Rach the Doula

happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas & soon-to-be mamas out there! I feel lucky to have gone through this pregnancy with the support of some wonderful women & mothers (to include my own). motherhood is not a solo endeavor - there are so many generations of women we get to learn from & grow with. now go do some self-care and take a well-deserved nap like I did 🩷

happy intl doula month!

doulas are trained to provide continuous, 1:1 care, and physical + emotional support during labor. we can also provide information and support to families before + during birth, and into the postpartum period. while doulas DON’T guarantee birth outcomes, research shows some amazing benefits to offering continuous labor support to women, to include:

* 25% decrease in the risk of Cesarean; the largest effect was seen with a doula (39% decrease)
* 8% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth; the largest effect was seen with a doula (15% increase)
* 10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
* shorter labors by 41 minutes on average
* 38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five-minute apgar score
* 31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

reach out if you’d like to chat more about how I can support you and/or your partner in your pregnancy and birth journey!

Reference: Bohren MA, et al. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, Issue 7.

✨just a little life announcement✨

I’m adding on to my resume of ways I’m involved in the *creative* process. Over the next month I’ll be completing training for both my birth doula and prenatal yoga certification!

At the beginning of my own pregnancy, I felt incredibly overwhelmed with all the changes I was going through physically and emotionally, and felt like I had little guidance when it came to “what to expect.” A lot of the language in old school pregnancy books felt patronizing, and I really just wanted someone to be real with me about what was going on with my body & baby. I’m looking forward to becoming a relatable, modern resource for other first time and expecting moms, providing birth education and planning help, and supporting them through one of the most life-changing events they will experience - creating and giving birth to another human life!

>> Follow if you’d like to support my new adventure, if you’re in need of a doula, pre/post-natal yoga, or if you’ll want some virtual resources when it comes to pregnancy, birth, and recovery!