Liz Foster - Birth Doula & Placenta Encapsulator
  • Welcome
  • My Story
    • About Me
    • My Philosophy
    • Testimonials & Photos
    • Q&A
  • Services
    • Birth >
      • Labor Doula
      • Virtual Doula
      • Sibling Doula
    • Denver Placenta Encapsulation
    • Service Upgrades
  • RESOURCES
    • Blog
    • Local Practitioners
    • Local Birthing Centers
    • Recommended Products
    • Recommended Books/Podcasts
  • Connect
  • Welcome
  • My Story
    • About Me
    • My Philosophy
    • Testimonials & Photos
    • Q&A
  • Services
    • Birth >
      • Labor Doula
      • Virtual Doula
      • Sibling Doula
    • Denver Placenta Encapsulation
    • Service Upgrades
  • RESOURCES
    • Blog
    • Local Practitioners
    • Local Birthing Centers
    • Recommended Products
    • Recommended Books/Podcasts
  • Connect

LOVE   IN   MOTION



​BLOG

Natural Induction Methods

9/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
I know far too well the feeling of helplessness at the end of pregnancy. You feel like a beached whale, a ticking time bomb, and people are constantly asking you if the baby has arrived...

The following are easy and gentle measures to urge baby to send your body the proper hormones to begin labor. Keep in mind that these are GENTLE METHODS and are not intended to be used without consulting a doctor or midwife.

Self-help Techniques
  • Walking 20 minutes per day: Let gravity do the work!
  • Try Curb Walking (stepping one foot up on the curb and keeping the other foot on the street, walk up and down like this down one block, turn around and walk the other way with the other foot going up on the curb).
  • Supported Squats: open a door, hold onto both door knobs a sit your bottom down as low as is comfortable to get back up into a standing position. Aim for about 50 squats per day.
  • Any weekly exercises or positions from Spinning Babies are extremely helpful in getting baby engaged and in the optimal fetal position (OFP). Check out 
  • Intercourse AND orgasm: Let someone else do the work! His big "O" contains the same hormonal cocktail as what you would typically receive in a medical induction (called Prostaglandin or the medical Cervidil/Cytotec).
  • Nipple stimulation: Surprisingly, this is a wonderful way to increase oxytocin, the love hormone that gets labor going!
  • Stairs: This is a wonderful way to create asymetry in the pelvis to encourage baby to engage. 
  • Castor oil: Drinking this does not taste good but can help upset the stomach enough to induce contractions. I would recommend other induction measures before this!
  • Chiropractic/Acupressure/Acupuncture/Massage: By aligning your meridians, it may be enough to nudge that baby out! Plus self-care induces relaxation, a labor starter! I recommend seeing Cecily Yousaf at Fertile Grounds for acupuncture sessions. She guarantees you won't make to your 3rd session! Give them a call: (303) 248-3481
    • Grab your FREE Foot Massage for Labor HERE!! It's seriously a marriage saver!
  • Labor cookies: See my first blog post!
  • RELAX...no, seriously! Sometimes the anticipation of labor can be the exact reason why you're NOT going into labor. A stressed mindset sends fear hormones into your system, telling your body that it's not ready to have a baby yet. So, here is my prescription:
    • Do this every day leading up to labor: Take a soothing walking meditation, go home and dim the lights, eat some food, take a bubble bath, watch a funny show, do a 10-minute breath exercise, and get as much rest as possible.
    • If you're still feeling stressed, reach out to a trusted person and/or your Doula!!

Complementary Medicine Methods
  • Herbal tea and tinctures: Red raspberry tea
  • Homeopathic remedies: Putting a couple capsules of Evening Primrose oil up your hoohah will soften the cervix and allow it to ripen. It worked for me! Other remedies are: Pulsatilla 200C, Caullophyllum 200C and Cimicifuga 200C.
  • Foods: Dates, pineapple, spicy food...many moms swear by these!

