My Twin Birth Story: Trusting My Body, My Prep, and My Plan
One of our doula clients, Celie Degasse, was gracious enough to share her twin birth story publicly on her Instagram page. She has given us permission to publish it below. We are so grateful to this family for choosing Buddha Belly Doulas to support them through this very special birth experience! Pregnancy is transformative in…
Your Comprehensive List of Tools for Pain Management During Labor
You might be wondering about pain management during labor and … What does birth actually feel like? That’s a tough one, because the birthing experience is incredibly unique. For some, it feels like intense pressure or cramping. For others, it’s more of a wave-like rhythm of sensations. The truth? There’s no single way to describe…
How Sex Can Help Induce Labor
Have you heard the saying “What gets the baby in there (sex) may help get the baby out?” Or maybe your doctor or midwife told you to have sex to help get labor started? You might be wondering what in the world this is all about. How does sex help get the baby out exactly? …
5 Important Questions to Ask About Labor Induction
The rate of labor induction in the United States has doubled in the last thirty years. Approximately 1 in 4 women are induced. You’ve probably heard mentions of induction from family and friends. And you may be questioning if induction will be necessary for you. So, here’s the most important thing to remember about induction: The more…
Past Your Due Date? 7 Things to Know
Going past your due date can bring on a mixture of emotions. You’re ready to meet your baby and you’re tired. You have to wait…… and ….wait some more. Bending down to tie your shoe is out of the question. Getting up from the couch is a sporting event. You find yourself flashing glares of…
Your Childbirth Game Changer: Learn 3 Effective Breathing Techniques For Labor
“I’m not ready to give birth….” Is this you? Does the thought of giving birth make you anxious? Not sure what to expect? Perhaps you are still recovering from a less than ideal birthing experience? Whatever the reason may be, you might be dreading your upcoming birth. I get it, there are a lot of…
Who Should You Allow in the Delivery Room? 5 Questions to Ask
Is your due date fast approaching? There are always so many things to figure out when it comes to giving birth. Packing your hospital bag, knowing your birth plan, who to invite… You might be wondering, who should I allow in the delivery room with me? This can be a difficult question to answer, and honestly, you…
Am I Going Into Labor? Understanding Prodromal Labor
Coming to the end of your pregnancy can be such a challenging task. Not only are you done being pregnant, but the inevitable question rears its head: When will I go into labor? Most of your pregnancy goes by in the blink of an eye. But the last month of pregnancy is a different story. …
Recovering from a Traumatic Birth
Childbirth is a powerful and transformative event, but sometimes the experience can be traumatic. Things don’t always go as planned and the feelings you have during and after the birth can be emotionally challenging. On a personal level my first baby’s birth was very difficult and I experienced a degree of PTSD afterwards. I worked…
Braxton Hicks Contractions: The Prequel to Labor
Braxton what?! If you’re on this page, chances are you’ve heard whispers about Braxton Hicks contractions and today, we’re going to demystify them for you. What are Braxton Hicks Contractions? Braxton Hicks contractions, also charmingly known as “practice contractions,” are the dress rehearsal before the real show. They’re your uterus’s way of flexing its muscles…
Decision Making During Labor: Using Your B.R.A.I.N.
The waves of labor bring you up and down and occasionally all over the place. At times in labor, we simply have to go with the flow and surrender to mother nature’s plan. However, now and again we may need to use our B.R.A.I.N. to make decisions during labor. While childbirth can be filled with…
The Group B Strep Test and Its Role in Labor
One of the numerous tests and procedures to deal with during pregnancy is the Group B Streptococcus (GBS) test. This is a routine part of prenatal care and July is International GBS awareness month. So, in this blog post, we will shed light on what to expect regarding your GBS test and the results. What…
What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a complication that happens in about 1 in 25 pregnancies in the United States. While it’s a serious condition, it’s important to remember that with proper care and monitoring, many women with preeclampsia can still have a healthy and safe birth. So, what is preeclampsia? Preeclampsia is a condition that typically develops after…
All About Childbirth Afterpains
Childbirth afterpains are one of those things that: “nobody tells you about!” So let me be the one to rectify that. When I first heard about childbirth afterpains, my mind went to the perhaps grim analogy of an earthquake. Forgive me. I grew up in Los Angeles, California where we did earthquake drills regularly in…
The Golden Hour After Birth
The Golden Hour (or hours) refers to the immediate hour after you have given birth to your baby and the connection that takes place during this time. This quality time between you and your baby will have lasting effects on your relationship and how your baby adapts to their new environment. Your beautiful baby arrives…
Choosing an OB/GYN or Midwife (Hospital, Birth Center or Homebirth)
Is an OB/GYN or a Midwife the best choice for your prenatal care? How do the different options affect where you will give birth? There are many factors to consider when choosing your prenatal care provider and your birthing location. In addition to taking into account your personal health history, it also comes down to…
How Doulas Support Dads and Partners
I can’t tell you how many clients I call to follow up with after they use our birth doula services who say, “My husband wasn’t convinced we needed a birth doula, but after delivery he said we could never have done that without her.” Whether you are first time parents, or adding another child to…
Should I Get an Epidural?
