Riding the Covid-19 Summer Wave

Three and a half years into the outbreak, SARS-CoV-2, is still circulating, and we are undergoing a summer Covid-19 wave.

Indicators like virus levels in wastewater, emergency room visits, test positivity and hospital admissions are ticking up.

Covid wave summer 2023

Thanks to vaccines, Paxlovid and Metformin, the severity of the disease has lessened and deaths are declining. However, immunity from vaccines and infections wanes over time, so we are still at risk for becoming infected and suffering from long Covid and other serious conditions including blood clots and heart problems.

We must not forget that tens of thousands of people die from Covid and the flu every year. So it’s important to adopt multi-pronged measures to prevent viruses from taking hold, including:

Here are great resources to consult regarding all things Covid and other viruses.

KPFA Radio’s Corona Calls on Mondays at 7:30am PT features Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, who takes questions via call-in during the live broadcast. It’s also a podcast.

Violet Blue’s Huge, FREE covid safety resource list. Violet also has a weekly update on Covid-19 research and news on Thursdays via Substack that always ends with news about her two beloved feline friends.

Your Local Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina‘s current Substack newsletter has good info on antigen (at-home) tests and false positives and what to do if you test positive.

To learn even more, be sure to read the comments from their devoted Substack readers.

Here are the National Institutes of Health guidelines for treatment of Covid-19 in pregnancy and after delivery.

Stay healthy!

 

Birth Coaching in the Age of Coronavirus

Keep Families Together

COVID-19 has changed the world around us; from shelter-in-place and physical distancing measures to one-support person policies in labor and delivery. One thing that has not changed is that I am still here for you and your family.

As we navigate through this uncertain time together, I now offer you and your partner virtual childbirth education and doula services via telehealth video chat platforms like Zoom and Skype.

I am diligently keeping current on public health recommendations and research to understand how to best protect your health, your family’s health, my health and the community’s health and look forward to when we have strategies to reduce or end these shelter-in-place and distance mandates altogether. In the meantime, let’s stay home, wash our hands, avoid touching the face and practice respiratory hygiene, including wearing masks and gloves.

Be safe: Masking on Bernal Hill

Virtual Doula Care includes:

  • 6 hours of prenatal coaching for you and your partner, offered in 3 or 4 sessions via video chat
  • Unlimited phone and/or email consultations to address any of your concerns or questions in pregnancy and birth
  • Help to develop your customized written birth and newborn care plan
  • Postpartum Audit Worksheet to identify community resources for yourself and your baby during the Fourth Trimester
  • Lending library of books and video resources, including delivery to your door
  • On-call service 24 hours a day beginning at your 37th week and up to 2 weeks past your due date or the birth of your baby, whichever comes first
  • Doula toolkit filled with inflatable solar lights, essential oils, massage tools and oil, honey sticks, fan, handouts and snacks
  • Virtual support during labor and birth whether at home and/or hospital or birth center
  • Back-up doula if necessary
  • Facilitating parent/baby skin-to-skin contact and support with breastfeeding initiation
  • Postpartum appointment upon your return home to check on you and baby and offer postnatal resources

Interested in working together? Connect with me here.  Meanwhile, I invite you to experience this Ecotherapeutic Meditation, courtesy of the New York Times. It features scenes and sounds from nature to help your body release the stress of constantly bracing for a disaster.

Come Connect at Doulahood’s Meet & Mingle


Doulas in the ‘hood! Come connect with me and my fellow postpartum doulas this Monday evening at the San Francisco Birth Center. Find out how we nourish and nurture the human being who has become two (or more)! All expectant families are welcome. The event is free and you can RSVP on the Doulahood Facebook page if you like. As a postpartum caregiver, I support you, the birthing parent, the partner and the rest of your family as you navigate the first 6 weeks or so at home with your infant(s).

If you or someone you know seeks doula care, please know that I have both birth and postpartum doula openings this summer, fall and into the New Year. Other opportunities to meet me include the July 13 and August 10 San Francisco Doula Group’s monthly Meet the Doulas gatherings. You may also connect with me via my website contact page.

 

 

Prenatal Partner Yoga & Massage Workshop

Calling all pregnant people and birth partners!  Please join me on Saturday, June 2, from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm for a playful and educational Prenatal Partner Yoga and Massage Workshop at Thriveability Yoga, You and your partner (spouse, significant other, parent, sister or friend) will deepen your connection with baby, enhance your communication skills, and build trust and confidence in preparation for labor and birth. The presence and participation of a birth partner during labor and birth is a powerful aid for the mother during this significant physical, emotional and spiritual transition.

