Modern Mama Birth Doulas yqr

During labour keep your hands relaxed during contractions- when your hands are relaxed you know you’re not tending everywhere else.
Don’t commit to the idea of a certain birthing position just because something is trendy or worked for someone else - doesn’t mean it’s the thing to do for you.
Envision yourself blowing out a candle with force - there is more to pushing then screaming and “pushing” - learn what pushing means.
Make deep low sounds - high pitched sounds can have the opposite effect.

Happy Halloween 🎃

Comfort Measures During Labour

Rhythmic Breathing - breathe slowly and fully in a rhythmic manner or quick light breaths every 2-3 seconds. Keeping this rhythm can help you cope with contractions.
Movement & Positioning - moving through and during contractions can help increase comfort levels. Examples of movement include:walking, rocking, swaying, squatting, kneeling on birth ball and leaning on your partner.
Shower or Bath - a warm shower can soothe and provide pain relief during early and active labour especially sitting on a stool in front of the stream of water. The warmth and skin stimulation can help distract from the pain.

Babies learn inside the womb…flavour memories begin while in utero. Baby will learn moms touch, moms voice, and will appreciate hearing music and singing. Babies will remember books that they have been read while in the womb. Belly rubs will feel relaxing and baby will discover that sucking is also very relaxing.

Massage Tip
🌿 some people like to talk during a massage, others prefer silence. It’s okay to tell your massage therapist what you prefer.
🌿 if you prefer not to have a foot massage, leave your socks on. This sends a reminder to the therapist.
🌿 life gets busy, book your next appointment before leaving your current one.
🌿 arrive 15 minutes before your appointment to complete intake forms or direct billing forms.
Book your appointment today at Village Haus!!

Sleep Fact 💤💤
After 8 weeks old, babies need to produce their own melatonin in order to sleep well during the day and at night. Melatonin is only produced in the dark, so having a dark room for daytime naps is a great, east way to help your baby settle better and nap for longer.

The benefits and importance of choosing delayed cord clamping.

Get familiar with the hormones that move through your body during labour. These will act as your natural pain relievers.

No bath for newborns in the first 24 hours has been proven to give the newborn time to steady their body temp and sugar levels, preserves their natural moisture and decreases the risk of infection and allows baby to stay skin to skin with mom keeping the baby warm and encouraging breastfeeding.

Happy Monday. Find what helps to make you feel calm and connected…do more of it!!

Happy Monday!! Think about what helps you calm and feel connected…do more of it!!

When to call your doula…
🩺After a doctor visit…we love to hear any updates from your doctor appointments. Feel free to communicate these through text or email unless something significant has changed then please call.
🤰Consistent contractions for one hour…when you have contractions that are consistent for one hour, call us and we can discuss length, frequency and intensity.
💦When your water breaks…if your water gushed or if you suspect a leak, call your provider FIRST and then us. Remember COAT…color, door, amount and time. Your doctor will want these details.
🤰Other early labour signs…upset stomach, loose bowels, bloody show, generally feeling poorly. Let us know.

Benefits of Birthing Ball -
🔵 encouraging baby into an optimal birth position
🔵 strengthening your core and back muscles
🔵 helping you maintain good posture
🔵 managing back and pelvic pain in pregnancy
🔵 supports normal birth physiology during labour
🔵 can be incorporated into your exercise routine
🔵 enhances pelvic mobilization

Have you been hearing a lot about doulas lately and are a little curious as to what they are, why they are important, and why you might want one at your birth? If so, you’ve come to the right place!!

Your body goes through all kinds of changes during pregnancy and maintaining regular massages is just one of the many ways to help ease the body aches!!

Self care is so important…pre pregnancy, during pregnancy and post pregnancy!
Self care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you. ❤️

Positions and Movement during labour 🚶‍♀️walking, standing and leaning - all may help stimulate effective contractions. All use gravity to help baby’s descent.
🧎‍♀️kneeling - may relieve back pain. Helps baby rotate to most favourable position, occiput anterior (OA). Relieves hemorrhoids.
🪑sitting - uses gravity to help baby’s descent. Allows rest between contractions.
🐒 squatting - uses gravity to help baby descend. Opens pelvis to provide more room.

Postnatal massage and self care are so important to help you to unwind and relax after bringing home baby! You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.

Did you know that the umbilical cord supplies oxygen to the newborn, delays the need for emergency resuscitation, contains about 33% of the babies blood at birth, decreases the risk of anemia and provides proteins?!?

Breastfeeding 101
👶 the first milk, called colostrum, is a thick, syrupy, yellow-gold liquid that is nutrient dense and perfect for the first few days of life.
👶 Newborns are equipped with many reflexes that help them locate the breast, latch on and breastfeed.
👶 Newborns nurse frequently, usually 12 times per day. Sessions May last just a few minutes or sessions may occur one after another over the course of several hours (cluster feeding).
👶 Newborns thrive on skin to skin contact and resist separation. It is normal for a newborn to only be content when held closely to your chest or in your arms.

Prenatal massage has many benefits 🌺 Reduced back pain 🌺 Reduced joint pain 🌺 improved circulation 🌺 Reduced muscle tension and headaches 🌺 Reduced stress and anxiety 🌺 Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles 🌺 Better sleep

An epidural delivers numbing medication into the epidural space of the spine to block pain signals, numbing from the belly down to varying degrees.
Epidurals are considered very effective and can help labouring people when exhausted and in need of sleep/rest. Or if they simply desire one!
⚠️While considered very effective, epidurals don’t always have the same impact on everyone. Sometimes labour progresses quickly and the birthing person doesn’t feel the full effect - sometimes they don’t provide as much relief as desired and sometimes they just don’t work (~ 10% of the time in one study of ~ 19k births). There are potential side effects and risks including drops in blood pressure, headache, difficulty urinating and back pain for birthers.

