Postpartum

3 Ways Doulas Support Partners

Your doula will never know you as well as your partner. Some partners don’t want to hire a doula because they are concerned that we might replace them. That is frankly never the goal of our doulas, though there have been a few times when we’ve had to step in because a partner couldn’t be there for multiple reasons. The truth is that hiring a doula helps support partners too. I’ve supported clients whose partners were in the birth pool squeezing their hips and others whose partners had to hide their eyes during their entire labors because everything medical made them nauseous. I’ve caught dads who passed out at the sight of blood and helped others find better places to stand for camera angles. Here are the top 3 ways that doulas help partners.

Knowledge

Doulas help partners know what is going on in the birth room and during postpartum. We answer all kinds of questions like: is that normal? Is everything ok? What’s going on? Why are they suggesting that? Where should we go for help? Our doula knowledge helps not only reassure partners, but also help them ask good questions too. We suggest resources specifically for partners to learn if they’re interested. All Doula Group of Evansville packages come with access to Supporting Her (a $69 value) an online class specifically designed with partners in mind, because we know you want to know how to be the best support you can be too!

Practical Support

Partners need physical support too! I’ve seriously massaged more than one dad’s shoulders during the course of a long labor, and reminded more partners to pee than I can count. We help partners find pillows and towels in the hospital room, or make sure they know when a good time to sneak to the cafeteria to eat would be. We help you know where to press on their back when contractions come and remind you to hydrate too. Postpartum doulas will teach you the best swaddle and bring you a one-handed snack while you’re rocking in the chair with your newborn. Doulas are the extra set of hands that anticipate everyone’s needs!

Emotional Support

I’ve waited outside the doors to the operating room with anxious worried partners waiting to be called back. I’ve hugged a sobbing father whose baby was born sleeping, and handed more tissues to silently crying and ecstatic partners. I’ve reassured frustrated partners that yes, they can and should speak up when they’re not getting the answers or care they need. This holding space for partners is a dance that we know and prepare for as doulas. This is one of the reasons we want to meet with you and your partner before birth and postpartum; getting to know you and your wishes helps us help you better.

Doulas help partners participate and engage however they want and are able to. We never try to step on partner toes, literally or figuratively! We love all kinds of partners and know each family is unique. Having a doula on your team can help you have a better experience too. When you’re ready, we’re here to support your whole family from your wet pregnancy test all the way through the 4th trimester.

A little anecdote for you: pre-COVID, I taught a 3 hour class on natural coping techniques for labor and delivery. I had been talking to this awesome pregnant mom who really wanted to hire me as her birth doula but her husband didn’t want to spend the money, and they came to my class. After 3 hours, her husband was 100% convinced that they definitely needed to hire me as their doula. Unfortunately, I was already booked for their due date, but I know they had an awesome birth anyway. If you’re on the fence about hiring a doula, reach out to set up a FREE consult together. We’d love to chat!

Know Better, Do Better

When I was pregnant the first time, I was completely overwhelmed by the process that seemed to be shrouded in mystery. No, not the birth part, that I could find good information about. The great unknowns of how to find a provider, navigating where to go, what to ask, & evaluating my options were the real frustration for me. I did seriously look at the person doing my intake forms with me and say, “this is really confusing, and I’m a graduate student! I can’t even imagine how confusing this system would be for someone with less resources!” No, a doula can’t help you figure out your insurance, BUT here are 3 ways that doulas help demystify things for you:

We’ve Been There!

Yes, most of us have kids and have been there personally, but we’ve ALL been there professionally. As a team, if someone hasn’t been to a birthing location before, we fill each other in on all the details. It’s important to know which door to go to in the middle of the night or if you as the doula are going to be allowed into the triage room with your client. Our experience helps demystify the specifics with each other, but also with our clients. One thing that we focus on during our 2nd prenatal visit with our birth doula clients is discussing logistics. When should you call your doula? Where will we meet up when you’re in labor? All our birth doula clients also get postpartum planning sessions, to try to get your brain thinking about life with a newborn. Having been there, we know how important it is to have a roadmap for when things get foggy. We also know that talking about options and preferences helps take away the mystery and get you started thinking about resources and questions.

