Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 8

8A DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE "MONDAY. AUGUST 30, 1999 Sheen For more information For details on the video and audio tapes of Bishop Sheen, call 232-1150. with Sheen on a visit to Florida as the guest of the late comedian Jackie Gleason. "But you would never know from his behavior he was as famous as he was and that those piercing eyes had moved millions," Hogan says. "He was very prayerful, very kind.

He loved the poor and worried about those in the inner city. I don't think anyone has ever taken his place in America with his ability to connect with people and excite them with the gospel. He would be happy that his work is being kept alive." McDonnell says he may never see a big profit from the tapes or even recoup his investment, but he says that was never his primary goal. "I really would like to see these wonderful stories he told live again, the wonderful message heard again," he says. "That life is worth living and that we can all do it together." itual leader of the diocese in Rochester.

Sheen retired after serving three years. He was then given the title of archbishop of Newport. He died in 1979 at age 84. "When the news was released that Fulton J. Sheen had been appointed bishop of Rochester, the nabobs of Manhattan's communications arts were frankly displeased," wrote the Rev.

Robert McNamara, diocesan historian, in his history of the diocese. "Why should the Holy Father have taken America's best-known bishop away from New York, the business and communications center of the nation, and have him sent upstate to a 'microscopic' see?" Sheen threw himself into his new role but never lost his love of life in the Big Apple, teaching and preaching, or the famous people he met along the way. The Rev. Mike Hogan, a local priest who served as Sheen's priest secretary, recalls being swept away Joseph Campanella and Cameron Mitchell have done voice-overs to set the stage for Sheen's videos. McDonnell also is hoping to involve younger stars, such as singers Celine Dion and Gloria Estefan, whose participation might attract a younger set.

Much of McDonnell's time and money, with help from other Sheen admirers, has been spent in trying to make 1950s technology, which brought Sheen into America's living rooms, presentable in 1999. Cameras used nearly a half-century ago were primitive compared with today's. McDonnell says he has spent "thousands" to have the broadcasts many in color, most in black and white restored by experts using digital technology. For the most part, Sheen's talks were more philosophical than religious and, when religious, more ecumenical than steeped in Roman Catholic doctrine, say McDonnell 1 1 y' Picking a doula To find a doula, call 922-5465 locally or contact Doulas of North America at (206) 324-5440. To find the right doula for you, the group suggests you ask the prosepctive doula: What training have you had? What is your philosophy of childbirth? How many births have you assisted? Can you provide references? Can I call you with any questions before and after the birth? think a doula is necessary if a couple attend childbirth classes and have an experienced labor nurse.

At Rochester General, she said, nurses perform many of the same tasks as doulas. But Willsey said that her one experience working alongside a doula was positive. A mom-to-be and her doula cement their relationship weeks before labor, usually meeting two or more times to become acquainted and draw up a birthing plan. This document can cover such issues as whether the mother wants pain medication and whether dad will cut the umbilical cord. The birthing team Once labor begins, the doula usually goes to the woman's home.

Smith employs a whole "bag of tricks" to help her moms-to-be through contractions. There is the ANDREA MELENDEZ staff plmtographci Comforting hands Doula Sue Payne massages Jodi Aman to relax her during contractions as husband Ted helps Jodi with her breathing. The number of doulas has mushroomed since 1992. slow dance, from foot to foot. She also has women rock in a chair or on a large "birthing" ball.

"All that movement helps to slowly guide the baby through the pelvis," she explained. At the hospital, she helps the woman in and out of the whirlpool bath and keeps her well supplied with water and ice chips. "There's a lot of touch," Smith said. "Sometimes it's just holding a hand or applying pressure to two sides of the hip bones." To increase her effectiveness, Smith has taken courses in massage and acupressure. She also uses visualization techniques.

"One woman talked about a walk she took on her honeymoon," she recalled. "I told her, 'Go inside yourself and take that walk and go Teamwork It's 9 p.m. on a hot Friday night in August, and Jodi Aman's contractions, which began several hours ago, are now about five minutes apart. She sits in a dimly lighted room in her Rochester home, rolling back and forth on a birthing ball. Ted Aman sits directly behind her, Payne in front.

As a contraction hits, Jodi buries her head on Payne's shoulder. Ted rubs her back, while the doula strokes her arms. "You really can relieve the pain," Payne says soothingly. "You can work with it." Aman's labor progresses slowly. Arriving at the hospital Saturday morning, Aman's mood plummets mm K.M HI I'M VR-J I ADA File photo Advice The inspiration of Bishop Fulton J.

Sheen, who pioneered TV evangelism in the 1950s, is being resurrected through video and audio tapes. when she learns she is only 3 centimeters dilated. Pushing begins at 10 centimeters. An ultrasound reveals the problem: the Amans' son is faced the wrong way, preventing his head from engaging directly in the pelvis. After trying different positions and an epidural to relax, Aman makes the difficult decision to have a Cesarean section.

In the morning, a healthy Leo Joseph is born, weighing in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces. A week after the birth, the Amans sit in their Rochester home admiring their sleeping son. They are full of praise for their doula. Ted Aman said she advocated for the couple, asking medical questions they had not thought of. "She was kind of Jodi's voice." It was when Aman was at her lowest when she received the news that a C-section was likely that she felt closest to the doula.

