doula training

This past weekend, I attended my official CAPPA (Chilldbirth and Postpartum Association) doula training. Since I decided to pursue this goal, I have been blessed to be at 10 births, supporting women and their partners through one of the most intimate, amazing and miraculous moments of their lives. I do consider it a blessing and privilege to be asked into someone's birth and do my best to support them through those hours of uncertainty and intensity. My attendance at this training this weekend makes me an official doula-in-training with CAPPA and puts me on the path of certification, which I am hoping to complete by January or February 2010. The training was a weekend training that started early and went to about dinner time. Additionally, it was about 40 minutes away. Those of you that know me, know that I am not a morning person. So it definitely has to be something important to get me out of bed that early on a weekend! On a side note, I must say though that there were other women who traveled much further than I did to attend this training. Cudos to you all! Back on topic, I learned so much this weekend about how to better support women in labor. I was reaffirmed that this is the career for me. And I was reminded again of the awesomeness of God in allowing humanity to participate in creation and designing our bodies to work and to birth! I am convinced that women know how to birth their babies. It is a deep, innate part of femaleness. Unfortunately, our culture and society has made women doubt this truth and doubt themselves. I think there is a growing number of women (and their partners) that are being to listen to their bodies and trust their instincts. They are asking questions and making informed decisions about what is best for them and for their baby. I hope that this trend continues. Pregnancy and birth are not medical conditions. Pregnant women are not sick.

Listen, I know that not every woman wants to feel labor. I know that not every couple wants to have a natural birth. That is fine. That is each couple's choice. But at least know your options before making a decision. Know the risks and benefits of each procedure and medication. Read up on them for yourself. Don't just trust someone else to tell you the whole truth. Ask your doctor about their attitudes toward labor and letting things progress in their own time. Ask about their c-section rates, etc. Get information. Whether or not you agree or choose to have birth in a natural way, just make an INFORMED decision. Ok, I will get off my soap box now:) In an effort to pursue my passion to educate, here is some information for you to think through.

I know that most typical Americans don't really understand natural or normal childbirth and don't even know the word doula. I think that is a shame! In fact, that is part of the passion that I have developed over the last few years- a passion to educate people about birth choices. Did you know that most couples spend more time researching what car they want to buy than how they want to bring their child into the world? To that end, here are a few facts about the benefits of having a doula present at birth:

(1) It reduces the likelihood of c-sections by 50%
(2) It decreases the length of labor by 25%
(3) Reduces the use of oxytocin (pitocin) by 40%
(4) It reduces the use of narcotics by 30%
There are many more advantages but these give you an idea of the significance of a doula's presence!

Some of the long term benefits include:

(1) Improved breastfeeding
(2) Increased time spent with baby
(3) Decreased postpartum depression

Here are some great resources to learn more about normal/natural birth, it's benefits for mom and baby and doulas in your area:

Childbirth and Postpartum Association www.cappa.net- Find a doula
Doulas of Southern California www.dascdoulas.org- Find a doula in SoCal
The Business of Being Born www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com-Watch the documentary, links to other great resources
Giving Birth Naturally www.givingbirthnaturally.com-Everything you ever wanted to know about the risks of medical interventions, medications and how to do it all naturally
Dr. Sears www.askdrsears.com- Great information on childbirth and newborn health and care(and much more) from the the Sears family of doctors