My First Adventrue in Web Design

I just designed my first website... from the bottom up... and I am really excited about it.

You can see it here

It is the website for the Doula Association I belong to and I think it will really help to get the word out about doulas in our community. If you know of anyone in my area who might want a doula PLEASE pass this website on to them!

I'd love to get your honesty opinion about it. Is it aesthetically pleasing? Easy to read and understand? Easy to navigate? Do you feel like you understand what a doula is and what they do after reading it? I'd love some feedback on it.

It was really fun to make and I think it would be fun to take a web design class sometime so that I could do the really fancy stuff. Maybe someday.

By the way... I think my chicks might be hatching soon. This morning one of the eggs had a little crack in it, like someone had pecked their beak at it! So maybe this weekend I'll have some new babies.

May is International Doula Month!

I know it is half way through the month but I still wanted to do something to celebrate International Doula Month! If you are new to doulas and have NO idea what they are, or if you'd like to know more about them you can visit my website that has more information and links. I thought that it might also be helpful to post some information about how to find a doula near you and how to become a doula if you think that might be something you are interested in. I've also included pictures of doulas in action (which I swiped from google) to help you get an idea of some of things doula do.

How to find a doula:

If you live in Utah:

• Utah Doula Association has information about how to find a doula in your county. If you live in the bigger cities, like SLC, Orem, Provo, St. George, then there are TONS of doulas to choose from. Some of the other counties don't have as many options, but there are always doulas who are willing to travel if you don't mind paying them a bit extra for gas.
• My website. If you don't live too far away, I'd love to be your doula!
• Some doctors and midwives have doulas that they work with regularly, you might want to ask your care provider if they can recommend anyone.
  

The Rest of the US:

• DONA (Doulas of North America) is the largest Doula certifying organization in the world and has a list of all the doulas who are certified through them. You can search it here to try to find a doula near you.
  
• There are doulas in almost every city in the United States and most states have a doula organization. Try googling doula and your state name and see what comes up.
  
• Some midwives and doctors have doulas that they regularly work with, ask your care provider if they can recommend any doulas in your area.
  

Outside of the US:

• Lots of European countries have huge doula organizations. In fact, in some European countries the government health system pays for doula care as a routine part of maternity services. In the Netherlands the government pays for every woman to have a birth doula and a post-partum doula ( a doula who comes to your house to do your dishes, watch your kids, help you with the baby, make meals, etc...) for two weeks after the baby is born! So chances are that if you are living in Europe your doula options are great.

If price is a concern you can always try finding a new doula who is working on getting certified or who is just starting out. Often newer doulas will taken clients for reduced prices so that they can get experience. You can contact DONA and they will send you a list of all the certifying doulas in your area, or you can ask other doulas in your area-- usually they have an idea of who is new and who is more experienced. Also, doulas will often accept trades for other services, like photography, massage, computer work, house work, etc... Most doulas aren't in it for the money, they just love what they what they do and want women to have good experiences. But it is important that couples know that what a doula does is important and is worth something. Besides, anyway you look at it doulas are always going to be cheaper than epidurals!

For those who want to become a doula:

If you've thought you might like to be a doula you should! It really doesn't take that much time, it is a pretty flexible job (you decided when you want to take clients-- granted you can't determine when they go into labor), and it helps to improve the quality of care and birth experience that pregnant women receive. You don't have to be certified to be a doula, there are lots of women who choose not to get certified because of cost or other personal reasons. But being certified does make you more professional and it is important to some clients. If you decide that you want to get certified then there are several different options:

• Doulas of North America (DONA). This is the largest, oldest and most recognized doula organization. They do have the most requirements, but after going through all of them you are very well prepared to be a successful doula.
  
• Association of Labor and Childbirth Educators (ALACE)
• International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA)
• Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA)
  

Whether or not you want to get certified it is always a good idea to attend a doula training workshop. These usually last for 2 days, all day, and cost about $200. The woman I took my doula training class from was wonderful, here is her website that has more information about when her trainings are. I also just found out that there will be a CAPPA training offered in Ogden, Utah from July 30th and August 1st. The cost is $325 and you can contact Desirre Andrews at desirre@prepforbirth.com for more information about it or look at her website.

