Photo by Adrian Bois You will often hear me say that my goal as a doula is to promote a gentle and informed birth culture. As I’ve said before, I believe our birth culture is in need of a shift towards a model that is more respectful of women, their bodies and their choices. What Does Gentle […]
May 5th is International Day of the Midwife. The word “Midwife” means so many things to the families who birth in their care and to the people who fill the role of being with them during the process. Depending on which state, province or country you live in, “Midwife” can mean so many different things, […]
While doulas have been growing in popularity for their work related to childbirth and the early postpartum period, their value in all areas of reproductive health is just beginning to percolate in the public eye. Traditionally, the people who attended the births in their communities provided support during ALL areas of reproductive health. Preconception, fertility, […]
Home is historically THE normal place to give birth. While in the recent past it became more common to birth in hospitals, more and more families in Vancouver and across Canada are once again choosing to birth at home where outcomes and satisfaction with the experience tend to be better (sources). While I support […]
Photo by Morag Hastings, Doula & Birth Photographer www.appleblossomfamilies.com If you get my newsletter regularly, you might have already picked up on the fact that I’m more of a grassroots movement lover than someone who’s likely to buy into gigantic organizations. This is why I chose not to certify with DONA International, and why I […]
Guest post by Kathleen Nash I have been trying not to rant about this, but today is a special day so here we go. Attention advice givers: My entire goal of parenting is not to shut my child up. Also, your assumptions and judgments are not welcome. Please try to understand that being a new […]
A recent review of data from the Cochrane Collaboration Pregnancy and Childbirth Group showed clear evidence for the effectiveness of doulas in creating positive birth outcomes. Hiring a doula can of course not guarantee which course your birth will take. Still, the research indicates that women who have doula support have statistically: fewer medical interventions less vacuum/forcep […]
The placenta is one of the most amazing organs of the human body. Whenever we can, we try to show our doula students a real placenta in doula training. Check out this video tour of the anatomy of the placenta, amniotic sac and umbilical cord! If you are interested in our Wise Woman Way of […]
Hiking up a steep mountain trail can reveal a few things about giving birth and supporting someone during birth. I did a big backcountry camping trip this past summer and here’s what I came away with in regards to birth: Tags:natural birth
flickr: bysheribeari Many women fear birth, and it’s not surprising. Our culture has taught us to be scared of birth. In TV shows and movies, birth is portrayed as a terrifying medical emergency. Women in the media are shown being rushed to hospitals in a panic, screaming pain, and threatening their husbands lives for “doing […]
I talk a lot about not judging others for their personal choices. It comes up a lot in terms of birth. I advocate for the creation of a gentle, informed birth culture, one where we do not see birth as an illness that needs medical management, one where women are encouraged to birth with the […]
Did you hear about the 3D ultrasound clinic in Canada that seems to have been giving EVERYONE a printout of the SAME baby?! We always knew our low-tech, non-invasive, guaranteed risk-free simplistic method of giving families photographic memories of their babies’ development was better! Myself with some clients getting an “ultrasound photo” at a prenatal […]
One of my past doula students had an unassisted home water birth earlier this year. Here’s a Q&A with her about her experience: Unassisted home water birth Can you explain the term freebirth / unassisted birth for our readers? Freebirth-ers believe that it’s a woman’s right to choose where, how and with whom she gives […]
Ah, the time of waiting. The time between when you are “due” and the time when your baby actually comes. The time when every other text message is something along the lines of “any news?”, “baby yet?”, “so…. anything exciting happening over there?”. The time when people say things like “you haven’t been induced yet?!” […]
