Doula Services
"Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage acknowledges that self-transformation occurs regardless of how the experience unfolds. It supports [birthing persons] to find their individual pathway through the rite of passage and requires care providers to consider how their actions and interactions influence [patient/client] experiences. Understanding childbirth as a rite of passage allows us to craft a [birthing person] centered birth culture, creating conditions for empowerment and growth."
-Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage by Rachael Reed
Photographer credit Gillian Walker Photography
Photographer credit Gillian Walker Photography
What Does a Doula Do?
A Doula provides continuous labor support for the birthing person. I think of a doula as the keeper of the birthing space, whether that be in a hospital, home, or other environment.
Doula training focuses on physical comfort measures and ways to enhance labor progress as well as extensive discussion of the emotional shifts that occur throughout labor to help attune to your (laboring person's) changing moods and movements. Having a doula may reduce stress and fear, helping you to feel safe and less afraid and anxious. I also can help guide and reassure partners in this process. This non-clinical care can help to shorten labor, lower need for pain medication, improve satisfaction, improve rates of breastfeeding introduction, and avoid unnecessary or undesired cesarean sections.
I can also assist with making a birth plan and providing resources.
Your Birth, Your Way
Whether your ideal birth is an at-home water birth, a planned c-section at the hospital, a VBAC or something else entirely- my goal as a doula is to help you get as close as safely possible to your ideal birth. I think of childbirth as a rite of passage and every person comes to it with their own experiences, fears, desires and expectations. With that in mind, I want to empower those I work with to blaze their own path and make the decisions that feel comfortable for them.
Part of a consultation consists of discussing your goals for your birth. No one can plan how a birth is going to go down to the last detail- but we can discuss your feelings about setting, interventions, comfort measures to be provided, etc. Knowing these things ahead of time can provide a framework for making decisions as things progress and help you feel more at ease.
Photographer credit Gillian Walker Photography
Photographer credit Gillian Walker Photography
'Acu Doula'
As a licensed acupuncturist, I have the ability to see you as a patient before, during or after your labor. I also can provide acupuncture as an additional comfort measure in settings outside of the hospital. I have in-patient privileges to perform acupuncture at Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital at this time. I include continuous labor support, 2 prenatal meetings (either virtual or in-person), customized birth plan, and access to the patient portal to view your notes.
As a part of my AcuDoula package, 2 Travel Acupuncture sessions for in-home acupuncture are included (a $400 value!). During those visits, we will discuss how things have been going with your pregnancy thus far, any concerns you have at that time, and address any discomfort you may be experiencing.
In-Home Acupuncture can be added on by simply booking those services separately.
I also offer custom packages on request to allow for savings on additional acupuncture! If you are contacting me later in your pregnancy, I also can accommodate more postpartum visits in lieu of prenatal appointments.
Placenta Encapsulation
The placenta plays an enormous role during your pregnancy to provide your baby the nutrients they need inside of the uterus.
We use the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approach to encapsulate all placentas. The TCM method requires steaming the placenta with herbs (Jalapeno, Lemon, and Ginger- please let us know if you have any allergies when booking so we can adapt as necessary), dehydrating it at a low temperature, grinding it into fine powder and placing the powder into capsules. A placenta tincture and/or placenta print can be done at your request.
A placenta tincture is made from a piece of the client’s raw placenta after birth, steeping in alcohol making a potent remedy over 6 weeks. The placenta tincture is said to boost emotional, mental and psychological stability at 6 weeks postpartum and beyond. A cord keepsake is also included with every encapsulation.
The Following Are Benefits That Have Been Reported:
- Decreased baby blues and post natal depression
- Decreased postpartum pain
- Decreased likelihood of insomnia
- Feeling Moods Were More Balanced
- Increased energy
- Increased iron
- Increased mother-infant bonding
- Reduced postpartum hemorrhage (heavy bleeding)
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