Madrona Doula

Hello
I took a little break from the on-call lifestyle of a doula, but I'm back!
[email protected]

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Hello and Happy New Year everyone! I am still here and available for pregnancy and birth support, I am just really bad at keeping up and posting on social media. I'm happy to chat if you are looking for the support of a doula!
360-296-3766
[email protected]

As a doula I am privileged to play a role in mothers, parents and families being born! Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers and mothering people out there.
Enjoy your day, celebrate your journey.
🌸

I am grateful for the opportunity yesterday (my birthday!) to get the second dose of my Covid-19 vaccination and help protect my clients, my family and my community. Other celebrations included loads of birthday messages, a beautiful sunny spring day, my family, good food and a splendid carrot cake made by my daughter!

Good news today! Covid-19 protocol continues to change and today we receive good news. Once again, two support people are welcome in labor and delivery at St Joseph's Hospital Childbirth Center.
Both Bellingham Birth Center and Birthroot Midwives and Birth Center also continue to welcome two support people!

From the hospital:
"The Childbirth Center is excited to announce that the visitation policy will be changing to allow a second support person during the labor and delivery period. The new visitation policy starts today, 03/22/21 at 0700.
A total of 2 support people allowed during labor and delivery ONLY (doulas are included in the total number).
Support people may not exchange with other people.
All visitors must be healthy, pass COVID screening questions, and abide by PPE requirements.
COVID + patients are limited to 1 support person."

Amazing photography, I have enjoyed looking at this book for many years. Check it out if you want to see the process up close!
A Child is Born, Lennart Nilsson

Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson spent 12 years of his life taking pictures of the fetus Developing in the womb.

These incredible photographs were taken with conventional cameras with macro lenses, an endoscope and scanning electron microscope.

Nilsson used a magnification of hundreds of thousands and “worked” right in the womb. His first photo of the human fetus was taken in 1965.

Post brought to you by https://ourcultures.org/

One of my favorite ways to support a family with a new baby (or going through any big change or event) is the classic meal train!
It is a simple way to deliver some sustenance and love. You can spend the day cooking or call for delivery.
The internet makes it easy to join a meal train or start one for someone.

Below is a different kind of meal train!

A doula's job is to meet the client where they are in each moment.

Every person has different needs.
Some like to know all the things, all the options and all of the possibilities.
Others only want certain information and to roll with the pregnancy as it unfolds.
Some want a lot of contact or verbal encouragement while others prefer more quiet, standby support.

My job is to support your way.

Image: HOPE by Scott F. Emory at Big Rock Garden Park in Bellingham, WA

Embroidered ultrasound scans!

Dad-to-be hopes embroidered scans will help blind parents Nathan Edge aims to give more blind parents access to embroidered pictures of baby scans.

A visual reference, what is your newborn's stomach capacity?

New parents are often wondering if their child is getting the right amount of milk. Follow their cues, watch their diapers and trust your instincts.

This is a great visual of how much breastmilk your newborn baby needs for the size of their stomach...

A thought about due dates and spontaneous labor:

Whether we think we know an exact date of conception or haven't a clue, one of the first things we do when we find out about a pregnancy is count forward to find our due date.
Your healthcare provider asks, "when was the first day of your last period?" and using their handy calculator, they give you a date 40 weeks from that day.

THIS IS YOUR DUE DATE.

This day becomes a goal, an expectation. Everyone asks you, "When are you due?"
As the date gets closer, we hear, "not long now", and "just a few more days!"

Of course those final few days can seem to each be 3,214 hours long!

But really...

There is no problem with a goal, an expectation, but let's be realistic!
For a normal, healthy pregnancy, the due 'period' is about 4 weeks long. It is normal for a baby to arrive two weeks before, to two weeks after this date that we have been given.

Of course there are exceptions, times when these dates are and should be watched more closely or adjusted for medical reasons. When this is the case, you will be given a different window of time.

But when waiting for spontaneous labor, this target (for some people) can feel stressful.
if this is you, when you mark that date on your calendar, consider spreading it out in both directions and giving yourself a wider goal!

When every choice feels huge.

I am finding that every choice I have to make during this pandemic feels like it holds extra importance, and it does!

We have all had to separate our needs and wants, choose the best way to accommodate those needs and maybe put the wants off for another time.
My family is making one of those decision right now and it feels HUGE.
Usually this decision would only effect my immediate family, but at the moment, it could result in major consequences for others.

I know when you are pregnant or have a young child, you make those decisions too, and they are a big deal always. Right now, they may feel SO big!

I just thought I'd show some solidarity. It's not easy. Keep doing your best and be forgiving with yourselves and each other.

This image, captured by my son during a family hike/photo contest (thank you for sharing), felt like a success. This determined little flower bloomed despite all adversity. It's not perfect, but it is resilient and he was able to capture its beauty.

Now, if it could just help us make our decisions. What should we do, little flower? 🙂

However and wherever you choose to birth, you deserve support.

A doula provides physical and emotional support for pregnancy, labor and postpartum.
A doula helps you gain the knowledge you desire and trusts that you know what is best for you!
We have no other obligations when we are with you.
We aren't family, we don't take the place of a partner or family member, but we can help you work together.
Doulas work in concert with your healthcare providers.
We have adjusted our lives to be ready to safely support you when we are needed.

