Tag: Romper

Childbirth, Pregnancy

11 Rainbow Baby Quotes To Remind You That You’re Never Alone

baileysandbabiesblog

*Quoted as expert.

A rainbow baby is the life that follows the storm of a heartbreaking loss, and conceiving a rainbow baby is a testament of enormous faith in life and love. Whether you’ve trying to conceive your rainbow baby, or you’ve been enjoying the sunshine for a while, Romper reached out to experts willing to share their wisdom with us. The result is 11 rainbow baby quotes that may make you tear up — while hopefully helping you hold on.

With one in four pregnancies ending in miscarriage and 1 percent of all pregnancies in the United States ending with a stillbirth, it’s no wonder that parents of rainbow babies need support, love, and a lot of hope. That’s where rainbow baby quotes come in — you’re not alone, and you should be reminded of that every day. Your guilt, your anguish, your fear, and even your joy over your rainbow baby are all exemplified here, in these 11 quotes.

Read more on Romper!

Childbirth, Pregnancy

How Does A Doula Help Throughout Your Pregnancy? The Benefits Are Real

baileysandbabiesblog

*Quoted as expert in article.

Doulas aren’t medically trained, so they can’t provide medical advice, but there’s still a lot they can do to support your pregnancy — including helping you understand the advice your doctor gives you.

Bailey Gaddis, C.Ht, HBCE, of Your Serene Life, tells Romper that she offers two prenatal appointments lasting one-to-two hours. During this time, she helps new moms write their birth plans, and discusses any concerns they may have about labor. She helps moms prepare the house for baby, provides hypnotherapy (one of her specialties), and acts as a “sounding board” when moms have issues with their medical care provider. One of Gaddis’s major goals is to reduce anxiety, which is important, because chronic stress can negatively impact your pregnancy. She explains:

Childbirth, Pregnancy

The Best Ways To Prepare For A C-Section, According To Experts

baileysandbabiesblog

*Quoted as expert for this article.

No two birth stories are alike, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some universal guidelines that can help any mom-to be. If you plan on having a Cesarean delivery (or even if you don’t — birth is unpredictable) then you might be relieved to know that there are actually quite a few ways you can prepare for your C-section.

If you aren’t familiar with the procedure, a c-section is “the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus,” according to Baby Center. In most cases, the end result will leave you with a thin, horizontal scar slightly below your bikini line.

Due to multiple chronic illnesses which affected my pregnancy — Lupus, an autoimmune disease, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, and scoliosis, to name a few — I knew well in advance that I was going to have a medically necessary C-section. This gave me plenty of time to research, and it also gave me plenty of time to worry about every hypothetical situation in the book. Thankfully, you can ease your mind by knowing what to expect when you check out these things you can do to prepare for your C-section.

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Childbirth, Pregnancy

Here Are All Of The Additional Costs C-Section Patients Have To Deal With

baileysandbabiesblog

*Quoted in article as expert

If you’re pregnant or wanting to become pregnant you may have already envisioned your child’s birth. For some it may be a medicated birth at a hospital, or a drug-free water birth. For others a C-section, either planned or unplanned, may be medically necessary. My first C-section was not planned and there were two things I was shocked about: the recovery time and the cost. No one told me how much more expensive it was. It’s important to know all of the additional costs C-section patients have to deal with so you don’t have to be surprised like I was.

Generally speaking, C-sections are only performed for health reasons related to the mother or the baby like breech position, multiples, or past abdominal surgeries. But it’s hard not to notice the obvious increase in C-sections this country has seen recently. According to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), C-section rates in the United States were at the highest levels ever in 2009, with more than 1.3 million C-section deliveries (32.9 percent of all births) performed. With C-section rates on the rise many are questioning if they’ve all been medically necessary, especially considering the risks and costs to pregnant women.

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Childbirth, Pregnancy

Should I Take A Childbirth Class If I’m Going To Have A C-Section? You’re Still Giving Birth

baileysandbabiesblog

* A piece by Shannon Evans on Romper I was quoted in.

After a long conversation with your OB-GYN, you’ve decided together that this baby of yours will be born via C-section. Whether it took you a while to make your peace with it or was your preference all along, women who plan to give birth non-vaginally often wonder, “Should I take a childbirth class if I’m going to have a C-section? Or is it just a big waste of time?”

Childbirth preparation educator Bailey Gaddis says she often has moms planning C-sections in her classes, which she always strongly encourages. In an interview with Romper, Gaddis says, “These women say they enjoy the classes because although they won’t have use for birth positions, or understanding the common phases of a vaginal labor, they can utilize almost every other tool I teach to have a calmer experience during their surgical birth. For example, many of them say the breathing techniques, affirmations, relaxation recordings, and other techniques I offered them in class were incredibly useful before, during, and after surgery.”

Additionally, Gaddis explains that she has her C-section moms create cesarean birth preferences during class to help them feel more empowered during birth. According to her, some of the most frequent preferences she sees identified are choosing to not have your arms restrained, choosing the music to be played in the delivery room, and requesting that the medical staff limits their conversation to strictly be about mom and baby. These are simple enough, but a woman might not think of them ahead of time were she not in a childbirth class empowering her to do so.

Read more on Romper!