It's an exciting time, to be planning your birth.
If you are about to become a mother, and desire to have labor support or to learn more about birthing your baby naturally,
then a doula may be the right choice for you.
Doula's, or labor support person's, are women who provide emotional
and physical support to laboring women and their partners. The word 'doula' originates from ancient Greece and means to serve women. A doula can help with breastfeeding, decrease post partum depression and can help support the first hours of motherbaby bonding. Studies show that having a doula present will decrease epidural by 60%, decrease cesarean section by 50%, decrease pitocin augmentation by 40%, and decrease both pain medication and forceps use by 30%. Mothering the Mother, 1993.
It is our goal to help you plan the birth that you want. This means that a doula can help you design a birth plan, discuss common concerns and fears with you and your partner, and advocate in the birthing environment. Some women birth at home, others choose a hospital setting. Doula's have experience in each of these settings.
We assign reading and relaxation exercises, including massage and visualization techniques. We are skilled in using acupressure, aromatherapy, homeopathy, counter pressure, and a variety position changes. During our meetings, we will practice specific exercises with you and your partner to enhance communication and bonding during birth. Ongoing reading and homework assignments that you both can do together are important aspects of creating an optimal birth experience.
A doula also is well-versed in all aspects of breastfeeding and can assist you in getting started. It's our hope that by learning that birth is a natural and positive experience, that you will be empowered as a woman, and mother.
To learn more about our
doula services,
as well as our
childbirth education
classes and workshops,click on the Services heading
at the top left of this page.
We have a secret in our culture, its not that birth is painful, it is that women are strong. Laura S. Harm
Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth. Virginia Di Orio
There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon, and passes through carrying child with it. S. Feldman
A special thank you to the mothers and fathers in these pictures. It is an honor to have been a part of their births.
