Author: Rachel Leavitt

Nurses’ Hands Blessed be these hands that have touched life. Blessed be these hands that have felt pain. Blessed be these hands that have embraced with compassion. Blessed be these hands that have been clinched with anger or withdrawn in … Read More

One of the assignments my students do is how a doula can help when their client is diagnosed with a particular medical diagnosis.  Below is one student’s response of a great way to see what a doula can do for … Read More

I just recently had a friend who gave birth to her first child.  She had wanted a drug free birth, but, as is true to birth, things did not go as planned.  She ended up having pre-eclampsia and needing to … Read More

This is a preview of a section from our unit on pain during labor. Assessing Pain Fears about pain before labor can help be allayed by discussing the birth plan and showing them ways that they can help work with … Read More

Ever wonder what the differences were between the different types of midwives? I’ve pulled together some info to help you in figuring that out. Hopefully this will help when choosing which care provider to work with.

In childbirth and motherhood there are inevitably losses of many kinds. I’ve mentioned my own loss when I had a miscarriage. What was the most difficult for me at the time was the many unanswered questions. Why did it happen? … Read More

By Taylor Carter, a New Beginnings Student Traditionally rebozos are passed down from mother to daughter or midwife to midwife (Tully, 2018). They are central and beneficial throughout the stages of life, especially in the countryside. The first time a … Read More

Before we discuss validation in labor and birth, I need to give some background on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In college I minored in psychology where we were taught Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was … Read More

During pregnancy, our bodies use a lot of nutrients that need to be bulked up on or replenished after birth. Sometimes this can be a daunting task as a new mom adjusting to a new baby and trying to rearrange … Read More

  Being able to organize your thoughts, ideas, and environment is key to providing excellent care as a doula. Our main course in our doula training is arranged around this concept of organization and assessment for this reason. Sometimes, though, … Read More