birth, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention

On Births That Bring Light to Dark Spaces

By JB on

December 22, 2018

- birth, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention

Yesterday, on the day of the Winter Solstice, I attended what will (probably) be my last birth of 2018. On the darkest day of the year, baby made their entrance into the world right at sunrise. On the darkest day of the year, this baby brought the light. The poetry of that moment prompted me to reflect on other births I have witnessed that also brought light to dark spaces, and the qualities that these births shared.

For lack of more suitable language, these are the births that, “went well.” What do I mean by that?

I mean that these births had the best possible outcome – and no, the best possible outcome is not just “healthy baby, healthy [parent.]” I also don’t mean (necessarily) that their were no deviations from their “birth plans.”

When I say that a birth went well, or had the best possible outcome, I mean that the parent(s) walked away from the experience with a deeper trust and understanding of their own power and intuition. They didn’t feel betrayed or shamed by their bodies, or care providers.

The light that these births brought to the dark reality of the overwhelmingly broken perinatal care system is twofold – first, the birthing person deeply and truly believed in their capacity to give birth; and second, they were able to cultivate a safe space for their labor experience.

The belief in ones capacity to give birth is something that can be grown over time. It is normal to have some doubts, especially for first time parents or parents who are carrying trauma from past births. It is crucial to find a way to alchemize that doubt into deep belief. The process by which that is done looks different for everyone but follows a similar pattern – unlearn what you think you know, in order to make space to remember your inherent wisdom. That is the way folks find their way to a deep belief in and trust of birth.

In order to build a safe container for their birth experience, individuals who had the best possible birth outcomes prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically for birth. They unpacked their own narratives surrounding birth and their bodies, and when they were in partnerships, invited their partner to do the same. There was a willingness to dive into the uncomfortable that was a central theme of the weeks, months, or sometimes even years leading up to birth. Finally, they considered and understood the importance of choosing a care provider and labor team who supported their goals, and whom they trusted.

It was nothing other than that well established sense of safety and trust that ultimately allowed them to stay focused throughout labor – to stay on what I fondly refer to as, “planet labor,” a mystical brain space that exists outside of analytic thought, emotion, and even bodily sensation and connection.

Let’s not misunderstand, of the births I witnessed where these elements were present – safety, believe, and trust – there was still intensity. The experience still shook the birthing person to their core. They may still live pieces of those memories over and over again until they process and heal from the pain and intensity of it all. There may still be trauma that they carry. There may still be injury. There may still be disappointments.

But, by doing the work to ready themselves for the transformative experience of giving birth, they will have set the scaffolding needed to build themselves back up after birth. They will walk away from their birth experience stronger and more aware. They may still carry doubts, but they will be practiced in the process of unlearning and remembering their inherent wisdom. They will understand that the only way out is through, and they will heal in their own time and in their own way.

To my clients, thank you for showing up for yourselves in this way, and allowing me to stand alongside you and witness your power. You are the light and love that makes this deep, dark, sometimes fear-laden work worth returning to over and over again.

BestSelf, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

In Response to Masculine Birth Ritual

By JB on

November 29, 2018

- BestSelf, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

Masculine Brith Ritual – A Podcast About Creating Life Outside The Lines

Masculine Birth Ritual is a podcast created by Grover Wehman-Brown, a writer, Baba to two kids, and a transmasculine butch who has carried a child. The podcast came out of a desire to connect queer and transgender people to roadmaps for survival in pregnancy, birthing, and parenting, and create space for more representation of transmasculine and gender-non-conforming people in those spaces.

I absolutely adore this podcast and the stories that are being shared through it. The discovery of this podcast came at an extremely critical moment for me, both personally and professionally. So I thought I would give a little bit of background and then return to the podcast itself and share pieces of it that have been most meaningful for me.

If you would like to learn more about Masculine Birth Ritual and listen, click here!

& consider becoming a Patreon to support the production and longevity of this amazing work!

Acknowledging and Affirming: My Own Gender Identity, Expression, and Social Transition as a Birth Professional

This past spring, I was in one of those places where it feels like everything is pulling apart just so that you can piece it back together in a new way. After leaving an unhealthy living situation to the call of, “go home, Jenna,” I moved back into to my parents’ house for a temporary hiatus (5 months) from a sliver of the responsibilities that I could give up (rent, groceries, utility bills), and I acknowledge the fact that I was able to do so is an immense privilege. I was exploring sobriety after – justly – questioning my relationship with alcohol. I was expanding my work as a doula – rebranding, establishing an LLC, hiring an accountant, adding new service offerings, working in a business coaching program, taking multiple courses related to my professional development…

Still, all of those shifts were nothing compared to one piece of myself that, while it had always been there, had recently begun to swell up, throb, and demand action – my gender identity. “Now is not the time,” I tried to convince myself.

Fast-forward through a whole mess of internal work.

