Today's Post written by Jill our new guest writer!

I am so excited to have Jill  as a member of our team and family here at Blessed Nest. She will be a guest writer on the topic of nurturing and her life as a Doula.

Birth. It is a day that a woman will remember for the rest of her life. The birth of each baby can have a lasting impact on the mental and physical health of a woman, her baby and the family as a unit. Giving birth is an experience that has the power to bring about a newfound sense of satisfaction and confidence within each woman and in her ability to give her best to her new baby, her family and to the world around her. It’s no wonder that there is a profession of specially trained and nurturing women out there to help support a woman through one of the most intense and amazing experiences of her lifetime.

Doulas have been around for centuries and are most poignantly described as “the woman beside the mother”. Doulas are responsible for providing physical and emotional support to women and their partners during labor and birth. She may offer advice on comfort measures such as suggesting different laboring positions, help with guided imagery to help the laboring women relax and physically touch and massage the woman to provide comfort. Doulas are also responsible for providing informational support so that the laboring couple can feel confident in making the best possible decisions about the birth process.

A doula provides continuous emotional support and comfort to the laboring woman during the birth and typically stays with the family for several hours afterwards to help support a woman in breastfeeding her baby and to help the new family bond. A doula aims to foster the relationship between the woman and her partner and to create a sense of empowerment for both parties as they work together to bring their baby into the world. She is a servant to the laboring woman and never does she project her own values, beliefs, criticisms or preconceived notions about birth onto the birthing woman or her partner.

There are no rules when it comes to childbirth, so a doula must always be prepared to serve in any way needed. . Although she plays many roles, a doula is not expected to “be all” to every woman. Since each woman and each birth are so unique and special she must know how to find her niche in that birthing environment. She must have the ability to enter a most-personal setting and yet, never become an "intruder".

Many times a doula has to change the intensity of her guidance and the degree to which she is involved during the birth based on the woman’s needs. She cannot allow her own ego or emotions to take center stage during the birth. At times she may have to simply be present and not necessarily be doing. It is crucial for a doula to know intuitively when to touch, when to speak and when to simply just be. Each doula must find in herself her own confidence and trust in her ability to lovingly be the “woman beside the mother”.

find Jill at Home Grown Life

Thank you Jill. You are such a wonderful edition to our family!

Love, to the moon and back

Heather, Isabelle & Donna