Tag: doula support
-
Healing From Birth Disappointment
Allowing Grief, Honoring Strength, and Welcoming Grace When birth doesn’t go the way you hoped, it can leave you holding a swirl of emotions—relief, gratitude, sadness, confusion, and sometimes deep grief. You may find yourself replaying the moment things changed, wondering if you made the right call, or asking whether you could have done something…
-
Partner Support During Labor: 5 Tips for a Loving Birth
Back in the day, fathers were usually banned from the labor room until there was a clean and bundled baby ready to show. “A History of Dads in Delivery Rooms” offers a glimpse into this history. Birth was considered “women’s business,” and men had no place. Not so today—fathers and partners are invited, even expected,…
-
First-Time Home Birth: Ella’s Peaceful Journey into Motherhood
Client stories mini-series, Part 3 A rural, spiritually grounded first-time home birth story supported by doula and midwife care Considering a First-Time Home Birth I met Ella after church when she asked to discuss her interest in a first-time home birth. Living in a rural area, she preferred not to use the nearby hospital and…
-
Doula Reflections on Birth and Baptism
The Call to Return There is no greater affirmation of my work as a doula than when a family asks me to return. It is always a joy when I receive a message from a client I’ve worked with in the past. Often, they send an adorable baby picture and a little update on the…
-
What Do You Really Need to Prepare for a Baby? (Part 2)
Previously, I posted about the top three things that a family with a newborn needs: strong support, food for the baby, and food for the grown-ups. Today, I want to complete my list of baby essentials, and you will see it is a lot simpler than many people imagine. I want to help you resist…
-
Want a doula but think you can’t afford it? Tips to make doula support work with any budget
We know that having high-quality doula support can make all the difference to your birth, postpartum, or end-of-life experience, but people sometimes may experience some sticker shock when quoted a price for this care. When you engage a doula, you get a commitment to round-the clock on-call availability, and access to the doula’s investment in…
-
How do I help my loved one in labor? 5 tips for partners
Back in the day, fathers were usually banned from the labor room until there was a clean and bundled baby ready to show. Birth was women’s business, and men had no place. Not so today – fathers are invited, maybe even expected, to be present for the birth of their children. This can lead to…
-
Navigating the unexpected in your labor and birth
I love a good birth plan, and more especially the conversations that go into making a birth plan. For me, birth planning is not about planning every little detail and decision ahead of time, but rather talking about what matters most to you and why. Learning about the choices and scenarios that might occur so…
-
The Knowledge You Pray You’ll Never Need
I just completed my Basic Life Support (BLS) refresher course to keep my certification up-to-date. According to the American Heart Association, more than 7,ooo children suffer from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, and they are even more likely to need rescue breathing or treatment for choking. Time is critical, so having a parent or…
-
What Do You Really Need to Prepare for a Baby?
This weekend I got to participate in Birmingham’s Babypalooza Expo, including taking part in a doula panel with a wonderful team of doulas and providing some information about why and how a person might go about hiring a doula. Making the rounds at the exhibition was exhausting, with over 800 pregnant and new parents and…