My Lending library has begun being built so far I have only a dozen or so books but it is a start. It is amazing how much we need as a new doula. So much to get so little money :0) isn't that the way it always is. I put out a request for donations and so far the response has been great. A few were purchased, but most came to me free.
It will take me forever to read every book but that is my intention. I am even going to read the book most doulas do not like, what to expect when you are expecting. I feel it is important to know what the rest of the world is reading and hearing about pregnancy and birth.
Here is the list
A Healthy Pregnancy
The Fussy Baby book
The complete book of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful
Spiritual Midwifery
What to expect when you're expecting
Moving beyond A.D.D. (this one more for parents who have other children)
Breastfeeding made simple
The Birth Partner 2nd and 3rd edition
Defining your own success Breast feeding after a reduction
Hypnobirthing
Baby Talk
The mother of all pregnancy books
The baby name bible
Herbal for the childbearing years
the labour progress handbook
well that is it for now ciao
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Placenta Encapsulation!
Ok so here goes I have decided to offer Placenta Encapsulation as a service available to my clients. I have done a lot of research on the matter and truly it's benefits outweigh the "ick factor". I know most people would find it absolutely appalling to think about ingesting their Placenta but really it isn't that uncommon.
So here is they why and the how :0)
Why Placenta Encapsulation?
Placenta pills may help to:
• Increase general energy
• Allow a quicker return to health after birth
• Increase production of breast milk
• Decrease likelihood of baby blues and post natal depression
• Decrease likelihood of iron deficiency
• Decrease likelihood of insomnia or sleep disorders
Services I offer
Placenta Encapsulation - TCM
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has historically honored placenta medicine to remedy milk supply issues and to balance Qi (life energy) after a woman's birth. The TCM method dates back many thousands of years and involves steaming the placenta with a unique mix of herbs and foods designed to help the placenta be absorbed deeper into the system and to enhance its healing properties. We will discuss your birth and choose the additional agents together. $150.00
Placenta Encapsulation - RAW
In this method it is believed that the hormones found in overwhelming supply in the placenta at birth are most readily usable by the body post-partum if the placenta is processed without being subjected to cooking or high heat. Although no scientific studies can prove or disprove this assumption it follows with raw food medicine that cooking degrades some or all of the most beneficial qualities of food.
Raw encapsulation is not available if there is suspicion of infection (maternal or fetal) or if meconium if present in the amniotic fluid.
150.00
Or a mixture of Raw and TCM method 150.00
I will come to the place of birth and pick up the placenta, keeping it on ice transport it to my home where I will prepare the placenta and return the completed pills to you within 2 days of receiving the placenta. Please contact me for more info.
please add 50.00 travel expense if out of the downtown core.
So here is they why and the how :0)
Why Placenta Encapsulation?
Placenta pills may help to:
• Increase general energy
• Allow a quicker return to health after birth
• Increase production of breast milk
• Decrease likelihood of baby blues and post natal depression
• Decrease likelihood of iron deficiency
• Decrease likelihood of insomnia or sleep disorders
Services I offer
Placenta Encapsulation - TCM
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has historically honored placenta medicine to remedy milk supply issues and to balance Qi (life energy) after a woman's birth. The TCM method dates back many thousands of years and involves steaming the placenta with a unique mix of herbs and foods designed to help the placenta be absorbed deeper into the system and to enhance its healing properties. We will discuss your birth and choose the additional agents together. $150.00
Placenta Encapsulation - RAW
In this method it is believed that the hormones found in overwhelming supply in the placenta at birth are most readily usable by the body post-partum if the placenta is processed without being subjected to cooking or high heat. Although no scientific studies can prove or disprove this assumption it follows with raw food medicine that cooking degrades some or all of the most beneficial qualities of food.
Raw encapsulation is not available if there is suspicion of infection (maternal or fetal) or if meconium if present in the amniotic fluid.
150.00
Or a mixture of Raw and TCM method 150.00
I will come to the place of birth and pick up the placenta, keeping it on ice transport it to my home where I will prepare the placenta and return the completed pills to you within 2 days of receiving the placenta. Please contact me for more info.
please add 50.00 travel expense if out of the downtown core.
My next Client January
My next client is due in January, though she was the 4rth one I booked she will join my first client shortly on my birth completed list. So far my first client has been amazing with being open to new clients calling her up for references. With a new baby and all the adjustments to her new life it will be good to get potentials another set of people to chat with.
