Medical Interventions

There are benefits and risks to delayed cord clamping and our student, Amanda, has done a great job of outlining both sides. It’s important to know both benefits and risks when making an informed decision. BENEFITS OF DELAYED CORD CLAMPING … Read More

As a nurse and a doula, medical inductions for non-medical reasons are at the top of my list of things that make me cringe.  In the birthing community, I have seen the concern growing with others also.   More and more, … Read More

How do you support a client whose baby was whisked away to the Neonatal Care Unit? Whether it’s planned or unplanned having a baby in the neonatal care unit can be overwhelming and scary for parents. As doulas, we can … Read More

Did you know that Pitocin is the most commonly used drug for inductions in the US?  Did you also know that it is classified as a “high-alert” drug, and half of all paid legal claims involve pitocin? So why is … Read More

Doula Cesarean Support? Many women who use doulas are looking to have a natural birth without medications.  Occasionally, though, emergencies happen, plans change, and a c-section is neccesary.   I often get questioned on what doula cesarean support to help … Read More

In my writings, and perhaps those of others, you may have seen the term physiologic birth.  In order to understand why I choose to use this term and how to provide support for a physiologic birth, I thought it might … Read More

Sex for the Induction of Labor Why it may work: It is not the intercourse that causes contractions, but the hormones that help with labor induction.  Semen has the highest levels of naturally occurring prostaglandins.  Prostaglandin is the same hormone we use to … Read More

The placenta acts as a transport for the infant’s nutritional and oxygen needs. Sometimes a baby can get by okay if the placenta is not functioning well during pregnancy.   However, during labor, a dysfunctional placenta can cause problems that … Read More

When I first started working as a labor and delivery nurse, delayed cord clamping was often scoffed at.  Women who wanted to have that done were “humored”, but seen as “one of those patients”.  If a baby did not cry … Read More

Blue Cohosh for the Induction of Labor (To learn the early signs of labor and how to cope with them, Click Here!) What it is: Blue Cohosh is a plant that was used by Native Americans for many reasons, including … Read More