Medical Non-drug Methods of Induction
  • Balloon dilators: Not highly recommended but can help if you are already in the hospital and labor is not active.
  • Stripping (or sweeping) the membranes: This is uncomfortable but can help ease things along before you are in labor.
  • Artificial rupture of membranes (AROM): Possibilities of cord prolapse (not common) with this method but it can definitely get labor moving along.

To be completely honest: acupuncture and sex are truly the ONLY studied, tried and true methods that actually move the marker from a natural standpoint, but EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.

Do you know of any other methods not mentioned here? Would love to hear from you!

While you're waiting for that new baby bundle,
snag yourself a FREE Labor Cheat Sheet
so you and partner have an easy reference for anything that could arise in labor!

Here's to keeping your LOVE IN MOTION!!
0 Comments

7 Birth Factors That Stall Labor

8/24/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
I'm going to address the elephant in the room...labor is challenging! When you're in it, you wish that life would stop. You wish that you blinked, and in the next moment, you would open your eyes and find yourself lounging on a beach with an umbrella drink.

Although that kind of wishing is nice and can distract you from your current situation, it's not going to effective get that baby to be born. So here are 7 things you can watch for to get labor progressing naturally, safely and effectively.

1.) Full bladder
Now I know in regular circumstance, if you gotta go, you go, right? In labor, many things are happening in the body that we tend to ignore basic instincts, like peeing. Having a doula or a partner remind you to empty your bladder often is an understated factor. Urinating tells your body that you are making room for baby. There is nothing like a full balloon-like bladder that will get in the way of baby descending into the birth canal.

So make many trips to the bathroom. Better yet, stay in there and enjoy all the amenities a bathroom has to offer for laboring! Amenities like:
  • Tub
  • Shower
  • Squatting forward on the toilet
  • Turning off the lights and making it a den for your animal brain
  • Finding peace and quiet from the nurses who are constantly bombarding you with questions, pokes, and adjustments.

It's a glorious place to labor my darlings!!!

2.) Medications
Normally I don't vouch for labor-inducing medication but at times, they can be helpful and indeed save lives. Pitocin can help increase contractions to assist the uterus in pushing that baby down. However, once you begin medications, your risk of having more induction measures increases drastically. And you are destined to be on bedrest of the remainder of your labor and delivery. So take heed there. 

3.) Immobility
If you're sitting in a bed, hoping your baby will pop out, chances are you either have had an epidural or you're not in labor (deepest sympathies to my lovely 36-42 Weekers). In any other case, you should be moving around to urge your baby to come down his or her comfy womb space.

If you've had an epidural, you can have nurses, your doula, or partner adjust your positioning every 20 minutes so that movement is still present for labor to do its thing. We call this movement in bed  the Rotisserie Chicken! If you're in bed, this is IMPORTANT, not only to keep labor from digressing, but also to move the medicine around in your body. If you lay on one side for too long, the medicine will travel to that side of the body.
 
4.) Ineffective contractions
How can a contraction be ineffective you say?
O’Driscoll et al believed that primigravida uterine action[ineffective contractions] is ‘‘often insufficient to overcome the soft-tissue resistance in a woman having her first vaginal delivery.’’ The treatment for this is artificial oxytocin drip, or Pitocin, due to what medical practitioners call "Failure to Progress". Typically when I encounter a situation like this, I encourage mom to find ways to release her own oxytocin (see infographic). Oxytocin is influenced by, and influences feelings and behaviour. It is a hormone cocktail that enables mother and baby to form a bond and attachment. Since Pitocin only affects the uterus and does not cross the blood brain barrier, only oxytocin produced in the brain creates these psychological/emotional effects.

5.) Unfavorable presentation or position of baby
Nobody knows how your baby will react in labor and delivery. Just as all of our fingerprints are never identical, neither are laboring bodies. Fun fact: even the way a uterus contracts is different from woman to woman! How fascinating!