I am super excited for her and her husband whom might I add seems to be wonderful. This is such a great time, waiting for your son/daughter to be born. Especially surrounding the holiday season. Even if you aren't someone who celebrates seeing all the ads with children on them have to tug at your pregnant heart!
It has been great working with them, so far we have completed the birth plan and now are simply waiting for the time to come.
I'm also working on my "doula" binder. This is taking me a long time but it is well worth it. It is more for information regarding the entire business of being born but will have some interesting things in it for the day of labour. Hopefully it gets completed in time. I find I am being really meticulous with it, fine tuning it over and over again. Not to mention the upcoming seminar I am co-hosting with Samantha Spencley of In The House Homeopathy. We've been working on a few things one is the seminar where we will go into What A Doula is, How a Doula can help you, and how she and I can work together during pregnancy and birth.
My partner has been very supportive during this time. I have been really busy this past week between new client phone calls, appointments and working on websites, binders and homework for my certification. It takes a lot of time to start up a business and I am luck to have a partner who understands this. Not to mention my being on-call over Christmas and New years for my upcoming birth. Which I am thrilled about! I used to dread being on-call with my former work but this one.... I know that when I get called it will be for one of the most amazing moments of a persons life. The entry of a new spirit into the world, the introduction of a son or daughter!
I am super excited for her and her husband whom might I add seems to be wonderful. This is such a great time, waiting for your son/daughter to be born. Especially surrounding the holiday season. Even if you aren't someone who celebrates seeing all the ads with children on them have to tug at your pregnant heart!
It has been great working with them, so far we have completed the birth plan and now are simply waiting for the time to come.
I'm also working on my "doula" binder. This is taking me a long time but it is well worth it. It is more for information regarding the entire business of being born but will have some interesting things in it for the day of labour. Hopefully it gets completed in time. I find I am being really meticulous with it, fine tuning it over and over again. Not to mention the upcoming seminar I am co-hosting with Samantha Spencley of In The House Homeopathy. We've been working on a few things one is the seminar where we will go into What A Doula is, How a Doula can help you, and how she and I can work together during pregnancy and birth.
My partner has been very supportive during this time. I have been really busy this past week between new client phone calls, appointments and working on websites, binders and homework for my certification. It takes a lot of time to start up a business and I am luck to have a partner who understands this. Not to mention my being on-call over Christmas and New years for my upcoming birth. Which I am thrilled about! I used to dread being on-call with my former work but this one.... I know that when I get called it will be for one of the most amazing moments of a persons life. The entry of a new spirit into the world, the introduction of a son or daughter!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Business of Being Born
Let us talk about it for a moment shall we. The movie was amazing if you haven't yet already seen it. It is called "The Business of Being Born" it opens your mind as well as your eyes. It truly looks into the world of birth in a way no one else has done yet.
I could write about the movie but I would rather you go out watch it for yourself and comment here. Like it, Love it or Hate it, write about it so we can open the dialogue.
This past week has been a difficult one, I have been setting up meetings, writing up contracts, filling out forms for certification, working on my website, facebook page, blog, advertising myself, reading books on fibromyaglia for an upcoming client of mine suffering from it as well as networking in hopes to gain more clients. That all in one weeks time. If anyone doubts the value of the money they are spending guess again. If you have a good or great Doula they are really in tuned to your needs and will do everything in their power to ensure your needs will be met during your birth.
However I am not complaining just talking about what the life of a Doula is. I love my work, I love the research, I love the networking, and I love most of all feeling like I am helping make a difference. It has charged me beyond words. I only wish I was covered by good old OHIP so that I did not have to worry about the financial aspect so much. Most Doula's have a second career or something they specialize in. Right now all I have is my Doula and a part time job. I am working towards getting my Childbirth Educator certification so that I can teach that and possibly pre-natal Yoga. For now though, this is it.
Hopefully one day it won't be only the parents to be that see the value in Doula's, hopefully OHIP, private health care and the lot of them will see that hiring a Doula saves everyone in the end. Saves the parents grief, saves the healthcare industry money on un-neccessary procedures, and saves on the nursing staff's demands. Think about it with a Doula most people Labour at home which means less people in the hospital and for shorter times.
In the end we can only hope they see that Doula's are good for Business!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Who we are and what we believe
With every step we take we hope to leave a lasting impression. As a Doula I truly believe this and hope it to be true.
