Becoming A Doula – Guest Blog Post & Giveaway! – CLOSED
October 12, 2009 by Mommy News
Filed under Blogiversary Celebration, Child Birth and Recovery, Contests
By Amy Farr
As a doula, I get several e-mails a year from women asking how they can become a doula. The following is an overview of the different types of doula support and the organizations that provide trainings. Also included is information on how to become a certified doula.
Birth doulas meet with a woman during pregnancy and provide support and comfort measures throughout her labor and birth. Post-partum doulas assist the mother after the birth by providing breastfeeding support and helping with basic household chores and baby care. Antenatal doulas work mostly with women who are having a high-risk pregnancy and help them through that period.
There are several different organizations that offer doula trainings in the form of seminars, distance education or both. You should decide what type of doula you wish to be, where to find the best training, and whether to pursue certification.
Organizations that train and certify doulas are DONA International (Doulas of North America), CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association), ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators), CBI (Childbirth International), Cascade Christian Childbirth Association, Birthworks, http://www.icea.org/ (International Childbirth Education Association) and Lamaze International.
I chose to take my training with DONA International (Doulas of North America) which is the oldest and most well known organization. You can find a list of their training seminars at on their website. The training I attended was a three day seminar that covered the physiology of birth and what to expect during each stage of labor. I learned how to provide comfort measures to the mother during each stage of labor, position changes that encourage progress, and I learned about the different interventions that clients may be faced with and how they may affect the labor process.
Certification is optional but encouraged, and will require that you complete several activities including required reading, observation of a childbirth education series, and a minimum of three births. Re-certification is also optional and to stay certified, it must be completed every three years. Requirements for certification and re-certification are available on the DONA website.
I absolutely love being a doula and find it to be a highly rewarding career.
Amy Farr is a mother to two children (Maura who is 4 and Ryan who is 18 months) and is married to her husband Jody. She lives in the Greater Pittsburgh area and has been a birth doula since 2006. She has been certified through DONA International since 2008. Together with her sister, Brenda, she founded Blessed Arrivals Birth Doula Service in 2006. “It is so fulfilling to help other women on their journey to motherhood.”
Extra special thanks to Amy for being a part of our Blogiversary Celebration! I asked Amy to write this post as a follow-up to the previous post that she wrote for Mommy News & Views Blog and to be part of our Blogiversary Celebration. But Amy went one step further – she offered to do a give-away along with her post too! Amy, owner of Blessed Arrivals, will be giving away TWO prizes to two lucky recipients of Mommy News & Views Blog.
1) A copy of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin.
2) A free Comfort Measures For Labor Class – this class is designed for pregnant moms and includes tips and techniques for coping with discomfort, stress and fatigue during labor. In order to qualify for this prize, you must reside (or give it to someone who resides) in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area.
To be entered into this contest please leave a comment on this post telling us if you used a doula during your birth and if you feel that you would like to in the future after reading about what a doula does both here in this post and in Amy’s earlier post on our blog. Also, please indicate if you are from the Greater Pittsburgh area in your comment so that we will know if you qualify for both giveaways! – This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.
But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win this book or class by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.
1) Follow Amy on Twitter.
2) Sign up to be a fan of Blessed Arrivals Birth Doulas on facebook.
3) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and a link back to this page, and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
4) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
5) Purchase anything from our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 4 extra chances to win for every purchase!
That’s it! Lots of ways to win a great book and local birth class!! This contest ends 10/28/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to people with US-based delivery addresses ONLY. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.
![[co.mments]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/comments.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[MySpace]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Newsvine]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/newsvine.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Twitter]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://mommynewsblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
Blogiversary Celebration: Belly Bandit Post Partum Compression Band – CLOSED
October 3, 2009 by Mommy News
Filed under Blogiversary Celebration, Child Birth and Recovery, Contests
Have you ever thought about how you are going to get back into shape after your baby arrives? Besides a great exercise routine – are there other tools you can use to help get your pre-baby body back quickly? If you have asked these questions, then this post is for you!
The Belly Bandit® is an abdominal compression binder designed to help you get your body back to its former self post childbirth.
