Birth & Parenting, Podcasting & Retreats
  • A. Swift Welcome

World Doula Week: Why Hire a Doula?

3/21/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
What is a Doula? 
A question that I'm hoping will get asked less and less, but a question I am happy to answer! 

I am a doula in Chicago, and when meeting new people inevitably profession comes up. 

"I'm a doula."
"A what?"
"A doula.  I work with women and their families to help ease the transition from pregnancy to a new normal at home after birth."
"What does that look like exactly?"

And I go on and on...

Traditionally, the word doula means a woman who serves, or if we are going back to Greek origins, a woman slave.   In the context of my work, it is specific to women who a pregnant looking for labor support, or who have recently delivered and are looking for postpartum support. 

And here we are, in World Doula Week!  A whole week devoted to learning more about this work, this profession, and how I can help you.

How can I help you? 
Why is a doula something to consider for your birth or your postpartum life?

Nuts and bolts of my job means I can provide support in areas you need, such as education, physical support through labor, or emotional support through this huge life event. 

 Having a doula means I am there to support and encourage, support and inspire, support and listen, support and remind, support and observe. 

All of this support comes without any inkling of judgement or opinion.  This support is the kind that can cause a woman to empower herself to make decisions that would be hard to make if she felt she were alone.  Decisions that might be hard to make if she started to compare her feeling to those of other women. 

As women, we each have an authentic view of childbirth and that view is something to celebrate.  But it can be hard to find it and own it if a woman only hears stories of opposing opinions or terrible experiences. 

When with a woman as her labor doula or postpartum doula, I have the wonderful joy of seeing motherhood unfold and bloom.  I hear ideas never voiced.  I am told fears that have never been released.  Through it all, I am there to look women in the eyes and tell them that they are exactly what their baby needs.  That they are strong and brave, and their choices are valid.  That their feelings are valid.  That their desires are valid.

These are words women do not hear enough. 


Why Hire a Doula?
If you have never heard of a doula or if you are starting to consider bringing one onto your birth team, I encourage you to think of events in your life that will be more important than the birth of your child and those early weeks learning about each other. 

The birth of your child will be an event that you will remember for the rest of your life, and it will swell emotions - good or bad.  Consider that for years and years to come,  when you are still remembering these moments, that they will inspire positive feelings or negative feelings.

Having a doula is not a guarantee of an outcome, but having a doula will help you take ownership of your birth and help you  "write a story they are proud to tell," as Randy Patterson pointedly says in her description of doula work.

Stay with me this World Doula Week 2015 as each day a different part of doula life gets discussed! 

What about you?  If you have questions to ask this would be a great week to discuss them!  Write in below with a comment, or mail me direct at ASwiftDoula@gmail.com.  I'd love to hear from you!

Authored by A Swift Doula

Picture

 Other amazing women are getting the word out about doulas for World Doula Week.   Visit The World Doula Week Blog Challenge Blog Hop
0 Comments

Mother's Day Essay Writing Contest

3/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I am so excited to announce the 1st annual Mother's Day Essay Writing Contest! 

I know we have amazing mother's in our lives, and I want to know about them!  Take some time to write no more than 750 words about the mom, friend, wife, or neighbor that you think deserves a bit of recognition.  Or you can write in yourself about why you LOVE being a mother!  The selected winner will receive a $50 gift card to Yolk for brunch in Chicago, as well as be featured here on A Swift Doula's Blog! 

Submissions are due on or before April 30th.  Please submit essay via email to ASwiftDoula@gmail.com with the subject line of Mother's Day Essay Contest.  Winners will be announced on Mother's Day!

Submissions can be made by people of all ages, however paper submissions are not accepted at this time - if you know of a little person that would like to write in, let them!  Just please help them type it and send it.   

I appreciate your participation in this and thank you in advance for the great stories you are going to send.  If you have a photo you would like to attach with the essay, that is also a bonus, but not required.  If a photo is sent, It will be used with the winning essay's blog post. 

Best to you all and happy early Mother's Day!

Authored by A Swift Doula
0 Comments

Postpartum Doulas Could be The Key

11/3/2014

5 Comments

 
Picture
As a Chicago Doula, I am so happy to be a part of such a fine birth community.  Our hospitals can serve thousands of families everyday, and the care Chicago mothers receive while pregnant, and in labor,  is fantastic. 

With
two major airports, if your family isn't here yet, they can be soon.  So bring that baby home and... FREAK OUT!



5 Comments

Pressure, before Labor Ever Begins

10/19/2014

4 Comments

 
 Pressure.  Not the push-the-baby-out kind. 

I was lucky in my pregnancy.  I didn’t have unusual sickness, I was able to stay mobile, and I was able to keep working until my due date.  But as soon as my due date hit, I had to stay home. 

It wasn’t anything about my pregnancy that made for the change.  It was the pressure.  The pressure from my co-workers and customers made me want to curl up and cry.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions, they say, and it was starting to feel like my own personal hell. 

The day after my due date I walked in to, “You’re STILL pregnant!”

It was the first time in my pregnancy that my body felt broken, that I had done something wrong.  Was I a bad mother for not delivering my baby when I was “supposed” to?

I had read the books and taken the classes so I knew that the average first time mom doesn’t deliver until she is 41+ weeks.

 I knew that, but I felt different. 

Up until my due date, I was in the throws of fall.  Friends were going to corn mazes people were trying to find last minute Halloween costumes.  Because I was due on October 30th I made zero plans for the holiday, thinking hopefully, I’d be holding my baby.