Many of you know what came next, or you can probably guess. I ultimately decided that I couldn’t step fully into the deeply personal work of a doula without being authentically myself; I had to be transparent in order to be trustworthy, even if it meant being misunderstood by many, and all the loss that comes along with that misunderstanding. I began the social transition to out as a trans non-binary person in both my personal and professional lives.

It always seems like massive shifts happen all at once, rather than one at a time. Like nearly all transitions, the ones I was experiencing at this time in my life were painful, but worth it.

The only one of these changes that I ever catch myself doubting is my choice to be out publicly. I could look to blame others for this lack of confidence, but I won’t. The onus is on me for the way that I internalize the cultural narrative of the gender binary, and as a result fight with my own transphobia on a daily basis. I am responsible for the way I allow being misgendered and misunderstood to invalidate my sense of self, and the way that I question my value as a non-binary birthworker. This is an every day battle for me, and until recently, I failed to fully realize that this struggle makes me even more valuable as a doula, not less.

It was one moment recently – one small moment – that was so meaningful in affirming both my identity and my identity as it relates to my profession. Scrolling through Instagram one day, I noticed my friend Ray of Refuge Midwifery had posted about a new podcast. Enter, Masculine Birth Ritual.

My experience as a non-binary doula, and also as a non-binary hopeful future parent, is defined in part by a sense of isolation, despite knowledge that there are other people out there like me. So when I come across any connecting force for birth-y genderqueer folks – a podcast, an article, a facebook group – I find myself instantly uplifted.

As I began to listen to the podcast, I immediately felt parallels between the stories shared and my own experiences. Though each of the individuals interviewed have vastly different backgrounds and stories than one another, and myself, the connections I felt were extremely validating. Rather than diving deeply into analysis of those connections (because I’m not even sure I could articulate them clearly), I will instead share a few excepts from the transcripts of two interviews below, and then a very short list of affirmations I have been working with.

From Rabbi Elliot Kukla, a trans Rabbi & non-binary Papa, who cares spiritually for folks who are dying, as they process their grief.

Listen to Episode 5 here.

I actually came out as trans the same year I was ordained as a Rabbi in 2006. So they were very connected for me. I didn’t plan to come out really that year it was a really difficult time to come out in the same moment as being ordained. But it really was you know discovering that I couldn’t step into this role of being a Rabbi without a coming out process.
…
We have a stereotype that elders are going to be the least open to a trans population and very sick people are you know the least open to something new. And I really discovered just the opposite that you know elders and people who are very sick and people who are dying and in moments of transformation. Are often you know going through a similar process that I went through when I came out of you know… cracking open and are often at their most open and most vulnerable. And that being served by someone who clearly is liminal in some way and is fairly marginal in some way can be a profound form of connection. In fifteen years now of being a chaplain of doing this kind of work I can count on one hand really at the times that someone’s really struggling with my gender. And those times have been spiritually powerful often. You know there’s been a couple of times I’ve had to just not serve someone but most of the times it’s been spiritually meaningful when someone struggled with my gender.
…meaning that we are able to use that struggle in something that is relevant for their spiritual care and that’s what I’m for for that usually you know we’re able to not get stuck in that but but figure out what it is that is what is being touched on in them. And maybe it’s something about their own gender or something about their own transition in that moment or feeling outside or feeling in-between things
or feeling like the world is changing really fast.

From Mac Brydum, a social worker, doula and transman who is trying to conceive.

Listen to Episode 3 here.

I’ve found over the years through trial and error that that’s really where I shine and that’s where I’m happiest professionally, is being with people as they’re going through major life transitions and having a baby is one of the biggest life transitions anyone can go through. And I also just have a real love and passion and a real wonder, actually, about pregnancy and birth and parenting. And I think that stage of life for so many people is confusing and overwhelming. You hear a million different opinions and
sorting through all of that and figuring out what you actually want to do can be really really complicated.
So in the last few years I’ve found that being a doula is the perfect fit for me because it’s this fusion of, you know, I think of it as a form of social work because I am supporting people through a major life change. And I also think of it as a spiritual practice in a lot of ways as well because when somebody is becoming, you know, they are taking on a new identity…
…and as a trans person I can understand a shift in identity. While I’m not a parent myself yet, I hope to be soon, and so one thing that I’m really big on is just holding space for that shift in identity for the parent.

