Doulas Have Important Impact on Birth And Breastfeeding
Doulas Have important Impact on Birth and Breastfeeding
The impact that doulas will have on birth and breastfeeding has been highlighted by the findings of a replacement national survey revealed in the week.
The survey, revealed by Doula UK shows parents-to-be are much more seemingly to try and continue breastfeeding, and fewer seemingly to want intervention throughout their child’s birth, if they need turned to a doula for support.
The survey gathered knowledge from one zero five doulas and their one,106 birth shoppers across a variety of crucial birth-related areas. the foremost dramatic figures relate to breastfeeding and birth interventions. girls who used doulas required considerably less medical intervention within the birth method and had greatly increased breastfeeding success compared against the national average.
One London mum says her life was reworked when she employed a doula
Ashley Ashton Doula
following a tough 1st birth, and she is now putting her experience to excellent use after her career took an unexpected twist.
Ashley Scott-Fisher, 26, said she decided to use a doula to help her and husband, Alvin through their second pregnancy after the birth of their first child left her feeling anxious about giving birth again.
Ashley, of Stratford, was so impressed by the support that their doula offered that she decided to help other families in the same way and in June 2010 started her own journey towards becoming a doula.
Now as a Doula UK Recognised Birth and Postnatal Doula, Ashley provides emotional and practical support to women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. And she says World Doula Week is the perfect platform to raise awareness of the benefits that doulas can offer parents-to-be.
Following the birth of their daughter, Bailey, now four, in 2007 Ashley and Alvin realised how uninformed they had been and they did not want to be in that position again. Ashley said: “Alvin and I were both completely underprepared for the birth of our daughter and accepted every suggestion the medical team made without question, expecting they would give us the support and guidance to achieve a positive birthing experience.
“It became a heavily-managed birth with many interventions and I narrowly escaped a Caesarean. When our beautiful daughter was eventually born, we received no skin-to-skin time and I was left feeling exhausted, disappointed, and that my body had failed us.”
In the weeks following Bailey’s birth, Ashley found bonding with her daughter difficult. She struggled to breastfeed despite being determined to do so - but without the right support or guidance on how to overcome breastfeeding issues Ashley was forced to bottle-feed Bailey.
heavily pregnant woman
In 2009, when Ashley and Alvin discovered they were expecting their second child they were determined that this birth would be different and turned to Doula UK doula, Callie Copeman-Bryant. Ashley said: “Callie really believed in our ability to birth our baby and helped us to talk through our feelings surrounding our first birth. She gave us time to discuss things and was always there when we needed to talk. By the time I went into labour I was relaxed, positive and trusted that my body and baby could do what they were made for.
“Unlike the first time, I knew what I wanted and was happy to ask for it. Thanks to Callie I knew that my body and baby would do things in their own time and was happy not to rush or allow anyone to intervene while my baby and I were safe. Our second birth was such a huge contrast to our first one, and as a result we felt closer than ever as a family.”
As Ashton reached his first birthday, the mum-of-two began her doula training and over the past 18 months has been supporting families through both the birth and postnatal period. With over 500 members, Doula UK represents the largest number of doulas in the UK. Its doulas work with women and their families to prepare for the birth of their baby, helping them to fully explore their options, make informed decisions and support them as they adjust to life with a newborn baby.
The Doula UK survey found of the doula-supported families, 93% attempted breastfeeding and 70% were still exclusively breastfeeding after six weeks. The figures are significantly higher than the latest national figures from the Department of Health, which show only 74.1% of new mums attempt breastfeeding, and just 47% are still exclusively breastfeeding at six weeks. The survey also showed that only 12% of doula-supported births required medical interventions, such as the use of forceps, ventouse or Caesarean sections, compared to the latest national figures of 37.3%.
Bridget Baker, Board Member and Head of Doula Mentoring at Doula UK, said: “Our survey findings echo previous research in to the substantial benefits of doula support during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. The results show that when women and their partners are well informed about breastfeeding, are signposted to good resources and have someone to turn to who is there to listen and offer unconditional support there are significant improvements in breastfeeding success rates.
