Latest / Motherhood Alliance Podcast / Hydrotherapy & Water Birth: Benefits, Tips & What to Know w/ Izabel Looney | Birch Tree Birth
Transcript
- Britney Suttner: Hi, I'm Brittany, and today I'm excited to introduce you to Isabel Looney, the birth doula and owner of Birch Tree Birth Services. Isabel has been supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum since becoming a donor certified birth doula in 2021. She's also a KAPA-certified postpartum doula, has additional training in water birth and tens, and is a certified childbirth educator through Lamas. Isabel is extremely passionate about ensuring that families feel supported through all parts of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and she wholeheartedly believes in the power having community makes in growing and raising a family. Let's get started with today's episode. Hello everyone. I am super excited to welcome Isabella to the podcast. Welcome. Izabel Looney: Hi. Britney Suttner: We are excited to have you, not only because you're a doula and it's been a long time since we've had a doula on the podcast, but you're going to be talking about two very specific topics, which I love when we can get specific. In this episode, we're going to be talking about water birth. And then in the next episode, we're going to be talking about using tens as a labor tool, which is really interesting to me. But before we jump into that. We always ask about a fun fact from a new guest, and you had a few of them that are very interesting and I do want to touch on all three. So you said that you have eighteen food allergies, holy moly. You were raised at a winery in Kentucky, and you're a blacksmith. So tell us about your food allergies first of all, and how are you what are you allergic to and what are you how are you surviving? Izabel Looney: allergy sounds like a lot, but I used to have more. I had 32 before my first pregnancy and after that it kind of dropped off. it is interesting thing. My allergist says you should get checked every seven years or after a pregnancy. So I should go back and get changed get checked after this last pregnancy to see if I've lost any or gained more. but I'm allergic to, you know, legumes, so peanut soy, beans, those sorts of things. the like mustard family as a whole basically. So mustard, I was allergic to cabbage for a long time, cauliflower, all those sorts of things. chicken eggs is a difficult one, and then there's it's a long list. Britney Suttner: My goodness. Well, that is super interesting about gaining or losing food allergies after pregnancy. I don't think I've ever heard of that. So for friends out there listening, you might need to get rechecked if you've had allergies in the past. So interesting. Also interesting is you were raised at a winery in Kentucky. Tell us about that experience. Izabel Looney: Yes, I was raised at Jean Ferris Winery in Lexington, Kentucky. There were two other wineries in my family. There was Spring Hill Winery in Springfield, Kentucky, and Seaco Winery in Seaco, Kentucky, also called the Highland Winery. So my parents actually met on a wine tour and opened up a winery together. and so me and my sisters kind of joke that wine is in our blood. Britney Suttner: So I'm assuming you were involved in the entire process. Izabel Looney: Yes, my mother has lots of pictures of me as young as five helping with bottling wine, picking in the fields. as I got older I would do the wine chemistry and involved from cradle to grave when it came to the winemaking process. Britney Suttner: That's amazing. That would be I would love to go on a tour with you of your home winery sometime. But obviously that's gonna be very challenging considering it's many hours away. Yeah. Izabel Looney: It's a twelve hour drive. Britney Suttner: But then your last fun fact of being a blacksmith, this is super unique. So how did you get into that? Izabel Looney: so when I was in high school, my school had a metals class as one of the arts. I'm a very artsy person in general, and I took all that my school had to offer, especially for 3D arts. And so I worked with silver and brass primarily in that one, and then I wanted to do blacksmithing after high school. And I had one of my mother's friends who was in charge of setting up the Programs for the Appalachian Artisan Center in Heineman, Kentucky. And she said that if I helped teach them classes for some young girls doing blacksmithing, I could do a blacksmithing apprenticeship there. So I did my apprenticeship there, and I got to teach girls from 8 to 16, I believe it was, how to do blacksmithing as well to kind of encourage young ladies to get into the trade. I have also done blacksmithing in the SCA. and taught at Pinzik, which is one of like the largest SCA events in the known world. So it is something I really really love. I'm somewhat heat intolerant now, so I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, but it's a very enjoyable process for me. Britney Suttner: So other than teaching, how have you utilized the skill? Do you make things for like around your house? Do you do like how do you how do you utilize it? Do you sell things? Izabel Looney: I do sell things. I have Etsy that is still alive, but I primarily sell things at like SEA events or to friends and family. Like I've made several sets of wedding rings as I work with silver as well. I even got to make my mom's wedding rings the last time she got married. I have made knives, axes, tools, a chandelier, banisters. it is I like useful art, so things that you're going to use in your everyday. Britney Suttner: That's amazing. What a skill. my goodness. I would like can you share your Etsy link with me? I'm gonna put that in the show notes too, just because it's so fun Izabel Looney: Yeah. Britney Suttner: to see the different skills that people have. I love this question because look how much we just learned about you. Well, I'd love to also hear a bit about your journey into becoming a doula as well as why you're living in Wisconsin now. Izabel Looney: so I moved to Wisconsin