Affirmations…

My trans non-binary identity makes me stronger as a full-spectrum doula supporting people through birth, postpartum, pregnancy loss, and abortion because…

I understand personal loss.
I am practiced in transformation.
I know what it feels like to question myself.
I understand that grief is inherent in transition.
I know what it is like to feel misunderstood or invisible.
I live in the space between who I was before and who I am becoming.
I am familiar with the feeling of being lonely, even when I am not alone.
I relate to the experience of existing outside of the “norm” in a space where “norms” are an illusion.
I know that while others may relate to my experience or try to define it on my behalf, my experience is mine alone.

birth, doula, Intention, Loving Kindness

A Blessing For Birthing People

By JB on

November 27, 2018

- birth, doula, Intention, Loving Kindness

May all birthing people everywhere be safe and free from suffering. May they have access to information and care that aligns with their sense of safety and freedom, regardless of their status in society, the color of their skin, their gender, sexual orientation, or family structure. May they feel respected, heard, and held through the sacred rites of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. May all hold space for the loss that is inherent in these sacred rights. May birthing people seek to thrive, not simply survive. May all see the grace that is intimately intertwined with the experiences of carrying, birthing, and caring for new life, regardless of outcome.

Words by Jenna Brown

Illustration by Dan Gluibizzi

doula, Healing, Honesty, postpartum, Practice

Through a Trauma Lens: The Need for (Postpartum) Doulas

By jennab0728@gmail.com on

August 31, 2018

- doula, Healing, Honesty, postpartum, Practice

In my previous post, Through a Trauma Lens: The Need for Doulas, I did something that I have too often been guilty of in the past – I only addressed pregnancy and birth, while neglecting postpartum (and conception, contraception, abortion, etc.). Over the past several months, my practice and study has been focused on integrating more postpartum support for those I serve. Now, I feel as a birth doula that I have failed my clients if I have not adequately prompted them to evaluate their potential needs in the weeks and months after their baby is born. It is still the case that far too few people consider, value, and hire a doula for their birth – even of those for whom the cost of these services is well within an accessible range. However, it breaks my heart when a person or family does see the value in a birth doula, but not in a postpartum doula. Birth is a blip – a significant blip, but still just a blip in your journey. The way that you are supported (or not) in the postpartum period will impact your physical, emotional, mental, and sexual healing and wellbeing for the rest of your life. Having adequate support during the fourth trimester and beyond can help prevent your birth story and your early parenting story from becoming traumatic memories for you, your partner, your family, and your baby. In addition to providing extra hands to help you care for your baby and household, a postpartum doula (or someone filling a similar role) will help you process as you go along, and make sure that you have the space, energy, and capacity to explore the emotions and thought-patterns that are integral to your healing. So often I see new parents who have been conditioned to believe that they are martyrs. The results of putting your needs so far below the needs of your new baby are devastating. Your family cannot afford to bottle up the difficult feelings that can, and will, arise in early parenthood. One cause of this perceived martyrdom is the slew of unrealistic expectations that you may have of your baby in their first few months of life. You may expect that your baby will eat on a schedule, poop on a schedule, and perhaps most outrageously, sleep for several consecutive hours on a schedule. Then when this doesn’t happen – because it won’t – you put a huge amount of pressure on yourself and your partner to care for this tiny being 24/7 on virtually no sleep. Why? I am sick of hearing, “this is just parenthood.” Perhaps this pain is a rite of passage, but when the pain becomes traumatic, it has gone too far. Often times, the lack of help sought during postpartum has to do with the intimacy of this time. Between the physical healing of the birthing parent, breastfeeding (when applicable), and the sheer loss of all social niceties under the weight of exhaustion, many families have a very short list of people whom they feel comfortable welcoming into their postpartum space. Rightfully so. I am all for setting boundaries and limiting your energetic expenditures through social exposure, but at what cost to your support system? Is that list of welcome guests so short that the only people on it aren’t available to really be there and help? Other times, I see pride as a limiting factor in receiving postpartum support. More often than not, it is a partner, not the birthing person/primary caregiver who adopts the attitude of, “we don’t need anyone else, we can do this on our own.” Sometimes in these cases, weeks later, when both parents are depleted, there is still a stubborn allegiance to this mindset that serves no one. To this person I ask, what if instead of taking pride in independence, you could take pride in your ability to receive help gracefully? Finally, the financial strain of having a new baby may limit the extent to which families are able to hire help in the months following birth. My advice to anyone who is now pregnant or trying to conceive is to budget for postpartum help now. If you end up reading this after the birth of your baby, consider sitting down and reevaluating the idea of hiring help – I can all but guarantee that your sleep and your sanity are wearing a much higher price tag these days. I can appreciate that for some people, hired help will simply not be a financial possibility. If this is your reality, consider expanding the list of folks you choose to ask for help, and really think about how those friends and family members can be most helpful in the limited time they may be able to come over and provide support. Do the dishes need to be done? When was the last time you showered? Could they hold the baby for a couple of hours while you nap? To return to trauma… all of the categories I addressed in my first post could be applied here. Rather than lay them all out in detail I would like to just remind the reader… Remember that people used to parent in larger family groups. Previously in human history, in a household with a new baby there was never someone more than an arms-length away from the infant. More likely than not, at almost all times that baby was being held. Very young babies do not sleep deeply for long stretches when left to lie alone – this is an evolutionary defense, not a behavioral problem. A calm, confident caregiver holding an infant has massive positive impacts on their development. And finally, you cannot fill from an empty cup. Do you have more questions about postpartum doulas or how you can best support yourself during the fourth trimester? Email me! loveoverfearwellness@gmail.com

birth, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

Through a Trauma Lens: The Need for Doulas

By jennab0728@gmail.com on

May 3, 2018

- birth, doula, Healing, Honesty, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

