Aloha mai kakou, I thoguht that perhaps the first discussion could be around resources. I've had 2 homebirths, one in Hilo and one in Anahola. I personally know of 8 midwives and 3 doulas on both of these islands. I am trying to gather this information and create a small resouce book for women that are interested in having a homebirth but need to start somewhere. If you would like to offer your resources (after checking with them of course) maika'i. from a local/cultural perspective, I wish that there were more Hawaiian midwives but just having a homebirth is huge in this day and time, let alone trying to take that kuleana on.
I'm open to whatever the wahine want to talk about. Let's just acknowledge that not everyone will or has had the same experience. My third child was a footling breech and was "delivered" by C-section...not my ideal birth however I honor his path. My fourth child is due in October and will be born at home, if Akua blesses us with that oppurtunity. Please feel free to invite other to this site as well. ALOHA, Lorilani
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Aloha kakou,
Hope this is okay to add here. A federal grant came up for organizations that are "existing urban or rural community based organizations already providing indigenous community outreach [doula]services." The link is:
Mahalo NUI LOA!
Perhaps, we can start a discussion topic on those resources: grants, stipends, financial pools...........if you don't mind starting it I would appreciate that a lot. I don't want to manopolize the topics w/ my name...........mahalo,Lorilani
Eo e na mama!
Aloha kakou!
Mahalo nui to Lorilani for starting this group and mahalo to everyone for sharing their stories. I’m a first time, new mom (my son was born 10 weeks ago) and am always really grateful to have other supportive mama’s to talk to (or leka uila with), and now wahine ‘oiwi, too…sweet!
We didn’t have a homebirth, but went with Waimea Women’s Center and the North Hawai’i Community Hospital on Hawai’i Island. I have to say that for the most part, they were really good. They utilize mostly Certified Nurse Midwives, encourage low to no “interventions” during your birth and its their normal course of action to have the baby in the room with you the whole time to encourage bonding and breastfeeding (also you labor, deliver, and recover in the same room).
During the pregnancy, I experienced very different hospital atmospheres. When I was about 5 and a half months pregnant, I had this sudden, really bad pain where I could barely walk. Turns out it was a 10cm fibroid growing on the side of my uterus. At the time I was on O’ahu and ended up at Kapi‘olani in one of their tiny, tiny labor and delivery rooms where three different male OBs came in to ultrasound the “mass” on my uterus because I was such an “interesting case” and they told me I would need lots of follow-up care and had to stay off my feet and be vigilant about pre-term labor signs and aware of possible hemorrhaging after birth and the possibility of a c-section, etc., etc. I was pretty stressed out and counted and blessed each week as it passed. I talked to my baby and told him to stay in there and not come out early (I think this is why I ended up having a more than 29 hour labor).
Anyway, switch back to Waimea Women’s Center where the midwives let me know that fibroids are not so unusual and to use my common sense. One of the midwives shared her story of giving birth vaginally to her son with a 4lb uterine fibroid! Their support and treatment of us during the birth really helped my husband and I feel good about our decision to go with them. Since we live in Puna it was a two hour drive (one-way) to every appointment.
For the birth, the nurses and the attending midwives (Roxanne Estes was also one of my midwives – she is in school to be a CNM and so was under the “supervision” of CNM JoAnn Johansen) were really good for the most part. They pretty much left us alone until it was time to push, except thenurses would come in to do the mandatory hospital things (temperature, blood pressure, and external baby monitor) every few hours. They encouraged and demonstrated different labor positions, got the shower and tub ready for us when we needed it, fed me twice during labor and basically hung in there with us for almost 30 hours. In the end (after seven hours of pushing) they did start a pitocin drip because my contractions were slowing (and I was beyond exhausted) and they ended up calling in the OB who utilized the vacuum/suction mea on my son’s head to help pull him out. I know that at any other hospital they would have cut me open.
After the birth, the nurses, midwives, and even one of the doctors congratulated us on our decision to NOT circumcise our son. They even gave us a container for the ‘iewe to take home. I wish my hospital birth experience was more common place, but I’m pretty sure its not. Even with my mostly positive hospital birth, I would choose a home birth next round. I think it is true when people say that giving birth is not necessarily a medical event…so it doesn’t need to happen in a medical facility.
