Indigo River Doula Services

Indigo River Doula Services contact Kathleen McGriff Powers for more information 716-200-6414

This is Ruth Whitfield, devoted wife, upstanding member of the church I grew up in Durham Memorial AME Zion. Beautiful human and friend of my beloved Aunt Velma. What happened to the 10 who died, and the 3 injured affected us all.

https://indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/the-seeds-of-racism-and-hate-hurt-us-all

The seeds of racism and hate hurt us all ‘The heinous and deadly attack at a Buffalo supermarket is the latest, unspeakable example of what can happen when racism is normalized and allowed to grow, fester, and be unleashed’

McGriff Mamas - My mom, Jennifer & Me (Kathleen); Me & my youngest, Jesse; My oldest daughter, Siobhan, and her daughter Anisah; My youngest daughter, Leah, and her daughter Kenza.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. Thanks to Anthony Hill on Unsplash for the pic

It is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. We see you. We hear you.

It's Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. We hear you. We see you.
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-depression

Postpartum Depression Postpartum depression causes intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair. This is a health condition that can be treated with medication and therapy.

Indigo River Doula Services updated their website address.

https://youtu.be/KT578Dlu97U

Community-Based Doulas and Midwives Addressing the U.S. Maternal Health Crisis Hear directly from community-based midwives and doulas on their role in providing patient-centered care that improves the outcomes and experiences of birthin...

Erie County is one of two counties in NYS with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates. Become an advocate! https://marchformoms.org/

Advocating for the health and well-being of all mothers - March For Moms March For Moms brings together diverse voices of families, healthcare providers, policymakers, and more to advocate for all mothers' health and well-being.

What does a doula do? Doulas are non-clinical birth workers who provide informational, physical, and emotional support to pregnant people before, during and after childbirth.
Doulas help birthing families coordinate their birth plans, advocate for, and provide information to enable these families to make informed decisions about their birth experience. This includes support around prenatal care, labor, postpartum, and breastfeeding.
There is no federal or state licensing agency for doulas, so it is important to do your research and ASK QUESTIONS of the person you would like to support you during this, one of the most intimate times in your life. Many doulas take time to attend or become certification through organizations that offer training programs, such as DONA (Doulas of North America) International, NBDA (National Black Doulas Association), and CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association).
Many doulas go into this line of work because of their own birth experience, (whether wonderful and challenging) or because they themselves had the support of a doula and want to afford that opportunity to others.
A doula’s job is to coordinate YOUR birth journey. A good doula understands it is all about supporting you and your needs.

In honor of Indigenous People's Day

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. https://starlegacyfoundation.org/awareness-month/

October 15th Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month NeverBeStill October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month If you or someone you care about has lost a child to stillbirth, miscarriage, SIDS, or any other cause at any point during pregnancy or infancy, please join us in raising awareness this October for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Tens of....

Hello! My name is Kathleen McGriff Powers and I am a recently retired academic librarian turned birth doula, but what brought someone who has spent more than half her life cataloging books and teaching people to be lifelong learners to the world of birth work?

The birth of my first child began with what I thought was indigestion after having dinner at my parents’ house. Later that evening my water broke, but with a trickle not a gush like I’ve always seen on television. Wanting to be a good patient, we went to the hospital where I was attached to monitors (external and internal), lying flat on my back in bed. I was given medication that over the next 21 hours resulted in contractions so painful that I had my husband in a headlock to try to keep on top of them. My doctor came in pi**ed that I was left for that long laboring in that condition and immediately prepared me for an emergency C-section. When I woke up, I learned that I had a daughter.

Still woozy from the anesthesia, I was wheeled past someplace in the hospital where they held my daughter up to show her to me. All I could think was that I had given birth to a big kidney bean. I didn’t get to hold my daughter until the next day.

Thank goodness my parents, as well as my mother and father-in-law, were at my daughter’s birth and were able to hold and kiss her, and to support my husband who was emotionally and physically exhausted from supporting me during her birth.

I was in the hospital for 5 days, which was the standard of care back then, eagerly waiting for my daughter’s scheduled visits from the nursery so I could learn to breastfeed her. It was difficult because my daughter was a sleepy baby from the little bit of anesthesia she was exposed to, but we did it!

Although my first birth resulted in a beautiful, healthy baby, that experience still left me with feelings of anger at how I was treated and how my baby was treated, and I vowed to coordinate my next birth experience. With the assistance of my husband, my OB and a LOT of research (the librarian in me) my next two births, both VBACs, resulted in, comparatively speaking, beautiful and empowering birth experiences in which I was able to hold my babies, if not immediately, within minutes of their births. What enabled me to be more confident in my ability to birth was the presence of a Birth Doula. A different friend supported me in each birth, and their support of me and my vision of my birth was invaluable. 29 years later I attended the birth of my first grandchild and in 5 months I will be the attending doula for the birth of my youngest daughter’s first child.

This experience solidified in my mind that becoming a doula was the right path. I retired from my position at the community college I had been working at for 27 years and threw myself into birth work. I see this transition from librarian to birth doula as still imparting good information and knowledge, just in a different, more intimate setting.

I look forward to supporting you in your decisions on your body and your birth!