in twenty twenty after COVID kind of upturned everybody's lives. I had my mama who was the person I was closest to die during COVID. and it Kentucky just no longer felt like home because the person who made it feel like home had sadly passed. So everything had shut down, felt like a great time to start over somewhere new, and I had friends in the area, so I moved up here. And I worked doing low voltage electrical work for a while before I started doing doula work and throughout my doula training. And then in 2021, I did my doula training with Dona. I decided I wanted to do birth doula because I had lost a baby whenever I was younger and I felt really abandoned in that situation. I did not have a supportive care team and I was raising my sister at the time and so life was just really overwhelming and was not great. I decided I didn't want anyone to have to go through a similar situation without all of the support that they need, because even in instances where you don't get to bring your baby home, having that support of your community or doula really makes all the difference. I lost a baby in July and having a doula and a really supportive care team with BirthWise was miles different in how things turned out for me, even though the end result was sadly the same. thank you. Britney Suttner: I'm sorry for your losses. I I but I appreciate you sharing 'cause you don't have to. But I think that the more that women like you can courageously share it, the more it inspires others to share too. Izabel Looney: I think it helps people know that they're not alone and it Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Izabel Looney: helps to have that community. Britney Suttner: For sure. So now you're doing birth dual and postpartum dual work, right? Izabel Looney: Yes. Britney Suttner: And what is your area that you serve? Izabel Looney: So I am currently based in Menasha and I serve a two hour radius for birth and a one hour radius for postpartum is included in my normal fee and I have a travel fee for anything over that because I do occasionally work outside of that normal radius. Britney Suttner: Okay, great. And like I mentioned in the beginning of this episode, I'm excited that you picked some specific topics. So why did you pick water birth as one of your topics to discuss today? Izabel Looney: I think water birth is something that a lot of people have interest in but don't necessarily understand fully what goes into it, what they need to know in order to have those conversations with their provider or decide if it's right for them. Britney Suttner: Sure. So let's dive into So water birth is going to be having your baby in a tub. Is that how you would define it, or what's your definition? Izabel Looney: So people can define water birth in a myriad of different ways. For some people, that is actually delivering your baby in a tub. For other people, that's going to be more water immersion where you are laboring in a tub or in your shower to have that benefit of hydrotherapy during labor without having to deliver in the tub, as a lot of hospitals have policies around. Britney Suttner: Yeah, that's a great point right there. So as we're talking about water birth, there's probably a big difference between having a home birth water birth and a hospital water birth. So typically what are the options in the hospital when it comes to water? Izabel Looney: So for some hospitals, they will require you to take certain additional classes, or you might have to be in a special room, or you might have to pay additional fees, or all of the above. I know that there are some hospitals locally who have earthing tub rooms, and other hospitals don't have that ability, and so it's just not on the table at all. So it really depends where you're choosing to deliver. Britney Suttner: Okay. So what would be some good questions for someone to ask a provider, whether it's a midwife or a hospital OB or whoever, if they are interested in at least having the option of a water birth? Izabel Looney: If you are interested to see if your provider will do a water birth, it is great to ask if they have birthing tubs at their facility. If not, if they're willing to do an inflatable tub, and if you are allowed to labor in water in the like normal tub that is in the room if they have those. or if you are going to be required to stay out of the tub for whatever reason and what their policies around that are. Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. So what are some of the benefits? And then you can walk through tub and shower. Izabel Looney: So, some of the benefits is going to be parental satisfaction first and foremost. So laboring in a tub is going to have lower pain reports. So you're more likely to experience less pain in water. you are more likely to feel like you have more control. like you have more freedom of movement as the water takes some of that weight off of your belly. So you're able to move a little bit easier without having to adjust for your extra load. people have said that they feel like they have more autonomy in water births and then it just feels good. Britney Suttner: Sure. Are there certain positions that you could share with people that you find are the are the most beneficial for helping to relieve pain while in a tub specifically? Izabel Looney: While it can depend on what stage of labor you're in from where baby is pressing inside, squatting can be really beneficial as it kind of works with gravity to help pull baby down. as well as if you are leaning over the edge of the tub while squatting, we can give counterpressure on your hips or your sacrum to help with some of that pain as well. as well as pouring water over your back or giving some like massage to help as that is a great way to do it, as is like sideline if you're in more of a traditional tub where you're able to spread out more and then we're able to do counterpressure down on that top hip and have the ground kind of apply it on the other side. Those can be some great ways to get some added benefits from other pain relieving