CULTURE CLASH Galveston - May/June 2023

CULTURE

CLASH a venue for Galveston’s free thinkers

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Childbirth LETTER FROM PUBLISHER: Spring symbolizes new beginnings and new life. Because of this, the team at Culture Clash Magazine thought this issue was perfect for celebrating childbirth and parents.

For those of us that have been given the opportunity to birth a child, we understand that it is not without potentially serious trials and struggles. Our goal is to offer a positive and representative perspective on childbirth education. Each parent and physician’s story is unique.

We hope this issue offers something that resonates and reinforces the importance of your own journey.

For those that have not yet given birth or supported a loved one on their birth journey, we hope this issue offers you insight into what may come.

With more education and conversation around what to expect and what elements you have control over in your own experience, we know you will be better prepared.

But most of all we hope you read, enjoy and share.

Write us an email or shoot us a comment any time online: CultureClashGalveston.com CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com Janese Maricelli Publisher

ON THE COVER: “Untitled”, textured felt and yarn, by Nicole Rapp.

Nicole is a fiber artist, painter, and designer. Nicole is the mother of a beautiful 22-month-old girl. She now reserves her art for spare time and commissions pieces. See more and contact her at Modelmayhem.com/NRappDesigns

*This magazine is NOT printed on recycled paper or with soy-based inks YET! But we are working on it. Help us get there, advertise or sponsor us!

E-mail for more details CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com.

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table of contents Vol. 6 Issue 4 (May/June2023)

DEPARTMENTS BE A BETTER HUMAN 7

Texas Birth Facts

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Birthing with Intention

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PUBLISHER Janese Maricelli-Thomasson LAYOUT & DESIGN JanMar Agency Corinne Tamayo

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12 Born on the West End EXPRESS YOURSELF 15 My Story

18 A Response and Call to Action

CL AS H magazine

10 Birth Plan

16 Five Surprising Things I Learned During Natural Childbirth

CULTURE

EDITOR Robert Dean • Waldorf Leslie Whaylen CONTRIBUTORS Anna Badoian • Leila Boullion Kayla Bower • Gabby Kroon Jamie Schubert • Christian Walcher Leslie Whaylen MAKE A CONNECTION For ad rates or personalized marketing strategies, call us at 409.502.8221

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19 My Body After Birth

CHECK US OUT CultureClashGalveston.com

COOLTURE

instagram.com/CultureClashMagazine facebook.com/CultureClashMag cultureclashgalveston@gmail.com

24 Juneteenth Events 27 PULSE Calendar

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28 People of Galveston

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GET READY FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!

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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Please mail check payable to Culture Clash 1625 23rd St., • Galveston, TX 77550 In the amount of $24 Note “subscription” in memo line

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Photo Courtesy ofShutterstock

Be A Better Human

CHILDBIRTH IS SEVERELY MISUNDERSTOOD. EDUCATE YOURSELF AND YOUR COMMUNITY.

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Graphic Courtesy of Shutterstock. Photo Courtesy of Unsplash.

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Graphic and Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock

CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Birthing with Intention

BY LESLIE WHAYLEN BEFORE AND DURING MY FIRST PREGNANCY, I HAD MORE FREE TIME AND READ AS MUCH I COULD ABOUT CHILDBIRTH AND PARENTING. My research led to a desire for a calm, gentle, natural childbirth with a midwife. Back then, I lived on a different island that did not have a hospital.

Because so, my aspiration for a home birth was shifted to a birth center in the major city located on the mainland, an hour away. What I wanted was an intervention-free childbirth, but that didn’t happen. After many hours of labor at home, I had an additional 4 hours of labor at the birth center but did not go through transition. Instead, and when birthing my son, a midwife applied fundal pressure, pushing downward at the top of my uterus while bracing her feet against the wall behind her. Visualize Spider Woman. Less than five hours later, I was in the back seat of our car with a newborn in a car seat, headed home.

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Processing my childbirth story revealed where my birth plan got derailed. Because this birth center was very popular, my childbirth and postpartum were rushed. Interventions ensued. Did I have a natural childbirth? Yes. Was it intervention free and what I had planned for a calm, gentle birth? No. But I got another chance and in between, I poured myself into co-founding, writing, and managing The Science Behind the Hippie Mom (Facebook.com/ HippieScienceMama).

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

For my second pregnancy, I found the right midwife who during my first appointment/interview made me feel immediately comfortable and supported, which I considered the most important attributes about the caregiver I wanted to help me birth my child. Sheila, an older black woman with long, black dreadlocks, was not associated with a birth center. She came to women’s homes and vice versa for prenatal and postnatal care.

Sheila arrived by my side (in a warm birthing tub on our living room floor) at 2am, and my daughter was born minutes later. I wish I had known Sheila during my first pregnancy. She assisted me in having the childbirth I wanted, the true form of midwifery. For me, experiencing my birth plan (an intervention-free childbirth) was achieved because I felt super comfortable in the place where I wanted to give birth, my home. And for months, I had planned and prepared my body and mind for a gentle, natural childbirth, something women have been doing for millennia. And lastly, call it what you may, but I now recognize it also needs a little luck/karma/divine intervention/blessing to experience a calm, gentle, natural childbirth.

