On this page we've placed helpful articles that have been published by Anne Sommers in recent years.
Bringing Baby to Work is Fun and Creative for One Murrieta Doctor By Anne Sommers, L.M.
“We managed being a band and being a family”
Paul McCartney interview (Wingspan)
How many Dads do you know who bring their babies to work? onee unique dad in Murrieta does.
His chiropractic office, complete with changing table and playpen is fully equipped
for his baby boy, Foster. Inland Valley Medical Center eight months ago, little Foster is quite at home with his dad’s workplace.
He naps in his Dad’s private office, has his diaper changed by Dad on the
Koala fold down diaper bar in the office restroom, and enjoys being carried around
by Dad (when needed) and sometimes meeting patients.
Quite often I am asked what can be done to stop morning sickness. The immediate remedy is to take
a Vitamin B complex -- by injection, liquid (for many women easier to digest) or
tablets. Take the B complex tablets with Vitamin C to aid in absorption and eat
a high protein diet.
Vitamin B's support the liver, the organ responsible for filtering hormones and
toxins from the body. Toxins make you nauseaous. A high protein diet will help to
stabilize your blood sugar level which, when it falls causes nausea.
When you eat and your food is broken down, the excess glucose is turned into glycogen
by the pancreas. The liver stores glycogen. The adrenal glands under stress nudge
the liver into producing stored sugar (glycogen).
Nausea, morning sickness, hypoglycemia generally involve 3 organs:
- Liver - The liver detoxifies the generous amounts of hormones that flow through the body
in pregnancy.
- Adrenals - Call on liver for more glycogen. When we are stressed, the adrenals go into action,
we require more glycogen. Tension, exercise, growing a baby will increase the need
for glycogen.
- Pancreas - Can over-produce insulin. Through the American diet, this organ has been
over stimulated. Too much insulin production can cause hypoglycemia or low blood
sugar.
It is very important in pregnancy to reduce the intake of carbohydrates and processed sugar. Eat regularly 6 meals
a day (same time each day). Participate in regular activity (same time each day).
Remember, your baby is drawing on your reserves constantly. And what you ate and what your activity level was two
days ago will have an effect on how you feel today.
Other than nausea, the signs of hypoglycemia include:
insomnia, allergies, forgetfulness, leg cramps, cold sweats, anxiety, fainting,
headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, rapid pulse, weak spells, depression,
irritability, headaches, crying spells, blurred vision
Ed.Note for some products for the relief of nausea in pregnancy, see our Product Page
by Anne Sommers and Abbi Perets
A midwife is a woman who assists other women in childbirth. The word is Old English:
“mid” means “with"; “wife” means “woman.” The relationship between a midwife and
a woman she treats is, by definition, an intimate one.
If you choose midwifery care, you will never think of your OB/GYN in the same way
again. When was the last time you spent more than 15 minutes with your doctor? When
was the last time your OB/GYN made a house call and waited patiently while your
two-year-old “hadda go potty”? How often does your doctor call you just to make
sure you’re feeling all right? Midwives do these things on a regular basis – it’s
part of their philosophy of care.
A midwife doesn’t concern herself only with your physical health. Rather, she treats
the whole person: She nurtures your spiritual side while providing expert care for
you and your baby before, during, and after
birth. The Midwifery Model of Care refers to the core belief that pregnancy and
birth are normal life events. Midwives are trained to perform prenatal, postpartum,
and well-patient care to women of childbearing age, to attend births, and to provide
newborn care. They are knowledgeable in the areas of nutrition, pregnancy, labor,
and delivery (including how to handle complications), and how to screen high-risk
women for further care needs. This woman-centered model has been proven to reduce
the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
Contrary to what many people believe, midwives also can order lab work, ultrasounds,
and other pregnancy-related medical tests. Midwives are trained to handle labor
and birth emergencies such as hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), and they are skilled
in neo-natal (newborn) and adult resuscitation as well as intravenous therapy.
Excerpted from Homebirth Making it Happen by Anne Sommers and Abbi Perets
Despite the many terms you may hear, there are basically only two kinds of midwives:
lay midwives and certified nurse midwives. The difference between the two is their
training.
Lay midwives (also referred to as traditional midwives, empirical midwives, or direct-entry midwives) are not
nurses; rather, they're women who have had direct training in midwifery through
self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based
program that is separate from the field of nursing. Lay midwives are trained to
provide the Midwifery Model of Care to healthy women and newborns throughout the
childbearing cycle, primarily in non-hospital settings. Some lay midwives become
certified professional midwives (CPMs) or licensed midwives (LMs).
CPMs are independent practitioners who meet the certification standards
set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). The NARM certification process
verifies a midwife’s knowledge and skills through written examinations and skills
assessments, all of which includes training in out-of-hospital births.
