WELCOME!!
Hello ladies! First I want to thank you for visiting The Belly Button Connection (TBBC). TBBC was originally created as a forum for mothers: aspiring, expecting, and veteran. The name was derived from the baby’s connection to the mother: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I wanted TBBC to be a place where women received both accurate and positive feedback about pregnancy. Since creating TBBC I’ve learned that our thoughts about pregnancy, motherhood, and womanhood start long before the onset of puberty. In fact, it starts with our relationships with our own mothers, aunts, sisters, and peers. Our hardships are not our own. They are passed down from generation to generation, friend to friend, spouse to spouse, parent to child. This doesn’t have to be the case. Leo Buscaglia said it best when he said, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
TBBC is that touch, smile, kind word, listening ear, honest compliment, and smallest act of caring. My mission is to keep you abreast on events, programs, and seminars that will be beneficial to you as well as partner with organizations that will improve your confidence, increase your self-esteem, and help you become the woman you strive to be for yourself, your family, and generations to follow.
First-time mom Juli was referred to me by a local birth center. I met Juli at a prenatal appointment and I knew we'd have a good connection right away. As soon as she walked out the bathroom (pee stick in hand) she gave me a big (one arm) hug and we sat and chit-chat in-bewteen receiving pertinent information from her midwife. Juli and I got to know one another at birthing classes, over lunch, and at prenatal appointments. We both felt lucky to have been introduced to one another, especially for such an important time in her life. Being first-time mom and first-time doula, I knew both Juli and I were going to be in for quite a treat. I arrived at Juli's at approximately 6:30 am. (It's amazing how quickly you get out of bed for some things yet hit the snooze button a million times for others.) Juli was in the bathroom with her mother coping with contractions that had been steady since midnight. My arrival seemed to calm her. I began breathing through contractions with her as well as helping her into different positions. Around 10 am Juli decided that she wanted to head over to the birth center. I was unsure of how the drive over would be, but Juli did well with handling her contractions and I was an efficient yet cautious driver, doula, and friend. When we arrived, Juli was 1 cm dialated and we were told that we had indeed come in too soon. According to the midwife, these were the contractions that Juli was supposed to be ignoring. Oh boy! Despite the midwife's advice to go home and get some sleep, Juli wanted to stay as she felt more comfortable at the birth center. During the 2nd or 3rd check, Juli had dialated to almost 5 cm and she decided to have the midwife to artifically rupture the membranes and get this show on the road. So, we stayed and she labored while in the shower and on the toilet. She hated laying on her back so the bed was a no-no and the midwife said the tub could slow down her labor. She seemed to enjoy the warm water in the shower, though. I stayed with her, reminding her to breathe and that "This is a good thing" and "This is what you've been waiting for." The midwife introduced these positive, encouraging phrases to us and they seemed to work with Juli. After laboring on her hands and knees for quite a while, it was time for the midwife to check her again, but this time Juli was very uncomfortable and in pain. Unable to check her, the midwife backed away which gave Juli the impression that she wasn't doing well and had messed up in some way by coming in so early. It was hard to get Juli back in a good place afterwards. I think it was at this moment that I began to feel ineffective. It was almost 7 pm, I hadn't had anything to eat and very little to drink and I was tired. At some moments, I was torn between running to her at every moan and keeping my distance while letting her labor and find her own rhythm. Around this time, my boyfriend had some food delivered and the midwife stayed with Juli while I ate. And, even though I was fully aware of doula's burning out and how important it is to make sure that you eat and drink regularly, I felt guilty eating and leaving Juli. I realized much later that I was playing two roles which is why I became burnt out so quickly. I was her birth partner as well as her labor companion, or simply put I was the "dad" and the doula all in one. When I finished eating, it was time to have a baby! It was thought that Juli had completely dialated and pushing had begun. Later, after about an hour of pushing the midwife found that Juli had a cervical lip and we began doing horsey blows instead. After 3-4 hours of lamaze breathing, attemping to sleeep, and not pushing, the midwife and assistant midwife checked her and they all agreed that she had given it her best and it was time to go to the hospital. EMS took Juli to the hospital where she was given an epidural which led to Pitocin which led to a her requiring a vaginal fetal monitor. After more time and no progression, Juli had a cesearean section where doctors found Pace was wrapped up in the umbilical cord twice. I'm unsure of whether or not it was a nucal cord (wrapper around the neck) or simply wrapped around an arm, shoulder, etc. There are situations where babies can be untangled from the umbilical cord during delivery, but being wrapped in the cord for a long period of time or too tightly can lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), low apgars, brain damage, or may lead to death. Both Juli and I share the same sentiments for cesearean sections. We feel that they are done unnecessarily and too frequently, but in cases like this they are life-savers. Juli's grateful to the hospital for their services. Juli and Pace are home and doing well. 