Sheila

May you and yours experience a caregiver throughout pregnancy and labor who elevates the maternal mama to a platform where she feels comfortable and supported, so that she may experience her birth plan.

Colby Sable

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Birth Plan

BY ANNA BADOIAN

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE PHRASE, “IF YOU WANT TO MAKE GOD LAUGH, TELL HIM YOUR PLANS”? Well, that totally applies to birth. The one thing you can plan on is birth is unpredictable. With that being said, I am a huge advocate of creating a thoughtful Birth Plan and here’s why. Some birth workers might not recommend their clients create birth plans because either the birth plan is never referenced or it is not taken seriously by the attending staff. Even if this happens at your birth, the process of creating the plan is still of great value as it provides an opportunity for you to consider your preferences and options for all possible situations and outcomes. Creating a plan is also an opportunity for you to have important conversations with yourself and your partner. With couples, it is common for assumptions to be made about what the other person wants or believes. The process of creating a birth plan is an ongoing opportunity for communication, clarity and connection. Nine months of pregnancy is an opportunity for nine months of preparation and exploration that should not be missed or taken for granted.

Spend time creating your visions and desires about how you want your birth to unfold. Putting these onto paper is valuable information for choosing what type of care provider would be in alignment with that vision. For example, if one wants an unmedicated vaginal birth, choosing a hospital setting may not be the best place to achieve that outcome.

Other important points to consider are: What are the different birth options in your area? What is the difference between an obstetrician and a midwife? What are the protocols of different hospitals and care providers? Do you want a care provider? Do you imagine birthing in a hospital, birth center or at home? With midwives or perhaps unassisted? Would a doula (birth support professional) be helpful for you? What are the differences in environment and protocol between a hospital setting, birth center and home birth setting?

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Important thoughts to consider while creating a plan are: • What do I actually want and why?

• Do my partner and I want the same things?

• Do we believe the same things?

• What are our options, what do they mean, are they important to us?

• What was our own birth story and how has it shaped our views?

• Is our level of trust and understanding surrounding birth the same?

• What do we know and don’t know?

Graphic Courtesy of Shutterstock

Most obstetricians and midwives offer free consultations, so schedule interviews with multiple care providers to get a clear picture of who is out there, what options they offer and how they suit your needs. Ask lots of questions and be sure to ask for clarity on things that you don’t understand. During the interviews, share your preferences - gauge their reactions and responses. This can give you valuable insight on how their protocols align with your wishes and desires. Remember, you are the customer choosing to hire people to work for you. Be sure to include your newborn into your birth plan. There is a great deal of research correlating the importance of mother/baby bonding and healthy psychological and physiological development. This is especially important during what has been coined “The Golden Hour”; defined as the first hour after birth.

Educate yourself! Gaining knowledge about pregnancy testing, labor and birth interventions and newborn care protocols is helpful in keeping you in the driver’s seat of this journey. Many tests and procedures are simply “routine” and often unnecessary. With prior planning it is easier to opt out of certain procedures if you do not want them for you and/or your newborn. An effective tool to utilize in your process is the BRAIN acronym. (Benefits - Risks - Alternatives - Intuition - Nothing). For example, while considering the option of induction to start labor and how it may fit into your birth plan, run the scenario though this model.

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First, what are the benefits of making this decision now; second, what are the risks involved with the procedure; third, are there alternatives and if so what are they?; fourth, what does my intuition say to do (never underestimate the power of a pregnant person’s intuition); and lastly what happens if I wait and/ or do nothing? This simple tool can help you navigate decisions that are difficult while developing your birth plan as well as when things come up in real time. If you are planning a home birth or birth center birth with midwives, make sure you have a plan in place for the unexpected.

If there is a need for hospital transport it is much better to have explored the possibilities and potentialities of that experience rather than trying to navigate it in the emotion of the moment.

Keep in mind that a birth plan is a living document. It can change and evolve as you do throughout pregnancy. This is your journey, you are in charge! You can change your mind as much as you want.

Remember, a birth plan is a way to educate yourself and prepare for the tremendous and sacred rite of passage that birth is. The more informed you are, the more options you have and the greater your chances at having a positive and empowering birth experience.

Anna Demetra Badoian in a Holistic Care provider in Houston, Texas specializing in Arvigo®Therapy, Structural Integration, Pregnancy+Postpartum Care. She can be contacted through her website annademetra.com.

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Born on the

West End

BY JAMIE SCHUBERT

ON SEPT 26, 1920 IN SEGUIN, TEXAS, MY GRANDFATHER, RENO SCHUBERT, WAS BORN AT HOME. HE WAS DELIVERED BY A MIDWIFE, THE COMMON PRACTICE IN THAT ERA. According to Wikipedia, roughly 100% of babies born in the U.S. in 1900 were born at home. This had diminished to less than 1% by 1955. A reduction in infant and maternal mortality followed the increase in birth rates.

