Kalenn Krohn's Blog

How is birth portrayed on our media?

kalennkrohn — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:05:32 +0000

Here is a link to another blog with a great post on how the modern day culture views birth.

http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2010/02/12/childbirth-in-popular-culture-movies-tv-hollywood/

It really makes me one think. All our lives growing up, we are bombarded, however subltely, with a certain view of birth, from our moms, to moms’ friends, to tv and movies, etc. But are these experiences really accurate? Meaning, are they warped in the media to be as dramatic and horrific as possible as to get the best ratings or reactions? And do other moms like to tell the bad experiences more often than the good ones? (after all, how do people get sympathy if she’s had a good experience in childbirth?)

Having a wonderful birth begins with having a wonderful mindset. Birth is not to be feared. When properly prepared for, it is something to be excited about! I am now one week away from being full term myself, and every day I get more excited, but in a very peaceful way. I had some bouts of anxiousness, but mostly over “is everything ready?” “Am I ready?” “When will it be?” I have limited control over when the birth will happen, but am now focusing on “Yes, I am ready, my body knows how to do this, and this little one will be born in the perfect way for her.”

Envisioning the birth…

kalennkrohn — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:56:58 +0000

I believe that there is something divine about a mothers’ intuition and a mothers’ energy. I believe that the connection between mother and baby begins when the baby is still in the womb. right now, 3 weeks or less from delivering, that I already know this little spirit, and she knows me. She can sense my feelings and emotions, and she responds accordingly. I believe that she feels the stress when I feel stressed out. As I prepare for this birth, and for the environment in which she will enter the world, I am acutely aware of the surroundings that I would like her to experience. The sounds, the lighting, the people, the emotions…everything is important. I believe the people attending the birth must be in alignment with the peace that is so important to me. I can see it in my mind how it will be. I love having a midwife that feels calm and peaceful. She has every confidence in me and my body to birth this baby in a beautiful and healthy way. My husband is there by my side, gently coaching me and telling me I can do it. No one is panicked, no one believes that I can’t do it on my own, no one is forcing tubes in my body, over-analyzing heart tones, or pushing me to take drugs because they think I can’t make it. I CAN make it. My body knows how to do this. It is beautiful. The pains of birth have a purpose, they have an end result. I work with my body to help it move along, not fight it. It is a privilege to birth this child. I love every minute of it. This is what I am most excited about for this birth of mine. The peaceful environment. The overwhelming love that will be in the room. And the gentle way in which she will come into this world.

If you want a recommendation for creating a peaceful, gentle birth, a wonderful book is “Gentle Birth Choices” by Barbara Harper.

What the heck is a doula?

kalennkrohn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:21:59 +0000

Here is the official definition from www.dona.org:

What is a doula?

The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula

Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
Stays with the woman throughout the labor
Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience
Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level

A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA).

Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to a family, improve parental satisfaction and reduce the risk of mood disorders.

Kalenn’s thought of the day

kalennkrohn — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:46:07 +0000

A few years go, I was fortunate enough to come across the “Law of Attraction” through the book/dvd “The Secret”. This changed my entire life. I learned that I can attract positive or negative experiences into my life, based on my thoughts, expectations, words and actions. Fortunately for me, this information came to me shortly before I became pregnant with my first child. I decided to try it out. Instead of listening to the media, friends and neighbors, and even complete strangers telling me about the horrors of childbirth, I decided that I could expect a wonderful, easy, short birth. I fully educated myself and my husband during that pregnancy on labor and birth, and we took a wonderful childbirth course (in this case, a Bradley Method class) to prepare us. I wrote up a detailed birth plan and description on how my labor would go, and how I would feel about it, and I read it often in my last trimester. I developed a confidence in my own strength, physical and emotional, and entered birth knowing I had done everything I could to make it wonderful. I had no fear, just excitement. I ended up with a magical experience. My husband served as an incredible, trained, labor coach, and assisted me through the birth until the end. I had a 5 1/2 hour labor, and delivered my beautiful daughter completely unmedicated, with a smile on my face (most of the time!) and was fortunate enough to have not torn at all. I did the same thing with my second birth, with the knowledge that if I had done it once, I could do it even better the second time! My sons’ birth was even shorter and easier than my first!

I firmly believe that if I had not had the proper mentality and confidence in myself, as well as the education and practice of comfort techniques, that my experience could have been much different. We get what we want in life. We can have wonderful experiences in childbirth. Decide today what kind of birth you want, and do everything you can to prepare for it.

My blog is being launched!

kalennkrohn — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:15:57 +0000

Hello! Welcome to my first post of my first blog! I am still learning how to get this thing up and running, but I am so excited to have entered the world of publicly sharing my thoughts with the world. The first real post will be coming soon.