Purpose and Value of Labor Support

By:Kiri-Te Aroha Wihongi Croxford

For thousands of years women have been delivering their babies with the support of many qualified people. Doctors, midwives, doulas, healers, family, or friends have assisted in grass huts,sterile hospitals and everywhere in between. Women embarking on the journey of motherhood have always found solace and comfort in having a support person to lean on. Not that the mother wouldn't instinctively know how to birth her child on her own, but having support during one of her most empowering, and life changing journeys is just what she craves and needs.

In our increasingly medicalized society mothers sometimes seem to be forgotten in the rush. Many times women are not getting all their question answered or are left feeling a lack of support from their OB/GYN or midwife who seem to be to busy to sit and simply chat about everyday life things going on with the mother to be. The value of having a qualified labor support or doula has great benefits for both the mother and her partner/father. Some specific benefits include: Someone to listen to fears, concerns, and expectations. A doula can also inspire and give confidence to the mother. Having labor support can help the mother to simply relax knowing that there is someone there with her that has been there before and has gone through what she is about to, sometimes just knowing this can reduce stress for both the mother and her partner. For the partner it may give them confidence knowing that there is help for them if they need it and that the doula will be with them constantly throughout their journey.

The most important thing the doula should remember is that the birth is not hers, it is the mothers. The doula is simply helping to support the mother and family to make their birth experience one that is theirs alone and no one else's. Helping to support and remind the mother along the way of her initial wishes for her birth.

The purpose of having a doula support present at birth is to provide complete physical and emotional support to a women in labor. Having a doula present at birth that has no other agenda except for helping, supporting, encouraging, loving, informing, and serving the mother and partner will allow her to become one with birth and make it her own. By helping to return the birth experience back to the mother simply by supporting her. We are also helping her to hold onto her birth and the story that it created. She will take her story and relay it others who may not have been supported during their births. They will gain hope for a more natural experience by searching for the support they did not have with their previous births.

According to the DONA International Position Papers, the purpose behind having a doula that provides labor support can also have other benefits, such as: Greater satisfaction with the birth outcome, improved bonding between mother and baby, decreased incidence of birth complications, drastically lower intervention rates for mothers who have no other support besides the doula, and pressure is greatly decreased for the partner/father.

Qualified support gives laboring women comfort and peace of mind. Knowing that no matterwhat happens during her birth, she has taken steps to give herself the best chance of avoiding unwanted interventions/intrusions on her and her baby.

Specific responsibilities of a doula include non clinical support, such as: Practical help, support, and advice for the laboring mother and family. Doulas do not perform medical tasks such as vaginal exams, or administering medications. Doulas do provide continuity of support, meaning the doula is present from start to finish of labor and delivery. This helps give the expectant family peace of mind throughout the process, this is important in making the birth memorable for all involved. Finally doulas provide advocacy for the mother and the mothers wishes. Advocacy of a doula can be found in the form of gentile reminders to the mother of her prior wishes for her labor and delivery, encouraging the mother and partner to ask questions of the medical staff when they feel they need to know more, helping the mother to express her concerns, and helping to provide a smooth transition if birth plans must be changed due to medical circumstance. Advocacy of a doula does not include the doula speaking for the mother and her family.

The value of a doula is also achieved through the knowledge that they bring to a birth.Knowledge is not only brought to the birth, but is also passed along to the family being supported. This kind of knowledge can be used for years to come. Many women going into motherhood do not consider what is going to happen at their birth. They go into birth relying on what they have heard or seen through the media. These women will approach birth and labor in such a manner that it may effect their ability to birth the way that their body was made to. They think of their body as a broken machine. Women who have proper support from a doula have found a wonderful source for information regarding birth and labor.

Proper birth support can also bridge a gap between the medical doctor or midwife. Doulas can help the expecting family understand some of the medical terms used in the delivery room. Many mothers feel left out of the loop. They are confused by medical terminology and feel like they are just a small voice in the background. When a doula empowers the mother by teaching her even small medical phrases, she can then go into a conversation with her doctor without feeling silly or uneducated. Her doctor should likely see her as someone who is well educated and interested in the impending birth. Teaching small things like this to mothers can help with confusion between all of the medical staff. It takes up time for medical staff to stop and explain everything to the many mothers that they care for. Having a doula that is knowledgeable will help the mother feel at ease, confident, and in control of her birth.

