The word “spinning” just does not seem to go with the word “babies.” In fact, labor and delivery nurses find the opposite holds true. The combination generally makes for a smoother birth, fewer C-section deliveries, less pushing time and therefore less exhaustion for the mother.
“It is empowering for the woman and the child,” Jeremy Johnson, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Carle Foundation Hospital said. “The end result is healthy mom, healthy baby.”
The ideal position for delivery is with the baby’s neck flexed and facing toward the mother’s tailbone, Johnson said.
In drawing an analogy, he said, “If the baby is facing up toward the mom’s belly, it is not ideal – sort of like pulling a turtleneck over your head while you are looking toward the ceiling.”
Alicia Settle, CNM, has been a midwife for more than 4 years and she first heard about Spinning Babies® in midwifery classes. The pelvic floor muscles can prevent baby from being in an ideal position and stretches at home can help loosen or strengthen those muscles to balance the pelvis, so she talks to patients about the importance of staying active during pregnancy, including activities such as Spinning Babies® exercises and prenatal yoga.
Settle said typically a medical professional can feel a baby’s position around 32 weeks and parents can learn how to get baby into an ideal position before labor begins. “It is part of our normal labor support.”
Labor and Deliver department nurses at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana are receiving training and training other area nurses as well. Being an important part of that process is empowering for nurses and provides added bedside contact with mothers giving birth.
Nurses in Labor and Delivery at Carle Foundation Hospital recently took part in a Spinning Babies® training course thanks to a grant from Women’s Legacy Circle. Because of the grant, 85% of staff can offer the courses expertise to aid in promoting vaginal birth a statewide quality initiative.
April Hine, BSN, RNC, CLC, in Labor and Delivery at Carle Foundation Hospital, said the classes retaught anatomy and physiology specific to techniques that work to create more space for baby during a vaginal delivery. There are only seven stateside instructors on spinning and the nurses at Carle Foundation Hospital connected with an instructor in the Quad Cities.
“Safety is #1,” she said. Trained nurses recommend three balancing exercises for expecting mother to do to stretch the ligaments so the pelvis is moveable and creates space to help the baby descend, she said.
“Nurses then continue to provide bedside support by asking the question “where is baby?” versus what is mom’s dilation. Nurses continue to provide techniques and maneuvers related to where baby is, decreasing labor and pushing times,” Hine said.
Katy Doty, BSN, RNC, at Carle Health Methodist Hospital said, “Spinning Babies® has become a paradigm, or a new view on childbirth. By understanding birth physiology better we can help birth be easier. Spinning Babies® is how we are changing birth on Earth. It is so important for the nurses to learn to best help our patients here at Carle Methodist. We have enhanced and improved the patient's experience with childbirth, and promoted vaginal birth while decreasing C-sections,” Doty said.
Stephanie Ochs, RN, at Carle Richland, said, “We know we gave 110% when we work with a patient utilizing Spinning Babies® and other labor support yet a vaginal delivery is not achieved.”
Madison Walsh, RN, and a nurse supervisor at Carle Foundation Hospital, experienced firsthand how spinning
works as she delivered her first baby, Rory, on July 4. Before giving birth, Walsh said she did a lot of bouncing on an exercise ball and walking. When it was time to deliver, she received an epidural injection and nurses came in every hour and used a positioning ball to help the baby move through the hips.
“Being a nurse, you want to make a connection with the patient and with this method you feel like someone is in it with you,” Walsh said. At 7 a.m., her cervix dilated to 3 centimeters and by 11 a.m. she was at 10 centimeters and fully dilated to deliver Rory who weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces. Twelve hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing in total with minimal pain, she said.
“I would absolutely do this again,” Walsh said.
“It is empowering for the woman and the child,” Jeremy Johnson, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Carle Foundation Hospital said. “The end result is healthy mom, healthy baby.”
The ideal position for delivery is with the baby’s neck flexed and facing toward the mother’s tailbone, Johnson said.
In drawing an analogy, he said, “If the baby is facing up toward the mom’s belly, it is not ideal – sort of like pulling a turtleneck over your head while you are looking toward the ceiling.”
Alicia Settle, CNM, has been a midwife for more than 4 years and she first heard about Spinning Babies® in midwifery classes. The pelvic floor muscles can prevent baby from being in an ideal position and stretches at home can help loosen or strengthen those muscles to balance the pelvis, so she talks to patients about the importance of staying active during pregnancy, including activities such as Spinning Babies® exercises and prenatal yoga.
Settle said typically a medical professional can feel a baby’s position around 32 weeks and parents can learn how to get baby into an ideal position before labor begins. “It is part of our normal labor support.”
Labor and Deliver department nurses at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Carle Health Methodist Hospital in Peoria and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana are receiving training and training other area nurses as well. Being an important part of that process is empowering for nurses and provides added bedside contact with mothers giving birth.
Nurses in Labor and Delivery at Carle Foundation Hospital recently took part in a Spinning Babies® training course thanks to a grant from Women’s Legacy Circle. Because of the grant, 85% of staff can offer the courses expertise to aid in promoting vaginal birth a statewide quality initiative.
April Hine, BSN, RNC, CLC, in Labor and Delivery at Carle Foundation Hospital, said the classes retaught anatomy and physiology specific to techniques that work to create more space for baby during a vaginal delivery. There are only seven stateside instructors on spinning and the nurses at Carle Foundation Hospital connected with an instructor in the Quad Cities.
“Safety is #1,” she said. Trained nurses recommend three balancing exercises for expecting mother to do to stretch the ligaments so the pelvis is moveable and creates space to help the baby descend, she said.
“Nurses then continue to provide bedside support by asking the question “where is baby?” versus what is mom’s dilation. Nurses continue to provide techniques and maneuvers related to where baby is, decreasing labor and pushing times,” Hine said.
Katy Doty, BSN, RNC, at Carle Health Methodist Hospital said, “Spinning Babies® has become a paradigm, or a new view on childbirth. By understanding birth physiology better we can help birth be easier. Spinning Babies® is how we are changing birth on Earth. It is so important for the nurses to learn to best help our patients here at Carle Methodist. We have enhanced and improved the patient's experience with childbirth, and promoted vaginal birth while decreasing C-sections,” Doty said.
Stephanie Ochs, RN, at Carle Richland, said, “We know we gave 110% when we work with a patient utilizing Spinning Babies® and other labor support yet a vaginal delivery is not achieved.”
Madison Walsh, RN, and a nurse supervisor at Carle Foundation Hospital, experienced firsthand how spinning
works as she delivered her first baby, Rory, on July 4. Before giving birth, Walsh said she did a lot of bouncing on an exercise ball and walking. When it was time to deliver, she received an epidural injection and nurses came in every hour and used a positioning ball to help the baby move through the hips.“Being a nurse, you want to make a connection with the patient and with this method you feel like someone is in it with you,” Walsh said. At 7 a.m., her cervix dilated to 3 centimeters and by 11 a.m. she was at 10 centimeters and fully dilated to deliver Rory who weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces. Twelve hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing in total with minimal pain, she said.
“I would absolutely do this again,” Walsh said.
Categories: Community
Tags: Baby, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Giving, Labor, Olney, Peoria, Philanthropy