WHAT IS

A DOULA?

As your doula, I’m here to help you meet the challenges of labor with confidence! You can walk through your birth prepared, empowered, and connected.

WHAT IS

A DOULA?

As your doula, I’m here to help you meet the challenges of labor with confidence! You can walk through your birth prepared, empowered, and connected.

AN ADVOCATE
FOR YOU

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Now what? An unfamiliar road lies ahead, and doula care services help you navigate with wisdom, confidence, and comfort. Prenatally, I will meet with you and your partner to discuss your needs and desires for your birth, explore your own best ways of coping and how your partner can help, craft a birth plan, and prepare to bring your baby home. In birth, I provide continuous support, coping suggestions, and encouragement, as well as being a voice to elevate your voice and advocate for your needs.

AN ADVOCATE
FOR YOU

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Now what? An unfamiliar road lies ahead, and doula care services help you navigate with wisdom, confidence, and comfort. Prenatally, I will meet with you and your partner to discuss your needs and desires for your birth, explore your own best ways of coping and how your partner can help, craft a birth plan, and prepare to bring your baby home. In birth, I provide continuous support, coping suggestions, and encouragement, as well as being a voice to elevate your voice and advocate for your needs.

WHAT A DOULA DOES?

Birth is physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally consuming for you and your partner. It is a whole-body, whole-person event, and there are more than physical needs to be addressed! The more secure, respected, cared for, and connected you feel, the more you are able to relax. The more you are able to relax, the more efficient and comfortable your laboring will be.

It is my goal to ensure that you and your partner are well prepared, informed, and supported. As a childbirth educator, my comprehensive childbirth class can help you be prepared and informed, and even if you choose to take a different class, I bring that body of knowledge into my service as your doula. We will learn about and practice different ways of managing labor pains including breathing techniques, comfort measures, position changes, and discuss pharmacological pain relief options such as an epidural. 

Emotional support during childbirth is another key component of doula care services, and deeply contributes to the sense of security and respect. As your doula, I am a continuous, calming, and reassuring presence throughout your labor. I am the one member of your care team that doesn’t leave to check on another mama, or come back when pushing starts. There are no shift changes for this doula. 

BENEFITS OF A DOULA

Your doctor or midwife is primarily concerned with you and your baby’s physical well-being, just as they should be. But birth is more than blood pressure checks and centimeters of dilation, more than contractions and monitors. Research shows that the continuous support of a trained birth doula significantly affects birth outcomes.
31% decrease in the use of Pitocin to induce or augment labor
28% decrease in the risk of Cesarean birth
9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth

From: http://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/

BENEFITS OF A DOULA

Your doctor or midwife is primarily concerned with you and your baby’s physical well-being, just as they should be. But birth is more than blood pressure checks and centimeters of dilation, more than contractions and monitors. Research shows that the continuous support of a trained birth doula significantly affects birth outcomes.
31% decrease in the use of Pitocin to induce or augment labor
28% decrease in the risk of Cesarean birth
9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
From: http://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/

PARTNERING WITH A DOULA

One of the challenges of birth is navigating the unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable environment of the hospital or birth center. In the intensity of labor, you may find it difficult to know just how things are supposed to be, and what the right decisions are. I will help you understand your options, and fully support the decisions you make. See packages for more information.

Feeling comfortable during childbirth can require the use of various comforting techniques, and I can help you find the ones that work for you! But in addition to coping with labor itself, one of the key factors in being satisfied with your birth has everything to do with your voice being heard and your wishes being respected. Often, when women report having “difficult” or “traumatic” birth experiences, the common factor in those experiences is not whether or not they had a cesarean section, or were induced, or any other specific intervention. The common factor is that their voices are not heard and their wishes are not respected. 

Apart from genuine medical emergencies, it is the loss of autonomy and respect that undermines the empowerment that birth naturally brings to women. And this is where partnering with a doula comes in. Not all doulas take on the advocate role, but this doula does. I will help you understand your options, remind your birth team of your wishes, and call out circumstances where your voice isn’t being heard or respected. I will fully support the choices you make, including when your wishes change.

Class

Looking for birthing classes in the Eugene area? In-depth, community-centered courses where you will learn, practice, and prepare for a satisfying birth. We address all birthing environments.

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Consultation

Looking for childbirth support in the Eugene area? Maybe you’re unsure about the kind of support you need? Let’s chat today!

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One-on-One

Curious about emotional support for childbirth? Looking for a trusted partner to help you navigate this new experience? Let’s talk about how I can help!

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