Having a doula at your birth will enhance the experience for you and the mother. It takes pressure off of you and the hospital or birth center staff to provide emotional support and know what is happening at all times. When a mother is in labor her senses are heightened and many times she feels what you are feeling. If you are worried and on edge she will feel that along with the worries she has. In order for her to feel confident and stay focused she needs that around her. This sense of calm and understanding for what is happening is just one of the huge benefits a doula can bring to your baby's birth.
Today, a father's participation in birth preparation classes or his presence at prenatal visits and in the delivery suite is a familiar occurrence. Yet, we sometimes forget that the expectations of his role as a "labor coach" may be difficult to fulfill. Sometimes it is also culturally inappropriate for an expectant father to be so intimately involved in the process of labor and birth.
The father-to-be is expected among other things to become familiar with the process and language of birth, to understand medical procedures and hospital protocols and advocate for his partner in an environment and culture he is usually unfamiliar with. A doula can provide the information on the spot to help parents make appropriate decisions and facilitate communication between the laboring woman, her partner and medical care providers.
At times a father may not understand a woman’s instinctive behavior during childbirth and may react anxiously to what a doula knows to be the normal process of birth. He may witness his partner in pain and understandably become distressed. The doula can be reassuring and skillfully help the mother to cope with labor pain in her unique way. Not all fathers can realistically be expected to "coach" at this intense level. Many fathers are eager to be involved during labor and birth. Others, no less loving or committed to their partner's well being find it difficult to navigate in uncharted waters. With a doula, a father can share in the birth at a level he feels most comfortable with. The doula’s skills and knowledge can help him to feel more relaxed. If the father wants to provide physical comfort such as back massage, change of positions, and help his partner to stay focused during contractions, the doula can provide that guidance and make suggestions for what may work best.
Physicians, midwives and nurses are responsible for monitoring labor, assessing the medical condition of the mother and baby, and treating complications when they arise. But childbirth is also an emotional and spiritual experience with long-term impact on a woman's personal well being. A doula is constantly aware that the mother and her partner will remember this experience throughout their lives. By “mothering the mother” during childbirth the doula supports the parents in having a positive and memorable birth experience. The benefits of doula care have been recognized worldwide. The Medical Leadership Council of Washington, D.C, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the World Health Organization are among the many healthcare organizations that value the benefits that doulas provide to women in labor.
The father's presence and loving support in childbirth is comforting and reassuring. The love he shares with the mother and his child, his needs to nurture and protect his family are priceless gifts that only he can provide. With her partner and a doula at birth a mother can have the best of both worlds: her partner’s loving care and attention and the doula's expertise and guidance in childbirth.
"Nurturing the Pregnant Couple" Workshop
I recently attended a "Nurturing the Mother" training with Ellen Brady in Surfside Beach. The "Nurturing the Mother" training certified me in Pregnancy (Prenatal, Labor, and Postnatal) Massage , as well as Yoga for the Pregnant Couple and Infant Massage. I am particularly excited about this new training, as it compliments my current work as Doula (birth assistant) and Pregnancy Yoga teacher.
This year I will be leading "Nurturing the Pregnant Couple" workshops for expectant moms and their birth partners at Sacred Space Yoga & Healing Arts Center (where I currently practice massage therapy and teach yoga). The next "Nurturing the Pregnant Couple" workshop is scheduled for:
Sunday March 13th 1:00-6:00pm - "Nurturing the Pregnant Couple" Workshop -- A body, mind, spirit approach to pregnancy. This five hour intensive course focuses on massage and yoga techniques to benefit the expectant mother, her partner, and their baby. Course includes:
- Couples Prenatal Yoga & Relaxation
- Partner Massage's (or Dad's) Need Massage Too
- Pregnancy Massage, Labor Massage
- Newborn & Infant Massage
- General information and education on childbirth
- Includes instructional hand-out
Taught by Jessica Graham Stout, certified Pregnancy Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher, Doula, and Mother of a 3 year old. Class will be held at Sacred Space Yoga & Healing Arts Center 417 79th Ave. in Myrtle Beach. To register, please call 251-9642.
One Down, Two to Go!
Thanks to a wonderful and trusting mom, I now have one birth under my doula belt! Being a doula to her was an amazing experience, and I look forward to being able to help other moms in labor. I am well on my way to becoming a certified CAPPA Labor Doula. With two pending births on the way, a test, and the observation of two classes to go, I am feeling a bit stretched to get everything together by February 27th, but I do believe it's possible. I am looking for new clients, so please call me to discuss how I can help you through your pregnancy and labor. I have a LOT to offer -- including my latest "Nurturing the Mother" Pregnancy Massage training!
