Membrane Release - Water Break - What to do?

What to do when the water breaks, or speaking the HypnoBirthing language, membranes release?

Most moms, who decided to birth at a hospital, rush to call their doctor, who immediately advises them to come for a check-up.

In fact, here is what midwives recommend:
1. Drink plenty of fluids. Just because the water released, does not mean the baby is in danger. If you drink water, the amniotic fluid replenishes itself. You can take your time.
2. Make sure you are clean and safe "down there". Recommend no insertions of any kind. So therefore, exams are out!
3. Take your vitamins regularly, and plenty of vitamin c.
4. Eat easy to digest foods.
5. Monitor your baby heart rate - have your husband listen to the baby's heart through a toilet paper roll to your belly. The baby heart rate is normal when it is 140-160 b/m.
6. Take showers instead of baths.
7. Monitor that the liquid coming out of you is clear. If there is color liquid coming out of you, let your midwife know.

It is normal to have between several hours to several days between the membrane release and the start of labor.

Cord Blood

Collecting blood from the baby is not really a correct procedure, although extremely popular in hospitals.

Here is an article shared by a midwife who over the years of her work collected blood (click here to read the full article).

The baby comes out of the mother's womb with about 1/3 of the baby's blood supply. Why take the blood that belongs to the baby away from the baby complying with the hospital procedure?

"After birth the blood from the placenta transfers to the baby, assisting transition to breathing. ...Parents need to be informed that cord blood collection requires premature cord clamping, and that the blood being collected belongs to their baby." Comments the author.

Midwife and Doula in HypnoBirthing Birth

What's a Doula?

The word doula comes from the Greek word meaning "woman caregiver." 

The word is now used to describe a trained labor companion who provides the woman and her partner continuous emotional support, physical comfort and assistance in obtaining information before, during and just after childbirth. 

Labor support consists of helping a woman develop her own rhythms and rituals, providing distractions with breathing patterns, comforting touch, varying positions, use of a birth ball, warm or cold compresses, vocalization, visualization, relaxation, or whatever is needed to provide comfort. 

Every birth is a unique experience and she will work with you to modify and vary comfort measures as desired and needed.

Know the difference between a midwife and a doula. 
A midwife provides prenatal care, delivery of the baby, care of the mother post-partum and newborn care. The midwife is responsible for the safety of mother and baby. Some kinds of midwives also provide family planning, annual exams, and other kinds of well-woman gynecology.

Certified doulas do not provide any kind of medical care. For instance, they would not listen to the baby's heart beat or do a vaginal exam or deliver the baby. However, a doula is instrumental in providing emotional and physical support for the laboring woman and her family (husband) and/or post-partum care of the mother and baby. Doula care has been shown to improve outcomes for both moms and babies shown through many studies.

A doula can specialize in assiting you at just your baby birth, or post-partum (after the baby arrival) care of mother and baby, or both. A birth doula stays with you throughout your labor, no matter how many hours it lasts, and leaves after the baby arrives.

Many doulas know massage techniques, or belly casting (making a cast of your full belly for decoration at home), or know to prepare your placenta after delivery to take as pills to eliminate post-partum symptoms, or prenatal yoga they can show you, HypnoBirthing relaxations, lactation consulting, photography or videography of birthing or after birth, etc. Call up a couple of them to find the one who is available and again, who 'clicks' with you: she will be your hand-maiden in your birth room, and will keep you and your husband comfortable.

The post-partum doulas can stay  with you (a new mom) longer, or come after the baby arrives, for a few hours a day, to clean up, take care of you, teach you to breastfeed the baby, and how to take care of the baby, some will shop and cook for you.

If you choose to want to find a post-partum doula who takes care of you after the birth, please connect with her in advance as well. Doulas' experience is reflected in amount of births she attended and the price she charges.
How to Hire a HypnoBirthing Doula?

A doula can greatly enhance your experience of childbirth and the postpartum. Your HypnoBirthing birth doula will be at your side along with your care provider and partner, as part of your team for continuous support during labor and birth. Or maybe you’d like a postpartum doula to help you through the transition into parenthood and family. Either way, finding a good fit for you and your family is critical.

A doula’s education, training, experience and credentials are important. When doulas have DONA International certification, you know that they have had the best education and training available. You can also be assured that they have a strong sense of professionalism and integrity.

Also important is doula's experience. Many doulas attended hundreds of births and have enormous wealth of knowledge and practical experience. Some have just started. Their pricing will depend greatly on the experience and confidence in assisting you in the birth that you want.

You will also want to consider whether you and your partner feel comfortable with an individual doula. You will need to feel that this doula is supportive of your hopes and expectations about labor, childbirth and parenting, in addition to having a strong professional background and credentials. That is why we recommend the following four-step hiring process when hiring a birth or postpartum HypnoBirthing doula.

Morrin Bass specializes in training hypnoBirthing doulas for moms specific needs. Certification classes are offered at New York Awareness Center.