Labor Preparation


How Doulas Nurture The Family

How Doulas Nurture The Family Historically, people were able to lean on the experience of their family to navigate pregnancy and childbirth, but in our modern society, many find that relying on or receiving support from family is not always an option and hiring a doula becomes a critical support for people transitioning to parenthood. Maybe you live far away...

7 Ways To Prepare For Childbirth

7 Ways To Prepare For Childbirth With your mind and imagination racing about all things newborn-related, when you are pregnant, it’s important to prepare for childbirth with the same intention and dedication. Support yourself through your childbirth journey by assembling your birth team, watching birth videos, taking a childbirth education class, visiting your birth location, writing your birth preferences, packing...

The Signs of Labor

The Signs of Labor Waiting for the signs of labor to begin can be an arduous process, requiring lots of patience. You can’t help but look for the signs that your baby will be with you soon. As you near the end of your pregnancy, keep in mind that the range of healthy delivery dates can be anywhere from a...

How can a doula help with c-section?

Doula support is increasing in popularity among new families and for good reason. There is evidence that suggests doula support can increase satisfaction in birth and laboring parents report experiencing less pain. While using doula support cannot guarantee a birthing outcome (e.g. vaginal birth or no epidural), you’ll be happy you have an experienced birth professional by your side no matter what kind of birth you end up having, and especially if you end up needing a C-section, also known as cesarean birth. ...

How to induce your labor: Understanding medical techniques and natural methods

In most cases, a pregnant body will begin the process of spontaneous labor on it’s own and there will be no need for any interventions to get things going. But for some people, there may be circumstances where the health of either the birthing parent or baby is in jeopardy and induction techniques are necessary to start labor and to ensure that every one remains healthy. ...

Top 4 tips to have a successful Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

If you have had a cesarean birth, consider yourself one of many families who have done the same. In the United States in 2019, cesareans made up for nearly 32% of all births. It was once commonly accepted that if a person birthed their baby via cesarean, each subsequent baby must then also be a c-section, but it is now becoming more widely known that repeat cesareans are not always medically indicated and can sometimes present more risks than benefits. ...

A Birth Plan template and tips on how to write one

Birth Preferences, more commonly known as Birth Plans, are a wonderful way to communicate your wishes with your support team and a great way to dive in, learn more about what your birthing options are, and to clarify what is most important to you during birth. Any uncertainties you have will make great talking points with your medical providers and with your doula. Birth Preference Sheets can be brought to one of your prenatal appointments to make sure that you and your midwife/OBGYN are on the same page about setting expectations for your birth. If, after a discussion with your provider about your Birth Plan or Birth Preferences, you feel like your provider or place of birth does not fit with your wishes, you may want to consider hiring a new midwife or OBGYN....

Top partner massage* and touch tips for supporting birthing people during labor

What kind of touch do birthing people want in labor? If this is a question you’ve ever asked yourself as a loving partner or spouse, here are a few tips from an experienced doula and massage therapist who’s helped many couples like you find their way during labor. In some ways, the kind of touch birthing people want during birth is different and in many ways it’s similar to the kind of touch they appreciate when not in labor. Here’s what you should know. ...

What’s a natural childbirth?

The term natural childbirth can mean different things to different people. For some people it simply means a vaginal birth even if they are using pain medication and other interventions. For others it might mean a vaginal birth without pain medication but other medications or augmentation (like pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin) could still be part of their experience. And for some a “natural” birth is a birth without any intervention. There is no one right way for a birthing person to give birth and every person should have options and autonomy in choosing what works best for them and their particular needs and wants. The term natural is inherently complicated, but the term natural birth is so common, we wanted to address this term....

Is a homebirth for you?

So you’ve read the blogs, you talked to your friends, you saw all the chatter about switching to a homebirth early in the pandemic. Maybe you’ve seen the popular birth documentary like The Business of Being Born? You’re pregnant and you have come to the conclusion you want to give birth at home. Or maybe you’re pregnant and you have no idea where you want to give birth. Maybe you assume you’ll go to the hospital like most everyone else you know. But you keep hearing these stories of friends who had C-sections, who had to lie down for most of the birth, who couldn’t hold their babies right after giving birth and you wonder if there’s an alternative option. What about giving birth right in the comfort of your own home?...

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