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 »
I will never forget the off-hand comment that changed the course of my life forever. I was sitting in the living room of our first home, holding my fresh, newborn daughter, Willow Grace, just 5 days old. Our labor doula had come to our home for a postpartum visit. We happily discussed how breastfeeding was
It’s Not Everyone’s Dream Birth: Understanding the Emotions of a Fast Labor Continue reading »
Having lived a bit more than a half a century now, I find that one of my favorite words is “seasons.” Maybe because I’m a die-hard Pete Seeger fan and love the way he took words from Ecclesiastes and turned them into a catchy song, most notably made famous by The Byrd’s Turn, Turn, Turn. “There is a
The Season of Motherhood Continue reading »
“At Least You Have a Healthy Baby” – The Hidden Shame of Birth Trauma When you look at the probability of trauma in the course of a woman’s life, the statistics are high. One in three women will experience sexual abuse in her lifetime. One in four women will perceive her birth as traumatic. So,
The Hidden Shame of Birth Trauma Continue reading »
As a doula, childbirth educator, and doula trainer, as well as a mother who started in this business when my children were very young, I know all too well the need to make sure that I take care of myself. So what does that mean exactly? How do we, in one of the most
Doula-ing the Doula Continue reading »
November is the month when most of us begin to focus in on what we are grateful for. It is a month that marks the beginning of the holiday season for many, and while we wish to express gratitude, it can also be a time of intense stress and exhaustion. This can be intensified for
Breathe, Baby, Breathe Continue reading »
As an educator, doula, nurse, or lactation professional, how many times have you heard that birth cures preeclampsia? Is this true? A cure is “a complete or permanent solution or remedy; a recovery or relief from disease” (Merriam-Webster, 2013, para 1). As the following quote details, preeclampsia does not always just disappear with the birth
Preeclampsia: The Cure is Birth, or Is It? Continue reading »
Essential oils: the original medicine. They’ve been around for thousands of years, and recently, they have gained in popularity. It seems like everyone is using them – or at the very least hearing about them. In my own family, we’ve started using essential oils on a daily basis for a wide variety of ailments and have
The Use of Essential Oils and the CAPPA Professional’s Scope of Practice Continue reading »
CAPPA Summary of “Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery” developed by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Read the full document here. An integral part of the CAPPA mission is to support the right of families to make informed decisions about pregnancy, childbirth, the
There are a few pieces of education that can prevent unnecessary supplementation of formula or unintentional weaning. One problem is that many people misinterpret baby behavior. A baby communicates various ways. He uses body language, head movements, hand gestures, and crying as forms of expression. The crying stage is usually what brings on
The Slippery Slope of Supplementation Continue reading »