Change Is In The Air

You may be here and remember HudMama Doula Care. You may also be asking “why the change”? There are several reasons but the main reason is because I wanted to be more authentic in my work.

I became a Doula after giving birth to my first son in a hospital. When I was pregnant, I trusted that birth was a biological and non-emergent process of the body. I felt comfortable with my care providers, as I had been seeing them since I first got my period. So, I felt capable of taking on an intervention free birth in the hospital. When labor began, I labored at home as long as possible. Rocking in my baby’s room, while my husband peacefully slept. All was well and I progressed to active labor in the early morning. Things changed as we made our way to the hospital. My flight or fight reflex kicked in and I felt unsafe. Labor became painful, and I felt scared. A few hours later I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, having used no interventions. But I quickly learned that giving birth without pain meds, doesn’t necessarily facilitate a positive experience.

Fast forward 6 months later. I knew I needed to turn my experience into something positive and help others giving birth have a positive birth. I knew from my own birth that labor is much more mental than it is physical, and that is something we are not taught in our culture. That is what I wanted to teach my clients. Its taken me years to build my business into what I wanted it to be, but recently I felt something big was missing.

The New Vision

My life experience has molded me into an Advocate. When I believe something with my whole heart, I will stand up for it, and say something when no one else does. I will stick up for those who can’t do it themselves. HudMama Doula Care followed the philosophy that you can have a positive birth experience no matter what interventions are used. I still believe and practice that. However, HudMama Holistic Birth was built on my belief that birth has the best outcomes when it happens with as little intervention as possible. Of course, all medical interventions have a place and time, and undoubtedly save lives. I have now experienced enough births to reaffirm my belief that we were made to birth our babies, and birth should be left to its own the  majority of the time.

When I see a client that gives birth without intervention, I see someone who trusts themselves and their baby. They trust that birth is safe. During the postpartum period and beyond, they are more confident parents. As a Doula, I work with my clients to feel confident about their labor and birth. To trust and to have faith in the process.

What’s Next

HudMama Holistic Birth takes a more all encompassing approach to this idea. Thus being holistic. Evidence based Childbirth Education has come to the forefront of this process and I can’t wait to offer this to my clients. Most people take classes at their hospital. That’s fine, but one should know that the hospital has their own protocol (followed to avoid issues with insurance and liability), and the classes provided will most likely follow this as well. If someone is giving birth at home or a birth center, my classes will follow right in line with that. They will greatly improve the chances of someone having an unmedicated hospital birth.

After the baby is born, a whole new phase begins. The postpartum period. Feeding the baby brings on a whole new journey. In our society, most of us have not been around a person for long periods of time while they are breast or chestfeeding. We can learn all of the things, but still not know what to expect. That is why I stick by clients in this time. They will have a familiar face help them through this transition in their own home.

I am so excited to run my Doula business in a more authentic way. Helping new or experienced parents gain the tools necessary to birth as Mother Nature intended. To be empowered to labor, birth and enter their new parenthood journey knowing that they can do it. And even if there are deviations from the original plan, we can work together to still have a positive experience.