Professional Birth Doula
*** Please Note: I am currently on sabbatical while I work on my master’s degree. I am accepting a very limited number of clients and will give preference to repeat doula clients and Hypnobabies students. ***
I am a certified birth Doula with Doulas of North America, Int.’l (DONA) and Hypno-Doula with Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis (HCHD). As a Doula, I accompany women in their birthing time (labor) to help ensure a safe and satisfying birth experience. I will draw on my knowledge, experience, and training to provide emotional support, physical comfort, and assistance communicating with your medical staff, as needed, to make sure you have the information that you need to make informed decisions. I provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for birthing time (labor) progress, offer massage, counter pressure and other techniques to help with positioning and comfort. I am independent and self-employed. As your Doula, I work for you, not your caregiver or your birth location (hospital, birth center, or the medical staff).
What you can expect of me:
Limitations and Scope of Practice
Just as important as what I will do is what I will not do. As a Doula, I do not perform clinical tasks, vaginal examinations, fetal heart checks, blood pressure checks, etc. I do not make decisions for you. I will help you get the information you need to make informed choices but the decision to have or not to have a procedure must be yours alone. I will remind you if something proposed is a departure from your original birth preferences.
I do not speak to the medical staff in your place regarding matters where decisions must be made. I will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you and your partner will speak on your behalf to the medical staff.
I am a certified birth Doula with Doulas of North America, Int.’l (DONA) and Hypno-Doula with Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis (HCHD). As a Doula, I accompany women in their birthing time (labor) to help ensure a safe and satisfying birth experience. I will draw on my knowledge, experience, and training to provide emotional support, physical comfort, and assistance communicating with your medical staff, as needed, to make sure you have the information that you need to make informed decisions. I provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for birthing time (labor) progress, offer massage, counter pressure and other techniques to help with positioning and comfort. I am independent and self-employed. As your Doula, I work for you, not your caregiver or your birth location (hospital, birth center, or the medical staff).
What you can expect of me:
- Assistance in drafting an informed birth preferences plan
- Provide information on childbirth education classes in your community
- Provide supplemental information received in those classes, if necessary
- Full access to my lending library of books, CDs, and DVDs at no charge
- A custom resource guide for family services in the East Texas area
- Two (2) pre-natal visits and unlimited phone, text, & e-mail contact
- Utilization of optimal fetal positioning movements before and during birth, acupressure, massage, essential oils, as approved, and other comfort techniques
- TENS Unit information and rental, if desired
- 24/7 on-call service, beginning at 38 weeks of pregnancy and lasting through the first week postpartum
- Back-up doula arrangements in case of illness or emergency
- Constant care, attention, and support once active birthing time (labor) has begun, in your home, birth center, and/or hospital
- Assistance in maintaining a calm birth environment
- Assistance in processing and managing unexpected outcomes by providing support, guidance, and information
- Breastfeeding support and counseling or referrals, if needed
- Post-partum visit (1 visit minimum) and unlimited phone contact
- Parenting and newborn information and referrals, as needed
Limitations and Scope of Practice
Just as important as what I will do is what I will not do. As a Doula, I do not perform clinical tasks, vaginal examinations, fetal heart checks, blood pressure checks, etc. I do not make decisions for you. I will help you get the information you need to make informed choices but the decision to have or not to have a procedure must be yours alone. I will remind you if something proposed is a departure from your original birth preferences.
I do not speak to the medical staff in your place regarding matters where decisions must be made. I will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you and your partner will speak on your behalf to the medical staff.
What's so important about a birth experience? It's only important that my baby and I are healthy, right!?
First, yes, it is of utmost importance that you and your baby are healthy throughout pregnancy and birth. But what is not often shared with expectant mothers is that the way you feel about your birth experience is also very important, for several reasons, and this leads us back to the reason why your birth experience as well as your birth outcomes are both important components to your overall well being. This is a holistic model of birth. The understanding that how women feel, mentally, emotionally, physically, and for some spiritually, are all factors that are worth considering and paying attention to by the mother herself, as well as her care team. As it often occurs, well meaning providers, friends, and family members will try to keep a mother's spirits up by encouraging her to focus on the end goal, a healthy mom and healthy baby. But this effort can become a misguided focus if the mother feels that her concerns and goals are ultimately not being heard, validated, and addressed.
So what does the mental and emotional side of birth have to do with a good experience?
