<![CDATA[INDY BIRTH SERVICES - Blog]]>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:11:23 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[NOVA Birth Services]]>Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:20:38 GMThttp://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/nova-birth-servicesPicture
Did you know labor is less about your cervix opening and more about the thickness and contracting power of the uterus moving baby down and out? READ more about what empowering birth expert Carla Hartley has to say about this revelatory perspective in birth physiology!
"We think in pictures and we should be painting accurate pictures. The cervix nor the vagina bloom. The cervix is not a zip lock bag. The purpose of labor is NOT the creation of an opening or a hole... The purpose of labor contractions and retractions is to BUILD the fundus, which will, when it is ready, EJECT the baby, like a piston. Without a nice thick fundus there is no power to get baby out....the cervix does not dilate out....it dilates UP as a result of the effort to pull muscles up into the uterus to push muscles up to the fundus. The cervical dilation is secondary to that. The cervix is pulled up as a result of the building of the fundus. Assigning a number to cervical dilation is of little consequence and we make a huge mistake by interpreting progress or predicting time of birth to that number. Any experienced midwife or OB can tell you that the cervix can be manipulated and that a woman whose cervix is at 7 could have the baby in a few minutes or a few hours. 
If more providers and educators knew the truth about birth physiology, we could make a huge difference for mothers. What is important is to keep her well supported for the purpose of the appropriate chemistry, to keep her well hydrated and nourished for muscle strength, and to believe in her. We should be supporting her so that her physiology and that of her baby are unhindered, so they can finish what they started. 
We should not be measuring, poking, or interpreting her labor. THIS CHANGE in teaching about labor could make such a difference for women who are imagining what is happening in their bodies during labor. How much more strength might they have if they have an accurate picture?" -Carla Hartley

NOVA Birth Services

]]><![CDATA[August 24th, 2014]]>Mon, 25 Aug 2014 02:14:51 GMThttp://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/august-24th-2014
Doula
Childbirth Education
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Excited for our new Logo! Thank you Rex Huffman for amazing Design.

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Hi my name is Ana Arreola Vallow and I'm a Doula in the greater Indianapolis area living in Greenwood Indiana. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom and to help upcoming mothers with their support during their pregnancy as a Doula. To be able to be part of a mother’s miracle, words cannot describe. I'm always available for anyone that needs support. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.  You can also visit me on my facebook page www.facebook.com/indydoula God bless - Ana Arreola Vallow
]]><![CDATA[Book List]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 15:08:05 GMThttp://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/book-listLately I have been asked about Books, so I thought I would post a book list with different sources for interested parties to pursue. I also have a hefty lending library for clients. Enjoy and happy reading, researching and learning!
  • The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
  • Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin
  • Active Birth by Janet Balaskas
  • The Birth Book by Dr William Sears and Martha Sears
  • The Pregnancy Book by Dr William Sears and Martha Sears
  • Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
  • Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed
  • The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
  • The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
  • The Labor Progress Handbook: Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia by Penny Simkin and Ruth Ancheta
  • Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
  • Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper
  • I also have some recommendations for Breastfeeding:
  • The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding 8th Edition by La Leche League
  • The Breastfeeding Woman’s Guide to Making More Milk by Diana West
I like to encourage Moms to stay informed, this helps you to make choices that reflect the type of birth you hope to achieve! When reading some books, not all sections are pertinent to every person. For example, a woman may be pregnant with her second child and just needs to brush up on positioning for nursing and how to achieve a better latch. She then might read up on a particular section of a nursing book, versus reading the whole thing.  I hope these book recommendations are helpful, happy reading!!

]]><![CDATA[Birth and Choices]]>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:07:45 GMThttp://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/birth-and-choicesI am six months into my doula journey and have learned so much. I am thankful for the relationships and people that I am meeting along the way. My thoughts lead me to the topic of birth and choices women have in the process. How many women go to the first prenatal visit and hear, “Congratulations on your pregnancy, let’s talk about the options and choices that are available through this journey and what your wishes and desires are.” We live in a society that fights for the “woman’s right to choose- prolife or prochoice, standing up for the right to vote, equality for women and the list goes on. I am not here to debate on these topics, I am just highlighting these to show that women resulted in having choices with some of these topics and “rights.” Well woman to woman I am here to encourage you that you also have rights, and choices in the birthing process!! Many are out to debate with doctors, I am here to empower women through education and affirmation in having a voice and not feeling guilty for excercising their wishes and desires.

If we could be an invisible observer of what takes place in dr offices during prenatal visits most doctor’s spend 10-15 minutes with the patient and send them on their way. That comes to a total of 2-3 hours of time spent with a mother before meeting her in the delivery room upon arrival of the baby. For such a big life event, that isn’t much time with someone that you are entrusting your life and the life of your new child into their hands. Across the healthcare spectrum their is a term being used called “person centered care.” We need more of this type of thinking when it comes to mothers and babies. Our birthing community needs mothers to be able to know they are being heard, and are being informed of their options, and that their is someone in the medical arena, dr or midwife that will represent the patient to the fullest extent.

Birth isn’t foreign to our world or society, but the approaches that are used today with frequent increase in the c-section rate, rise of epidurals and pain medications, it is no wonder a woman at times isn’t aware of what her body is capable of. I respect those who choose a c-section as their form of delivery or the use of an epidural. But, a woman should be given the risks and  benefits of all interventions, to be informed before making a choice. And for mothers who choose natural methods of delivery, should be supported and not scrutinized!! A woman’s body is a beautiful vessel, and comes equipped to hold a secret place within herself where her child is knit together, and safely kept there until it’s due season of arrival into the world.This is a miracle that should never be taken forgranted!!

