Stacie Bingham: Birth Support in Kern, Tulare & Kings Counties
  • home
  • learn
  • birth
  • feed
  • ig links
  • read
    • meet stacie
    • kind words
    • services/fees
    • resources
    • for clients
    • for doulas/educators
    • contact me
    • blog

Building Your Own Doula: An Activity for Classes

8/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm a doula. I love what I do, and I am really good at it. It is always an honor to help a family through birth by offering physical, informational, and emotional support unique to their situation. And I also recognize, as a certified Lamaze educator teaching families in the Bakersfield and Visalia areas, there are many reasons why a family might choose NOT to employ the services of a doula. These reasons might range from cost, to comfort, to hospital rules. In this situation, I want pregnant people to know how to shape their partner or other birth supporters into a doula. 

What are the advantages of a doula? How is she different than a partner, BFF, mom, etc.? She has no agenda or investment in this birth experience except to help a laboring person feel supported and know their options. 

What are the advantages of the partner, BFF, mom, etc.? You know this person better than anyone in the room. You know the likes and dislikes, the history and beliefs of this person, and you will be around after the baby is born.

I often open this topic by asking each person to tell me something he or she knows about the person they have come with. I like this activity because it shows there will be professionals surrounding this birthing family, and while the professionals will know all the medical "stuff," the partners will know the pregnant person better than anyone in the hospital. Labor support is not rocket science. When you know what a pregnant person likes and dislikes, when you know what care this person would appreciate when sick or stressed, when you know what relaxes and what tenses -- this puts you in a prime position as a supporter, and suddenly you have something just as important as the professionals around you. By sharing things they know about each other ("She loves rocky road ice cream," "He hates his head touched") they see already they are armed and ready to doula their loved one. 
Picture
​I make goodie bags for all the families. They are filled with objects that symbolize a trait, activity, or way to support someone in labor. 
  • Ladybug Straw: stay hydrated; bugs remind us of germs and the need to wash our hands, put a towel on the birth ball, put shoes on when walking, etc.
  • Tissue with Yoda on one side, R2D2 and C-3PO on the other: Yoda's "Do or do not, there is no try," for encouraging words, peace through The Force, learning from the master (who's the master???); the droids represent friendship/partnership, C-3PO interprets what R2D2 says like a partner can interpret what a laboring person needs
  • Plastic Frog: all fours position for labor or pushing, staying active and changing positions,  change/metamorphism (if it's not working, change it up)
  • Sucker: be sweet as you offer support, it's wrapped up like a baby in a pregnant belly, it can provide pressure to a receptor spot on the roof of the mouth which released endorphins, and a reminder to eat while in labor
  • Ring Squirter: use of hydrotherapy -- shower, tub, ice
  • Gold Medal: treat laboring person as a champion with lots of verbal reminders, and be a cheerleader
  • Gum: it smells good (reminder to use comfort scents), partner is not allowed to have bad breath, it "sticks together" like partner and pregnant person
  • Watch: of course we time contractions to help us know where in labor we might be, reminder to "watch" the pregnant person and not the machines or the clock
  • Head Band: this can bring comfort for unruly hair, it can also remind us this is an athletic event
  • Whistle: blow stress away, there may be loud noises, and as a support person, "don't blow it!" 
  • The Princess bags: If there ever was a day a person should be treated like royalty, it's the day you birth your baby!

When you love doulas, believe in their benefits, and are a professional doula yourself, it can be hard for class participants to feel you are unbiased on the subject (even if you are a professional childbirth educator, as well). I feel by offering an activity like this, you can show there are many different ways to create a birth support team -- and with anticipatory expectations of what a laboring person's needs are -- that doesn't have to include a doula.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    My Life...

    ♥  four young boys and a boy dog (offspring)
    ♥  partner-in-crime (husband)
    ♥  
    families, mamas, and babies (many of whom are new to earth)