In truth, it has everything to do with how you feel about your baby, about your body, and how your postpartum recovery unfolds. It's as simple as the way you feel about something creates a chemical reaction in your body and that chemical reaction creates a physical response.
When you're pregnant it is also something your baby experiences, and we know that living under large amounts of stress and anxiety is very hard on the body, including the little body growing inside of you. When we experience a pregnancy and birth that is difficult we often assume that it is just par for the course, that pregnancy and labor are difficult on everyone because that's the nature of the game. However, this is a misguided assumption, in large part because this is what culture and society tell us that all women experience. I am here to tell you that that is NOT a truth, but a theory.
The way women experience pregnancy and birth is largely a direct result of how they think about it and how they are treated by others! A radical statement, I know. For perspective, imagine a perfect day, where you feel radiant, confident, healthy, and happy, and everyone you talk with throughout your day, your co-workers, the cashier at the store, random people you cross paths with, all tell you how wonderful you look and how excited they are for you to have a wonderful birth experience, that it will be the most amazing day of your life, even better than your wedding day! Now how does that uplifting day make you feel emotionally and physically? Imagine a whole pregnancy with days like that! Powerful, right!?! The opposite of that kind of day makes you feel pretty low and anxious.
In other cultures birth is viewed as a normal process of the body, not an illness waiting to happen. These cultures have much lower rates of medical intervention than the US, as well as having much better outcomes for mothers and for babies. This is not a personal statement but a fact.
Things to Think About
Consider this, during any other time in your life when you wanted to accomplish something (run a 5k, hike a mountain, learn to play the guitar, learn any new skill, earn a degree, etc.) you have had to implement a plan of action. The same can be said of your birth preparations.
First, do some research on the different kinds of birth experiences. For example, what is involved in a birth with an epidural, in a birth without an epidural, in a birth with narcotics only, in a birth without narcotics, in a vaginal birth, in a cesarean birth, in a medicated vaginal birth, in an un-medicated vaginal birth, in a family centered cesarean, in a hospital birth, in a birth center birth, in a home birth, etc. Did you know that all of these scenarios are options to you?
Allow yourself to really research each of the different types of birth experiences, in each of the different locations. If you find that fear (or skepticism, sarcasm, immediate judgement, etc.) holds you back from researching a particular subject, let that point out for you that it is a fear that needs to be addressed!
Knowledge is POWER!
So, with all of this, it is helpful to have a experienced guide for your journey. We often assume that the care provider, usually an Obstetrician, will be that guide. However, the Obstetrician is usually too busy and too focused on the physiological well being of you and your baby to take time to be the emotional, mental, and physical support system you need. Additionally, during labor and birth itself, the Obstetrician typically is not in attendance until pushing has begun. When on-call, an Obstetrician is either seeing other patients in their office, attending to other birthing mothers in Labor & Delivery, or sleeping while they can, so they will be well rested when it's time for birth.
This is where an experienced, professional birth doula comes into the picture (me!). I act like a sherpa for your Mt. Everest-like climb to birth. I have special training, knowledge, skills, and experience to be a reliable and reassuring guide for your birth journey... as well as providing support for dads! It is often assumed that the partner will be all the support and care a mother may need during birth. This is tall order! We are asking fathers to be completely emotionally available, providing intuitive physical support, to be emotionally engaged in the process of the birth, but to also to reserve a part of themselves to be clear headed and objective to help make decisions during birth if an intervention is offered, or something unplanned comes up. Dads are important in birth, and we are asking a lot of them! Part of my responsibilities are to help make sure that your partner is as involved as he desires, in the way that he feels most comfortable. This is usually a great relief for dads and helps them be the special emotional support that only they can be to the birthing mother. You can read more about dads and doulas here.
As a birth doula, I support families in all settings, hospital, birth center, and home births. Contact me for more information and availability.
First, yes, it is of utmost importance that you and your baby are healthy throughout pregnancy and birth. But what is not often shared with expectant mothers is that the way you feel about your birth experience is also very important, for several reasons, and this leads us back to the reason why your birth experience as well as your birth outcomes are both important components to your overall well being. This is a holistic model of birth. The understanding that how women feel, mentally, emotionally, physically, and for some spiritually, are all factors that are worth considering and paying attention to by the mother herself, as well as her care team. As it often occurs, well meaning providers, friends, and family members will try to keep a mother's spirits up by encouraging her to focus on the end goal, a healthy mom and healthy baby. But this effort can become a misguided focus if the mother feels that her concerns and goals are ultimately not being heard, validated, and addressed.