Resources Galore

Even if you have great questions, that doesn’t always mean you know where to ask them. Sharing local resources and connections are things that doulas do. I remember being a first time parent and struggling with lactation and not knowing who was knowledgeable enough to help me. Feeding resources are just one place that doulas can help point you in the right direction. This may not sound like a big deal, but doulas make having those resource lists for you a priority so that you don’t have to go searching. We don’t have an opinion about how you do things either, which as a new parent is pretty priceless really.

We hold YOU!

As you’re navigating your life that’s shifted 30 different ways since you got pregnant, your doula holds you. We remind you that shifting is normal and help you find your way forward. This is the kind of demystifying that you don’t often appreciate until it happens to you. Validating your feelings and helping you know that you’re not alone is what having a doula on your team does for you. We remind you that you don’t have to have it all figured out and that pausing in the unknown is ok too. My doula held me as I wrestled with all the options, my doula not only gave me the information to come to my own understanding and decisions, but also the space to do so without pressure. That was so helpful for me, and I know our clients really appreciate it.

How we work

If you’re interested in talking about having a doula for your birth or postpartum team (or both), we’d love to talk to you. You can use this link to schedule a FREE 30 minute call to talk about your needs and who on our team might be a good fit to work with you. We’d love to demystify the doula process for you too.

After a Cesarean Birth

CBAC, HBAC, or VBAC?

April is Cesarean & VBAC Awareness month, and we know exactly how important it is to recognize both of these ways of giving birth. We know that nationally, around 1 in 3 births happen via cesarean section, and locally that holds fairly true according to the latest available data. While we don’t know the full extent as to WHY the planned hospital birth cesarean rate is so high, “It seems increasingly clear that anxiety and easy access to many medical procedures at hospital may lead to increased levels of intervention, which in turn may lead to further interventions and finally to unnecessary complications (Olsen & Clausen 2023).” All of that is big picture stuff though, and this post is really seeking to speak to the patient side of things. We celebrate ALL births, no matter how they happen. Let’s talk about 3 big areas where doulas can help after a cesarean birth.

The first 6 weeks after cesarean surgery can be challenging. Your body really needs to rest, but you have a newborn to take care of too. Maybe you’re still dealing with pain when you get home and timing medications, or your other kids really want to cuddle but you’re worried they might bust your incision. Lifting restrictions make moving baby, other kids, laundry baskets, etc challenging after a cesarean birth too. Hiring a postpartum doula, even when you didn’t plan to, can be a huge help to your family and your health in those first 6 weeks. Whether you get a doula or not, delegating should definitely be in your wheelhouse, because your body needs TIME to recover properly in this postpartum period at home.

Recovery

Physical recovery is what most people think about after a cesarean birth, and yes that is really important. After that initial 6 weeks, you may want to talk to your provider about physical therapy to work on scar mobilization and pelvic floor therapy too. Yes, even after having cesarean surgery your pelvic floor might need some work. Honestly, I don’t know why pelvic floor PT isn’t a standard referral after having a baby, but that is a blog for another day.

Mental recovery after a cesarean birth is something that we need to talk about more. I often find myself processing with my clients who’ve had cesarean surgery to talk about how things went, even if I wasn’t there for that birth. People react very differently to having cesarean surgery, and we truly believe all feelings are 100% valid. Mental recovery can be very easy for some and others struggle with it for a long time. Processing with a birth professional like a doula or with a therapist trained in birth trauma can be really validating and helpful for some people. This is a service we offer for clients all the time!

Next time

The big question that many people have after a cesarean birth is often, what should they do next time. Should you try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), maybe an HBAC (home birth after cesarean), or maybe a planned CBAC (cesarean birth after cesarean) is for you. There is no one right answer that will work for everyone in this situation, and there are many many factors that go into making that decision. As doulas, we tend to nudge people to think about 4 things when they’re discussing what to do for their next birth:

What were the factors that lead to your cesarean surgery?
How do you feel about giving birth again?
Is there information or other support that would be helpful for you to know when making this decision?
How will you feel about your choice in 10 years?

