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Let me tell you about my designer nursery. The minute I found out I was pregnant I started designing it. It has beautiful bright teal/blue walls. I painted the ceiling a shade of that blue closest to white. I found a light that has three hanging glass globes, each with white and gold glass beads in them. I put the lights on a dimmer so when I ever so slightly light the globes, they look like they are timbers glowing in a fire. We also used pieces from my husband’s nursery; his guardian angel picture & a teddy bear poem. I dry brushed the frames of those and a large mirror with bronze paint to match. My sister made a large sign to put over my sons bed after he was born. The background is planks of wood that are distressed and teal in color. Each letter different, the N is covered with a map that includes my, my husband, my mother and fathers birth cities. Cool right!? The A is aluminum with lights that light up! I found beautiful nursery furniture that are off white, and rustic with dark metal accents. Next was a car seat, stroller, diapers, changing pad, monitor, clothes etc. I was sparing no expense…   I could continue, but as you can see I was so excited to prepare for this baby. As the pregnancy went on there came a time I started to think about birth itself… I realized that I had to do something huge to get this baby here! The thought scared the crap out of me to be honest! I am a nurse and have seen an epidural being given. I will spare details but I knew I didn’t want one because I was too scared. My mother had three natural births and that gave me hope I could do the same. I asked my midwife what I could do to prepare. She suggested I take a comprehensive childbirth class. This was the best decision we made during the pregnancy. My husband and I quickly realized how unprepared we were for labor. Being a nurse I thought I knew a lot but really I didn’t know what it took to have a natural birth. Nutrition, exercise, relaxation, birth provider, birth team, etc etc. I also didn’t know my husband needed education. Wow, were our eyes opened up! Yes, good education costs money. But if we think about what we are preparing for it really is saving us money. After the first ten minutes of class my husband and I were so excited and we immediately knew that the class was worth the money. In 2016 students who took Birth Boot Camp’s ten week comprehensive class, 84% had a vaginal birth, of that percentage 76% had an unmedicated birth. On my most recent hospital bill, one ibuprofen was $10… Think of all of the interventions that can be prevented by preparing for a natural birth, saving you money! Speaking for myself, I am in this business because I am crazy passionate about educating couples. Far too many women are robbed of great birth experiences. I want to help couples, one at a time, prepare for amazing experiences. Not only do I prepare couples for great experiences, I help prepare them for all possibilities in labor. Labor is unpredictable, having great education will help you advocate for yourself in the event that interventions are needed. Yes, babies need car seats and cute clothes! But first they need to be born into this world. You only get one chance to birth your baby. Education gives you the opportunity to prepare for a safe and amazing birth experience! Birth and Pregnancy Classes
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 What’s more important: childbirth education or having a doula? My answer, you need both!
When I was pregnant with my first child, I didn’t want to spend the money on both. After convincing my husband, we luckily decide to get both. After having my son, I truly couldn’t tell you which was more important. Without education, I wouldn’t have known what was going on during labor. When going through labor, one’s mind changes. I became quiet and went into my mind, it was hard to speak. I was only able to listen to my doula and my husband. They were quietly cheering me on, reassuring me that everything was going well. I could tell what my body was doing and how I was progressing through labor because I had studied it so much. I knew when I was in transition, and even though it was incredibly difficult I knew the hard part was almost over. I knew how to breathe my baby out and how to use my pain to guide me through pushing. When I think about labor without a doula, I really don’t think I could’ve done it. Even though I was educated; like I said, your mind changes. You can’t make decisions clearly. It is hard to even talk at times. My husband wouldn’t have been confident that things were going well. He wouldn't have known how to support me. I think I would’ve read off of his anxiety and not been able to stay calm. Being educated is imperative to having the base of knowledge needed to be present and confident in your ability to birth your baby. You need to know what’s going on to be able to advocate for yourself. If things change and you need to make important decisions, you know what interventions you want and what path you want to take. A doula not only sits by your side the entire labor, she supports dad. She shows him that things are going well, and can help catch signs that something is going wrong. They are that constant, calm voice of reason. The difference between my two births was my husband. During my first birth, he sat quietly reassuring me, following my doulas lead. She showed him how to support me. After birth, he was in shock. He just smiled but I could tell he couldn’t believe what we just did! During my second birth he was my active supporter. My doula was the one this time who sat quietly supporting me. He confidently caught our baby and was calm and relaxed after birth. The education we received and what our doula showed him during out first birth experience empowered him and made him confident in his ability to support me. He knew things were going well and what I needed from him. Long story short: birth is a big deal and you need to be prepared. Setting up your birth team with educated people that you trust is imperative to having a great birth experience. You only get one chance to birth your baby, spend the time now to ensure you are prepared. |
Author
Paige Goldade - A Birth Boot Camp Instructor living and loving in South Dakota. She is a wife and mother of two rambunctious toddlers. She works as a childbirth educator and Board Certified Registered Nurse.Categories
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April 2020
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