If all women could be supported through this precious time during their life, they would quickly learn that they were created to birth their baby. They would learn that their bodies are not lemons and that they have the power to create a new positive view of child birth. They will also gain trust with who they have chosen to attend their birth. They will learn to listen to their inner voice that can help direct the need for birth interventions that may be necessary.

In conclusion, I find that it is difficult to say there is one single purpose or valueplaced on support for women in labor or child birth. If I had to say what the one purpose of laborsupport is it would be that; we humans seek guidance and reassurance in many different situations. Even when we are confident in our ability to succeed. If I had to say what the onevalue of labor support is it would be that the support of a doula is invaluable. Support makes the journey that much more enjoyable by gaining new friendships, education, and perspective. The connection made between a mother and her labor support is unlike any other.

Why we choose to do what we do.

Keith and I decided before I was even pregnant that our next birth would take place at home.
At first I could feel that Keith was not 100% convinced that it was even possible. I would read articles and research to back up what I knew was the only way for me to birth my next child. I would pass all the information on to Keith and he would read it with scepticism in the sound of his voice when we would talk about it. Finally we scheduled a appointment with a local home birth midwife and all of Keith's insecurities about it disappeared. She was able to show us the equipment that she brings to a birth, the medications, the herbs, and most importantly her knowledge.


Keith was not present at my first child's birth as we didn't meet till after, so I had to fill him in on how things work in a hospital:

First I was admitted 11 days before my due date because I supposedly had high blood pressure (I was never told what my BP was just told it was high). Then they started the induction process, cervadil, pitocin, rupture membranes (break water), magnesium sulfate (BP medication). After all the medication was administered I began contracting. These medicated contractions are much stronger and much more intense than natural contractions. I was never given the choice to have or not have pain meds the nurse just said it was required with an induced pregnancy (I found out this is not true years later when reading a birth story). The epidural was given and I was put on a timer and told that I only have so much time to get the baby out or they would have to cut him out. I thankfully was able to have a vaginal birth 24 hours later. My baby boy was greeted with bright lights and many strangers with masks staring at him. He was immediately cut from his cord and whisked away. The medication I was on for High BP made it hard for him to breathe so he was admitted to NICU. I did not see him for 24 hours. During his time in NICU he was administered the Hep B vaccine, Vitamin K, the eye goo medication, and had his foreskin removed. All of these things were done with my consent.
Once home from the hospital I just knew that my son was going to be a challenge. He acted differently from other newborns I had known. I did not feel a bond with him and I had post partum depression. Keith and I therefore decided before I was even pregnant that our next birth would take place at home.

At first I could feel that Keith was not 100% convinced that it was even possible. I would read articles and research to back up what I knew was the only way for me to birth my next child. I would pass all the information on to Keith and he would read it, but he sounded sceptical when we would talk about it. Finally we scheduled a appointment with a local home birth midwife. She showed us the equipment that she brings to a birth, the medications, the herbs, and most importantly her knowledge. All of Keith's insecurities about it disappeared.
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As my pregnancy progressed and Keith got used to the idea of having/birthing a baby at home we started asking, researching, and thinking about everything that had to do with parenting, doctors, and medication. When we asked our midwife if she was the one that would administer the Hep B vaccine and Vitamin K shot at birth, she told us that it was not mandatory and that we had to decide if we wanted to give it or not. This came kind of out of nowhere and hit us like a ton of bricks! What???? We were confused. I mean, why was it up to us to figure out if we wanted to get the shots or not? Giving vaccines is just something that all parents do, right? But now that we knew better we were totally game to figure this out and began a huge journey of what would become the most life-changing and important decision we would ever make!

The things we found out about the history and making of vaccines were MIND BLOWING! Some things were just common sense and I don't know why I didn't question it before, while others were downright scary to find out. I came to realize that one shouldn’t just blindly go into anything. Whether good or bad, one must research both sides of the issue and decide for oneself what makes the most sense. For us it made total sense to say “NO!” to any more injections!

I went through a lot making this decision and a lot of criticism from family, but I just knew it wasn’t right to continue injecting poison into the people that matter the most to me. Why did I not know that it was not mandatory? Why was I made to feel that our bodies are inadequate to perform normal natural tasks? It wasn’t just the vaccines I was thinking about, but the options I had for birthing my baby as well. I now felt like a horrible mother for just having sat around with blinders and leaving medical decisions up to "others," figuring that people with medical degrees must know more than I do, but I was finally ready and confident that we made the right choice for our older son and for the baby that was soon to be born.