Not only does the Belly Bandit help reduce uncomfortable uterine swelling, it aids in decreasing bloating caused by water retention, and gives additional support for your weary legs & back. And if you are breastfeeding, there’s a bonus… the Belly Bandit will help you with your posture during feedings, and may help to reduce the all too common back & shoulder pain sometimes associated with breastfeeding. Ultimately, the Belly Bandit will aid in getting you back to your pre pregnancy hotness faster than ever!
Belly Bandits didn’t exist when I had my son four years ago, but even if you had your baby a while ago (like me), the Belly Bandit can still help out! Although the manufacturer recommends wearing your Belly Bandit right after you deliver for 6-8 weeks, there is no reason why you shouldn’t wear it whenever you can or want to. Some additional benefits of the product are extra back support and improved posture. We all know that when you feel better, you tend to be more active. This may lead the way to more movement and in turn may help with exercise (and you can wear it while working out).
Now the good part….you look slimmer in clothing and feel better wearing those shirts that you stuffed away in the closet because you didn’t like those “extra rolls” or you promised to put it back on after you lost the “spare tire” around your waist. So even if you didn’t just have your little bundle of joy last week or event last month…every little bit helps.
So if you are pregnant, have a brand-new bundle of joy or even an older bundle or two! The Belly Bandit is for you!! The Belly Bandit comes in three varieties:
- Original – this is the good for everyone, affordable version that does the job just great!!
- Couture – this adds a little touch of luxury in your post-partum recovery! With beautiful patterns that only you can see, and made from a slightly softer material, this Belly Bandit will make you feel awesome!
- Bamboo – now this Belly Bandit is the Diamond of all the Belly Bandits. It is so soft you will hardly know you are wearing it. It is definitely the luxury model – and worth every extra penny!! Not to mention it’s eco-friendly too!
As part of our Blogiversary Celebration, the great folks at Belly Bandit have offered to give away a Belly Bandit from their Couture Collection to one lucky Mommy News & Views Reader.
To be entered into this contest please tell us when you had (or are due to have) your last baby and why you think the Belly Bandit will help you out. Also, please be sure mention which color from the Couture Collection is your favorite! This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.
But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.
1) Sign up to follow our blog using your favorite reader or sign up for email updates.
2) Grab one of our blogiversary buttons and add it to your blog, webpage or facebook page.
3) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
4) Spread the word some more! Post about this contest on facebook and tell all of your friends about it!(you can do this once per day during the contest)
5) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
6) Purchase any item in our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 2 extra chances to win for every purchase!That’s it! Lots of ways to win a Belly Bandit Post Partum Compression Band!! This contest ends 10/20/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to people with US mailing addresses only. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.
Homebirth – One Mom’s Magical Journey
August 17, 2009 by Mommy News
Filed under Child Birth and Recovery
By Erin Ely
It’s been 15 years since I had my home birth, wow how time flies. Who would have guessed it would pass so fast. I have two children, Locke my son, who is 19 and Maggie, my home birthed daughter, who is now 15. In order to tell you about my home birth, I first need to give you the background on how I got there.
This is a tale of two births, dramatically different from each other.
I was a “career” woman. I have a Forestry degree and I worked on one of the largest national forests in the Pacific Northwest. While my main job was Forestry related, I also spent many summers fighting forest fires and was on a hotshot fire crew one summer. I was committed to the world of Forestry. I never imagined myself with kids. I did not like kids, really, I never baby sat as a kid and when I would go places, I generally would steer clear of kids. OK I didn’t hate them, I just did not connect to them. I was not a “kid” kind of person.
As a “career” woman, I did not ever imagine that I would have a child and leave my job but, that’s what happened after the birth of my first child, my son Locke. I worked right up to the minute with my first pregnancy with Locke. My water broke at work during the morning and then I had to go home and get ready to go the the hospital for my birth. I called my midwife and said I would stay home until I was in labor, but, it just never came. After holding off as long as possible, late afternoon, I finally went to the hospital. They tried several natural ways to get my labor started but it just was not working. I went through the night with no real signs of labor. Eventually I ended up on pitocin. It seemed like hours of pitocin-induced labor and the minute they took the pitocin away, my labor disappeared. It had been over 30 hours since my water broke, I was exhausted I could not do it anymore and they were ready to take the baby out. At the time, it seemed like there was no way around it, I was exhausted…so my first birth was in the hospital and a c-section.One thing lead to another. For every action there is a reaction, I was sick from the anesthesia for the c-section so they gave me another drug to fix that, I can barely remember the whole experience I was so drowsy and out of it. After several hours of pitocin, the anesthesia, the drug to stop my nausea, this really affected my ability and the baby’s ability to nurse. After a week in the hospital, I went home with my son, using a nipple shield so he could latch on to nurse. Unbeknown to me, the use of the nipple shield slowly was decreasing my milk supply over time. This happens because your milk ducts do not get the same stimulation, as if you were nursing directly without the shield. Once I got home I could not get my son to latch on without the use of the nipple shield, I was exhausted and he was not getting enough to eat, but I did not know that. Finally after two weeks and a Doctor’s visit, we realized he was not gaining enough weight. The standard prescription was given, give him artificial baby milk and put the baby on a bottle.
