Ah, the hospital bag. For me it was the first time I’d ever packed for someone besides myself, as well as my first time packing for a hospital stay. I ended up with everything I needed, but lots of things that never left the bag as well.

Since my actual labor time at the hospital was very short, I didn’t get to wear my cute outfit (yes, I had a laboring outfit planned, including shoes!). My husband ate the “laboring snacks” as we welcomed visitors to see the new baby.

But one of the frustrating things about pregnancy and parenting is the feeling that all the knowledge you’ve acquired may not be helpful in the future. Like once you learn to ride a bike or drive a stick shift car, you can transfer those skills to other bikes and cars. With pregnancies and babies, that’s not always the case  – every one is different!

There’s strength in numbers, though, so I asked friends who’ve recently had babies to share their bag-packing advice. Since there are lots of comprehensive lists out there, I asked for items that might be out of the ordinary. Could be what they wished they’d brought, or what was the most essential during their childbirth hospital stay. Thanks Cara, Mindi, Melissa, Sarah & Sarah!

• Extra pillows – for laboring comfort and for dad to sleep on. The hospital probably won’t provide these. Add an extra pillowcase to keep them clean in transit.
• Camera - don’t forget the chargers and a USB cord to download photos
• Journal or laptop, to record memories while they’re fresh
• Comfy pjs, socks and robe. You may want pjs in a dark color, in case of “leaks”. A hoodie is great for nursing access. Remember that you’ll likely have visitors, although you may or may not care what you look like.
• Headband or barrettes – whatever you use to keep your hair out of your face
• Nursing pillow (Boppy or Brest Friend) – save the plastic bag it came in, for transport to the hospital or any other time you’re travelling.
• An extra bag or box to carry gifts home – laundry baskets work great. You may also want to just bring one huge suitcase, so that you aren’t lugging multiple bags and boxes out to the car when you go home – allow extra room when you’re packing, for gifts.
• Snacks for dad, including beverages, so you’re not relying on vending machines.
• A preemie outfit for baby to wear home (from a mom of 8 pound boys, and I would agree, the newborn outfit was too big for my 8-pounder too). Bring a newborn size too, just in case – they don’t take up much room!

General packing tip: Keep a list of last-minute items to add right before you leave, if there are things that can’t be stuck in a bag for weeks beforehand.

General hospital tip: Double-check the hospital’s visitor policy beforehand. One family found out on the day of their c-section that their toddler couldn’t be at the hospital, and was scrambling for childcare. Rules have become more strict with fears of H1N1.

What were your hospital bag essentials? Or what did you bring that was totally unnecessary?

Photo Courtesy:
kona99

Cesarean sections (c-sections) have become fairly common, accounting for nearly 30% of all births (NPR). If you’ve had a c-section and are pregnant again, you may be considering your options for this birth.

For a variety of reasons, many women choose c-sections for any subsequent births. For some, a c-section is the only option, medically. Others, such as my friend Sarah, are able to try for a vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC).

We’ll begin Sarah’s story with a clarification of terms that she pointed out to me: Until the baby is actually delivered, the procedure is called a TOLAC (Trial Of Labor After Cesarean) by the medical community. The term VBAC is technically only in reference to a successful vaginal birth. You may see the terms used interchangably online and elsewhere. In this post I’ll use VBAC, as it’s more commonly used, at least in my experience.

1. What are the issues that women and their doctors consider, in determining whether a VBAC is an option?

The primary issue that your doctor or midwife will consider with you is the reason for your c-section. They will discuss the risks associated with a VBAC as well as the statistics on successful VBACs for your specific case. There are different success rates depending on the reason for the c-section and how many c-sections you have had (many places will not attempt a VBAC if you have had more than one c-section).

Each doctor is very different; some are more conservative than others when it comes to VBACs. If you are really hoping to do a VBAC and your doctor says no, seek out a second or third opinion before making a decision. The doctor who delivered my son via c-section recommended that I have another c-section, but everyone else I consulted felt that I was a good candidate. So don’t be discouraged if one doctor says, “No”, because it’s not written in stone. Unfortunately I lived with a year of disappointment before I found this out.