It is really my hope that in the very near future doulas are seen as an ESSENTIAL part of any pregnant couples birth plan. Having the support of a doula really make all the difference in the type and quality of birth experience a woman has. I've heard it said by a health professional that doulas are the best the BEST thing to happen to birth in the last 50 years. Which is sort of ironic because the idea of a doula is ancient, and it is really only in the last 100 years that women have lost the support of a trained "woman's servant" (which is what doula means in Greek) to help them through childbirth. So YIPPEE for doulas and I wish you all a very happy International Doula Month!

I LOVE Being a Doula!

Sunday I had the great privilege to be the doula at a beautiful birth. It was an amazing experience. It is already two days later and still I am basking in the glow of this birth. I just can't get over what an incredible miracle birth is and how AMAZING it is that women's bodies can create, birth, and feed new human beings. Really, it is the greatest miracle on this earth and I LOVE being able to help women have the type of beautiful, peaceful, and natural birth experiences they want to have.

I know as a doula I don't really do any of the hard work but when this woman's baby was born on Sunday I felt such a feeling of accomplishment. I think it is probably how a coach must feel when their athlete wins the Olympic gold medal-- you know you didn't actually run the race, but you sure helped make it possible. My gold medal was seeing the look of pure rapture, relief, and ecstasy that flowed over my mother's face when she finally felt the baby flow out of her body and enter her arms. It was an amazing moment. I had just spent the last several hours massaging, turning, squeezing, encouraging, directing, holding, stroking and watching this amazing woman as her body worked to bring her child into the world. I'd seen her breath through contractions, I'd seen her relax and allow her body to open, I'd seen her panic and cry, and I'd helped to encourage and direct her when she got scared and tired. But mostly I saw her dive into reserves of strength she didn't even know she had and find the strength to keep going. It was beautiful to see her how her husband cared, supported and loved her through the whole experience. It was this couples first baby and I could tell that he was in awe of what his wife was able to do. It was really inspiritng and stunning to be a part of.

I've decided I LOVE being a doula and that there isn't anything else that I'd rather do. There is not greater privileged that being able to help a woman make it to the end of her "marathon" of birth, to see her receive the baby up into her arms and watch the amazing look of joy and releif spread across her face. It makes all the work that I do as a doula, the massaging,the caring, the encouraging-- SO worth it! I really believe that every woman needs a doula-- even if she wants to have medications-- because no matter how a woman births she deserves to be surrounded by people who are there JUST for her and who believe in her, who respect her and who are able to give her continuous support and encouragement. Doulas don't over power husbands as the primary support giver-- they just help the fathers know what to do to help thier wives and how to be more involved in the whole birth experience. Birth is really such a miracle and as women we are so privileged to be a part it!

Thanks for letting me get more birth enthusiasm off my chest-- I have a lot of it if you can't tell :)

Birth Junkie Conference

What a great day! I just got back from the Utah Doula Association Fall retreat, and it was wonderful! It got me all fired up about birth and motherhood-- not that I was really ever cooled down about it. It was amazing to be around women who have so much passion for birth, and who don't look at you like you are a leper when you tell them you had a home birth! Woohoo. I feel like I could write a thousand posts about how wonderful birth is, don't worry I won't. But I have to get some of the enthusiasm off my chest or I might burst (or Jon's ears might fall off).

Women, our bodies are amazing! There is NOTHING more miraculous in this world than the fact that women's bodies create other human beings. Think about it, every human being in the world was created from the parts of another woman's body. Every human being was once carried beneath a woman's heart. We all share that common bond. Not only is birth a miracle, but the whole process of labor is amazing. Every time I see a birth I can't get over the fact that for a few hours women become wide open channels between heaven and earth. They bring new life to a dying world. I can't think of anything more awe inspiring than a woman in labor. To see her endure, overcome, and discover her inner power. Women are really so much stronger than we give them credit for being.

Okay that is all I need to say for now, but I'm sure I'll write more later. Anyway, it was a great day, and the doula conference further reinforced my belief that all women need a doula. Oh, and I decided to use my heatherlady blog as the website for my doula business.