birth doula support

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Hiring a doula is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a safe, satisfying birth.

Doulas make a substantial difference in birth outcomes. According to a large review of data (15,000 births) from the Cochrane Collaboration Pregnancy and Childbirth Group, having a doula results in:

decreased risk of cesarean,

decreased risk of forceps/vacuum delivery, 

decreased use of epidurals and other drugs for pain relief, 

decrease in pitocin augmentation,

significantly shorter labors,

higher APGAR scores,

decreased risk of low birth weight babies,

greater satisfaction reported by birthing people,

greater likelihood of initiating and continuing lactation,

decreased incidence of postpartum depression/anxiety.

Traditionally, birthing people were encircled by supportive elders and community who nurtured the new family in the tender time surrounding the arrival of a baby. Knowledge about birthways and the care of newborns was shared communally, and by grandmothers, mothers, and aunties. Our society has increasingly compartmentalized birth and early parenthood from the rest of our lives, placing authority in the hands of medical specialists and shrouding the power of female (and queer, trans, and nonbinary) bodies in secrecy. As a result, our choices as birthing people have narrowed and our circles of support have disappeared. A doula’s role is to hand knowledge and power back to the birthgiver, to amplify your voice and draw in supportive threads so that you come through birth on your own two feet with ample energy to share with your child.

BEFORE YOUR BIRTH:

Birth is an intimate and vivid day in your life. My intention as your doula is to make you feel supported and safe to go within, bring forth your body’s wisdom, and birth your baby. Prenatally, we’ll have three in-depth meetings, to establish the sort of trust and connection that will allow me to be at your side as a “godsib” (as doulas were once called). Part of each meeting is spent in conversation, to envision your ideal birth and plan for variations. If you have a partner they are encouraged to join. There are many ways I can support you both. Do you need more information in order to clarify your preferences and communicate clearly with your providers? We’ll talk about your hopes and worries and I can guide you toward specific research to address areas of concern. Are you having a hard time wrapping your head around how all this is going to go down? We can do a dress rehearsal, to walk through the stages of labor and birth, to discuss practical details and what you can expect from your particular hospital or midwife. Are there traditions, practices, prayers, or beliefs that hold meaning to you and your family? I would love to help you weave threads from your culture or spirituality into your birth and the time surrounding it. Hiring a doula is an act of faith in yourself, and faith is powerful. When we meet, I already believe in you and your ability to birth your baby. We will spend time burnishing your conviction and honing your focus. We may play with meditation techniques, embodiment techniques, ways of finding calm, rhythm, and breath in birth. Touch is a part of each prenatal session. My bodywork training is in Structural Integration, and I also draw on techniques from Spinning Babies to guide your body and your baby into harmonious relationship. Please read here about my SI practice to learn more about the bodywork that I do with people in the childbearing year.

During pregnancy, I offer unlimited text and phone support. From 38 weeks until the arrival of your baby, I am on call for you 24/7.

BIRTHDAY:

During labor I bring full mindful attention cultivated in years of meditation and t’ai chi practices, to hold space and help you stay peacefully focused. I am there for you continuously, in contrast to nurses and doctors who may come and go. If your partner or other family would like guidance in supporting you, I will amplify their important role by teaching them comfort measures, bolstering their confidence, and taking over mundane tasks so they can be at your side when you need them. I make sure you and your partner both stay nourished and hydrated. I offer simple emotional encouragement and a warm sisterly presence. Touch, movement, and energy work can make labor more pleasurable. Depending on what you feel, I can be very hands on, or I can protect your sense of privacy and space as you and your baby work together. Birth can look so many ways - a quiet and focused birth is no more valuable than a loud, raucous, messy one! Your birth belongs to you. I will help you find rhythms and rituals that feel authentic. If sensations become overwhelming, we may call on somatic awareness imagery or a hypnosis practiced prenatally. Different movements and positions can help keep labor moving along smoothly and make space for the baby to descend. In almost every case, your body will instinctively know what to do and I will follow your lead. In the midst of challenging developments, I will do my utmost to provide you with unbiased, up-to-date information, to help you understand your options in order to make the best choice for yourself and your family. I have experiential knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, and possible complications of birth, as well as the risks and benefits of various medical interventions. I believe strongly in reproductive freedoms and bodily freedoms. I honor any and all choices parents make for pain relief or the safety of baby or birthgiver, whether suggested by a doctor, midwife, or your own instict. I have experience with home birth, medicated and unmedicated hospital birth, cesarean birth, VBAC, and multiples.

EARLY DAYS WITH YOUR BABY:

Postpartum, I will make two visits to your home, during which you’ll get to practice allowing yourself to be taken care of. We’ll share and remember your birth story, talk about your connection to your baby, perhaps drink a cup of tea. I’d happily do your dishes, be with your baby while you shower, or teach you some nifty ways to wear your baby in a wrap. I’ll bring you a special sitz bath with healing and astringent herbs grown in my garden. If you’re feeding the baby with your body, we’ll evaluate and make adjustments. I am trained in lactation and I’m passionate about helping parents feed babies. If you are bottle feeding, there’s also much to learn and I will support you unconditionally. We’ll talk about sleep, anxiety, depression. I’ll offer resources. We can discuss how to make co-parenting more equitable, which can be a challenge if you are nursing and managing night wakings. If you would like to receive bodywork during these two postpartum visits, it can be extremely integrative and restorative in the weeks after birth. The intention in my hands will be to listen to what emerges, following tides and waves of energy rippling out from your body’s memory of birth. If it feels right to you, we might do a small ritual borrowed from my Welsh ancestors, for closure, protection, and blessing. All births are sacred transitions. It is my great honor to be alongside you as you bravely step into your new life.