Ask the Doula

I have spent a lot of time sitting in the waiting room lately.   Not the hospital waiting room, but rather the auto repair shop.   My 9 year old car Gracie decided not to work last Thursday and has spent the last five days being taken apart, put back together, and taken apart again.   As I do not have an extra car parked at home, it is very frustrating being at the mercy of the “professionals” while they figure out how to fix my car. Trying to make the most of my time I have been reading The Labor Progress Handbook: Early Interventions to Prevent and Treat Dystocia by Penny Simpkin and Ruth Ancheta.   Sometimes labor slows or seems to stop.   This is called labor dystocia.   Like my car, the normal movement and progress of labor stalls and doesn’t make progress.   While the health care providers can provide diagnostic information regarding the labor, knowing and deciding what to do with the information can be a daunting task.   One of t...

My name is Leah Garner and I am a Birth & Postpartum Doula. Coming from the Greek, doula refers to a woman’s servant.   I help serve and support women and their families through the birth of their child and beyond.   I have been able to support women and their families at a very vulnerable time in their lives. Many are away from their family support system, but still are in need of the essential support that all new mothers need.   I am fulfilling God’s calling for me to help others, by providing compassionate non-judgmental support and knowledge of birth and postpartum care. Over four years ago, I experienced an emergency cesarean with the birth of my son and had an even more challenging recovery due lack of support.   The time following was a time of reflection of the things that I missed; the things that I needed that I did not get.   I felt a calling to my heart from God to help women in similar situations.   I have been on this journey as a dou...

Mothering the New Mother I often hear from women of the generation ahead of me that they wished that they had a postpartum doula when they had their kids.   Now these same women are becoming grandmothers and want to provide support to their daughters and daughters-in-law, but are unsure of the best way to help.   One of the roles of a postpartum doula is the instruction to the supporting family members/friends how to mother the new mother.   What does this mean?   Let me give you an example to put this into perspective. When a child is young and unable to support themselves their needs are met by their mother.   When they are hungry, they are fed; when they are tired they are relaxed into sleep, when they need a bath, they are bathed.   The child doesn’t give direction on how things should be done; rather the mother is following the cues given by the child as to what their needs are. The new mother is often in a similar state following the bi...

The Swaddle, An important tool in the parents’ tool kit One item that I always carry in my doula bag when I go to meet with a client is a swaddle blanket.   I have found that when dealing with a fussy infant, swaddling is always a good place to start.   When a baby is upset, the world seems so large, scary, cold, and often over stimulating.   By teaching my clients the basics of a good swaddle, I am providing the parents a technique that will help to warm, calm, comfort, and soothe their upset child.   Below are various resources on swaddling your baby.   The main points in swaddling is to start with a large blanket, make sure you wrap the baby snuggly (able to fit two fingers into the swaddle), and make sure you tuck the tail securely.   I plan to have swaddles on hand to try and purchase at my booth at the Preserving Indiana Birth Choices Red Tent Event on October 27, 2012.   Be sure to stop by and see me. Reasons to Swaddle http://www....

Mommy Time or Baby Time?   Who knows the better schedule? New moms often find themselves gently laying their sleeping newborns down into their beds and then saying to themselves, “Finally! The baby is asleep, what can I get done before she wakes up?”   Six weeks later, the baby is awake more often and the mother is trying to figure how to get that sleepy baby back so she can have a moments rest.   Does this seem a little backwards to you?   Perhaps instead of asking what we can be doing while baby sleeps, we should be asking what we can do while the baby is awake.   When baby is sleeping, mother should be sleeping.   Especially during those first 6-8 weeks postpartum. Take Time to Rest Labor and pregnancy is hard work and our bodies need some time to recover fully from the experience.   Likewise, the birth and a totally new environment is hard on the new baby.   Both need this time of rest and bonding.   When baby sleeps, mom...

If you aren't sure if hiring a postpartum doula is for you, consider reaching out to your friends and neighbors with a list of things you would like help with once the baby arrives.  This can vary from cooking meals, doing laundry, mowing your lawn or anything else that will be helpful to you and your partner as you spend time bonding with your new baby.  If you are needing a more detailed list of possibilities, check out this link from Gloria Lemay's Birth Blog.  http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=34

When visiting mothers about two weeks postpartum, I often find moms are feeling more like themselves and ready to start doing more activities.   Their newborns often have other ideas, sometimes wanting to be held most of the day.   To help meet the need of baby and mother I often recommend the use of baby wearing.   The practice of baby wearing is know the world over and has been used for centuries.   It enables the mother to maintain the closeness with her child, but also free her hands for other tasks and activities. Beyond the practical benefits for the mother by wearing her child, there are many benefits of baby wearing for the baby itself.   Many of these benefits are outlined by Dr. Sears on his website AskDrSears.com .   Some of these benefits include a baby that cries less, increased brain development, and more opportunities for nurturing touch which has benefits of its own. While there are many options of carriers available, I like to sho...