Doulas provide non-medical support to expecting and new families.
Doulas are typically described as a person who provides information, emotional support and physical support. That really doesn't really tell you what a doula does, does it? Let's see if we can break it down a bit more for you.
Doulas are a constant in your birth experience, in a system that has frequent staff changes and care providers that need to care for many other people at one time. Connecting with your doula allows you to feel safe and secure knowing one person is there, solely for you. Doulas use that connection to understand your wishes and desires and help provide tools and resources to better help you meet your goals. Your doula will also help you more effectively communicate with the staff and care providers, without speaking for you, because communication has a huge impact on relationships.
Doulas help with the practical side of labouring, such as when to go to the hospital, if you are having a hospital birth, comfort measures, knowing what your goals and desires for you experience are. Doulas can help you be comfortable at home and ease the transition to the hospital. If you choose to have a home birth, your doula is there to make sure you have constant support while waiting for the rest of the birth team to arrive. Doulas will take care of the small things like grabbing you water and juice, reminding you of comfort measures you wanted to try, getting you changing positions, answering all of your "is this normal" questions or helping you ask questions you need to ask of your care providers in order to make decisions for yourself.
Doulas remind you that you are strong, capable and in control. Maybe your partner needs a nap or shower or something to eat because labour is long or started in the evening and there was no chance of sleep before labour started. Maybe your partner needs someone to ask questions of, or get ideas for care from or just simply being reassured they are being a great support person or that what is happening in the labour and birth is normal. Doulas support the whole family! We do not replace the partner or other support people.
Doulas are typically described as a person who provides information, emotional support and physical support. That really doesn't really tell you what a doula does, does it? Let's see if we can break it down a bit more for you.
Doulas are a constant in your birth experience, in a system that has frequent staff changes and care providers that need to care for many other people at one time. Connecting with your doula allows you to feel safe and secure knowing one person is there, solely for you. Doulas use that connection to understand your wishes and desires and help provide tools and resources to better help you meet your goals. Your doula will also help you more effectively communicate with the staff and care providers, without speaking for you, because communication has a huge impact on relationships.
Doulas help with the practical side of labouring, such as when to go to the hospital, if you are having a hospital birth, comfort measures, knowing what your goals and desires for you experience are. Doulas can help you be comfortable at home and ease the transition to the hospital. If you choose to have a home birth, your doula is there to make sure you have constant support while waiting for the rest of the birth team to arrive. Doulas will take care of the small things like grabbing you water and juice, reminding you of comfort measures you wanted to try, getting you changing positions, answering all of your "is this normal" questions or helping you ask questions you need to ask of your care providers in order to make decisions for yourself.
Doulas remind you that you are strong, capable and in control. Maybe your partner needs a nap or shower or something to eat because labour is long or started in the evening and there was no chance of sleep before labour started. Maybe your partner needs someone to ask questions of, or get ideas for care from or just simply being reassured they are being a great support person or that what is happening in the labour and birth is normal. Doulas support the whole family! We do not replace the partner or other support people.
Meet our doulas!
We have two doulas available at this time.
Kim Smith
Kim has been a doula for 9 years & brings a variety of experiences, education & training with her.
Birth takes a day, give or take some hours, but birth experiences truly stay with women for a lifetime. How women are cared for in labour and birth matters. How they are made to feel matters. Each woman's wants, desires and needs require different sort of care and attention. Kim takes time to connect with her clients so she can identify how each mother wants to be cared for vs assuming she knows how women should be cared for. This is a day that how the role people play in the world changes profoundly & therefore should be an experience that actively participate in to create memories they positively reflect on.
Birth takes a day, give or take some hours, but birth experiences truly stay with women for a lifetime. How women are cared for in labour and birth matters. How they are made to feel matters. Each woman's wants, desires and needs require different sort of care and attention. Kim takes time to connect with her clients so she can identify how each mother wants to be cared for vs assuming she knows how women should be cared for. This is a day that how the role people play in the world changes profoundly & therefore should be an experience that actively participate in to create memories they positively reflect on.
Alii Hesterman
Alii is a Birth Doula who believes birth to be a moment in life when every women deserves to feel empowered and strong. Her goal is to insure that the mother and birth partner have a physical, emotional and informational support person throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. She is eager to provide families with any type of support they may need and to be a strong advocate when things are easy, tough and everything in between.