Let me give you the rundown on baby positions. Occiput anterior (OA) is when baby is face-down, spine facing your belly. This is the optimal fetal position. Occiput transverse (OT) is when baby is sideways inside your womb and can be the cause of a slow and more painful labor. Occiput posterior (OP) is when baby is face-down, spine facing your spine, which is the leading cause of back labor.
 
To help prevent pain, decrease pain or to help encourage your baby into a better position for delivery, you can use a variety of positions, including:
  • Hands and Knees
  • Lunges
  • Pelvic Rocking

​In addition to moving the baby, specific comfort measures can include:
  • Counter pressure
  • Massage
  • Rice Socks (heat packs)
  • Cold packs
  • Bathtub or shower (water)
  • Movement (swaying, dancing, being on a birth ball)
​
6.) Dehydration and lack of nourishment
Never would I deny a marathon runner a drink of water midway through their run. Nor would I ever deny a laboring woman water and nourishment. In hospitals, they want to minimize consumption in the case that surgery is needed. It is also to lessen any chance of messes like throwing up. But a popsicle and honey sticks can be just what mama needs to get her through those last few stages of labor.

7.) Exhaustion or stress
Labor can be fast and furious or long and arduous. At times when labor hours have been trying, it is best to allow mom to rest if at all possible, keeping her comfortable and relaxed. There is always a time for movement but also for resting, letting the body truly relax into this journey.

Stress can play evil tricks on labor. First, it slows down oxytocin because fight or flight mode is turned on. For first-time moms, labor in and of itself can be such a stressful event for the body, mind, and spirit. For tips, see the above #4 section about releasing oxytocin to foster positive psychological/emotional outcomes.


Well, there you have it! I hope this was helpful for you! Let me know in the comments what you found insightful, helpful, and exciting. If you have any questions, please email us!

As always, keep your love in motion!

1 Comment

Foot Massage for Labor

11/8/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture


Throughout pregnancy, women experience many different changes, aches, and discomforts. A most common symptom is tired feet. A lot of pressure is put on the legs and feet as baby gets heavier. Not only does the baby attribute to more weight gain but so does the maternal physiology and metabolism: water, amniotic fluid and blood accretion, uterine and placental growth, and breast and fat mass. This is enough to convince anyone that a woman's feet are substantially underrated and undernourished.

The feet are the foundations of the body. They have reflex points for every organ. Modalities like reflexology can stimulate and balance the body. In the case of pregnancy, the body is going through a lot of changes so a foot massage can be highly beneficial in staying grounded and balanced throughout the process of growing a baby.

Benefits include: Increased blood flow, energy, and rejuvenation, reduced swelling, released tension and an overall happier mama!

The following is a SAFE foot massage that can be used all throughout pregnancy and for labor. It is good practice for the partner to have a supporting role in labor. And for all you single mamas out there, you can do this to yourself sitting in a cross-legged position.

**One caution: there is an acupressure point between the inner *ankle bone and the Achilles tendon, which, when stimulated, may produce labor contractions. This should only be stimulated when a pregnant woman is in labor.**

You may use essential oils with a carrier oil like coconut oil if that is preferred. Be sure to mix the oils together on your hands before massaging the foot. Safe essential oils for pregnant women are: Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, Ginger, Geranium, and Bergamot.

Foot Massage for Labor

First, position the foot so that it is supported for the woman's relaxation and for you to work comfortably. 

1) Using the palm of both hands, use firm strokes to massage from the toes to the feet, all the way up to the calf, and lighter strokes to massage back down the calf to the feet and toes. Repeat at least 3x up and down.

2) Gently squeeze (not twist) the entire foot with both hands like you're squeezing water out of a sponge at least 5x. Count to 5 between each squeeze for blood flow to return. Just like a sponge when you squeeze out the water, you wait for the water to soak back into the sponge.

3) With your fingers on top of the foot, use your thumb to press into the spot just under the ball of the foot. Hold for about 10 seconds and let it go. Repeat this about 5x in the same way as the sponge technique.

