Felix's Birth Story

Felix's Birth Story

It's taken me days to process Felix’s birth, actually - weeks. I couldn't even begin to write about it until now. It was emotionally trying, challenging but truly amazing. It may have been the best experience I've had so far in life for many reasons, which is not easy to put into words. I wrote down my thoughts about it but it doesn’t nearly capture the essence of it since that is something within me. There is no way to tangibly describe it, its hard enough to describe what birth is like, let alone one that was so powerful and moving. I've been hesitant to post it because it is so personal and in a sense private. But if I share my story I hope that maybe someone out there might see that birth can be and is more than a lady on a bed screaming "get it out of me!!!". Because for me that is definitely not even close to what birth means. Its so much more than contractions and screaming. Birth can be kind, it can be intensely beautiful and it can also be a struggle. 

Everything started off unexpectedly. Including the pregnancy. We were SURE as in 100% positive we will always be a family of 5. NO MORE KIDS. EVER! Obviously, that didn't happen. Fast forward 9-ish months. My midwife said she was going to be out of town for a few days which included my due date. I panicked because I hadn't yet met her assistant or her back up. I sent an email saying "I'm doing a free birth if I don't get to meet the midwives" which I admit, was a little overboard. I was in full throttle hormonal pregnant lady mode and not very rational at the time. They were all very understanding though, and we ended up talking a few days prior to the birth which lowered my level of crazy. I got over it by the time I went into labor. In fact when I went into labor I was just happy to have a midwife in the first place! But they were great the entire time and I had nothing to worry about. 

Before labor started, I had gone on a "last date" with Eric to get sushi. Felix was kicking so hard I could barely eat and I ended up laughing most of the time about it. It felt like UFC cage fighting in my ribs, which continued until 2am. I thought babies calmed down before labor started, definitely not this baby. I didn’t feel weird and didn’t have any signs that I was either in labor or going into labor any time soon. I felt good and happy, not tired and gross like I had been - but maybe that was a sign.

With my previous babies, labor started with fierce and intense contractions. This baby again, was different. I began to get contractions that were mild but regular at around 4am. I started to time them until 6am, and as the sun was coming up I realized it was probably the real thing but wasn't totally sure. I was able to call everyone myself which was strange, since in the past I could barely talk at all or even think straight. I had no idea how this labor was going to go since none of the other ones started out like this. I wasn’t sure if it was actually happening but I thought it must be since I was feeling contractions that were very consistent and painful but not over the top horrible. My midwives and doulas arrived quickly after I called them. They were probably expecting a short labor since my previous babies arrived so quickly. I know I was sure this one would come flying out.

This baby had other plans. My labor started out slow and pain wise was not unmanageable, but proved to be emotionally trying because it was so slow and tolerable. It threw me off that it wasn't horribly painful, I could actually talk and breathe. But it was taking its time and that was really screwing with my head. Wondering when things would get worse and how long would it be unmanageable. Since my last birth was 90 min I was expecting the same. What I got was eleven hours at least of contractions that never got better or worse, they stayed consistent and the same pain wise the entire time which freaked me out. All I could think about was “is this going to get worse? And when?” It was such a mind game and thankfully one of my doulas was there to explain to me that “this is what you wanted, you asked for this - a slower birth and you are getting it”. I could not believe it... What I wanted and thought impossible was happening. This was the very thing that made me panic. How long it was taking and wondering when things would get harder. I wondered how intense contractions would get if this “easy” part was taking forever. 

Besides my fears which would come and go - I'd get breaks, sometimes with contractions and sometimes not, where I would feel intensely full of happiness and I’d say "this is so awesome!" and “this is beautiful" while absorbing sunlight and appreciating the space I was given to birth. Again, this is difficult to explain - as I myself didn't know what a birth space was until I received it. Being allowed to do anything I wanted with zero concept of time and zero restrictions, going anywhere I wanted whenever I wanted with no judgement and in my familiar surroundings with people I love. My kids seemed to be enjoying it too. They would come and talk to me, feed me grapes, give me water. It was so sweet. It was surreal to have that kind of support through it all. At certain points, the pain didn't matter, the good feelings took over everything else and this cycle would repeat. I want to say it was a natural high but I do not necessarily associate "high" with feeling this way. It was better than just feeling high, I was balanced and whole. A feeling I never had before, where no matter the physical or emotional struggle that was happening, I still felt good inside and that everything was right. Even in the midst of contractions and emotional fears that kept creeping up. 

