I am the mother of two children -- my first baby was born in 1998 and my second was born in 2000 -- and both were attended by doulas and midwives. I began attending births in 2001, after a friend of mine asked me to be her doula. I became a DONA certified doula in 2002 and began attending births in San Jose, CA. My family moved back to Berkeley in 2003 and I enrolled in the National Midwifery Institute, a distance learning program that trains direct-entry midwives. In 2010, I started a midwifery apprenticeship with Mason Cornelius and Mollie Sullivan of Nova Midwifery.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
What is a doula?
Birth doulas (also called childbirth assistants, labor support professionals, birth assistants, or birth companions) provide emotional physical and information support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and immediate postpartum.
Doulas provide support in the hospital, at home, or at a birthing center -- wherever women give birth.
A birth doula provides continuous, uninterrupted support throughout labor and delivery. She offers massage, suggestions for position changes, relaxation techniques, reminders to stay hydrated and keep her bladder empty. She believes in a woman’s ability to birth her baby and helps women trust their bodies and instincts during this transformative time.
The doula does not replace the partner. Instead she helps support the partner so he or she can love and encourage the laboring mother. The doula understands that the partner also undergoes a transformation -- becoming a parent -- and nurtures the partner as well.
Throughout the ages, women have looked to other women for support while giving birth. This is a primal need and does not reflect on her relationship with her partner in any way. Whether you’re having your baby in a hospital or at home, I will provide the information you need to make the best decisions about your pregnancy and birth and will support you and your decisions without judgement.
Doulas provide support in the hospital, at home, or at a birthing center -- wherever women give birth.
A birth doula provides continuous, uninterrupted support throughout labor and delivery. She offers massage, suggestions for position changes, relaxation techniques, reminders to stay hydrated and keep her bladder empty. She believes in a woman’s ability to birth her baby and helps women trust their bodies and instincts during this transformative time.
The doula does not replace the partner. Instead she helps support the partner so he or she can love and encourage the laboring mother. The doula understands that the partner also undergoes a transformation -- becoming a parent -- and nurtures the partner as well.
Throughout the ages, women have looked to other women for support while giving birth. This is a primal need and does not reflect on her relationship with her partner in any way. Whether you’re having your baby in a hospital or at home, I will provide the information you need to make the best decisions about your pregnancy and birth and will support you and your decisions without judgement.
Testimonials
“We had a great experience with Laurel. She was very open minded, professional, experienced, and most of all caring and supportive during what turned out to be a very long labor. It was so wonderful to have her calm, knowing presence by my side (I was also joined by my husband and a friend, and she worked seamlessly with them). I have other friends who commented to me that their doula did something mildly inappropriate during the birth process and I adamantly feel Laurel was perfect -- and given the length of the labor I feel I had a long time to assess her abilities.” Sue and Kevin
“She took the time to really get to know us before the birth, and provided me with lots of useful reading material to prepare physically and emotionally. The day our daughter was born, she was with us all day as I labored at home, then joined us at Kaiser Oakland and stayed with us until well after the baby was born. She was the only person with the presence of mind to take pictures, and every time I look at those photos I quietly thank her -- I just treasure them. In short, she was great and I have already recommended her to some of my friends.” Nelcie and Doug
“We were determined to try to have as natural a birth as possible whilst still being in a hospital, and decided having a doula would be a tremendous help. After much research we found Laurel. The moment we met her we instantly clicked. She has such calm yet confident demeanor. She was very supportive of all our decisions, but was also not afraid to suggest different things or make us look at our options in a different way. After our two prenatal meetings with her, we felt truly prepared and ready for the birth, confident that with Laurel as part of our birth team things would be able to go as well as possible. The labor itself was extremely fast so Laurel’s role ended up not being as critical as it might have been had the labor been much longer. However, her support in the days leading up to it, as we dealt with some false labor and the anxiety of things not starting, was invaluable, so we’re delighted we worked with her. Even afterwards the postpartum visit was great -- she passed on much wisdom as we were coming to terms with being new parents.” Kristen and Neil
“We couldn’t have imagined such a grounded, energetic, good humored, smart, helpful, caring, clear, patient, kind, committed, thorough doula. You are in our hearts forever.” Katy and Deb
“She took the time to really get to know us before the birth, and provided me with lots of useful reading material to prepare physically and emotionally. The day our daughter was born, she was with us all day as I labored at home, then joined us at Kaiser Oakland and stayed with us until well after the baby was born. She was the only person with the presence of mind to take pictures, and every time I look at those photos I quietly thank her -- I just treasure them. In short, she was great and I have already recommended her to some of my friends.” Nelcie and Doug
“We were determined to try to have as natural a birth as possible whilst still being in a hospital, and decided having a doula would be a tremendous help. After much research we found Laurel. The moment we met her we instantly clicked. She has such calm yet confident demeanor. She was very supportive of all our decisions, but was also not afraid to suggest different things or make us look at our options in a different way. After our two prenatal meetings with her, we felt truly prepared and ready for the birth, confident that with Laurel as part of our birth team things would be able to go as well as possible. The labor itself was extremely fast so Laurel’s role ended up not being as critical as it might have been had the labor been much longer. However, her support in the days leading up to it, as we dealt with some false labor and the anxiety of things not starting, was invaluable, so we’re delighted we worked with her. Even afterwards the postpartum visit was great -- she passed on much wisdom as we were coming to terms with being new parents.” Kristen and Neil
“We couldn’t have imagined such a grounded, energetic, good humored, smart, helpful, caring, clear, patient, kind, committed, thorough doula. You are in our hearts forever.” Katy and Deb
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