Everyone answers those questions differently, and honestly there is no one right answer that will work for everyone. One thing we can say with the utmost certainty is that no matter what your choices are, our doulas will be there to support you 100% of the way. We’re working to try to help hospitals understand the value of having your doula in the operating room to support you during your surgical birth too, and will keep pushing for this here locally!

We’re very grateful that cesarean surgery exists, as we’ve seen it save lives. At the same time, we know that it is often over used. We LOVE that VBAC is a truly viable option here locally with many providers, and have seen some amazing HBAC births too. Birth is honestly just amazing in all the different ways it happens. If you’ve had a cesarean birth and want support in any of the above ways, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Insider Information

Doulas have the inside scoop on local options without any of the insider bias and protections.

As a doula who has been working here since 2014, I’ve learned quite a bit of insider information that can be really helpful in several situations for expecting families. I recently had a great conversation with a nurse friend who was bemoaning the fact that because she works at a specific facility, she can’t warn people about specific provider habits or tell them all the things that she wishes she could because of policy. My reply, “I do that!” As doulas we are employed by our clients, therefore we answer to them. We get to say the quiet part that hospital employees might know but can’t say out loud, and that’s a pretty valuable service that doulas can offer. Here are three ways that we use that type of insider information with our outside voices.

Provider Selection

Have you ever wondered if your provider is the one driving up the episiotomy rate? The biggest issue I see is a lack of transparency regarding individual practice statistics. Until that issue gets solved, we doulas are happy to tell you what we’ve seen with our clients’ providers. Since 2014, we’ve had the privilege to be able to see most of the providers in our service area catch babies. That means that we know which ones like to pull the old bait and switch–telling you what you want to hear your whole pregnancy and switching gears to their agenda at the end, so late that you don’t even feel like you have a choice to switch to another provider. We know which providers deal well with push back and which ones don’t. We know which ones love to help you have a great experience in the OR and which ones will talk about sports ignoring all of your wishes. Wondering if your pediatrician is going to judge you for exclusively pumping or using a supplementary nursing system? We can tell you that! If you’re looking for a provider, don’t ask your friends or some random group of strangers on the internet all of whom probably only have experience with one or two providers max; ask a group of doulas who’ve actually seen them work and can talk to you about those experiences.

Policy vs Evidence

In case you don’t know, there are a TON of maternity care policies and practices that aren’t based on the scientific evidence at all. As doulas, we can not only tell you what the policies are, but we can also remind you that a hospital policy is not the law. In case nobody has ever told you: you cannot be arrested for drinking water during labor. We work for you, and know that not only is this type of policy not based on the latest scientific evidence or statements from organizations like the American Society of Anesthesiology, but also that it is cruel. We’ll remind you that you are the boss of your own body and you get to make all the decisions regarding what goes in and how things come out too. That’s doesn’t always make us popular, but it does make our clients happy.

Reporting

Whenever we repeat stories of medical mistreatment, we often hear the refrain, “oh I hope they will report them.” It’s pretty hard to report behavior if you don’t know how to do the actual reporting. Not only will we doulas help point out bad behavior, but we’ll help you know how to report it if that is something that you want to pursue. Seriously, we know what to do and will be happy to help you write the correct letters and deliver them to the correct people to help make sure people are held responsible. Reporting obstetric violence is really important to us by the way, and even if the information is supposedly publicly available, we know that finding it can be challenging and especially overwhelming when you have a new baby.

One of the benefits of being a doula is that we get this insider perspective without having any of the bias that comes from being employed by the facility or providers that we work with regularly. We’re employed by our clients. That kind of freedom comes with all the usual self-employment caveats, but it also means that we’re free to say the quiet part out loud. We’re free to talk about our experiences and let people know about which providers we wouldn’t send our worst enemy to versus who we’d let catch our babies. (Yes, there are a few locally that I’d still let do that.) That essence of doula service, the outsider with insider knowledge, is KEY to why we’re such a valuable part of your team!