“Elsewhere, the survey found that the frequency of medical interventions, that many women wish to avoid, decrease by over 25% in births supported by doulas. Though our doulas support any kind of birth and are not there to change outcomes it is startling that when women have this experienced and continuous support available to them during labour, they are much less likely to require serious interventions like Caesarean sections.
“Whatever path a birth takes our doulas always work with the midwives and other medical professionals to ensure that parents are kept fully informed about the choices that are available. This allows parents to confidently make decisions with which they are comfortable with in a nurturing and positive environment.”
The Great Nappy Debate Continues
New mums everywhere are having sleepless nights over which kind of nappies to use.
True, reusable nappies cut back the number of landfill - with disposables inflicting around four hundred,000 tonnes of waste a year during this country alone - however after you weigh up the number of energy and water required to clean and dry them, their inexperienced credentials vanish into skinny air. the total debacle has left egg on the faces of ministers at the Department for the surroundings, Food and Rural Affairs, who threw an alleged £2.3million at the government's Real Nappy Campaign - a campaign that, since the publication of the surroundings Agency's report, has been quietly dropped.
Surely the perfect resolution would be an environmentally-friendlier disposable nappy - however is there such a thing? Well it'd appear that it's attainable to possess a disposable and inexperienced nappy.
Seventh Generation's Chlorine-Free Nappies are redesigned to be thinner, which suggests less waste and fewer use of resources - however not at the expense of performance. The absorbent, non-toxic polymer (a chemically-inert gel referred to as sodium polyacrylate) utilized in the nappies facilitate keep babies dry in between changes and all the way through the night, and reduces the danger of nappy rash too.
As the name suggests, the nappies also are chlorine free. several different disposable brands are made up of wood pulp that has been bleached using chlorine. However, chlorine could be a chemical that makes substances referred to as dioxins, that several scientists believe are very harmful to the surroundings, animals and humans.
For instance, in keeping with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry within the US (www.atsdr.cdc.gov), chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) might increase the danger of cancer, diabetes, liver and heart diseases, skin issues and delayed nervous system development in youngsters *.
So by selecting chlorine-free nappies, oldsters are serving to to cut back the number of dioxins that pollute the air, water and soil - that might create the globe a safer, healthier place for his or her youngsters.
40% Increase in Real Nappy Sales
Sales of reusable nappies have increased by an astounding four-hundredth within the UK.
Overall, the report has shown that UK shoppers are rather more ethically influenced, because the household pay on moral merchandise and services has nearly doubled within the past five years. additional shoppers are recycling, shopping for fair-trade merchandise, and campaigning on environmental problems. individuals are typically creating additional ethical' purchases. the expansion in environmental awareness has affected the nappy market considerably.
The new reusable nappies on the market create it easier for busy folks to suit them round the time constraints and stresses of recent life, whereas inflicting less injury to the atmosphere. Reusable nappies as a product have evolved and are convenient and simple to use. folks are realising the multiple advantages of reusable nappies, as not solely are they higher for the atmosphere however additionally higher for his or her baby. Another major advantage is that they're cheaper than disposables; folks may save up to £600 throughout their child's nappy sporting life.
Real Nappy Week' may be a major annual event to lift awareness concerning real nappies covering the total of the united kingdom. This year it'll be held from twenty first to twenty seventh April, and may be a nice chance to search out out additional concerning real nappies. native councils are holding nappy roadshows and stalls. Hospitals are organising displays of real nappies and will be giving some away to new mothers. Nappucinnos' are held, that are informal and fun sessions where mothers will try real nappies on their babies and procure additional data on a way to use them.
Nappy Rash - The Bottom Line
Most babies are seemingly to urge nappy rash at your time throughout their nappy-wearing stage. It’s a standard condition affecting around one in 3 nappy carrying infants at anyone time*.
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Nappy rash is sometimes caused by the baby’s delicate skin returning into contact with urine and faeces within the nappy. Most symptoms are quite gentle, and a pink or red rash seems round the nappy space. The rash could accommodates tiny spots or blotches, however the baby can preferably be well. in additional severe cases the symptoms are seemingly to be painful and build the baby distressed and uncomfortable.