Since I was outside most of the time, I was absorbing the sunlight, feeling its warmth and glow all around me and being grateful for such peace and calmness. The grass was vibrantly green as it reacted to the weather which was super dynamic that day. There were blooming flowers on the trees and everywhere else. It was synced with my birth process. The calm before the storm, the rain, the sun. It all went with what I was feeling and what was physically happening. It started out sunny that day when my labor was beginning and as it went to, got gloomy as I went into tradition (the hardest part of labor). Once I was fully in transition where I always dry heave (the fun part) it rained and a storm rolled through. I labored outside and felt this need to be alone in my room where time seemed to stop and I got frustrated again. 

At the very end, I was getting annoyed with how never ending this seemed to be. It had been HOURS. I couldn’t stop looking at the clock, I was getting obsessed with how never ending it was and how I felt like nothing was even happening. I quit going into the birth pool because I felt like it was slowing things down which it probably was, so I just hip swayed on and on and layed down to rest. I did this cycle for a very long time. At that point I started swearing about how “this sucks!!” and “when the #$%$ will it be over with?!” I was about to cry out of frustration as I laid on the bed to say screw it when one of my doulas came in to talk to me. I said when will this s#‪#‎t‬ end!?! She said maybe it will be 2 more hours, maybe not - She started saying something else and my mind went blank and out of nowhere, my water breaks and I have this HUGE urge to push. Everyone comes running into the bedroom and gathers around me - and I'm like oh no, not again! I will NOT have this baby on the bed! Last time I did not get my water birth because everything happened so fast and I was determined to not let that happen again. I was also told to "get on the bed" when I didn't want to and I was still mad about that so I said “We have to go outside to the birth pool!” So I look up at my doula and ask if we can go outside and she's like “ok, LET'S GO!” 

The baby is pretty low, ready to be born, I’m determined to make it to the pool which is outside. Eric and a few people help me walk about 100 feet to the birth tub and I start pushing again. It was so relieving to know after all of that time, I was at the finish line. I pushed for about 10 minutes which really seemed like 30 seconds. I again had this crazy emotional high where I felt so good I could cry, and pushing didn't phase me, it was just uncomfortable and a huge uncontrollable force. My girls were there watching and being really good, very intrigued by it all. My oldest was crying out of excitement and love. She was so happy to be a part of it! As baby emerged, Eric caught him and handed him to me, and when I held him it was pure relief, happiness and amazement. It was unbelievable to go through that journey, and realizing it was over as I held Felix for the first time. Its how you feel after hiking up a mountain. (I have hiked up many so its a legit comparison!) Everything came full circle after that. The midwife I chose who was so supportive and understanding through the whole pregnancy. The child birth classes I took and learned so much from. Especially with the inner work I had to do along the way after I accepted that I was pregnant and eventually embraced it rather than fought it. The prenatal yoga I did to be body and head strong. And by the way, my arms are the strongest they've ever been which was an awesome side effect. I did so much mental preparation to have this birth, but without knowing how it would all come together. 

In the end, I had been transformed by this experience. I am not trying to be all granola with my story by the way. It really was a crazy superhuman experience for me. I had no idea birth could be such a learning experience and be so powerful and healing. That beauty is actually a feeling from within. I gained trust in myself and a perspective on life I hadn’t had before. More humble and appreciative of my surroundings, as well as grateful. The struggle opened my eyes to how I can better handle pain, emotional and physical. Nothing went how I thought it would go, it was the opposite of what I thought would happen, and was beyond what I expected.
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I can't thank my birth team enough for what they did for me and my family. Eric, my mom and my kids too. The experience was the best gift I've ever been given and I'm so thankful for it.

Birth and newborn pics by Natasha Lievano Photography Natasha Lievano

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Shark Tank (casting)

Living just 40 minutes from the Shark Tank casting, OK it was actually 75 because of traffic - BUT usually 40 from my house to Miami, I knew I would have kicked myself for not trying out, even though my intent was not to actually get on the show. The Miami Beach Convention Center was a place I had been before. Art Basel happens there every year which I of course never miss, so it was comforting to know it was at a place I had been before and where awesome things happen. 