Despite the medical benefits derived from the increase in hospital births, there has been an increasing trend in homebirths this millennium.

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delivered at home, by a midwife, until our daughter Violet was delivered in our bedroom, on the West End of Galveston Island, by a midwife. We had been very interested in homebirth since we found out we were going to have a baby. We searched everywhere we could think of, but could not find a midwife. We became resigned we would have a ‘natural’ childbirth at a hospital, or birthing center in a hospital. This all changed roughly seven months into gestation when my children’s mother, Shauny, overheard a couple of midwives having a conversation at a local restaurant. Shauny immediately began asking questions and just like that, we had midwives! We continued our visits with our OB/GYN and began have pre-birth visits with the midwives as well. Immediately we felt comfortable in their presence and we felt peaceful and confident in their skills, demeanor and abilities.

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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)

Graphic Courtesy of Shutterstock

controlled, Violet was able to lay next to her mother. After a few hours, I walked Violet to her first pediatrician visit. As we knew, she was healthy, vigorous and alert. She glowed.

Shortly thereafter we returned home. Amazingly, our bed was clean and fresh. The second midwife stayed behind and cleaned up after the birth. We settled in as parents.

In early fall 2002, our daughter, Violet Robin was born.

She was born into a house that contained a few waiting relatives including her grandmother. After Violet was born, it took quite a while for Shauny to enter the third stage of labor, delivering the placenta. After she delivered the placenta, Shauny continued to bleed. Our midwives asked if they could pray over her. Even though neither of us are Christian, we both replied “YES, do what you keeps you focused!” We made the decision to take Shauny to the hospital. One of the midwives rode with Shauny in the ambulance and my mom took Violet and me a few minutes behind. Once at the hospital, the staff was insisting Violet needed to be checked in as a patient. I fought back hard and insisted that the medical staff focus on their patient, Shauny, and did not let them take my daughter from my arms. Eventually they gave her the smallest VISITOR wristband and went about their business.

This included letting us know repeatedly that we made a stupid and dangerous decision. Most professions are protective of their markets once they are embedded, this includes the medical profession. Once the bleeding was C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 3

Although that experience was the most exciting and terrifying of our lives, we were confident we made the correct decision to have a homebirth. We felt like we had the biological process planned. We knew that if the biology became a medical situation that we would not hesitate to get to a hospital and that was exactly what we did. The doctors were not able to convince us that we were stupid and dangerous. Our midwives did what they were trained to and once the situation was beyond their capabilities, they leapt into action to get Shauny medical attention.

We remained confident in our decision. So confident that in early winter 2006, our son Cypress was born in the same room and bed Violet was born in. We had the same midwives as they maintained our confidence and comfort.

This birth went as planned and there were no medical issues that required a trip to the hospital. Again, we were surrounded by loving family that this time included an older sister- Violet. She cut his umbilical cord and lovingly held her baby brother. We stayed home with our babies and grew into our family. Cypress’s middle name is Reno.

We had come full circle.

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Express

Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock

Yourself

EVERY BIRTH STORY IS RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT. ESPECIALLY YOURS.

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CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)

BY KAYLA BOWER

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY I HAVE 23 CHILDREN. I have only met two.

My husband and I started our journey to parenthood in 2016 when we embarked on the emotional in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. After hundreds of needles and pills and appointments and procedures, we were finally able to create 23 embryos. The future of a family looked promising. The hard part was over, or so I thought. Our first embryo transfer was a success. I was pregnant! My bloodwork looked great. We went for our first ultrasound appointment, around 7 weeks, and devastatingly saw no heartbeat. A D&C procedure was scheduled for the following week. After allowing ourselves time to grieve, we started the process for another embryo transfer.

Again, pregnant!

I think I held my breath the entire first ultrasound appointment. I was expecting heartbreak, expecting to hear sad news again. But instead, I heard the most beautiful sound, my baby’s heartbeat. Everything was going great this time.

My husband accepted a job opportunity that moved us to New Jersey (NJ). I continued to be monitored by a fertility clinic there, while they sent my results to my doctor here in Texas. At each appointment I got to see my baby grow, and hear that beautiful sound of his heartbeat. It was my 12 week, and last, appointment at the fertility clinic. After this they were releasing me to continue my prenatal care with an OB. As the doctor was analyzing the screen, his face changed. I had seen this look before. I knew what he was about to say. He didn’t see a heartbeat. I had to find a doctor to execute a D&C procedure if I didn’t want to pass the baby naturally. This was surprisingly hard.

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I could only find one OBGYN willing to perform a D&C on me as I wasn’t yet an established patient. I will spare you the details, but unlike my first experience, where I was completely under general anesthesia, this one was performed while I was awake with no anesthesia or pain suppressants. It is still one of the most painful (both physically and psychologically) experiences of my life.