A licensed midwife is sanctioned by her state after she passes a test administered
by the state’s medical board licensing division. Licensing requirements differ among
states; some, like Oregon, do not require licensing at all. Lay midwives in eight states –
Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky , Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming – and in the
District of Columbia legally are not able to become licensed midwives. So while you may be able to have
a legal homebirth in those states, a lay midwife could risk arrest by attending.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) first train as nurses and usually work as nurses in hospitals for several
years while they attend a program accredited by the American College
of Nurse Midwives Certification Council. Once they complete their midwifery studies,
they must pass an examination to be licensed in the individual states in which they
practice. CNMs typically work in hospitals and birth centers.
Of course, the groups overlap somewhat. Each midwife is also a unique individual,
and you should consider much more than the letters after her name.
by Anne Sommers, L.M.
“If you choose midwifery care, you will never think of your OB/GYN in the same way
again. When was the last time you spent more than 15 minutes with your doctor?
When was the last time your OB/GYN made a house call and waited patiently while
your two-year-old ‘hadda go potty?’ How often does your doctor call you just to
make sure you’re feeling all right? Midwives do these things on a regular
basis – it’s part of their philosophy of care.”
Excerpt from Homebirth Making It Happen by Anne Sommers, L.M. Abbi Perets
You might wonder, why would any woman choose a midwife to deliver her baby? Aren’t midwives relics from the Dark
Ages? Aren’t they for the poor who can’t afford a doctor or a hospital?
The opposite is true. Record numbers
of well-informed women from all walks of life are choosing traditional midwives
for the personalized care so many doctors no longer have time for. These mothers-to-be
want to be treated as individuals, not as participants in a virtual assembly line
of medical procedures often performed by strangers.
Preferring to labor and birth in the comfort and privacy of their own homes,
today’s moms are opting for sensitive midwives who become their companions in childbirth.
Throughout the ages, traditional midwives have survived in every culture, supporting
mothers and acting as guardians of the natural birthing process.
Today, they are trained in modern childbirth techniques, but most still use
a variety of natural health alternatives, including herbs and homeopathy.In California
, midwives are licensed to provide newborn care, attend childbirth, perform prenatal,
postpartum and well-woman care, and can order lab work, ultrasounds and other medical
tests. They are also trained in nutrition,
how to manage complications and how to screen high-risk women for additional care.
If you would like to have all of your questions addressed during your forty-five
minute prenatal appointment, be able to eat and move about freely in labor, deliver
your baby in the position of your choice, perhaps in water - consider care with
a midwife.
You may contact Anne Sommers, L.M. (951) 461-4779.
By Carl Jones and Anne Sommers, L.M.
An innovative and controversial alternative, water birth was first popularized in
the 1960’s in the then Soviet Union by Russian researcher and trainer Igor Tjarkovsky.
He believed that being born in water enhances an infant’s physical strength
and psychic abilities.
Another pioneer in the field of water birth, Dr. Michel Odent, focused on the benefits
of water for the laboring mother.(At Pithiviers France, Dr. Odent oversaw a small maternity
clinic run by midwives. Trained as a surgeon, he admittedly knew little about obstetrics but opened
his mind and heart to what the midwives and mothers showed him about birth.) He
found that when women got into the tubs during the first stage of labor, dilation
accelerated and pain was reduced. Feeling more relaxed and comfortable in the tubs, many times
the mothers attended by midwives were reluctant to leave, and ended up giving birth in the water.
Because of Odent’s revolutionary ideas, his encouragement of women to be free and
act instinctually, expectant mothers came from all over the world to have their
babies at Pithiviers. His clinic, the first underwater birthing facility in the west,
became a model for the rest off the world.
Safety of Waterbirth
One of the problems parents and professionals are most concerned about is the mother
developing an infection because of the water. Many childbirth professionals advise expectant mothers to avoid tub baths
once membranes have ruptured.They believe that when the amniotic sac has broken there is a risk that bacteria may
enter the uterus and cause infection. However, avoiding immersion in water is not necessary once the mother is in active
labor, since there is no time for an infection to develop. Furthermore, obstetrician, Dr. Michael Rosenthal, claims
that water, if anything, serves to keep things clean.
Dr. Odent says there have been no infections or complications associated with underwater
birth at Pithiviers.
Both doctors agree that tap water with no chemicals added is perfectly fine for
labor and delivery.Some midwives add
salt to make a normal saline solution at the rate of 8 pounds per 100 gallons.
This is enough to kill any bacteria. Chemicals and disinfectants such
as Betadine (iodine) are toxic and should never be used.
The can permeate delicate tissues such as the eyes or could be ingested by
the newborn.
Another concern is the infant inhaling water with a possible risk of pneumonia or
drowning.When babies are born their lungs are filled with fluid.It is
their first breath that causes the air sacs to fill with air/oxygen and the fluid
to deplete. Only after the lungs have been expanded with air could a baby drown from water inhalation, and lack of oxygen.