Epidurals. They can be a touchy subject. Let’s discuss what may, or may not, occur if you choose to get one. And, yes, Buddha Belly Doulas support your choice for an epidural. “We were made to give birth”. We have all heard that before, right? It is true, we were made to do this. We…
My Surprise Breech Baby and Tips
My first baby was breech and was born via an emergency c-section. We only discovered he was breech when I was well into labor, which is pretty unusual. “I think we need to head to the birth center,” I told my husband. At 37 ½ weeks pregnant, I had gotten up in the middle of…
Six Tips for a Natural Birth at the Hospital
So you want to have a natural birth at the hospital!? Navigating our current maternity health care system can be a little tricky. However, a natural birth in the hospital is possible. Lots of families before you have done it. It is a feasible and realistic goal. So we say – you can do it!…
Birth Plans Can Change
“When our birth plan changed and I needed a surgical birth, my doula held my hand in the operating room and helped us to stay calm.” – Haley, St. Pete Beach Birth plans can change, like Haley describes. Many people (mistakenly) think birth doula support is only for a “natural” birth or vaginal birth. What role does the doula play…
Induce Labor Naturally?
Looking to get labor started? Are there any natural ways to induce labor? There is a LOT of misinformation out there (thanks a lot, Dr. Google!) about DIY ways to kick start childbirth. Believe us, we hear them all as birth doulas! But do they actually work? In conclusion – there is a lot of…
Food and Drink in Labor?
Food and drink in labor? Many people are surprised to find out that their birth facility or care provider restricts “oral intake” in labor after admission to the hospital. ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) says: “There is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about the relationship between fasting times for clear liquids and…
Aromatherapy in Labor
Recall a time in your past that you felt relaxed and comfortable. Was there a nice smell associated with this time? Maybe the smell of a particular flower that you enjoy? Aromatherapy is one tool that can be used for comfort in labor. Essential oils are extracted from plants, flowers and fruit and distilled. They…
Early Labor vs Active Labor – When to Go to the Hospital? (updated 2022)
Understanding the differences between these two phases of labor will help you to make a better decision about when to head to the hospital, birth location or call the midwife! What does early labor look like? Early labor is usually the longest part of labor and can last from a few hours to a few…
Ugh, Why Am I Not in Labor Yet? (updated June 2022)
As I got to the end of my first pregnancy, I was so ready to meet my baby. I’m not quite sure that I was ready to be in labor – that sounded hard – but I really, really wanted to find out what he or she looked like. Technically we didn’t know the sex,…
“My Water Just Broke!” says Every TV Birth
If we trusted modern film and TV portrayals of labor and birth, we would all believe that the first sign of labor is that your water will break unexpectedly. A huge gush will splash all over you and the grocery store floor where you were peacefully doing your shopping, all over your friend’s new car,…
All About Labor Induction
Labor induction is the process of using medical interventions to stimulate labor. When it comes to starting labor, it’s generally recommended to wait for it to begin naturally, unless there are specific medical reasons that call for induction. Some reasons given for induction include: hypertension, preeclampsia, heart disease, gestational diabetes, infection in the uterus, placenta complications or other…
Labor and Birth in the Water
We recently attended a Waterbirth Education and Certification Course taught by Barbara Harper, RN, Midwife, author and educator. We are happy to share some of the highlights and things we learned. Many Tampa birth locations now offer the use of warm water immersion in birth tubs as a comfort measure during labor, and some locations…
Newborn Care: Why Delay Clamping Baby’s Umbilical Cord?
