This is a mother-friendly site dedicated to empowering and equipping mothers to have the birth of their dreams.

Positive birth stories regarding natural (unmedicated) childbirth have to make their way back into our culture. Click on “Patrice’s Book”, to get your copy of Empowered to Birth Naturally: One Woman’s Journey to Homebirth.

Pregnant? Need a doula? Check out my DOULA page

A Doula or Labor Assistant is a woman who assists another woman during labor and provides support to her, the infant, and the family after childbirth. Support can be physical or emotional but is not medical. A doula is not a midwife.

A Few Good Reasons to Hire a Doula:

~Constant emotional support - Typically in a hospital setting, doctors, nurses, and other staff members not only have multiple patients, but come and go based on their shifts. You may have a wonderful doctor or nurse assisting you, but they have other patients and, once that nurse or doctor’s shift ends, he or she is gone. Your doula will be by your side constantly, supporting you every step of the way.

~Fewer medical interventions needed during labor - Doulas are trained professionals who are able to utilize many techniques (e.g., massage) for pain management during labor.

~Shorter labors - Mothers using a doula are more likely to have shorter labors and fewer cesareans.

~ A doula can help partners become more involved in the birth - It can be difficult for the partner of a pregnant woman to witness the loved one in pain. Doulas do not replace your partner. Women using doulas often note greater satisfaction rates with their partners.

~A doula will help you process your birth - Not only will a doula help you process your birth, but she can also help you record it for future use in a baby book or scrapbook album.

~ A more satisfying birth - Mothers using a doula tend to have a more satisfying birth experience and tend to breastfeed their babies longer.

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