Mahalo for sharing your mo'olelo. I know that many of my friends have had excellent care from the North Hawaii Community Hospital. Hulo! "We" are all to thank for sharing our stories, and even though I opened the door for this to happen, I take none of the credit.
Without each and every one of you, there would not be a place to grow, share, learn, and kako'o each other. Continue to share your mo'olelo with girls and women on Hawaii Island because they really need to know the options available.
Mahalo for sharing your stories! Here`s mine... With my first pregnancy, I received dual care - Medra was my beloved spiritual midwife (I wanted a homebirth), and I also went to the Ko`olau Clinic in Kane`ohe where I saw Cindy Urbanc (certified nurse midwife) and Dr Eesha Battacharya. (In case of complications...) When I looked at my insuranceʻs list of providers, the name Ko`olau stood out because it`s a family name. It was in that clinic that I learned I was having twin boys.
Fast forward to 3 days past my due date - I had pretty serious pre-eclampsia, so for the sake of my health made the decision to go the hospital route. After many hours of raw, searing, pitocin augmented labor, Waiea was born 8 minutes before midnight on March 19. (Winter) After he came I said, "sorry, the other one has to stay!" But too bad for me, I had torn badly and needed to be stitched, so the Dr. broke my remaining bag of waters. Meconium! A few tortuous contractions later I willed Kaiehu out and he was born sunny-side up 6 minutes after midnight on the 20th. (Spring)
Many things happened that fill me with anxiety even as I write this 3 years later. The 2 (!) moniters strapped to my opu, the IV, the nurse who slapped my thigh when I was pushing, screaming my head off in the bathroom which was my husbands and my only sanctuary, the pitocin drip we fought to stay at the lowest setting, fights over the pku testing, the way the doctor whipped the cloth off his sharp and shiny cutting instruments as if he was a magician and smiled like he was so clever...whew! I KNEW there had to be a better way. I mean even with the "complication" of there being two babies, there was way too much fear and anxiety involved. When they took the second baby and wrapped me up in those hot sheets, I was traumatized and in shock. I was relieved when they took the babies away - all I could do was shake and stare at the ceiling saying ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit...
Anyways, (sorry this is turning into a vent) I realized very clearly that if I were to do this again, things would have to be WAY different. When I became hapai with my daughter, I worried about where to have this baby. Different insurance meant she would be born at Kaiser Moanalua, which filled me with dread. The only option that gave me peace was an unattended birth at home. I worried about our house, though, which is a big old house split into 5 units, and whether the little girls next door would hear me screaming or that someone would call the cops. One night, I was sitting on the floor of our tiny white shower stall and thought, you know, I could have the baby HERE... and that grounded me. I knew we could do it. And we did, but that`s a story for next time. Sorry - midnight already! Last thought - it`s so important to revisit our painful places, yeah? It shows us how far we`ve come and hopefully can provide a little perspective to others. Aloha.
Oh my GOD!!! I must be hormonal but I have to tell you that as I read your mo'olelo that I am sitting here spilling tons of tears. I feel for you, as if the twins were born last night. I totally know the emotions, the pain, the betrayal of "people in the profession" that are suppossed to be nuturing.......but for some reason are focused on the oher aspects of birthing. If we have no place to "vent" were wahine like us, whom have been through similar life experiences, we tend to think that "we" did or didn't do something wrong or right.
I am intrigued and if you wouldn't mind sharing, would love to hear more about your daughter birth. Please share at your leisure. I really want to hear about your unassisted experience.
Your babies are so beautiful and I know that their stories will be important one day to them, as well as to you and your Kane. aloha, lorilani
Aloha Lorilani...Mahalo for starting this group! I don't get to MaoliWorld much, but will try to keep up.
I'm a new mom...my son was born in November at home here on O'ahu and we're so happy with how everything went. I really feel like how he was welcomed into the world has shaped who he is and is becoming. Our midwives are Lori Kimata and Madeleine Portuondo from Sacred Healing Arts (www.sacredhealingarts.info) and they were great. (On O'ahu, I think it's just them, Medra, and Miriam Abrin, who I'm not sure is currently doing births or not.)
Last month I helped to organize a screening of the film "The Business of Being Born" and one of the results was people wanting to organize a list of resources kind of like what you're putting together, but online. I'll see how they're doing with that and put you in touch.
Pregnancy and birth have always been interests/passions of mine, and I'm always wanting to learn more and help support others, so thank you for starting the conversation!