I remember thinking to myself, this is just not going to happen, there was something in me that would not go along with that, for some reason I just could not do that.
I called my local La Leche League and went to a meeting. That was my first exposure to nursing toddlers. I was so freaked out by that, I thought I would never go back to another meeting. I eventually ended up meeting one on one with an amazing La Leche League leader who came to my house. Because I did not want to use bottle, she helped set me up with a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS). The SNS is a small bottle that you wear around your neck with two tubes. You put your pumped milk in the bottle and tape one tube to each nipple. The baby latches on to your breast and gets milk from the bottle while learning how to milk your breast at the same time. This also helps stimulate your milk supply. To make this work, I had to pump every two hours round the clock, which I did for several months.
My routine of pumping, setting up the SNS, cleaning it, etc took about an hour, then I would have to do it all over again soon after. While everyone around me was telling me to use the bottle and artificial baby milk, I just could not, it just did not feel right to me. My husband thought I was crazy, my friends thought I was crazy, but it was the way I had to do it. Finally after about 3 months of non-stop pumping and using the SNS, my son was gaining weight and was finally able to nurse on his own without the additional help of the SNS. I was like a zombie during those first three months but I made it to the other side. I was supposed to go back to work when my son was 3 months old, but after all this, there was no way I could leave him with someone else to take care of him. I took an extended leave of absence from my job and after two years, I ended up resigning to be home with my son.
It was my connection to La Leche League that sent me off onto a completely new path. I was so grateful for the help I got, I became very involved with La Leche League. This had to be one of the single biggest influences in my life as a parent, as many of the choices I made about parenting and choosing a homebirth came from my connection to La Leche League.
When my son Locke was 3, I got pregnant with “my Maggie”. I knew before I even got pregnant that I was not going to use a medical doctor for this birth. I found a lay midwife in my area. We are lucky to have several very good lay midwives in our community. I did not see a medical doctor once during my pregnancy. I would go to my midwife appointments and she would talk to me and check my vital signs but not once did she ever give me an internal exam. This was such a different experience. I met her at her home for my appointments. Also, by the way, I was 39 when I had my second child. I had no tests of any kind, no ultra sound, no medical procedures. My pregnancy was great, I never had any problems.
One evening, we were getting ready for dinner and, my water broke. I called my midwife to let her know…but I was not having any labor pains. It seems like the same situation I had before, when I had a c-section. At the time, we lived 15 miles out of town. My midwife and her assistant, came to my house. The evening progressed but my labor did not. I went through the night, off and on with some labor pains, but nothing significant. My midwife gave me some black cohash to help my labor but it just made me sick to my stomach and I threw up.The night progressed, I slept off and on, but my labor did not. This is starting to sound familiar. During the day, we tired different things, my midwife suggested several positions I could use to help stimulate my labor. I was tired and the day passed, still with no significant progress on my labor and birth. It had been about 24 hours since my water broke and my midwife decided she would go home for a bit, while I was in a very slow, almost non existent state of labor. I was so scared of the pain, that I think mentally I was halting my own labor. Even after one birth this was still unknown territory. When I look back, I realize now, I was afraid and not mentally prepared to give birth “naturally”, so while intellectually, I wanted to do it, subconsciously it was not happening.
I realized that something had to happen, so now that my midwife had gone home for a break, about 30 minutes away from my house, I changed my position and my labor began to progress. I had to call my midwife and she had no sooner arrived home and then had to turn around and come back to my house. Finally, my labor was progressing, I was scared but it was going to happen.