Another great source of information is of course the internet (just don’t trust this alone). It is an OB’s job to make sure you know all the risks associated with a VBAC and they can scare you a bit. But there are risks with any birth and risks with any c-section. The OBs will most likely focus on the risks of the VBAC, so do your own research on other risk factors and then talk over any questions you have with your doctor to make the best decision for you. In all my research I found that a successful VBAC is safer than a c-section, but a c-section following a trial of labor is more risky than just a straight c-section.

2. When did you make the decision to try for a VBAC?

Pretty much immediately upon finding out that I could! I was very determined. Even if I had not been successful, I think I would have regretted not at least trying.

3. What were your main concerns in approaching a VBAC?

My main concerns were the risks. I was worried that I might be putting my desires above the health of my baby. I use a midwife group for my prenatal care so I had to consult with an OB twice during my pregnancy. After both consults I was worried; this was due to the OB needing to make sure I was aware of the risks. After calming down from these appointments I was able to assess the risks more rationally, realizing how low the chances of the risks are (like rupturing your uterus – the chance is less than 1%). It seems really scary when you talk about it, but in reality I would never let that low of a chance deter me from something I really wanted.

4. Were others (friends/family, medical professionals) supportive or discouraging of your decision to try for a VBAC?

Everyone was supportive (except the initial doctor who I never saw again). My midwives were especially supportive, as was my husband. I have since learned that my husband had some concerns, but he wanted to support my decision despite them.

5. Did you do anything to prepare for a VBAC?

Nothing physically. Psychologically, I tried to prepare myself to be okay if I was not successful. But otherwise I approached it just like I did my first labor.

6. How did the recovery from your VBAC compare to that from your c-section?

It was night and day different – and so much easier. I actually had to remind myself to slow down because I felt so good compared to my c-section. With the c-section I was walking bent over for more than a week. This time I was up and walking normally (although a little slowly) that afternoon. Not having to worry about a surgical incision was a dream and not being on heavy pain medication was also wonderful. I felt much more present and aware during the first week after the baby was born.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to share with someone considering a VBAC?

For me, this was a dream come true. After seeing and hearing many birth stories and seeing babies placed right on mom after delivery, my c-section was an incredible disappointment. I wasn’t able to hold my son right away (it was over an hour before I was able to hold him) or even see him for the first 5 minutes. I was so drugged up that I honestly don’t even remember holding him for the first time. My daughter’s birth was so different (in many ways), but I especially felt that I got to experience something I had missed with my son. I remember her being placed on me and holding her immediately. While I obviously love my son and bonded with him despite his traumatic entrance into the world, there was something really sweet about my daughter’s birth that was lacking with my son’s. 

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your story, and welcome to baby Addison!

Obviously, this is one person’s experience, and seeking peronal medical advice is essential for each individual case. If you are considering a TOLAC/VBAC, here are some online resources:

• The American Academy of Family Physicians policy on TOLAC
• VBAC.com seeks to be a resource for childbearing women and medical professionals.
• BabyCenter discusses topics related to a VBAC, reviewed by their medical advisory board.

Note: For the purposes of this post, I’m defining a natural childbirth as one without the use of pain medications for labor and delivery. I’m not trying to deny the “naturalness” of ANY birth experience and would be the first to say that all instances of a child entering the earth constitute an amazing miracle.

Likewise, I recognize that the term “decision” implies that a mother, doctor, or anyone else has complete control over the birthing process which is also not true. I know many people who wanted and prepared for a drug- and intervention-free birth only to have medical issues take that choice out of their hands.

Having said all of that, I would like to introduce you to Sarah. She is the new mother of a beautiful baby girl, delivered in a natural childbirth, and is sharing her story with us:

1. When did you make the decision to try for natural childbirth, and what were the main factors in your decision? 
Actually it all started with a ginormous poop. Yes, gross but true. It was early on in my pregnancy and I decided right then and there that if a poop could hurt that bad, there was no way I could handle pushing a baby out! I was having an epidural!!

I related this story to my BFF Aleatha the next day, had a big belly laugh and thought I was done with my birth planning. Aleatha’s first baby was born three years ago (pitocin, back labor and no drugs!) and she was preggers with her second, due two weeks after me. She is a huge advocate for natural birth and I’d always thought she was a little loony because of it. She really wanted to have a home birth which made me move her over to the “alotta loony” category! I kept trying to convince her that it was unsafe and scary and “what if something happened?!?!?”.

