How long have you been a birth coach & doula?
Six years ago I completed birth doula training with D.O.N.A. and have been supporting families since that time. In addition to my birth doula training, 12 years ago I became a massage therapist in Florida with a specialty certification in Bodywork for the Childbearing Year, massage for pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. I also have an extensive education in Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, and Philosophy from The University of Tampa.
Why did you become a birth coach & doula?
When I was 20 years old and pregnant, 15 years ago, a family friend introduced me to her doula. The information they shared with me inspired me to learn more about birth and the options available. I believed my body was designed to birth my baby. With knowledge and support my son's birth was a beautiful one, I call it a "homebirth in the hospital".
Not every woman wants to make the same choices I made when my son was born, and that's okay! I choose to work as a birth coach because I believe every woman, and her partner if she has one, deserves to have someone helping them sift through all the information available so they can make decisions they feel are right for them. I also believe laboring women, and their partners, deserve to have one person focused on helping them work towards their goals during labor.
How do you provide support during labor?
Begining two weeks before a client's estimated due date I consider myself on-call. When she notices her body changing in any way that shows it's preparing for labor she sends a text, email, or calls to let me know. We talk about the signs, what to expect, and how to know if "it's time". And whether her water breaks first (which only about 30% of labors begin that way) or contractions become regular we maintain consistent phone contact. I give suggests on how to:
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stay comfortable
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keep labor progressing
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and when to rest
with texts or calls every hour or so depending how things are progressing. When she, and her partner, are ready for in-person support I drive over to where they are, whether at home, the hospital, or birth center. (My commitment to clients is to be able to drive to them within an hour, regardless of the time of day or traffic. That is why I limit my services to the immediate Tampa Bay Area)
When we are all together the real work (and fun) begin! My clients receive:
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massage therapy
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aromatherapy
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information on what to expect
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partner coaching, so they know ways to help their laboring partner
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suggestions on client positioning to keep labor progressing
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evidence based information on any choices they may need to make that are unexpected
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unbiased support for the choices they make
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consistant support for the length of their choosing (my clients' average time in active labor is 8.5 hours)
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I stay for about an hour after birth to help with newborn care reminders and baby's first feeding
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in the case of a homebirth or birth center birth needing to transfer to a hospital I will tranfer with clients
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What if, as the client, I want an epidural?
That's okay! This is Your pregnancy and birth experience, so You get to make many decisions. As a doula, I can still help when a client wants an epidural or to use other pain management options. As one Obstetrician recently said to her patient, my client, "it's never too late to get an epidural". That being said, there IS a time when it's considered, by scientific evidence, to be too early for an epidural. That is usually before dilating to 4cm. As surprising as it may be, it can take some women in labor hours to reach 4cm. So having one-on-one help with staying comfortable during that time can make all the difference in the world.
Two other considerations: not all epidurals work as well as hoped for, and sometimes women have labors that happen more quickly than medicine can be administered and take effect. In those cases, it's also helpful to have a doula.
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Questions & Answers
More Questions & Answers will be here soon. Please check back! And reach out with any specific questions you would like answered.