techniques as well. Britney Suttner: Mm. And when I think about a traditional tub, I think about you know how hard they can be. Are there other tools that I tools is a weird word, but like are there other things that people can bring into the tub with them that help with comfort? Like are there specific birthing tub cushions or something else to help just make it more comfortable? Izabel Looney: Absolutely. if you think about those like neoprene kind of foam kneeling pads that you see in like garden centers or the you know, the Lowe's or Home Depot for construction workers, those sorts of like durable waterproof pads can be great to use for kneeling. when I lived in Vermont, I saw them in University of Vermont Medical Center all the time that the hospital provided. So those can be great tools for helping relieve your knees whenever you're kneeling in those tubs. Britney Suttner: Now I'm assuming husbands are or partners are encouraged to get into the tub as well. Is this something Adula does too? Will you like, you know, go into the tub and help with counter pressure with the woman or is that not something Adula offers? Izabel Looney: I don't personally offer that and I don't know any doula that does, but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't happen somewhere in the world. Partners are absolutely welcome to join their partner in the tub. Just make sure that you're prepared ahead of time with some swim shorts or something that you don't mind getting wet. just because mom's undressed doesn't mean we also want dad undressed. Britney Suttner: That's true. That's true. All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about the baby when it comes to a water birth. how is the baby still monitored? And can you share a little bit about when it comes to monitoring, what is a hospital typically like wanting to do for monitoring versus if somebody was doing more of a home birth? Is there any monitoring? Izabel Looney: There is absolutely monitoring going on. So all of the births that I've been to that have involved water, whether that was a home birth or a hospital birth, have all included monitoring for baby. So at hospitals, they have the bands that you'll see normally. Some of the times those are wired, and other times those are Bluetooth. If you have a Bluetooth monitor, most of the time those are also waterproof. And so you can get into the tub with those still on. Just check with your you know, L and D nurse to make sure that it's compatible for water. Otherwise, they all have handheld Dopplers that they are either waterproof or they can put inside of a glove or a plastic bag or something so they can check baby and make sure that the heart rate is still good. As if heart rate dips, that's one of those indications that we need to pull you out of water. So they're gonna be checking no matter what to make sure baby is still good, whether you're in water at home or at a Earth Center or hospital. Britney Suttner: Okay. And then what about the concern that some people have about the baby breathing in water when they're first delivered? Izabel Looney: This is something that is obviously concerning for people because you don't want your baby to drown. But as long as you keep baby under while you're getting them to a safe place to pull them up, they will be fine. But as soon as baby's face hits air, we do not want them going under anymore, as that kind of triggers their reflex for their body to become a more air-breathing creature instead of getting all of their oxygen from the umbilical cord. Britney Suttner: Right, because when they're in the uterus, they are they're getting all of their oxygen from the umbilical cord, there's not air to breathe, right? So what you're saying is as Izabel Looney: Yes. Britney Suttner: long as they stay under the water, they don't know any different, but once they come up then breathing kicks in. Is that correct? Izabel Looney: Yes, so as soon as air touches their face that we don't want baby going under anymore. Britney Suttner: Okay, okay. What about are there any circumstances where water labor or birth would not be recommended? Izabel Looney: There certainly are. if you are having an induction, we wouldn't want to have you go into the to birth in the tub. Sometimes, depending upon your induction method, you might be able to labor in the tub or shower, but you won't be able to birth in the tub. Britney Suttner: Why is that? Izabel Looney: because of the medications that are involved and the increased rate for heart rate fluctuations and fetal distress. There is also counterindications if you have any sort of infection like herpes or MERSA or like any like open untreated skin infection. GBS has shown that sometimes there can be a washing away effect to where any positive swabs are lesser, but some policies still require that this is a counterindication and takes it off the table. and then if you are, having any sort of high body temperature, we want to pull you from the top for that. We wanna keep it within, you know, ninety five degrees to a hundred degrees and anything over that we need to pull. Britney Suttner: do you ever find going to cooler water if mom is overheating, or is it typically like she needs to get out if she's overheating? Izabel Looney: If they're overheating, what I've done in the past is using like cold compresses. So I'll get one of the like blue imesis bags full of ice water that I'll shove a bunch of washcloths down. Or I have a really lovely ice pack that my doula trainer gifted me that like takes up from like my collarbone all the way to like my lap. and you can freeze that, and that's a great way to cool off pretty quickly. also I have two different types of fans that I keep in my doula bag to help. cool people down and I give lots of ice water. I am constantly refilling water bottles for everybody. Britney Suttner: Sure. Yeah, that's great. So are there any other common misconceptions or like myths you want to break or just things that you wished pregnant women knew more about when it comes to laboring or birthing in