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?!” […]
What birth settings offer the best safety, comfort, and birth experience for women? Why? This Cafe will explore current evidence about home birth safety, potential advantages and disadvantages of home birth on individual and population levels, and barriers to and societal perceptions of home birth in Canada. The speakers will invite participants to examine the […]
Ever since adding miscarriage support to my practice (long overdue – I had know idea HOW to support clients through miscarriages until I took an eye-opening Holistic Abortion workshop with Molly Dutton-Kenny last year), I see people asking for miscarriage advice everywhere. SO MANY PEOPLE are looking for options, support, and alternatives to the commonly […]
Birth story as written by a Birth Takes a Village Client, and Wise Woman Way of Birth Doula herself! I look over the records. That bottom section for Comments – ‘if not normal’. And under it, in Midwife’s script, “Unattended Home Birth.” Diary Entry: Thought I was in labour on Saturday – then again on […]
There is a saying in the birth community that third babies are a “wild card”, meaning unpredictable. You never know what’s going to happen, no matter what happened in the previous two births, so you need to be prepared. We do know that first births tend to be long, though not ALWAYS the case, it […]
Becky and Kevin planned a home birth in Vancouver with me earlier this year. Towards the end of her pregnancy, they began to be concerned that there may be a lack of medical support for their plans to birth their baby at home. However, their belief in home being the safest place for them to birth their […]
In honour of Cesarean Awareness Month, I wanted to share a story of Gina, client who chose to have a cesarean last December due to discovering her baby was breech at almost 41 weeks of pregnancy. While woman do have the option of choosing to birth breech babies vaginally (read another client’s vaginal breech birth story […]
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, […]
Photo By Mike Porcenaluk http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeporcenaluk “Powerful” and “intense” are words I often use to describe birth. A recent doula client referred to the experience as “epic”. These are strong words! Because birth is a strong experience. Physically and emotionally, there are few experiences that rival birth’s intensity. There are huge shifts in hormone and neurotransmitter […]
Earlier this month I got to attend a beautiful home birth with a really fun couple AND my good bud Morag Hastings from Apple Blossom Families. Occasionally we tag-team births where I provide the birth support and she documents with her birth photography magic. The couple, Erin and Reid, have written their story from each […]
Part of the reason I love my work is that birth is not just about getting a baby out into the world; it’s a beautiful, powerful, transformational family experience that changes people forever. When I read this thank you card from recent home birth clients, I felt emotional for an entire evening. THIS IS WHY […]