Furthermore, as long as the placenta is attached, the infant continues to obtain oxygen through the umbilical cord.
Leaving the baby submerged after birth is the most controversial aspect of water
birth. Most water birth advocates agree that the safest approach is to bring the baby to the surface within a minute or
two after birth. Keeping the baby submerged for longer is not advised. Even though
the risk of drowning is slight, the baby can develop hypoxia (a condition of inadequate
oxygen).
As Dr. Rosenthal points out, “Within seconds after the birth, the uterine wall surface
has been enormously reduced and the placenta (which provides oxygen fro the blood
vessels in the uterus) is not elastic enough to remain attached.”
Many water birth practitioners advise the mother to leave the tank before delivering
the placenta, to avoid the (hypothetical) risk of water embolism.
Embolism, either with air or water is a rare complication and would usually
accompanies a severe hemorrhage.The
water or air molecule finds its way up the vagina and enters an open blood vessel
in the uterus, where it travels to the heart, causing death.
Water embolism from water birth has never been recorded.
According to the late Dr. Howard Marchbanks, who has delivered over 16,000 babies
in his 45 years of practice, “Embolism has never been a problem, in my experience
of 15 years of putting mother and baby in the water after birth.”
He believes that there is more of a chance that air would enter the uterus
than water.
The Benefits
Usually if the mother chooses to give birth in water, she remains in the tub throughout
the birth process and sometimes for a short while afterward.
Experienced waterbirth midwife Susanna Napierala monitors the fetal heart beat with
a doptone, a portable stethoscope which emits ultrasound or high frequency sound
waves that are reflected off the fetal heart, and produce echoes, which are then
transmitted to the audible sound of the fetal heart beat.
In order to do this she asks the mother to raise her hips out of the water
while she places the doptone on the abdomen.
Other midwives use a plastic sheath and monitor the baby’s heartbeat underwater
or use a special underwater Doppler.
Most mothers deliver in a sit-squat position or on hands and knees.
Providing the tank is large enough, the mother is readily able to adopt the
position of her choice.
The birth attendant usually remains outside the tub, where she can assist if necessary.
However, some practitioners prefer to
be right in the tub with the mother.
If the tub is sufficiently large, the mother’s mate and perhaps others can join
her.
Immediately after birth, the baby is lifted slowly and gently to the surface.
Jeannine Parvati, well known childbirth educator and author of Prenatal Yoga
chose a waterbirth for the delivery of her daughter, Halley.After Halley
was born in a homemade redwood tub, Jeannine recalls, “When she emerged, it was
with open and exploring eyes.”
The parents can begin the process of parental-infant bonding in the tub.
The mother can hold her child to her breast and begin breastfeeding, or just
explore her child with her eyes and fingertips.
The father, too, can hold the baby skin-to-skin and enjoy eye contact with
her in the tub.
Some midwives ask the mother to leave the tank for the delivery of the placenta
because it is difficult for them to monitor the volume of blood loss in the water.
When the mother leaves the tub, the
baby can still remain in the water with the father, giving the father time to get
to know his child.Some mothers return
to the tub after the placenta is delivered.
Many women find that water birth creates an easier, less painful and shorter second
stage labor.After her water birth,
one mother recalls, “I think the delivery was significantly less painful and exhausting
than it might have been ‘on land.’
I was able to spread out my energy consumption more easily.
I didn’t tire myself out.”According
to Tjarkovsky, the effects of gravity are lessened and our oxygen consumption is
reduced while in the water, thus making it easier to labor.
The warm water helps the mother relax during first stage labor that in turn, may
facilitate the birth process.Many
midwives notice rapid dilation when mothers get into the water.
One midwife recalls, “I had one client who, after laboring all night was
fully effaced without dilation when I got to her home at 7:30 am after I convinced
her to get into the tub she proceeded quickly to 2 cm.
Within an hour and a quarter, still in the tub, she advanced to 8 cm.
Soon she was pushing. The baby was born an hour later.
This was a primip (a first time mother).”
In addition, Dr. Odent points out, “Immersion in water seems to help women lose
their inhibitions.”This can help the
mother surrender to labor and thereby give birth more efficiently.
The buoyant weightlessness of floating in the water seems to lighten the heavy ‘bearing
down’ feeling of contractions,” recalls midwife Anne Rivers.
She says, “The warm water helps the tissues to stretch.”
Though her water born daughter, Naelani, was larger than her previous three
babies, she was able to give birth without an episiotomy for the first time.
“I could sit down and move around with no pain.What a difference!
Recovery was a grand time resting with the baby!”
The books by well known childbirth author, Carl Jones, include the international
best seller Mind Over Labor, and Alternative Birth, have helped innumerable
women and babies enjoy safer more fulfilling births.