Approved Doulas: Kentucky Medicaid

Hey there friends in the Bluegrass state! We are now part of Humana’s healthy Horizons Kentucky Medicaid doula program!! This is seriously exciting news, as we know doula services so often aren’t affordable for the people who really need them most. This is part of the value added benefits of this program, and we’re really excited to be part of this initiative.

What does this mean?

If you have Kentucky Medicaid through Humana, then you can hire one of our doulas and they will pay us! We had an awesome meeting with the team at Humana who walked us through the entire Healthy Horizon program and how it all works. Honestly, I was pretty impressed by the resources included in their program for expecting parents.

This program covers both birth and postpartum doula services too, which might be what had my jaw on the floor to be honest. We love that birth doulas are getting so much love right now, but know that the value of postpartum doulas is also imperative for new families. Through this plan, you can actually get 4 visits with a postpartum doula, even if you don’t employ a birth doula at all. That’s HUGE! That also includes miscarriage support by the way. Your doula can even speak to your care manager if you give them permission, so coordinating care is even more well rounded.

How do we make it happen?

If you are planning to deliver in Owensboro, Henderson, or Madisonville and are part of the Humana Healthy Horizons program, we’re here to help you! Contact your care coordinator to find us on the referral list. That’s it! Once you hire us, you get all same exact benefits of ALL our clients including access to our online client classroom, 24/7 unlimited virtual support from your doula, and all that jazz.

We’re new to this, but soo excited to be able to offer these services. We got very excited a few years ago when Indiana passes a bill to provide doula services to Medicaid recipients, but then they pulled the funding in a committee meeting. Way to go Kentucky for putting your money where it is most needed to combat maternal mortality and morbidity!!

Coming Soon?

We hope Indiana will get its act together so we can start offering more services like this to our expecting families here in Hoosier-land too. We’re working to also get added to Anthem’s Kentucky Medicaid program and to Tri-Care too for our military families. We know doula services aren’t in everyone’s budget, and we’re really excited to see more recognition of the value of doula services regardless of someone’s ability to pay.

For now: Kentucky, we’re ready to serve you!

One Size Fits None?

Hospital Gowns are terrible. First there is the fact that they leave your bum hanging out for the whole world to see, but they are also one-size-fits-none! Putting on a hospital gown is symbolic. It strips away your normal role of the clothes that you put on that morning and magically transforms you into a “patient” without any form of individuality or expression. Putting on that gown also visually communicates to anyone in the room what your “role” is there, and honestly strips away more than just your dignity. Studies have shown that when you put on that gown, you also strip away some of your perceived control and feel more vulnerable. What you wear affects how you feel, and it turns out that hospital gowns aren’t likely to make anyone feel powerful or better.

Standard Operating Policies & Procedures

Similar to those gowns, many other policies and procedures in the hospital make people feel bad unnecessarily. Standards are put in place for a reason, but many people have argued that hospital birthing policies and procedures are more often than not written primarily to protect the hospital from liability. That subject is a whole can of worms that I’m not opening right now, but my point to you is this: just because something is standard, doesn’t mean that it is required, evidence based, or that it fits with your plans/desires/wishes. Standard is the mold and you don’t have to try to force yourself into it. You can decline things and say, “no thank you.” Maybe you aren’t planning a “standard” birth or approach to your birth. Maybe your postpartum and parenting plans and priorities are different from your pediatrician’s approach. That’s ok! One size honestly fits NONE and even as a parent with older kids, I still have to be a different parent to each kid.

This is not to say that all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are the exact same at every hospital or birthing location. In fact, we KNOW they aren’t and have seen that in action. A great example is the SOP for eating and drinking during labor. One local hospital doesn’t allow anything other than ice chips during labor, a practice not at all supported by evidence by the way. At another hospital where we attend a births, the labor and delivery nurses there taught me how they make “slushies” for laboring parents out of popsicles. At a 3rd hospital, they have a standard laboring mom tray of snacks and drinks that they bring. What are the policies and procedures where you are delivering? Are they followed all the time?