So, you may ask- what is the purpose of this blurb?? As a woman be empowered to ask questions, know that you have options, and be inspired to seek out that knowledge. There are educated persons within our birthing community that want to support women and help them throughout their birthing journey. Doulas are a great source for education and resources to help support the woman in pregnancy and postpartum care!! I hope this post is beneficial. Please do not hesitate to ask questions.

]]><![CDATA[Thoughts on Fluff and Diapering]]>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:07:16 GMThttp://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/thoughts-on-fluff-and-diaperingI am the Mother of Two boys and let me just say it has been a journey. Tonight I have been going through my collection of diapers, and thinking to myself, “If I only knew what worked for us, we wouldn’t have ended up with so much cloth diapering stuff.” So instead of just pondering over this, I am putting thoughts to the keyboard… Kind of like pen to paper. =) As I have been on this journey of Motherhood, I am now at a place where I choose and love breastfeeding my baby, hold steadfast to Attachment parenting, and really enjoy clothdiapering. My first one was breastfed, and I would have cloth diapered, but I didn’t have the slightest clue of where to start. I have learned there are more brands of cloth diapers than there are disposable diapers, sometimes known as “sposies.” Cloth diapering has more abbreviations than the medical field, or so it seems. =) What one would need to know is this, there are different styles of diapers- prefolds/flats, pockets, fitteds, All-in-Ones, and Covers that go with some of the types listed here. I am going to breakdown these styles, starting with pre-folds and flats. First off, there are different types of materials- cotton, hemp, bamboo are your most common. The material has everything to do with the preference of the Caretaker, and the child’s needs. One might take into consideration how eco-friendly they want to get, is there a skin sensitivity involved etc. A prefold/flat is the most traditional diaper, it is cost effecient and simple. There are many different ways to fold the diaper, and pre-folds do require a cover. Sometimes for more thickness, one will “double up” with the prefolds or use some type of a liner for added absorbency. Pocket diapers are more popular and convenient in the eyes of many. Some of the big names for Pocket diapers are Bum Genius, FuzziBunz, Thirsties, Kawaii, Sun Baby Diapers. They can range in price and come with inserts that are normally microfiber, or hemp, and bamboo. Again this comes down to preference and absorbency. The “insert” looks like a big pad and slides into the “pocket” of the diaper/cover. The pocket diaper has a material known as PUL, polyurethane laminate and this acts as a waterproof barrier and keeps leaks in. These pocket diapers come with velcro (also known as aplix) or snaps to keep the diaper on.

Our next style would be fitteds, this would be a two part system because you need a cover with this style also. They are like a compact diaper with all the needed layers in one diaper, besides the waterproof outer barrier, that comes in the cover. Fitteds are also velcro or come with snaps for closure, some can tend to be thick/bulky because of the layers all compressed into one solid diaper. But many popular companies like Good Mama Diapers, Thirsties, Rumparooz, Motherease make a high-tech fitted, so there is less bulk. The covers are also made of PUL, or some caretakers will choose a more natural fiber for a cover like wool. And they look like a pair of pants, or shorts that go over the fitted diaper.

All-In-Ones (AIO) are another diaper, somewhat similar to the fitted, but the inner layers are attached and can be “stuffed” into the diaper. So when being washed it comes out, but stays attached towards the back of the diaper. These can be great for someone who wants to cloth diaper, but is worried about others who will be changing baby’s diaper. You could hand this off, and they would put it on like a regular diaper, and when dirty, instead of throwing it away, it would go in the soiled bag/ (wet bag) that the Mom/Dad would have in the diaper bag. This would be the case for any cloth diapers, when soiled they go into the diaper pail or the wet bag. As for a “diaper pail”- this is simple you get a 13 gallon trash can with a lid, get a diaper pail liner, which is a big bag with elastic and you put it in the trash can. It is real cost effecient and easy to change out.

As for covers most are PUL or a natural fiber that are knitted or crocheted, some are factory made as well.

When washing cloth diapers you want to stay away from detergents that have bleach, or additives like optical brighteners. Some detergents out there are RockinGreen, Allens Soap, Thirsties Wash, Charlie’s Soap, and tons others. Diapers can be washed in a rinse cycle first, then hot wash heavy/regular cycle, with extra rinse. The extra rinse helps to get the soap residue so it doesn’t leave build up on diapers. For drying diapers can be hung to dry or placed in the dryer. You DO NOT want to use dryer sheets, you can use wool, or dryer balls without anything on them or in them.

So, when it comes to pricing diapers range in price from 1.00 a prefold to 25.00 a diaper. Covers can be 7.00 to 13.00 for PUL covers, and wool can be more expensive, because of the labor that goes into making them. There are sites like craigslist where you can buy used diapers, or diaperswappers.com There are also tons of on-line sites that sell cloth diapers. Target on-line is selling cloth diapers, Sears does as well. Amazon is another good place to look.

Well, I hope this helps anyone out who has wondered about the basics of cloth diapering. Just remember it isn’t as hard as it seems, it can be better for your baby’s bottom, the earth, and your pocket book. And it isn’t so bad once you get the hang of it. For detailed questions please feel free to ask, this was just basic info to get interested parties some info, so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. I also want to thank my husband for supporting me during our time of learning and establishing our cloth diapering system. =) We ended up going with Thirsties Pocket Diapers, they fit our lifetsyle and we buy second hand via certain websites, saves us money, and we get great diapers. We also have a diaper sprayer that connects to our toilet, it has helped now that the baby is getting older and starting to pass solid BM’s. Happy tushy hunting!!

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