In trying to find ways to scare her away from home birth, I found out it was actually not as unsafe or as scary as I thought. I also learned that many times the use of an epidural will actually give you a bigger chance for a cesarean! I found a lot of interesting info in books, online and, after I hired her, from my doula.

The more I researched and talked about different birth choices, the more I felt proud of my body. But every time I went to the doctor, I felt like a patient with something wrong with me instead of a mother doing the most natural thing in the world, cooking a cutie! I learned (something I guess I should have already known?) that my body is strong and my mind is even stronger. This knowledge made me a big fan of my body- not the jello-y part but the part that can make a baby and push out a baby (and feed a baby without even thinking about it, which I just did!). As a result of all of this, I switched to a midwife at 34 weeks and decided to have a water birth. 

2. What resources did you use in helping you make this decision (medical professionals, online research, books, friends, etc.)?
DOULA! DOULA! DOULA! and FRIENDS! FRIENDS! FRIENDS!

My doula, and I’m assuming ALL doulas, are amazing resources and coaches. The beauty of finding a doula is there are all kinds of women who provide the service. Whatever your beliefs or personal style, there is a doula that will be your perfect fit. My doula met with me 2 times before the delivery and again a week after delivery. She was there throughout my entire delivery and an hour afterwards to help with breastfeeding. She was also available to call or e-mail anytime I needed. Sometimes I would leave the doctor’s or midwife’s office with more questions than before. I would call my doula on my drive home and chat with her about my appointment and get some answers and meaning behind what they had said.  She kept me grounded in the knowledge that women have been giving birth for centuries and I just needed to trust my body to do what it was created to do.

Friends are amazing founts of experience. I have the honor of being one of the last of my friends to have a baby. They all started procreating about five years ago and man, do they have some stories! I listened to all of them and asked myself if I wanted that to be my story. If not, what would I do differently? If so, why and how could I make that happen? Even if they didn’t know it, my friends were helping me create my birth plan.

3. Did you do anything to prepare for a natural childbirth?
Talking with my doula helped me work through what I wanted and prepare myself for what was going to happen. She had tons of information on labor positions, stages of labor and what to expect, pain medication alternatives (TENS unit, water, etc…). Her website is DawnTheDoula.com. I also talked a lot with my BFF as we were in the same boat as far as MAJOR hormones, fears, anticipation, and all-around impatience to get those babies out! 

4. Who was supporting you during the actual birthing process?
My husband and my doula. My husband is wonderful, but definitely not a man of many words, or often any words for that matter. About an hour after Lily was born, he looked at me and said “Thank God for Dawn – we could not have done that without her.”

5. What parts of the natural birth process were as you expected they’d be?
I expected that labor would hurt and it did.

6. What parts were NOT as you expected?
That I could go backwards 1 centimeter after 3 hours of labor and then progress 5 centimeters in 40 minutes. I didn’t get a water birth but I did get a water labor (the 40 minutes above!). I went too fast to get into the birthing tub so I pushed her out regular style, in a bed. Next time I will have NO EXPECTATIONS!

7. Were others supportive or discouraging of your choice to avoid pain medications?
The ones that do the whole natural childbirth thing were supportive and the ones who don’t thought I was crazy.

8. Is there anything else you’d like to share with someone considering natural childbirth?
Do a ton of research and figure out what is the best thing for you ~ labor is your experience. Create your birth story the way you want it to be.  Don’t be pressured by others. Listen to advice and wisdom from others but weigh it against your beliefs and desires. But above all else, no matter how your baby comes out you still get a baby!!!

Thank you, Sarah! If you’re considering natural childbirth, here are some good resources from BabyCenter, Birthing Naturally, Have a Natural Childbirth and Giving Birth Naturally. If you’re interested in finding a doula, visit DONA International.

Did you have a natural childbirth? Please share your story in the comments section!

Welcome to this edition of Pregnancy Decisions. As always, I’m Kara, your host. Today we’re joined by Lindsay, mother of 2 beautiful children. Both were born via cesarean section (c-section); the second one was scheduled ahead of time.

1. What were the main factors in your decision to have a scheduled c-section?
I had a c-section because the baby was measuring so big. I had trouble delivering my first baby who was 9 lbs. 12 oz., and the second was on track to be at least as big. My doctor recommended it because a planned surgery is better than an emergency one.

