Appreciation

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Stephanie

Appreciation is one of those words in the English language that can be very non-descript and abstract. I’ve come to realize that the spoken word is so limiting and appreciation defiantly falls into that category. So, what does appreciation mean. The dictionary defines appreciation as “recognition of the quality, value, or magnitude of people and things” which comes close but what does appreciation look like. I can say I appreciate you but do I really appreciate all of you? Do I only appreciate in you what serves me? Can I look at the “non-serving” parts of you and still appreciate them? How closely is appreciation related to love?
This subject has come up for me lately because there is a person in my life that whenever I’m near her, it’s like nails on a chalk board to me. She grates on my every last nerve! One day, my ever wise mother asked, what are her good points? I said nothing but then I thought for a moment and realized that she is everything that I don’t what to be. She is as opposite me as anyone could be so in that, I gained clarity. Clarity of myself, who I am and what I stand for. Then, I thought some more. She actually does have some qualities that I envy like here boldness. She is not afraid to ask for what she wants. I wish I could do that more often and I would never feel comfortable doing it like she does so again, clarity.
So what does all of this have to do with appreciation? I have realized through this journey that it is easy to appreciate the ones you love but it is a bit more challenging to appreciate the ones you don’t. If you stop for a moment and really look at the people around you, really appreciate them, I think you will gain a little more understanding about yourself. Really look at your loved ones and see them for who they really are. Appreciate the parts that serve you and the ones that don’t. Then, look at the people around you that may be like nails on a chalk board and appreciate them. Thank them for being in your life and showing you clarity (even if the only thing you see is that you don’t want to be anything like that person.) remember, they a there for a reason. From there, “love thy neighbor” is not a far leap. Love and appreciation are so close and so intertwined it would be hard (if not impossible) to have one without the other.
Lastly, appreciation is not necessarily a spoken word but a state of mind. If there is someone close to you that you really appreciate, tell them. It will usually help everyone feel good and, it starts in your heart first. The unspoken words are so much more powerful that anything spoken ever could be so feel it first. After that, everything else just falls into place.
Look for pain, and you will find it.
Look for love, and you will find it.

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The Tale of 2 Births

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Stephanie

At the beginning of 2011, I set a goal of doing 1 doula birth per month. Today is February 14 (Happy Valentine’s Day by the way) and I’ve already had 2 births. They were both very similar and yet SO different. 2 moms with about the same level of partner support, approximately the same level of prenatal education (except prior birth experience), and both were getting regular chiropractic adjustments. Both moms hired me relatively late in their pregnancies and they both wanted a natural birth but were not completely opposed to drugs if needed so why were they so different???
Let me start with a little background. Momma “a” was having her 3rd baby and hired me because baby 2′s birth was a bit traumatic. She was induced with cytotec (which I really, really don’t like). We stayed in contact throughout the day and we both decided that I should meet her at the hospital around 4. I knew it was a bit early but it worked out good. We worked together for a while and mom decided to have her water broken at around 12 that night. She was 4am. 2 hours later, her 8 lb baby boy was born naturally while she was standing up holding onto me.
Momma “b” was having her first baby and hired me because she was from a country with a 90% (yes, you read that right) rate and she really wanted something different. She didn’t even know she had a choice to have a natural birth until she was about 7 months. She was also induced but with pitocin and her water was broken right away when she was about 2 cm. She called me about 9am to say she was fine and she would check in soon. At 4 pm, she was 4 cm and had an epuridural. The dr was supposed to come check on her soon so she would call me after that. I tried to call her around 9 and never got an answer so I went up to the hospital to find she had a C-section. When the dr came and checked her, she was complete and was told to push. After 2 hours of pushing, she was told the baby wouldn’t fit and she needed a C-section. Her baby was 7 lb 5 oz.
So what happened? I think there were 2 main factors in momma “a” having a natural birth: provider choice and focus. I don’t mean focus in that mom “b” couldn’t focus on birth but more that she was more focused on what she didn’t want because that’s all she knew. She had the expectation of a C-section even if that’s what she didn’t want. Momma “a” knew she could give birth so she expected she could have a natural birth. The second factor is provider choice. Momma “a” didn’t choose a doctor/hospital that was known for supporting natural birth but momma “b” went to the hospital with the highest C-section rate in Atlanta. Momma “a’s” doctor was at least willing to work with her and was willing to be flexible.
So where do we go from here? Do your research, do your research, do your research. It is never to early to start talking to your doctor about the birth you want. Make sure that your “team” really is on your team. Your care provider can be your best friend or your worst enemy. They can help you get around “hospital policy” or they can make sure everyone is enforced. The reputation of the doctor is a good place to start but communication goes a long way. If you can talk to your doctor and develop a mutual respect, it will go a long way when it’s decision time.
Secondly, focus on what you want. A good childbirth class, like Hypnobabies, will go a long way to increase your confidence and knowledge. If you really want to buy a new car, you’re not going to spend hours on researching horse breeds. Likewise, if you really want a natural, beautiful birth, you don’t need to focus on C-sections and drug interventions. What you focus on will expand so focus on what you want. There is no such thing as a perfect birth, but there are things you can do to get in that general area. Have a good support team around you and focus on what you want.