Nappy rash is commonest when a baby is between nine and twelve months previous. Outbreaks usually coincide with teething, antibiotic use, loose stools, sleeping through the night, beginning on solid foods, catching a chilly orswitching from breast to formula milk.
Looking out for nappy rash
There are times when your baby can be a lot of at risk of obtaining nappy rash, therefore it’s value being on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of redness and irritation round the nappy space. The trigger times will include:
Bullet Teething
Bullet When baby initial sleeps through the night
Bullet Common cold
Bullet beginning on solid food
Bullet Changing from breast milk to formula
Bullet An attack of diarrhoea or runny stools
Bullet Antibiotic use
Teething
Parents usually notice that nappy rash are often linked to teething and typically the rash seems followed by the primary tooth. this could be as a result of giant amounts of saliva are created and swallowed throughout teething which might cause runny stools and cause nappy rash.
When baby initial starts sleeping through the night
It’s not shocking to be happy when your baby initial starts sleeping through the night. It are often the primary time you’ve had a decent night’s sleep for a protracted whereas and you’ll be keen to create the foremost of it. Nappies still want changing frequently to assist avoid nappy rash caused by the stools and urine in-tuned together with your baby’s delicate skin.
Common cold
Babies and young youngsters who develop a chilly usually suffer from a bout of nappy rash at an equivalent time. therefore if your kid gets a chilly, it’s additionally value looking for any signs of a pink rash and irritation round the nappy space.
Starting on solid food
A amendment in diet usually will increase the quantity of times your baby passes a motion and stools could become runny resulting in nappy rash. this could happen once you begin introducing solid foods to your baby or when new foods are added to the diet.
Changing from breast milk to formula
Breast fed babies appear to urge nappy rash less usually than formula fed ones, therefore once you begin switching from breast to formula milk, it’s value taking further care to stop nappy rash. usually it’s the amendment of diet that ends up in a lot of watery stools being passed which might irritate your baby’s delicate skin.
An attack of diarrhoea or runny stools
If your baby has loose, runny stools or an attack of diarrhoea, the nappy cannot quickly absorb all the waste, which means that your baby’s delicate skin is in shut contact with urine and faeces. this could turn out to be ammonia which can irritate your baby’s skin, inflicting it to become sore and inflamed.
Antibiotic use
Antibiotic use could typically be linked to the event of nappy rash. {this is|this is often|this will be} in all probability as a result of antibiotics can cause diarrhoea, significantly in infants, which might cause nappy rash. If you're breastfeeding and are prescribed antibiotics, this could have an effect on your baby, therefore it’s value reminding your doctor if you're breastfeeding.
Metanium – light on the skin, robust on nappy rash
Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment is licensed specifically to treat and heal nappy rash, whereas barrier creams are used as a preventative live once it's been treated. Its unique, light typeula contains titanium salts to assist form a non-occlusive barrier film on the skin, permitting the skin to “breathe” while protecting it from more irritation.
Metanium ought to be used at the terribly initial signs of nappy rash to assist bring speedy and soothing relief from itching and chafing. Metanium is lanolin free, therefore is appropriate for babies who is also at risk of hypersensitive reactions to lanolin. solely a pea sized quantity of Metanium is required to treat the sore areas and it are often used from birth onwards. forever scan the label. A recent survey showed that eight out of ten mums who had used Metanium would suggest it to different mothers.
Metanium has simply introduced a Baby & Toddler Club with countless free goodies together with a Metanium Busy Baby Planner and a booklet with hints and tips about coping with nappy rash. Visit: www.metanium.co.uk for a lot of data.
Metanium’s prime tips to stop nappy rash:
Bullet Leave the nappy off the maximum amount as attainable
Bullet amendment your baby’s nappy frequently
Bullet solely use water to clean your baby’s bottom
Bullet Dry your baby’s bottom by patting instead of rubbing with a towel
Bullet Avoid using tight-fitting elastic pants over nappies
Bullet Avoid using powders like talcum powder when changing the nappy
Bullet Use Metanium at the primary signs of nappy rash developing
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