Your experienced Doula Collective (Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and beyond!)
A 2011 study from the Cochrane Collaboration Pregnancy and Childbirth Group showed clear evidence for the effectiveness of doulas in creating positive birth outcomes.
Hiring a doula is part of creating a birth you are happy with, asking questions, trusting your care provider and informed consent are all pieces to the pie. Research does indicate…
fewer medical interventions
less vacuum/forcep delivery
less analgesic use
less Cesarean Births
report more positive birth experience
1- Last year I went gluten and dairy free because my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (I feel amazing!)
2- at only 5’1 I play co-ed volleyball 2-3 times a week 3- I’m American, born in Indiana
4-I proposed to my husband and he took my last name
5-I was married in April because I love Cherry Blossoms
6- A good cup of coffee can solve just about anything
7- I’m a children who witness abuse counsellor in my other job
8-I’m a certified car seat technician
9- My mother-in-law lives with us and we get along!!
10- There is often a concert happening in my living room, my daughter and husband will be in a band one day, I just know it!
11- We have a Labradoodle puppy named Luna
12- I am a new age hippie (or that’s what my husband calls me) I like to garden, make tinctures and salves and try and heal most illnesses with homeopathics, herbs or Essential Oils.
13- I’m a beach gal, give me warm sand and an ocean any day.
14-My daughter was born at 42 weeks, induced and born in a hospital (we had planned for a home birth)
15- I collect buttons, all shapes and sizes. For what you ask? I don’t know yet!
16- I love beets, pickled beets, beet salad, roasted beets, beets in smoothies… Any and all ways
17-I breastfed my daughter for 31 months. It got easier, but the first 6 weeks I didn’t know if I would continue at all.
18- I LOVE placentas. Really! Before I process them, I stare at the complexities of the veins. They are referred to as the tree of life and I truly value the placenta as the life line.
19- I had cervical cancer in 2011 and had a hysterectomy in 2012.
20- I have a mad addiction to Grey’s Anatomy… Who’s idea was it to put a dozen seasons on Netflix?!
21- I could spend any sunny afternoon in the back yard with my husband, daughter and dog. Gardening, playing soccer, climbing the apple tree and giggling.
22-My husband is an actor and I spend many, many, many evenings watching improv.
23- I am not afraid to speak up, be an advocate or voice my concern when needed.
24- I want to feed my family as natural and organic as I can, but ice-cream (yes, im dairy free…. mostly) is my weakness.
25- I find peace in mandalas. I love them so much I have a tattoo on one on my shoulder (and 3 other tattoos!)
I have invited 6 moms with children age 7 months-32 years old to take part in this questionnaire. Mothering is more than giving birth as one mother has an adopted child and mothering isn’t always smiles as one mother has lost her son shortly after birth. Mothering is something very special, emotional and loads of hard work and I would bet it doesn’t end when your child graduates, gets married or even sleeps through the night!
These moms are all special to me and I’m proud to have them impacting the way I mother my daughter. I appreciate all their emotions and heart filled answers.
Diaper cakes are trendy right? Tiered diapers stacked up elegantly with beautiful ribbons and baby good attached. This center piece for many babies showers in the last decade is a statement. One to give recognition to the creator who hand sculpted this beauty. As I was deciding what to get for a friend for her baby shower, I thought about her love (for my love) of placentas. Really it left me one option. I MUST MAKE A placenta diaper cake. I searched on Pinterest and couldn’t find a DIY so I’ve decided to make my own “Do It Yourself placenta Diaper Cake”
Supplies Needed:
-50 pack of diapers
-50 small elastic bands
-Round shallow bowl
-Red tissue paper
-Red ribbon
-Red streamers
-clear tape
-A love of placentas
Step 1- Roll up diapers and place a small elastic band around to secure them
Step 2- Line the bowl with red tissue paper, not too neat, stick tape where ya need to….
Step 3- Place diapers in bowl, it’s a little tricky balancing, but keep adding diapers until they are tight together.
Step 4- Ok, now we are making the veins of the placenta. Remember a placenta is called the tree of life, so spread out the red ribbon in a tree like formation. This step also requires the supply “a love of the placenta”. You know that placenta you have in your fridge? The one you are waiting to get in the dehydrator after the kids are in bed? Use the visual as a frame of reference and make a beautiful tree of life.
Step 5- take another piece of tissue paper and twist it up, this will be your umbilical cord. Using the streamers, wrap it around the twisty cord from the top towards the bottom. Secure both sides with tape. Now tape it to the bowl (near the base of the ribbons/veins)
TA-DA! Here we go, a unique conversation starter.
Saturday march 22nd was my first baby show. I was prepared… I had brochures, business cards, placenta prints, boobie beanies and my sparkling personality.
This show taught me many things: It prepared me for the million questions, positive and negative about being a doula.
“What is a doula?”
“You charge how much?”
“You only charge how much?”
“What is a placenta?”
“Ewww, you do what with it?”
My RANT: “We are educated people that have a passion for birth and know the strength of a woman. We know that birth is normal and natural, we stay calm and collected. We engage moms in relaxation techniques both physically and in grounding exercises.We prepare dads and moms in prenatal visits and check in after the baby is born. We prepare placentas because we know the importance of postpartum health and we have learned and studied the sacred organ and are intrigued by it’s beauty. We do this all with being on call for sometimes a month at a time! We go to bed early, we sleep beside our phones, we say things like “I`ll be there if I’m not at a birth” … And in the big scheme of things we likely make less than $25 an hour, but we do it because we are PASSIONATE and we believe every woman deserves a doula.”
Ok, so I didn’t say all that, but I wanted to. I wanted to shout them, I wanted to have a big sh-peal about doulas while on the little stage after the handsome tap dancing boy and before the sleep consultant. But instead, I handed out cards, I answered each question with respect and evidence based information. I answered everything from my heart.
Here is hoping someone heard me and wants to book me for a birth. All I can be is me, and I’m happy with that.
Please share. Feel like leaving a comment? I’d love to hear from you.
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