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December 2010

Baby Bump Services / 2010 (Page 2)

The Essential Doula

"If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." Dr. John Kennell But really, what IS a doula? This wonderful video from DONA International gives us a great glimpse into what a doula is, what a doula does and most important WHY, in other words: how important her role is in serving expectant and new parents. As Penny Simkin puts it in the film: "We can't control how long labor is going to be or how difficult, but we can control how we care for women." In addition to providing birth doula services to expectant parents, Baby Bump Services also offers DONA-approved Birth Doula Trainings in Boise, Idaho several times a year facilitated by Kyndal May and Jennifer Clover. ...

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Laboring in Water is Effective for Pain Relief

Doulas and midwives have long known that giving a laboring woman the option of climbing into a large, deep tub of warm water often results in decreased pain, increased relaxation and better coping. And a better ability to cope with labor means less need for medical interventions. A survey of 510 women revealed that laboring in and with water (bathing and/or showering) was more effective than systemic pain medications such as Pethidine (commonly known as Demerol, an opoid analgesic). In the survey, 77% of the women used drugs, with 56% receiving epidurals and while that method of pain relief received the greatest score for effectiveness, the survey showed that less interventive comfort measures such as breathing, massage, hot and cold packs and most especially,...

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DONA-trained Birth Doulas Learning Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices

In the Baby Bump Services BEcoming a Doula Workshop we weave the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices into our trainings. Doulas explore the feelings and needs a client might have when approaching and passing her expected due date and brainstorm ways to help that mama get her needs met in other ways while considering the benefits of letting labor begin on its own. We practice comfort measures and explore ways to support laboring moms to walk, move and change positions in labor. We explore the meaning of continuous supportand the concept of attuning to the laboring mother and the unique single purpose and primacy of interest of the DONA birth support doula. We learn about interventions explore evidenced-based care, resources for current and quality research and the benefits to...

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