2. How was your planned c-section different from your first c-section?
Jackie (my firstborn) was an emergency c-section, because we couldn’t progress. I think “emergency” is the term used for any unscheduled surgery. It was quick, but since we weren’t having health risks they didn’t run. To me it seemed a little slow, since I was in pain!

The two were completely different. With Jackie, I was in labor for 20 hours! I hadn’t gotten good sleep because we came in at 1am and I could only doze with the epidural. I pushed for 3 hours before we decided that a c-section was the way to go. I was exhausted when we finally got to the surgical room. With Kurt, my second, we had to be at the hospital at 6 am, so I planned for a full night’s sleep. I could get up almost like normal. I was rested and completely alert. The nurses actually said I was just too happy to be having a baby! We got  the surgeon we wanted and since I’d already had one c-section, I wasn’t as scared either.

Afterwards, healing was different too. With Jackie, I had both the pain of labor and the pain of a c-section. I was also pretty tired due to staying up all night and I couldn’t catch up on my sleep. (Imagine that!) With Kurt, it was easier to recover with half the injuries, and I knew what I was getting into.

3. What were the positive aspects of a planned c-section?
Scheduled! You know exactly when your baby will be born. No surprises. I was able to plan for my parents to take care of Jackie while I had Kurt. It was easy to plan at work and at home. Laundry, cleaning, everything was caught up. With Jackie, who was a week late, the house was in disarray because I was too tired to keep it perfectly clean every day.

4. What were the negative aspects of a planned c-section?
I felt a little guilty about taking Kurt out before he was ready. It’s the womb – there can’t be a more comfortable space anywhere! The night before, I was worried about his health a little bit – what if he wasn’t “fully baked”? If he had any health issues I would feel very guilty. Picking his birthday was a little weird too, especially since its kinda like any other appointment, you get what the nurse gives you!

5. Were others supportive or discouraging of your choice to have an elective c-section?
My husband was a little worried; at first he wanted me to try to have Kurt naturally. He’s a nurse in the surgical itensive care unit, so he knows the risks with surgery better than I do. Eventually he came around, especially as I got bigger & bigger!

6. What advice would you give to someone considering a scheduled c-section?
Make sure it’s approved by your doctor. I wouldn’t recommend it if the doctor is against it. Pick your surgeon carefully! I had an inside-scoop because my husband worked at that hospital, so I was lucky.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your birth experiences?
It is ONE DAY. I don’t care how bad it is; it is still only ONE DAY. Days are forgotten very quickly, especially half-drugged days. Can you remember yesterday? How about “yesterday” a year ago? I didn’t think so. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything because I got to take my beautiful babies home safe and sound.

Another piece of advice is to have visitors over to the hospital!!!! As much as possible! We had visitors the first evening we came home with Jackie. It was exhausting to host right after I had a baby. If people want to see you the first week, they get the 2-3 days in the hospital- that’s it! Oh, and have flowers sent to the house, not the hospital room (or send gifts home with dad!). It gets to be a lot by the last day.

Thanks so much for sharing your stories, Lindsay! If you’re considering a c-section for your child’s birth, bring a list of questions to your next doctor’s appointment. You can also find some good general information on c-sections in this article from BabyCenter.

Have you had a cesarean section? Was it emergency or elective? We’d love to hear your story- tell us about your decision in the comments section.

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The next issue I’ll be covering in the Pregnancy Decisions series is birth choices. First up is giving birth at home, rather than in a hospital or birthing center. Fewer than 1% of American births are in the home, so you may not know anyone who has had this experience.

I’m pleased to introduce Theresa, mother of nine children, six of whom were born at home. She agreed to answer some questions about her home birth experiences. If you’re pregnant and considering a home birth, or even if you’re just curious why someone would choose a home birth, I hope this post will be helpful and informative.

Would you consider a home birth?

• Yes
• No

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Most pregnancy information is geared for women, and with good reason. We’re the ones who have all the weird physical and emotional changes going on, and are therefore the ones seeking answers. My husband was quite willing to let me do all the reading, and just give him the important highlights. No, that’s not quite true; he did read our Bradley method childbirth book. Good thing, since it’s also known as “husband-coached childbirth”!