What size fits you?

There are so many lies that are told to us about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and one of those is that the standards are in place to protect everyone, evidence based, and enforced equally. I can tell you that is definitely not the case from what I have observed as a doula. In a medical system that is forced to treat patients as consumers though, you do have some power if you decide to hold onto it. If it helps, bring your own gown to wear during labor or go buck naked to remind yourself (and signal to the staff too) that you are not sick and are indeed powerful. It also sends a visual signal that you want something other than the SOP, whether you choose to say anything about it or not. Spend some time finding out what the policy is where you are planning to deliver and what aligns with your approach. Humans are not all the same, and figuring out what size fits your needs and wants is helpful to do before the big day. That is one of the things that doulas do too, help you find what works for you and your family. Keep asking questions and demanding the individualized care that you deserve just for being an awesome human being with a new one in your care.

Hiring a Doula

We know that the decision to hire a doula can be a BIG one for many families. Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a long time and trying to decide if adding a doula to your team is something you want to do. Maybe hiring a doula for your birth isn’t really that important to you, but planning to have help around the house and someone to ask all the questions postpartum would be nice. We know hiring a doula is a big investment, but we also know that doulas help not only improve outcomes, but also improve parental stress levels, mental health, & overall confidence.

How does it work?

We have 2 types of doulas on our team: Birth doulas & Postpartum doulas. (One of our doulas does both, for those families that want that continuity of care too.) Our manager, Hillary, talks to every person who inquires about doula services to see what they are looking for and match them with a doula on our team who will be a good fit for that family. She’s kind of like a doula match maker that way. The family then gets to interview the doula to decide if they’d like to work with that doula. Once you make the decision to hire your doula, then we send you a digital contract & invoice. You pay a deposit to reserve your time on your doula’s calendar, sign the contract, & then get access to our online client classroom filled with resources and information for you.

Every doula in the group is mentored by Hillary, who has been a doula here in Evansville, IN since 2014. She’s served at more than 200 births and has been invited to speak about doulas at both our local Evansville hospitals. At this point, she takes less clients so that she can run the business side of things for our group including all the emails, contracts, invoices, website, social media, bookkeeping, outreach, etc. Clients interact with her as the primary point of contact, but then move to interacting with their specific doula for birth and postpartum services.

Birth Doulas

Our birth doulas are phenomenal! Their experience ranges from brand new to very experienced, and they set their own prices. Each and every birth doula client gets two prenatal meetings to get to know their doula, to talk about birth planning & logistics, to practice comfort techniques, & more. Birth doulas are there with you for the big birthing day to help with all the things like movement, deciding when to go to the hospital, handing you things you didn’t ask for yet, suggesting positions, offering information about options, and so much more. After baby is born, birth doulas typically stay for 1-2 hours to help with the initial feeding and bonding time before they skedaddle out of there to give you time alone as a family. Your birth doula will come visit you once more after baby is born to check on you, talk about how things went, and offer any resources that you might need at that time. We might even bring you a little present too. Hiring a doula means you not only have someone to text with random questions throughout your pregnancy, but you also have someone to walk with you for the journey from expecting to beginning. All of our birth doula clients will also be getting a postpartum planning session with one of our postpartum doulas.

Postpartum Doulas

If everyone knew about postpartum doulas, then honestly EVERYONE would hire one! Postpartum doulas come for 3-4 hour daytime shifts to help you with light housework that might be piling up because you’re busy taking care of your new human. They answer questions without any judgement & help with resources if you’re concerned that something isn’t normal. They hold the baby while you shower and help with meal planning too. Postpartum doulas help the family as a whole to transition to having a new baby in the house, because postpartum can be challenging for everyone. So whether you would like an in-home postpartum massage, help with meal planning & grocery orders, someone to look at your surgical scar or help you off the couch, then one of our postpartum doulas would be happy to help. We currently have one postpartum doula who is also able to do overnight shifts for families that would like help throughout the night for feedings & baby care too, so feel free to inquire if that is something you are interested in learning more about. Postpartum doulas are a little big magic and also *ahem* one of the BEST gifts you can get for your friend who already has everything they need for baby and could just use some extra TLC in those first weeks at home.