Trigger warning: trauma, doctors, hospital, birth, sex It is very important to me to approach all of the work that I do from a trauma-informed perspective. Whether it is asking for consent before touching a student in yoga class, offering self-regulation skills to those I work with, or preparing clients for potential triggers*, I do my best to incorporate my on-going learning in the field of trauma into my professional practices. Recently, I began taking trauma classes for professionals through Lakeside Global Institute (formerly IFP), and have been layering in what I am learning with my preexisting trauma-informed approaches. One of the biggest impacts these classes have had on me so far is the ability to speak to why I do things differently than other professionals like me. Why remind yoga students over and over that everything I offer in class is optional? Why ask about family relationships on my doula client intake forms, or wait until the third and final prenatal meeting to practice hands-on skills with my birth clients? It has also given me the language and understanding to better explain why trauma should be considered when understanding that doulas are a necessity, not a luxury. The scope of this post will be specific to birth doulas. I feel obligated to insert the following disclaimer: I have now put myself in an interesting place, because I am saying that there is a need for birth doulas, and that they are a necessity… but I also deeply believe that the cultural narrative surrounding birth is flawed because it necessitates the help and presence of professionals and paraprofessionals during childbirth. I believe that instinct alone CAN be enough to guide someone through labor, but because birth has become medicalized and pathologize-d, and because most folks feel safest under the observation of a medical professional during childbirth, I am making the assumption that the majority of those who might read this would plan to give birth in a hospital, birth center, or under the care of a midwife at a home birth. Do I think that you need a doula order to have a positive birth experience? In the deepest sense, no, but in the cultural sense yes. That being said, through a trauma lens… what makes doulas a necessity?

Evidence Supports the Use of A Birth Doula Did you know that there have been 25 randomized, controlled trials that studied the effects of continuous labor support, including doulas? The 2017 Cochrane Review compiled the results of these studies. Overall, those who received labor support had a decrease in unwanted medical intervention (including a 39% decrease in the chance of unplanned c-section), and overall less anxiety AND less pain. Any measurable differences between those assigned labor support or those who went without, were more significant when the assigned support was a trained doula. When considering trauma, the most relevant piece of data from this review is the significant decrease in a person’s feeling of dissatisfaction with their childbirth experience… a 31% decrease in those who were supported by a doula. Now, the word “dissatisfaction,” leaves a lot open to interpretation. Let me put it this way… childbirth is demanding physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, financially, relationally… the list goes on. This isn’t a shrug your shoulders kind of dissatisfaction, as you mutter, “Eh, we’ll get it right next time. Easy come, easy go.” This isn’t a time to be polite about the small intrusions or discomforts. Trauma is sensory. It is stored in our bodies in a way that can feel mysterious because it exists beneath conscious thought. You had better believe that someone touching you in an unwanted way (especially invasively or internally), talking to you in a way that distracts (especially in an inappropriate tone or using thoughtless language), smelling strongly near you, or being in your sensory space in any way that is overwhelming, will be much more intense when you are in labor, and the impacts may be longer-lasting. Now, add in that labor is always unpredictable. Whether you are having your first child, or your fifth, you have no idea what this experience will bring. New sensations and signs of labor, new timelines, and new thought patterns can throw us into an alarmed or fearful state. When we lose the ability to think clearly due to fear, everything starts to feel like a potential danger. In a medicalized labor setting the sensory overload and feeling of fear could be amplified. To give an oversimplified example, if you are being monitored, there might be the constant sound of your baby’s heart rate, and periodic beeping from the monitor when it is out of paper, or the band slips off of your belly and it can’t get a read. The loud beeping continues until someone is comes in to stop it, and while they’re in your room they likely also touch you and ask you questions. Double or triple that pattern of alarming sound, medical disruption, and the anxiety it might cause if you are receiving IV fluids or medication. With each disruptive trigger, you might drop into a lower brain state. You forget the tools you prepared to help you through labor – your breath, your affirmations, your movements – and minutes start to feel like hours. A doula can help you self-regulate. No matter your labor setting, the level of medical intervention you choose, or the unpredicted twists and turns of labor, your doula will remind you of your coping mechanisms. A doula can also help you improve the sensory setting. Whether its turning down the lights, or coaching your partner when and how to best communicate with you, or asking the nurse to please wait until this contraction is over before they try to place that IV. The little things that a trained doula knows to look for and prepare for make a big difference when it comes to how the memory of your labor experience will be stored and processed.