Posted in birth stories, c-section, classes, easy birth, Gentle Journeys Birthing, health, Hypnobabies, Stephanie Banguilan, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

US Stats on C-sections

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Stephanie

I recently attended a meeting about a proposed birthing center here in the Atlanta area. It was a great meeting and I think having a birth center here would be amazing. In this meeting though, they threw out some pretty scary statistics and birth and c-sections rates in the US.
The World Health Orginazation recommends that the c-sections rate be between 5-10% and anything above 15% could be more harmful than beneficial (Althabe and Belizan 2006). So what is the rate here in the good ole’ USA? In 2008, the rate was 31.8% and even scarier is that the VBAC rate is less than 10% and falling! On top of that 99.1% of all births are in hospitals meaning only .9% of births are at home, a birth center and somewhere unspecified. No wonder our c/s rate is on the rise.

As far as the hospitals here in Georgia, their c-section rates range from 20.5% for North Fulton Regional to 40.4% at Northside Hospital (April 2008 – March 2009).
Here are a few more frightening stats:
-Only 7-10% of births are attended by a midwife in the US even though the data shows these births are actually safer.
-76% of moms in 2006 had an epidural
-41% of moms went into labor on their own
-33% of moms felt frightened during their birth
-42% of singleton preterm infants were delivered via induction or cesarean birth without spontaneous onset of labor. (2006)

So what do we do? First, we as consumers need to be educated. During pregnancy, a high quality childbirth education class (like Hypnobabies) is a must! If you don’t know what your options are, how can you advocate for yourself. Secondly, surround yourself with a great support team. Find an OB or midwife who has the same philosophies as you and hire a doula. Last but not least SPEAK UP! Don’t be afraid to let your opinions be know. This is your birth!

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Parenting your Parents Attachment Style

