philosophy
Do you have to take a childbirth education class to have an empowered, physiologic birth?
Absolutely not.
But for those who feel like birth is an unknown, (hint: in many respects, it is!), like their only frame of reference is a woman screaming in stirrups in a hospital bed in a movie or a history of caesareans in your family, beginning with a foundation of the beauty and design of birth can be fundamental to creating a positive mindset about birth. Or if you felt caught off guard and encountered the unexpected in your first birth and want to approach it differently the second time around, it might be helpful and empowering to learn how the female body is designed to grow and birth a baby.
When we begin to understand what physiologic birth looks like we can let go of a lot of the fear of the unknown. Most of the time, birth just works. And when it “doesn’t”, it’s probably because the body was doing something else intelligent under the given circumstances.
Knowledge is power, especially in a society that has forgotten what normal birth looks like.
it's all about
the female body
Similarly, do you have to have a doula to have a natural birth without interventions? No, definitely not.
But we are by nature community oriented as humans, not meant for isolation. The amount of women who truly, deep down, desire to birth in complete solitude, based on my experience, is few and far between. We as women desire companionship through these rites of passage, but we also desire those companions to help us and not hinder us during birth, to be a touchstone, an anchor for us.
In my work as a doula supporting births, my orientation is towards the physiology of birth, your values, and health of mom and baby.
The truth is, I may not be the most important support person to you. It may be your husband, your mother, your sister, and I don't have to be front and center to support you; sometimes my most important work is helping your partner or family support you in your inner circle.
I’m here for
the “yes, and”,
the “maybe, let’s dig deeper”,
the “it depends…”,
the variations of normal.
I’m here to understand your unique body, your pregnancy, your values, your desires.
I’m here for the nuance, the details.
I believe most of the time, babies just come, and birth just works. And it could also be true that more smooth, peaceful births are not the ones that are completely undisturbed, but ones that are supported.
I’m here to step in when needed, when asked for, or when I think I might offer something that will ease, comfort, or reassure, with a calm voice and a gentle hand.
physiology
The body has an innate physiologic design, one that, when understood & respected & supported, works wondrously to help us as women move, breathe, birth, and live with strength and a feeling of wellness. My work always seeks to start with the physiology of the female body and of birth, and proceeds from that touchstone.
health
With the advent of modernity many things have changed; medicine, movement, light, food, the list goes on. Too often we consider health the absence of diagnosed disease, but perhaps there is a whole other level to health, true vitality. One of my primary focuses is always the health of mom, baby, and the family unit.
informed consent
In my experience in our healthcare system during my time in nursing school, I clearly saw the situations where principles of informed consent not being upheld in our medical system. In my education classes I teach what informed consent really is, and help to fill in blanks that often go overlooked in interactions you might have with your medical care provider through discussion of questions and considerations. My goal is for you to feel prepared, informed, and that you can seek out and receive the care you desire.
