Preparing For Birth Archives

Birth plans. Epidurals. Natural Childbirth. Doulas. Induction. Cesareans. And more… The list of decisions about birth goes on and on… More women are becoming dissatisfied with the status quo in American maternity care, and are asking for something outside the norm for the hospital where they plan give birth. Naturally, this might make for some…

The skills needed to become a competent midwife are seemingly infinite. There doesn’t seem to be an end to what we need to learn, academically and practically speaking. The academic part is relatively easy. It comes from reading, study groups, online student midwife chats, watching videos, and good mentors. Where does the practical side come…

General Information What Home Birth Is Really Like: Dispelling a few myths and answering a few common questions. Homebirth Dads: The Dad’s perspective on homebirthing. Is Homebirth for You? Citizens for Midwifery Business of Being Born Gentle Birth Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny Ina May Gaskin: Author, Activist, Innovater Midwifery Today The Safety of Homebirth Perinatal…

Finishing up a class is always bittersweet, triggering a time of self-evaluation, reflection, and a desire to do better next time. Childbirth education is not a job where I can just show up, punch a card, and go home. It is filled with challenges as unique as each student who walks through the door. Each…

Pregnancy is weird. There is no denying that. It often comes with all kinds of odd symptoms as the hormones of pregnancy do not limit their effect to the uterus and growing baby. Everything from morning sickness to hemorrhoids to indigestion can be a normal part of pregnancy. These things are not often a cause…

So, you’ve read the literature, or seen the infographics on the measurable benefits to having continuous, trained labor support in the form of a doula. (You haven’t? Oh. Well, then. Click HERE to read the best, most recent evidence, then come back here and finish this post.) Based on that measurable evidence, you’ve decided that…

Next to finding a good personality fit in a doula, financial concerns are probably the biggest factor in choosing which doula to hire, and many potential clients ask me exactly what the fee covers. In some ways, that’s an easy question to answer: “My fee covers x number of prenatals, labor, birth, and immediate postpartum,…

I can no longer describe myself as a stay-at-home-mom. Of course, I am still home the majority of the time, but I am definitely working more now. Slowly, my business is building and increasing. I have at least one client a month through July, and a few births a month with Desirre as her assistant.…

Preparing For Birth

Student Midwives Learning

Homebirth: The Basics.

A Weighty Responsibility

7 Symptoms Every Pregnant Woman Should Know

How To Find Moolah For a Doula.

Nuts & Bolts: What exactly am I paying my doula for?

This Is Hard.