequent vaginal checks, placement of monitoring tools internally, etc. have likely lead to some of the above mentioned interventions that are not preferable. Therefore, the trend is leaning once again toward self education and reliance that your body can do this without unnecessary interference. That being said, labor is still a painful process and is a lot of work for your body, and therefore, knowing the best option to help you cope and succeed with the delivery you desire is important!

So, first off, let's talk about the Bradley method. This came about many years ago by a Dr. Bradley and I believe it is the method most women will succeed with because it is the most normal and reasonable. I would estimate that >90% of my patients who use this method or take classes for this do succeed. It encompasses the attitude that labor and delivery are normal processes and don't usually require interevention unless necessary for the life of the mother and/or baby. Notice how I used the word "usually.." This method still requires intermittant monitoring of the baby and mom (vital signs, etc) and if abnormalities are noted, intervention may still be necessary. This method focuses much on nutrition and proper eating and weight gain for the mother. I believe this is crucial to pregnancy! They encourage 80-100 gms of protein per day...which I thought was a lot, but it certainly makes sense to help maintain sugars and help with weight gain and diabetes prevention. Plus, a normal weight infant is less likely to have or cause birth trauma than a very large one:) The Bradley method also focuses on knowing the mechanisms of labor and how your body functions, so it is less mysterious and scary. They focus on natural breathing vs lamaze which is very regimented breathing that sometimes leads to hyperventilation...which is not good for the mom or the baby. I think when you understand your body as a labor machine capable of doing this, and give it the proper diet and exercise to prepare this is the method you can and will succeed at!

Hypno birthing is also a popular method and there are many great classes and instuctors in this as well. It is more mediation, breathing, and hypnosis focused, although I've only ever had one patient I've delivered that I believe was truly "hypnotized" for her delivery. I think most women can't get that deep into their meditations and when they are not they sometimes panic and have no other information to pull from. Then they give in to medications or epidural. Both of which I think are reasonable options, but do have side effects that would not otherwise be present if they you still going "natural."
Lamaze is a bit old fashioned. Although relaxation and breathing are critical components to natural, certain altered chest breathing in rhythm and focusing on this so much is probably not the best. I think it often leads to hyperventilation which alters the blood gas of the baby and mother. This is what makes you feel "tingly" and "dizzy" both common complaints we see in hyperventilating patients. This typically leads your nurse to think you need more oxygen and they put an oxygen mask on you making the problem worse! You need to slooooow down, relax and breathe into a paper bag if necessary to take in less oxygen.
So in a nutshell, those are my thoughts on those options. I do have information on classes for all of these methods at my office if you would like more information on this.

And as always, I believe the birth experience is about you. If you choose epidural or other medications don't feel bad! Labor is hard work and exhausting and not all labors are the same. It is not a race or competition to see how much better or equal you are to anyone else who has done it. There is more than one right way to have a baby. Good Luck!

Pics of the new office for my good friend Erin in Texas and anyone else interested in looking!

Nurses Desk

Staff break room

4D ultrasound room

Flat screen TV for easy viewing in 4D room

Regular exam room

Blood draw, blood pressure, and weight room

Waiting room

Front Desk

Our new office!

Hey everybody! Our new office will be done this next week. Come visit us at 5285 S. 400 E. STE B. Washington Terrace. We are right behing New Image Day Spa, kiddie corner to Weber Credit Union as you are driving in on Adams Ave towards Ogden Regional.

Breast and Ovarian Cancer update...

We recently had a presentation from the breast cancer/ genetic screening doctor from University of Utah at one of our OB dept. meetings. I learned a few interesting things I'd like to share, especially because I never have posted on breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

First of all, there is a fairly new law called GINA I believe. It stands for Genetic Information non-discrimination act (I believe). This law prevents insurance companies from declining insurance to you based on known genetic mutations that have caused or may cause in the future cancers, etc. This is especially important for women with a significant family risk cancer for breast cancer. We are now encouraging you to get the BRCA genetic screening test so you are aware of how at risk you may be for breast cancer and ovarian cancer as well, if you are positive for this mutation. Although it may be psychologically stressful for you to know this information, it may also be useful for to get more thorough screening such as MRI yearly for breast cancer versus just mammography. Also, if you choose to undergo a mastectomy or oopherectomy (removal of ovaries), you may be able to prevent breast and/or ovarian cancer all together. I found it quite interesting that by removing ovaries alone, breast cancer risk is reduced as much as 68%! This is due to the decline in hormones...which has it's downfalls too, but is better than getting breast cancer:) If you undergo mastectomy, your risk is reduced by 90%. Of course this is not a desirable option for some, but it is certainly something to consider in women with a strong hereditary risk and a + BRCA test.

It is important to note that regardless of family history, everybody in the general population has an 8% risk of breast cancer and this is why we encourage mammograms yearly starting at age 40. We also encourage monthly self breast exam. This entails feeling the entire breast for lumps that feel hard, non-tender, and do not move easily. It is also important to look at the breast and note any changes in skin appearance, or uneven hanging of the breast, or the nipple pulling to one side. If you have any of these changes you should see your healthcare provider right away.
It is typical to note breast tenderness and even some lumpy, mobile tissue at times such as with your menstrual cycle, or with breast feeding. Some women have fibrocystic breast tissue that feels lumpy and may require ultrasound or biopsy to decipher benign from a malignant lump.

