If I were to miscarry, would you still attend the birth if there is one?
A miscarriage is a hard thing to go through and giving birth to your baby in that situation can be heartbreaking and I am honored to still serve you. A beautiful baby is still being born and I feel I am still your labor support. After the birth I will help you find resources, per your request, to help you deal with the loss of your child and, if you wish, arrange a Mother Blessing for your friends and family to come help you heal.
If I choose cord blood banking can I still do delayed cord clamping?
Given some of my research through contacting cord blood banking companies (Viacord and Cord Blood Registry) they prefer to obtain cord blood 60 seconds after the birth. For delayed cord clamping it is suggested to wait at least two minutes. This two minute delay will increase the child's iron reserve by 27-47mg which is helpful in preventing iron deficiencies in baby's first 6 months. Now, the ideal suggestion for delayed cord clamping is to wait until the cord stops pulsating and in my experience can take up to ten minutes. Given that evidence and how much cord blood banking costs I personally would say no. My preference is to delayed cord clamping but I am your Doula and I will get you more information, if you desire, so you can make an informed decision.
What is your opinion on epidurals? I think I am open to the idea if I feel I need it but I am unsure and want to strive for my birth to be as natural as possible.
As we go over your birth plan if you are open to pain relief during labor, that is your choice. I am not here to push my personal choices and preferences on you, I will provide you with my side of the argument as well as the opposing argument so that you may make an informed decision that you are going to be happy with. Sometimes it is necessary for you to allow yourself that relief if you need it and there can be many different reasons why you choose to accept an epidural (i.e. long labor, pitocin induced contractions etc). As your Doula I am not there to tell your doctor "She said in her birth plan she doesn't want that." I can however gently remind you of your birth plan and to take a minute to think about your choices and what you would like to do moving forward.
My partner is really interested in a Doula to help him know what is going on and what he can do to help during the birth, is that something you do?
Yes! During your prenatal visits we'll go over pain coping techniques with partner assistance so you both have valuable tools for labor. If you or your partner ever have questions prenatally and during labor and delivery you are more than welcome to ask and if I don't know the answer I likely know someone who does and will get that answer for you. If your partner is open to it or asks "What can I do to help?" there is always something to do and I'm happy to give you what I'm doing if you like or give you something helpful to do :-) I am also there for the little "Hey can you help me by... moments."
What if I don't like something you're doing or think I might want you to try something else?
Our relationship is all about open communication. I am going to use my skills to try and help you any way I know how. If it's not helping, tell me so! I promise not to be hurt or offended. If you have an idea of what you think might help I'm happy to help get you to that space/position. If all you can do is describe what or where the pain is we'll work together through many positions to find out what works best for you.
Have Questions? Use the Contact Me form to the right to ask and/or set up a consultation for us to meet and discuss what I can do for you!
