Ask the Doula

As a doula, we see many things in our line of work.  We see people at their most vulnerable, and at the same time at their strongest.  We see the inside of lives and bodies.  We see a rainbow of moods and emotions.  We see the balance between life and death.  The transformation of persons into parents and grandparents.  But there are other things we see. We see the everyday beauty of the moment.  The full moon on the way to the hospital.  The close conversations between the birth giver and partner.  And we also see the art in the birthing space. Pictures of nature.  Flowers opening up into bloom.  Tender moments of motherhood.  Cute photos of babies.  All decorate the halls of the maternity wards and designer birth spaces at birth centers.  Little details to provide subtle encouragement for laboring women to open up and embrace labor and motherhood.  As the laboring mother holds tightly to the hallway rail as she works through a contraction; I sometimes wonder how often these

Rest, Education, and Rejuvenation The season of summer is only half over, but the school bus is driving though our neighborhood to take kids to their new classrooms and teachers.  It has been a good summer for our family.  Taking a much needed break to spend time with family is important to maintain a healthy balance. Childbirth Education While not active with clients, my time has been focused on finishing education,  I successfully completed my childbirth education certification from Birth Arts International.  I am proud of all the effort I placed into my education and look forward to sharing it with my clients. Group B Strep training MicroBiome Courses   offers comprehensive training regarding various topics involving the microbiome.  I have learned much about the risks and treatments of Group B Strep infections and now feel confident in sharing this information with my clients. Streamlining To better serve my clients and offer additional benefits, I have begun working o

The Coloring of Motherhood By Leah Garner We recognize the outline. The actions and movements seem familiar. Seen from afar, or under a microscope of scrutiny. The emotions find empathy inside us, but perhaps in a different setting. A glimmer of something we dreamt, but we cannot quite touch in our waking moments. And then we cross over into our own motherhood. G oing from the world of instruction and paint by number, into an expansive palette of colors with the brushes in our hands. We think back on the Masters we admired and try to follow their strokes. Our hands hesitate to make a mark like those criticized for their art. A nd yet… W ith each stroke we find the colors dry different than when first applied. Sometimes the picture gets more complicated the harder that we try. Taking a step back helps us see a bigger picture; appreciate the unique colors for what they are. W e see our child. And our children hold brushes too, Pai

Have you ever seen an OR room with the lights turned off?   Everything put away in its place?   All is clean and sterile?   All is quiet?    Empty…? I must confess that in my own experience I had never seen it happen.   I am sure it is the case; an ordinary occurrence for the staff of the hospitals.   But for me, my view of an OR has been quite different.   When I visualize an OR, it is bright, filled with people, lots of noises, and it is very cold.   You often see more of the ceiling than you do of the floor, or even the surrounding walls.   The color of blue scrubs and screens fill one’s view. And yet…there was the night the OR went dark. It was a late night supporting a client that needed baby delivered in a hurry.   Everyone was prepped, mom was taken in, baby made her arrival, and mom slowly rejoined the conscious world as she felt her baby on her chest. I notice over my shoulder that staff were finishing up in the OR.   Everything prepared for the next possib