the water? Izabel Looney: I think I'm a very planning type person. And so I think as long as you have a provider you can trust that you're willing to listen to and who knows what they're doing and have all of the preparations done ahead of time, it can be a really great tool for a lot of people. You know, making sure that you listen if they say we need to get out to check something, or if, you know, we want to make sure that we have clean hoses for putting the water in or in dirty hoses for taking the water out. And just making sure that we have everything prepared ahead of time. That way everyone is taken care of. Lots of towels and all those sorts of things. Britney Suttner: How many women would you say who labor in the water end up like wanting to give birth in the water? Izabel Looney: I think for hospitals at least, a lot of people are told that it's not an option. And there are a lot of women who would love to give birth in water that just don't have the option to because of those policies. I meet with a lot of moms, especially who are looking for home births, who really want to give birth in water, and that is something that they prioritize when looking for providers. Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Yeah, my kids are now eleven and eight. And so I this was not really something I feel like that was discussed with me at the time. And I did do a I used a midwife in a hospital, but it was not really an option that was presented to me. And I really would be curious what the what difference it would make. So I would encourage women to try it, right? And and try different tools, like you said, like the cushions to to get comfortable in a tub. And I think it could be a really magical experience. So thank you so much for sharing about your experience Izabel Looney: Yeah. Britney Suttner: with Azadula helping women try something new. Izabel Looney: Absolutely. And even if you're not able to deliver in the tub, using hydrotherapy, either laboring in a tub or laboring in the shower, or even just having water poured over you can still make drastic changes in relief as it takes like 15 minutes for oxytocin to boost from being in the water during labor. Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Well, I know, Isabel, you offer a free consult. So if somebody wanted to Izabel Looney: You can. Britney Suttner: ask more questions about this or just to learn more about your duo services in general, how would they get a hold of you? Is your website the best place to send them? Izabel Looney: The website is the best place to send them. I have all of the different types of services blocked out on there. And you can just go and hit, you know, book a session. And it takes you to an embed for my dual auto. So you get your profile already set up, which is where you'll get all of your resources, be able to schedule meetings, and keep track of all of your visits. And so it sets up a time going through my calendar, and you get to choose whatever time works best for you really easy. Britney Suttner: That's perfect. I didn't I never had a doula because I also feel like it wasn't super well known when my kids were being born to have doulas. But man, I think of all the ways that you help families and even just this water birth topic. If I climbed into a tub and I was in labor, I'd be like, I don't know what to do or what position to get it in, and can't s I wouldn't know what to ask for. And so that's why it's so incredible to have somebody like you who can be like, why don't you try this? Try counter pressure here, you know, for the for the husband. Try and you and you're supporting as well. And so I think what doulas do is absolutely amazing. I do want to also mention that you have a couple classes that you offer as well. Can you share a bit about those? Izabel Looney: I do. So the first class I have is going to be my prep for post class. It is a perinatal mental health class that is helping families prepare for the whole first year postpartum, not just for taking care of baby, but also for taking care of themselves. A lot of people don't realize that one in five birthing parents will have postpartum mental health disorders. And if they do, there is a one in 25 chance that the non-birthing parent will also have postpartum mental health disorders. So this class was designed by Kate Littlefield, who I worked with when I lived in Vermont, and she's the PSI board chair in Vermont. And so it is designed with, you know, traditional families, adoption, fostering, surrogacy, all those sorts of families kept in mind to make sure that everyone is taken care of when it comes to this new journey in life. And then I Britney Suttner: That's perfect. Izabel Looney: also am currently building a childbirth education class. So I got my training done with Lamaze in July. And so I am taking the time to go and build out a really thoughtful course that gives you the information you need. And I can tailor it up or down in terms of detail for the families who want the basics or are like me and want all the details. Britney Suttner: and when do you aim to have that ready? Izabel Looney: I just finished getting most of the curriculum done, so I am hoping to have all the handouts and everything that is necessary with it done by December. And I am on track with that so far. Britney Suttner: Great, super exciting. That's awesome. And I do want to share with listeners that Isabel is offering 20% off her classes with the code CBE20. And I'll put that in the show notes as well as a link straight to those classes. So thank you, Isabel, for that. We do have Izabel Looney: Thank you. Britney Suttner: one other episode coming up. We're gonna be talking about using a tens unit for labor. I'm really excited about this one. This is like a whole new concept to me where I'm like, where were you when I was having kids? Right. But can definitely help. Future parents, whether it's their first pregnancy or their fifth pregnancy, just experience labor in a whole different way. So I'm excited for that next episode coming up next.