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Addie McLaws | Labor of Love

@laborof.love

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•L&D RN🩺
•Empowering women to have an informed labor and delivery
•Helping moms navigate pregnancy and postpartum

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So much to be thankful for 🫶🏼

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Yesterday we woke up, flew to another another island and explored all day! It was such a fun day and we laughed nonstop. I also realized how much ground you can cover without two little kids 😜 We vlogged the whole day and it’ll be up soon!

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Who remembers the punch in the gut after birth from your labor and postpartum nurses? 😵

POV: your nurse walks in your room after birth and says: “I’m “just” going to push on your belly and check your bleeding.”

And this is where your love for your nurses turns to hate☠️

So why are we shoving on your belly right after you birth your baby?

This is called a fundal (or top part of the uterus) check! Fundal checks help determine how severe your bleeding is.

Your nurse will check for:

🩸fundal height
🩸fundal position
🩸if your fundus is firm
🩸color and amount of blood

Your labor nurse will push on your belly every 15 minutes after birth to make sure your bleeding is under control and your uterus has contracted down after delivery. Remember, your uterus needs to go from the size of a basketball to the size of your fist! 😳

This procedure is carried out on most L&D and postpartum floors, but what is the evidence for it??

⏺ There are a few randomized control trials that have shown that fundal rubs are not necessarily needed when the third stage is managed with Pitocin/oxytocin.

⏺ It just takes forever for research to translate into practice!

⏺ If the fundal rubs are extremely uncomfortable for you, it would be reasonable to have a discussion with your nurse about maybe skipping them.

⏺ If your bleeding is heavier that normal, it would be advised to let your nurse or midwife check.

▶️▶️Either way, they should be able to just gently feel for the top of your uterus. If there are any concerns they can investigate further!

Double tap if you wish you could skip those dreaded fundal rubs!

#laboranddelivery #birthingtips #postpartumtipa #fundalrubs #childbirtheducation #childbirthwithoutfear #40weekspregnant #birthplan #birthpreferences

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It’s their world, we’re all just living in it 😂 8 adults to 2 little boys at all times

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Effective pushing💪🏼⁣
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In order to get your baby out, you have to effectively push! Whether you are doing it for the first time or you had had 6 kids, effective pushing makes a big difference. ⁣
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Here are 5 tips that will help with pushing:⁣
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1. Hold your breath for the whole 10 seconds! Your nurse will count out loud for you to 10 and try to take a big breath in and then HOLD you’re breath as you push. ⁣
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2. Use your hands to hold behind your thighs! You will have two other people supporting your legs back during pushing so you can relax your arms in between contractions. ⁣
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3. If you poop you are pushing successfully👏🏼💩 Honestly, don’t be embarrassed if you poop during pushing, this means are pushing effectively! ⁣
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4. Curl up into your chest! I tell patients to pretend they are doing a crunch for 10 seconds and to hold their breath at the top of the crunch. You can do 3 -10 second crunches right?⁣
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5. If you need to take a break, let your nurse or OB know! They can just wait for the next contraction when you are ready. ⁣
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Any questions about pushing? Some people are the most nervous for pushing but I think it is some of the most empowering moments in the delivery room💪🏼❤️⁣

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the top christmas ball moments pick your favorite

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✨CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY✨⁣
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I wanted to show my gratitude for each of you this Christmas season by doing a little giveaway with @sandyfeet.shop this Christmas! The winner will receive $100 credit to @sandyfeet.shop 🌈 You can choose from the cutest swaddles, binkies, bibs and more!! ⁣
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How to enter:⁣
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🎄 like this photo⁣
🎄tag your mama friends in the comments⁣
🎄follow myself @laborof.love and @sandyfeet.shop ⁣
🎄3 extra entries if you share this post on your story! ⁣
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The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve!! I can’t thank you enough for being apart of this little corner on Instagram. Merry Christmas friends❤️

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The Story of Kennedy’s Birth:
I write this as my one year old daughter is walking all around our house singing. This past year has been very hard but so very worth it with her here.
I developed preeclampsia throughout my pregnancy, so it was safer for baby and I to meet a little earlier than her due date. We started the labor process on a Sunday night and I delivered her Monday night..25 hours later. During the night, I was having contractions and was further dilated, so I received an epidural after the Pitocin was started Monday morning. After a couple of position changes, things progressed pretty quickly and I started pushing at 6pm. Thankfully at the time, I didn’t know the epidural was turned off, so I pushed for almost 3 hours thinking all the pain was a normal part of birth with the epidural. Looking back, I am glad it was off, as I can say I pushed naturally for such a long time, and I truly impressed myself. When Kennedy was born, she came out grey and silent..she wasn’t crying. Everything happened so quickly, but I remember my doctor and nurses acting quick to get the NICU team in the room to work on her. My husband got to cut the cord and we did skin-to-skin for a few moments before they started resuscitating her. While the NICU team was with her, I was scared and screaming to see my baby, so they kept updating me and tried to keep me calm in the middle of all the chaos, while continuing to stitch me up. After about 20 minutes, Kennedy turned pink and started crying so we were able to have more bonding time with her before she went to the NICU.
Postpartum was extremely hard, as I had urinary retention and had to get a Foley catheter inserted after being stitched up down there. So very painful. I’ve always thought of pregnancy and birth as a beautiful, natural process women are blessed with. After my own experience, I am even more amazed with the strength a woman has during birth. I wanted to give up so many times during pushing, I begged for a c section or for her to just “cut me open”, but my birth team kept encouraging me not to give up. They helped me find the strength inside of me that I didn’t even know I had. (Continued in the comments) 💕

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Last Christmas I was 35 weeks pregnant and thought we wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas. Our doctor cleared me last minute and we booked a flight right away to surprise everyone! Their reactions >>>> 🥺🥲😭

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Summer adventures with my people 🌼 We’re on our first ever family roadtrip and it’s been so much fun! In the 6 years Cole and I have been together, we’ve always lived on an island and never had a reason to roadtrip. We visited some family in Utah last week and now we’re driving up the California coast! I love making memories with my boys 🤍

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Dance party with the McLaws!! 😂😂

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Motherhood is a labor of love isn’t it? We are so excited to welcome our first #instagramtakeover with the lovely Addie McLaws of @laborof.love
She’s a labor and delivery nurse who knows the ins and outs of getting your baby here safe and sound! She’s an open book on all things baby, so check out our stories and submit any questions you have for her to address in tomorrow’s takeover.

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