Maternity
& Beyond
What I do for you!
I act as a labor assistant, both a birth & postpartum doula,What Is a Labor Assistant?
- is a professional* care provider who understands and trusts the process of birth, who respects its transcedent and sacred aspects as well as its physical and emotional aspects and who facilitates** the birth experience for the parents, baby, and primary care providers.
- supports and encourages woman-centered, non-technical, unmedicated birth as the safest possible choice for mothers and babies today.
- provides continuity of care prenatally through the postpartum period consisting of:
- emotional support (encouragement, reassurance, continuous presence),
- informational support (education, informed choices, alternatives)
- physical support (comfort measures, positions, relaxation, breathing)
- advocacy/facilitation (promoting collaboration among the birth team)
*Professional - In our context, this means a person who works at a calling requiring specialized knowledge and diligent study. Webster's Dictionary
defines professional as "conforming to the technical or ethical
standards of a profession.....based on sound knowledge and
conscientiousness; reflecting the result of education, training, and
experience."
**Facilitates - this is the key word in the definition of a birth assistant. To facilitate, according to Roget's Thesaurus, is "to make easier, to smooth, to explain, to simplify; but also to empower, to allow, and to clear the way."
Other Professional Terms
**Facilitates - this is the key word in the definition of a birth assistant. To facilitate, according to Roget's Thesaurus, is "to make easier, to smooth, to explain, to simplify; but also to empower, to allow, and to clear the way."
Other Professional Terms
- "Monitrice"
French
word used by Lamaze; refers to specially trained nurses who provide
nursing care and assessment in addition to labor support.
- "Doula"
From
the Greek meaning "woman's servant": generally provide physical and
emotional support during birth. Also used to refer to women who provide
postpartum care in thehome, hence the movement towards two separate
terms: "Birth Doula" and "Postpartum Doula." See below for more info on
Doulas!
- Other Terms in Use Today
Labor Support Provider, Birth Support Provider, Birth Assistant, Labor Companion, Birth Companion, Midwifery Apprentice, etc.
What is a Doula?
A Doula is a woman experienced in childbirth who provideds continouts physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth." (Klause, Kennell, and Klaus, in Mothering the Mother).
A postpartum doula provides care to a family with a newborn baby.
A birth doula....
- ...recognizes birth as a key life experience that the mother will remember all her life...
- ...understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor...
- ...assists the woman and her partner in preparing for and carrying out their plans for the birth...
- ...stays by the side of the laboring woman throughout the entire labor...
- ...provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and objective viewpoint, and assistance to the woman in getting the information she needs to make good decisions...
- ...facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and clinical care providers...
- ...perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman's memory of her birth experience...
The acceptance of doulas in maternity is growing rapidly with the recognition of their important contribution to the improved
physical outcomes and emotional well-being of mothers and infants.
What is Support?
- Support is unconditional. It is listening, not judging, not telling your own story.
- Support is not offering advice. It is offering a toucch, a hug, a tissue....caring.
- We are here to listen...not to work miracles.
- We are here to help women discover what they are feeling...not to make the feelings go away.
- We are here to help a woman identify her options...not to tell her which options to choose.
- We are here to discuss steps with a woman...not to take steps for her.
- We are here to help a woman discover her own strength...not to rescue her and leave her still vulnerable.
- We are here to help a woman discover she can help herself...not to take responsibility for her.
- We are here to help a woman learn to choose...not to make it unnecessary for her to make difficult choices.
I also offer Maternity Massages. For more information on these click here.
For more information on how I can be of assistance for you please call me at (828) 283 - 0173.
For more information on how I can be of assistance for you please call me at (828) 283 - 0173.