At Gentle Beginnings we have recently partnered with Becca Lowe/ Daley Milk and started selling Hygeia electric and manual breast pumps, and the accessories that go along with it. This is a short story on how Becca got involved with the breast pump business.
Birth of Daley Milk: Becca’s Story
I learned very quickly that when breastfeeding is referred to as ‘natural’ that that means ‘organic’ and not always ‘easy’. After the birth of my first daughter I struggled with all that breastfeeding issues could entail; leading to clogged ducts, bleeding, and cracking nipples (I highly recommend calendula oil and rescue remedy that we sell at GBBC for these issues). And to make matters worse, my baby had a tongue & lip tie.
Before having her I never intended on pumping very often. But because of the issues I encountered right off the bat, I needed a pump much more often than what I thought. I started with a single automatic my sister insisted I have and got me for my baby shower. With in a few months that pump was no longer efficient and died on me.
From that point forward I experienced everything from cleaning all the parts of a manual pump in the early morning hours, to hand expressing for 45min in the middle of the night. Not fun! Finally I got frustrated enough with this scenario, I eventually borrowed a Medela, and quickly found out how bacteria are transferred from user to user.
My midwife, Sarah Jones, pointed me to an article that informed me of the benefits of a closed system pump. (Please check out this article and pass along to inform others http://www.justwestofcrunchy.com/2011/01/19/the-problems-with-medela ). Which shocked me to learn how other leading pump brands will suck moisture through the tubing into the motor, which creates mold and harmful bacteria, which then gets passes back to the mom and baby.
Due to all the other issues I had already faced breast feeding, I wasn’t willing to risk not having a closed system pump. I quickly became a user and saw and experienced the benefits first hand of Hygeia pumps!
On top of being closed system, and creating safety for my baby and I found several other factors I enjoyed about this rare pump: I loved that it had a rechargeable battery, so I didn’t have to stay plugged into a wall, or constantly be purchasing batteries. All the parts are BPA free. And it has a button where you can record your babies cry, to increase and help with let down!!!! To top it off, these pumps are safe to can be resold, recycled and reused. Which majorly helps with the fact that it is a big investment!
I appreciated these pumps so much that I decided to start a business selling Hygeia pumps and accessories to help moms like you. I think this is a great pump for anyone, whether you have had similar struggles like me, and/or just need a safe, reliable, quality pump.
Come into either of our GBBC locations to purchase or rent a pump. And please follow Becca on Facebook at www.facebook.com/daleymilk for information, helpful hints and a community that can help you through your struggles.
Written by our midwife, Beth Johnson.
January 2, 2012
Dear Sweet Elijah,
God created your very being and He knit you together in your mother’s womb. I praise Him for you are fearfully and wonderfully made! All of your days were written, by God, before one of them even came to be. I love that He intertwined the writing of my days and your days!
I prayed for you and for your mother in the days leading up to your birth. I prayed all would go well and that God would have His hand on you as you entered into this world and took your first breath. He heard and answered all of my prayers.
Your mom, dad, and grandmas all arrived at the birth center at about 3:40am on October 22, 2011. After observing your mama through a few contractions (these are pains that mommies go through when babies are being born), I wondered if she was very far into this process at all. The contractions were uncomfortable for her, but between them she would smile and at one point even asked if we wanted to play a game. By 4:40am, the contractions had become stronger and more intense. Your daddy is awesome! He was always right by her side. He rubbed her back squeezed her hips. I know it sounds a little funny, but mommies like those things when babies are being born. Your mama was champ! She did everything I asked her to. She changed positions a lot. Sometimes she would stand next to the bed, put her hands on her belly and slow dance with you. By 6:00am your mama’s body really wanted you to come out. After she pushed for a little bit, I decided I better check and make sure it was really time for you to come out. It was almost time. I did a few things to help your mama’s body do what it needed to, so she could push you out. Your mama pushed and pushed to get you to come into this world. After a while she got into a big, warm pool. She really liked it in there. It made her a little bit more comfortable. She pushed more in the pool. Finally, at 9:15am you were almost here. Your head wasn’t quite out yet, but almost. I tried to listen to the sound of your heart, but I couldn’t hear it, so I asked your mama to get out of that nice big pool and onto the bed. I thought it would be easier to hear your heart beat on the bed instead of in the water. I listened again carefully, but couldn’t hear anything. I told your mama I needed a BIG, STRONG push. She did! You have a very strong, mama, Elijah!! At 9:35m your head came out and so did one of your little hands. This is part of the reason your mama had to push for so long! My guess is you still like to put your hands up by your face. J Now, most of the time right after a baby’s head is born, the baby does what we call, restitution, which means you turn from face down, to facing your mama’s left side. When babies do that, it helps their shoulders get in just the right position to fit through the mommy’s pelvis. You didn’t restitute for me, so your shoulders didn’t want to come out. I pulled your mama to the edge of the bed, which gave us a little more room in her pelvis. You finally restituted and came out at 9:37am on October 22, 2011! You started crying before you were even all the way out. I was thankful for that. You were just letting me know everything was okay. I lifted you up onto your mama’s belly. You could tell your mama and your daddy were instantly crazy about you. All 9lbs, 19inches of you was absolutely adorable!
