Doula Blog
Guidance, resources, and wisdom from a team of doulas and childbirth educators to help prepare you for a safe, healthy, and empowering pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond.
How to write an effective and meaningful birth plan
Exploring the Assumed Norm and Gaining a Fresh Perspective for Optimal Safety and Health. Writing a birth plan is important but the process of creating your birth plan is where the true value and growth exists. You may have heard someone say "Birth plans are pointless!” or “You can't plan your birth, so why have a birth plan?”. We are here to tell you that I agree with part of that statement. You can't 100% predict or plan your birth but you can reduce your fear and uncertainty and increase your confidence as you prepare for your upcoming birth.
8 Practices for a Safe and Healthy Birth and Postpartum
Steps to take to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth. Drink half your body weight in ounces everyday, eat 5 servings of fruits and 5 servings of veggies everyday, walk 30 min/day, get sunshine, eat ground flax seeds, do prenatal yoga, eat naturally occurring folate, eat a variety of healthy fats.
Breathing for Releasing Tension During Labor
Breathing and how to use it to cope with pain during labor and birth. Learn why we need to think about this helpful technique and how pain and discomfort experienced during labor and childbirth has a spectrum that ranges significantly. You may hear some stories of a fast and easy birth or a long and arduous birth or one that was very emergent or scary or extremely painful. Part of getting to a place of not being fearful is understanding what purpose the pain serves during labor and birth.
Easy No-Bake Protein Balls
Great for pregnancy & postpartum snack as well as a healthy snack for the whole family. These can be a staple in your house and they are great to share with friends, family, and new parents after they have a baby. They are delicious and nutritionally dense and they happen to also support your milk supply!
Positive Affirmations for Pregnancy and Birth
Birth affirmations are not only for birthing people desiring an unmedicated birth. Birth affirmations can help keep you focused and centered throughout pregnancy and your birth no matter what type of birth you desire. The goal of affirmations is to help keep you grounded through every aspect of the birthing process including times when events arise that are stressful and diverge from your original birth preferences.
7 Reasons to Hire a Doula
A doula is a person, typically without formal obstetric training, who is employed by the birthing person to provide guidance and support during pregnancy, labor, and birth. A doula is a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a birthing person before, during, and just after childbirth. Doula’s help to support birthing families through the life changing experience of having a baby.
Top Questions During Pregnancy
This is a time of change and growth and uncertainty in many ways. Each day we are faced with new questions and sometimes the answers are unknown. Here is a list of just a few of the questions I receive from my clients as well as my answers to them and additional links and resources.