Don’t Wait

If you’re thinking about hiring a doula, don’t wait! We have an awesome team that is pretty flexible in being able to accommodate all schedules, but sometimes we really do ALL get booked up. July-October are the most busy times of year for us, so definitely reach out early if your due date falls in that range. (In case you’re wondering, September is the most popular birth month in the United States for several reasons.) As I write this, it is June 2022, & we’ve started booking clients into February 2023 already!

Hiring a doula takes some courage, and we know that. We also know that hiring a doula can help the entire process of bringing a new baby into the world feel much more personal and cozy when you have a doula by your side. We’re here to help you navigate it all like a tour guide who’s been down this path many times before. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in exploring, then hiring a doula might be right for you. Reach out to us if you’re interested. You can even see some great videos of our doulas on our YouTube channel before you reach out too!

AND, if hiring a doula isn’t in your comfort zone, we really do try to put out a lot of FREE content on our Instagram & Facebook pages too. Find us there! We have a FREE e-book available here on our website, as well as lots of free blog posts, including this perennial favorite about how to have a good conversation about induction with your provider. Oh yeah, and we do placenta encapsulation too if that is something you want to explore. We want to be a one stop shop for helping expecting families in the tri-state area.

A New Postpartum Doula on Our Team!

We are so very excited to announce the addition of the amazing Christina Renock to our team here at Doula Group of Evansville. Christina is a postpartum doula currently working toward her certification with DONA International. She lives in Newburgh with her 3 boys and very sweet dog. Like me, she moved to this area in 2012 after living abroad, and has been busy raising her family. Christina is a magnificent listener and has a marvelously calming presence about her that allows you to be fully at ease and vulnerable. That along with the facts that she is an excellent cook and ever so patient means she is honestly the perfect person to help our clients during that 4th trimester transition.

About Christina:

Christina is a DONA educated Postpartum Doula who is working towards full certification. She is passionate about empowering and collaborating with the individual, especially women, as they navigate their own health and wellness journey. Christina decided to pursue work as a Postpartum Doula because she believes one of the best things we can do for our communities is support women and families as they build the foundation for the relationships that will shape the emotional and mental health of the next generation. She has worked in natural medicine since 2009 and been a licensed massage therapist since 2013. Christina completed university in the United States and London, England where she studied herbal medicine, naturopathic medicine, and business management. She moved to the Tri-state in 2012 and now lives in Newburgh, IN with her 3 sons and their wide variety of pets. When she finds free time she enjoys cooking, gardening, and being active outdoors.

Postpartum Doulas

Postpartum doulas help families typically during the first 16 weeks after baby is born, to move more fluidly through the hazy beginning of life with a new baby in the house. These magical humans come and help you with light housework like straightening up, organizing, folding laundry, dishes. They talk to you about what is going on with you and baby, and offer unbiased and evidence-based advice and resources for you. They help you know what is normal and connect you with further resources if you need them. They know which local dentists do laser tethered oral tissue revisions and help you with meal planning/shopping/preparation. Honestly, they are one of the most underutilized resources here locally. I fully expect that once word gets out about how amazing postpartum doulas are, Christina is going to be REALLY busy.

Christina Renock, Postpartum Doula

Christina is currently offering these services:

In person daytime postpartum services
Prenatal & Postpartum massage in your home
Nursery Set-Up Consult
Virtual Postpartum Doula Support
1-on-1 infant massage lessons
Meal planning + online ordering for grocery pick-up

We would love to talk to you about how Christina could help ease your 4th trimester transition. Sometimes just having someone come to your house who is only there to help you and isn’t asking to hold the baby unless you want to hand them off is a GREAT thing. Never underestimate the power of someone who supports you without judgement and truly understands there is no one right way to get through the 4th trimester. Postpartum doulas support you how you want to be supported, and Christina will knock your socks off with her empathy, compassion, & resourcefulness. Contact us today if you’d like to set up a consult with Christina!