We flew back and forth from NJ to Texas for the next two embryo transfers. The next one did not take, and I did not become pregnant. The fourth attempt was successful, and I was pregnant again! This time I took every precaution.

No soft cheeses, no raw eggs, no caffeine. I followed all the “you probably shouldn’t rules.” It took us a long time to get excited, but the longer the pregnancy progressed the fear of loss became less and less. We finally got to the third trimester and I was overwhelmed with the sense of happiness and excitement to finally get to meet this baby.

It was a snowy morning and we were crossing the Verrazzona Bridge on our way to meet friends for brunch when I started experiencing the most intense cramps I have ever felt. I had no idea I would finally get to meet my daughter the very next morning. This was my fourth pregnancy, but would be the first time I got to hold my baby in my arms. My husband finally convinced me to go to the hospital. We arrived around 11pm. I was already 4cm dilated. Almost immediately I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia which scared me more than the thought of giving birth. Seven long hours later, it was time to push. After all the traumatic years of IVF and the miscarriages, I kept imagining the moment my baby would be born and placed on my chest.

I had envisioned it often.

But immediately after my daughter was born, sirens went off and the room filled with people. She was born with the cord wrapped twice around her neck and she wasn’t breathing. The room was busy but silent. Time stood still. No one moved except for the doctors surrounding my newborn. Everyone was waiting for that little cry. When we finally heard it, it was musical.

It wasn’t how I envisioned becoming a mother, but it was worth every hardship and every pain. We finally had our baby, our Story. Story Elizabeth Bower.

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Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock

Story

My

CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)

FIVE SURPRISING THINGS I LEARNED DURING NATURAL CHILDBIRTH

BY CHRISTEN WALCHER

I HAVE TWO CHILDREN. Both were born naturally, meaning I went into labor spontaneously and did not receive interventions to augment or reduce pain. Both experiences, the first at a hospital and the second at a birth center, were full of surprises that neither the standard mommy-to-be literature nor my healthcare providers had prepared me for.

THE TOILET: A GREAT PLACE TO LABOR

DILATION (OR LACK THEREOF) ISN’T A CRYSTAL BALL

Physiologically, the two events are similar. You’re trying to get a little tunnel of tissue that’s squinched up tight to relax and release so something (big) can come out. Stage fright in the poop world is something we laugh about because it’s a common experience.

Why is this not part of the birthing lexicon? In the labor and delivery department of a teaching hospital where my first child was born, privacy is non-existent. Residents, students, nurses, anesthesiologists (whom I politely dismissed), and my ob-gyn came to ask questions. I hired a doula (birth coach) to manage pain and navigate the hospital birth experience. At her suggestion, I retreated to the toilet for peace and a great brain trick to get those muscles to release.

At my 38-week exam with my first child, my ob-gyn examined me and said, “Wow! You’re three centimeters dilated. You could go into labor at any time. I can’t guarantee I will be available when you go into labor. If you want, we can induce you today and I’ll be there.” I looked her in the eye and said, “Thanks. I like you, but not that much.” I didn’t go into labor for almost two more weeks. With my second child, my water broke 14 hours earlier, and my contractions were close together and painful, so I went to the birth center.

My midwife examined me and declared, “You’re only three centimeters dilated.

You’ll be here for a while.” My daughter was born two hours later.

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There’s a reason female mammals seek a quiet space to give birth. Yes, stress and lack of privacy can cause your brain to release excess levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, inhibiting oxytocin production and slowing labor. But really, birthing is like pooping.

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CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)

The first surprise about unmedicated labor was that I was “in labor” all day with both children, but the pain was minimal until the last few hours.

During Transition, as the second to last stage of labor is called, my contractions were intense and so painful I couldn’t talk. But it didn’t last long, and when the pain was enhanced by an anxious, cold, shaky, about-to-vomit feeling (the brain’s pumping the body full of adrenaline for the final pushing phase), I knew the ride was about to end.

The even greater surprise was that my brain prepared my body for exertion by releasing a hormonal cocktail of oxytocin (the same hormone released during orgasm) and betaendorphins (naturally occurring opiates) during childbirth.

I was in the spirit world.

I didn’t care who was in the room (not even my husband), whether I was in a room at all, that I was naked, or whether that Relaxing Songs for Childbirth playlist I crafted was playing. I shut my eyes and entered a cavernous space in my mind where it was just me and God summoning the strength and determination to tear my body open (and tear it did) so my baby could come out. An outside listener would describe the sounds I uttered—primal, animal sounds— as shrieks of excruciating pain. But they were not. They were coping mechanisms not of my own choosing.

Guttural intonations of my shock and surprise at having felt something completely new. In the movies, the doctor tells the mother when to push.

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I believed I would need to ask my doctor’s permission until I realized: You. Can’t. Not. Push. It’s like telling someone not to vomit.