At A Sacred Path Doula and Birth Services it is our belief that your personal birthing experience is sacred to you, whichever way you choose to birth. We are here simply to assist you in achieving your goals.
There are many different organizations out there that offer certification. However, I chose to become certified with CAPPA Canada due to their vision statement which I truly believe in.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Baby A_ngelica
For reasons of privacy I will change the names of all the babies I witness being born as well as the moms. This story however is true only identifying facts will be changed.
It was a beautiful day I was walking about with a friend and my partner looking for housing for him and his wife. I got the call mid day that Angelica was on her way! I said my goodbyes and ran home, literally. I was so excited this would be my first birth and I wanted to get there right away.
When I arrived the mother of the mother to be wondered what my role would be now as we waited. My role was going to be to pamper mom to be as much as possible and keep her comfortable as long as possible.
The midwives wanted the mother to be to rest as it was going to be a long day. Now anyone who has given birth knows one thing, trying to rest on the day your baby is about to be born is like asking a child to sleep on Christmas morning before unwrapping the gifts. Not likely going to happen.
After it was clear she would not sleep I spent the time massaging her legs, hands, and arms. Walking with her, encouraging her to eat something, drink and pee. I know it sounds odd that you would encourage someone to pee but really it helps progress Labour. I pressed on pressure points to aid in her uterine contractions.
When it was clear the contractions were close enough we called in to the midwives and headed to the hospital. We laughed and kept mom breathing during the ride making sure we did not lose her to the fear of the increasing pain. At the hospital the family said goodbye and we headed into the room. It was mom's choice to have me be the only person in the room with her.
The midwives were amazing. We used Hydrotherapy, position changes, massage, and vocalization to get through it all. As the contractions got stronger and stronger it took more concentration to continue to stay on track. In the end Angelica was born healthy and alert, the drug free birth her mother wanted all along. Angelica was placed on her mother within seconds of being born and never left her mothers sight. She was able to nurse in the first hour of her life and then the both of them were released to go home and recover.
It says a lot about having midwives at the birth, the room was calm, quiet, and peaceful. Mom's comfort was what was most important to us all. There were no nurses rushing in and out, no interns to fuss with and no one pressured mom during the low moments to get drugs. Mom had a choice if she wanted something she could ask it was in her court. In the end Mom trusted in her body, in her midwives and in me, the result was a beautiful, healthy, alert baby girl.
I smiled for days afterwards it was truly the most amazing experience I have gone through and I look forward to my next.
It was a beautiful day I was walking about with a friend and my partner looking for housing for him and his wife. I got the call mid day that Angelica was on her way! I said my goodbyes and ran home, literally. I was so excited this would be my first birth and I wanted to get there right away.
When I arrived the mother of the mother to be wondered what my role would be now as we waited. My role was going to be to pamper mom to be as much as possible and keep her comfortable as long as possible.
The midwives wanted the mother to be to rest as it was going to be a long day. Now anyone who has given birth knows one thing, trying to rest on the day your baby is about to be born is like asking a child to sleep on Christmas morning before unwrapping the gifts. Not likely going to happen.
After it was clear she would not sleep I spent the time massaging her legs, hands, and arms. Walking with her, encouraging her to eat something, drink and pee. I know it sounds odd that you would encourage someone to pee but really it helps progress Labour. I pressed on pressure points to aid in her uterine contractions.
When it was clear the contractions were close enough we called in to the midwives and headed to the hospital. We laughed and kept mom breathing during the ride making sure we did not lose her to the fear of the increasing pain. At the hospital the family said goodbye and we headed into the room. It was mom's choice to have me be the only person in the room with her.
The midwives were amazing. We used Hydrotherapy, position changes, massage, and vocalization to get through it all. As the contractions got stronger and stronger it took more concentration to continue to stay on track. In the end Angelica was born healthy and alert, the drug free birth her mother wanted all along. Angelica was placed on her mother within seconds of being born and never left her mothers sight. She was able to nurse in the first hour of her life and then the both of them were released to go home and recover.
It says a lot about having midwives at the birth, the room was calm, quiet, and peaceful. Mom's comfort was what was most important to us all. There were no nurses rushing in and out, no interns to fuss with and no one pressured mom during the low moments to get drugs. Mom had a choice if she wanted something she could ask it was in her court. In the end Mom trusted in her body, in her midwives and in me, the result was a beautiful, healthy, alert baby girl.
I smiled for days afterwards it was truly the most amazing experience I have gone through and I look forward to my next.
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