The best thing about routine cervical exams?
You don't need them!
No really.
You don't need them to tell how far along a labour is.
All tagged Doula Support
The best thing about routine cervical exams?
You don't need them!
No really.
You don't need them to tell how far along a labour is.
We can influence birth, but we can’t control it
What I mean is that there’re a lot of decisions that you can make in advance of birth that statistically affect outcomes on a population level. For example:
Choosing a midwife increases the chance that you’ll feel positively about your birth experience
Choosing to birth at home decreases the likelihood of experiencing birth interventions
Choosing to have a doula present at your birth reduces the chance you’ll use pain medications
Choosing which hospital you birth at affects your chances of having a cesarean birth
But none of the above are guarantees. When it comes to YOUR birth, you’re a sample size of one and either a thing happens, or it doesn’t.
Do you know what you need? Most of us would say we do.
But have you ever had those moments where you are looking around at your life and you KNOW you have everything you could possibly need and yet, somehow, you still feel a bit off, a little dissatisfied, certain there MUST be something more?
(And because we LOVE to have feelings about our feelings, you of course immediately feel bad for feeling dissatisfied because - LOOK! - you have everything you need)
We were honored to support more than 90 families in 2019! Thank you so much to each person who invited us to care for you this year. It was our honor and privilege to support you and to bear witness to your transformation into parenthood.
Peter Jennings is a realtor, a husband, a father, and a fierce friend. For this Father’s Day, Peter shares his experience of becoming a father and using doula support during his transformation into parenthood.
Peter and I have been married for five years and partnered for ten. Together, we have two daughters and had two very different birth experiences. Our first daughter, Hazel was born in hospital under obstetric care with birth doula support and postpartum doula support. I had an epidural and an augmented labour with pitocin. For the birth of our daughter Zoe, we had a home birth with midwives and doula support.
Read on to hear about Peter’s firsthand experience of becoming a father, how each birth transformed him, and how doula support impacted each experience.
Congratulations! You're pregnant.
We're good friends. I love you dearly and I consider you one of the closest people in my life. I'm over the moon for you and your partner. I seriously love you guys.
Here's where it can get sticky.
I first came across this model of support in this article. I immediately saw how beautifully this could be adapted and applied to supporting pregnant people and their partners through labour and the early postpartum period.