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Stephanie

Being a parent naturally causes us to look forward. We are constantly thinking of the life our children will have and trying to find ways to make it better. Sometimes we go to great lengths to insure (or so we think) that our kids will have more than we did. As part of this process, most of us look back at our childhood and reflect on what we liked and what we didn’t like. This forms our baseline for how we raise our kids.
As part of my process, I consult my parents. I talk to them about their motives and experiences as my parents and then compare those to my experiences and thoughts. 9 times out of 10, those memories are completely different. My mother remembers an experience that she thought would scar me for life while I have no recollection of said event. So what’s the point? As a parent now, I do my best to be easy about life. I know that my kids will have totally different memories than I do and that each child will remember different things than the other.
Throughout this process, my parents’ mortality has become more obvious than in years past. I am fortunate that my parents are still in very good health so I haven’t had to face the task of caring for them physically but our relationship has changed. My parents have been divorced since I was 3 so I have very different relationships with both of them but each in their own way, our relationships have changes into friendships. This is an amazing asset for me and I hope my children. In this friendship though, I find myself doing a bit of parenting to my parents. My definition of parenting is very broad though in that it’s more counseling than “parenting”. I don’t scold my parent but I don’t scold my children either. When either of them are facing a problem, I talk to them to see what their desired outcome is then we work together to get to that outcome.
I’ve seen my parents handle my grandparents aging process and their ups and downs. When I was younger, I worked in a nursing home and I saw that as we get older, we tend to revert back to our childhood. My grandmother had dementia and I saw once again her process of reverting back to her childhood. The further her disease progressed, the younger she became mentally. I think this happens to most of us if we had a disease or not. The cycle of life is always an ebb and flow. Just like breathing we start out young and as time passes we get older. As more time passes we get younger again until we go back to the place we were before we were born.
So lately I’ve been asking myself, how do we parent our parents? The answer for me is just like I parent my children. This has helped me refine my parenting to my kids even more because I know that one day, they will be parenting me too. The way I interact with my parents is how they will someday interact with me. This is not a new concept but for me, it gives me a new perspective. I parent my kids with attachment theory always in mind so why would I parent my parents any differently. My goal with my kids is to always retain the attachment relationship so as my parents get older, that will continue to be my goal with them. I treat my children with respect for their physical and emotional space so I will continue to do that with my parents. As my parents age, I may find them reverting back to their youth. I only hope that I can raise them with the same grace and dignity that they raised me.

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The Lessons Parents Learn

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Stephanie

When I became a parent almost 5 years ago, I never imagined that my children would teach me so much. I think most new parents look into their newborns eyes and contemplate all of the wonderful things they will teach their kids, the places they will go, and all of the wonderful adventure they will have together. Some parents even reflect on their own childhood and vow “I’ll never do that to my kids”. A few new parents may even reflect on the things their parents did right and promise to do the same with their little ones but rarely do we look at our children and say, “What are you going to teach me?”

My belief is that life is a journey. If the point of a vacation is just to get back home, then why do we go on vacation in the first place? So… it must be about what we do in the middle. Parenting is no exception. The point of raising kids is not to get them off to college and grown but about what we do in the middle and if there is ever a perfect opportunity for self growth, its parenting.
Children don’t come into this world with the small nuances that only maturity brings and they don’t care. They are not supposed to because for them, it’s all about enjoying their journey.

On a simpler note, I recently had a conversation with my sister about her kids. She has 3 that are 4 year apart and the oldest one is almost 5. She was telling me a funny story about how they ended up with a big hole in their downstairs living room and were now interviewing contractor to fix said hole. Well, they routinely bath all 3 kids together every night. One night, she was getting the baby out then went across the hall to get him dressed. She could hear the other 2 playing and she was only gone a minuet but when she came back into the bathroom, they both got quiet and just smiled. (never a good sign) She didn’t see anything majorly wrong so washed them then went back to check on the baby in the other room. Again, the other 2 were laughing and playing very good together so there was no cause for alarm. Then the fire alarm went off downstairs. Frantically, she grabbed the 2 out of the bath and the baby out of the other room, ran downstairs, out the door and dropped the 3 at the neighbors house then went back to investigate (after instructing the neighbor to call the fire dept and her husband.) When she got back into the house, instead of finding smoke downstairs, she found water; a lot of water… It turned out that this was a pattern of the middle child. He LOVED to take his bucket, fill it with bath water and promptly dump it out of the bath.

My question to my sister was why are you still letting him play with the bucket? We could make the argument about teaching him to play the “right way” but giving a bucket to a baby and telling him not to dump it is like giving chocolate to a woman and saying don’t eat this. My sister didn’t learn anything from the first few times he did it so she didn’t change anything. There are a lot of different things she could have done to prevent this situation but she didn’t. Usually, if we ignore a problem it will just get bigger until we can’t ignore it anymore. It was impossible for her to ignore the fire alarm and the waterfall coming from that same alarm.

Children have so much to teach us and most of the time, we as “the adults” think it’s the other way around. If we could just stop for a moment and look at life through the eyes of our children, we would be amazed. We might remember the joys of making mud pies, or we could learn to live in the moment or we might or maybe, just maybe, we would remember how fun it is to dump water all over the floor without thinking about who’s going to clean it up.