Benefits the Development of Your Child Did you know that your baby begins storing emotional memories in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy? And, emotional memories are the longest lasting memories? And, the younger a person, the greater an impact that trauma has? The way that you feel in the final weeks of pregnancy can have lasting impacts on the development of your child. When the brain is sent signals of stress or fear, development is focused in the brain stem and midbrain. Survival becomes the goal. We want our children to thrive, not simply survive! Often, stress in the 3rd trimester is related to preparation for labor. Perhaps you’re beginning to question your abilities or your level of preparedness. A doula will not only spend time in prenatal meetings helping you to prepare in the way that is best for you, but they can also answer any lingering questions. Many birth doulas are also childbirth educators, so they are a wealth of information to supplement any classes you may have taken, or books/blogs you are reading. Having a professional who will answer your texts, calls and emails, and who will validate your ability to birth and to parent makes a huge difference in your stress level in the final weeks of pregnancy. The increased positivity will help your baby store memories that are positive, too. When the brain learns love, rather than fear while still in utero, it sends a very powerful message – grow, develop, be unafraid, there is a lovely world waiting to meet you.

Helps Mitigate the Impact of Transgenerational Trauma Did you know that trauma can be passed down? We might be okay with our children having our green eyes, or creative mind, but we probably want to prevent them from feeling the hurt that we have felt in our own lives. If you have a traumatic labor, then your baby has a traumatic birth. It is that simple. If you do not adequately process your traumatic experience in childbirth, it will perpetuate. Both you and your baby can avoid unnecessary trauma, and heal from unavoidable trauma with the help of a trauma-informed doula. As a trauma-informed doula, often this means that I refer clients to professionals with higher levels of training and capacity than myself. We don’t know what we don’t know. Someone who can help you identify what is traumatic, and seek out the appropriate path towards healing is invaluable.

Long Term Financial Benefits Did you know that from a systems perspective, it is more socially and fiscally sustainable to identify, prevent and heal trauma, than it is to ignore it and find quick fixes for trauma symptoms? Okay, that was a mouthful. I want to avoid getting into unrelated politics here, so let me just say this… There is a cultural tendency to ignore trauma. Sometimes, this is because we don’t recognize it for what it is, so how could we possibly identify it? Instead, we see and treat the symptoms of trauma. We see a new parent struggling with postpartum depression, and a doctor who prescribes drugs instead of nutritional balance in order to address hormones and mood. We see a new parent return to work after minimal parental leave, and get penalized for shirking their professional responsibilities as they adjust to a major life change. We see someone who has given birth unready to return to their pre-baby sex life, and a partner, friend, or family member say, “well your doctor cleared you for sex, didn’t they?” Consider, too, the way that any trauma in a growing child might be misunderstood and improperly treated over time. Where is the financial element in these social trends? There are layers and layers to this, so to oversimplify… drugs cost money, an inefficient workforce costs money, families in turmoil or separation cost money. Trauma impacts all of us, whether directly or indirectly. It takes a toll on our families and our societies if it continues on ignored. If we can properly prevent and heal individuals from their traumas, everyone benefits.

Remember that disclaimer I started with? I just want to remind you that you CAN do this! You can give birth, and you can parent! You are also capable of doing this without the input of an outside professional. But, we all like to feel heard, seen, and supported. Feeling heard, seen, and supported should not be a best case scenario, it should be a reality that you demand. A doula can help you create that reality, regardless of your intentions or preferences for labor. If for no other reason, consider a birth doula as a necessity – not a luxury – through the lens of trauma. As always, choose Love Over Fear. *This post does not include explicit discussion of how past traumas might be triggered in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.

