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 »
Is it possible to plan a birth? Does creating a birth plan lead to disappointment and feelings of failure if the birth doesn’t follow the intended path? What happens if everything changes during labor? We all know that unexpected things happen in labor, right? And most people agree that “healthy mom, healthy baby” is the
Birth Plans – Tool or Terror? Continue reading »
When women become Mothers, there is great expectation about our ability to care for, nurture, protect and respond to our babies and children. There may even be an assumption that we all know how to do this. It’s in our DNA, right? When I work with Moms on day 2 or 3 postpartum; parenting toddlers, school-aged
Am I A Good Mom? 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 »
2017 was quite a year in my community. We survived the costliest natural disaster in US history, Hurricane Harvey. Many birth professionals in our community lost everything in either their homes or from their practices or both. My storm experience involved watching the waters rise up our driveway to a level never seen since the
Harvey and the Help Averse Continue reading »
There is great importance in partners understanding the “why’s” and “how’s” of supporting the mom during labor and birth. As a childbirth educator, how do you prepare (educate) the expectant mother’s life partner for labor and birth? I have been teaching birth preparation classes for almost two decades, and for many of these years, I
The Importance of Educating Dads/Partners Continue reading »
Do you have a professional village? School teachers have the teacher’s lounge and department meetings. Office staff have the boardroom and water cooler. Athletes have the locker room and team meetings. But as perinatal professionals, we often work in isolation from our peers. Rarely do we have the opportunity to meet on the job or
Finding Your Professional Village Continue reading »
Cultivating a successful career as a doula begins with cultivating yourself as person, first and foremost. You started this awakening process by signing up for your initial certification course, congratulations, the fire is now lit! Perhaps the call to become a doula came loudly, or maybe it was a whisper. Regardless, there was something that
Give, Learn, Get; Your Professional Roadmap Continue reading »
Being a good listener is one of the most crucial skills a postpartum doula will utilize. Although many of our clients won’t hire us just because they are looking for a good listener, time and again my clients have noted feeling validated, heard, and understood in testimonials. Thankfully, it’s a skill that can actually be
Three Techniques to Try if you Want to be a Better Listener Continue reading »