"I was crying and saying, 'I can't cope recalled Aman. "Sue said, 'I wish I could take some of your pain She was in complete empathy with me at that point." Labor had not gone quite the way Aman had imagined. She had needed medical interventions and could not hold her son immediately after birth. But without hesitation, the new mother said she would hire a doula again. Payne's greatest contribution, said Aman, was "just being there, especially when things got hard." CLFKLJHD INDIANS HIV iKiiuiiiiK li.WDV I ii IHHI Kl 111 FROM PAGE 1A "There are millions of young people and children of that time who would benefit by hearing what he had to say about life and living." McDonnell has formed and is president of the Fulton J.

Sheen Co. on State Street, operating from a small office crammed with boxes of video and audio tapes ready for shipping. Retail prices will vary. One tape, a Sheen collection on Irish wit and wisdom, has sold 150,000 copies after national ads. McDonnell, who attends St.

Louis Church, Pittsford, has been granted exclusive license to market the tapes. He says he will donate at least 20 percent of the proceeds to charity. Longtime Hollywood actors Doula FROM PAGE 1A may change shifts several times during one labor, the doula is a steady presence. After delivery, doulas offer advice on breastfeeding and sometimes assist mothers at home with their newborns. Local women's health experts say the doula program is the latest sign that hospitals are taking the needs of obstetric patients more seriously.

"There are so many more options than a few years ago birthing rooms, birthing chairs, whirlpools," said Cheryl Silberman, a nurse practitioner at the Anthony Jordan Health Center. "The more choices open to women, the better," agreed Bonnie Bohme, regional director of clinical services for Planned Parenthood. But the move may also be a bid to woo a shrinking pool of maternity patients. In Monroe County, about 3,000 fewer babies were born in hospitals last year than in 1990. In part, this is because the number of women of childbearing age has decreased.

But couples also are having fewer children, and the teen pregnancy rate has fallen. Since April, the Doulas of Via-Health group has assisted 25 births at Rochester General and Genesee hospitals. Sherry Sugrue Smith, the doula who oversees the program, says it's the first time local hospitals have recognized the profession as part of their obstetric teams. The two hospitals have established a fund to pay the $300 doula fee for women with a family of four living on an income of $25,000 or less. Insurance does not cover the service.

Strong Health and Unity Health System the other two major hospital systems here say they are not considering doulas. About 5,000 trained doulas practice in the United States, and the number is growing. Membership in Doulas of North America, an international association, has mushroomed from 200 in 1992 to 2,700 in 1999. And the doula association makes 500 referrals monthly. To become certified, a doula must take a three-day course.

She must also assist at three births and receive favorable evaluations from Thy and others who remember them. Sheen's show titles seem timely now: Are We More Neurotic Teens, Why Work is Boring, Angels and Stop the World, I Want to Get On, among others. He often would receive more than 10,000 letters a week a third from non-Catholics. Sheen's weekly show faded away in the late 1950s, although he would appear on TV occasionally for years afterward. "I think he just had done his best stuff and didn't want to repeat himself," says McDonnell, who grew up in awe of the bishop and later became a friend.

In October 1966, at age 70, Sheen was chosen by Pope Paul VI as spir said he did feel somewhat left out when his wife responded more to Payne's touch and words of encouragement. "But you have to look at the big picture," he said. "I didn't feel that way the whole time." Payne, 32, says she tries to be there for both partners. It was her own childbirth experiences that led her to become a doula. When Payne, who lives in Greece, gave birth to her first child, her labor in the hos pital lasted 14 hours, and most of that time she and her husband were alone.

"We took childbirth classes, but he was expected to do an awful lot that day, and it was hard for him," she said. Smith says she takes her cue from the couple. "If I see they are working just fine together, I fade into the background I'll go get the father food or fill the water for the Jacuzzi." But many times, she said, the father looks to her for advice. "It's a lot to expect a man to be everything you need him to be after six one-hour (childbirth) classes." Nor does the doula try to replace the nurse or midwife, said Smith, a mother of five. Dianna Willsey, who has been an obstetric nurse at Rochester General for many years, says she does not JUt-1 -vW Km4 MM Rug Dfpt only 1 a doctors, nurses and patients.

An ancient practice The work of the doula is actually a return to a centuries-old practice of women helping one another give birth. During the natural childbirth movement of the 1960s, more women began choosing midwives and labor without pain medication. Fathers were expected not only to be in the delivery room but to serve as birthing coaches. But that's not a role all men excel at, said Silberman. "Most men do really well in labor and delivery and are thrilled to be there, but some women just want to be sure there is additional support." And it's not always easy for husbands to remain calm, said Dr.

Robert Tatelbaum, chief of obstet-rics-gynecology at Genesee Hospital. "A husband can get upset because he's getting involved in the woman's pain and begin losing touch with what he can do to help her get through it," said Tatelbaum, who recommends doulas for first-time parents or those anxious about childbirth. But some fathers balk at hiring doulas, concerned they will be sidelined at the big event. Ted Aman a 1 i (. 'iHUMOATmmi Sj 1 III II I i MAHKM.l.MIKI V'j (IKE.VADA j(UEVhA Teds' -ri fe; I s.Jir Wv (iKE.VADA (iKE.VADA MW tin at km miiwaeamvMW a Baseball's Most Amazing Collectible Found! Incredible Postage Stamps Honor McGwire, Ripken and Rose 1111 1 J-Jmmim.

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