birth, doula, Honesty, Practice

World Doula Week Q & A

By jennab0728@gmail.com on

March 28, 2018

- birth, doula, Honesty, Practice

#WorldDoulaWeek was March 22nd-28th this year, and I asked for questions from friends on social media about doulas, and answered one in a post each day. To close the week, I decided to compile them all in a blog post for your convenience! Bear with me, I wrote these as Instagram captions. Enjoy! Question: “If giving birth in a hospital, does a doula communicate with the medical staff if you have specific wishes for your labor/birth?” Answer: Yes… but not exactly. While many people hire a doula, in part, to serve as their advocate, your doula CANNOT speak on your behalf. However, your doula CAN help you get clear on your labor/birth preferences, and coach you on communicating clearly with your care provider leading up to the birth of your baby. In the hospital, your doula will be by your side to ensure that *informed consent* is upheld. That is, you not only have the space to consent to any care provided, but you also have the time to ask questions and fully understand it in detail before consenting. A tactic that I often use in my practice, to avoid speaking for my client, is to jump in after a care provider offers a medical service and ask them, “hey, your doctor wants to _______, do you have any questions about the benefits/risks/alternatives? Do you want more information about this option before you consent to it? Do you want more time to decide?” It’s magical what a doula can do in a hospital setting to relieve the pressure, provide more space and time to make decisions, and facilitate positive communication with care providers. As Angela Gallo has said, many care providers have a unnecessary tendency towards “rushing and obsessive active management,” on the L&D floor. A doula can help you mitigate that tendency. Question: “Why might I want/need a birth doula if my partner will be there during my labor?” Answer: Your partner and your doula work together – a doula does not replace your partner. As Penny Simkin says in her book The Birth Partner, “Childbirth is intense, demanding, unpredictable, and painful, and it can last for anywhere from a few hours to 24 or more.” Your medical care providers will not be present for the entire duration of your labor, they will be in and out of the room. Having a doula in the room with you, who has gone through this process many times, can help put you at ease. In order to have a positive labor experience, you need to feel safe and supported. A doula can help you maintain that environment, even if your partner has to rest or step away. Your doula can guide you in applying any comfort measures you have learned or practiced, especially in moments of overwhelm. Your doula and your partner can work together to meet your needs and make you more comfortable. Your doula can step up if your partner is exhausted or overwhelmed – remember, they have to take care of a newborn AND you after your baby is born, and they need to be rested too. Even the best, most attentive, most actively engaged partner can be complimented by the support of a doula. Research shows that the birth outcomes of births attended by Doulas were overall more positive/satisfying, and that there were lower rates of c-section, and unplanned interventions I always say, a triangle is the strongest shape… you wouldn’t sit on a stool with only 2 legs… three’s company… ha! Question: “Can you enlist the help of a doula before you are pregnant to guide you/assist you during the conception process?” Answer: Yes! There are many Doulas who are happy to provide this type of support and guidance. Whether this looks like a short email correspondence or phone call where the doula suggests resources, or if it is a more formal and ongoing service relationship depends on your needs and the capacity of the doula. There are practicing fertility Doulas out there, and many Doulas have the basic understanding and willingness to provide these services. You may also have a preexisting relationship with, or know of a doula in your area that you would like to support you – ask them if they are willing and able to do so! That individual could become an integral part of your family building experience – from conception, to pregnancy, to labor, birth, and postpartum – it is great to have a strong relationship with a doula that carries through and helps to integrate these phases of your life. So many people feel isolated and/or stressed as they navigate their own fertility. Having a non-medical professional who can support you through the conception process can be useful in ways that are different from the conversations you might have with friends and family during this time. Doulas are often practitioners of other wellness modalities that you may benefit from during this phase. AND they tend to be connected to many professional, informational, and community resources in your area that you may not know about. Question: “What services do Doulas provide?” Answer: Doulas provide informational, emotional, and physical support. Okay… so what does that look like? It is different for every individual. What makes a good doula good, is they are able to hold space for your unique needs, and adapt their services to support you in the ways that serve you best. Let’s focus on Birth Doulas in this post. A Birth doula provides informational, emotional, and physical support – what that might look like is… meeting with you pre/during pregnancy to help you to research your options and educate yourself so that you can form preferences and make choices about your care… answering your phone calls/emails/texts when you need to talk something through… serving as your advocate and coaching you to be your own best advocate… ensuring that you have the best, safest, most powerful experience you can have… building a toolbox to use in labor to minimize discomfort, maximize progression, maximize the health and happiness of you and your family, and minimize the strain in the 4th trimester and postpartum periods 🛠 What might be in that toolbox? Words of affirmation, soothing touch, movement/postures, counter-pressure, meditation/visualization, aromatherapy, music, communication plans, ice packs, heating pads, a shower/tub, a snack, a warm pair of socks, a photo or video… you name it, if you want or need it. The services that Doulas provide make sure that YOU are in charge of your own care and your own experience. Everyone’s reproductive choices are different, and a doula can help you determine and then actualize what works best for you. Above all other services, a doula holds space. Question: “What training do Doulas have?//What does it mean to hold space?” Answer: This is an important two-fer! The training that Doulas receive can vary, because there is not a single training/certifying body for Doulas. Some training programs have been around for decades, others are very new. There are also some individuals that may have stumbled into this work by helping loved ones, and may not immediately or ever identify as Doulas. Some practicing Doulas who went through training may choose to certify, and some may not. The information in this field is always changing and expanding, and staying up to date on the latest research and practices is vital. There are thousands of continued education learning opportunities for Doulas, and thousands of hours that might be spent reading and studying individually. With all of that variation in training, it can be difficult to determine what you should look for when hiring a doula. One thing that cannot be effectively taught in any training, though, is the ability to hold space. I use this phrase lot so I just want to clarify what I mean. This is a skill that is learned overtime through experience. From @indiebirth “What does holding space mean? Is it as hippie dippy as it sounds? Sitting quietly with someone, providing them emotional support, and getting them food/drinks is a real skill that not everyone is good at. Knowing when to give space and when to be close is an art. Knowing when someone might need a joke, a back rub, and kind word is an art.” Knowing when to just sit and bear witness is an art. How many of us have experienced a person in the room with us who wasn’t actually present? How many of us have experienced a conversation when the other person isn’t listening at all? No matter how much training a doula has, no matter how knowledgeable they are about childbirth, pelvic dynamics, fetal positioning, etc… this is – in my opinion – the most important skill a doula needs. Question: “How do I choose the doula that’s right for me?” Answer: There are many factors to consider when hiring a doula. Talk to more than one doula, most will offer a free consultation which you can use as you interview a few. You can find area Doulas online, but it’s often better to ask friends for referrals. Remember, once upon a time a person’s doula would likely have been a community member with whom they had a preexisting connection – if you already know a doula, make sure they’re on your list. Remember too, that if you have a partner, it is important for them to get along with your doula as well – if possible, make sure they are present or on the phone during your initial consults. As you interview doulas… ask about their training, continued study, and experience. Ask about the guiding principles of their practice. Ask why they became a doula. Tell them your concerns and notice how they respond. As they answer your questions and you begin to get to know them, notice how the conversation feels. Is there a connection? Do they leave space for you to speak? Do they make you feel heard? Are they communicating in a way that is clear and easy for you to understand? Finally, make sure that their services, availability, and price aligns with your needs. For birth Doulas, how many prenatal meetings do they offer, and how many postpartum – what is the total cost of their services? For postpartum Doulas, fertility doulas, abortion Doulas and more, do they charge hourly and/or have a minimum number of hours? Are there additional services that they offer? Do they have availability to meet with/serve you at the times you need? Question: “What should you do if you can’t afford a doula?” Answer: Be honest and talk about it with the doula you’d like to hire! Most of us got into this work because we want to help. I mean, yes, we want to pay our bills too, but service is the driving force. The cost of Doulas can vary a lot based on experience, services, and even the geographic area in which you live. The big commonality within this variation is we all believe that everyone deserves and has the right to these services. That being said, many Doulas offer sliding scale pricing, based on annual income. Some Doulas even build into their fee a little extra compensation from those who can afford it, so that they can serve others at a much lower rate, or even pro bono. You might not know if your doula offers these pricing modifications unless you ask! Ask your Doula of choice if they’re open to bartering for services! Check to see if there is a doula Co-op in your area! ( @phillydoulacoop is a great organization in philadelphia helping to make Doulas more accessible)💰 Everyone deserves to feel supported. Everyone deserves a doula. Don’t let cost stop you.