First-time mom Juli was referred to me by a local birth center. I met Juli at a prenatal appointment and I knew we'd have a good connection right away. As soon as she walked out the bathroom (pee stick in hand) she gave me a big (one arm) hug and we sat and chit-chat in-bewteen receiving pertinent information from her midwife. Juli and I got to know one another at birthing classes, over lunch, and at prenatal appointments. We both felt lucky to have been introduced to one another, especially for such an important time in her life. Being first-time mom and first-time doula, I knew both Juli and I were going to be in for quite a treat. I arrived at Juli's at approximately 6:30 am. (It's amazing how quickly you get out of bed for some things yet hit the snooze button a million times for others.) Juli was in the bathroom with her mother coping with contractions that had been steady since midnight. My arrival seemed to calm her. I began breathing through contractions with her as well as helping her into different positions. Around 10 am Juli decided that she wanted to head over to the birth center. I was unsure of how the drive over would be, but Juli did well with handling her contractions and I was an efficient yet cautious driver, doula, and friend. When we arrived, Juli was 1 cm dialated and we were told that we had indeed come in too soon. According to the midwife, these were the contractions that Juli was supposed to be ignoring. Oh boy! Despite the midwife's advice to go home and get some sleep, Juli wanted to stay as she felt more comfortable at the birth center. During the 2nd or 3rd check, Juli had dialated to almost 5 cm and she decided to have the midwife to artifically rupture the membranes and get this show on the road. So, we stayed and she labored while in the shower and on the toilet. She hated laying on her back so the bed was a no-no and the midwife said the tub could slow down her labor. She seemed to enjoy the warm water in the shower, though. I stayed with her, reminding her to breathe and that "This is a good thing" and "This is what you've been waiting for." The midwife introduced these positive, encouraging phrases to us and they seemed to work with Juli. After laboring on her hands and knees for quite a while, it was time for the midwife to check her again, but this time Juli was very uncomfortable and in pain. Unable to check her, the midwife backed away which gave Juli the impression that she wasn't doing well and had messed up in some way by coming in so early. It was hard to get Juli back in a good place afterwards. I think it was at this moment that I began to feel ineffective. It was almost 7 pm, I hadn't had anything to eat and very little to drink and I was tired. At some moments, I was torn between running to her at every moan and keeping my distance while letting her labor and find her own rhythm. Around this time, my boyfriend had some food delivered and the midwife stayed with Juli while I ate. And, even though I was fully aware of doula's burning out and how important it is to make sure that you eat and drink regularly, I felt guilty eating and leaving Juli. I realized much later that I was playing two roles which is why I became burnt out so quickly. I was her birth partner as well as her labor companion, or simply put I was the "dad" and the doula all in one. When I finished eating, it was time to have a baby! It was thought that Juli had completely dialated and pushing had begun. Later, after about an hour of pushing the midwife found that Juli had a cervical lip and we began doing horsey blows instead. After 3-4 hours of lamaze breathing, attemping to sleeep, and not pushing, the midwife and assistant midwife checked her and they all agreed that she had given it her best and it was time to go to the hospital. EMS took Juli to the hospital where she was given an epidural which led to Pitocin which led to a her requiring a vaginal fetal monitor. After more time and no progression, Juli had a cesearean section where doctors found Pace was wrapped up in the umbilical cord twice. I'm unsure of whether or not it was a nucal cord (wrapper around the neck) or simply wrapped around an arm, shoulder, etc. There are situations where babies can be untangled from the umbilical cord during delivery, but being wrapped in the cord for a long period of time or too tightly can lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), low apgars, brain damage, or may lead to death. Both Juli and I share the same sentiments for cesearean sections. We feel that they are done unnecessarily and too frequently, but in cases like this they are life-savers. Juli's grateful to the hospital for their services. Juli and Pace are home and doing well. 
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