Choice, Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Resources
I have spent the past 18 years collecting trusted resources and have organized them into user friendly sections here to make the process of informing yourself more enjoyable and interesting rather than stoking your anxieties or planting ones you didn't previously have.
Reducing racial disparities in birth outcomes
* Congressional Action/ get involved- blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/Momnibus* Mom Congress- "momnibus"
* Evidence Based Birth Podcast- Episode 74: Hearing Black Moms' Voices in the Birth World with Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell
* Evidence Based Birth Podcast- Episode 74: Hearing Black Moms' Voices in the Birth World with Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell
What is a Doula?
The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "A woman who serves"
The term is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing person before, during, and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. (-DONA International)
Studies have shown that when doulas attend births, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula is someone who will meet with the pregnant person and their support people before the birth of the child to get to know them and help develop a vision for their ideal birth. The doula is available via phone and text for questions, resources, or just to talk. She provides continuous support to the birthing person throughout the entire labor and birth, starting when the birthing person requests her presence, if labor is well establish, and for at least 1-2 hours after the birth to help to initiate breastfeeding and ensure the family is comfortably settled before she leaves. During the labor and birth the doula is able to provide comfort measures such as massage, use of hot or cold packs, visualization and vocalization techniques, suggestions for body positioning, hydrotherapy, and various other techniques to enhance the comfort and feelings of safety of the person in labor. The doula will also help the birthing person to achieve an environment of calm and comfort in whatever setting they choose to birth, making sure the birthing room is quiet and non-offensive to the birthing person's senses; perhaps using aromatherapy if the client has a particular scent they find calming, playing soft music, ensuring dim lighting, and ensuring privacy with closed doors and curtains. The doula also helps the birthing person and their birth companions to advocate for themselves and to remember their birth preferences, while providing information and support through each turn their birth takes so that they may remain calm, trusting, and ultimately satisfied with the experience of bringing their child into the world.
Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to the family, improve parental satisfaction, and reduce the risk of mood disorders.
A Postpartum Doula offers information and physical and emotional support during the postpartum period, which many people refer to as the "fourth trimester". The Doula assists with newborn care, helps care for other children in the family, helps with family adjustment, meal preparation, and light household chores (including laundry!), and many are willing to run simple errands for the family as well. Services can be tailored to each family's needs. The postpartum doula also offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and provides local resources for any services the family or birthing person might need outside of the doula's scope of practice. Many are also able to provide education on specialized parenting skills such as cloth diapering, baby wearing, baby led weaning, infant CPR, etc.
The term is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing person before, during, and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. (-DONA International)
Studies have shown that when doulas attend births, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
A Birth Doula is someone who will meet with the pregnant person and their support people before the birth of the child to get to know them and help develop a vision for their ideal birth. The doula is available via phone and text for questions, resources, or just to talk. She provides continuous support to the birthing person throughout the entire labor and birth, starting when the birthing person requests her presence, if labor is well establish, and for at least 1-2 hours after the birth to help to initiate breastfeeding and ensure the family is comfortably settled before she leaves. During the labor and birth the doula is able to provide comfort measures such as massage, use of hot or cold packs, visualization and vocalization techniques, suggestions for body positioning, hydrotherapy, and various other techniques to enhance the comfort and feelings of safety of the person in labor. The doula will also help the birthing person to achieve an environment of calm and comfort in whatever setting they choose to birth, making sure the birthing room is quiet and non-offensive to the birthing person's senses; perhaps using aromatherapy if the client has a particular scent they find calming, playing soft music, ensuring dim lighting, and ensuring privacy with closed doors and curtains. The doula also helps the birthing person and their birth companions to advocate for themselves and to remember their birth preferences, while providing information and support through each turn their birth takes so that they may remain calm, trusting, and ultimately satisfied with the experience of bringing their child into the world.
Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to the family, improve parental satisfaction, and reduce the risk of mood disorders.
A Postpartum Doula offers information and physical and emotional support during the postpartum period, which many people refer to as the "fourth trimester". The Doula assists with newborn care, helps care for other children in the family, helps with family adjustment, meal preparation, and light household chores (including laundry!), and many are willing to run simple errands for the family as well. Services can be tailored to each family's needs. The postpartum doula also offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and provides local resources for any services the family or birthing person might need outside of the doula's scope of practice. Many are also able to provide education on specialized parenting skills such as cloth diapering, baby wearing, baby led weaning, infant CPR, etc.
Research About Doulas
NPR report on the benefits of doula care:
Click the button below to read or listen
Doula Support For Pregnant Women
Could Improve Care, Reduce Costs.
Published January 15, 2016
Click the button below to read or listen
Doula Support For Pregnant Women
Could Improve Care, Reduce Costs.
Published January 15, 2016
Video about Doula Support, courtesy of DONA International
Click the button below to watch
Childbirth Connection's: The Hormonal physiology of Childbearing
Click below to read
Evidence Based Research and Pregnancy and Women's/ Pregnancy Health Resources
- Evidence Based Birth-Putting current evidence based information in the hands of communities, so they can make empowered choices: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidencebasedbirth.com/
- PubMed.gov- US National Library of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
- American Academy of Pediatrics: www.aap.org
- The Cochrane Library: www.cochrane.org
- The New England Journal of Medicine: www.nejm.org
- National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov
- ACOG-American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: www.acog.org
- Spinning Babies-Easier Childbirth with Fetal Positioning: http://spinningbabies.com
- Childbirth Connection: A Program of the National Partnership For Women and Families: http://childbirthconnection.org
- Human milk for human babies: Informed milk sharing network - http://hm4hb.net/
- Lamaze for Parents, 6 steps to a healthy Birth: http://www.lamaze.org/p/cm/ld/fid=198
Watch a slideshow of your changing anatomy!
Childbirth Connection,
Your Body Through Pregnancy:
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/healthy-pregnancy/your-body-throughout-pregnancy.html
Click the button above to watch a video of the cervix thinning and opening, and the baby rotating for birth.
Parenting Resources
- Mothers Naturally - http://mothersnaturally.org/
- Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year - http://www.childbearing-year.com
- ABC Homeopathy - http://abchomeopathy.com/
- Kelly Mom - www.kellymom.com
- Mothering Magazine - www.mothering.com
- Tummy Time Method- www.tummytimemethod.com
Doula Resources
- Doulas of North America (DONA) - www.dona.org
- To Labor- The Organization of Birth Assistants for Birth Options and Resources - www.tolabor.com
- Childbirth and Post-Partum Professionals Association - www.cappa.net
- www.doulamatch.net
- www.birthinggently.com
Midwife Resources
- Midwives Alliance of North America - http://mana.org
- North American Registry of Midwives - http://narm.org/
- Massachusetts Midwives’ Alliance - http://massmidwives.org/
- Massachusetts Friends of Midwives - http://www.mfom.org/
- Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery - http://www.foundationformidwifery.org/
- The Big Push for Midwives - http://pushformidwives.org/
- www.pennysimkin.com
- www.midwiferytoday.com
Cord Blood Banking
- The Cord Blood Center: www.cordbloodbanking.com
Mindfulness in pregnancy, labor, birth and life in general
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There are many free Hypnobirthing, Hypnobabies, and other birth meditations on Spotify, Napster, Itunes, or youtube. Click the button to the right for a great example |
Click the button to explore the Headspace website for tips on meditation and articles on the science of happiness and benefits of practicing mindfulness. Download the app to your phone for access to tons of free guided meditations.
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