A few weeks ago my colleague wrote a post called Facebook Censored Me Again. When my sister’s gorgeous story and birth photo were censored from facebook, I couldn’t help but write my own post on the topic . I am so frustrated with our society’s viewpoint that women’s bodies are only acceptable for public viewing if it’s in a sexual […]
A while back I shared a brief post from my younger sister, who gave birth to her first baby this fall. Her and her husband invited me to attend their birth in Calgary, a province away from where I live in Vancouver, BC. My partner decided to make a working-vacation of it, spending about a month in […]
I wanted to send a note to thank you again for your presence at our birth, and all that you did for us. From my hazy perspective, your voice and your breath coached me through the strongest pains. Your three promises kept me real, and believing that all would come to an end. Our pre-birth […]
I wrote an article when I first started doula work called How I’m Building My Doula Practice as a guest post on a marketing blog. Now, 3.5 years into my work as a birth doula, I run a successful, well-known and full doula practice. Along with taking 4 clients per month, I also teach a […]
I’ve been reflecting lately on why the “birth activist” in me has been publicly quiet lately, at least relatively speaking. A year or two ago, I was blog-posting with feistiness on the regular, attending regular birth rallies, and was part of youtube videos talking about why change in birth needs to happen. That participation was fulfilling, […]
Women and their partners are often asking about “comfort measures” for birth. There are a lot of them you can learn in prenatal classes and books and online. The truth is, the only way through birth is to do it, to feel it, to be supported in feeling it, to allow it. Here is a […]
I got a new doula-bag a few months ago, and I am still excited about it. Being a full-time, fully-booked doula, I decided it was time to upgrade from my cumbersome suitcase to a nice bag that that I could love carrying around. I opted for a bag that can be worn as a shoulder […]
Jessica Austin and a client with her baby a couple days post-birth “Thank you for being there with us to bring Bea into the world. Your calming presence allowed us to begin our life as a family of three in exactly the way we wanted. As well, I appreciate your endless patience – you didn’t […]
I’m always getting my clients to be mindful of their snack habits and protein intake. (Stay away from sugar and make sure you’re eating protein throughout the day is the short and the long of it!). Try this snack for sneaking in some extra protein in your day. Use the date variant to also get […]
The following websites contain information on getting started with normal breastfeeding, as well as resources for breastfeeding challenges such as milk supply, blogged ducts & mastitis, and more. Exploring these resources, particularly the videos, can be hugely beneficial to watch in preparation for birth. Websites: Dr. Jack Newman’s Website Kelly Mom Dr. Sears Breastfeeding […]
I always brag that even if a woman is having trouble eating during birth, she will nearly always be able to get down chicken broth. My famous cure-all for birth is my chicken broth with egg recipe, which I learnt from an Italian family once at a birth. However, if that fails, I have another […]
I often have people say to me, “I wish I had your trust in birth.” My birth philosophy has nothing to do with trust. It has more to do with NOT trusting that intervening in birth makes it better, safer, or healthier. It’s not that I don’t think complications can come up, or that bad […]
samtalbot.ca A nice graphic from Sam Talbot, designer, activist & former doula. Do you think it makes sense that only 60% of Canadian babies are born vaginally without surgical or instrumental assistance? Tags:Research and Guidelines
“Hiring Jessica as our doula was hands down the best investment we could have made for the birth of our son, Matteo. He is our first child, so I really appreciated the knowledge and experience Jessica brought to the table as we felt we were in very capable hands. She seemed to intuitively know exactly […]
