I wish someone had told me about sibling doulas when I was pregnant with my third baby. My first baby had been born with just my father and stepmother by my side. For many reasons, it was a very special time for all of us. My second baby was born in the wee hours of… Continue Reading I Wish I Had Hired a Sibling Doula
This is a question that doulas AND midwives get a lot, so let’s jump right in. First, our jobs are 100% different. “Especially for first-time moms, the companionship of a good doula, in the longest part of labor…….before active labor begins, helps the parents relax, leaving the midwife the energy and stamina to be fully present… Continue Reading Why Do I Need a Doula if I Have a Midwife?
The perception of labor varies widely from one person to the next. Your personal beliefs, life experiences, personal goals, and expectations for yourself, all combine to create your version of what labor is, or will be. Pain is perception. Quite often our clients will ask us questions about what to expect during labor. How will… Continue Reading What Does Labor Feel Like?
Twenty years ago today I became a mother for the very first time. Originally I had planned to come here and write out a beautiful birth story for him, but the reality is that his birth wasn’t beautiful. There were a lot of things that happened that affected me for a long long time. There… Continue Reading The Birth of Christopher Michael
Do you know? This is a question I get a lot in my personal life when I meet new people. The simple definition put out by my certifying agency, ProDoula is: “A trained person without emotional attachment to the family, offering supportive services in an unbiased, nonjudgmental way. This is done in exchange for a… Continue Reading What is a Doula Anywyay?
The act of “doulaing” a birthing person has been around since babies have been being born. Back in the day they weren’t called doulas. They were just your mom, sister, aunt, and grandma. They were your village of people who’d come before, who knew what was normal and knew how babies are born and how… Continue Reading Are You Asking Your Doulas the Right Questions?
I use to be judgmental. Before I had kids I had very definite ideas about how children should be raised, how children should act in public, and of course, what type of parent I would be. After I had my first, I still had some pretty strong feelings along these lines. What can I say?… Continue Reading How Judgment Made Me a Better Doula
It’s the 2016 Colorado Snowpocalypse The highways are all closed The t.v. is nothing but politics, Snuggle up with your betrothed We’ll see you in December when the hospital admits!
Here in the Pikes Peak Region you have a lot of choices when it comes to doulas. At any given time there are 20-40 birth doulas in Colorado Springs/Denver to choose from and 5-10 Colorado postpartum doulas. That seems like quite the range, doesn’t it? There are several reasons the numbers vary so much. The… Continue Reading The Colorado Mountain Doula Standard
I met Sarah Wilkerson when I was hired as a postpartum doula to help welcome her daughter home. Sarah was blessed with three children but I would only be helping with two. Sarah says she learned the importance of newborn screening the hard way. As a mother who chose a natural birth path, including Bradley… Continue Reading Save the Babies – Newborn Screening in Colorado