Author: Full Circle Doulas
If a Doula were a drug, it would be unethical not use it. -John H. Kennell MD Here's A small list of common myths surrounding Doulas and the support they provide: Myth: Doulas "Deliver" babies. Fact: The only things Doulas "Deliver" is: unconditional support, passion, strength, love and knowledge. *We leave catching babies to Midwives, Obstetricians, Doctors and the parents! Myth: Doulas Control your birth experience. Fact: Doulas assist mothers and families in taking control of their own experience. Bridging the gap between the expectant parents & their care providers. Advocating for better birth practices, providing the mother and her partner with important resources, knowledge and the skills needed to achieve their desired birth. While Improving birth Outcomes. Doulas will not force their idealized version of a "perfect" birth on…
This started as a homework assignment. After reading through it again a couple of months later, I decided it was blog material too. It is my personal thoughts and feelings on what lead me to where I am now. I decided to tweak it a little and then to share it with all of my readers. A little glimpse inside what it means to be a Doula, to me. I hope you enjoy! I have always been the “sensitive” type; the friend with a shoulder to lean on & a listening ear. The loyal one, the advocate for the underdog & the kind of person that feels deeply. Growing up & just until recently I thought of these traits to be overwhelming & negative. As if they were a flaw…
We have all either had a personal baby shower or attended one in our lives. I am willing to bet that we can ALL agree on one thing; the gifts are always the same. A cute outfit, maybe a bottle brush with a bottle. Bath stuff. A pack of diapers & of course some super cute blankets or wash cloths. While we are very grateful for these things & they are necessary, babies generally don't need 58,392,875,430 of the same size clothes & blankets. Seasons DO change & babies DO grow. ;) I thought I'd make a list of suggestions for moms-to-be, based on my own experience and with the suggestions of other mamas. So that you can be sure to get the family something that will be cherished &…
These thoughts came to mind while I was deep in thought about my own personal birth experience. It is nearly three years later (not sure how that happened), and since recently practicing owning my feelings & accepting responsibility of my actions (a.k.a. adulting); I explored the rough waters of the vivid memory of my birth. It was a flood of emotions. Anger, sadness, being terrified, confused, lonely, happy, and unsure. Those were my feelings surrounding my first experience. So what could I do to change the way I remembered my experience? I could change my thoughts. I could advocate. I could become a Doula. I could educate. I could spread the message. I could start believing in women & their ability. I could share my secret with you... Think back…
I considered blogging about my first birth experience just days after it had occurred. I later decided.... It was such a beautiful experience that I didn't think I had digested it enough to even begin to do it justice...This is my attempt at giving you a peek into what it is like on the other side of a birth. There's a lot of fear & unknown surrounding birth in this generation. Rightfully so. However, I hope to take some of that negativity out of the birth world and instead share with you the happiness, the intensity and the raw emotions that makes each birth unique. So whether you're a first time mom reading this, a future client, an aspiring Doula, or just here for the read; I hope I can…
These are for educational purposes! Some of these may not be right for your family or situation, while some of them may be standard & the correct way. It does not mean there is judgement passed one way or another. After all, we are all just trying to make the best choices for our little humans! While assigned this task to create brochures to share with all of my clients, I decided it would be a GREAT opportunity to spread the word via internet while I was at it!... We all know that everything we read on the internet is true....right? Right... Anyway, what's the sense in hoarding all of the good information out there to keep to ourselves?! Seriously though, it comes from accurate & reliable resources. If ever…
On Tuesday the 29th i was 41 weeks pregnant and feeling uncomfortable but surprisingly patient for such an impatient person. I had a late night appointment with my wonderful Midwife, Danielle, that included a prenatal massage and foot zoning from her Student Midwife, Mylie. The previous week I had the same massage from her and it was so relaxing I had a few contractions afterwards, so I was feeling hopeful! I was having some troubles from the baby's positioning blocking output from my left kidney (hydronephrosis) causing me to not be able to drink very much without my kidney swelling a bit. So I was feeling ready to have her whenever she decided she was ready to join us on the outside. My Midwife normally doesn't perform cervical checks at…
While recently doing some homework and speaking with a mother about her pregnancy experience, I came across the first topic I decided I wanted to talk about. I like to write about meaningful (to me anyway) topics. Sometimes it can take me a bit to get a new post out. Well, also because I only have nine bazillion other things to do like; search for the poopy diaper that was taken off & left somewhere. Or don my toddler in all of his super hero gear.... for the umpteenth time. Anyway, I wanted to discuss something that really gets me right in the feelers & lights a fire under my bum. It is something that has been written about before, it's not like I am coming up with some ancient…
