7 Things About Writing a Birth Plan (updated 2022)
Many expectant parents ask us about a birth plan – what should go on it, what shouldn’t? For most people, a birth plan is a good idea, when used as a communication tool. By this we mean, it communicates your preferences to your care providers in a clear, succinct fashion. Birth is unpredictable and there…
16 Reasons We Recommend Tampa General Hospital for Childbirth {updated May 2021}
We have had great experiences with the medical professionals of Tampa General Hospital. We’ve been toured through the entire labor and delivery ward and NICU. We’ve been invited numerous times to speak at their childbirth classes as a guest speaker and to help in teaching comfort techniques to their students. Establishing relationships and building bridges…
Three Breastfeeding Tips
We support women no matter how they choose to feed their babies. It’s interesting to note that about 80% of women initiate breastfeeding in the US. Although breastfeeding is natures way to feed a baby, it doesn’t always come naturally to every mother and baby pair. For those who wish to succeed at breastfeeding here are…
The Problem With “Enjoy Them While They’re Little”
If you have children, you’ve surely received this bit of advice multiple times. It’s a favorite bon mot, offered usually from wiser, older, more experienced parents and grandparents. It has happened to me in a group on Facebook, a grocery store, a public building and sitting on a park bench; a well-meaning, grandmotherly-type woman observes me…
How Does a Doula Aid in Labor
We’re often asked about how a doula aids a laboring woman. How a doula supports a woman during birth depends on the individual woman, her needs and desires, additional supporters and birthing style. No birth or woman is cookie-cutter and as such what we do for each woman may be different. For instance, the new mother-to-be may…
A Failure to Plan…A Plan for Failure?
Have you ever heard this expression? Both my father and father-in-law were in the Army, so this is a saying that I have heard over and over again. And while it’s not completely true in birth, it is still very applicable. As doulas, we hear a similar sentiment a lot… “I’m just going to go…
Happy Pills, Happy Mom???
Before the baby comes, eight to 12 weeks away from work seems like an eternity, right? Most pregnant professionals spend weeks preparing their teams, transitioning duties and creating process and procedure work flows. Many plan to work until either their estimated due date or the baby is born. We dream about all we’ll do -or…
I’m Not Depressed – Why Do I Need a Postpartum Doula?
Are postpartum doulas for people with postpartum depression? Postpartum doulas are not postpartum depression doulas. Postpartum doulas support women after the birth of a child, with or without postpartum depression. From the Merriam-Websters online dictionary: postpartum: adjective | post·par·tum \ˌpōs(t)-ˈpär-təm\ 1. Relating to or happening in the period of time following the birth of a child. It…
The #1 Ingredient for VBAC Success
When considering a VBAC, (vaginal birth after cesarean) determining your best course of action depends on a variety of factors. This includes your risk factors, health history and your personal preferences. Having a sincerely supportive care provider is the top priority for your best chance at VBAC success. So, how do you find one? Let’s…
Do Doulas Replace Partners?
The answer is no, they do not. Partners are an extremely vital part of the birth team. Nobody knows you, your strengths, weaknesses, desires and the essences of what makes you unique as well as your partner. The connection and love between you and your partner is crucial during labor and birth. “A father’s [or…
I Made a Resoluation
I am not going to shoulder the burden of mother guilt anymore. You know this guilt: it’s an incessant mosquito whirring in your ear.
Breastfeeding, Getting a Good Start with Skin-to-Skin
Last week myself and another postpartum doula on our team, spent five long days learning about lactation at The Lactation Counselor Training Course through The Healthy Children Project. It was eye-opening in so many ways even after having breastfed my own children for a combined total of more than 5 ½ years. So, I wanted to share…