IT WAS THE BIGGEST TRIP OF MY LIFE As soon as I held my babies in my arms, I got to go on the biggest, highestendorphin ride of my life. Now, I haven’t tried many recreational drugs, so I might be over-promising. But this was better than the best happy hour and orgasmic afterglow I’d experienced. With my second, I sat back in the tub (it was a water birth) with that slippery, fresh baby in my hands, my head arched back, eyes closed, just cackling. The midwife and my mother had to remind me to check whether the baby was a boy or a girl. And when I did, that biggest of life’s surprises (I hadn’t let the 20-week ultrasound spoil this fun) sent me back into uncontrollable laughter. They had to tell me to get out of the tub so the midwife could check my daughter. We were just fine.

My advice to expecting mothers would be to do it on your terms regardless of how you choose to give birth. Listen to and have confidence in your body, and don’t let anyone else’s timeline or agenda rush you into making decisions or being in an environment that will ultimately and ironically slow your birth process. Get where you need to be. Getting to the spirit world for childbirth is a profoundly spiritual experience. You’ll be surprised what a mother’s body can do.

Photos Courtesy of Unsplash

A (SPIRIT) WORLD OF PAIN

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A Response and Call to Action

BY GABBY KROON, PA-C

A c-section is a happy surgery – the only surgery that ends with an additional life.

While we have made significant progress in childbirth outcomes for women in the last century, we still have a long way to go. Maternal mortality rates in the US are significantly higher than those of other high-income countries, with Texas ranking 43rd out of 50 states. In 2020, the CDC reported that 72.7 women per 100,000 deliveries died in Texas, which is higher for black and Hispanic women. Pregnancy is not a benign state, and childbirth is not without risk. It’s a miraculous process, but there are many points during fetal development, gestation, and delivery where things can go wrong.

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As a physician assistant, I swore to do no harm and educate and advocate for my patients. Until last fall, my practice was in obstetrics and gynecology, caring for the women of Galveston and the surrounding areas. While in this role, I did not attend births or manage pregnant women inpatients due to hospital regulations.

I assisted in vaginal deliveries and first assisted in cesarean section (c-section) deliveries. Childbirth is a complex and visceral process with high energy, blood, and guts involved. You either love it or hate it, and I loved helping deliver babies.

I’m saddened by our state in repealing women’s rights and our current lack of control over our bodies. I’m angry and disheartened, unsure if I’ll choose pregnancy in a state and country that fails to protect me, my fellow women, or my future daughter. We must fight for women’s right to choose pregnancy and to improve birthing outcomes for our nation, state, and sex. May those on their pregnancy journey have a safe and happy delivery, and may we work together to birth change for future generations.

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Graphic Courtesy of Shutterstock

I HAD NO PLANS TO WRITE THIS ARTICLE, BUT GIVEN THE RECENT EVENTS OF THE LAST 24 HOURS, I’M COMPELLED. Thanks to a Texas judge suspending the use of the abortion pill mifepristone yesterday, this could result in the revocation of its FDA approval in one week if not challenged, further decreasing access in states that provide abortion care. Abortion care is a necessary right for women, crucial in promoting healthy pregnancies and childbirth.

CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)

My Body After Birth

BY LEILA BOULLION

Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock

TWENTY YEARS AGO I HAD A SCARY BIRTH THAT HAD ME SPEND SOME TIME IN THE ICU. In less than 5 minutes I went from early labor to a scene from “ER” with doctors yelling, 10 people in my room, and a George Clooneyesque doctor I had never met before wheeling me into emergency surgery. I had an emergency C-section (different from a standard C-section). We spent about 3 weeks in the hospital altogether.

I am a trained classical singer and have an intimate relationship with my abdominal muscles. Together with my voice teacher, we were able to get them to respond again after that birth, but after my next birth, that wasn’t the case. When I would try to do a sit-up, my abs would pooch out instead of pull in (which I now know is doming).

I couldn’t voluntarily suck my stomach in at all. I asked doctors, they said it “was normal after birth, give it time”.

This was a real problem for me. I couldn’t sing opera, I couldn’t lift weights, I couldn’t really get back in shape.

But, I was busy with a baby and a 4-year-old, so I grieved, got on with life, and put it on the back burner.

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Fast forward seven years, and there was more time to work on me. I wanted to sing again. I wanted to get in shape and started the loooong journey of getting in touch with my core muscles again. I worked with my brother who is a certified trainer. I asked my doctors again. I worked with my voice teacher who helped me. I asked my chiropractor who seems to understand the whole body. I did research online, which eventually introduced me to something called diastasis recti, something previously unknown to me. I self diagnosed and asked my primary care physician for a referral which she gave with a skeptical look on her face. Then COVID happened. So, just recently I made my first appointment, where my physical therapist who is certified in specializing in the pelvic floor and postpartum confirmed that I do have diastasis recti and it’s probably fixable. I wanted to cry. I told her I couldn’t engage the muscles much at all to do exercises. She said that I was a good candidate for something called dry needling that could re-stimulate the muscles as well as exercises that would start small and increase in difficulty as I progressed.

