I Dream Of CUB

When I first became a birth educator, I came across a wonderful product called CUB – Comfortable Upright Birth Support. As soon as I saw a CUB, I wanted one! I needed one I wanted one for my classes and for my doula clients to use, truth is I REALLY REALLY WANTED  them to have a one at their birth.

I have been happily dreaming and pining over one for a while – yes that right, I’ve dreamt about a CUB 😊, these dreams have been glorious. I’ve had dreams of using a CUB with clients, of having them feel the comfort and ease of using one. I have dreams of showing my birth education students how along with the knowledge and skills they learn in class, that they can also use upright right positions and the CUB to shorten labour, reduce interventions and help get baby into an optimal position, whilst helping to open up their pelvis to help their baby descend.

Yep – this is one dreamy tool that I’ve wanted to have for birth classes and for doula clients.

As a Birth Educator I teach the value of labouring and birthing in an upright position. It is also one of the key Healthy Birth Practices I teach in my Lamaze classes – Healthy Birth Practice #5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push. Studies show that birthing in upright positions can shorten labour and decrease pain, as well as increase pelvic diameter and reduce the need for interventions. (Care Practice #5: Spontaneous Pushing)

As a doula I see the importance of birthing in an upright position and of using gravity neutral positions during birth, I see how positions can change and affect the length of labour and the comfort of birth as well as the position of the baby.

The fact that The CUB (Comfortable Upright Birth) support is a comfortable, versatile birthing support designed to help mothers adopt and maintain positions that are physically the most helpful for them and their babies during labor and birth, is a must for use at births. The CUB is designed with the mother in mind and birthing needs, being able to use the CUB throughout labor as a comfortable support, either to sit on, rest on or lean over as well as to give birth to her baby on – the fact that the mother can birth on a CUB and not have to move again really shows how the design has be thoughtfully thought of with the mothers needs in minds (let’s face it, it’s never fair to move a mother who is in a comfortable position for birth)

For me I know it’s going to be an invaluable tool for me and doula clients to use. I want to help mothers to adopt and maintain positions that are not only the most comfortable but physically the most helpful for them and their baby during labour, helping them give birth easier, faster and most importantly, safer! I’m looking forward to sharing CUB with my future clients and having them see and feel the benefits of upright positioning and using a CUB that is designed for this purpose and comfort.

Find out more about CUB and the benefits via www.cub-support.com or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CUBsupport

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948091/pdf/JPE160035.pdf

Healthy Birth Practices # 2

Walk, Move Around and Change Positions Throughout Labour.

Movement in labour serves two very important purposes. First, it helps you cope with you increasingly strong and powerful contractions, Second, it helps wiggle your baby into your pelvis and through the birth canal.

When allowed to move freely during labour, women instinctively respond to their powerful contractions. Walking, swaying, squatting, rocking, rubbing and changing positions during labour. 

Research supports that movement may help shorten labour, can provide effective pain relief and can decrease the likelihood of having a cesarean (Storton.S (2007) "the coalition for improving maternity services")

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices

The Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices, have you heard of them?

Years ago Lamaze became widely known as a ‘method’ for birth, teaching a breathing and coping style that came to be known by its name.

Lamaze today is a ‘philosophy’ of birth, founded on 6 Healthy Birth Practices that are designed to encourage women to trust their bodies, reduce fear, and have a healthy and safe birth for mother and baby.

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices are the foundation of Lamaze. These Birth Practices are designed based on years of research to help simplify the birth process with an informed approach that helps alleviate fears and manage pain. Regardless of baby’s size, your labor’s length and complexity, or your confidence level, these care practices will help keep labor and your baby's birth as safe and healthy as possible.