For the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the planning committee for a community event: The Birth and Family Wellness Fair. This fair promotes holistic family health and birthing options. I have seen the positive effects this event has in our community and urge others to sponsor or support events like these in their areas. I worked with […]
Make the Connections Continue reading »
An increasing number of hospitals in the United States are offering nitrous oxide to women in labor since the FDA approved new equipment for use in labor in 2011. Among other things, a hospital is a business competing with neighboring hospitals for customers. If they get you to come there to birth, you could become
Nitrous Oxide in Labor and the Precautionary Principle Continue reading »
Your Cervix is Not a Crystal Ball While a cervical exam can offer a great snapshot of what’s happening right now, it’s not necessarily the best indicator of what may come. Neither is it really a great indicator of progress that’s already been made. It’s really just one small piece of a much bigger picture! Trust
Stuff Your Doula Says Continue reading »
When I first started working as a doula, I worried about what to do in my prenatal visits with families. Your prenatal visits are a place for you and your clients to get to know each other, build trust and begin to see you as a resource for their experience. You will also be demonstrating
The Value of Prenatal Visits Continue reading »
Birth can be a little unpredictable to say the least! If you work in this field long enough, you are sure to accumulate a few strange, crazy, and even hilarious stories along the way. At times, a birth experience may seem like an episode from “Who’s Line is it Anyway?”, an improv comedy game show
Who’s Birth is it Anyway? Continue reading »
Over the years, I have graciously and humbly watched my practice and experience grow and change. A decade ago I was flourishing as a private practice Labor doula and childbirth educator for clients fortunate enough to pay for such birth services. Today, I work with young women who have multiple struggles every day, from poverty
Connect More Continue reading »
We have all learned and become very educated about the importance of the first hour after birth, skin-to-skin contact, infant regulation, breastfeeding, etc. We know that infants who are allowed skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth for at least an hour are better breastfeeders. But does every baby become a better breastfeeder because of this practice?
A Preventative Approach to Early Breastfeeding Continue reading »
Recently, I was felled for 48 hours by a flu-like virus. Body aches, fever, cough. The works. One morning, my ten-year-old daughter asked me, “Mom, what’s it called when someone is sick, and you wish you were sick instead of them?” “That’s called empathy, sweetie,” I replied in a fog as I reached for my
A Bad Case of Empathy Continue reading »
You get the questions too, right? “Oh, you should talk to Kimberly, she is one of those lactation (or doula) people.” These questions come my way not just from moms but also from within the birth world about becoming a lactation consult vs a doula vs an educator. What role is right for each person,
2017…Is This Your Year to Add a New Role? Continue reading »
Recently, I was invited to present the Certified Lactation Educator Training at a state-of-the-art educational facility that was equipped with all the “bells and whistles.” The equipment was intimidating and resembled something I had seen recently while watching a futuristic, sci-fi movie. The retracting screen was the only equipment I was vaguely familiar with. Fortunately,
Who is Our Target Audience? Breastfeeding as a Universal Topic Continue reading »