I did not feel prepared going into this and had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that you get one minute with a casting person and you're done. I didn't know it was an all day thing. I got up and was so tired I contemplated not going. I didn't leave as early as I planned on either. I was foggy and the sky matched how I felt on my drive there. When I got to Miami I knew exactly where to find parking and I somehow found an awesome parking space. I sat in my car, tried to regroup and slap some sense into myself. I texted Eric "Why am I doing this again?" I get out of the car and its quieter than I expected, nobody was around which soon changed.

Walking towards the building, I see a ton of people congregating around the general area and I I have no clue where to go although I pretend I know where to go. I thought there was supposed to be a line but there was nothing apparent. I see a father and son duo who look like they knew where they were going, so I follow their lead and sure enough, someone with purple bracelets comes over to us and I get number 485. Cool. Well as it turns out, 500 was the LAST purple "official" wrist band. After that was pink and those people were dead last. We were told to come back at 3pm. Great. I had five whole hours to kill. I knew exactly what I wanted to do...

Go to Target! (Not really what I wanted to do). So I go to Target in Downtown Miami which is in the arts district - awesome. Get boxes of diapers so I can get my $25 "free" gift card and grab some snacks. As I drive away, I see this AMAZING artscape, really out of nowhere. It was very unexpected as I had seen it before from the freeway but had no idea it was 20 feet from where I was. I had wanted to check it out for over two years but, never got around to it. I was stoked! So I find a killer parking space literally right behind it that apparently nobody knows about which is crazy in Miami. There is NO parking Miami! And this structure is just amazing. I can't stop staring at it. Colorful animals and big huge snails look like they are walking over a bridge of some sort. It is around noon so the sun is high and the sky cleared up. Seriously perfect for viewing this thing. Other people were snapping pics of it too. It is so out of place. Its almost as if it was built in an abandoned lot. It really makes no sense which makes it all the more fascinating. After that I drive around and find more cool places in Wynwood to check out. Painted buildings, graffiti that isn't really graffiti. I mean all of these small businesses were just so colorful and amazing. Each one had a different style with different colors. I can't believe it took me two years to see this.

Its time to get back to the venue and I'm nervous but not as nervous as I should be. I can't find parking of course now that its 3pm, except for this small lot which I happened to find another good space just in time to get there. I wait another two hours in the hot sun, sweating. I don't think anyone else knew what was going on either. We were all just hanging out waiting. Finally we get summoned and lined up. We wait another 45 minutes and get inside the venue where the, yes THE casting director for Shark Tank briefs us. He is super cool. Reminds me of a wilderness tour guide. He has a loud voice where when he talks he doesn't have to shout. I could just picture him in some North Face jacket leading us on an expedition, really its so strange. They are from California so I suppose it makes sense. We are told that there are so many people and that the building needs to close, so we have to do group interviews. Great. You have to line up with like 10 other people in a row in front of a bunch of other people. My worst nightmare. But I keep telling myself I'm not there to be on Shark Tank so if I blow it, oh well. But at the same time I still want to do my best! My lines get jumbled in my head, lines I barely had memorized in the first place. I read them hundreds of times, its not like I didn't prepare but what I wanted to say would not stick in my head. I don't know how to memorize things anymore. My brain with over a year of severe sleep deprivation is always in survival mode, and memorizing lines is just not important enough right now for my scatterbrained self to manage. 

People start presenting. Some of them are so quiet I can't hear them. People behind me are talking WAY too loud. Why the hell were they even talking? They were even making fun of people presenting. And their product was lame... Anyway, some of these items were memorable. The Chill Butt, keeps your butt cold in the car. Paints for kids that don't mark surfaces. I'm totally buying those. An insert for a high heel that supposedly makes heels comfortable. And then there was the father-son duo who I remembered from that morning. His Shark Tank pitch was for an app he invented called TiLoTag. You can tag a message, video or picture in a specific location so wherever goes to that location can see these things "left behind" by others. Right away I thought how cool, you can totally use this with the Labor Loop! People can tag where their babies are born. Just one of the thousands of ways to use TiLoTag. 