We also recommend yearly clinical breast exam in which your healthcare provider palpates your breasts for worrisome lumps or changes. It helps to have someone trained in recognizing normal changes and typical breast tissue from worrisome changes that necessitate further evaluation.

Well, good luck with your screening exams, and as always, come in and get examined and ask questions if you are concerned about your own risks!

VBAC-Are you a good candidate?

So I've had patients ask me about VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and whether or not this is the best option for them. This is a one of those things that is very individual and may or may not be the right thing for you.

First of all, VBAC has risk whether you've had a vaginal delivery before or not. There is approximately 1-2% percent risk of uterine rupture (from the previous scar on the uterus) during labor and delivery. There is risk of hemorrhage and fetal death from this, as well as hysterectomy (removal of your uterus). If you choose to take this risk, it is necessary for an obstetrician to be immediately available during your labor in the event that emergency c/section and/or hysterectomy is necessary. Because of this, CNM's (in this area) do not do VBAC's. We can however see you for prenatal care and then if you are an appropriate candidate for VBAC and desire this, you can transfer to an OB willing to offer VBAC and go from there.

Secondly, are you someone that VBAC would be successful or more likely than not to be successful? If your reason for having a c/section with the first or 1 or 2 of your deliveries (no more than 2 or VBAC is not allowed due to risk) was because of a breech baby, placenta previa, non-reassurring heart tones in labor, severe pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome where you didn't get the chance to labor or some other reason besides failed trial of labor, then you may be a good candidate for VBAC. This is especially true if your cervix is softening, dilating, and effacing the last month of pregnancy.

If your reason for c/section was because you labored a long time ( like 24+ hours), and your cervix never dilated, or it dilated but the baby never dropped or you pushed for 2-3+ hours and the baby never descended into the pelvis enough to deliver or to place a vacuum or forceps to attempt vaginal delivery, you are NOT a great candidate for VBAC. This is a circumstance that is likely related to you having a small pelvis and trying for a vaginal delivery again will result in the same problem. Although this is not always true, (maybe your baby was larger last time or the head was not coming down straight, etc.) it tends to be more likely that you will need a c/section again anyway, and your better option is just to schedule the repeat cesarean.

The other thing you should be aware of with VBAC is that it is preferrable that you go into labor on your own, and have an epidural during labor (in case of emergency c/section). If you are dying to just be started and your cervix is not ready, you should probably be anticipating a repeat c/section.

Well, hope this helps with your understanding of VBAC. As usual, please ask if you have any other questions or concerns regarding this. I can't always remember every detail of every topic to put on this blog. This is just the general gist....

Preconception considerations....

In response to Pricillas question. The major component of preconception is making sure you have folic acid in your system. It is preferred that you are taking a multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin with at least 400-1000 mcg of folic acid per day for 2-3 months prior to pregnancy. If you have a history of a baby with a neural tube defect you definately want to be getting the higher amount of folic acid the 1000 mcg dose. This is available as a rx as well.
Having a yearly exam is good too, but is probably less important than the folic acid. The yearly exam screens for cervical and breast cancer as well as evaluating weight, blood pressure, bad habits such as smoking and lack of exercise that may put your future pregnancy in a riskier category. It is always better to start pregnancy healthy with a normal weight and blood pressure if preferred and to have already stopped smoking. We can't stress the need to stop smoking enough.
Any doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, etc. is just fine to do a regular yearly exam and hopefully remind you of of the above listed considerations. Good luck!

Alcohol and Pregnancy

So to answer one of Meagans questions on the last post, let's talk about alcohol for a minute. Currently, the guidelines regarding alcohol in pregnancy are do not drink. Period. The reason is that we really do not know what amount of alcohol causes birth defects or developmental/behavioral problems later in childhood. Most of the literature suggests that hard alchohol consumption on a daily basis is the major contributing factor to fetal alcohol syndrome. However, it is difficult to do research on such a subject because no woman wants to drink regular amounts of heavy or lighter alcohol to find out later what the effects are. Further, many women probably deny or lie about any amounts they are consuming and thus would scew results. As for the question regarding wine... there are countries I've read about in Europe where pregnant women do drink 4-8 oz of wine with dinner at least a few times/week and do not have children with problems (that we know of). Thus, we believe that it likely would take heavier more regular consumption of alcohol to cause major problems. The problem is we just don't know the magic amount of alcohol that would be a problem or wouldn't be. I still believe wine is a little bit of a heavier alcohol...not like vodka or everclear, but not as low as beer. Most wine still contains 11-18% alcohol which may be enough to be problematic for a fetus especially if consumption is daily. I doubt occasional wine intake would contribute to many problems, but I can't say for sure. I think if you were going to drink something occasionally, I'd pick beer or a wine cooler because the alcohol amount is so much less. That being said, the real answer we no of for now, is no alcohol at all. That way, you don't have to wonder later if what you consumed contributed to some problem in your child should some issue arise.