Tuesday is my very last day at Metro Minis. My very last day fitting mamas and papas into baby carriers, explaining the ins and outs of cloth diapers (pun on poop? not on purpose...), and holding squirmy babies while mamas and papas try to understand baby carriers and cloth diapers. I'm really going to miss that place.
So why am I leaving? Well, I was recently presented with a new and very exciting opportunity that I simply cannot pass up. Drumroll please...
Clementine Midwifery! Homebirth midwife Stacey Rees has asked me to work as her assistant office manager and birth assistant. OH YEAH!
This job - working alongside a midwife - has actually been what I wanted to do since graduating. I became a doula (went to the training during senior week... I am a DORK) because I thought it would help me land a job with a midwife. Didn't happen that way. So I decided to use that training, began working as a doula, and found out I really loved it. But I also needed a part time job, so I found the truly wonderful Metro Minis. Then, a few months ago, it was time for my annual gyno check up. I was in the market for a new midwife and decided to see Stacey since she just relocated her office to my neighborhood. At the end of the appointment, I said, "If you ever need help, I'm around..." And the rest is history.
The lesson here is: if you want a job, get a pelvic exam. Is that funny, or weird? I think it's funny.
Anyway, I've already had a few days of work at her office. I've been restructuring the content of her website, inputting patient info into her electronic medical record system, and updating her phone system. And answering phones: "Hello, Clementine Midwifery, this is Leda"!
Stacey recently forwarded this video to me, and I am in love with it. It's a short and very clever animated depiction of a hospital midwife's shift. The graphics are amazing and the midwife is wonderful:
My favorite part: when the midwife answers the phone. Watch what the phone cord becomes...
Showing posts with label Metro Minis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metro Minis. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Waiting game
I've got a client right now in the early stages of her induction... meaning nothing is really happening, so I am finding ways to occupy my time while my phone sits no more than 6 inches away from me. Every so often I stare at it, waiting for it to ring and tell me it's time to go. I'm not with her, but I am so with her.
I thought I'd keep my mind on birth and visit this little place I wish I visited more. Since it's been a while, there is so much I want to say.
First, Miles for Midwives was a blast. It was the largest they'd had, with 460 runners, 50 sponsors, and a huge crowd of others. And my little fundraiser page raised $200! Thank you so much to everyone who came and donated.
Of course, I forgot my camera, and the pictures I took on Michael's phone didn't come out, so I've got limited ones to show you. Here's one of the Metro Minis table. Joanna, the co-owner, is on the left wearing a beautiful Girasol wrap, while in the background, physical therapist Lisa Hoffman identifies a postpartum mom's diastasis (she teaches a free class at Metro Minis about it!). We also had cloth diapers, Kleen Kanteens, and other baby carriers on display:
And here's one of Michael and me and my brother's dog, Chi Chi, after they finished the race:
Dogs love midwives too!
The Miles for Midwives goodie bag was super sweet and chock full of coupons. I'm going to give most of them to my clients, but here are some I thought I'd post here. Give me a shout if you want any of them:
After all this celebration, you're thinking, Leda has to add something cynical, right? It wouldn't be a complete post without some complaint, right? Have no fear! The bad news is here:
What is this all about? The IRS has decided that breast pumps cannot be tax-sheltered, but other items like acne cream can be: "I.R.S. officials say they consider breast milk a food that can promote good health, the same way that eating citrus fruit can prevent scurvy. But because the I.R.S. code considers nutrition a necessity rather than a medical condition, the agency’s analysts view the cost of breast pumps, bottles and pads as no more deserving of a tax break than an orange juicer." Yeah, except orange juicers don't prevent cancer. And diabetes. And asthma. Or have the potential to save the US $13 billion in health care costs (reported in the middle of the article).
Whew. Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, I can be done.
And maybe I'll go to this birth someday...
I thought I'd keep my mind on birth and visit this little place I wish I visited more. Since it's been a while, there is so much I want to say.