I am Mandy Pidgeon, DONA trained and ProDoula certified labor doula, and I am ready (with some brand new masks) to support parents in 2021.

Having a newborn during a pandemic.

Remember when your baby was new? When friends came over and brought food, held the baby while you took a shower, did your laundry and washed the dishes? When family came from a distance to meet your baby and congratulate you? When you gathered with other new parents to share tips and listen to each other?
Hopefully, if you are a parent, you experienced some of this sort of community support.
I have been thinking about the families I supported in 2020 and how their new parent experience has been different. How family members have waited months to meet their newest relative. How friends dropped dinner at the doorstep and waved through the window, but avoided going inside. How parenting groups and classes were cancelled or moved to zoom.
New parents are experiencing a new and isolated beginning to their journey. Like most things there are pros and cons to this reality. A quiet family nesting time might be just what is needed, but it can also be very difficult and lonely. Just like all of us, parents have had to adjust behaviors and assess risk when making choices.
Check in with your new parent friends! Call them, order them dinner, pick up and drop off their groceries, shovel their walk or mow their lawn. Don't expect to be invited inside or to hold the new baby! (and if you are, please wear your mask and wash your hands)
And listen to them. Sometimes, the little things can make a big difference!

October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. I wanted to recognize all the parents who have experienced the grief of loss.

As a doula, I am usually supporting the joyous occasion of a birth. Not all pregnancies end joyfully and I want to prepare myself for the possibility of supporting clients through this most difficult experience. So this month I took the Prodoula, Bereavement Preparation course on supporting clients through a loss.

Do you support someone planning a hospital birth with an epidural?
Yes, of course!
How about someone planning an at home, candlelit water birth?
Why yes, of course!
Do you support a planned cesarean birth?
Absolutley!
A natural as possible hospital birth?
Yes!
How about a free standing childbirth center?
Yup!
What if I'm not sure what I want yet?
That's ok too!

Doulas support each client's choices. We know you are capable of making decisions. We have the skills to support all types of birth and if you have questions, we will help you find answers.

A good thing to know and a fun way to learn it!

This 2-Minute Cartoon Teaches Infant CPR A new video uses nursery rhyme characters and a catchy song to teach parents how to perform infant CPR.

Daily Activities for Pregnancy - Easier Birth - Spinning Babies Daily activities for pregnancy bring comfort and prepare you for an easier childbirth by balancing your body to make space for baby’s best birth position.

Thank you to the nurses at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Lancashire for this fall depiction of cervical dilation!

I enjoy prenatal visits, talking about worries and hopes, questions and anticipations, creating a birth plan and building a supportive team for the upcoming birthday!

I'm working on the ProDoula Childbirth Education Certification exam. I know a lot about pregnancy and childbirth but this one is challenging me and I am learning so much more as I work through it. I am looking forward to teaching classes and sharing the power of knowledge with my clients!

Certified Labor Doula!

Doula perk: Updates from clients as their babies grow and they settle into the role of parenting! And cute pictures!!!

Birth is new and important every single time.

I have openings for fall / winter due dates, msg or call for a free consult!

I'm working on my Childbirth Education Curriculum. What is the best advice you have been given while pregnant (can be for real or humorous)?!

Ain't no party like a bladder stompin' party, 'cause a bladder stompin' party don't stop.🕺🏽💃🏻

I really enjoy talking to clients about their pregnancy and helping to uncover strengths and worries as we clarify a unique birth plan! Pregnancy is a journey.

Dear Bellingham birthing families,

We understand this is a time for seeking solidarity as a community and are motivated to do our part to slow transmission of the COVID-19 virus. At present, there is very little known about COVID-19 and pregnancy specifically. Given the immunologic and physiologic changes of pregnancy, however, it is thought that pregnant people may be among those more susceptible to contracting the virus as well as among those who may experience illness more severely. It is unclear whether placental transmission to the fetus or through breastmilk is possible.

The current Whatcom County Health Department recommendation is for pregnant people to stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible.

Birthroot Birth Center is an intimate and small setting where families are rarely in the waiting room with others before appointments. If you have any cold or flu symptoms, especially cough or fever, or if you are caring for someone with these symptoms or may have been exposed to COVID-19, please call ahead before your appointment. We have the ability to offer telemedicine visits for certain prenatal visits not requiring lab work and it is our utmost priority to keep our setting safe for births. We are adding extra cleaning precautions to our already careful regimens to keep our space as safe as possible.

While we ordinarily love to include siblings at prenatal visits and even at births, in order to limit everyone's exposure we are asking that other children remain home if possible. During labor and birth, support people are limited to one partner, and one additional person (i.e. doula, mother, friend). Please wait to arrive home for siblings to meet the baby, rather than bringing them or extended family members to the birth center.

Yes, we will consider late transfers to care for low risk pregnancies, and take most insurances. Please email or call us for a phone consultation to explore this option.

We intend to continue welcoming all your sweet babies into the world and encouraging each of you to nurture yourselves mentally and emotionally in this unusual time. Please stay well and tuned to our webpage and social media for updates.

I got to meet some of the Birthroot midwives and take a tour of their beautiful center. Another great option for care in Whatcom County!

Birthroot Midwives & Birth Center Bellingham's Birthroot Midwives and Birth Center's mission is to provide exceptional midwifery care whether delivering at home or at their birth center. With over 40 years of combined experience clients appreciate Birthroot's collaborative care approach.