Doula Chats: How to have an Unmedicated Birth

 

“I don’t know how women do it without the epidural. They must have super-powers.”

“I don’t think I could do it without one. My pain-tolerance is super low.”

I'm sure you've heard this before. Maybe you've even said this yourself. But having a baby unmedicated has much less to do with your pain-tolerance and much more to do with your preparation. Mothers who *purposefully* birth their babies unmedicated spend time reading books, taking classes, listening to podcasts, following birth education instagram accounts, and often-times hire a doula because research shows that women who hire a one are 10% more likely to successfully birth unmedicated. Reference

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The Birthing Center Birth of Eko

I arrived at the birthing center at about 2:30PM. Kelli was in early labor, meeting each wave with calming, deep breaths, and smiling between waves. Leera was right by her side, along with her mother. There was rap music playing and the lights were dimmed low. 

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Doula Chats: Epidural Potential Risks and Benefits

Possibly one of the hottest topics between mothers who are expecting is Epidurals. Before we talk about whether or not an epidural will help you to have the birth experience that you want, let’s talk about what an epidural is beyond the basic, “I get it, and I don’t feel contractions anymore.”

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Doula Chats: Home, Birthing Center, or Hospital?

 

I’ll never forget how my eyes widened when I found out as a 21-year-old student teacher that one of my students had been born at home ON PURPOSE. *shock and awe* Honestly, it had never occurred to me that birth happened anywhere BUT a hospital.

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Doula Chats: Unmedicated Birth Mindset

An unmedicated birth happens one wave at a time. When each comes, you have a choice: believe that you can, or believe that you can't.

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Doula Chats: How Fathers can Prepare

 

One of the things that I always stress with my clients is that I do not replace fathers. In fact, I have often heard of mothers hiring doulas specifically for the role they play in supporting fathers. So often they want to help, but they may not know where to start.

Here are some suggestions!

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Doula Chats: Midwife or OBGYN?

Throughout all of history, Midwives have served women as they have entered motherhood, but within the last century or so, Obstetric Gynecologists (OBGYN) have become a normal part of birth. Though they both operate as medical caretakers for women, their method of care is very different.

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Doula Chats: Fetal Monitoring

What is fetal monitoring? What valuable information do we gain from fetal monitoring, and what are the risks and benefits? What are my options with fetal monitoring?

Fetal monitoring is when providers use tools to measure the baby’s heart rate and/or the intensity of your contractions. How often this monitoring is done and how it is measured depends on your preferences, the policies of your birthing location, and the preferences of your provider.

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Mommy + Me Minis 2022

I love being a mom. I love that I get to develop loving and intimate relationships with these little people who I admire just as much as they admire me - if not more. It's these looks of adoration that I love to have photographed.

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