Pssst, if you are already a client with us, you can schedule a discounted massage with Christina!

“The Secret Menu”

Have you ever wanted to order something that wasn’t on the menu at a restaurant like they do in Ratatouille the movie? What about finding that ever elusive Unicorn Frappucino? Well, we firmly believe that when it comes to your pregnancy, birth, & postpartum, there should NOT be a secret menu. That’s why we’re here to both demystify some of the evidence based things you could be using/requesting AND to make recommendations for you too. Secret menu items might be all fine and good for fast food restaurants, but we’re not keeping these secrets from you any more!

**Note, some of these links are affiliate links and we may get a small compensation if you use them. We promise this is not how we are getting rich, and we only recommend products we really love!**

Secret Menu for Pregnancy Top 5

Pregnancy can be rough, but we’re here to tell you some of our favorite “secret menu” things that can make it a little bit better. Here are our top 5:

1. Compression Socks–yes they can be tough to get on, but they seriously help with swelling so much. Kindred Bravely has some that don’t even look like your grandma would wear them, & bonus this mom owned company has comfy cozy clothing for every step of your pregnancy to postpartum journey.

2. Slide on shoes–bending over to tie your shoes is overrated, & we’ve been hearing rave reviews of Hey Dude Shoes from lots of our clients.

3. Magnesium lotion is great for helping with restless legs, and our favorite is the lavender sleepy lotion from 8 Sheep Organics.

4. A good support belt will save your lower back as your belly grows & we think the awesome belts that Belly Bandit sells are soooo worth your investment.

5. Finally, our secret menu favorite thing to recommend is to take an independent childbirth education class that fits with your goals. We know of a ton of great online classes to fit every budget (including free), & if you want to try an in-person class, hit us up, because we totally do that!

Lamaze Classes for VBAC, Bringing Home Baby, Breastfeeding Basics, Labor Pain Management, Safe & Healthy Birth in 6 steps, or Labor Confidence (free).

Alice Turner has awesome classes including Supporting Her (specifically for partners), Birth A to Z (free), & FREE live Lamaze classes via her YouTube channel too.

If you’re looking for an awesome class for partners to learn how to help, The Birth Partner’s Ultimate Labor Support Toolkit is an excellent one!

Mandy Irby (The Birth Nurse) has a really great pre-recorded full Lamaze class that I like to recommend as well: Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Childbirth. (Use coupon: BIRTHGEEKS for 15% off)

Secret Menu for Birth Top 5

Not all of these options are available at all facilities, but it never hurts to ask and even asking for these things helps plant a seed that people would like them.

1. Intermittent &/or Telemetry Monitoring can be soo helpful for movement while you are in labor! Intermittent monitoring is typically available if you don’t have any drugs in your system & everything is looking great with you & baby. Times for intermittent monitoring can vary, but typically 15-20 minutes out of every hour used as a metric. Telemetry monitoring is WIRELESS & AMAZING for sooo many reasons including moving, getting up to use the restroom, walking the halls, etc. ASK for these things!

2. Squat Bar–YES, they have them, & no you don’t have to use them to squat if you don’t want to. I like to wrap the center of a sheet around the bar & put the ends in your hands so you can put your feet on the bar and pull the sheet while you’re pushing. It works really well for some people!

3. A Roller Ball Massager is something that you’ll need to bring, but you can grab a cheap one at 5 Below to help with massage and counter pressure on your partner’s sacrum. It is one of my most used tools in my doula bag.

4. Eye Masks are great for both helping you focus internally on how you are feeling & coping with labor AND signaling to the people around you that you want to be left alone to concentrate. Psst, I really like to wear one when I’m trying to sleep during the day and my kids keep coming upstairs to ask me questions too.

5. Alternate Pushing Positions are NOT used enough, & I’m here to say that they need to be, even for people who have epidurals!! As a #birthdoula, I’m a HUGE fan of whatever works for you and your baby, but I hear soo much misinformation about pushing positions, & the constant assumption that flat on your back with your legs in stirrups is just how it is going to be, is frankly annoying and not at all supported by evidence or physiology for the most part. I’m here to say that you CAN push in other positions and you probably SHOULD at least try a few before you figure out what will work for you.

