Cherished Journey with Doula Molly

Maddie is our rainbow baby! Hand chosen by her sister Ella. Ella will forever be remembered.

Being a Car Seat Safety Technician I get a lot of great emails from our state/local educators about driving/safety. I thought this email was a good one to share:

Driving can be nerve-wracking, even for seasoned drivers. Whether it's the fear of crashes, highways, unfamiliar routes or parking, road anxiety can impact confidence and safety. Fortunately, if you or someone you know experiences nervous driving, there are many ways to alleviate the stress.

• Breathe. Before going on the road take some deep breaths. The 4-7-8 breathing technique allows your body and mind to focus on breathing to reduce overall anxiety.
• Plan. The more prepared you are for your drive, the better. Review your route and allow yourself to have extra time so you don’t feel rushed.
• Take breaks. If you feel overwhelmed while driving, pull off the road to a parking lot, rest area or other safe space away from the road. Stretch your legs, take deep breaths, and when you are ready, go back on the road. Remember, there’s no rush.
• Leave extra space. For safety and to help you stay calm, leave at least a 3 second space between you and the car in front of you. The larger the gap, the more time to react.
• Practice. Invite a trusted family member or friend to drive with you. They can help provide guidance to improve your driving.

Driving anxiety is more common than you might think. Even if it doesn't affect you personally, it's important to be patient with others on the road. If driving anxiety is significantly impacting your daily life, consider speaking to a medical professional.

Another wonderful doula in our area posted this and I thought it was perfect! She does a fantastic job explaining what a doula does. I love what I do!

Doulas are trained professionals who
provide physical, emotional, and
informational support to women during
pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
period. They do not provide medical care,
but work alongside healthcare providers to
provide a holistic and comprehensive
approach to care.

During pregnancy, doulas help clients
create a birth plan, and provide information on
childbirth options and techniques, and
offer emotional support to help alleviate
any anxieties or fears surrounding birth.
They may also help clients prepare for
postpartum recovery, including tips on
breastfeeding and newborn care.

During birth, doulas provide continuous
emotional and physical support to clients.
This may include massage, breathing and
relaxation techniques, and help with
positioning and movement to help labor
progress. Doulas may also provide
advocacy and support during medical
interventions or if unexpected events arise
during birth.

In the postpartum period, doulas
provide support with breastfeeding and
newborn care, as well as emotional support.
Doulas help clients process their birth experience and adjust to their new role as a parent.
Overall, doulas aim to provide
individualized support to clients to help
them feel empowered, informed, and
confident throughout their pregnancy,
birth, and postpartum journey.

This is some VERY important information on changes to the law, starting Aug. 1st. Be sure to evaluate the new law and how it affects your family. Let me know if you have any questions. As a CPST, I want to make sure all the kiddos are safe!

Minnesota recently passed a new child restraint law, which may change the way your children travel in a vehicle. This law goes into effect on August 1, 2024.

“Every driver who transports a child or children under the age of 18 years old in a motor vehicle is required to have the child or children restrained in a child safety seat or seat belt. If a child can be placed in more than one category, then the child must be placed in the more protective category.”

For example, a 2.5-year-old child weighing 35 pounds who has a car seat with a rear facing limit of 40 pounds must stay rear facing even though they are over 2 years of age. Learn more: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.685

About a month ago I got the honor of being a part of a very powerful birth. This momma was bound and determined to have a completely different birth from her first experience. After many days of on and off again contractions, her water broke. We were off to the new birth tower in Mankato. After only 8hrs of amazing hard work and determination, little Miss was born! So proud of this momma and the team she had. “I did that” was the quote of the day!

Using a birth ball/exercise ball can be very helpful during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. It is one thing I recommend all my clients to have.

Today is also International Midwife day! I have loved all the midwives I have worked with. Thank you for everything you do for the birth world.

International Bereaved Mothers Day
--Always the Sunday before Mothers Day

This specially designated time is not to say that we who have babies we can only see with our hearts are somehow disqualified from the more general Mothers Day.

Instead, this is a way to better understand that not all of our motherhood experiences fit nice and tidy within one day.

If you hadn't yet heard of this holiday, consider mentioning it to your loved ones and make a plan to engage in the day in a meaningful way.

Bereaved Mothers Day was a concept given widely to the healing community by CarlyMarie. She also brought us some of the loveliest Australian beach images.

copied from stillbirthday. I felt it was so well written there was no need to change

Doulas and Partners

By no means does what I do replace the loving support of your other half. I am here to support and educate the two of you. That’s the beauty of it. With me involved, you’ll find that your partner is more capable to support you. Typically Dad doesn’t know what to expect or hasn’t seen birth before. He does not know what is normal. That’s where I come in. My calming presence will keep that worrisome look off your partners face.

👀Have you ever wondered how your doula sets their fee? Or why different doulas charge different fees?

Take a peek at this graphic!

There is SO much more to doula work than most people think.

✅ lots of back & forth email, text and phone communication with clients outside of appointments, in their due window, and during early labor (plus postpartum). All of this takes time and intentional focus from your doula to best serve you.
✅ your doula’s network/referrals, tailored resources and other relevant knowledge provided.
✅ the hours spent on the road, sometimes in poor conditions and under time pressure.
✅ emotional availability, including holding space for some really heavy stuff.
✅ the ability to respond or leave at unpredictable hours if needed, which can disrupt our own families and personal needs.
✅ the incredible behind-the-scenes administrative work and expenses that go into maintaining a doula service and keeping up with each individual client.
✅ keeping up on CEUs and current events relevant to your practice
✅ intangibles like your brain & birthy intuition, your education, the connection you offer, skills working with providers, your lived experience, and more!

This is not to mention the hours spent at births and prenatal/postpartum visits, the free consult or any follow-up done with the client once the doula package has ended.

🤔When you look at it this way, many doulas are severely undercharging for the time and effort put into their clients, which makes it not at all surprising turnover and burnout is high in this profession!

Fellow doulas: what kinds of things did you consider in setting your fees?

👉🏼Note: Some doulas may also incorporate an economic justice element or other flexible pricing into their fee structure. This is just a basic introduction to the business and value considerations that influence doula pricing, not a comprehensive overview.

Just going to leave this right here……..