Birth is an experience that changes your life.
Belly Birthers - I’m here for you! Doula support is often thought as of helping you avoid a surgical birth - but what if you’re planning to birth this way? You deserve comfort and support (of COURSE you do!)
Scheduled C-Section Package Includes:
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Prenatal planning.
Let’s talk about how this birth will go! Walk me through what led you to scheduling a c-section, and tell me know how you feel about it. Whether it is completely elective or unavoidable due to medical circumstances, we can process what it means to you. We can also explore your options - skin to skin in the OR? Clear drape? Music? I’ll help you decide what you want and discuss how you might evaluate these options with your provider. Since most hospitals do not allow doulas in the OR, I will help your partner understand how to best to support you from your bedside. I will also provide you with additional education resources, and we’ll spend time talking about how to prepare for postpartum.
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Birth support.
I’ll join you at the hospital at the time of your scheduled surgery (or earlier, should your baby need to come sooner.) With my support, you will better equipped to ask questions, make requests, and be an active participant in the birthing process. Most hospitals will not allow doula support in the OR (but we will continue to ask for it!), so after we part, I will meet you in recovery. I will stay with you for about an hour to establish feeding and bonding (if baby is with you), talk about how the birth went, and a general well-being check in. If baby is in NICU, we can chat about what this means to you and plans for being reunited with baby ASAP.
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Postpartum visit.
I can visit you in the hospital while you are there, or at home. We will talk about recovery, feeding baby, and how to manage other children if baby has big siblings. We can process the birth experience together, and I will leave you resources for further healing.
No one should feel ostracized because of their experience.
I have three children, all born via cesarean. My first birth was extremely traumatic because of the medical circumstances, but also because I was unsure how to advocate for myself. For my subsequent births, I learned how to plan for various scenarios, interview providers, and follow my intuition to incorporate what was most important to my birthing experience. While I was unable to have my dream birth, each cesarean was less difficult than the previous; my last baby had the most beautiful surgical birth I could create.
While I walk with the grief of leaving my dream birth unfulfilled, I am dedicated to ensuring that no one feels ostracized because of their experience. Together we will plan for the birth you desire and navigate whatever comes up along the way. I’m here for you to dream, plan, and navigate this life changing experience.
