Ridge Meadows Doula Services

Your experienced Doula Collective (Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and beyond!)

Baby Box Event

We are so excited to be the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Host group for the baby box event. We have partnered with Maple Ridge Wellness Center to offer these no cost boxes to the community.

For more than 75 years, Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a Baby Box by the state that serves as a starter kit for their new baby. It contains clothes, blankets, and other newborn necessities, and the Baby Box itself–which is lined with a mattress–is used as the child’s first bed.

The Baby Box Co. guarantees a non-toxic, chemical-free and environmentally safe sleep space.
*Natural and organic linens, designed to be soft and allergy-safe for babies.
*Stylish and comfortable baby clothing for both day and night.
*Must-have infant care products curated with an emphasis on safety and sustainability.

To sign up for your box just go to http://www.babyboxuniversity.com/ Sign up and then call RMDS st 604-897-5847 to find out when our next event is.

 

Ridge Meadows Doula Services is your Elite Doula Collective. We work all over the lower mainland but primarily in the Ridge Meadows Area. Our services include birth doula, postpartum doula, childbirth classes, placenta encapsulation, car seat check by techs and of course events!

 

 

the 411 one “rule”

The 411 rule is what most Childbirth Educators use when teaching a prenatal class. It’s in reference to going to the hospital. Ridge Meadows Doula Services believes there is more to this simple formula, we suggest parents don’t get hung up on the numbers and timing every contraction. We suggest you are mindful to the emotional precursors as well. With regard to waves (contractions), you will want to wait until your contractions are:

 

 

· 4 minutes apart or less.

· Lasting 1 minute long or longer

· Stay home with the contractions 1 minute long for 1 hour (or longer)

 

Emotional precursors that can also be signals are:

· Very serious

· Aren’t talking during contractions

· Are not walking during a contraction

· Are very focused only on their contractions and can’t be distracted

· They may be ritualistic behaviours

· They may start to make deep groaning sounds

While these are all guesstimates on when to go to the hospital, they aren’t perfect science. Each woman enters their birthing time and has a different experience. having a doula with you to help you relax and cope with waves (contractions) can be helpful. doulas have seen may births and can give you a good idea of when it is time to leave for the hospital.

 

What to get your doula wife, girlfriend, friend, sister….. For Christmas

I started writing this post on August 25th 2015, 4 months before Christmas day, on a day that was 26 degrees celsius.  I wanted to find the very best birthy items to add to this post so all of us birthy folks can get a new fun stocking stuffer.  Doulas, Midwives and Childbirth Educators are a breed of our own.  We are up all night, we dissect placentas for fun, we talk about vaginas and labias around the lunch table and are always reading/learning and talking birth. We deserve a little something special from our close friends and families.
stuffed placenta

1- Who in the world doesn’t want a stuffed placenta? Ok, I hear ya… it’s not for the common folk, but us birthy peeps think this is adorable

 

 

crowningbig

2- A beautiful way to proclaim your calling! is what this website boasts. Look closely, they are “crowning” earnings

 

mamazen

3- Full Moon mothering makes all types of baltic amber necklaces for children and adults. I’m in love with my mama zen necklace and I wear it all the time… Now I need the matching bracelet.

 

 

pocketpelvis

4-This tiny pelvis is a great educational tool, and I’m sure it wold be a great conversation starter at the dinner table!

 

 

 

scarf

 

5- What birth worker wouldn’t want this Oxytocin Molecule scarf?

 

 

ornament

 

6- Need an ornament to add to a stocking? This “Pregnant Mother Goddess” ornament is perfect.

 

 

meconium

7- This pin…. Really everyone needs it.

 

 

mug

 

8- Everyone loves mugs, for real… Everyone. And doulas love their vaginas. It’s a fact really.

 

 

deserve_a_doula_license_plate_frame

9- Car bling? A gift that keeps on giving… As advertisement.

 

 

shirt

10- And lastly they need some eye catching gear to wear to a birth. If this shirt doesn’t say doula, really… What does.

 

Have you seen any other fun items that would be great for gifts? Add it to the comments.

 

Happy Birthing- Nicole

 

 

Ridge meadows Doula Services is a collective of 6 doulas that work out of Maple Ridge BC. We provide birth doula and postpartum doula support, placenta encapsulation and childbirth education in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland.

 

Research Shows The Effectiveness of Doulas

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