Sunny

If Olga Morris's Pregnancy Massage Certification class put a close to my fear of pregnancy, Sunny Lee Savage's Childbirth classes gave me the confidence to follow through. Corey and I decided to move out of our one bedroom apartment at the end of our six month lease in October of 2008. One week later, we found ourselves in our new living room with four other pregnant women and their birth partners. We hosted childbirth classes set up by Maryn and taught by her very good friend from Flagstaff, Sunny. Sunny was a mother of two daughters, her second had just been born in August of that year and accompanied her to all of the gatherings. Sunny wore her hair in dred-locks that came just to her shoulders and usually had a bandanna tied around them. She was also a raw vegan. So, her knowledge of nutrition and a natural lifestyle gave her the air of being like a Mother Earth type person.

It was through the information that I learned during our six week session with Sunny that formed the basis for my confidence when it actually came time to give birth. The following are the highlights that helped the most:

#1- Perineal massage. This might sound gross to most of you, but there is a technique of massage (don't worry, no therapist will ever do this for you, it has to be done by your birth partner) that stretches the area around the vagina. The woman lays on her back and the partner uses the index and middle fingers ( with olive oil) to massage the area. You start by massaging in tiny circles all around the opening. After the area is warmed up, use the fingers to gently press downward toward the anus. You can also gently press upwards too. Hook the fingers just inside the opening to get the best stretch. Now, if you're squeamish, don't try it. However, by doing this practice in your last trimester, you can actually avoid an episiotomy (when the doctor decides to cut your vaginal opening with scissors.) The reason that it's better not to have the doctor cut you is because they decided where and how far to cut you. If you do the stretches, you either won't tear at all, or if you do, it will be smaller and in the area of least resistance. It's better for the body to decide how much to tear than for someone else. They may cut you so that you need 5 stitches, but if you let your body do the tearing on its own, you may only need one or two.

#2- Ferguson's Reflex. This amazing feedback loop is the heart of labor. The female's body and the baby work in sync to contract the uterus, move the baby, stretch out the cervix and return to normal. There is a chemical released that begins the entire process. The uterus pushes down on the baby from the top. The baby spirals down into the cervical opening, stretching it out with its head. Then, the body decides it's stretched out enough and sends another chemical to the uterus to let up so that the baby's head can pull back out of the cervical opening. Each time this loop happens, the baby stretches out the cervical opening a little bit more, thus reducing the potential for tearing. When women are induced, sometimes the patocin acts so strongly that the labor can get rushed. By not allowing for the baby's head to stretch out the cervical opening properly, the chances for tearing are greatly increased.

#3- The Uterus can do it all by itself. Did you know that the strongest muscle in the female body (the uterus) comes fully equipped to push the baby out all on its own? If the woman just breaths with her contractions, Ms. Uterus will do the rest? Hard to believe, I know. In essence, holding your breath to push just deprives your body of oxygen. Keeping your breath in a low, guttural moan is the better than bearing down and not breathing. In fact, the lower you can drop your voice while birthing, the less tense your muscles (including your uterus) will be, thus aiding in the delivery of your baby.

#4- "I can't do it". Sunny told us that in many of the births she had witnessed, the mother would invariable say, "I can't do this". The woman would say this right before the baby would come. She told the papas in the room that those words are their cue to say, "Yes, you can, and the baby is almost here."

Among other things, these were the four most important lessons I learned from Sunny during my first foray into childbirth education. I plan to take her class again during pregnancy #2. During that time, I will give more detailed accounts of what I learn so I can better share the knowledge with you. However, coming very soon, I will be sharing the actual account of Carrick's birth and how the four key lessons mentioned in this segment came into play that day.