So now, every fall, as parents are looking for festivals and pumpkin patches, whenever I see I pregnant woman, it comes back.  Trying to relax is very hard when it feels like your entire community is waiting for you to have a baby. 

I know I’m not the only one who has felt this pressure.  As I doula for more and more women, it seems it is almost unavoidable.  So if you have a pregnant woman in your life, perhaps to REALLY help her, be a safe place for her to rest. 

Keep the Pressure Off
  • Offer pillows to help get her situated comfortably.  Offer some water.   It really is the small things sometimes. 
  • Suggest a phone free afternoon, and go see a movie.  So much pressure can come from social media now that suggesting a no-phone friend date can be incredibly restorative.
  • Try not to focus on the uncomfortable parts of day-to-day life, but instead ask her what she is looking forward to.  Who will the baby look like?  How did they pick the name?  Any baby clothes she wants to show you?
  • Tell her she is beautiful.  She may be feeling anything but attractive, but she needs to hear it. 
  • And if she wants it, help her find a last minute costume to get her out of the house!

4 Comments

Tradition...gulp.

9/19/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
You may not have noticed, but the holidays are coming.  The pumpkin lattes are flowing.  Costumes are on the shelves, and recipes for soups and baked treats are popping out of the woodwork. 

You may be  freaking out about how to make baby's first Christmas (or Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah) absolutely perfect.  You may be stressed out, already, about starting new family traditions or keeping up with well established roles. 

Lets open ourselves to an idea:  becoming a parent gives us the opportunity to experience joy, belonging, and love, but there is no guarantee it will be done perfectly.  We may try to keep the idea of perfection that comes with each new baby alive along as possible, but if you let go of your idea of what should happen, you open up to the possibility of what could happen.  And that may be 100 times better than you imagined.

So a few things...


Read More
0 Comments

leaving the house with A Toddler

7/5/2014

0 Comments

 
You had somewhere you needed to be?  Sorry.  There is currently a No Pants Rebellion being staged in the foyer with no end in sight.  With Lego bombs.   

Oh you really want to go to the beach?  Sorry darlin'.  You need to pick up your (strewn about toy or object) before we go.  (Deploy clean up song.  Offer back up and support.  Resist raising tone and temper.)

So how do we get out of the house?  How do we ever leave? 
Here you go.  I'm not an expert, but this is how we do it. 

Read More
0 Comments

Penny Simkin Coming to Chicago

3/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Mark your calendars because Penny Simkin is coming to Chicago!  May 16th and 17th...Event details are HERE
If you are curious about the wonderful things this woman can share with you, get a taste over at her You Tube Channel.

I like her explanation of pain verses suffering, seen below.  

If you have had me for your doula, inside my bag is the book, The Birth Partner
.  I highly recommend it to expectant parents and birth workers.  It is on pretty much every doula certification reading list I know of and for good reason.  She makes information approachable and easy to use. 

So if you can go, great!  If you can't, visit her channel and read her books.  She is a wonderful teacher. 

Picture
0 Comments

Birth World Events Coming Soon to Chicago

3/4/2014

0 Comments

 
I know it feels like the winter will not let go this year, but there are great things coming to our wonderful city.   Keep your sights focused beyond that snow pile in front of your house and register for something wonderful. 

  If you know of an event that you think other mommas, dads, families, or birth professionals should know about, I would love to keep updating my calendars!  Send me the link!  I'll do my best to keep it fresh.
Picture
Life With Baby Conference
Chicago, March 8
Hosted by Chicago Volunteer Doulas

Anderson Pavilion at Swedish Covenant Hospital
5145 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
12:30-3:45pm
Register Here

More info at their facebook page

Picture
Birth Without Fear Meetup  
Chicago, April 11


Location TBA
9-3pm
$99-$129
Register Here




Picture
Hospital and Community Partners Networking event -
Chicago, April 11

Hosted by Chicago Breastfeeding Task Force and
Illinois Department of Health Services

Sinai Community Institute, Town hall meeting rooms B & C
2356 W. Ogden

Chicago, IL 60608
10-3pm
$10
Register Here or 773-936-8784



Picture
Chicago Birth Professional Conference
La Grange, May 3
Hosted by Tranquil Transition Placenta Services

La Grange Hospital
5101 South Willow Springs Rd
La Grange, IL 60525

8:00-4:00pm

 Register Here

 More info on their Facebook Page

Picture
Introduction to Birthing From Within
Chicago, June 27-29th

Location TBA
9-6pm
$399-475
Register Here


0 Comments
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2017
    May 2017
    August 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    August 2013

    Categories

    All
    Baby
    Babywearing
    Birth
    Birth Annoucement
    Birth Doula
    Books
    Breastfeeding
    Chicago
    Courage
    Dads
    Decisions
    Depression
    Doula
    Due Dates
    Events
    Fathers
    Food
    Get Connected
    Get Out
    Holidays
    Instagram
    Internet
    IVF
    Jill Of All Trades
    Labor
    Legacy
    Lets Talk About It
    Littles
    Magic
    Mommy Wars
    Motherhood
    Mother's
    Not Alone
    Parenting
    Penny Simkin
    Placenta
    Postdate
    Postpartum Doula
    Prodoula
    Real Life
    Sleep
    TLDG
    Todder
    Tools
    Video
    Weaning
    Wee Ones
    Where To Go
    Writing



    RSS Feed

CONTACT

HOME