The Benefits of Hiring a Doula: Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey
Hiring a Kansas City Doula can have numerous benefits for individuals and families as they navigate the journey into parenthood. From continuous support and advocacy to emotional and physical assistance, doulas play a vital role in enhancing the birthing experience.
Social Media and the idea of an Ideal Birth
Social media places an enormous amount of pressure on parents during pregnancy and it never lets up. It is relentless and pervasive and is forever telling us that we are not good enough, we do not do enough, and we will never be enough, and it is consuming us all. When I hear women say “I am so disappointed in myself for needing an epidural” or “I feel like I have failed because I needed a c-section” it absolutely breaks my heart. To look into the tear-filled eyes of a person who has been brave and vulnerable, and so very strong, and know that they feel inadequate because of this pressure, is not ok.
Ingredients for a “Good Birth”
In recent years there has been a lot of pressure placed on people giving birth to have a very specific type of birth experience. Natural births or unmedicated births seem to be the only births praised in mom groups and on birth blogs. I do support an enormous amount of deliveries that are unmedicated and have minimal interventions, but those births are not the only ones worthy of the title of “good births”.
Babyshower Gift Idea
What to get someone for their baby shower can be challenging. I know there are gift registries these days but as a mother of four myself, I know that half the items on most registries never get used. How can you get them something unique and creative that they will absolutely use? Because seriously how many blankets can one baby need?
Childbirth Education for Doula Clients
When planning for your birth many people seem to think it is an “either/or” approach to choosing doula support and childbirth education. However, if the goal is to have an empowered and informed birth experience, then adding as much value to your birth as possible is the way to go. Being prepared for your birth is essential. When you are in labor it is not the time to figure out how to have a baby.
Ways to Add Safety to your Birth
Giving birth during a pandemic is a part of no one's plan. Zero. We're creeping into September, and for those people who have been home now for months, there was some faint hope that hospital policies would maybe be back to normal by this point, or maybe soonish. Some hospitals are welcoming doulas back in, but not all Kansas City hospitals are, and with numbers still rising there is no guarantee that things will look “normal” anytime soon. So here we are. Now it's time to look at how you can begin to feel safe and supported at a hospital birth during COVID-19.
Delivering in a Global Pandemic
People having babies right now could never have imagined they would become parents during a global pandemic. It is an extreme circumstance that has tested our nerves, support systems, and survival instincts.
Choosing a Homebirth
Across the country, pregnant people are entertaining an idea they might never have considered before COVID-19: the possibility of giving birth at home. This post is not for those who have always dreamed of having a home birth (as you have likely already considered all of these things), but more for those who are just recently considering home birth as an option.
The Role of Grief in Birth
From afar, birth is joyous, miraculous, and full of hope. It is the renewal of life- the start of an entirely new person who will have unique experiences. It can feel that way for those experiencing it too, but it is more. Birth taps into a deep well of emotions not typically accessible in the day-to-day. The vulnerability needed to trust a team of professionals to help you at a cornerstone moment in your life leaves a family feeling raw and exposed. It does not mend quickly. The tenderness is a gift of sorts. This a reminder to go slow. An awareness of a new kind of healing.
Racism and Discrimination in Maternal Health: What Can You Do?
The American Academy of Pediatrics made a bold statement last fall about racism in the United States, and has admitted that it should be treated as a "socially transmitted disease." The disease is showing itself by way of chronic stress and is connected to many health problems. Research from 10 years ago linked racism and discrimination to low birth weight in African American populations. More and more connections are being made to widespread institutionalized racism during pregnancy and childbirth, and well-known women of color, like Serena Williams and Beyonce, are giving the problem a recognizable face. Racism is not new news, but it is starting to be taken seriously in the birth world.
Preparing for Birth with PTSD
We have long recognized that through discomfort and adversity we are given the opportunity to transform and grow. Birth is classified as a normative crisis in a female's life and requires giving up their identity and assimilating another. Add to that the hard fact that there is "little professional or public literature which agrees on the psychological symptoms women experience" during childbirth. I would say all birth has some level of trauma. Whether that trauma is transformed into stress or growth has a lot to do with how supported you felt as a birthing individual.
Nitrous Oxide for Kansas City Births!
In 2019, Nitrous Oxide became available in Kansas City to laboring people at Research Medical Center (HCA Midwest Health) and Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The addition has been a part of a resurgence of availability across the country that started in 2014. While Nitrous Oxide or “laughing gas” has been readily available in delivery rooms in the UK, Canada, and Australia for over a century, the US was slow to have it be a part of our pain management options.
Do Doulas Work With Epidurals?
There is a misconception out there, and it just won't go away. And it's this: if you hire a doula to be at your birth, they won't let you get an epidural. And it's just not true. As your doula, it is my job to help you feel comfortable and informed. Since 70% of births in the US choose to include an epidural, supporting clients with epidurals is a big part of what I do.
Understanding Your Due Date
As a Kansas City birth doula, I spend a significant amount of time talking about pregnancy due dates. I take a limited number of doula clients per month. When determining my availability for your birth, your actual due date is pretty irrelevant to me. I take clients based on their birth month rather than their actual due date. Most people find this information shocking! I would love to explain why I determine my availability the way I do, but first, let’s talk about when you are actually due.
How the Mind-Body Connection Affects Your Birth
I would love to talk a little bit about the mind-body connection during childbirth and how as your doula I can use this connection to support your best birth. In this post I will talk a little bit about a few of the essential hormones needed during childbirth and how we can both encourage and understand them:
The Weeks Before Birth
The last few weeks before the birth of your child is often considered the most challenging of your entire pregnancy. It is the time between who you once were, and who you are about to become. By this time you have already decorated the nursery, packed your bag for the hospital, loaded your freezer with meals, washed all of your new baby clothes, and are just waiting… and waiting… and waiting.
Labor Induction
As a doula, I typically support hospital births. It is never my goal to tell you what type of birth is best, it is to give you information so that YOU can choose the right birth for you. Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions from my clients about inductions. I found that even clients who have chosen to take Childbirth Education classes to prepare for their birth are still unsure about what an induction is, or how it could affect their birth plan.
Choosing Birth Photography
Birth Photography is fairly new to the photography scene. When people think about the times when they want to capture their memories for a lifetime, first on the list is wedding ✔ and newborn ✔. Birth photography is often overlooked. Why is that? I personally think it is because of the way birth has been portrayed. Birth is often painted as an experience that is shocking, scary, hidden, and not worthy of remembering. But if you are someone who has experienced birth firsthand you know that birth is not just the birth of a child but also the birth of a mother and is worthy of remembering. Birth is the most transformative event that you will experience in your lifetime.
Is Your Doula an Advocate or Ally?
Is your doula your advocate or your ally? I rarely hear the word ally used in doula circles, however, I hear the word advocate being tossed around frequently. Here in Kansas City, I get asked often by potential clients if I will be their advocate. As a doula I know that the words we use are important, so please allow me to share my perspective on this with you.
How to Choose a Doula
When you find out that you are expecting, you suddenly realize there are so many things you need to make decisions on. Many of these things you have put little to no thought into before your pregnancy. How will you make these decisions, especially when you are not even sure what questions you should be asking? Choosing a doula is one of these decisions. You know you would like to have a doula at your birth. All of those lovely stories from friends about how their doula massaged their back and squeezed their hips for hours, screams, SIGN ME UP!!!