First, Miles for Midwives was a blast. It was the largest they'd had, with 460 runners, 50 sponsors, and a huge crowd of others. And my little fundraiser page raised $200! Thank you so much to everyone who came and donated.
Of course, I forgot my camera, and the pictures I took on Michael's phone didn't come out, so I've got limited ones to show you. Here's one of the Metro Minis table. Joanna, the co-owner, is on the left wearing a beautiful Girasol wrap, while in the background, physical therapist Lisa Hoffman identifies a postpartum mom's diastasis (she teaches a free class at Metro Minis about it!). We also had cloth diapers, Kleen Kanteens, and other baby carriers on display:
And here's one of Michael and me and my brother's dog, Chi Chi, after they finished the race:
Dogs love midwives too!
The Miles for Midwives goodie bag was super sweet and chock full of coupons. I'm going to give most of them to my clients, but here are some I thought I'd post here. Give me a shout if you want any of them:
- $10 off an 8 week series at the Prenatal Yoga Center
- 10% off online orders at Magnificent Baby
- Free breastfeeding diary with any purchase at Yummy Mummy
- 50% off your first two treatments at Garden Acupuncture
- 10% off any class or workshop at Birth Day Presence
- $25 off your first BodyTalk session at Wisdom House Wellness
- $10 off any $50 online purchase at Jake and Ella
- This isn't a discount, but it's nice to know: 15% of what you pay for a 5-class Hypnobirthing course goes to Choices in Childbirth!
After all this celebration, you're thinking, Leda has to add something cynical, right? It wouldn't be a complete post without some complaint, right? Have no fear! The bad news is here:
What is this all about? The IRS has decided that breast pumps cannot be tax-sheltered, but other items like acne cream can be: "I.R.S. officials say they consider breast milk a food that can promote good health, the same way that eating citrus fruit can prevent scurvy. But because the I.R.S. code considers nutrition a necessity rather than a medical condition, the agency’s analysts view the cost of breast pumps, bottles and pads as no more deserving of a tax break than an orange juicer." Yeah, except orange juicers don't prevent cancer. And diabetes. And asthma. Or have the potential to save the US $13 billion in health care costs (reported in the middle of the article).
Whew. Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, I can be done.
And maybe I'll go to this birth someday...
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Pride and shame (or something less dramatic)
I recently passed my one-year anniversary as a doula! To celebrate it, I finally put up a bulletin board and stuck all my pictures of babies, mamas, thank you notes, and birth announcements:
The bottom section has gifts clients have given me that I need to use. Yeah, that's $40 of BamCash and a gift certificate for a 60 minute treatment at a spa. All those hours of massaging butts really do pay off.
On an unrelated note, I woke up today to a Facebook message from a previous client:
"Hey you! My sister said she saw you on TV yesterday. Were you interviewed at Metro Minis?"
Yes, yes I was. I did not think they (WPIX Channel 11) would air it, nor did I think ANYONE would see it. I'm a little embarrassed (do I really sound like that? why did I have to wear that shirt that day? and my hair!) But, posting it here is for a good cause (go Metro Minis!) and there's other good information (about Lactation Consultants and postpartum physical therapy) so go ahead, watch.
The bottom section has gifts clients have given me that I need to use. Yeah, that's $40 of BamCash and a gift certificate for a 60 minute treatment at a spa. All those hours of massaging butts really do pay off.On an unrelated note, I woke up today to a Facebook message from a previous client:
"Hey you! My sister said she saw you on TV yesterday. Were you interviewed at Metro Minis?"