By the time my midwife arrived, I was in a pretty good state of labor, things were progressing, finally I got to the point of pushing. I choose the bathroom, as it was easier to be supported by sitting in an upright position. OK, so I thought I would be able to do this right? The time had come, well, not exactly… my mind again, working against my body. I spent three hours pushing “my Maggie” out. It was sheer will of force that made this finally happen. I pushed Maggie out from a very high position in my cervix and ended up with a 4th degree tear, lots of blood loss and a bit of a woozy feeling, but I was awake, not drugged and Maggie was here.
My midwife was very quick to act, she put me on oxygen, had me laying down and they grabbed the baby and everything was fine. Although at the time, it all seemed normal to me, later I found out that my tear was pretty severe and there was some concern about my loss of blood and bleeding.
Because of my 4th degree tear, I had to go to the hospital to get stitched up. Once everything was taken care of, I was stabilized, the baby was taken care of, we were off to the hospital for the repair of my 4th degree tear. Well, you can only imagine the reception I got when we got to the hospital. I laugh when I think about it now. I know you can read all kinds of horror stories about bad problems after a 4th degree tear, but I never had any problems. I had it stitched up, I took care of myself, healed fine and now 15 years later I have never had a problem.
For me the homebirth was a magical experience. It is something I cannot explain how lucky I feel to have had.
Once we got home with Maggie, everything was so amazing. My breastfeeding went great, Maggie gained plenty of weight, right away. Everything went smoothly. It was like a fairy tale. My son Locke was also there at the birth and we all remember it like yesterday. Once we got home, we all laid in bed with Maggie, the four of us. I did not leave the house for at least two weeks, it was a peaceful time. We took the time to enjoy the experience all four of us together. I have to say it was really one of the most amazing things I have experienced in my life.
My life went in such a different direction following the birth of Locke, both my kids nursed until they were 4.2 years old, we attachment parented, homeschooled and no vaccinations for Maggie. After Locke was born, I became a La Leche League Leader and for 8 years I helped other moms with their breastfeeding. Mother to mother support, the way it works best…passed on from one mom who has experienced successful nursing to another who is just beginning.
Erin lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband Doug and two children Locke (19) and Maggie (15). In 1992, she left her job of 12 years as a Forester on the Willamette National Forest to be a stay-at-home-mom. For the past 17 years she has been a homeschooler. organic and local food advocate, “professional” volunteer and community and political activist. In 2005 she started a home-based business selling Miessence certified organic products. She also works as an on-site staff member at the annual Bioneers conference. After 16 years of working for corporate America, her husband left his job in October 2008 and they opened Bielefeldt Financial, offering Socially Responsible and Traditional Financial Planning.
Have you ever considered a homebirth? What made you decide to go for one or to choose not to do one? Please share your story by leaving a comment.
Doulas Have Heart And Are By Your Side During Childbirth
January 8, 2009 by MommyNews
Filed under Child Birth and Recovery
The other day I asked my friend, Amy Farr, to share with my readers what it is that she does. Amy is a doula and if your town is anything like mine- many people you will run into don’t even know exactly what a doula is. That’s okay- it’s why I wanted her to tell us more about what a doula is and why she loves being one.
The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek and refers to “a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and after childbirth.
A doula is not there to replace the role of the partner but to enhance it. Some partners want to be there and just be in the moment. Having a doula present allows the partner to be as involved as he/she is comfortable being.
A doula believes in a woman’s body and it’s ability to birth. A doula is the one person present during labor and birth who is solely focused on the needs of the mother and partner. She anticipates the mother’s needs, helps to provide comfort and helps the mother obtain all the information that she needs to allow her to make decisions when it comes to any interventions that may come up.Studies have shown a decrease in interventions when a doula is present. C-section rates are lower, use of anesthesia is lower, breastfeeding rates are higher, post-partum depression rates are lower and bonding is increased when a doula is present.
As a doula I feel blessed and honored to be included in each and every birth that I attend. My goal is to help women to feel empowered by their birth experience. With all of the interventions that women face nowadays too many women feel like birth was something that was done to them and not like they were an active participant in the process. Part of the doulas responsibility it to nurture and protect the mother’s memory of her experience.
If you or someone you know may be interested in finding a doula for your next birth experience check out Dona.com for information. To read more about Amy Farr and her doula mission please visit Blessed Arrivals.
Did you have a doula for you child’s birth? How did she help you in the different stages before, during, and after the blessed event?
.
