How to Help Her Keep A Rhythm…A Music Lesson for Doulas
As doulas and childbirth educators we often spend some time introducing the idea of rhythm to our clients. We share that rhythm is a common denominator among women who cope well with their labor and birth. We explore how a laboring woman can find her rhythm, and how everyone can support her and try not to interfere with it. Today I found this Ted.com presentation clip of the wonderful musician, Bobby McFerrin, together with some men I assume are likely neuroscientists. The presentation was called "Neurons and Notes: In Search of the Common Chorus." And, as I was watching, I saw a few things here I often see in birth. Check it out - it's short. What I find so fascinating about Bobby McFerrin's interplay with the audience...
A New Year’s Intention and Vision
My continued hope and dream for this New Year: more options for expectant parents everywhere in this country....
The Soundtrack of Birth
Need a resource to give expectant parents so they can create their own birth or baby soundtracks? Tell them about 8tracks.com ...
Claiming the Birth Space
I cannot say how grateful I am that this will likely be the last image of a laboring woman that I have in my mind as I bid farewell to 2010. I have learned so much from the 3 minutes I have spent witnessing this mama claiming her birth space and welcoming her labor. I talk about moving through labor ALOT. With a background in movement and bodywork and many years of attending laboring women it makes sense that in seeing this video, I might want to comment on the importance of moving through labor and birth. And I certainly love that she shares that she had a few contractions through this, but what stands out for me is how this woman uses...
Getting to Know You…Prenatal Home Visits
During at least one of our visits I will meet you in your home. I love these visits because as you welcome me in, I have the opportunity to observe you in your space. Sometimes, your home gives me little clues about you…photos of family and friends might reflect a value of the important people in your life. I can often spot the chefs in the bunch by the serious kitchen utensils and athletes and lovers of outdoor adventures invest in some serious equipment as well. Some of you treasure your library of books and others have a keen and passionate appreciation of music or movies. Some of you have a wonderfully lived-in space where a child's (or a pet's) experience...
From Doctor to Doula: Wendy Dean
I started the “Who BEcomes A Doula?” Series because I wanted know more about what compels a woman (or a man) to become a birth doula? Are we all just “birth junkies”? (I deeply dislike that term). I wanted to know: ~Who is drawn to this work and what kind of work (or life) did they have before they became a birth doula? ~What makes them continue? ~Is there something about our personalities that leads us to find a way to connect with, care for and support women at that uniquely vulnerable and joyous time of birth? ~Does it matter what part of the country, or the world we live in or is it in our human DNA to do this work...
Healthy Birth Practices Flags for Birth Professionals
Looking for a great way to introduce the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices to your CBE or doula clients? How about...
The Essential Doula
"If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." Dr. John Kennell But really, what IS a doula? This wonderful video from DONA International gives us a great glimpse into what a doula is, what a doula does and most important WHY, in other words: how important her role is in serving expectant and new parents. As Penny Simkin puts it in the film: "We can't control how long labor is going to be or how difficult, but we can control how we care for women." In addition to providing birth doula services to expectant parents, Baby Bump Services also offers DONA-approved Birth Doula Trainings in Boise, Idaho several times a year facilitated by Kyndal May and Jennifer Clover. ...
Laboring in Water is Effective for Pain Relief
Doulas and midwives have long known that giving a laboring woman the option of climbing into a large, deep tub of warm water often results in decreased pain, increased relaxation and better coping. And a better ability to cope with labor means less need for medical interventions. A survey of 510 women revealed that laboring in and with water (bathing and/or showering) was more effective than systemic pain medications such as Pethidine (commonly known as Demerol, an opoid analgesic). In the survey, 77% of the women used drugs, with 56% receiving epidurals and while that method of pain relief received the greatest score for effectiveness, the survey showed that less interventive comfort measures such as breathing, massage, hot and cold packs and most especially,...
DONA-trained Birth Doulas Learning Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices
In the Baby Bump Services BEcoming a Doula Workshop we weave the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices into our trainings. Doulas explore the feelings and needs a client might have when approaching and passing her expected due date and brainstorm ways to help that mama get her needs met in other ways while considering the benefits of letting labor begin on its own. We practice comfort measures and explore ways to support laboring moms to walk, move and change positions in labor. We explore the meaning of continuous supportand the concept of attuning to the laboring mother and the unique single purpose and primacy of interest of the DONA birth support doula. We learn about interventions explore evidenced-based care, resources for current and quality research and the benefits to...
Got Oxytocin?
Thank you, Kam Taylor, for taking the photos of our "got oxytocin?" baby tee shirts Confident Birthing is an oxytocin-promoting environment. This special time of preparing for your birth amd welcoming your baby is also the perfect time for...
Before Social Networking… there was the Sharing Trust
The Sharing Trust is my take on the brain trust. The first time I heard the phrase was when I had the pleasure of spending some time with Aggie Sweeney, CEO and President of The Collins Group in Seattle. Aggie introduced to me to the power of "having as many people in your 'brain trust' as possible" and she left an indelible mark on me. Many years before blogging, facebook and Twitter, Aggie Sweeney showed me what connecting could really mean. I understood marketing and networking but Aggie added a dimension that spoke to something deep inside of me: community. During the brief time I spent with Aggie she was kind enough to take me to an amazing event, The Art of Dining, an annual fundraiser for...
Veteran’s Day… thanks to all who serve… especially the mothers
I was listening to NPR today (might as well not have other channels in this girl’s car) and heard a piece on mothers in the military that surprised me and stuck with me all day. Being interviewed were mothers who are deployed and the part that took me by surprise was the reality that mutli-tasking never ends for mothers even if they are working in a hostile country. One woman mentioned getting emails from her child’s teachers to discuss how her kids were doing in school and while I realize that probably shouldn’t surprise me, (I would want to know what was going on with my child and to stay connected), when I try to imagine what it really means to need to be on...
Some Thoughts about Dads at Birth
Need to say a little something about Confident Birthing fathers...
Sometimes it has to do with Birth… most times it has to do with BEing
During DONA International’s first Webinar, Penny Simkin reminded us all...
Who BEcomes a Doula? A Baby Bump Services Blog Series
What do you do? I am a doula. What is a doula? I have a better question…WHO is a doula? Who are the women (and men) who are able/willing/longing to do this? How did they know they wanted to? How did they start? What keeps them going? To find out the answers to these, and many more questions, I have chosen to conduct my own interviews of some of the many doulas who have influenced and inspired me and some I would like to know better. To make these interviews interesting (and to get to what matters to me) I am modeling some questions after Brene Brown's Inspiration Interview Series, To say that discovering Brene Brown changed my life is an understatement. I continue to be amazed...