It was my turn and my heart was pounding because I had no idea what I was going to say, again my mind went blank. I mean it was a LONG day. Everything I had prepared for went out the window when it was my turn. The casting lady was not even intimidating, she was nice! (She reminded me of the chick who does the voices for My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. She's in a movie called "A Brony Tale" which is on Netflix. The woman was really nice and I have no idea what happened but I blew it. I had no idea what I was talking about. Everything was so pressured due to time constraints, they even said to make your pitch 30 seconds. But aside from that, my day was awesome. I did things I had been wanting to do for over two years, since we first moved here. My experience as a whole was really great and that is what I was there for, 100%. I know it will never happened again, so I am glad and happy I went and I got a lot out of it. With meeting people, and just being there to see all of the different walks of life. The energy us hopefuls all in one place had was something you don't, well I personally don't get to do often if ever. I'm hoping to see future Shark Tanks where people who auditioned in Miami get on the show.

I can't end my post without thanking everyone who believed in me that day. Who took the time to actually tell me they believed in me and told me good luck. I appreciate the encouragement from everyone who showed and expressed it throughout the day. That was truly awesome! 

Side story (feel free to skip): My husband was a presenter for the company we worked for, Nova Musik in or around 2010 at an electronic music convention. (We lived in Milwaukee, WI at the time.) I was able to bring our only child at the time, Cadence who was about 4. It was kind of a mini vacation. We stayed at The Indian Creek Hotel right along South Beach. I cannot describe the feeling I had while I was in South Beach. It blew my mind. I was dead set on living there and at the time that was a joke. How in thew world would that ever happen. Its just something that you don't think would or will ever happen - not in a million years. My husband Eric and myself both had jobs and the thought of ever moving was more than daunting, it seemed impossible. So fast forward 3 whole years and we both had to find new jobs. Nova Musik shut down. Shop was closed, we had to find new jobs. We had a newborn and bills to pay, it was crazy! So Eric applied to a company that was similar to where we worked in that it specialized in selling electronic music gear. Instruments that are all electronic as well as monitors, lights. Anything and everything that the current awesome bands of now use. Well, he got hired and we had to move in ten days. Now we're here and its still hard to call home. But things like Shark Tank and Art Basel and wherever we go help to ground us. 

Ethan was born! 10 months ago...

It has been a good 10 months since my last post and I am not sure that I have a mind blowing excuse for my posting so late. Its just that I have a non-napping toddler, no sleeping baby and well, admittedly a crazy life. I suppose anyone with small children can relate! I sort of went on hiatus with blogging and doing anything that wasn't related to parenting after Ethan was born. 

I thought I was an experienced parent having had two previous babies. My toddler is a handful (that is a huge understatement but I'm trying to be nice) so I thought I had this one in the bag. Thought I knew it all. Thought no kid could challenge me more than her. Boy was I wrong. Biggest curve ball ever got thrown at me. Let me just say, Ethan is a wonderful happy amazing and special baby. He is calm and fun and I cannot imagine my life without him. In fact I wish I had him years ago. But he has defied baby-sleeping-nature in my opinion. I didn't know babies who slept as terrible as he has ever existed, not since the beginning of time. Like, no baby just mine sleeps this bad. I mean he may as well just not sleep because sleeping is a tease.

It never once occurred to me that my baby would have severe colic for FIVE straight months. I am talking screaming, shrieking blood curdling wailing for HOURS. Every night since he was 3 weeks until about 5 months, at 8pm on the dot it would start and go anywhere from 11pm-1am. You had to swaddle him, put him on his side, hold him like a football, bounce him and put a pacifier in his mouth and if you slowed for even .0005 seconds he would lose his mind and scream. And now 3 days shy of being 10 months, he STILL wakes up multiple times a night. He sleeps like complete s**t. Pardon my french, its the only word I could think of to describe his sleep habits. I have tried everything under the sun, all I do now is try to survive and not dwell on "fixing" him - there is no fixing, trust me. I just have to wait it out. Hopefully he will sleep before he enters college.

I am not quite sure how I have managed to survive besides having wine on hand when needed. The last 10 months have been a blur and I've been so completely frazzled, exhausted, not going to use the word tired because to be tired would be amazing. Stripped to the core of anything I ever thought I would experience as a parent. Tired doesn't even begin to describe it. It doesn't scratch the surface. I'd pay someone everything I had to be "tired". When days are actually weeks because there is no such thing as a day. My definition of a day is 24 hours that have and ending and repeat. My days don't end. Its a continuous string of hours that go on and on and on and yes the sun comes up and goes down but its not a complete day because there is no real end - its just you against time and you wonder when you will EVER get to sleep. Anyway, that has been my life for upwards of ten months not including the pregnancy insomnia. Had i posted anything to the public I'm sure I would be extremely embarrassed. But maybe there would be a comedic effect... Who knows. Maybe my posts wouldn't even make sense and I'd say something crazier than aliens abducting me.

