Delaying Cord Clamping
Cutting the cord of a newborn baby has been a hot topic for about 50 years now. There are those in the camp of clamping immediately after vs those who want to wait a minute, a few minutes, or until the pulsing has stopped, and even waiting for the placenta to fall away from the…
Being a Community Doula
While reading an article written by an OB on why she hired a doula for her birth, it got me to thinking about the differences between what I do at the hospital that hired me vs what I do for my clients that hire me directly. In both cases I’m here to serve the birther.…
What to Write on a Birth Plan
Have you heard nurses laughing at birth plans? Have you encountered OB’s tossing them to the side and saying, “No,” to them? Or gone over your ideal birth with a group of pregnant people and had your ideal plan picked apart? But you want to make certain that some things do or do not happen…
Who is the Right Doula for You?
There’s an interesting article written last week on CNN where they interviewed a labor and delivery nurse. The article talks about advocating for yourself in labor and mentions hiring “the right doula for you.” The nurse has a phenomenal approach to individual birth spaces, and I loved her candor when she spoke about having the…
Variation of Normal
There are too many stigmas, way too many ways to judge, and far too many families feeling alone and under qualified, under prepared, and underappreciated. It’s time that we see every healthy, informed choice, not as good or bad, but as a variation of normal. It’s time to learn from one another. It’s time to…
A Thought from a Pediatrician
Dr. Kennell is a pediatrician who saw the changes in birth outcomes, the difference in how births unfold, how babies respond to a supported birther, and decided not only to endorse doulas at births, but to go on to help build an organization to train people in the art of support. The slogan of the…
Birth is Birth
When most doulas get hired for attending a birth, our thoughts are on the birth of a beautiful baby. We don’t anticipate anything other than that. But too often that’s not the case. Some doulas are hired specifically because they have grief and loss training. Other doulas stumble into the role. Still others become doulas…
Odd Labor Tools: The Toilet
Welcome back to the series! This is our fifth and final series of odd labor tools you have around the house that can help with labor! Thanks to a wonderful doula friend at A Caring Doula, TaKiesha Smith, who helped me when I was stumped on what to write about, giving me the idea for…
Odd Labor Tools: Flaxseed Sachet
For these past few weeks, we’ve been discussing unusual labor tools. Household items that you may not immediately associate with coping tools during pregnancy, labor and birth. Installment four is all about the sachet filled with flaxseed! (The reason we’re discussing flaxseed and not rice, or dried corn is that flaxseed retains temperature longer and…
Odd Labor Tools: Twin Sheet
For a few weeks now we’ve been covering the topic of household items made into labor tools. This week’s edition is all about the twin size bedsheet. What does a sheet have to do with pain management? It’s not to mop up the watery mess from your amniotic sac breaking. Let’s get into it! Scenario…
Odd Labor Tools: Combs and Brushes
Starting last week, and continuing for the next few weeks, we’re discussing odd labor tools. Household items that you may not immediately associate with coping tools during labor. This week is combs and brushes! So how do you use a comb or brush? Scenario 1: you’re having an induction and things are slow at progressing.…
Odd Labor Tools: Tennis Ball
We all know about birth tools like affirmations and hip squeezes, birth balls and birth pools, but did you know that regular household items can be used as tools for pain relief? Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share with you some fun and not-so-commonly thought of birth tools in my birth bag.…
Winning as a Doula
The family sat piled high on the sofa and chairs on Sunday morning at 6:00AM EST. There was a match that couldn’t be missed! England vs Spain. Fueled with mimosas for the adults and straight OJ for the kids, all eyes were glued to the television set. For a couple hours all the soccer world…
Birth Bag Essentials
Whether you’re planning a home birth or birthing elsewhere, having your birth bag packed ahead of time is important! Having everything together means you’re not hunting for it during labor, and if you decide to leave your home, you’re already packed, so it’s one less worry. Birth bag essentials include things like: You’ll want several…
Eating During Labor
After having labored several hours with term PROM (prelabor rupture of membranes), Cathy (not her real name) was tired. She wanted to hear that she was close to done. She wanted to be able to push. But more than that, she wanted to eat. She hadn’t had anything in 16 hours! Not since an hour…
News About Respiratory Syncytial Virus
For anyone who has ever had a premature baby, you know the scary threat that looms over our newly home babies, especially in fall and winter months: RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). What seems to be nothing more than a common cold to you or me, but is potentially life threatening to newborns, most especially those…
Prenatal Exercise is Essential
Labor: (1) work, especially hard, physical work. (2) physical or mental effort. (3) the process of childbirth. When we think of labor, we know there are contractions, that most people speak of the pain they feel, but what isn’t really expressed is how childbirth, or labor, is a lot of hard and very intense work!…
Why Hire a Doula?: An Interview
While I, as a mother of 7, understand the need of having a doula present, it isn’t always easy to convince a spouse or partner of the need. Last night I sat down with Mr. DoulaWise and asked him, “What would you tell a new parent is the reason dropping $1000+/- is completely worth it?…
Pregnancy To-Do List
When you’re staring at those two pink lines and your mind starts racing, it may feel like 9 months is a lifetime to wait to meet your new baby. While at the same time it feels like there’s a whole lot of things you need to do, and you need to do it yesterday! In…
The Story of Labor
It’s been a loooooooooong pregnancy. Your brain is exhausted. Your body doesn’t feel like it’s yours anymore. You just want to be done with the stretching and the weight gain and the hormones and the uncomfortable nights and the sleeplessness and the swelling and the restlessness and the peeing every 15 minutes and not seeing…
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