Mahalo again....the Type A in me couldn't wait for your response so I checked out Dr. Lori's website. AWESOME. I also went on line and ordered the video from the main website....also, can't wait for that. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to planning and creating a hui to watch and discuss this video in our community. Aloha nui....Lorilani
Aloha Kaliko.....I really would like to get my hands on the "Business of Being Born", as I've read in Mothering Magazine the popularity of Ricky Lake's involvement and PR campaign. If you have a source and don't mind sharing it, I'd love to show it on Kauai.
mahalo for the website, I will check it out immediately. I feel that it was so important to see if there were whaine "out there" that felt the same way that I do and to have a venue to express our stories. If you would like to start a discussion around the movie/documentary please feel free. aloha, lorilani
Replies
Hope this is okay to add here. A federal grant came up for organizations that are "existing urban or rural community based organizations already providing indigenous community outreach [doula]services." The link is:
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=...
Mahalo NUI LOA!
Perhaps, we can start a discussion topic on those resources: grants, stipends, financial pools...........if you don't mind starting it I would appreciate that a lot. I don't want to manopolize the topics w/ my name...........mahalo,Lorilani
I personally needed this info.
lorilani
Aloha kakou!
Mahalo nui to Lorilani for starting this group and mahalo to everyone for sharing their stories. I’m a first time, new mom (my son was born 10 weeks ago) and am always really grateful to have other supportive mama’s to talk to (or leka uila with), and now wahine ‘oiwi, too…sweet!
We didn’t have a homebirth, but went with Waimea Women’s Center and the North Hawai’i Community Hospital on Hawai’i Island. I have to say that for the most part, they were really good. They utilize mostly Certified Nurse Midwives, encourage low to no “interventions” during your birth and its their normal course of action to have the baby in the room with you the whole time to encourage bonding and breastfeeding (also you labor, deliver, and recover in the same room).
During the pregnancy, I experienced very different hospital atmospheres. When I was about 5 and a half months pregnant, I had this sudden, really bad pain where I could barely walk. Turns out it was a 10cm fibroid growing on the side of my uterus. At the time I was on O’ahu and ended up at Kapi‘olani in one of their tiny, tiny labor and delivery rooms where three different male OBs came in to ultrasound the “mass” on my uterus because I was such an “interesting case” and they told me I would need lots of follow-up care and had to stay off my feet and be vigilant about pre-term labor signs and aware of possible hemorrhaging after birth and the possibility of a c-section, etc., etc. I was pretty stressed out and counted and blessed each week as it passed. I talked to my baby and told him to stay in there and not come out early (I think this is why I ended up having a more than 29 hour labor).
Anyway, switch back to Waimea Women’s Center where the midwives let me know that fibroids are not so unusual and to use my common sense. One of the midwives shared her story of giving birth vaginally to her son with a 4lb uterine fibroid! Their support and treatment of us during the birth really helped my husband and I feel good about our decision to go with them. Since we live in Puna it was a two hour drive (one-way) to every appointment.
For the birth, the nurses and the attending midwives (Roxanne Estes was also one of my midwives – she is in school to be a CNM and so was under the “supervision” of CNM JoAnn Johansen) were really good for the most part. They pretty much left us alone until it was time to push, except thenurses would come in to do the mandatory hospital things (temperature, blood pressure, and external baby monitor) every few hours. They encouraged and demonstrated different labor positions, got the shower and tub ready for us when we needed it, fed me twice during labor and basically hung in there with us for almost 30 hours. In the end (after seven hours of pushing) they did start a pitocin drip because my contractions were slowing (and I was beyond exhausted) and they ended up calling in the OB who utilized the vacuum/suction mea on my son’s head to help pull him out. I know that at any other hospital they would have cut me open.
After the birth, the nurses, midwives, and even one of the doctors congratulated us on our decision to NOT circumcise our son. They even gave us a container for the ‘iewe to take home. I wish my hospital birth experience was more common place, but I’m pretty sure its not. Even with my mostly positive hospital birth, I would choose a home birth next round. I think it is true when people say that giving birth is not necessarily a medical event…so it doesn’t need to happen in a medical facility.
Mahalo for sharing your mo'olelo. I know that many of my friends have had excellent care from the North Hawaii Community Hospital. Hulo! "We" are all to thank for sharing our stories, and even though I opened the door for this to happen, I take none of the credit.