Yes, yes I was. I did not think they (WPIX Channel 11) would air it, nor did I think ANYONE would see it. I'm a little embarrassed (do I really sound like that? why did I have to wear that shirt that day? and my hair!) But, posting it here is for a good cause (go Metro Minis!) and there's other good information (about Lactation Consultants and postpartum physical therapy) so go ahead, watch.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The 5 births in 15 days
There is so much to write about. I have plans for so many posts, so here is a list. Maybe I'll get to them someday:
FIVE births in FIFTEEN days. I'm birth-exhausted. Both of clients with due dates in March have given birth, so I'm just waiting on my April clients and I feel lucky to have this break (although I am on call for two of those April clients right now). I have five clients lined up for April, and I'm just praying, praying, praying, that they won't all give birth in 15 days. 30 days would be great. Could you do that for me, ladies?
I like giving stats on births, so let's recap the 5 in 15. All in-hospital. One had a midwife, four had doctors. One was induced (for low-fluids). All had epidurals. Three were c-sections: one was for "failure to progress", one was for "non-reassuring signs" in baby's heart rate, and one was scheduled in advance for breech presentation. Shortest (meaning my time spent at the labor, not the length of the labor itself) (and not counting the scheduled c-section, because that's about 40 minutes): 10 hours. Longest: 30 hours. Two tied at 30 hours.
But the most exciting birth by far, was one I was unfortunately unable to attend. On March 11th, one of my clients woke up to some mild contractions. Listening to both my advice and that of her childbirth educator, she went back to sleep, thinking her first-time labor would be a long one. She woke up two hours later, contractions still mild, and turned on a movie. She called me after the movie and told me, with great poise and lucidity, that she was in labor. Gauging her stage of labor by her voice, I thought "she's still in early labor" and said my usual "Great! Call me when anything changes or gets more intense" (among other things, I'm not that boring of a doula). I get a call from her husband one hour later and he says "We're going to the hospital, she can feel the baby coming out." I thought, "Yeah right. I spoke to her an hour ago and she sounded no where near this stage. She didn't even sound like she was in active labor. She probably just feels some premature pushing pressure." But, I leave for the hospital, and by the time I get above ground, I get a message from her husband:
"We didn't make it to the hospital, because she had the baby in the taxi! It's a boy!"
I learned a very important lesson. When a mom says, "I feel the baby coming out", ask "Do you feel like you have to push, or do you feel the baby's head literally coming out of your vagina?" Because later, she told me she felt the baby's head literally coming out of her vagina.
Full story here.
First, too many births at once, then a missed birth? Can't a doula get a break?
- The closing of St. Vincents/my GREAT birth experience there
- My thoughts on the relationship between pain management (medical or not) and birth outcomes
- A post that I already started, sitting in my drafts folder, about the NY Times article on Freda Rosenfeld, the lactation consultant
- Not birth related, but relevant to early parenting: the debate about babywearing, the safety of "slings", and where Metro Minis, my place of regular employment, fits in!
- The really groundbreaking Amnesty International report on maternal mortality in the US (I'm very proud because I helped work on it as an intern last spring)
- The recent NIH conference on VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)
FIVE births in FIFTEEN days. I'm birth-exhausted. Both of clients with due dates in March have given birth, so I'm just waiting on my April clients and I feel lucky to have this break (although I am on call for two of those April clients right now). I have five clients lined up for April, and I'm just praying, praying, praying, that they won't all give birth in 15 days. 30 days would be great. Could you do that for me, ladies?
I like giving stats on births, so let's recap the 5 in 15. All in-hospital. One had a midwife, four had doctors. One was induced (for low-fluids). All had epidurals. Three were c-sections: one was for "failure to progress", one was for "non-reassuring signs" in baby's heart rate, and one was scheduled in advance for breech presentation. Shortest (meaning my time spent at the labor, not the length of the labor itself) (and not counting the scheduled c-section, because that's about 40 minutes): 10 hours. Longest: 30 hours. Two tied at 30 hours.
