I remember the very first time that I held a newborn baby. I remember the sensation in my heart as I held her like a fragile tea cup. I was a young and wide-eyed first year nursing student assigned to teaching newborn care. I was invited to hold her while listening to her mother share […]
Self-Compassion: “We Were All Babies Once” Continue reading »
One of my favorite things for me as a labour doula, labour doula trainer and a childbirth educator is to help prepare them with tools to build confidence and strength as they head through their journey of pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond. When I can have the time with them to dig deeper, that’s great
Preparing For Your New Baby Continue reading »
Did you know there are four types of responses to stressful events? Most of us are familiar with the Fight or Flight response, but there are two others that many people experience as well. Those are Freeze and Fawn. Helping our clients (and their support partner) understand how they might react can be very beneficial—not
Helping Our Clients: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Stress Responses Continue reading »
I’ve seen many internet posts recently on doula support platforms, discussing how doulas should deal with clients who make choices contrary to individual beliefs or strong biases. Topics such as circumcision, religious rituals, marijuana, and alcohol use are often the source of conflict in these posts. As I read through the MANY responses I was
Working with Your Beliefs and Biases Continue reading »
What comes to mind when you think of childbirth classes? Women and their birth partners sitting around in a semi-circle listening for two hours while someone drones on and on about how birth unfolds? One evening a week for a few hours? Or the new one-day exhausting eight or nine hour marathon class? A few
Challenges of the Childbirth Educator in a Hurry Up World Continue reading »
Doulas are unique, talented and knowledgeable; holding space for families and walking with them as they meet their babies. What an incredible honor! Doulas also have the opportunity to be the perfect guide as providers begin to adjust to the new recommendations from ACOG. But just how do we get there? The American College of
Active Labor’s Move from 4 to 6: Benefits & Signposts Continue reading »
Anesthesia was first used for birth in 1847, 171 years, or roughly seven generations ago. In response to this, Grantly Dick-Read coined the term natural childbirth in the 1940’s. Before that it was just called birth, like organic food was just called food before Lord Northbourne coined the term organic around the same time. Natural
The Why and What of Natural Childbirth Continue reading »
They say that experience is the best teacher. However, another person’s experience can be an even better teacher. That is the idea behind the collection of doula experiences by CAPPA Faculty Member Julie Brill, CCCE, CLD in her book, Round the Circle: Doulas Share Their Experiences. The title gives a great glimpse into what the
A Book Review – Round the Circle: Doulas Share Their Experiences Continue reading »
At the CAPPA Destin conference in 2016 I was honored to speak about my work with pregnancy and addiction as a nurse in a speech entitled, “You are not alone-Perinatal Addiction and Neonatal Abstinence”. The first story I originally planned to share at the conference was a story about my client Kelly B, a story
A Heartwarming Update Too Good Not to Share Continue reading »
Happy New Year! It seems like this is a natural time to re-evaluate aspects of life and set new goals personally and professionally. There are many ways people accomplish this task. Some individuals like to announce resolutions or come up with a word for the year. Others tend to be more list oriented and use
Create a Treasure Map for 2018 Continue reading »