During the first half of the workshop, we will practice yoga positions, breath awareness, relaxation, vocalization and visualization techniques that can be used to encourage labor progress and ease fear and discomfort. In the second half, we will emphasize massage, relaxation and non-verbal communication via touch, including acupressure techniques. Women in any stage of pregnancy and their birth partner are welcome. No yoga experience is necessary. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, eat a light meal before class, bring a snack and a water bottle.

Register by May 28th to pay only $70 per couple. After May 28, the cost is $80 per couple.

Find my other yoga class offerings (prenatal and postnatal) on my yoga class page.

Yoga in West Portal

I am happy to be teaching at Thriveability Yoga & Wellness in West Portal on Thursdays.

Come meet other yoga students at all stages of pregnancy in this safe and supportive environment at the 10:30 a.m. Prenatal Yoga Class. Prepare your body for birth, increase circulation, and reduce pregnancy discomforts through specific prenatal postures, breath work and guided relaxation. The studio also has a Sunday 5 p.m. weekly prenatal yoga class taught by Tonia.

We also offer a 4-week Parent/Baby Postnatal Series from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Thursdays.

I will be teaching the next series starting on March 1. (No class on March 22nd). Safely get back to a yoga practice post-baby, while being in a supportive and caring environment with other parents and their pre-crawling babies. Release tension in the neck, shoulders, back and hips from caring for baby and enjoy safe core work.  Please wait 6-8 weeks postpartum before attending to honor the body’s healing process.

Pre-register by February 26th: $65.
After Feb. 26 registration cost is: $75
Drop-In (Pay in Studio): $20
Class passes or memberships cannot be applied towards the postnatal series.
 

 

Come Spread Your Wings! Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga at The Mindful Body

Summertime and not only is the livin’ easy but it’s time for me to substitute for vacationing yoga instructors!

So, if you’re pregnant or have a baby, please join me on Thursday mornings in August and on the first of September at The Mindful Body for prenatal and parent/baby yoga classes.

Plus, on Wednesday, August 10, I’ll be at the Integral Yoga Institute to sub the 6 p.m. prenatal yoga class. 770 Dolores near 21st Street.

Let’s rise up singing, spread our wings and take to the sky!

The “O” in Doula

OinDoulaWordCloudI was at a birth where the nurse omitted the “o” in the word “doula” on the whiteboard listing the names of the care team. I was listed as the “dula.” It reminded me of my work in public relations where I am careful not to omit the “l” in public! The “o” in doula is vital and powerful. “O” is for:

  • O x y g e n
  • O p e n
  • O p p o r t u n i t y
  • O x y t o c i n
  • O r g a s m
  • O v a l
  • good o u t c o m e s !

Fellow doulas came up with:

"Dula" Sue
“Dula” Sue
  • O o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o (as in moaning)
  • O m (as in meditating)
  • O v a r i e s
  • O p t i m u m
  • “o” r i n g s
  • O p t i m i s t i c
  • O m n i p o t e n t
  • O h B a b y!
  • O u t r a g e o u s l y F A B U L O U S
  • O d d b a l l s ?

What does the “o” in doula mean to you?

UCSF Women’s Hospital to Open on Feast Day of St. Brigid — Patron of Midwives & Mariners

IMG_2710
DoulaSue Shadow Photographer

Mother Nature plays a key role in San Francisco’s new UCSF Mission Bay 36-bed Women’s Hospital, opening February 1.

Maternity room

Natural light pours through the large windows inviting the outdoors inside, adding garden greenery and spacious skies. From a hallway window you can look out to the Pier 70 ship repair yard, San Francisco Bay and the Oakland Hills. Patients can walk outside to the terrace roof gardens designed to reduce storm water runoff and keep pollutants out of the bay.

Pregnant women and partners looking for prenatal yoga will be pleased to know that Giggling Lotus Yoga, where I teach on Saturdays at 1 p.m.  is only 5 blocks away in the Dogpatch. I believe UCSF is the only SF hospital that does not offer prenatal yoga. So come join us!

View of ship yard, bay and Oakland Hills
View of gardens, shipyard and the Oakland Hills

February 1 should be an auspicious opening because it falls on the same day as the Gaelic festival Imbolc which celebrates the coming of spring. Derived from the Old Irish word, “I m bolg,” it means “in the belly” and refers to the pregnancy of ewes. Originally associated with the pagan fire and fertility goddess Brigid, the Imbolc festival later came to honor the Christian St. Brigid, who in Ireland represents the aspect of divine femininity in her role as patron of:

babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle farmers; children whose parents are not married; children whose mothers are mistreated by the children’s fathers; Clan Douglas; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Leinster, mariners; midwives; milkmaids; nuns; poets; the poor; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers and watermen.

Isn’t that perfect considering the history of Potrero Hill and Mission Bay?