So what does the mental and emotional side of birth have to do with a good experience?
In truth, it has everything to do with how you feel about your baby, about your body, and how your postpartum recovery unfolds. It's as simple as the way you feel about something creates a chemical reaction in your body and that chemical reaction creates a physical response.
When you're pregnant it is also something your baby experiences, and we know that living under large amounts of stress and anxiety is very hard on the body, including the little body growing inside of you. When we experience a pregnancy and birth that is difficult we often assume that it is just par for the course, that pregnancy and labor are difficult on everyone because that's the nature of the game. However, this is a misguided assumption, in large part because this is what culture and society tell us that all women experience. I am here to tell you that that is NOT a truth, but a theory.
The way women experience pregnancy and birth is largely a direct result of how they think about it and how they are treated by others! A radical statement, I know. For perspective, imagine a perfect day, where you feel radiant, confident, healthy, and happy, and everyone you talk with throughout your day, your co-workers, the cashier at the store, random people you cross paths with, all tell you how wonderful you look and how excited they are for you to have a wonderful birth experience, that it will be the most amazing day of your life, even better than your wedding day! Now how does that uplifting day make you feel emotionally and physically? Imagine a whole pregnancy with days like that! Powerful, right!?! The opposite of that kind of day makes you feel pretty low and anxious.
In other cultures birth is viewed as a normal process of the body, not an illness waiting to happen. These cultures have much lower rates of medical intervention than the US, as well as having much better outcomes for mothers and for babies. This is not a personal statement but a fact.
Things to Think About
Consider this, during any other time in your life when you wanted to accomplish something (run a 5k, hike a mountain, learn to play the guitar, learn any new skill, earn a degree, etc.) you have had to implement a plan of action. The same can be said of your birth preparations.
First, do some research on the different kinds of birth experiences. For example, what is involved in a birth with an epidural, in a birth without an epidural, in a birth with narcotics only, in a birth without narcotics, in a vaginal birth, in a cesarean birth, in a medicated vaginal birth, in an un-medicated vaginal birth, in a family centered cesarean, in a hospital birth, in a birth center birth, in a home birth, etc. Did you know that all of these scenarios are options to you?
Allow yourself to really research each of the different types of birth experiences, in each of the different locations. If you find that fear (or skepticism, sarcasm, immediate judgement, etc.) holds you back from researching a particular subject, let that point out for you that it is a fear that needs to be addressed!
Knowledge is POWER!
So, with all of this, it is helpful to have a experienced guide for your journey. We often assume that the care provider, usually an Obstetrician, will be that guide. However, the Obstetrician is usually too busy and too focused on the physiological well being of you and your baby to take time to be the emotional, mental, and physical support system you need. Additionally, during labor and birth itself, the Obstetrician typically is not in attendance until pushing has begun. When on-call, an Obstetrician is either seeing other patients in their office, attending to other birthing mothers in Labor & Delivery, or sleeping while they can, so they will be well rested when it's time for birth.
This is where an experienced, professional birth doula comes into the picture (me!). I act like a sherpa for your Mt. Everest-like climb to birth. I have special training, knowledge, skills, and experience to be a reliable and reassuring guide for your birth journey... as well as providing support for dads! It is often assumed that the partner will be all the support and care a mother may need during birth. This is tall order! We are asking fathers to be completely emotionally available, providing intuitive physical support, to be emotionally engaged in the process of the birth, but to also to reserve a part of themselves to be clear headed and objective to help make decisions during birth if an intervention is offered, or something unplanned comes up. Dads are important in birth, and we are asking a lot of them! Part of my responsibilities are to help make sure that your partner is as involved as he desires, in the way that he feels most comfortable. This is usually a great relief for dads and helps them be the special emotional support that only they can be to the birthing mother. You can read more about dads and doulas here.
As a birth doula, I support families in all settings, hospital, birth center, and home births. Contact me for more information and availability.
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"Katherine was God-sent. She gave the me the support and encouragement to last through my birthing process. She was positive, calm, encouraging, patient, and knew EXACTLY how to make me feel comfortable. Katherine was there after my c-section to support me in breast feeding and in any way possible. She even came for a follow-up visit a day later at the hospital. She spent several hours helping me and my baby get the hang of breast feeding. She was so encouraging, calm, and gentle... Katherine will always be a part of my life. She is the best doula anyone can have." ~ Nazish