Posted in Attachment Parenting, Gentle Journeys Birthing, parenting, Stephanie Banguilan | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Birth is Natural, Normal, Healthy and Safe

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Stephanie

I recently gave birth to my second baby and thanks to my Hypnobabies, this became my mantra during my pregnancy. At the time, I decided to accept this as true without really analyzing it but recently, it’s come to the forefront again. This western culture that we live in professes to be so advanced and yet we lead the industrialized nations in maternal and fetal deaths. We are also at the top of the charts for interventions, medical assisted births and c-sections and I have to ask myself why. We as a nation do not believe that birth is natural, normal, healthy and safe. Birth has become a huge production in which a doctor and his or her team must deliver us from this horrible thing called child birth. We as women can’t possibly be able to handle such pain and everything and anything must be done to help the inferior gender carry on the legacy of the human race. Well, I may exaggerate a bit, but there is a note of truth. The medical community and our society as a whole thought “bigger is better” right? If one person can do it right, 10 can do it better and if 10 people can do it, a machine can do it better still and thus began the industrial revolution.
Enough history, what does this have to do with birth? It was the industrial revolution that began the downward spiral of our maternity care in the US. People stopped trusting people and started trusting machines. This was very apparent in the medical industry where doctors stopped looking at moms and instead, focused on what the machines were telling them was going on because it was measureable and chartable. In this day and age when everyone wants to blame someone else, doctors and nurses have to have something in writing and they are constantly asking, “Could I do more?” Things have definitely gotten better in the last 20 years but we still have a long way to go. There was a time that a laboring woman was strapped to a bed and left in a room alone until she was far enough along for the doctors to come in and “deliver” the baby from her. Now, women are respected for the most part and there is at least some attempt to respect the wishes of the family. Dads are usually included and in most hospitals, doulas are a welcome addition. However, most hospital staff relies too heavily on technology and most doctors and nurses don’t even see a natural birth during their training. When one nurse was asked if a mom had a natural birth, she replied, “Yep, she only got an epidural.”
It seems to me that women have been having babies long before there were fetal monitors and ultrasounds. Don’t get me wrong, the advances in medicine are amazing and do save lives when they are needed but obstetrics is one of the few fields where the advances are seldom needed. Childbirth is a natural and normal state of being for a women and a women’s body knows exactly how to birth a baby. If you have ever seen a laboring mom that is left alone to follow her body, you will become an instant believer. There are so many little things that work together to create this amazing event like the nesting instinct. Shortly before a mom goes into labor, she will usually get a burst of energy to get things finished and ready for her baby. When in labor, if a mom listens to her body, she will move and change positions to allow the baby the chance to do the same. It is such a perfect an intricate dance. During pregnancy, many moms get cravings for foods they would not normally eat like pickles and ice cream. Stop and think for a moment what is in pickles and ice cream: vinegar and milk/dairy. Dairy contains calcium which is needed to grow healthy bones for a growing baby and vinegar helps minimize heartburn which many pregnant moms complain of. The female body is designed to grow babies, so how could it be anything but healthy and safe. If it weren’t, the human race would probably not have survived as long as it has.
The biggest thing that gets in the way of a natural birth for most women is their mind. We are trained that the safest place to have a baby is in the hospital and to attempt anything different is either brave or stupid. We’ve all heard the horror stories from our well meaning relatives and seen the productions on TV and in the movies. When you are pregnant, you become a magnet for “those stories”. When a women does get pregnant, she wants to do what she believes is best for herself and her baby. For 20+ years, she has been told that giving birth in a hospital with a doctor is what is best. It sounds great, except doctors are trained to do something, whatever it is. So, what if we lived in a society that believed in the strength and commitment of women? What if we were surrounded by “I can” instead of “I can’t”? What if we were to trust in the perfect design of the human body? What if we all believed that birth is normal, natural, healthy and safe?
The best thing we can do to support parents-to-be is to encourage education and believe in the awesome-ness of the human body. For more information on Hypnobabies or any of our services, please contact us at www.gentlejourneysbirthing.com