I know, though, that there are some dads-to-be that want to know more about the baby’s development, the changes that their partner is going through and how to make the smoothest possible transition to parenthood. Here are some good online resources:

Most people know about the weekly emails from BabyCenter, with updates on your baby in utero, including size estimates in comparison to foods. I remember wondering, though, about some of the more obscure fruits and vegetables they referenced- a large jicama?! My friend’s husband actually said “what’s an avocado?” at Week 16.

Coming to our rescue are the husband and wife blogging team at His Boys Can Swim. They’ve designed a hilarious Dad’s Pregnancy Guide using objects like a hockey puck or the front wheel of a Big Wheel. Because none of their family or friends know about the blog, they’re able to be completely open and honest about their pregnancy experience. They seem to run a bit on the dramatic side of things, but overall, good info.

Another good blog is Almost a Dad. It includes categories like what not to say and cravings and snacks. Clearly, this guy has been there! I also like his prenatal checklist with things like extra batteries and a deep freeze/chest freezer to hold extra meals for after baby’s arrival.

PregTASTIC is a unique site that features podcasts on a wide variety of pregnancy-related topics. Check out Being Dad and From Dude to Dad - maybe during a workout or commute.

And last is not a dad-specific thing, but my husband thought it was the most helpful part of our prenatal class: the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD from Dr. Harvey Karp. His basic concept is that a newborn is used to the womb, and recreating that environment will keep the baby calmer and happier. No, this doesn’t involve pools of warm water, but swaddling, loud shushing (the womb is actually a noisy place), and a few other gems.

There were times when only nursing would make Tate happy, so my husband was unable to help. In other situations, though, he could use Dr. Karp’s 5-S’s to stop the tears and sadness. Dad was definitely the champion “shusher” in our house. There’s a book too, but we thought it was really helpful to actually see him perform the various techniques. Take some time during your pregnancy to learn these skills – you’ll be glad to have them when the baby arrives. This would be a great library check-out or Netflix option as well.

Stay tuned for Pregnancy Prep for Dad, Part 2…hint: it involves shopping!

Photo Courtesy:
amrufm
razzmatazlady
His Boys Can Swim
The Happiest Baby

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…continued from Pregnancy Flashback: Birth-Day

So at this point in the birth story, my contractions are pretty close together. Apparently this wouldn’t be a long, drawn-out affair after all. We decided that rather than coming to the house, our doula would just meet us at the hospital. It was all I could do to get down to the car. I have a vivid memory of kneeling on our wooden staircase mid-contraction, thinking a home birth was very possible.

Daddy-to-be was now racing around like a crazy man, loading the car and trying to help me. My request for some towels was met with more confusion. To me it was very obvious- when you’re delivering a baby outside of a hospital, you need towels and boiling water, but boiling water wasn’t practical to bring in the car so we should at least have towels.

The 20-minute ride in my Dodge Neon was less than comfortable. Elastic-waist pants have never felt so tight, and I began thinking that a snowbank on the side of the highway would be a perfectly fine place to give birth. 

Our doula met us at the hospital entrance with a wheelchair, but at this point I was entering my zone, eyes closed and not really able to make my legs get out of the car. My husband still brings up the fact that this was very irrational of me. We checked in, a quick exam revealed that I was ready to go, and they wheeled me into a room to start pushing.  

It took me a few rounds to figure out that the pushes were a means to an end…more pain meant the baby would arrive faster! I remember glancing up at the clock occasionally and thinking it couldn’t really be happening this quickly. My friend Allison had only eight hours of labor which seemed crazy-fast, so surely mine would take at least that long. But Tate had other plans and was born just before noon. Four days early, with less than six hours of labor. I guess I was a little misinformed about first babies!

Amazingly, since she’s one of 15 doctors in her group, my OB was on call at the hospital that morning. I teased her afterwards that she’d done amazingly well in delivering our son without access to my carefully-written birth plan. In all honesty, though, I was so appreciative that she remembered the conversations we’d had during my prenatal appointments. She acted according to my wishes while also using her professional judgment during the delivery. My husband, our doula and the nurses were great coaches! In those respects, the birth was as I hoped it would be. The speed, honestly, was a little faster than I would wish for future births, but that’s probably not up for me to decide!

Looking back at some of the pictures from the birth, it still seems a little surreal. Just the beginning of our brand new life as parents! Here’s our first family photo:

Was your birth as you expected it would be? If you’re pregnant, what are some of your expectations, hopes or fears?

