30Mar 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

How I Achieved My Empowering Hospital Birth Experience

Advice, Birth Story, Doula, Hospital Birth, Midwife, Musing, Stories

I am normally an out-of-hospital birthing momma that has a preference for birthing at home but in 2016 while being a surrogate for my lovely friends we decided that, for this particular birth, hospital was the route we wanted! Once you have birthed outside of the hospital and experience the freedom to listen to your own body instead of following "hospital policy" it's hard to go back to thinking about birthing the way I once did in a hospital setting. So we made the decision that we wouldn't. We wouldn't settle for the drive-through-window experience that is often birth in the US. I stayed upright and moved as my body wished, I ate and my nurses happily spoiled me with food,…

14Mar 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

What are the Best Pregnancy Books?

Advice, Musing

You’re probably here because you’ve discovered you’re growing a little seed inside of your womb, congratulations! You are probably wondering what else you could be implementing into your life, that you haven’t already thought of. What better way to become knowledgeable and empowered, than to open a book! But what are THE best pregnancy books, when you have so many to choose from?! Books are a great way to become informed. You can find books on any topic of interest to you and a book to contradict everything you just thought you knew. That’s the thing about informing yourself through the writings of others. Some people resonate more with a book that is based in pure science, while others will base their beliefs around a book that they connected to…

14Nov 2016 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

Common myths about Doula care

Advice, Doula, Musing

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…

13Jan 2016 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

My Calling

Advice, Doula, Musing

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…

19Oct 2015 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

What the mom-to-be really wants at her baby shower…

Advice, Baby Shower, Gift Ideas, Musing

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 &…

14Sep 2015 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

Presence in your experience

Musing, Postpartum Depression, PTSD, Trauma

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…

08Jul 2011 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments

The sometimes ugly truth behind sharing birth stories….

Advice, Birth Story, Musing

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…