Still, I have managed to exclusively pump for him this whole time (did I mention he was terrible at nursing!?) and discovered that I am an under supplier. I got him to about 6 months on breastmilk alone but have since had to supplement. Fortunately he can have real food so I didn't have to give him much formula - which heres another thing I never expected - he can't even have normal formula! He projectile vomits if it is not Nutramigen. So needless to say, I have been tested and stretched to the max, trying to keep my head above water with being a mom. So that is my excuse. And I hope its good enough!

Now that I am finally back to posting, and plan on posting once a week, I am just going to jump in and pretend its only been a few weeks... I of course had to re-read my last post which stated that baby felt heavy and was he ever. A solid 8 lbs. Not enormous but certainly my largest baby and also fastest birth. I may as well post his birth story here before I go on. So here it is.....

I could easily write that I slapped down two pieces of bread on the counter while I make lunch and then Ethan was born an hour later, but heres the full story.

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Ethan’s due date 3/11 came and went, he was late like his two big sisters. I had been feeling crampy for days and couldn’t tell if it was pre labor or just normal pregnancy pain. So I dragged myself to one last yoga class, knowing it would be my last, and was excited to pass out the blue frosting cupcakes I brought. (Obviously yoga fairy rocks since I hadn't left the house that week for anything else!)

It was a Wednesday class, beginning of the session and the Monday instructor Nicole was there too. I told both Elizabeth and Nicole I thought I was in pre labor, half joking but also hopeful. I never had pre labor pains before but it felt like more than Braxton Hicks going on. We did partner squats which was great since I made a new friend who possibly nudged the baby loose for me. ;) At the end of class, Nicole suggested I rub pressure points on my ankles in her reassuring voice and said “If you rub your ankles here, you might have the baby tomorrow morning!” I was like yeah right, morning? She was right – literally in the morning as I plopped down some bread making my 2nd graders lunch, my first real contraction hit at 7:40am. I thought maybe it was just a fluke. My husband Eric sees me doubled over in pain and says “Uhhhh.... are you alright?” and I said "…no.” "Am I missing work today?" "uh huh". So I layed down on the couch and started timing contractions to see if it happened again. It did. Called my midwife, she was on her way over. (My last birth was under three hours which is why I called immediately.) Matt Lauer on TV was super annoying, my husband was making fun of him like usual and I didn’t laugh. Pretty sure he was testing me, I always laugh when he makes fun of Lauer. Suddenly everything was starting to irritate me, even the sunny living room I was in. My toddler who was a little noisy became intolerable.

I was running on instinct, so I went upstairs to my bedroom to be alone in silence. I was confused about what I was doing but just tried to relax through each contraction, wondering when it would get intolerable like my last birth where I had non stop back to back crazy contractions that made me panic. This time I refused to panic and instead just breathed! 

My midwife Sharon arrives but stays downstairs. I pace around and start to get antsy, then I got really nauseous and heaved (thankfully I hadn’t eaten yet!) and that’s when I knew I was in transition. I went to the bathroom and on my way out, suddenly grunted out of nowhere and wanted to bear down. My midwife checked me and said "were having the baby up here!!! Let's set up the bed!" There went my birth plan. I could hear her yelling for Eric about the birth tub, it wasn’t ready... The water was too cold and there was no time to make it warm at that point or even go downstairs for that matter, so my mom let my 2 year old play in the water while I labored. 

My midwife checked me again and said the baby was breech. I nearly had a heart attack and my mind went blank. She checked me a few minutes later and said it was the water bag that was bulging. He was not breech! At that point she said I can push, and though I didn't feel a huge urge, I pushed anyway. The bed was still not set up so I stood in the bathroom. I just went for it once I was on the bed and pushed. My water broke, then there was that ring of fire, and holy crap there was no way the baby was 6 lbs. like we thought! My 7 yr old was behind me and said "you can do this" and that I was doing a good job and she put her little hands on my shoulders. Then she took pictures of everything going on. My husband held my shoulders and my midwife told me to grab the baby as he was half out, so I did which was cool but scary because he was really slippery! Everything was surreal from that moment on.

