Blog Entries for sheryl tagged 'Doula'

An incredible turn of events

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Her water broke at 7am, and she called me, her doula, immediately. When I got to the hospital at 11, she wasn’t yet having contractions, and nurses and doctor agreed she could go home. Thank goodness! I massaged her in her bed for a while, and she fell asleep, so I went home too.

Doctor wanted her back at 7pm, so I met them at the hospital again, and she was having dinner when I arrived, still no regular contractions. We watched silly TV shows, laughing, and walk [...]

Patience, Mama

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Allison and Joe called at 12:30 last night to say labor had begun, and they wondered if I would be available to show up at the hospital as their doula, when they got there. I agreed that they could have the nurse call me in, and around 2:30, I got a call and headed over. They had arrived about an hour earlier, and she had been at 4cm. We got in the tub a little after 3:00, and she was already at 5cm, but a bit discouraged with the number, since she had been working hard al [...]

Get a Second Opinion

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0100

I was called at 3:30am, to come to the hospital and be a doula for Consuelo, a third time mama in early labor. She had been checked at 2cm, some time earlier, but her baby was suspected to be posterior,since she was having pretty bad back pain. Consuelo is from Mexico and speaks mainly Spanish, but understands English fairly well. I got over my shyness and got to practice my Spanish with her and her partner.

Her husband slept for a few hours when I first a [...]

A Good Hike to Get Things Going...

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Patricia called at 2am to announce that her water had broken and her doctor wanted her to go to the hospital to be checked out. (There was a little green in the water, a hint of meconium.) I told her to call back if they admitted her, or she needed me, otherwise call me in the morning.

I woke around eight and called to check in. She had in fact been admitted and was able to sleep there for a while. She was not having contractions yet. I told her to keep me posted. Ar [...]

Mama catches her own waterbaby at the hospital!

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Lisa and Bill lived across the street from the hospital, and were hoping to labor at home as long as possible with me there as their doula. When she called me around 5pm on Friday her water had just broken, and she reported that her contractions had kept her up most of the night before. When I arrived at their home, she was up and about, and they were both excited about things moving along. I suggested that she might like to get some rest as it could be another long night. We put on some musi [...]

VBAC

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0100

The birth center at Ashland Community Hospital called at 10:45 today with a VBAC patient dilated at 2 or 3 cm, whose water had just broken. They said she had requested a doula, and asked me to come right in. Five years ago, Julia had labored with her first baby to 8cm, then the doctor realized the baby was breech and did a ceasarean section.

When I arrived at 11:45, Julia was in the bathroom with her husband. She was pretty uncomfortable, and wanted to get [...]

Ashland Birth Center's Free Doula Program

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

At the Ashland Community Hospital's Birth Center, doula care is provided for any laboring woman who requests support, and the service is at no extra cost. A doula is a woman, experienced with birth, who provides constant physical and emotional support for a laboring woman. She can be there as a main support person, if the woman has no family or partner with her, or she can be there to assist the husband or mother. She will make suggestions about position changes, offe [...]

The Grace of a Doula

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Women need the constant support of experienced women when they give birth. Studies have shown that simply having a calm, present woman sitting in the room while labor is happening will reduce the need for interventions and unplanned medical procedures. A doula can be that calm, present woman, and she is trained to provide emotional support for a women experiencing fear, discouragement, and fatigue. Doulas also provide physical [...]

doula devotion

honoringthemother@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 +0100

This evening, I returned from a fourteen hour day at the hospital newly inspired by the dear friend of the woman I was there to help. "A" had been in labor all night, after being induced by cytotec at 42 and a half weeks pregnant. Her dear friend "S," who happens to be a yoga student of mine was with her all night, and in the morning, when things were getting tough, they requested a doula, and hoped that I would be available. It worked out well for us all that I was on call today, and [...]