4) Use your thumbs to make small circles on the bottom of the foot.

5) Use your knuckles to massage the instep/arch of the foot.

6) Use your fingertips to make small circles around the ankle bone* and top of the foot.

7) Use your fingertips or thumbs to stroke from the top of the ankle down between each toe.

8) Gently pull or wiggle each toe.

9) Use your thumb and side of your index finger to press down gently on the top of each toe and release, like you would when you click open a retractable pen.

10) Squeeze the top of the foot with both hands at least 3x.

11) Squeeze the bottom of the foot with both hands at least 3x.

12) Make a Hand-Foot sandwich: With your fingers pointing towards the ankle, use both hands to firmly "sandwich" the foot. Hold firmly to a count of five, then lighten the pressure and pull hands away slowly. Repeat at least 3x.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Ladies and Gents, let me know your thoughts and how I can help!

Did you try it?

Ladies, did you love it?

Partners, was your mama happy with your foot work? What can you do to make it more enjoyable?
1 Comment

One of Many Labor Cookies Success Stories

9/3/2017

5 Comments

 
The Best Labor Cookies of all time courtesy of Love In Motion Doula Services by Liz Foster
Seriously mamas, they taste like CHRISTMAS
Ok gals, labor cookies...do they really work??

Well, I can attest to how well they work. And to how delish they are! I made these with my second child at 39 weeks. And I'm going to be blatantly honest here...
I ate 13 cookies 
YES
13 
in one sitting.
Because when am I ever going to have the chance to eat that many cookies
EVER AGAIN in my life?!


I ate those scrumptious labor cookies and I ate them well. And get this, THEY WORKED!!
About 5 hours later, labor began...and 12 hours after that, we had a beautiful baby girl, who probably had molasses in her poop...no wait, that was meconium. Too much??

A side of caution: they may just cause indigestion...

​However, they're
FLIPPIN'
cookies!!
What pregnant mama would say no to the request to eat a dozen labor cookies?


It couldn’t hurt to try, right?
They taste like Christmas!

Are you desperate to go into labor that you will try something a little crazy and make these cookies?

Are you going to give these cookies a try? Maybe ask your partner or mom to make them! Now go get those ingredients! I'll be here waiting...

I would love to hear your thoughts on how they tasted for you!

In the meantime, snag a FREE Labor Cheat Sheet at the bottom of this page.
Be well-prepared for the day that baby arrives.
And if you try these cookies, baby day may be closer than you think!!

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and spices and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the molasses to the creamed butter, then add the egg whites until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly.

Once incorporated, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto baking tray. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Once cool, eat as many as you can possibly stomach, lay down for a nap and wait for labor to begin!


While you're waiting, snag a FREE Labor Cheat Sheet
for you and your partner to know what to do during labor!

Here's to keeping your LOVE IN MOTION!

5 Comments

    Author's Philosophy


    I am a doula. I love labor, I love birth! But most of all, I love witnessing the beautiful transformation of women becoming mothers. My job is to facilitate that transition easily and with JOY!!

    ​My greatest goal is to ensure that you and your family feel safe and secure with me by your side, ushering you into a brand new heroic journey that is motherhood. It is my highest honor to serve women in one of the most splendid moments of their lives!

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All
    3 R's
    Birth
    Childbirth
    Delivery
    Doula
    Labor
    Mama Oasis
    Mindfulness
    Music
    Partner
    Postpartum
    Pregnancy
    Relaxation
    Rhythm
    Single Parenting
    Tools

    RSS Feed

Serving the
​Denver Metro Area
& Virtually

Browse Testimonials
HERE

What Clients Are Saying

LOVE IN MOTION LLC
Liz Foster CD(DONA), HCHD

Let's Connect

love in motion llc logo birth postpartum doula, childbirth educator, birth life coach
‪720-593-0014‬
Need some help? Let's chat...
SCHEDULE A CALL
Photo used under Creative Commons from Mathieu Carbou