He was placed on my chest and cried for a second. I knew it was over and felt relieved, I kept saying "Oh boy! Oh boy!" because it was so crazy and then yelled "that was intense!" So though my contractions started at about 7:40, and ended at 9:12, I had been in pre labor for what seemed like days. Ethan Lee Olsen was 8 lbs even, 21 in long and born with his hand over his cheek like his sister Stella. Ouch.

I am so glad I went to that last yoga class. It was a great reset, great to see everyone before the birth and it set me up in a really positive frame of mind. It was the very last thing I did before Ethan was born, feeling surrounded by the support of all of those pregnant moms! Couldn't have asked for a better way to start off the whole experience. Students and both teachers were congratulating me after class, smiling really big, giving me hugs and saying good luck, it was beautiful.

So in the end, there was nothing to be terrified of. I spent so much time worrying needlessly. Lesson learned, trust yourself. Listen to your body. If you take it minute by minute you can handle anything. 

3 weeks to 3 kids.

Creating a human being is HARD hard work. Or is it chasing after a non-stop toddler? Either way, I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy! This kid feels so heavy, I'm not sure how he is going to continue hanging out in there for another three weeks. I have never been so exhausted. My body likes to shut itself down into a comatose state if I lay down for even 5 minutes, which is cool with me because for the last 5 months I've been a total insomniac. So baby guy, we are finally ready for you to be born. Daddy, Cady and Stella and myself are happily and sometimes painfully, exhaustedly waiting for you... 

That said, a lot of exciting things are happening. In addition to the upcoming new addition, The Labor Loop will be used for the first time in real life during a real birth - MINE! I am so excited to use it for its main purpose instead of pretending I am in labor and contracting. That's just awkward. It will be the True Test so to speak. And last month I visited my home town of Milwaukee, WI (survived multiple plane rides and layovers, zero degree temps and did it alone with my toddler - PHEW.) I got to use the Loop at my Midwife's new birth center, Authentic Birth Center and Wellness Collective.

Check them out here http://www.authenticbirthcenter.com/ and here https://www.facebook.com/AuthenticBirthCenter.

Let me tell you, this place is amazing - state of the art, literally. It is basically like you are going to a spa to give birth. I was secretly hoping baby would arrive 6 weeks early so I could have him there, but no such luck. This place is so decked out. Modern yet peaceful, quiet and gorgeous. The tubs are all different, each has lights and jets, the ceilings in each birthing room have fiber optic stars. Gorgeous! I can't wait to get the images back and post them here.

LaNette (the Midwife I had with Stella) was so generous and while I was there, set up a photo shoot for me to actually use the Labor Loop so people can see how to use it in a real birthing environment. It is safe to say that the thing works, it was very reassuring to test it out in an actual birthing atmosphere where I could wrap it around things, pull on it, stretch it, use it in actual birthing positions and see how it functioned. Couldn't be more excited to get it out there for other moms to try.

Which brings me to my next point, I have been taking yoga for several weeks now and was thinking about getting it into the hands of either pregnant moms or my teacher. I mustered up the guts to tell my teacher about it and she enthusiastically invited me to bring a few of them in for moms to be to try! So now I get to see if it works with yoga, which is pretty cool. Yoga was the single most important thing for this pregnancy. It cleared my head and gave me something to look forward to. 

The loop is growing slowly but surely, along with my belly. So please stay "in the loop" with this blog where I will post updates and how to guides on how to use it. I receive new ideas weekly on new uses moms have discovered, so feel free to email yours! 

In the Making

What is The Labor Loop you ask?

It is a birth tool I have “invented” so to speak that uses resistance to aid the woman in labor through her contractions, delivery, and can be used post partum for exercise. I am seeking out product testers for this project, anyone willing to try it and critique it to pregnant ladies who might use it for her birth.

My goal is to get The Labor Loop out into the world and test it out on real women who are willing to try something new during child birth.

I am very excited about The Labor Loop. My hope is that I receive some feed back by having awesome ladies like you test it out or even let me know what you think with or without trying it, pregnant or not. I will be using it for my own home birth in March 2014 and I can’t wait!

Where did this idea come from?

