Talk Birth

Putting together a written birth plan is an important way to communicate with your care providers about the exact kind of birth you wish for.  If you are planning a hospital birth, you don’t want to be expending your energy while you are in labor fighting with the nurses because what you want might not be what they want.  They have some protocol that they generally follow as a part of their job, so they may want to do certain procedures as a sort of “default”, not always as a “necessity”.  You may or may not agree with some of this, so it is up to you to plan ahead!  Another great thing that comes out of putting a birth plan together—it requires you to do research!  With a higher level of informed consent, you will be more confident in your decisions.  So, where do you begin? continue reading »

Several studies have shown very promising, positive outcomes from births when a doula was present. Women tend to report a greater satisfaction with their birthing experience, labors are generally shorter, the birth usually has fewer complications, pitocin is less likely to be used, the need for pain meds/epidurals is lowered, the incidence of c-sections are reduced, lower rates of post-partum depression are reported, and the mother is more likely to breastfeed.  With results like these, shouldn’t everyone hire a doula? continue reading »