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CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)

Now, as I lay here on the table and she inserts long needles similar to acupuncture needles into my lower ab muscles, I think about how I got here, and it makes me so mad.

I’m actually outraged on behalf of women everywhere. Why did I have to self diagnose? Why isn’t there more support for women postpartum (it’s a hard time)? Why isn’t this kind of help standard practice? I don’t blame my OBGYN, she is spectacular, I blame the system. Now that I have finally found the help I needed after 15 years, I want to share it! I want to shout it from the rooftops for all women to hear! SO, SISTERS, HERE IT IS, STRAIGHT FROM THE MOUTH OF MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST:

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WHAT DOES A POSTPARTUM PHYSICAL THERAPIST THAT SPECIALIZES IN THE PELVIC FLOOR FOCUS ON? There are so many different diagnoses that we treat. The pelvic floor is a bowl of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis. We can be called Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists (PTs), Pelvic Health PTs, or Pelvic PTs because we specialize in that area of the body, but that area of the body is connected to a lot of different things. It’s not just in isolation, so we look at the whole body.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT YOU SEE IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN? It depends on how the baby was delivered. A lot of times we see any kind of pain, incontinence, or other urinary symptoms like urgency, frequency, difficulty urinating, constipations, weakness of the core or pelvic floor, posturerelated problems because when the baby is growing the posture changes, pain with sex, and diastasis recti.

WHAT ABOUT PROLAPSE? We see prolapse a lot, too.

WHEN DO OBS PRESCRIBE PT FOR THEIR PATIENTS? I would say when they see dysfunction. Every doctor is different. Some doctors believe a little bit more than others in the benefits of PT. HOW SHOULD A WOMAN ADVOCATE FOR HERSELF? Just ask her OB for a PT referral?

Yeah, she can ask her OBGYN, her Primary Care Physician or any MD, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician’s Assistant. They can all make a referral.

WOULD THERE BE ANY HARM IN COMING TO A POSTPARTUM PHYSICAL THERAPIST JUST TO SEE IF YOU NEED HELP AFTER A BIRTH? No. There would be no harm.

SO, THEY SHOULD, IS WHAT YOU’RE SAYING? Yeah, I feel like every Pelvic Floor PT would say that anyone who’s had a baby should at least be evaluated by a Pelvic Floor PT because we feel like we have a lot to give, a lot of tools in our tool box that can be beneficial, but you’ll never know unless you get evaluated.

WHAT ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAD A BABY A LONG TIME AGO BUT NEVER HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY? It would still be beneficial. We can work on all the same things because once you have a baby your body is always postpartum.

TELL ME ABOUT DRY NEEDLING, WHAT IT IS AND WHY YOU USE IT (BY THE WAY, READER, DRY NEEDLING IS OPTIONAL).

Dry needling is essentially a way to reset muscles in the neuromuscular system back to homeostasis, and we can use it for a lot of different things. We’re kind of re-educating muscles that haven’t fired in the way they should in a long time to fire the way they’re supposed to with functional activities, with exercise.

Dry needling is like a monofilament needle inserted into musculature.

I like to hook them up to electrical stimulation so we have the muscles essentially firing. We’re re-educating the muscles to fire the way they’re supposed to.

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Graphic Courtesy of Shutterstock

Types of Diastatis Recti

NORMAL ABDOMEN

DIASTATIS AROUND NAVEL

IS DOMING THE BIGGEST SYMPTOM FOR DIASTASIS RECTI? Essentially diastasis recti is a separation of the linea alba.

The linea alba is the connective tissue fascia that connects all of your abdominal muscles, so it’s in the midline. Diastasis recti is when there’s separation of that tissue, which is common and happens in 97-99% of 3rd trimester women. When that separation doesn’t go back and it persists, it can cause a lot of other dysfunction.

So, coning or doming is poor pressure management of the abdomen. If you have poor intra-abdominal pressure management, it can cause a little dome through that linea alba.

DIASTATIS BELOW NAVEL

SO IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT LOOKS (THE POOCH IN THE BELLY), WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU HAVE DIASTASIS RECTI POSTPARTUM? All of our muscles have a job. Our core muscles are meant to support us and stabilize us. So it’s a problem if you’re not correctly engaging your abdominal muscles, specifically your transverse abdominis, because it has such a huge role in the stability of your trunk and your pelvis, but also how we’re moving our legs and arms. If your core muscles aren’t activating the way they should, other muscles will try to do more and that can create pain/ tension/discomfort in other areas of the body. Like where? Back pain, hip pain, pelvic floor pain or dysfunction, etc.