You can always contact me with additional questions at loveoverfearwellness@gmail.com

birth, doula, Healing, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

On Re-membering

By jennab0728@gmail.com on

February 11, 2018

- birth, doula, Healing, Intention, Loving Kindness, Practice

I’m sitting across from Sam, a new friend and one of the most animated and excitable individuals I have the joy of knowing. Sam talks with her hands. She stares off into space as she talks, the same way I sometimes do, as if she’s reading from an invisible teleprompter that helps her to articulate her consciousness. After she has taken the time to beautifully explain what she means, Sam also listens – like, really listens – and she asks – like, real meaningful questions. And so I’m sitting across from Sam, talking about being a doula, and studying and working with birth when she asks me… why? “I hear that you are doing this work because you’re responding to a need. I can see that need is real. But, if you could sum it up in just a few words or sentences, why do you do what you do?” I stare down at my coffee as I try to figure out, aside from the medical model, aside from the lack of perinatal care, aside from the limiting cultural narratives… why? I close my eyes. “I guess… it’s just so… human. Humanness.” I look up at Sam, her eyes are lit up and she’s gesturing for me to keep going, “Yes! This is great…” “Remembering how human we are. Birth is the divine feminine and masculine together. Just – human. Remembering that this is a part of what makes us human,” I finish, feeling a little unsure and pretty inarticulate. Sam doesn’t seem to mind my less-than-eloquent delivery, in fact she is pumped. In her animated response to my answer, Sam does this… well, thing. She mock-dislocates her shoulder, and pops it back in with her opposite hand as she says, “remember. Re-member.” Apparently this word carries a lot of weight for her right now, and I feel it too. “We are all just piecing ourselves back together,” she says. Re-member. Memory is such a fickle thing to me, personally. I have a terrible memory. I often find myself fighting to remember. But, to re-member. Wow. That is exactly what I see happening when I attend births. That is what I try so desperately to help my clients to realize. They know how to do this already. It is part of their own humanness to know how to labor and how to birth. If they listen, if they trust – their bodies will tell them how to move, how to breathe, where to focus, and what to ask for from their labor support partner(s). Whether it is their first baby or third, they know. Likewise, those supporting them will know too, if they can tap into the ferociously human experience playing out around them. In the throes of labor, if they try to hard to remember in an analytical way (details of all of the books they read, classes they took, advice they got, etc.), then they will be overwhelmed. So this, re-membering, must be different. To re-member is to reintegrate yourself in a trusting, loving way. So much of what I consume related to birth culture is founded in fear and distrust. We either distrust our bodies and are afraid, so we hand over power to the medical model. Or, we distrust the medical model and are afraid, so we expend all of our energy in the countercultural fight for autonomy during childbirth. What if – regardless of our circumstances, regardless of how we choose to labor, regardless of how we choose to live – all we had to do was trust ourselves and re-member? Piece ourselves back together. Be fully human. Re-member. Imagine how empowering that would be.

