Doula Shawna

Ohhh the cervix.
Some people swear its a steadily moving, digital clock 🙄

IT IS NOT!!

It's more like that old analog watch you have that sometimes slows down, stops, or goes backward based on when & how you wear it.

Your brain sends signals based on how you're feeling. The adrenaline, bright lights, fight, flight, freeze, and fawn all have an impact on your body's ability to relax and function how it should.

Your emotional state has everything to do with how your birth unfolds.

Sooooooo, keep it primal.
Keep it intimate.
Keep it dark.
Keep it safe.
Keep it warm.
AND KEEP IT QUIET.

Our bodies and our babies THRIVE in these birthing conditions.

Birth shouldn't be scary!!

It's a natural process that your body was *literally* made to do!!

Having a doula is a great way to reduce fear (and fear-based care in the hospital) during pregnancy and labor. Utilizing a doula also decreases pain, increases confidence, and shortens labor.

The birth of your child(ren) should be something you look back on with love, joy, and a sense of accomplishment.

Use all the tools available to you, and put the effort in to make it a great experience.

Have you used a comb in labor?
It's one of the many under utilized tools that can make your contractions more manageable.

The science‼️
What happens when you add a comb to your hand(s) to defer sensation from your uterus iiiisssssss ➡️ it sends a signal to your brain that it needs to find the other source of discomfort, taking attention away from your contraction.

Focusing on the discomfort in your hand(s) makes contractions feel more manageable because your focus is pulled off of your uterus. (Like the old parent trick.. your finger hurts, so your parent pinched you somewhere else and then your finger didn't hurt as much anymore)

This is an accupressure point in your hand, so you can use the comb with the bristles facing your palm or your fingers below the knuckle closest to your palm. They feel different but work in the same way.

Make sure to add this to your labor bag!!!

Dr. Kennell did one of the first studies on birth doula support IN THE 1960's‼️

It obvioulsy showed outcomes improved when birthing people had continuous support from a doula during labor.

Aaaaand we've been proving him right ever since 😏😏

"With the support of doulas, many women are able to forego epidurals, avoid cesarean births, and have less stressful births. A skilled doula empowers a woman to communicate her needs and perceptions and actualize her dream of a healthy, positive birth experience. The positive effects of doula care have been found to be greater for women who were socially disadvantaged, low income, unmarried, giving birth in a hospital without a companion, or had experienced language/cultural barriers."
(Vonderheid, Kishi, Norr, & Klima, 2011)

"A doula has a similar effect as an epidural. Just to qualify, that a bit: by mothers being more relaxed, they don’t see the same pain or pressure. By that relaxation, comfort and assurance mothers get from a doula, it has almost the same effect as an epidural." (Dr. Kennell, 2003)

Get yourself a

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647727/

Its 👏 not 👏 you 👏

Let me say that again.
(Turn your volume up) 🔈🔉🔊🗣

YOU AREN'T THE PROBLEM.

The medical system puts YOUR body and YOUR labor on someone else's time clock.

Not one pregnancy or body is the same.

So, how are we supposed to treat them the same and expect anything less than "failure to progress" (more like failure to wait), unnecessary c sections, use of cow oxytocin (yes thats pitocin, it's made from cows), use of more pain medication, mental distress from scare tactics that causes a delay in labor because fight, flight or freeze is activated when you're scared..
All because you aren't progressing how THEY want you to?!

IT'S MADNESS I TELL YOU!

Make sure you trust your provider (and yes its ok to fire your provider at any point, EVEN AS YOU'RE PUSHING YOUR BABY OUT) and know that you will need to advocate and sometimes fight for what you want.

I will always advocate for what you want, not what they say you should want

Change your enviornment, change the outcome.

Message me on whats app if you prefer to text over facebook messenger!

I'll be your walking stick. Let's climb those peaks together!

As a birth doula, I provide continuous support throughout your pregnancy, labor and birth. So often, people talk about the midwife or doctor that they really LOVE and they hope they're "on call" for their labor and delivery. But that's the thing...it all depends who's on call. You can get lucky and have a great nurse but they'll have to leave at the shift change. As your birth doula, I'm the one who will meet with you for every prenatal appointment we schedule, and for the duration of your labor - no matter how long it takes. In labor, knowing what to expect and having someone by your side that you trust helps you stay relaxed and confident. DM me to set up a time to chat about what birth doula support might look like for you. #kingscountydoula #hanfordca #hanforddoula #hanfordcadoula #doulashawna #doulapidural

Doulas really are out here doing the most. Hands on. Brains on.

Birth doulas offer evidenced-based information throughout your pregnancy and labor. Here's some of the evidence-based research that shows the benefits of hiring a birth doula. Check out the link iny bio for more info. #kingscountydoula #hanfordca #hanforddoula #hanfordsmallbusiness #doulashawna #doulapidural

Hello everyone!!!! Thank for you liking my doula page!! I will be posting evidence based birthy info here. Contact me if you have any questions. Don't hesitate to reach out through any of the means below and through messenger. Excited to hear from you!