Finally there is a resource out there for papas, The Other Side Of The Glass.
The link is a trailer for a film that will hopefully come out in 2009. It looks quite promising, especially if there are resources offered for healing birth trauma.
Babies are active participants in their birth. They are thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling spiritual beings completely present in the here and now of their birth. To be in the presence of a newborn is holy. Especially when I sit back and observe.
Let the baby enter this world peacefully & gently, nestled close to mama and papa, attached to the placenta with the cord intact. While receiving the blood that is pulsing through the cord and skin to skin with mama and papa, the baby will have all he/she needs; warmth, breath and love.
If extra breath is needed, it can be given right there in mama's arms.
Routine suctioning is no longer recommended and hasn't been since 2005.
Here is a quote from the American Academy of Pediatrics journal:
Aspiration of meconium before delivery, during birth, or during resuscitation can cause severe aspiration pneumonia. One obstetrical technique to try to decrease aspiration has been to suction meconium from the infant's airway after delivery of the head but before delivery of the shoulders (intrapartum suctioning). Although some studies (LOE 315–17) suggested that intrapartum suctioning might be effective for decreasing the risk of aspiration syndrome, subsequent evidence from a large multicenter randomized trial (LOE 1)18did not show such an effect. Therefore, current recommendations no longer advise routine intrapartum oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal suctioning for infants born to mothers with meconium staining of amniotic fluid (Class I). Traditional teaching (LOE 5)19–21recommended that meconium-stained infants have endotracheal intubation immediately following birth and that suction be applied to the endotracheal tube as it is withdrawn. Randomized, controlled trials (LOE 1)15,22have shown that this practice offers no benefit if the infant is vigorous (Class I). A vigorous infant is defined as one who has strong respiratory efforts, good muscle tone, and a heart rate >100 beats per minute (bpm). Endotracheal suctioning for infants who are not vigorous should be performed immediately after birth (Class Indeterminate).
Here is a direct link to the Lancet article on suctioning.