Posted in birth stories, classes, easy birth, fast birth, Gentle Journeys Birthing, home birth, Hypnobabies, hypnobirthing, Stephanie Banguilan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Holding your baby

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Stephanie

Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE to hold my babies. Currently, I have a 45 pounder and a 20 pounder so either I am superwoman or I enlist the help of accessories. So, since I love holding my babies, I also love my slings. When my 45 pounder was just a wee-one, I only had 2 carriers: a baby borjn and a ring sling. The Bjorn was good but I couldn’t wear it for too long because it hurt. Since I didn’t know how many different carriers were out there, we just did out best. I found out about the ring sling thought my local LLL and my world suddenly changed. It felt so good to hold my son and it was so easy to get things done. I could hold him and still have 2 hands free to do whatever I needed. Since this sling worked so well for the 2 of us, I didn’t investigate further.
When my daughter was born, all I wanted for our baby shower was cloth diapers and slings. Now, I have 6 slings (including the bjorn and my original ring sling). I have used them all and to me, they all have different functions so I use them for different occasions. There are so many benefits to “wear your baby” that I though I’d take a moment to share them.
1. 2 free hands – really useful when you have another 1 or 2 to chase
2. Easier on the arms – even though I love my “mommy muscles”, I’m not super woman
3. It helps put the baby to sleep – when my youngest can’t or won’t sleep, we go on a walk. It worked for the oldest too!
4. They are safe – I know exactly what they are getting into (or not) because I can see and feel exactly where they are.
5. I feel like super mom!!! – I can cook dinner, wash laundry, and feed #1 all while holding #2
6. Just about anyone can wear #2 and she will calm down very quickly.

Aside from the personal reasons to wear your children, there are emotional and physical benefits for the child as well. On his website, Dr Sears states:
1. Sling babies cry less.
2. Sling babies learn more.
3. Sling babies are more organized.
4. Sling babies get “humanized” earlier.
5. Sling babies are smarter.

I can personally attest to all of these!

There are a few things to consider when you choose to wear your baby. First, do your research. Attend a baby wearing class, use the internet and go talk to local vendors to see the different slings available. Consider what you are going to use the sling for (besides wearing the baby). Are you going to be mostly running errands, going for long walks, will different people be using the same sling, and what age is your baby? All of these are important for picking out the right sling for you and your family.
Once you have decided on a sling, or two, you should probably figure out how to use it safely. Read the instructions that came with the sling, attend and Attachement Parenting International Support Group or a LLL group, get someone to help you while you are getting used to your new sling, and make sure you have the proper positioning. The baby should always be chest to chest with you; nice and sung. Below are some great online resources and be sure to check our schedule for our next free Baby Wearing class.
Have a great day and go hug your babies!

Dr Sears – www.askdrsears.com
Attachment Parenting International – www.attachmentparenting.org/
Babywearing.com
Peppermint.com

Posted in baby wearing, babywearing, classes, Gentle Journeys Birthing, health, Stephanie Banguilan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Hypnobabies #2

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Stephanie

After a few extra days, our precious little girl is here. Lillianna Marie Banguilan was born at 6:53 am on 10/23/09 in our home. She weighs 9 lbs 9 oz and is 20.5″ long. At the moment, she is sleeping peacefully in her swing and Nanay and Jaiden are at the Taste of Suwanee Festival (so it’s a little quiet). I thought I would take this moment and write down some details before I forget so here is my version. (Anna’s to come.)