On April 19th, 2012, I gave birth to my second child, Stella. Her birth inspired me to create something I truly feel will help other Moms with the birth experience. It is something I wish I had during my labor.

While pushing, I was leaning over the tub, and with each contraction, grasping the plastic tub lining and pulling it apart. It helped me focus and release the tension I had. I remember the plastic lining being uncomfortable on my fingers and nails, but it helped me focus and deal with the pain, as well as help me with pushing.

When I stepped back a while after the birth, I saw the indents I had made in the plastic. It was then I realized there was a need for an object that would help women in labor with pushing – something to pull apart, something with resistance. I thought about it long and hard, I researched (still am!) and I concluded there was nothing on the market for laboring women that had resistance as its main purpose and was also comfortable and safe to hold. Towels were too bulky and cumbersome, plus had no stretch or give, they were also too large making it unsafe to pull hard. I wanted something that I could also control, so I made my own labor “tool” and named it The Labor Loop.

Description – What it does

The Labor Loop is a soft band that stretches, made with cotton baby loop terry cloth with a bit of stretch. It uses resistance for labor pain management and aids in effective pushing during every phase of labor and childbirth. It is recommended for a vaginal birth be it at home or with an epidural at the hospital. If you are pushing a baby out, The Labor Loop is meant for you. The goal of the tool is to help the Mom, better focus and get the job done without the intervention of forceps, a vacuum or an unplanned c-section. It helps the user control her pushes and direct her energy using a physical object.

Use alone or with a birth partner, use it during contractions only or just as a soothing object to hold. There are so many possible uses for The Labor Loop, I am confidant it will benefit every woman in some way during childbirth. Post partum, save the Labor Loop to use with an exercise routine.

Use solo to pull, stretch and grasp during contractions, using resistance as your birth helper. Use with a birth partner in methods such as the “tug-o-war”, or looped around a birthing bar to pull down. Wrap around your birth partners hand and use to give gentle back massages. Add essential oils for relaxation & aromatherapy. It is ideal for home or hospital use.

Features

• Soft, won’t hurt your hands when pulled to fullest extent. You can pull and stretch the Labor Loop comfortably for a long period of time.

• Latex free, naturally dyed, soft cotton bamboo fabric

• Absorbent cotton bamboo fabric – Wicks moisture so you can pull on it and it wont slip out of your hands.

• Machine washable, hang dry

• Medium resistance – use gently or pull hard

• Sturdy reinforced stitching

• Soft Terry cloth covering with Non-latex inner resistance band

• Soothing lavender color

• Multiple uses with birth partner, alone and post-partum

• Home or hospital use

Suggested Uses

Numerous uses, limited only by your imagination. The beauty of The Labor Loop is that it is so versatile; you can make it your very own. Use sitting, standing, kneeling, squatting, in hospital, in home, in a birth tub – anywhere you give birth!

The loop can be twisted and configured into many different ways:

• Loop as is

• Infinity loop twisted creating two loops

• Double loop (infinity, then folded over to make a “mini” Labor Loop)

• Threaded loop fold over birthing bar/pole or any sturdy similar object

“Tug-O-War” Both Mom and birth partner pull in opposite directions during contractions or while pushing, using resistance to get through contractions and help control the pain.

Pull Stretch apart pulling outward: The act of pulling using resistance allows for pain management by way of focusing energy on an object.

Looping Loop twice to create a shorter band with more resistance for the individual user.

Birth Bar Loop around birth bar in your hospital room Loop around a freestanding pole (or anything similar)

Wrap Wrap around torso, birth partner pulls upwards for gentle support to bring baby down birth canal, relieves back labor, takes pressure off of spine

Massage Tool Wrap around birth partners hand and use as a gentle massager

Soothing The lavender color alone is soothing to look at. It is important to have a designated object while laboring and The Labor Loop

Aromatherapy Add aromatherapy/essential oils and loop/hang loosely around neck

Sweat Band Use to wipe sweat from face, neck, hands and body. Baby terry material is extremely soft and absorbent, perfect for wicking away moisture

Breathing Circle Twist into infinity loop, place over face and breathe through – focus breaths through circle

Eye and face cover Use to cover face, block light

Face rest Rest your face comfortably when you twist the loop into a pillow-like configuration.

Exercise accessory Use as an exercise band, soft with medium resistance, it is safe to use in a gentle workout post baby or intense workout later on