I see similar themes on the yoga mat. What if we could re-member there, too?

Thank you to Samantha Rise for letting me use our conversation in this post! She is an artist and has a new album coming out this summer that I am sure will contain so many excellent human themes and ideas. Check her out @samantharisemusic on Facebook

birth, Body, doula, Honesty, Practice

A Year of Birthwork in Review

By jennab0728@gmail.com on

January 11, 2018

- birth, Body, doula, Honesty, Practice

In 2016, while meditating on my personal and professional development, and contemplating my desire to be of greater service, the word just kind of popped into my head… “doula.” My heart jumped a bit when I said the word aloud to myself, and I felt a spark jump in my belly. Why it came to me in that moment, I can’t explain, but it stayed with me. I sat with it silently for a week before I even started researching. A month later, I ordered Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, and registered for my first birth doula training. On January 14th, 2017, I attended my first birth as a doula. It was a beautiful and transformative experience, from which I learned an incredible amount. Most importantly, I learned that birthwork just feels… right for me. Each birth that has followed has been beautiful in new and truly amazing ways, and I am in awe of just how much I can find myself inspired, and also flooded with new information and new questions each time. Every birth reignites the same spark I that felt the first moment the word “doula,” came to me. For the past year I have been relatively quiet about these experiences, but not due to lack of passion. The work and study I have found myself a part of in this past year are just, simply put, sacred. While it is important to me to keep much of what I experience with my clients confidential, I see the value in sharing stories in order to remove the stigma surrounding birth. Many of the people I interact with who are family-building feel isolated from their friends, colleagues, and communities. So much of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period is seen as taboo in our society – a truly ridiculous view to have on processes that very literally give meaning to life; our individual origin stories. For me, it has been impossible to separate birthwork from social justice. In my mind and heart, this is radical and subversive work. Since I began my studies, I have found myself regularly infuriated by everything from the exclusive and assumptive language that is used in perinatal care, to the unbelievably racially disproportionate statistics on maternal mortality in the US. Considering all of the above, I am mindful before I speak, post, or publish anything about my birthwork practice, because – as always – I hope to capture the love in birth, not to perpetuate the culture of fear that too often surrounds it. As with anything sacred, I believe that birth should be revered, and not discussed in vain. So in a humble attempt to avoid exploitation… here is my brief public reflection on my past year as a full-spectrum doula: Every Birth is the Right Birth There is no wrong way to build a healthy, happy family. I do believe it is important to educate yourself, and to prepare for labor to the best of your ability. Arm yourself with information. Build a toolbox. And then breathe through the ride. I don’t believe in strict birth plans; I believe in labor preferences. Ask questions. Be flexible. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to labor standing, crouching, or laying down; at home, a birth center, or in a hospital; with or without medication – as long as you’ve prepared yourself, stood up for your preferences, and have your baby in your arms at the end of labor. We can give power back That being said, we can give power back to those in labor. We can stop treating pregnancy like an illness, and labor like a medical emergency. As a doula, my job is to empower; to educate my clients so that they can form their preferences, and then to give them the tools to express their preferences to their partner/family/primary caregiver. We, as a collective can give power back by not imposing our beliefs, experiences, or opinions on others who are building their own families. It is always right to just hold space As the doulas, friends, partners, siblings, parents, colleagues, community members… of those who are having children, the most powerful thing we can do is hold space. Be dependable. Answer the phone, invite them to tea, or show up with dinner prepared. Ask them to share their experiences, whether they’re pregnant now, or had children over a decade ago – and then actually listen. What are they feeling in their pregnant body? Or, what was the birth of their first child like? How long was the adoption process for them? Or, how many rounds of IVF did they go through? These are the conversations that will slowly, but surely, shift the cultural narrative of what it means to be pregnant/labor/give birth/breastfeed or bottlefeed/raise a child/build a family. Listening to another person describe their most human experiences will make us each more human in our own right. Holding space in the labor room heals birth stories. Holding space for new parents will heal humanity.

That’s all for now & thank you for reading. Look for more from me in 2018, including a pieces on “Why hire a doula?” “What does it mean to be a full-spectrum doula?” and also specific birth stories and reflections (always with permission, often in collaboration).