Silver Hamlin, DONA Trained Birth Doula

09/12/2024

05/15/2023

Happy Mothers Day!

Some mothers don't feel like mothers immediately following birth. Some of us struggle to redefine ourselves as we make this major life transition.

For a long time, postpartum depression was a rather taboo topic--as were many mental health conditions. Although we are getting better about this as a society, I believe we have a way to go.

One way to make that change is to share your story. I invite you to share your journey below. Help show other new mothers that they aren't alone in these feelings and share with them words of encouragement and hope.

08/21/2022

More than just the overall cesarean rate, let's look at the primary cesarean rate for the counties with labor and delivery units. Notice there's a few green counties!

06/28/2022

Some women are interested in getting their tubes tied. This is a permanent form of birth control that requires a small surgery. Our providers at UK Morehead Women's Health Care are happy to talk to you about this procedure and see if it is right for you. Unfortunately, we cannot perform a tubal ligation here in Morehead. Our physicians only do surgeries at St. Claire Hospital. St. Claire HealthCare is a Catholic organization and we respect their decision to not perform birth control surgeries in their hospital. We can help you schedule a surgery for tubal ligation at UK Hospital in Lexington.

For more information about getting your tubes tied - visit the website below:

https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/sterilization-by-laparoscopy

05/14/2020

02/27/2020

Question: What was the most important thing in your hospital bag? I'm not looking for baby things, but things for MOM. What helped you through labor? What helped you through the hospital stay? What do you wish you brought with you...or what do you wish your birth partner brought?

11/11/2019

🚫STOP! DON’T WASH THAT BABY🚫

Ever wondered what that white cheesy substance is on your fresh baby? It’s called Vernix! It starts to form on your baby’s skin around 20 weeks. What’s exactly in vernix?🤔 Scientists have identified lipids, amino acids, proteins, antibacterial, and antimicrobial compounds such as:

wax and sterol esters
ceramides
squalene
cholesterol
triglycerides
phospholipids
and amino acids, asparagine and glutamine

61% of these proteins can only be found in vernix 🤗

What are the uses of Vernix? 📚
📌it acts as antibacterial agent to protect baby inside and outside the womb
📌protective covering while going through the birth canal
📌allows baby to pick up good back bacteria and leave behind overgrowth of bad bacteria
📌protects baby from meconium exposure(baby’s first p**p)
📌it acts as insulation by maintaining your baby’s body temperature. Infants who are immediately washed have a significantly higher rate of heat loss
📌acts as a lubricant and decreases friction during birth and reducing infant trauma
📌it smells like mama and helps keep baby calm after birth
📌your baby swallows Vernix in the womb. The same proteins found in vernix are the same as those in breastmilk. This helps baby’s digestive tract to be ready to breastfeed.
📌keeps baby’s skin soft and subtle

Why do nurses rub it off? 🤔
Many policies in the hospital system are outdated but still practiced. We were taught that Vernix was a risk of germs. You can ask staff to please reduce rubbing of baby to preserve Vernix on baby’s skin! When baby has his first skin to skin contact with you, this is the perfect time to rub it in, not rub it off.

MAJORITY OF VERNIX IS ABSORBED 24 HOURS AFTER BIRTH BUT ISNT FULLY ABSORBED TILL 5-6 DAYS AFTER BIRTH! LETS GIVE OUR BABIES TIME ABSORB THIS DELICIOUS CREAM THAT SCIENTISTS ARE SO DESPERATELY TRYING TO DUPLICATE BUT CANNOT!



Photocred: Birth Becomes Her

11/09/2019

Beautifully put

There is a phase in labor, appropriately called transition, where a woman will meet her breaking point. She'll feel as though she just can't go on, and she is right. The maiden in her is not strong enough for the task at hand. It's during this time the maiden dies so that the woman can be reborn as a mother, with her child. A new, more capable version of herself with far more strength than she has ever known. From Maiden to Mother.
Photo

10/08/2019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845732/

Over recent decades, epidemiological studies have been reporting worrisome trends in the incidence of human infertility rates. Extensive detection of industrial chemicals in human serum, seminal plasma and follicular fluid has led the scientific community ...