Vitamin D

This cold and flu season, vitamin D has become my new obsession. It all started last summer at the Catonsville Birth, Baby and Family expo (check out my blog post). I was minding my own business at my little booth, when I was accosted by an unkempt fellow. He started right in. "What is the leading cause of illness in the United States? Lack of vitamin D" You name it; infertility, autism, cancer, heart disease, allergies, auto-immune disease; was all to blame because of lack of vitamin D. Somehow he hooked me. I had no idea who he was or what his deal was, but something about what he was saying pulled me in. So I, uninformed, got onto the vitamin D train. My hubby was all about it too. I guess I was just as convincing as, what we now affectionately call that random guy, "Vitamin D Man". We ordered supplements, skipped the flu shot and were full into the vitamin D "thing".

Just recently, I decided to look into vitamin D some more. Here is some of what I found.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D isn't really a vitamin at all. It is a hormone that plays a central role in healthy bones, muscles, immune system, cardiac system and neurological function. Vitamin D is produced in your skin, triggered by the UVB portion of sunlight and activated by your liver and kidneys. There are vitamin D receptors on almost all of the cells in the human body from the bones to the brain. Many scientist believe that vitamin D controls cell growth. If that is true then you can see why vitamin D plays a huge role in the health and function of the body as a whole.

What is the source of vitamin D?

1. The biggest source to help your body make vitamin D is the sun. Sun triggers the production of vitamin D in your skin, however, if you apply sunscreen, the UVB (and UVA for that matter) is blocked out and therefore your skin will not make as much vitamin D. Even with a sunscreen as low as SPF 8, the UVB portion of light will be 90% blocked from your body, therefore significantly decreasing the amount of vitamin D your body can make. The amount of sun you need to make enough vitamin D during the summer months depends on your skin tone, latitude where you live, and the month. Vitamin D calculator
2. You can also get vitamin D through your diet. Oily fish and milk or juice fortified with vitamin D are the main dietary sources of vitamin D.
3. Supplementing is another way to get vitamin D. When looking for vitamin D supplement, choose one with D-2 or D-3. 

It is also important to make sure you get enough calcium in your diet since vitamin D and calcium work together to make your body healthy. I will leave calcium for another blog post.

Vitamin D made in the skin (triggered by the sun) lasts twice as long in the body as if it were acquired through diet or supplements.

What role does vitamin D play in health?

• Bone Health: prevents osteoporosis, rickets and fractures
• Cellular Health: prevents some cancers, some infectious disease, and asthma
• Organ Health: prevents heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and tooth loss
• Muscular Health: supports healthy muscles
• Autoimmune Health: prevents MS, type 1 diabetes, and Crohn's disease
• Brain Health: prevents depression, schizophrenia, and dementia 
• Mood-related Health: prevents seasonal affect disorder, PMS and sleeping disorders

This diagram pretty much sums it up:

Why is vitamin D vital during pregnancy and lactation?

Since growing babies in utero receive their vitamin D from the mother, it is crucial that the mother has enough vitamin D for her and the baby during pregnancy. The same goes for breastfeeding mothers. The mothers themselves make the vitamin D for their babies until they are old enough to make their own. Mothers who are vitamin D deficient will have babies who are vitamin D deficient. To read more about vitamin D and breastfeeding click here.

What are the main take aways about vitamin D?

• The best source of vitamin D is through sun exposure. About 10-15 minutes of noon-time sun (again depending on latitude and skin type) exposure during the summer months (without sunscreen) is enough for your body to store enough vitamin D for the winter.
• Vitamin D and calcium are best friends!
• Vitamin D affects your whole body, not just your bones.
• It is vitally important for pregnant or lactating mothers to have sufficient vitamin D levels so they can pass that to their babies.

Come on summer!! 

Most of the information in this blog post came from The Vitamin D Solution by Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D.

Bacteria, Babies and Breastfeeding

Did you know that 1 out of every 10 cells in your body is human? That means that 9 or 10 are some other type of cell, most of which are bacteria. In fact, in the human gut alone, there is 3 pounds of bacteria. The human skin is also covered in bacteria, good and bad. As humans, we need these "good" bacteria to live and they need us. Babies are born with no bacteria on their skin or in the intestinal tract. They are essentially sterile. So how can you help make sure your baby is colonized with good bacteria (like lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, acidophilus, etc) instead of bad (staphylococcus, streptococcus,)?

There are some simple ways that you can expose your baby to good bacteria.

Your Birth Plan:
Plan on having a vaginal birth. When your baby is born vaginally, he/she comes into contact with good bacteria in your vagina (lactobacilli). This is the first bacteria that colonizes your baby's gut microbiome. Also, as your baby passes through your vagina and past your rectum during a vaginal birth, your baby will come in contact with helpful bacteria near the rectum.  If you have a c-section and the baby does not pass through the vaginal canal, the first bacteria your baby could be colonized by is negative bacteria (staphylococcus) in the operating room.

Skin to Skin:
If your baby is placed skin to skin on your chest immediately after birth, then your baby comes in contact with the good bacteria from your skin. If mom and baby have to be separated, then it is beneficial for dad to do skin to skin until mother and baby can be reunited. Interestingly, the vernix (white coating on baby after born) is very sticky and is food for good bacteria, so leaving this coating on is actually protecting your baby against bad bacteria (i.e. delaying the first bath may be a good idea).

Breastfeeding:

Exclusive breastfeeeding is the most important thing that you can do to ensure that your baby's intestinal tract is colonized by helpful bacteria. Breastfeeding not only contains probiotics, or good bacteria, but also contains prebiotics, which is the food that probiotics eat. The good bacteria can essentially eat up all the food leaving no room for the bad bacteria.

