Providing birth doula support for women & their partners
in the Upper Valley of Vermont & New Hampshire
Pregnancy and childbirth are not illnesses . They are a natural and beautiful miracle from the womb to a baby's first breath. It is a pleasure to assist Upper Valley women and their families through the entire birth process and be part of such an intimate time in their lives as their birth doula.
“Asking your husband to be your sole guide through labor is like asking him to lead the way on a climb of Mt. Everest. He may be smart and trustworthy, you may love him, but in the Himalayas you’d both be a lot better off with a Sherpa!”
(From Birthing From Within by Pam England)
Doctors, midwives and nurses can not be with women continuously during labor. I provide that bridge in care with continuous birth support as a certified doula. I offer both the laboring woman and her partner emotional, physical, and educational support as needed. It is important that the woman and her partner never feel abandoned during the birth process.
Based on a review, involving more than 15,000 women from 15 countries, women who received continuous labor support from a doula had shorter labors and were less likely to have:
(From Continuous support for women during childbirth (Review), ©2011 The Cochrane Collaboration, Published by Jon Wiley & Sons, Ltd)
“Asking your husband to be your sole guide through labor is like asking him to lead the way on a climb of Mt. Everest. He may be smart and trustworthy, you may love him, but in the Himalayas you’d both be a lot better off with a Sherpa!”
(From Birthing From Within by Pam England)
Doctors, midwives and nurses can not be with women continuously during labor. I provide that bridge in care with continuous birth support as a certified doula. I offer both the laboring woman and her partner emotional, physical, and educational support as needed. It is important that the woman and her partner never feel abandoned during the birth process.
Based on a review, involving more than 15,000 women from 15 countries, women who received continuous labor support from a doula had shorter labors and were less likely to have:
- an augmented labor
- epidural, spinal or use narcotic pain medication
- a cesarean, vacuum or forceps delivery
- a negative birth experience
- a baby with low 5-minute Apgar Scores
(From Continuous support for women during childbirth (Review), ©2011 The Cochrane Collaboration, Published by Jon Wiley & Sons, Ltd)
In addition, “The presence of a doula reduces:
- The overall cesarean rate by 50%
- Length of labor by 25%
- Oxytocin use by 40%
- Pain medication by 30%
- Need for forceps by 40%
- Requests for epidurals by 60%.”