[Updated 2026] Once your baby is born, at some point, his/her umbilical cord must be clamped and then separated from the placenta. Many of our families who hire us as doulas are now considering delaying when this clamping happens because of the benefits offered to the newborn. Approximately one-third of a baby’s total blood volume…
Not-so Private Parts: Should You Shave or Wax Before Birth?
If you’re currently pregnant, have been pregnant previously or thinking about getting pregnant in the future, chances are you have wondered about this. Given the incredibly personal nature of this topic, though, you most likely didn’t talk about it with anyone. Maybe your sister or a very, very close girlfriend who has given birth. Most…
Labor Pain and Nitrous Oxide
Have you heard about this new option for pain relief in labor – nitrous oxide? Well, to be fair it’s technically not new. Nitrous oxide, a tasteless, odorless gas made up of 50% nitrous and 50% oxygen, has long been used in other countries like England, Canada, Australia and more. It was used in the…
What’s Laboring Down?
Whew! You made it! You’re finally at 10 cm dilated, that means it’s time to start pushing, right? Well… maybe not yet. Dilation is only one small part of the coordinated efforts made by your body and your baby’s in order to be born. Other things that need to happen are effacement, tilting of the cervix AND…
Birth Plans & Your Unpredictable Birth
As birth doulas, we love helping our clients figure out and come up with their birth plans. It’s a great opportunity to learn about all of the options and variations that can come up in labor and birth and what you would prefer. One of the hardest things we deal with as laboring and birthing people…
Hospital Bag Checklist
“What should I bring to the hospital?” Here are some ideas for your hospital birth bag based on what we’ve seen be most helpful to the families we support as Tampa birth doulas. A few items on the list will also be provided by your hospital (blankets, pillow, shampoo, soap, etc) but if you prefer your own toiletries…
The Many Uses of a Yoga Ball (updated July 2022)
A yoga or exercise ball is a great tool to have in your home during your pregnancy, labor and beyond. Due to the many helpful ways you can use a yoga ball, it really is a worthy and smart investment. When choosing a ball be sure to get the appropriate size based on your height.…
The Love Hormone: Oxytocin
Oxytocin has physical AND behavioral effects on the human body, making it one amazingly magical chemical. (Note: oxytocin and pitocin are not the same thing. Pitocin is the synthetic version of oxytocin. It can replicate the physiologic aspects of oxytocin on the body, but not the behavioral ones.) It’s called the “love hormone” because our…
It’s Baby Time! When Should We Leave Home?
They say ‘timing is everything,’ and this is no less true in labor than other aspects of life. It does matter when you go to your birth location – you don’t want to be there too soon, and you probably don’t want to have your baby in the car! So when exactly is the right…
What Should You Do in the Early Labor Phase? (Netflix & Chill!)
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re going into labor. Discomfort is normal—but panic doesn’t have to be. Believe it or not, once early labor begins, you can just keep living your life. Yes, early labor is real labor—it counts! But it can also be calm, manageable, and even relaxing. In fact, the more relaxed…
Who Will Be in the Birth Room?
A new baby brings such joy, not only to her parents, but also to a gathering of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, neighbors, friends… the list goes on and on. And truly, as new parents, you’ll learn to rely on the support they’ll provide over your child’s life. Is there ever a time you won’t…
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…
How Does a Doula Aid in Labor?
We’re often asked how a doula supports a laboring woman. The honest answer is: it depends. It depends on the woman, her needs, her birth style, and who else is in the room. No two births look the same, so what we do for one mom might look totally different for the next. Maybe she’s…
What Does A Contraction Feel Like?
What does a contraction feel like? Will it hurt? You’re not the first one to ask these question. Every first time mom asks and many repeat mothers do, too! It’s very hard to imagine ahead of time what the physical sensation of a contraction feels like. Likewise, it is hard to remember what a contraction…
Lightning Crotch – What Is Effacement?
Recently, a laboring mother had us, her birth team, laughing and giggling with the words she used to describe the sensations she was having. A particularly funny phrase she kept using was “Lightning Crotch.” This is a stinging, burning, pins and needles type of feeling right in the crotch, not during a contraction but in between or…
Shane’s Birth Story
Eight years ago today I gave birth to my first son, Shane. I have never published his birth story and it seemed appropriate today to share it. (*This story may be triggering for some.) “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the most wonderful things that…