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One day you’re in, and the next day you’re out. If you watch Project Runway, you’ll recognize this as one of Heidi Klum’s overly-repeated phrases. But the same is true of a baby, right?! I can’t quite believe it was only a year ago that this photo was taken (the last one of my sister-in-law and I both preggers), just three days before Tate was born.

In the final weeks of pregnancy, I was waiting for my discomfort level to eclipse my nervousness about childbirth and becoming a parent. I finally got there, as you can tell from the super-flattering picture. Could I be any more puffy?!

But while I was ready to have the baby, I assumed that I’d go at least until my due date (that next Saturday), or probably later. First babies are always late, right? Plus, I’m over six feet tall, so the kid had plenty of room to stretch out in there. It didn’t really seem like I’d dropped yet, and I hadn’t had any Braxton-Hicks contractions. On Monday I went to work as usual, and went to a jewelry party at my friend’s house that night.

Around 4am on Tuesday, I realized that my water had broken. I went back to bed and told my husband, and we both tried to get a little more sleep (guess who was more successful?). My contractions started at 6am and I started timing them with my alarm clock. I got up at 7 to send some emails to the office, but also sort of thought maybe I’d go into work to kill some time. Because again, labor is long and slow with first babies…

Both our doula and our Bradley instructor had recommended eating a good meal once labor began. So with a bowl of yogurt, fruit and granola balanced on my belly, I called my mom and our doula with the news. I finished adding final items to my hospital bag and took a shower to keep the contractions going (more doula advice). And not just a shower, but I decided to shave my legs. Turns out bending over to shave is VERY difficult during contractions. Probably not very safe either, in retrospect.

My husband got up at 8, glad to have gotten a full night’s sleep before his long day (hopefully just one day?) as labor coach. While he’d been pretty laid-back throughout the pregnancy, he was suddenly very concerned that we didn’t have the balance ball recommended by our doula for labor. He wanted to run out to Target, despite my protests that women had labored for thousands of years without balance balls and I’d probably be fine without one. 

As the contractions suddenly started getting much closer together, I finally convinced him that he shouldn’t go to Target and also could he please get me a bowl? My big breakfast wasn’t feeling like such a good idea anymore. I was picturing a nice large mixing bowl; he returned with a cereal bowl, wondering what I needed it for. We weren’t quite a finely-tuned labor-partner machine yet…

Wow, this post is becoming very long- thanks for sticking with me! I think it will have “to be continued”…

I was recently asked to write a guest post about our experience using a doula for Tate’s birth. Here’s a taste of our story, then visit Extra(Hour)dinary Parenting for the rest. This site is a great resource- the name comes from being “Pregnancy and Parenting Information so organized, it will add an extra hour to your day!” That’s something we could all use! 

Prior to my pregnancy, I had never even heard the word “doula“. In the process of researching and planning for natural childbirth (meaning without pain medications), we heard a lot of good things about them and eventually decided to use one. While some doulas specialize in postpartum care of the mother and baby, it’s most common for a doula to assist the mother during labor and childbirth as ours did.

Our doula, Dawn, works full-time at a hospital that provides doulas for their patients, and has private clients like us on the side. As first-time parents, it was very reassuring to hear her say that she’d stopped counting years ago after participating in 500 births! A lot of people who choose the “natural” route use a midwife instead of an obstetrician, or even a home birth. While we wanted the traditional OB at the hospital, I really liked the idea of having an experienced birth assistant there with us for the whole process.

In hiring our doula, I thought that her main role would be during the long hours of labor, helping me be as comfortable and relaxed as possible, so as not to impede the baby’s progress. In reality, her value lay in other areas. First was in the two prenatal visits that she made to our home, helping us feel more prepared and even recommending strategies for getting the baby into the right position for birth. Second was in the back and forth phone calls on the morning I went into labor, coaching and encouraging me through the growing realization that my labor was not going to last for many hours and might even result in the home birth we didn’t want! Third, was meeting us at the hospital and knowing the right terms to convey the urgency of my condition to the nurses.

Obviously, everything went well with Tate’s birth, and we were so thankful for the role our doula played. If you’re thinking about using a doula for your own upcoming birth, the DONA International site is a great resource. Don’t forget to read “To Doula or Not To Doula?” at Extra(Hour)dinary Parenting for more information as well.

Photo Courtesy:
kyartworks

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