Secret Menu for Postpartum Top 5

Everyone wants to buy stuff for your baby, but all of our “secret menu” things are specifically for YOU!

1. Milk Collectors are awesome for catching that extra liquid gold that might otherwise end up in your bra, but be aware that there are passive collectors like Milkies Milk Saver on-the-go & active ones like the Haakaa silicone pump. If you have a tendency to overproduce, be aware of if you are demanding more or just collecting.

2. The fancy peri-bottle made by Frida Mom is Ah-mazing if you’ve had a vaginal birth. Seriously!

3. #Cesarean or not, a belly binder can be your friend in those first days when your abs & organs are all still rearranging.

4. Clothes that are especially made for nursing your baby and being comfortable are important, & Kindred Bravely has some of our favorite pieces (& you can 10% off by using our link.

5. Our favorite pillows for nursing are from My Brest Friend, and not just because of the awesome pockets, though those are great too.

We truly hope…

We truly hope to keep breaking down the secret menu for our clients and community. If you don’t know to ask for these things, you might not get them. Keep learning and pushing for change, you know we will too.

Doula Investment

We know that choosing to add a doula to your birth or postpartum team is a pretty big investment for most families, but you won’t regret it! From the time you hire your birth doula all the way through your 4th trimester postpartum, a doula can be there to help you every step of the way. Here are three ways your doula investment pays off for you:

“Is this normal?”

Pregnancy brings a whole lot of aches, pains, and questions about your changing body as you grow another human inside of it. Once you decide to make that doula investment your services begin right then. You get your doula’s phone number and can call or text them with ANY worries or questions you might have. We promise ZERO judgement for any questions, because we’ve probably already heard most of them before too.

We also know that the internet can be an overwhelming place for pregnant people. Not only can you ask your doula all your personal pregnancy, birth, & postpartum questions, but we also have an online classroom for our clients. Our classroom is filled with links, handouts, & even coloring pages that are helpful. We filter the internet, so you don’t have to worry about getting advice from random groups of possibly uninformed fellow parents.

Birth options

Contrary to popular belief, doulas don’t think everyone should have the same kind of birth. Investing in doula services means having someone on your team that wants to know YOU and your specific requests. Doulas invest in your experience, because that is our job on your team! Research has shown that doulas actually spend more time with you than anyone else on your birth team by the way, and that’s a pretty big deal. So whether you want to go without pain medication or want your epidural ASAP, a doula can still help you know all of your options. Doulas start getting to know your preferences during pregnancy and help you move through all those decisions during the entire process of bringing your baby earth-side.

Postpartum resources

Once your baby arrives, your doula doesn’t just ditch you! We have a ton of resources for families once you’re holding that baby. Whether you are looking for lactation information, local professionals that can help you physically recover, or even someone to come help out around the house while you shower, we can doula that. Sure our online classroom has resources for you, but sometimes you just need someone to come over and check on just you. Your birth doula will do just that.

Postpartum doulas are a newer thing here in Evansville, Indiana, but we are here to tell you that this is one doula investment that is going to knock your socks off too. A postpartum doula gives physical, emotional, & information support to families in the 4th trimester. Want someone to come do the dishes, fold your laundry, & give you non-judgmental feeding advice while never asking to hold your baby? That’s what a postpartum doula does.

You’re worth it too!

We know that the price-tag for doula services can leave you with sticker shock. We get it. We hope that this blog post has helped explain a bit of what you are going to get for your doula investment. No two client experiences are going to ever look exactly the same, and that is honestly a great thing. We want to help you have the best experience possible from the time you hire your doula until well after you cuddle your baby for the first time. Your doula will be with you every step of the way as much as you want them to be. The experience of bringing your baby into this world is one that will be with you forever, and hiring a doula who is entirely focused on you means investing in your well-being. We know you’re worth it, and we’d be happy to talk to you about how we might be able to help your family.