I have to admit, I was getting a little anxious about the new arrival seeing that Jaiden was born right on his due date but… I was trying to practice what I preach in that ‘babies are born on their birth date and not on their due date’ so, we waited. My mom came up on Saturday so we walked every day together. Thursday night I decided to give the myth about eggplant a try so we went to Athens Greek Restaurant. There had been no “signs” of anything so I figured it couldn’t hurt and it tasted pretty good.
Thursday night we went to bed as usual and Friday morning, I woke up as usual with the need to pee. (A brief side note. Wednesday night, Anna accidentally flushed the toilet paper holder so at about 11:00 pm, Anna and I tore out the potty to retrieve the lost paper holder. Anna joked that this was #32 on the list of ways to induce labor. :) ) So, as usual, I went pee at about 4:00 then went to lay back down. I noticed a pretty good pressure wave so I woke anna up. I think I lay there for a few min and told anna to time a few. They were about 4 min apart and 45 seconds long. After that, I didn’t feel comfortable laying down so I went to my rocking chair to listen to a script. I knew that this could be something or it could be nothing. I was listening to my Easy First Stage cd which is about 50 min long but after about 30 min, I felt like I wanted to get up and walk. I could tell that this was my birthing time because the pressure waves were getting more intense but still fine and still 4 mins apart. I got Anna and told her to call our midwife Debbie, just to give her a ‘heads up’ call since things weren’t stopping. Anna called Debbie at about 4:45 while I was eating some toast and Debbie said just piddle about and check back in about 30 min. After that, we went back upstairs and I lay in the bed while Anna gave me birth prompts. (To those who are not familiar with Hypnobabies, these are verbal and physical cues that we practiced to get and keep me relaxed.) She did a great job and things were getting very intense for me. Somewhere in there, Anna called Debbie again and told her what was going on and that she needed to come. I remember saying “I need my Debbie.” She was about an hour away so is was time for her so head our way. Somewhere around 6:00 I told Anna I needed to get in the tub. She called Debbie again and asked if I could get in and she said I better wait so we didn’t slow things down. I said if I can’t get in the tub, I’m getting in the shower. Things were very intense for me now and I remember saying something’s not right, I can’t do this much longer. I could hear my noises changing from aahhhs to uuhhhs and thinking I have to push. My doula brain was saying this is ok, it’s just transition and my me brain was saying it’s too soon. It had only been 2.5 hours since things started. I think Anna just kept Debbie on the phone while I got in the shower. I started on my hands and knees and just let the water hit my back and run down onto my belly. After 1 or 2 waves, I decided to plug up the tub so I could soak. (good plan…) The shower was still on and Anna had Debbie on speaker. They were both so wonderful in talking to me saying what a great job I was doing and Debbie kept saying things sounded great. I remember thinking I feel like I’m screaming but it was more like letting the power go through me. Debbie talked to anna and told her to check if the baby was coming out. She couldn’t see so I checked. I could feel her head but it was still about an inch in. While I was pushing in the tub, I think my water broke. Debbie asked if there was anything in the water and anna said no. I still had the sense to notice that there was no mercomium even thought it wasn’t until later that I remember that fact. At some point, I sat up on my legs and let the water cover my bottom to relieve some pressure. That felt good and things were still really intense. I think I spent 2 waves like that then rolled over on my back. Then, Anna could get a better view and the babies head was right there. Debbie was still talking to Anna and I reached down and felt the babies head. I think Anna decided ‘screw it, I’m getting in too.’ She climbed in the tub and with the next push, Lillianna’s head was born. Debbie had her check for a cord and there was none. With one more push, one shoulder slid out, then the other, then her whole body slid right into anna’s arms. She put the baby right on my chest. By then, my mom had woken up and had gotten a few things ready. She handed anna a few blankets and managed to take a few pictures. We covered her up so she wouldn’t get too cold but we had to check if it was a girl or a boy. Anna and I looked at the same time and said, “it’s a girl.” We were so amazed by what just happened.
Debbie was still on the phone and continued to give us praises as well as the necessary midwife stuff. Lillianna was a little blue still so I needed the reassurance from Debbie that everything was ok. It was and in just a few seconds, she started making those wonderful baby noises. Babies born in the water are much calmer so they usually don’t cry right away. Debbie walked us through delivering the placenta and a few minutes after that, my mom helped me into bed. Anna was so great; she had the baby in one hand and a bowl of placenta in the other. This is the same person that wouldn’t even look at Jaiden’s placenta.
A few minutes after I got into bed, Debbie came in. Anna did give me back the baby so I could try to nurse her a bit more. She is an excellent nurser!. After that, the people started coming in; Anna called in some reinforcements at some point but alas, they were all a bit late.
All in all, it was a wonderful and very FAST birth. 3 hours from start to finish. Jaiden is doing GREAT too. He loves his little sister and is very helpful. He is getting plenty of attention and lots of play time with all of the friends that are stopping by.

