Tag: doula

Everyone is entitled to a physiological birth

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Better Birth Pro Series 2022 Panel

I am titilated to be invited to participate in the Better Birth Pro series panel on June 5th. Becoming certified in the Body Ready MethodTM has provided me a plethora of tools and knowledge on when to use them to stack the cards in your favor by optimizing the pregnant body for a more comfortable pregnancy, more efficient birth, and a smoother recovery.

Why did you, fellow birth worker, decide to work with pregnancy and/or birth?

For me, it was because I could impact a client’s birth experience with evidence based tools to help them have the birth they desired.

That’s why I didn’t even hesitate when Body Ready MethodTM asked me to join the Better Birth Pro series in a panel discussion about our responsibility of supporting physiological birth beyond comfort measures.

I get to participate in a conversation about what this responsibility means to me and why I am a huge advocate of support beyond comfort. Don’t get me wrong, comfort measures are huge and they should not be tossed aside, but there is so much more we can and should do to support our clients!

Join us, June 5, at 1p ET as we put it all out there. We can’t expect to change the norms unless we are ready to talk about ‘em… and we are ready!

This is just ONE of five information packed sessions of the Better Birth Pro Series. 

Check out the rest of the events and sign up free 

Hope to see you on Zoom!

PS – All who register will gain replay access to all BBP sessions! You have nothing to lose. Sign up FREE here.

New York City

A Doula’s Weekend Getaway

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Always an emotional site. Especially knowing my father and grandparents were welcomed by this view on their arrival to the United States.

So how does one who is hired to be a continuous support during labor and delivery ever get away? Good question. As a Birth Doula, finding pockets of time between scheduled births to leave town becomes a challenge. Even though I have a backup doula for every client, I’m committed to being there for each client and have yet to call on the services of a backup doula. I found a few days recently when there were no births for a while and no postpartum visits scheduled so I took advantage and did a short getaway to NYC with my husband as a tag-along to his business trip.

No Day Shall Erase You from the Memory of Time
The first thing I see walking down the terminal at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee reminds me of nursing mammas. Yea! Yea! Yea!

A few days in NYC always feels like a whirlwind – so much to do and see. We took in Hades Town on Broadway and were so happy to see a familiar face of a friend from Milwaukee in the cast.

An obligatory purchase of roasted chestnuts is an integral part of a winter visit on the streets of New York. A solemn visit to the 911 Memorial and Museum was very moving. It brought back the overwhelming emotions of that tragic day. The architecture of the building along with the exhibits create a visceral experience. Spencer Finch created this amazing installation titled: Trying To Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning. Each of the 2,983 blue squares represents one of the victims of the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. No two squares are the same color blue. Eight children died that day.

Ute Cradleboard combining basketry, hide and beadwork.
Kootenai baby carrier made from wood, deer hide, wool, glass beads, conch shells.

My first visit to the National Museum of the American Indian was excellent. Of course I was drawn to the various baby carriers on display from the many tribes across the American continents. Many cultures understand the benefits of keeping baby close – the regulation of the baby’s heartbeat, temperature and breathing all are impacted by being worn on the mother.

No matter where I turned, there was something to remind me of the birth work I do at home in Milwaukee of supporting people during the most sacred time of their lives. I carry my clients in my heart wherever I go. On a personal note, there was also a little time to do some shopping for my first grandchild arriving soon. Shh, don’t tell baby’s parents. I want that all to be a surprise.