    Categories

    All
    31 Days
    31 Days 2014
    31 Days 2015
    31 Days 2016
    31 Days 2017
    31 Days 2018
    31 Days 2019
    ACOG
    Adoption
    Affordable Care Act
    Anatomy
    Animals
    Anxiety
    Appreciation
    Apprenticeship
    Art
    Babies
    Baby
    Bakersfied Doula
    Bakersfield
    Bakersfield Doulas
    Batman
    Bereavement
    BFHI
    Bias
    Birth
    Birth Center
    Birthplan
    Birth Plan
    Birth Story
    Birth Team
    Blogging
    Bob Marley
    Bonding
    Books
    Breastfeeding
    Breastfeeding Laws
    Breastfeeding Usa
    Breastmilk
    Breastpumps
    Business
    Carry The Future
    Cary York
    Cavities
    CBE DIY
    Certification
    Cesarean
    Chico
    Childbirth Education
    Choice
    Cholestasis
    Chronic Illness
    Cims
    Class
    Clients
    Coach
    Comfort
    Communication
    Competition
    Complications
    Confidence
    Consumer
    Coping
    Costco
    Counseling
    Cows
    Dad
    Dads
    Dancing
    David Bowie
    Death
    Dentist
    Depression
    Dermatologist
    Dilation
    Discovering Doulas
    Distortions
    Distraction
    Doctor
    Domperidone
    Dona
    Doula
    Doulas
    Doula Week
    Dr. Brian Palmer
    Drugs
    Due Date
    Early Labor Plan
    Ecstasy
    Embarrassing
    Empowerment
    Encapsulation
    Enloe
    Epidural
    Espanol
    Evidence
    Experience
    Facetime
    Failure To Thrive
    Failure-to-thrive
    Family
    Faq
    Faqs
    Fear
    Fear Tension Pain
    Fees
    Flu
    Frenectomy
    Frenotomy
    Gratitude
    Greece
    Green Baby Expo
    Handouts
    Hanford
    Healing
    Henci Goer
    High Risk
    HM4HB
    Holy
    Homebirth
    Hormones
    Hospital Birth
    Humor
    Hygeia
    Hyperemesis
    IBCLC
    Induction
    Infant Loss
    Infant Massage
    Insufficient Glandular Tissue
    Insurance
    Interventions
    Interview
    Jaundice
    Journal
    Kids
    Labor
    Labyrinth
    La Leche League
    Lamaze
    Language
    Late Term Preemie
    Laughing
    Leonard Cohen
    Lip Tie
    Liquid Trust
    Lithotomy
    Loss
    Love
    Low Milk
    Mammals
    Masks
    Media Resources
    Meeting
    Memes
    Mentor
    Midwife
    Midwives
    Military
    Milksharing
    Milk Supply
    Mini Cooper
    Miscarriage
    Mizuko Kuyo
    Moms
    Morning Sickness
    Motherhood
    Moving
    Multiples
    Music
    Networking
    New Doulas
    New England Journal Of Medicine
    Notebook
    Notes
    Nurses
    Ny Marathon
    Online Support
    Orgasm
    Origin Story
    Overdue
    Overpowerment
    Oxytocin
    Pain
    Partners
    Passion
    Passion For Birth
    Paula Radcliffe
    Peanut Ball
    Peers
    Photography
    Pitocin
    Placenta
    Placenta Pills
    Poem
    Popsicle Panniculitis
    Postpartum
    Postpartum Support International
    Premature
    Pushing
    Questions
    Rebirthing
    Rebozo
    Reflux
    Refugees
    Reimbursement
    Relaxation
    Resources
    Retained Placenta
    Rights
    Rockabye Baby
    Role
    Root Canal
    Rules
    Safety
    Scale
    Second Stage
    Self Care
    Sexual Trauma
    Shared Decision Making
    Sheep
    Skin Cancer
    Socks
    Solids
    South Africa
    Spiderman
    Sports
    Stages Of Labor
    Stillbirth
    Strong-ties
    Students
    Studies
    Superhero
    Support
    Surrogate
    Teaching
    Teaching Tips
    Teeth
    Temper Tantrums
    Thank You
    The Price Is Right
    Tiara
    Tongue Fu
    Tonguetie
    Tongue Tie
    Tongue-tie
    Touch
    Training
    Trauma
    Trust
    Tulare
    Ultrasound
    Understanding Research
    Vaccines
    Vbac
    Visalia
    Volunteer
    Waterbirth
    Weak-ties
    Weezer
    Weight
    WHO Code
    Writing
    Yoga

    Archives

    July 2020
    June 2020
    September 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    June 2012
    May 2012
    June 2011
    January 2011
    November 2009
    August 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008

    RSS Feed

Stacie Bingham, LCCE, CD(DONA), CBS(LER)

Calm, comfortable Lamaze education & experienced support for pregnancy, birth, & breastfeeding serving Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, Porterville, Tehachapi, Tulare, Visalia + the World

​661.446.4532 stacie.bing@gmail.com
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photos used under Creative Commons from Renaud Camus, jmayer1129, jmayer1129, Rob Briscoe, jmayer1129, jmayer1129, jmayer1129, operation_janet, CJS*64 "Man with a camera", symphony of love, Aravindan Ganesan
  • home
  • learn
  • birth
  • feed
  • ig links
  • read
    • meet stacie
    • kind words
    • services/fees
    • resources
    • for clients
    • for doulas/educators
    • contact me
    • blog