Health of a Doula

Hello all, 

ME

  I have neglected keeping this blog up, after my announcement in 2009 that I would not be able to work as a birth doula any longer, but have kept up my Doula Surround Facebook page, if you want to mosey on over there to find some great resources and stay up to date on this doula's world!  
  I am managing my Fibromyalgia (diagnosed last year) and have attended some beautiful births, even though I said I could not.  They were for friends, but still put a lot of work into them.  Three altogether, making my total of births attended 15.  
  I am still an active Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, also and have created a new page on FB for that, too. 
Thank you!


Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Important Announcement from Doula Surround

To EVERYONE PLEASE READ: I am sad to announce that I can not offer my doula services any longer. ***tears*** My health just won't allow the stamina that is required of a birth doula. :( I am being tested for rheumatoid arthritis... or it may be Fibromyalgia that I am suffering from. What I really want to do is become a CBE (Childbirth Educator), so maybe, just maybe, I won't be out of the birth loop entirely. I love all things birth/babies/breastfeeding & will not ever cut it out of my life 100%! I am keeping my page up here and on Facebook, to offer great articles that I find.

I have been privileged to have witnessed 10 vaginal births of healthy babies that were breastfed!! That will always stick with me. I am in contact with over half of those families now. I am devastated, pretty much, & it has taken a long time to come to this conclusion. I love all the people that I have met along the way.

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

What To Expect When You're Expected

A video trailer by David Javerbaum, G.E.D.
A Parody...

Postpartum Doula

I am now offering Postpartum Doula Services. I am also, now, officially a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor. (Received Certification)

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Please Follow Me on Facebook!

Doula Surround on Facebook

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Fathers at Births

Why would a father NOT want to be at the birth of their child?
This article is not to judge, just to explore the decisions...


I assume it could be for different reasons;

maybe he is squeamish- in this case, could he at least "try" to hang in there?
I have seen a father practically pass out when the baby was delivered, but he made it through!

maybe he is "old school"- from a day & time when fathers waited outside in the hall... are there fathers this old much though?

maybe he is out-of-town or deployed- he wants to be there, but physically cannot. Webcam, maybe?

What are some other reasons a father may choose to not be in the home/room when their child is born? Seemingly, they will all be 'legitimate' reasons, as NO feelings are wrong! Feedback, please...


Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Article I enjoyed for its thoroughness in listing remedies for "as needed" in labor & childbirth & even for benefits to baby. As a birth doula, I cannot recommend any form of medicine, including homeopathy. Suggestions? Maybe, but cannot dispense it. We have to be careful how we mention these things.
Alternative Medicine

Homeopathy for Labor and Childbirth

By: Melanie Grimes

Homeopathy provides many remedies for pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Homeopathic remedies can provide great healing for both mothers and newborns. In 1900, James Tyler Kent wrote, “No woman at the present day is well enough to go through labor without some symptoms calling for a remedy.” This same sentiment is true today.



Kelly K, CD (CBI)

How to Choose a Birth Doula

Taken from this article online .

1. Know how a doula can benefit you & your partner in pregnancy & in the birth of your child.
2. Learn the common misconceptions.
3. Contact the Certifying Organizations of Doulas. Childbirth International, for instance. Dona is one of the most popular though.
4. Search the internet, as most doulas are NOT listed in the Yellow Pages.
5. Contact your local La Leche League chapter.
   
6. Ask your care provider. Most have a list of local doulas.
7. At the interview, ask lots of questions & don't hold back.
8. Make sure your personalities mesh well together, as she will be involved in one of the most intimate environments ever.
9. Make sure you know her philosophies & biases. This DOES matter.
   

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Picking Out Baby Toys

Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby’s development. And we select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on our baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

• Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.


• Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play’, reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no’ (about half the time) and will start babbling.


• Toys for a six month old: They’ll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They’ll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.


• Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Better Birth VA - We Can Be Much Kinder

Cord Clamping covered in this vid

To All the Pelvises I Have Known Before...

What if there was no pelvis? What if it were as insignificant to how a child is born as how big the nose is on the mother’s face? After thirty years of watching human birth, this is what I have come to. Pelvises open at three stretch points—the symphisis pubis and the two sacroiliac joints.

These points are full of relaxin hormones—the pelvis literally begins falling apart at about thirty-four weeks of pregnancy. In addition to this mobile, loose, stretchy pelvis, nature has given human beings the added bonus of having a moldable, pliable, shrinkable baby head.

Like a steamer tray for a cooking pot has folding plates that adjust it to any size pot, so do these four overlapping plates that form the infant’s skull adjust to fit the mother’s body. Every woman who is alive today is the result of millions of years of natural selection.

Read the rest of this article at Gloria Lemay's blog: http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=111
Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Stem Cells in Breastmilk

Breastmilk is studied once again & shown to have stem cells.
The placenta provides them, then mammary glands take over the job, when the child is born!
Cool!
Read the rest of the article here at the Science Alert site.

Pic of mammary stem cells... aren't they pretty?





Kelly K, CD (CBI)

The Birth Survey is Live!

The Birth Survey results are in!
Visit the page for detailed info on our area & other areas in the U.S. on Birth Statistics, such as Maternal welfare, c-sections, interventions, hospital rates, etc.

Kelly K, CD (CBI)

Birth Stools

Benefits of giving birth on a Birth Stool / Birthing Chair

Benefits: Excellent use of gravity, easy for attendant to see birth, opens pelvis, takes pressure off back, known as one of the best positions to facilitate a difficult birth, helps mother to focus pushing efforts.

Drawbacks: Legs and bottom may fall asleep, can cause a quick birth and tearing, requires midwife or doctor to provide a birth stool. (unless you make or buy your own! See link below!

Birthing Stool/ Chair...
Kelly K, CD (CBI)

NEW Birth Circle Arrangements!

I am pooling my resources with a Childbirth Educator in Waynesboro & we are combining our Birth Circles starting this month!
It will be held at the Yoga Center in Downtown Waynesboro, VA on the 1st Monday of each month, at 7 p.m.
Please come, get information or help support other moms who need it...


Kelly K, CD (CBI)