Posted in birth stories, easy birth, fast birth, Gentle Journeys Birthing, health, home birth, Hypnobabies, hypnobirthing, Stephanie Banguilan, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Humans

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Stephanie

Yesterday, I helped welcome a new life into this world. It always amazes and inspires me to witness what we can achieve. It saddens me too. It was a great birth to first time parents who were Hypnobabies students of mine. Through 12 of the 17 hours, she was doing a beautiful job of working with her body and handling the power naturally. Then we went to the hospital… I knew she was in transition when we got there but that she still had just a bit to go. I also know that the last bit is the most intense and the most powerful. Changing locations at that time is difficult and on top of that, the hospital assessed her BY HERSELF! They would not let me (her doula) or her husband back there with her so of course she wanted to get an epidural. She had lost her rhythm.
To quote a wiser woman than I, “I know like I know, like I know” that everything happens in the exact way that it should including birth and this one is no exception. My client did get an epidural which went smoothly and worked very well for her and 3 hours later, her son was born. Looking back, I’m not sure either of them could have handled the power of that birth. The baby went into some distress and mom had to really concentrate on her breathing and stay focused so he could recover. At one point, she was about 1 min away from a c-section and she stopped, took some deep breaths, and talked to her son and it worked. His heart rate picked up and he was good from then on. I’m not sure she could have done that with the intensity of the contractions too.
I know that I have a bit of radical in me because there are certain times in my life that “I just want to change the world”. When I was in college, it was the school system; yesterday it was the labor and delivery part of hospital births. In college I decided that to change the world, you have to conform to it so you can make changes from the inside. I had another glimpse of that yesterday. There is so much “not right” with the way our culture brings our new humans into the world. It starts with our beliefs and goes all the way through “just take a pill and you will feel better” but when we just take a pill, we give up our power; our power as the wonderful and awesome creators and manifestors that we really are. First we believe that we are powerless, we see it and we are taught it. Then, we act on it and create that reality for ourselves. I’m relating it to birth but you can see it on every level of our society.
So, stop believing the others and listen to your true self or your inner wisdom. Start looking for the “I can’s” and start appreciating yourself for the “I did’s”. As for me, this is my journey and I will continue educating and changing lives one at a time. I love what I do and I will continue to do it until I don’t enjoy it or something better comes along. Whenever I attend a birth, I am so honored to be able to share this moment. It reminds me why I teach and helps me better understand what to teach. It also reminds me that I am great at what I do so thanks you L and J for reaffirming my calling.

Posted in birth stories, classes, easy birth, fast birth, Gentle Journeys Birthing, Hypnobabies, Stephanie Banguilan | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Class – “Your Kitchen Medicine Cabinet”

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Stephanie

What: There is more than just an apple a day to keep the doctor away. In this 3 hour class, we will learn how to use the herbs you already have in your kitchen to maintain your ideal health. We will talk about the 10 most effective and most common herbs found in your kitchen. We will also cover what they can help with and how they are best used. This is a hands-on make and take where you will walk away one step closer to your ideal health.
***In this class, everyone will make their own garlic oil for ear aches and to help improve the immune system. Space is limited so to register, go to www.gentlejourneysbirthing.com/html/other_classes.html or call Stephanie Banguilan at 678-852-7307

How Much: The cost for this class is $65 for one or $85 for you and a friend. Also included are all supplies and handouts. Make sure you come ready to learn.

When: Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 3-6:00 pm

Where: Studio 8 Inc, 355 Brogdon Rd Suite 201, Suwanee GA 30024

Posted in classes, Gentle Journeys Birthing, health, herbal medicine, Stephanie Banguilan | Leave a comment