The day I went into labour, my midwife and her assistants came to the house. I was not in the mood to share my pain with others and they could sense that from the way I was acting. They let Keith and I alone for the duration of the entire labour and only came in when we asked them to. Once I knew it was time, my midwife suggested a few positions and before I knew it, my baby was born. She was put directly on my belly, her cord was left intact until it stopped pulsating and the placenta was birthed. My baby also stayed with me the entire time. There was no poking or prodding from nurses or doctors, my baby was only touched if they asked my permission. It was my baby and my house and my midwife treated us that way, she put me in control and would only intervene if her medical knowledge was needed.

After everything was back to normal and we were getting to know our baby, it was not long before we realised that things were not quite right with our older son. We were able to see many many differences in the 2 children. Our new baby girl was calm, happy, very alert, and easy going. My older son was and still is not any of these things. He is excessively loud, disobedient, and unable to cope with stressful situations. We didn't think much about it at first, just telling ourselves that no person is like another and that all kids have their own quirks, and that things would be fine and he would grow our of it.

But as the children have got older (now 8 and 3 yrs), we still see many big differences in them. My son has since started school and is in speech therapy and special ed. He still has outbursts in class and at home, he has a hard time defining the difference between right and wrong, he is excessively loud, excessively rough with animals and toys, and much more....We are seeing a naturopathic doctor who has helped us determine that this is something much more than just a behavioural issue. We have mentioned ADHD but the doctor is hesitant to give him that label. We have begun supplementing him with non pharmaceutical medications and have put him on a gluten free diet. These things have helped but we still have a long way to go.

To sum it all up and to tell you what I believe now with hindsight to be right is that not only vaccines, but also the birth that was provided to him damaged my son. Our bonding as mother and son was screwed from the beginning. I now realise that didn’t use my brain to figure things out for myself and for my child, but let my fear and misinformation blind me. Home birth saved me, my midwife saved me, I saved myself and now I can help save my family. We no longer take anything at face value, even from educated degreed doctors. Instead, we now we read, we question, we trust our instincts and only make educated decisions. It’s been a difficult but interesting and rewarding journey of discovery and there is no turning back!

The birth of a sweet baby boy.

This story is written by me, but is not about my birth. It is the birth of a momma and baby that are very close to me. The mother gave me permission to share her story for the benefit of others. Some information is foggy from her memory and at some points there may be information left out. I put it into words as best I could from her account.
Side note this was the mothers 5 child birth that took place in 1980.



Erin had 4 previous labours and deliveries, so being pregnant a 5th time didn't phase her at all. For the most part this pregnancy didn't differ much from the others. The only real difference was her age, Erin was in her 20's with her other babies and was now 39.

Things seemed fine up until her 40 week check up. Erin had never gone past 38 weeks without going into labor on her own. She talked with the doctors about how she was feeling strange that she had not gone into labor yet. The doctors said there was nothing at all to worry about and just give it time. They also never seemed worried that the baby was still in a transverse position (since 36 weeks).

41 weeks came and went and still no labor.

42 weeks came and Erin started to bleed, it was a Sunday and she said she would just wait till Monday to go in since there were no other signs of labor.

On Monday morning 9am she went into the hospital alone. The nurse had her sit on a pad to evaluate how much blood she was loosing. Erin was getting worried and told them "things didn't feel right". The nurse just blew her off, since there was no other signs of labor (no dilation, no contraction pains, no nothing).
Erin sat on that pad for what she says felt like forever. No one ever came to check on her. 4 hours later the nurse came back and saw the amount of blood and then decided to check the heart rate of the baby. That is when things went from bad to worse. The nurse looked at Erin and said, "THIS BABY IS IN TROUBLE".
They started calling all the doctors and found one that was able to make it, but it still took an hour.

Erin waited and waited, knowing that things were bad for her baby and not able to do anything about it.

Once the doctor arrived he checked her progress and found the baby still in a transverse position and no dilation. From what Erin recalls the doctor reached in and manually turned the baby to a head down position. Once head down she began to push while lying on her back. Not much progress was made so an episiotomy was given and forceps were used to forcibly pull the baby out. As soon as the baby was out the nurses and doctor knew that things were bad. The birth team told Erin the baby had to go to NICU and she would not be able to see or hold her baby for quite a while. They also told her they baby had a high chance of not pulling through and making it at all.