So why is it so important to expose a baby to probiotics?  Probiotics, or good bacteria, improve baby's immunity, reduce diarrhea, help digestion, and reduce the risk of other illnesses. Your baby will be get bacteria in their gut, skin and mucosal membranes. What type they get, is up to you.

Journey in Adoptive Breastfeeding: Part 2

So surprise, yes, I plan to and hope to breastfeed our third child one day. The funny thing with adoption is that you could get a child right away or wait a very long time (years even). So with that in mind, I began the induced lactation protocol. I started the birth control right when we got on the waiting list and continued it for about 5 month (about 20 weeks) not taking the reminder pills. I didn't have my period for that whole time. Then I stopped the pill and began to pump. To my shear delight, I was pumping what looks just like colostrum! I couldn't believe it! It took many days (up to about 7-8 days) for my colostrum to change to mature milk, but eventually it did. I usually pump about every two hours during the day. I decided not to make myself crazy, so I have not been pumping at night. I believe that this is one reason the I don't have a full milk supply. I am able to pump about 10 ounces per day.

My husband bought be a great big deep freezer to store the breastmilk in for 6-12 months. The idea is that I will probably not ever have a full milk supply, so I will have extra to supplement with. I have probably about 500 ounces of milk stored. Exciting!

My hope is that I will be able to successfully breastfeed, even partially. But only time and a new baby will tell. More to come...

Journey in Adoptive Breastfeeding: Part I

Sometimes in my field of work it is hard for me to talk about my personal struggles with miscarriage and infertility. I am able to be a part of so many women's birth stories and am truly honored to do so. But every once in a while I feel like my body has let me down--that what I was meant to do as a woman I can't. So although, I am unable to carry a child, my body is still capable of breastfeeding. So breastfeeding has become very important to me.

Both of my sons are adopted, so I thought breastfeeding was out of the question for me. As I began down the path of adoption, I realized that this was still an option. I read books like, Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby and Relactation and Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby and studied Jack Newman's Protocol for Induced Lactation for hours before my first son was born. I was truly determined. I started the protocol a couple of months before my son was born (although we didn't know that we would be chosen so quickly). My goal was to build up a supply of breastmilk in the freezer and breastfeed as much as I could, depending on my supply. Mason was born and we were selected much faster than I had anticipated, so I wasn't able to complete the protocol, and it showed in my milk supply (or lack there of), but I still tried. Although, I had no mass of breastmilk stored in the freezer, I began to pump. I also bought a special supplemental nursing system called a "Lact Aid" to supplement my milk supply--boy was this thing frustrating to use!

Despite my (I wouldn't say "best") efforts, I was unsuccessful at breastfeeding, but I did pump and bottle feed for four months. My particular breastfeeding experience with Mason was very disheartening and I thought once again that my body had let me down. Time passed and then we adopted our second son, Miles, who I immediately decided I wasn't going to even try to breastfeed him, so that I could avoid the feeling of failing. I guess I thought, "if I don't try, I can't fail." To this day, I wish I had given it a fighting chance with Miles.

So here we are on the waiting list for our third child--a girl! Will I breastfeed or won't I?...more about my addoptive breastfeeding journey to come in Part 2.

My two crazy boys!

Full Circle

My doula career started with a friend. For many years I struggled through miscarriages and infertility, and although very challenging for my spirit, I learned A LOT in the process about pregnancy and birth. Although I had never physically had a child, many of my friends turned to me when they had questions about labor. One particular friend is the one who sparked my doula career and encouraged me to follow my dreams. She went out on a limb and asked me to be her doula. I was very nervous, but I got trained and attended her marathon birth in July of 2012. She had a beautiful little boy, who now, calls me Aunt Annie (and sometimes even momma by mistake). I love that little guy!

So, when she got pregnant again, I was thrilled that she asked me to attend her birth again. This time it was much quicker and she gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl.

My friend was my first repeat client. I felt like my journey was coming full circle. If it wasn't for her asking me to be her doula, I probably never would have been. I am so grateful! On a funny note, at her first birth one of my other clients went into labor at the same time. I, unfortunately, couldn't attend since my friend's birth lasted SO long. During her second labor, another client was being induced the same day. This time I was able to attend both births in one day. Pretty awesome!

Peanut Ball

Many pregnant women are familiar with the classic "birth" ball (basically just a fitness ball) prenatally or during labor. It is great for opening the pelvic floor and getting the baby in a good position. Many women also think it is more comfortable during contractions and labor on it the whole time.

A new type of "ball" that is used in labor is the peanut ball. It is great for using in the bed to open the pelvis and make labor more comfortable. Since it is used in the bed, this ball is great for moms who choose an epidural, but still want to take advantage of effective position changes.

Ask your care provider if they have the peanut ball the birthing environment where they practice. For more information about the peanut ball, check out this video:

Catonsville Birth, Baby and Family Expo

I recently represented Informed Birth Choices at the Birth, Baby and Family Expo in Catonsville located at Bay State Chiropractic. It was a beautiful day with tons of vendors ranging from Prenatal massage to the YMCA of Catonsville. After being there, I was delighted to realize that there is a great birth and baby community right here in the heart of Catosnville. There are many child birth classes, prenatal yoga, acupuncture, chiropractors, and doulas in our local area. Although this was the first expo of this kind in Catonsville and therefore not highly attended, my hope is that next year people will realize the resources that they have right in their backyard.

Here are some of the vendors in attendance:

Bay State Chiropractic
Happy Family Organic
Luz de la Luna
Informed Birth Choices