First Time Doula
I am a new doula -- a BRAND NEW doula. I have never helped deliver a baby before. I don't have a single birth under my belt. What I do have under my belt; however, is a doula training course with a reputable association, a strong knowledge in anatomy and physiology, a deep sense of compassion and empathy, and (what might be the most significant qualification of all) my own experience of birthing my son naturally.
The certification process for a doula has a catch 22. After the initial training process, the doula has two years to complete a reading list, take a written test, and work as a doula for THREE births. Many women are hesitant about using a doula with no birth experience, and yet a doula has to have three births in order to become certified.
This is the process that I embarked on about a year ago when I completed a CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) doula training last Spring. I did not see this requirement of three births as a hindrance at the time. After the training, I was excited, to say the least, about starting to work as a doula and finishing the certification process. Since then I have spoken with several moms about serving as a doula for them, but I am still where I started over a year ago -- BIRTH-LESS, but with a little less enthusiasm.
Somehow other doulas going through this process have managed to make it through and I know that I will, too. I still find it frustrating and a little un-nerving, considering I have less than a year to complete three births! I recently posted something on my facebook profile about needing to attend some births, and someone actually responded! A mother that I met at a local La Leche League meeting wants to give me a chance and I am excited again! I trust in the process and am grateful for my first opportunity to help another mother through her birth!
If you are interested in having a doula for your birth, please send me an email or give me a call (843.251.9642). I would love to meet you and see how I might be able to support you through your birth, too!
The certification process for a doula has a catch 22. After the initial training process, the doula has two years to complete a reading list, take a written test, and work as a doula for THREE births. Many women are hesitant about using a doula with no birth experience, and yet a doula has to have three births in order to become certified.
This is the process that I embarked on about a year ago when I completed a CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) doula training last Spring. I did not see this requirement of three births as a hindrance at the time. After the training, I was excited, to say the least, about starting to work as a doula and finishing the certification process. Since then I have spoken with several moms about serving as a doula for them, but I am still where I started over a year ago -- BIRTH-LESS, but with a little less enthusiasm.
Somehow other doulas going through this process have managed to make it through and I know that I will, too. I still find it frustrating and a little un-nerving, considering I have less than a year to complete three births! I recently posted something on my facebook profile about needing to attend some births, and someone actually responded! A mother that I met at a local La Leche League meeting wants to give me a chance and I am excited again! I trust in the process and am grateful for my first opportunity to help another mother through her birth!
If you are interested in having a doula for your birth, please send me an email or give me a call (843.251.9642). I would love to meet you and see how I might be able to support you through your birth, too!
Yoga & Massage for Pre & Post Natal
Prenatal Yoga is offered atSacred Space Yoga in Myrtle Beach
Mondays 6:00-7:00 pm. Walk-ins are welcome! This class is appropriate for all stages of pregnancy!
Pregnancy Massage is a wonderful gift to yourself and your baby, and helps to relieve tired muscles, back pain, and stress from the many transitions of pregnancy.
To schedule a massage, call (843) 251-9642 today!
Postnatal Yoga (Mommy & Me Yoga) is so helpful for going through the "Fourth Trimester"! During the first three months, a mother has to adjust to the growing needs of her baby, as well as the changes that have occurred within her own body and mind. This yoga class is beneficial for both mom and baby, as it offers important bonding experiences while helping mom to get stronger and healthier in body, mind, and spirit!
Fridays 9:30-10:30am. Moms with babies up to 2 years are welcome!
How to Find Us
Sacred Space Yoga & Healing Arts Center is located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
From Highway 17 (by-pass or business), turn toward the ocean onto 79th Avenue North (at Rite Aid). You will find building 417 (beige with burgundy awning) snuggled in the middle of a business complex. Look for the blue and white sign that says "Sacred Space Yoga & Massage." There are also colored lotus flowers and "Sacred Space Yoga" on the door. You will find Sacred Space upstairs on your left three doors down the hall.
417 79th Avenue North, Suite E
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Studio Phone: 843.839.YOGA(9642)Cell Phone: 843.251.YOGA(9642)
Email: sacredspaceyoga@gmail.com
Click here for Map
From Highway 17 (by-pass or business), turn toward the ocean onto 79th Avenue North (at Rite Aid). You will find building 417 (beige with burgundy awning) snuggled in the middle of a business complex. Look for the blue and white sign that says "Sacred Space Yoga & Massage." There are also colored lotus flowers and "Sacred Space Yoga" on the door. You will find Sacred Space upstairs on your left three doors down the hall.
417 79th Avenue North, Suite E
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Studio Phone: 843.839.YOGA(9642)Cell Phone: 843.251.YOGA(9642)
Email: sacredspaceyoga@gmail.com
Click here for Map
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