But the most exciting birth by far, was one I was unfortunately unable to attend. On March 11th, one of my clients woke up to some mild contractions. Listening to both my advice and that of her childbirth educator, she went back to sleep, thinking her first-time labor would be a long one. She woke up two hours later, contractions still mild, and turned on a movie. She called me after the movie and told me, with great poise and lucidity, that she was in labor. Gauging her stage of labor by her voice, I thought "she's still in early labor" and said my usual "Great! Call me when anything changes or gets more intense" (among other things, I'm not that boring of a doula). I get a call from her husband one hour later and he says "We're going to the hospital, she can feel the baby coming out." I thought, "Yeah right. I spoke to her an hour ago and she sounded no where near this stage. She didn't even sound like she was in active labor. She probably just feels some premature pushing pressure." But, I leave for the hospital, and by the time I get above ground, I get a message from her husband:
"We didn't make it to the hospital, because she had the baby in the taxi! It's a boy!"
I learned a very important lesson. When a mom says, "I feel the baby coming out", ask "Do you feel like you have to push, or do you feel the baby's head literally coming out of your vagina?" Because later, she told me she felt the baby's head literally coming out of her vagina.
Full story here.
First, too many births at once, then a missed birth? Can't a doula get a break?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Back to Doula-land
I'm back, after a completely doula-free, off-call holiday period. It was weird not being on-call, and it's hard to be on-call again. I keep double-checking that my phone is on, if I have enough hard copies of birth plans in a client's file, if my birth ball pump is in my bag.
My last week was a blitz of work at Metro Minis, potential-client meet-and-greets, prenatals with clients, and the always exciting, always overwhelming Birth Focus Meet the Doula Open House, which is basically speed-dating for doulas. Good news: I was only able to interview with three couples, but I got hired by two of them! I'm chalking a lot of it up to the fact that I'm one of the more experienced doulas of my lower-priced level...
Tomorrow, I'm going to an orientation for the doula program at Healthy Start Brooklyn. Healthy Start is a federally funded program that is trying to address infant mortality, low birth weight, and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. I'll be matched with women enrolled in the program and it seems like I won't only be their birth doula, but also in some ways, their whole-mom-life doula. Part of prenatal meetings won't just be determining who'll be around to help immediately postpartum; they'll also be about helping the mom put in outlet covers, cabinet locks, and setting up the crib and changing table. Before I ask questions like, "Do you want to be able to eat and drink during labor?" I'll have to determine if they have food security at all. And If I see any evidence of domestic violence, I have to report and address it. This is going to be intense. But these are the women who could benefit from doula care the most, so I'm excited to try.
Nina at Metro Minis is making a needle-point representation of the international symbol for breastfeeding. It's hilarious and awesome. Here's the symbol, but I've got to take a picture of the actual needle-point when its done:
My last week was a blitz of work at Metro Minis, potential-client meet-and-greets, prenatals with clients, and the always exciting, always overwhelming Birth Focus Meet the Doula Open House, which is basically speed-dating for doulas. Good news: I was only able to interview with three couples, but I got hired by two of them! I'm chalking a lot of it up to the fact that I'm one of the more experienced doulas of my lower-priced level...
Tomorrow, I'm going to an orientation for the doula program at Healthy Start Brooklyn. Healthy Start is a federally funded program that is trying to address infant mortality, low birth weight, and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. I'll be matched with women enrolled in the program and it seems like I won't only be their birth doula, but also in some ways, their whole-mom-life doula. Part of prenatal meetings won't just be determining who'll be around to help immediately postpartum; they'll also be about helping the mom put in outlet covers, cabinet locks, and setting up the crib and changing table. Before I ask questions like, "Do you want to be able to eat and drink during labor?" I'll have to determine if they have food security at all. And If I see any evidence of domestic violence, I have to report and address it. This is going to be intense. But these are the women who could benefit from doula care the most, so I'm excited to try.
Nina at Metro Minis is making a needle-point representation of the international symbol for breastfeeding. It's hilarious and awesome. Here's the symbol, but I've got to take a picture of the actual needle-point when its done:
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