Erin's baby boy was born at 3pm and she didn't get so see him till 6 hours later. When she first saw him he was hooked up with tubes, wires, and needles. She was unable to hold him or feed him.

That night Erin's doctor returned to check up on her. He asked her if she was ready for more medication. Erin responded with, "WHAT MEDICATION?" The doctor check the chart and found she had not been given any or offered any medication at all since she had checked in that morning. She says the doctor looked confused/amazed/dumbfounded.... He really couldn't believe she endured all that without medication. As the doctor was finishing his check up Erin looked the doctor in the eye and said "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BABY?" The doctor had no answer and turned his back and walked out. That was the last time Erin ever saw that doctor.

2 days later the nurse brought the baby to Erin's room. He was still hooked up to machines and still visibly struggling. The nurse never asked if Erin wanted to hold her baby so Erin had to tell the nurse she wanted her baby. The nurse seemed agitated to have to deal with the tubes and wires that were hooked up to the baby. Erin didn't care, all she cared about was that she was holding her baby for the first time. Once she had her baby she looked at him, talked to him, stroked his cheek. He lie there perfect with 10 fingers and 10 toes. He breathed in, he breathed out. Erin took it all in just listening to his breath. He breathed in, he breathed out and that was his last. He never took another breath.



The following are Erin's feelings about what happened 30 years ago.

" My story was the beginning of this downward spiral. The spiral in which we are at the bottom of now. Not enough interventions were used for my situation, when they should have been. Cases like mine is what has caused the over use and CYA use of intervention in obstetrics today. Doctors just haven't figured out when to use and when not to use intervention, so they have created a one size fits all birth plan. They forget that each mother's body is different and each baby is different. Most importantly they have forgotten that birth is nature taking it's course and they are just assisting. When nature takes a turn for the worst that is when doctors need to recognize and say "this is what I have trained for." Another thing they have forgotten is that they are the employee of the mother-to-be and they need to take in account the intuition a mother is feeling within herself and for her baby."

Just so we are clear

Are you aware of the ingredients that are used in the yearly flu vaccine? here are just a few:
* Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

* Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)

* Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent

* Aluminium, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)

* Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative)


Here are a few other BASIC FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT VACCINATIONS

1. Vaccines are toxic.

*Vaccines contain substances poisonous to humans (i.e. mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, etc.)
*Vaccines are grown on and contain foreign tissue and altered genetic material of both human and animal origin.

2. Immunization depresses and disables brain and immune function. factor in many illnesses including:

*developmental disorders (autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia, etc.)
*immune deficiency (i.e. AIDS, etc.)
*degenerative disease (i.e. muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, cancer, leukemia, etc.)

3. Since vaccination breaks the skin, it is technically a surgery. All surgeries by law require informed consent. Informed consent is rarely attained before vaccines are administered.
*Doctors vaccinate the unwitting and uninformed. The vaccine manufacturers' package inserts which contain biased industry claims and the bare minimum required by law to reveal are not routinely made available to consumers so that they can make a more informed choice.

4. There is no proof that vaccinations are safe or effective.

So if you are VEGAN or are against ABORTION you should not be using these products. Animal tissues and cells obtained from aborted fetal cells are used as part of vaccine production.

Can not wait!

Can not wait till May. We are going on a Carnival Cruise, Western Caribbean to be exact. We will be stopping in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras. 4 other couples will be going with us. I have been counting down for months and months. This will be our second cruise, but this one will be better than the last just cuz we will have good friends to share it with.
School will still be in so Robbie Jay and Kaliyah will be at home with nanny. I hope she is up for the challenge of play time, cook time, homework, showers, lunches, breakfasts, dinners etc...... I am sure she will be fine, but we will ow her BIG TIME.
Nine days of no kids is gonna be great. Keith and I have not had a full night alone in almost 3 years. Sleeping without being interrupted is what I look forward to most.

Virgin Blogger

So like the title says, I am a virgin to this. I am not very computer savvy so it may take a while for this to look any good.

Anyways I am starting this for family mostly and a few friends who may be interested in what the Croxfords in AZ are up to.

For those of you who actually spend the time to read my future blogs I thank you, and warn you that you may be board out of your mind. I will at least try to post a few cute pics that will ease the pain of my horrible spelling and typos (which I am sure will occur often).