I’m so thankful God created you! I know He has a wonderful, beautiful purpose and plan for your life. I pray that He will lead you, Elijah, and guide you all of your days. May you become a man after His own heart! Blessings on your life, little one!
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”
Jeremiah 1:5
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:13-16
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11
Love your midwife,
Beth Johnson
This post was written by one our clients. She posted it to her blog and we just had to share. We are so honored and blessed to be a part of so many “birth”day parties. You can read her blog here.
What A Gentle Beginning means to Me
When I chose Gentle Beginnings birth center as the ideal place and environment to birth my baby, it did not occur to me that the name had a lot to do with the way the birth center and their midwives treated their littlest patients. After having my baby there I understand now.
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee…
~ Jeremiah 1:5
When a baby has just been born it has never been away from his/her Mommy, never been touched before, never seen a bright light and never felt cold. Everything a new baby goes through right after birth is miraculous and amazing. It is also a lot that the little one has to adjust to. I consider it cruel to immediately take them away from the Mother for reasons that could afford to wait.
At the hospital where I birthed my two older daughters they treated my new healthy babies like emergencies, like an accident waiting to happen!
They came out, was literally plopped on my belly for no more than 60 seconds, so that I could see them. Then their umbilical cord was immediately cut, leaving behind up to 25% of their necessary blood and nutrients still in the placenta. That in itself is a shock to their system. Then they were picked up and placed under a heated little table where they start to give them a shot, poke their little foot to get blood, they got gel placed in their eyes, and flopped around while the nurses rubbed them roughly trying to get all the blood and vernix off of them as if it is something highly dangerous and contagious. They weighed them and measured them and got their footprints immediately. Why is that so important mere minutes after birth I wonder?
I lay watching from a distance helplessly stuck to my hospital bed. I watched the whole process knowing that something was not right about it, something was just wrong and my arms ached to hold my baby. MY baby! The whole time my sweet little girl was screaming and upset, and all I could do was raise my voice and speak sweetly to her hoping that at least she could hear something familiar and be comforted from it but there were loud machines, loud people and distracting bright lights and too much distance between us. She was too upset and too busy being man-handled to hear me.
I tear up thinking about it.
I truly believe that she cried because she was scared.
She had just taken her first breath and what a cruel world she comes upon, being treated like a second rate human. She was new and did not understand what was going on but my precious little baby was not second rate.
After a while she was once again taken far from her Mommy, down to the nursery, where she got her first bath and was scrubbed clean from any remaining offensive vernix or blood, and they scrubbed her new delicate little skin as if she were an iron skillet! My baby screamed the whole bath only stopping to gasp in shock as bitter tasting soapy water drips down in her little eyes, nose and mouth. Yes, I’ve tasted baby soap, it’s nasty.
You would NEVER see a new Mom or Dad handle their squishy little helpless newborn like that!
What is sad is that this is the norm, it is the average treatment of a healthy newborn hospital baby.
Sure, my babies ‘survived’ and don’t seem to be permanently damaged because of it but who wants to ‘just’ survive? Nobody! Why not treat the new one with common kindness that we show to each other as adults?
At Gentle Beginnings as soon as my baby was born she was immediately placed in my arms, on my chest skin to skin. Her little face was right next to my heart beat. Where it had been for 9 months.
She could hear my voice and got nothing but gentle hugs and kisses from me. Our midwife checked her up and down all the while I was holding and loving on her. Neither my baby nor I even noticed she was there. We were in a sweet little world of our own!
It was a loving, sweet, warm, candle lit and quiet atmosphere she was introduced to. It was a calm yet a very joyous time for all of us.
I was the first one she heard, saw, felt. It was a comfort to her, since her little body was still learning to breath and get adjusted to wide open spaces she was introduced into that in the most gentle, calm and soothing way possible, by the one who loved her the most.
After a few moments of a sweet welcome to this world she was lovingly placed on my chest to nurse. Which was another natural comfort for her. She ate as much as she wanted for as long as she needed. When the placenta had expelled all it’s blood, iron, oxygen and vital nutrients it stopped pulsating and then, and only then did they cut her cord.
After a while my baby and I settled down into the warm and soothing herbal bath. Where I held my baby in the warm water softly swaying her back and forth, while my husband reached over into the tub and gently massaged his daughters little scalp with a soft baby brush. It was so soothing to her that her eyes started to droop and she calmly fell asleep in my arms, contented and happy.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
~ Prov. 3:24 from KJV
She never cried or complained, because we gave her nothing to be upset about.
When I had to get some stitches and get ‘fixed’ up, or when I went to the restroom my baby was safe in her Daddy’s arms, receiving cuddles, kisses and coos from him. She never was placed in a plastic tub, heated lamp or behind a glass window, she was warmed by her Daddy’s body heat, or my own with no glass wall between us.