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DIASTATIS ABOVE NAVEL

OPEN DIASTATIS

WHY DO YOU THINK I HAD TO FIGURE THIS OUT ON MY OWN? In a perfect world every doctor would refer women to PT after they have a baby, but sometimes they don’t. Sometimes if you have symptoms, they say, “That’s normal after having a baby.” I would say postpartum dysfunctions are “common” instead of “normal.” Whatever your symptoms are, they may be common, but you don’t have to just live with them as “normal.”

IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO POSTPARTUM WOMEN WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? I guess I would reiterate that once you have a baby you’re always postpartum, so it’s never too early and it’s never too late for physical therapy.

Sometimes you’ll have symptoms right after delivery or maybe it’s 5 or 10 years later, maybe it’s 20 years later. Having a baby with any kind of delivery is a trauma to the body, but rehabbing it for whatever symptoms you’re presenting with is possible.

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“UNTITLED”

by Nicole Rapp Hand painted design on silk.

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juneteen WED, APRIL 5 - WED, JULY 5 The Blank Slate Monument NIA Cultural Center Rosenberg Library 2310 Sealy Avenue FRI, APRIL 21- SUN, JULY 2 Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School Football in Texas The Bryan Museum 1315 21st Street SUN, JUNE 4 | 6PM Juneteenth Inc. Scholarship Gala Miss Juneteenth Pageant Old Central Cultural Center 2627 Avenue M

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SUN, JUNE 4 - MON, JUNE 19 Various Times Juneteenth & Beyond Guided Tours Juneteenth and Beyond, LLC Old Central Cultural Center 2627 Avenue M WED, JUNE 7 | 7PM 26TH Annual Juneteenth Banquet Old Central Board of Directors Old Central Cultural Center 2627 Avenue M

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th Events SAT, JUNE 10 | 12PM Brown Bag Lecture Series NIA Cultural Center & Rosenburg Library 2310 Sealy Avenue WED, JUNE 14 | 5PM T2nd Annual Success in Business Juneteenth Minority & Women Business Enterprise Empowerment Summit & Government Procurement Fair J. Goodwille Pierre Old Central Cultural Center 2627 Avenue M THURS, JUNE 15 | 10AM Juneteenth Symposium NIA Cultural Center Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawall Boulevard THURS, JUNE 15 | 6:30PM 9TH Annual Juneteenth Gala Old Central Board of Directors Ashton Villa 2328 Broadway Avenue FRI, JUNE 16 | 2PM Juneteenth TEEN Summit Vision Galveston Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawall Boulevard

FRI, JUNE 16 | 7PM Emancipation Gospel Celebration NIA Cultural Center Grand 1894 Opera House 2020 Postoffice Street

SAT, JUNE 17 | 7PM Juneteenth Music Celebration NIA Cultural Center Grand 1894 Opera House 2020 Postoffice Street

SUN, JUNE 18 | 4PM The Galveston Symphony Celebrates Juneteenth Galveston Symphony Grand 1894 Opera House 2020 Postoffice Street

SAT, JUNE 17 | 1PM Juneteenth Festival Lawanda Ward McGuire Dent Recreational Center 2222 28th Street.

SAT, JUNE 17 | 7PM Juneteenth Comedy Festival Frelot Entertainment Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawall Boulevard

SUN, JUNE 18 | 7PM Juneteenth Sneaker Ball Galveston Council of Greeks Moody Gardens Convention 7 Hope Boulevard

SAT, JUNE 17 | 9PM Juneteenth at Club 68 Club 68 3114 Market Street

MON, JUNE 19 | 10AM 44th Annual Al Edwards Juneteenth Celebration Old Central Board of Directors Ashton Villa 2328 Broadway Avenue

SAT, JUNE 17 | 1PM Juneteenth Parade We The People 26th Street & Avenue H SAT, JUNE 17 | 2PM Juneteenth Picnic We The People Wright Cuney Park 718 41st Street SAT, JUNE 17 | 3PM Juneteenth Civic Season Event: “A Slice of History” Smithsonian, University of Pennsylvania, Made by Us Civic Season, Visit Galveston & Rosenberg Library Rosenberg Library 2310 Sealy Avenue

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SUN, JUNE 18 | 11AM Juneteenth Morning Worship Service Reedy Chapel AME Church 2013 Broadway Avenue SUN, JUNE 18 | 2PM Galveston Island Juneteenth Shabach & Vendor Marketplace Lawanda Ward McGuire Dent Recreational Center 2222 28th Street

MON, JUNE 19 | 1PM Juneteenth Family Fun Day! Reedy Chapel AME Church 2013 Broadway Avenue MON, JUNE 19 | 6PM Emancipation March Reedy Chapel AME Church 2013 Broadway Avenue

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GALVESTON, TEXAS IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF JUNETEENTH THE BIRTHPLACE OF JUNETEENTH, GALVESTON ISLAND HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN UNITED STATES AND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY. But the richness of this history goes well beyond celebrating Emancipation. From being home to the first historically African American secondary school and public library in Texas to being the hometown of World Heavyweight Champ Jack Johnson, Galveston has long fought to preserve the knowledge of African American accomplishments and heritage on the island, holding dear the many historic sites and monuments that live on to tell the story.

