What is a Doula anyways??

I hear all the time that having a Doula at your birth is worth the investment. And it warms my heart each and every time!
So What Can a Doula do for you?
A Doula offers 
              Emotional Support-encouragement, reassurance, and a continuous physical presence
              Informational Support- assistance to families in gathering information about the course of their labor and their options, explanations, non-medical advice
               Physical Support- comfort measures, positioning, massage, breathing, relaxation, and other non- pharmacological  pain relief measures                            
               Advocacy- interpreting the woman's wishes to the hospital staff
               Partner Support- role modeling, encouragement, reassurance

A Doula will not  perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, vaginal exams, fetal heart monitor checks, etc. Doulas work from the waist up.

Doulas do not make decisions on behalf of the mother or partner. Doulas will assist with weighing the pros and cons if interventions are necessary or helping the couple find the right questions to ask the health care providers, but ultimately the decision rests with the couple.

Women who receive continuous labor support  are less likely to experience :
*Epidural or other regional analgesia ( 28% less likely)
*Any analgesia/anesthesia, including epidurals
*Birth with vacuum extraction or forceps (41% less likely)
*Birth by cesarean (26% less likely)
*Dissatisfaction or a negative rating of their experience (33% less likely)

More likely to experience:
*Enhanced breastfeeding
*Better maternal-infant interaction
*Less postpartum depression, anxiety, and greater self-esteem
*Higher maternal assessments of their baby when compared to the 'standard baby'
*Greater satisfaction with the birth experience
*Shorter labor by up to 98 Min

What does 'Doula' mean?The word Doula means to serve the mother with everything we have: our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our spirit

What about my partner? A Doula does not replace a husband or birth partner; they work with them and can enhance their experience. They provide suggestions on how to support the mother, or allow them to be a bit more hands-off if they are feeling overwhelmed, since labor can be quite overwhelming at times for the people on the sidelines. The Doula can also relieve the birth partner so they can eat or take a nap. A Doula knows pregnancy, labor and birth, and the partner knows the mother — it's a perfect team ready and willing to do anything.

Give away

To kick off my new blog, in one months time I will do a give away! Share this blog with a friend and leave a comment on this post. Give away will be a cup/ wrist cozie similar to this one

Aviator hat

I had a emergency order come in the other day from a photographer I met at a recent baby show- of course I was happy to oblige:) this is what he requested, I can't wait to see how good he makes it look!!

Spring in Ontario-my introduction!

Welcome! I am Sarah,I am a Doula, a Belly Caster and I knit and crochet items for every day use and photo props.

I never went to college, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with my life. Instead I became a wife, then a Mom. I had a birth Doula with both my deliveries, and after my first  in 2002 I decided that a birth Doula is what I wanted to be! She helped me out so much, gave me strength, showed me how strong I really was, gave me a voice when mine wouldn't work, was my eyes when mine were too tired to open and she knew exactly what I needed even when I didn't know what I needed! 2 weeks later, my SIL went into premature labour and called to ask for my birth ball. When I got there, I didn't  want to leave her, and she asked me not to. The amazing feed back I received from her really encouraged me to pursue. But God had another baby in store for me first. While the kids were small, I was blessed to be a SAHM. I started doing some Belly Casting to get my foot in the door in the world of pregnancy, to allow me to use my creativity and bring in a little money for my family.

 When my kids were 4 and 5, the chance to attend a birth Doula course came up. The money was saved, I found a ride with 2 other ladies in my town, child care just happened, nothing holding me back! It was amazing, I never knew it would be such a transforming experience.
  Then came 4 years of hands on experience, paper work, more paper work, volunteer births, a lot of hoops to jump threw, many hours with Moms, Dads and those beautiful babies-wouldn't trade any of it, and then in October 2012,  I received confirmation, I was officially CERTIFIED!  I love this type of work, even though I only attend about 3-4 births a year, I believe God knows when I am needed.


Anyways, We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland! Trees are down, hydro is out in many areas, some won't be back on until Sat night at 11pm!! So far today, I have had a photographer pick up an emergency order, I have finished a pair of slippers, tried to do a load of laundry and make lunch-both took a long time with the hydro going in and out. Fun fun :)
Please be patient as I figure out this blogging thing!