After her gentle introduction to the world we laid her down on the bed and the midwife very tenderly checked her vitals, her length, weight and etc. Her Daddy and I are right there watching and enjoying it all. It was a fun and sweet celebration! No blood is drawn, she was not an emergency. Blood works could wait at least a couple of days. She didn’t cry or get upset because she was treated like a first class citizen, made of flesh and blood, that had real human feelings and fears. Like the precious jewel that she was!
That night we went home and enjoyed the comfort of our own bed, surrounded by the sounds and routines we were both used to, and slept. It was a deep and healing rest that can not be had if it weren’t for a sweet and loving GENTLE beginning.
A gentle beginning is the best birthday gift my baby could ever get. It will always be a place and a time in my life that when I look back on it I will always have that soft glow in my eyes and a contented sigh on my lips. No matter how big my baby will get I will always hug her close to my heart beat and with sweet memories I’ll cherish our first gentle moments together, and whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for that little unforgetable blessing, a moment and a memory that will forever be engraved in my heart.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb…
~Psalms 127:3
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
~ Psalm 139:14 from KJV
The Arrival of Leland Tate Gosnell
January, 24, 2012; 6:58 AM
First, my prenatal care through Sarah Jones Midwifery was beyond excellent. My first pregnancy had been extremely difficult, wrought with all kinds of health issues, including gallstones. I expressed my deep anxiety to Sarah about this second pregnancy when I met her the first time. Through her knowledge and natural health plan, I had the most wonderful feeling pregnancy I could have dreamed of! Her use of supplements, oils, and healthy foods did wonders for my body and the health of the baby. You will not find another with more wisdom than Sarah.
The birth:
Went to bed on the evening of the 23rd around 11:00. My due date was still 6 days away, and since I was late with my first, I figured this labor would be the same. Woke to my first contraction at 12:45 am, more annoyed than anything. I figured it was another dose of false labor, so I bustled up and got in the bathtub at 1:15. I thought the water would stop the contractions and I could go back to bed. Surprisingly, I sat in the tub for about 45 minutes, and my contractions picked up! (I downloaded a free contraction timer app on my phone that I could use while I surfed facebook). J
At 2:00, I texted Sarah to let her know what was happening. I still wasn’t fully convinced that this was it. She suggested I take Benadryl and try to get more sleep. But by the time my husband got his shoes on to go pick some up, there was no point. My husband called Sarah back to let her know that they had gotten stronger and I could no longer talk through them. She said, “Okay. I’m on my way!”
By 3:00 am, Sarah and most of her team had arrived. My photographer, Cassie Raney with Sassafras Photography, joined the party. Thank you, Cassie, for lavishing us with incredible memories! You truly have a gift.
Contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, lasting about a minute. I was a good 5 centimeters, water intact. For the next couple of hours, my husband and I labored. In the shower, on the toilet, on the birthing ball. He was a fantastic partner – squeezing my hips, supporting me. The entire midwife team labored in prayer with us as I progressed.
With my bag of waters still intact, I wasn’t fully dilating. I was stuck at 8 cm. Sarah had me climb up in bed and push with the next two contractions to see if we could get the baby’s head down and around the cervix. She was a genius! She held my cervix in place while the baby’s head came down, bursting my bag of waters!
6 am. Knowing this would cause added pressure and pain, I was eager to get it over with. She sent me to the toilet for a few contractions, knowing this position would drop the baby down, and boy, did it! By the third contraction, the pushing was involuntary.
I moved to the bed, and we began to push. With my first baby, I only pushed twice – one for the head and once for the body. So I thought it would be a breeze! But this baby was still a little higher up, so it took a little more work. And a lot more trusting my team and my Heavenly Father to endure the pain. About 5 pushes later, his head was crowning. With the next contraction, his head came out and his body right after. It was probably only 15 minutes of vigorous pushing, but it felt like a lifetime! J
6:58 am. Leland Tate Gosnell; 7.7 lbs, 19.5 inches long.
The Lord so faithfully even worked out the timing. We had prayed that he would be born before our 2 ½ yr old son woke up at 7:00. Just in time!
Leland was perfect. Not even very upset with us! My placenta was a little stubborn, so I was lifted up into a squatting position and pushed with a contraction. It finally released, and came out completely. Thank you, Jesus!
[On a side note, I had postpartum depression when my first child was born , and had been searching for ways to avoid it this time. Sarah suggested I encapsulate my placenta, and referred me to Brittany Wackowski. Studies show the placenta promotes bonding, increases lactation, decreases postpartum fatigue, and helps avoid postpartum depression. Ask Sarah for more info if you’re interested.]
As I was being checked, our herbal bath was made. With no lights but a few dim candles, it was the most serene experience. The baby and I loved it.
I would have done this no other way. Thank you, Lord, for the incredible joy of birthing a child. And thank you to Sarah and her team for making Leland’s birthday at home an amazing experience!
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