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CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE IN GALVESTON Live and learn black history with hands-on experiences.

JUNETEENTH PARADE

FAMILY DAY

MUSIC

VISIT THE JUNETEENTH “ABSOLUTE EQUALITY” MURAL The much-anticipated “Absolute Equality” mural, which illustrates the journey of Black Americans out of slavery into freedom, was dedicated during a ceremony on Juneteenth in Galveston in 2021. You can visit this mural anytime at 2201 Strand St. JUNETEENTH AND BEYOND GUIDED TOURS Juneteenth and Beyond is Galveston’s very first African American guided history tour franchise. These guided tours provide visitors with the opportunity to celebrate Galveston’s rich Black history beginning with the Juneteenth story. Tour dates and prices online at: VisitGalveston.com/events/juneteenth-and-beyond-guided-tours/ SELF-GUIDED FREEDOM WALK Two and a half years after US President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger and more than two thousand Federal soldiers arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to make the profound announcement that enslaved people had been freed. Retrace the steps of the Union Soldiers during this incredible day in history.

Download the free map at VisitGalveston.com/blog/take-the-freedom-walk-ingalveston-texas/ C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 3

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SEE ART “OCEAN”

by Nicole Rapp

May - June 2023 Calendar of Events

May LA IZQUIERDA SURF & MUSIC FESTIVAL Fri. May 5th - Sun. May 7th Beach Central, 2100 Seawall Blvd Fri. Locals Night FREE ADMISSION Sat. Music & Surf Contest. Sun. Music all-day Tickets $20 per day

JUNETEENTH BROWN BAG LECTURE SERIES Sat. May 13 | 12pm - 1pm Guest speaker Dr. Michael Hurd will educate and discuss the history of Juneteenth.

The Bryan Museum 1315 21st St. FREE ADMISSION MOTHER’S DAY Sun. May 14th Be good to your mother.

OUT 4 BRUNCH DRAG SHOW Sun May 21 | 2pm-5pm Bar 43 4302 Ave S

WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Email Us. CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com

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June GALVESTON FAMILY BEACH CHALLENGE STEWART BEACH Sun. June 11th | 11am Stewart Beach|201 Seawall Blvd 14 Stations to compete; one-on-one or as a family against another participating family. Pay to play. Register at GalvestonChallenge.com/Registration JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL Sat. June 17th | 1pm-8pm McGuire Dent Recreational Center 2222 28th St Held on the Historical grounds this event will allow lawn chairs but no personal coolers. FREE ADMISSION

Hand-painted and dyed cotton spandex.

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drink up FROZEN MARGARITAS Strawberry, watermelon, raspberry, mango, peach, & prickly pear flavors.

ISLAND TIME 3102 SEAWALL BLVD

ISLAND TIME HAUS OF DOLLS Fri. & Sat. Ongoing | 10pm Island Time Beach Bar 3102 Seawall Blvd Vegas style performances. $5 Cover EMANCIPATION MARCH Mon. June 19th | 6pm-8pm 2013 Broadway Avenue J Take part in the historic reenactment march to the Galveston Courthouse to hear General Order No. 3; declaring “all slaves are free!

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e l p o e p TON

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S E V L A G of

CINDY MONACY BOI Grandmother “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think all of us go in it thinking, ‘we got this.’ Then we feel guilty because we don’t.”

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STORMY SANCHEZ BOI Dad “That was a rollercoaster! It’s an emotional and fantastic ride of your life. Also pack bags with multiple lunches.”

By: Zoe Monacy What is one piece of advice for new parents during childbirth?

MEGHEAN BROWN Mother “For twenty years I was told I couldn’t have children. Then in my late 30s I had the joy to say I/we were expecting our child in October of 2017. I had my mind set on a natural birth. I had been in active labor for 5 days and I honestly had never felt better. My dream of giving birth naturally was thrown out the second they told me my son’s heart rate had dropped. We went in for an emergency C-section within minutes. I realized at that moment, no matter what I wanted, I knew what I needed was to make sure our son was safe.

I’m not telling you this to make you nervous but to prepare yourself for anything at any second during child birth. Trust the team that is there for you and your child. You’ll be exhausted but the superhero will rise out of you for you child because the second they are out and into your arms their world is complete and you are their most important person.

When your body finally allows you to realize what you’ve been through, you’ll feel pain but you need to get up when they say to, but move slow, baby steps. Have your spouse get you your favorite meal afterwards you’ll be hungry. Most importantly when the nursing staff offers to help you, so you can rest before going home, let them! This is the last time you’ll have time alone to sleep without worry. Enjoy and love every look, smile, kiss, and hug you can, because before you know five years will have passed and they are graduating preschool and getting ready to join the big kids school.

Motherhood is beyond a blessing, beyond anything we could have ever imagined, it is truly a gift.”

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