Tag: Doula Lessons

Doula Group of Evansville: 2021 All Wrapped Up

2021 brought a few surprising numbers for Doula Group of Evansville.

2021 has been a wild ride for our group! We grew from a group of 3 doulas to our current size of 6 doulas. This growth is especially exciting because it has meant that we can serve more families in our community. We’ve all continued to learn and grow in our professional skills this year too, which has been so amazing to do together. We continue to be in awe of the families that invite us into their space to help, and are so grateful to be able to keep doing our jobs during this pandemic. We’ve seen some incredible things this year including one of the most patient providers ever during the pushing stage and healthy beautiful babies born at home without even a cervical exam. The most surprising statistic we found was that 42% of our birth doula clients were induced, but honestly, it shouldn’t have been surprising at all considering that a 40% induction rate is average in the USA currently.

Our Numbers

5: the number of hospitals where we attended births. Our birth doulas went to births at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville, Deaconess Women’s Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital Vincennes, Jasper Memorial Hospital, & Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. We didn’t have any clients deliver at Henderson Hospital or Daviess Community Hospital in Washington this year, but we definitely do go to births there too. We kept tabs on all 7 of these hospitals’ visitor policies this year as well, because COVID has kept them shifting throughout the year. Keeping up with those shifts has become much more a part of our jobs than we ever expected, but that’s doula life for you.

19: the number of providers we saw catch babies. That number includes 1 nurse midwife, 2 certified professional midwives, and 16 different OB/GYNs! This is one reason we spend so much time talking about the importance of providers. We SEE the difference provider preference and approach make when it comes to your experience of pregnancy and birth!! We know which providers are patient and kind, and which ones will tell you whatever you want to hear in the office and then change their tune completely when you are in labor. We know which providers ALWAYS cut an episiotomy and which are going to push you to induce at 39 weeks for any possible reason they can find. Are you looking for a provider who will sit and answer your questions at your appointments without their hand on the doorknob? We know some!!

43: the number of FREE weekly virtual office hours we had in 2021! This one hour a week is one of my favorite times to answer all kinds of questions. I’ve talked to people about becoming a doula, and made provider recommendations. Birth options & feeding issues have been the other main topics I’ve discussed with people who’ve stopped by to chat. I look forward to continuing this weekly chat, though I’m honestly thinking I will change the timing of it so that more people can come if they’d like. Perhaps an evening time?? I’ll decide soon and keep you all posted!

Gratitude

Beyond the numbers, we are 100% grateful for the families that have invited us into their space. We are so thankful to be able to talk to people as they prepare for the arrival of a new baby, and to walk with them through the journey from expecting to beginnings with their expanded family. As a group, we all honestly feel so very lucky to be able to doula in this community, and strive to be the best possible doulas we can be for each and every family we serve. The changes I have seen since 2014 have been remarkable, and I’m so proud of this team of rock star doulas that I’ve been able to gather around me in this group. My gratitude for their trust in me as their leader is enormous, and I strive to be worthy of that on a daily basis. Thank you!

Coming Soon…

We are looking forward to 2022 in a BIG way!! We’ve got some exciting things planned, and some changes are coming for our group too. Keep your eyes peeled on our social media and here for announcements about:

  • new doulas on our team
  • a free downloadable E-Book
  • new resources for our doula clients
  • online classes from us
  • outdoor classes (during warm months)
  • and more!!

We can’t wait to keep growing in 2022!

Psst, are you a birth worker who might want to come to a Spinning Babies training in Evansville March 12, 2022?? Come learn along with us!!

15 Doula Lessons from 2019

As an experienced birth doula learning is important to me, and I grow with each birth I attend!

Every single birth I attend is an opportunity to serve a family. I am always honored to be invited into that space. With more than 5 years under my belt as a birth doula, I still feel like I learn things each time. Even as I inch closer to 150 births attended, I am always in awe of the process and my amazing clients. I will never feel like I have seen it all, and this year definitely brought some surprises. Instead of posting statistics about how many births I have attended, I prefer to post about doula lessons that I have learned this past year. Some of these have reinforced things I learned previously, and others have challenged me in new ways. This year has been interesting in so many ways, and I love that I keep growing and learning along the way.

Here is my list of 15 doula lessons in no particular order:

1. In childbirth, faster is not always easier.

2. I don’t have to agree with all of your decisions to support you.

3. A little determination goes a very long way for labor and delivery.

4. Communication and trauma informed care are not taught to all medical providers.

5. Rice socks smell like burnt popcorn if you microwave them for too long.

6. Home birth can be beautiful beautiful beautiful! Make sure to remind people to PRACTICE with their birthing tub at home!

7. Things I may view as traumatic, may not be viewed the same as my client. Don’t project my views onto other people’s memories. Recovering from a challenging birth is really important for me, physically AND emotionally.

8. Sometimes I burst into tears at the magnificence of it all, and that is ok.

9. Repeat clients are seriously, just the best! VBACs are pretty amazing too.

10. Watch the partner’s face; those glimpses of true joy and love are amazing!

11. LISTEN to the birthing person; their opinion matters.

12. Sometimes clients still surprise me with their ferocity, and I LOVE that!

13. Amazing providers who give individualized care and continue to consider experience and preference over standard operating procedure give me hope! All the preparation in the world cannot make up for an unsupportive provider.

14. Trusting my doula gut when it says GO is still the right thing to do.

15. Patience is undervalued and wholly necessary.

2019’s doula lessons were not easy, and this is certainly not going to be a year that I will soon forget. As I grow in my doula knowledge and skills I am also constantly reminded of how much I really don’t know. These doula lessons all help to increase my confidence and capacity to deal with new situations, hopefully with grace and humility.