Best to lie on your left side during pregnancy. Did you know why? &tricksThursday

Hello everyone!! It’s been a very long time since I have been active on here so I wanted to take a few minutes and share who I am!
My name is Kim and I am the owner of Modern Mama Doulas and operate in and around Regina. I have a daughter and a husband and live on a cozy acreage outside of the town of Balgonie. I completed my training in 2019 and then went on to do my Postpartum care as well. I am happy to offer both avenues of support to clients. I am also a registered massage therapist in Regina with over 16 years experience.
I look forward to taking on and meeting new clients.

Informed Consent in Canada: From the Canadian Medical Protective Association’s Consent: A Guide for Canadian Physicians. “In the medical context and as the law on consent to medical treatment has evolved, it has become a basic accepted principle that “every human being of adult years and of sound mind has the right to determine what shall be done with his or her own body.” Clearly physicians may do nothing to or for a patient without valid consent. This principle is applicable not only to surgical operations but also to all forms of medical treatment and to diagnostic procedures that involve intentional interference with the person.” (Evans & Henderson, 2006)⁣
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Shared decision making takes informed consent one step further. Informed decisions are made through a partnership of woman and her care-providers, based on mutual respect. In this model, individuals are asked to partake in their care – to become educated, discuss options, and make the best decisions for them and their family. The woman’s awareness of her own health and that of the foetus is considered. She has the right to accept or decline any test or procedure.⁣
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How to Get Enough Info to Make Informed Decisions: ⁣
Every situation and circumstance is unique. When faced with a decision regarding care in pregnancy or birth, ask why the test is recommended and use your ‘brains’. Also ask “How is the health of the mother and the baby?” ⁣
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B - what are the benefits?⁣
R - what are the risks? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣
A - what are the alternatives? ⁣
I – what is my intuition / gut telling me to do? ⁣
N - what if I do nothing? not right now? ⁣
S – sign the waiver ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣
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(information borrowed from BirthWays International)

Informed Consent in Canada: From the Canadian Medical Protective Association’s Consent: A Guide for Canadian Physicians. “In the medical context and as the law on consent to medical treatment has evolved, it has become a basic accepted principle that “every human being of adult years and of sound mind has the right to determine what shall be done with his or her own body.” Clearly physicians may do nothing to or for a patient without valid consent. This principle is applicable not only to surgical operations but also to all forms of medical treatment and to diagnostic procedures that involve intentional interference with the person.” (Evans & Henderson, 2006)

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Shared decision making takes informed consent one step further. Informed decisions are made through a partnership of woman and her care-providers, based on mutual respect. In this model, individuals are asked to partake in their care – to become educated, discuss options, and make the best decisions for them and their family. The woman’s awareness of her own health and that of the foetus is considered. She has the right to accept or decline any test or procedure.

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How to Get Enough Info to Make Informed Decisions:
Every situation and circumstance is unique. When faced with a decision regarding care in pregnancy or birth, ask why the test is recommended and use your ‘brains’. Also ask “How is the health of the mother and the baby?”

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B - what are the benefits? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
R - what are the risks? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A - what are the alternatives? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I – what is my intuition / gut telling me to do? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
N - what if I do nothing? not right now? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
S – sign the waiver ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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-⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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(information borrowed from BirthWays International)

Late pregnancy is not too late to make changes to your birth preferences and support team. As birth approaches many women consider steps towards a more intentional birth. If you have been on the fence about a doula, send us a message, it’s not too late! We have an opening in April and are offering a 25% discount on our birth doula services.

We often hear the common misconception that a doula replaces the non-birthing partner or hear the question “why would I want/need a doula when my partner will be with me for the birth?”

Here’s our answer:

A responsible doula compliments and enhances the non-birthing partner in their supportive role rather than acting as a replacement. The presence of a doula allows the non-birthing person to support the birthing partner emotionally during labor & birth without the pressure to remember everything learned in childbirth class! The non-birthing partner typically has little-to-no actual experience with the birth process, yet is expected to act as a coach. Some partners feel (accurately) that this is a huge expectation. Many non-birthing partners experience the birth as an emotional journey of their own and find it hard to be objective. A doula is supportive to both the mother and her partner, and plays a crucial role in helping a partner become involved in the birth to the extent he/she feels comfortable. Studies have shown that non-birthing partners usually participate more actively during labor with the presence of a doula than without one.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For more information about how doulas support non-birthing partners, visit our FAQ page. Link in bio.

In our last post, we talked about what a birth doula is — a trained professional that provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support throughout pregnancy, birth and early postpartum. But what does that look like?

Physical support can include:
* Massage, counter pressure and other touch methods
* Helping to create a calm environment, (e.g. dimming lights)
* Assisting with water therapy (shower, tub)
* Applying warmth or cold
* Suggesting techniques in labor, such as breathing, relaxation techniques, movement, and positioning (positioning is important both with and without epidurals)
* The calm, therapeutic presence of someone who trusts the birth process

Emotional support can include:
* Caring about emotional health of the birthing person and helping to protect the memory of her birth
* Encouragement and reassurance
* Supporting decisions made by the birthing partner about their body and baby
* Helping the birthing person and partner work through fears and self-doubt
* Creating space for the partner and recommendations for the partner to offer support
* Debriefing the birth experience

Informational support can include:
* Helping find evidence-based information about different options in pregnancy and childbirth
* Recommending local practitioners for pregnancy and postpartum supports
* Encouraging and empowering the birthing person(and partner) to ask questions about the medical aspects of care
* Helping the partner understand what’s going on with their loved one’s labor

What questions do you have about what doulas do?
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