Doula Talk

The acceptance of doulas in maternity care is rapidly growing with the recognition of their important contribution to the improved physical outcomes and emotional well being of mothers and infants. Join us for a discussion about the doula’s role before, during, and after the birth of your baby.

Saturday February 26th at 12 noon until 1pm

Destination Maternity

575 Madison Avenue

28 East 57th Street

New York, NY 10022

Tips for Choosing a Doula

Tips for Choosing a Doula

So you’re pregnant, or not, and you are thinking about hiring a doula to accompany you through the pregnancy, birth and/or postpartum period. Where do you begin?

You’ve already googled “doula in NYC” more than 100 results popped up. What next?

One of my first tips is to have an idea of what you’re looking for in a doula.

Next step: make some calls and send out some emails!

A basic email or phone call will do. Something like: Hello My name is Laura and I am due January 1, 2011 and looking for a birth and postpartum doula. Could you please tell me a little bit about the services you/your group provides and your fees. It is important to contact a few, if not more, different doulas/doula groups. Most likely, you will hear back from the doula or doula group fairly quickly.

Once you have make initial contact and get some details, set up a few “meet and greet” meetings.

Have a list of questions you’d like to ask the doula. It is important to go in with an open mind because choosing a doula is sort of like choosing a best friend, except this new best friend will be your go to resource during your pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum periods. So, try to go with your gut and make sure you aren’t choosing a doula based only on experience, price, recommendations and popularity. Both you and your partner should feel 100% comfortable and confident with your choice.

Some ideas for questions to ask the doula(s):

How/why did you become a doula?

What is your philosophy about labor support and postpartum support?

What do you think your most important role at the births you attend is?

How do you plan on supporting me and my partner through the process?

What role do you play when it comes to interacting with my midwife/doctor/nurses?

Have you ever worked with my chosen provider?

What is your fee and what does that include?

After your meet and greet meetings, just go with your gut.

Who do you feel most comfortable with?

Who do you want to invite into your pregnancy and life?

One important tip: your doula is not going to determine how your birth turns out. In fact, no one can. You and your baby are the ones in charge of this life changing experience so choose wisely, and remember that you have choices. Trust your instincts, you will know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Best of luck!

Getting Your Body Baby Friendly

Here are some professional tips for women contemplating motherhood:

1) Start by creating a reproductive life plan. This should include you and your spouse/partner. It documents your goals around having, or not having, children. Once you identify your goals you then determine what steps you need to take to see them to fruition. To make a reproductive life plan, click here to learn more.

2) Speak to your health care provider. This includes your gynecologist, midwife, nurse practitioner, or whoever provides your reproductive health care.

3) If you have any chronic or existing health conditions speak to your specialist about how becoming pregnant might affect your health. Connect them with your reproductive health provider so you have all the bases covered.

4) Assess your nutritional intake and discuss any concerns with your provider.

5) Remain or become physically active. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise routine.

This information should be enough to get you out of the starting blocks. While most pregnancies are not planned, yours doesn’t have to be a part of those statistics. Preconception planning reduces the stress associated with the unexpectedness of becoming pregnant. It also puts you in the driver’s seat, one of the first steps to making healthy birth choices.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider about all of your medical concerns.

~Tamara

Lovely Day at ‘Miles for Midwives’ in Prospect Park

On a lovely Saturday in early October, Woman’s Way Doula Group took part in the 8^th Annual ‘Miles for Midwives’ 5K Walk/Run in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.  We had a table in the Wellness Fair and had one of our very own doulas, Sasha, take part in the race!  Proceeds from the event went toward improving maternity care in our community.  Photos and feedback from our doulas below!

It was a beautiful fall day and such a treat to run around NYC’s loveliest park with a whole crowd of midwife-loving folks! It was my first race ever, and I think will be hard to top.  ~Sasha

Miles for Midwives was a success! I arrived early to meet a few of the WW doulas along with many others gearing up for the race and wellness fair. We set up our table, made connections with our neighbors and relaxed. It was nice to have at least one doula from our group running the race, go Sasha! My cousin and her boyfriend ran to support the cause and our group, thanks Fran and Chris! After the race was over, we had a nice mix of people walking through the wellness fair, and were able to have nice conversations with different individuals. I had to leave early but was happy to be there for a while. Beautiful fall weather, women carrying their babies beneath their hearts, moms and dads wearing their babies, children running around, midwives, doulas and other birth caregivers all in one place – who could ask for more?  ~Laura

What a pleasure to connect with so many families and care providers who believe in each woman’s right and ability to make the best choices regarding her body, birth, and baby! One of my favorite moments was watching a mother cross the finish line, pushing her toddler in a stroller and with her youngest carried on her chest.  ~Lily

The weather was perfect for networking with other birthing professionals. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in learning about each others services. It was a great feeling to represent WWDG at our first coming out event (not counting our Doula talks). Looking forward to having more community exposure.  ~Tamara

Welcome to the Woman’s Way Blog!

Thank you for visiting our Blog! Woman’s Way is a group of doulas working together to support pregnant and laboring women and their families in NYC and Westchester. Our passion is birth. We believe every woman deserves to have the opportunity to birth in her own way with a supportive birth team by her side! All of our doulas believe in unconditional support for women and families and we look forward to serving anyone who comes our way. Please visit our website for additional information on Woman’s Way Doula Group and each of the doulas!