Without each and every one of you, there would not be a place to grow, share, learn, and kako'o each other. Continue to share your mo'olelo with girls and women on Hawaii Island because they really need to know the options available.
aloha, lorilani
Mahalo for sharing your stories! Here`s mine... With my first pregnancy, I received dual care - Medra was my beloved spiritual midwife (I wanted a homebirth), and I also went to the Ko`olau Clinic in Kane`ohe where I saw Cindy Urbanc (certified nurse midwife) and Dr Eesha Battacharya. (In case of complications...) When I looked at my insuranceʻs list of providers, the name Ko`olau stood out because it`s a family name. It was in that clinic that I learned I was having twin boys.
Fast forward to 3 days past my due date - I had pretty serious pre-eclampsia, so for the sake of my health made the decision to go the hospital route. After many hours of raw, searing, pitocin augmented labor, Waiea was born 8 minutes before midnight on March 19. (Winter) After he came I said, "sorry, the other one has to stay!" But too bad for me, I had torn badly and needed to be stitched, so the Dr. broke my remaining bag of waters. Meconium! A few tortuous contractions later I willed Kaiehu out and he was born sunny-side up 6 minutes after midnight on the 20th. (Spring)
Many things happened that fill me with anxiety even as I write this 3 years later. The 2 (!) moniters strapped to my opu, the IV, the nurse who slapped my thigh when I was pushing, screaming my head off in the bathroom which was my husbands and my only sanctuary, the pitocin drip we fought to stay at the lowest setting, fights over the pku testing, the way the doctor whipped the cloth off his sharp and shiny cutting instruments as if he was a magician and smiled like he was so clever...whew! I KNEW there had to be a better way. I mean even with the "complication" of there being two babies, there was way too much fear and anxiety involved. When they took the second baby and wrapped me up in those hot sheets, I was traumatized and in shock. I was relieved when they took the babies away - all I could do was shake and stare at the ceiling saying ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit...
Anyways, (sorry this is turning into a vent) I realized very clearly that if I were to do this again, things would have to be WAY different. When I became hapai with my daughter, I worried about where to have this baby. Different insurance meant she would be born at Kaiser Moanalua, which filled me with dread. The only option that gave me peace was an unattended birth at home. I worried about our house, though, which is a big old house split into 5 units, and whether the little girls next door would hear me screaming or that someone would call the cops. One night, I was sitting on the floor of our tiny white shower stall and thought, you know, I could have the baby HERE... and that grounded me. I knew we could do it. And we did, but that`s a story for next time. Sorry - midnight already! Last thought - it`s so important to revisit our painful places, yeah? It shows us how far we`ve come and hopefully can provide a little perspective to others. Aloha.
Oh my GOD!!! I must be hormonal but I have to tell you that as I read your mo'olelo that I am sitting here spilling tons of tears. I feel for you, as if the twins were born last night. I totally know the emotions, the pain, the betrayal of "people in the profession" that are suppossed to be nuturing.......but for some reason are focused on the oher aspects of birthing. If we have no place to "vent" were wahine like us, whom have been through similar life experiences, we tend to think that "we" did or didn't do something wrong or right.
I am intrigued and if you wouldn't mind sharing, would love to hear more about your daughter birth. Please share at your leisure. I really want to hear about your unassisted experience.
Your babies are so beautiful and I know that their stories will be important one day to them, as well as to you and your Kane. aloha, lorilani
I'm a new mom...my son was born in November at home here on O'ahu and we're so happy with how everything went. I really feel like how he was welcomed into the world has shaped who he is and is becoming. Our midwives are Lori Kimata and Madeleine Portuondo from Sacred Healing Arts (www.sacredhealingarts.info) and they were great. (On O'ahu, I think it's just them, Medra, and Miriam Abrin, who I'm not sure is currently doing births or not.)
Last month I helped to organize a screening of the film "The Business of Being Born" and one of the results was people wanting to organize a list of resources kind of like what you're putting together, but online. I'll see how they're doing with that and put you in touch.
Pregnancy and birth have always been interests/passions of mine, and I'm always wanting to learn more and help support others, so thank you for starting the conversation!
mahalo for the website, I will check it out immediately. I feel that it was so important to see if there were whaine "out there" that felt the same way that I do and to have a venue to express our stories. If you would like to start a discussion around the movie/documentary please feel free. aloha, lorilani
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