IMG_2690Laboring women will enjoy the deep bath tubs and probably be indifferent to the huge “media wall” which, our community tour guide said, offers patients access to education videos, medical records, entertainment, food service and environmental controls. To me it seems like more opportunity for partners and family members to ignore a laboring woman’s emotional and physical needs. Don’t forget that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children younger than 2 not watch any TV or be exposed to screens (smart phones, tablets, etc.)

IMG_2679 copy copy The media wall could work great for playing music, sound recordings of nature, guided relaxations and birth affirmations to help moms relax during labor. The rooms also have a sleeper sofa for family, refrigerator, rocking chair, and wireless Internet. A volunteer doula program will support low-income women in labor. Just like at the Parnassus campus birthing center, nitrous oxide, “a lower-tech alternative to epidural for pain control” is available. Let’s hope they leave behind the photos of Indira Gandhi and Margy Thatcher!

MORE FACTS:

PDF Map of the entire UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay

UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital, 1855 4th Street between 16th and Mariposa.

I could not figure how they count 36 beds for the birthing center. According to the floor plan (see below) there are 12 antepartum rooms, 9 labor & delivery rooms, 9 triage rooms plus 24 postpartum beds. Let me know if you can figure it out.

IMG_2701 copyThe adjacent Children’s Hospital houses the Emergency Room and serves all patients young and old, pregnant or not:

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, 1975 4th Street at the corner of Mariposa. IMG_2772

 

Please share any information you have about the new hospital in the comments box below. May UCSF and the mothers who will be birthing during Imbolc have an easy and smooth transition as they birth themselves into being. Wishing you all of the best. Many blessings from St. Brigid!

What a laboring woman sees when entering the hospital!
What a laboring woman in transition probably sees upon arriving 🙂

Doula Care and World AIDS Day

To mark World AIDS Day I want to spotlight the innovative role that doulas can play in patient care and prevention. Doulas function as community health workers who can join with families, doctors, nurses, advocacy groups, researchers and policymakers to help achieve an AIDS-free generation.

Today, HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence because of improved medical treatments.

Presenting my research at the 2013 Lamaze International Conference in New Orleans
Presenting my research at the 2013 Lamaze International Conference in New Orleans

People living with the virus can have children without transmitting it to their infants. According to the CDC, the number of women with HIV giving birth in the United States has increased by 30%. Women who take antiretroviral medication during pregnancy can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies to less than 1%.

For my public health graduate school culminating experience, I researched evidence-based HIV education methods used by allied health professionals to inform the development of an HIV training curriculum for doulas.

Doulas who receive training in HIV care would be well placed to enhance service delivery to expectant women living with HIV. The continual skilled social, emotional and informational support provided by doulas could greatly optimize the health and well being of expectant women with HIV and their newborns over their life course and help contribute to the elimination of health disparities across generations. Most doula training organizations, however, do not incorporate HIV education into their standard or continuing education curricula.

As professional caregivers, doulas can help increase the mother’s knowledge and understanding of the illness, provide social support, foster trust, and improve retention in care and adherence to treatment.

To learn more, see my project abstract, poster and Power Point presentation.

Morsels from National Breastfeeding Month

We Can Do ItAs National Breastfeeding Month (#NBM14) comes to a close, I’ve decided to serve up a taste of great information that appeared on social media during August.

Here’s a short clip from a forthcoming documentary, “Mother’s Milk, Mother’s Wisdom,” about the difficulty U.S. moms have asking for help in a country that values independence and self-sufficiency. More than 40 years ago, Sesame Street helped normalize breastfeeding in this segment in which Buffy nurses her child and talks with Big Bird about breastfeeding. I wonder if Sesame Street does current episodes that show babies breastfeeding? What about adult TV shows? Have you ever seen any? Let me know, and send the video links, if you can  find them. I would love to post them.

Journalist Kimberly Seals Allers penned a powerful, must-read piece on why Black Breastfeeding Week has everything to do with Ferguson.

MomsRising sponsored a Twitter chat about breastfeeding in the workplace, and I’m quite proud of the blog post on breastfeeding and microfinance I wrote five years ago when I was a KIVA Fellow in Nicaragua.

Finally, back home in San Francisco, mamas should know about these local, in-person resources:

  • La Leche League’s free 24-hour, 7-day a week helpline: 415.320.8116 and its monthly free meetings at Sport’s Basement and the Richmond District Library.
  • Nursing Mothers Counsel offers free classes and a help line.
  • DayOne Baby offers classes and support groups in the north side.
  • Natural Resources has classes and support groups in the Mission.

Yes, you can do it! Especially with lots of help and support! So be sure to ask for it!