A recent blog post that I read (and the events of my life today) have inspired me to write one of the more personal posts I have written. I’m not sure there will be much for anyone to learn from this, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to share part of my story. You see, … Continue reading Letting Them Go
Author: journeyforward
What does non-judgmental support really look like? When I became pregnant and entered the world of motherhood, I had lots of ideas about how I wanted my birth to go and how I wanted to parent my child. My husband and I spent lots of time thinking and talking about those details. Little did I … Continue reading Non-judgmental Support
Tips for getting through Prodromal Labor We've all seen labor begin on TV shows and movies. Most of the time the woman's water breaks, they head to the hospital, a few contractions with screams and the baby is born. Easy right? We all know though, that in reality, just as every woman and baby are different, … Continue reading Will I Be In Labor FOREVER?
It may not seem to make sense that when you finally get the thing you have longed for, you don't seem all that excited to have it. Many women have an incredibly strong desire to have a baby. They may have waited for the right partner, or may have had trouble conceiving. But when that pregnancy test … Continue reading Is It OK If I Don’t LOVE Being Pregnant?
"Our thoughts create our experiences." -- Louise Hay I came across this quote in a book I'm reading and I thought it was very fitting for the work I do as a doula. Whatever the outcome of a birth, it is the parents' perception of that birth that will form the memory and therefore the … Continue reading Circumstance vs. Experience
I have a particular passion for the postpartum period. I remember coming home with my first-born and sitting in the rocking chair thinking, "Now what?" I remember having the questions of when do I put him down, is it time to feed him, when do I change his clothes, do I even need to change … Continue reading The Postpartum Visit
There is no shortage of information about dads and birth. Of course, most of the information is about how dads can support their partners. There are lots of blog posts about how to time contractions, count during pushing, verbally encourage, be an advocate, take pictures and cut the cord. While these are all really great … Continue reading Partners Need Doulas Too
I first heard this term during my doula training with ProDoula. I instantly thought it was a beautiful way to describe what we were learning to do. I came across a good article about what it means to hold space for another person. As I read it, I thought about times that I had held … Continue reading Holding Space
I recently posted something I read about the 9 instinctive stages of baby's first hour. Here is another good article about some of the benefits of protecting that first hour of your baby's life. Click here to read the article.
It is interesting to me to think of ourselves as mammals. Yes we all know we are part of the animal kingdom, but we don't often think about the instincts we still have. During the first hour of a baby's life skin to skin contact is very important. There are 9 instinctive stages that he … Continue reading 9 Instinctive Stages – Baby’s First Hour
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