Dedicated BuzzMail: Much Ado{ula}

04.23.09 How many baby showers have you sat through listening to one birth story after the other? Don't they all have the same story line? Mom goes into labor, gets to hospital & yada yada, voila, a baby is born. (Or something like that).

Wouldn't your attention be captivated if the labor story line included a house instead of a hospital? Oh yeah, we're talking about home births. Crazy, you say? Not so much say the doulas of Whole Mothering Center, a Southeast Texas Maternal Resource.

Doulas Amy Jones & Heather Thomas set the record straight with a little doula education...
A Birth Doula:
-Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
-Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
-Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
-Stays with the woman throughout the labor
-Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
-Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
-Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
-Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level
-Research evidence shows that the quality services of a postpartum doula can ease the transition that comes with the addition of a baby to a family, improve parental satisfaction and reduce the risk of mood disorders.

A Postpartum Doula:
-Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester
-Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light housekeeping (we are loving this one!!!)
-Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary

As if offering all of the above isn't enough, the Whole Mothering Center also now offers pregnancy, birth, newborn & breastfeeding photography.

For more information on the Whole Mothering Center, contact Amy Jones {Director of Public Relations} at 409.466.1198 or email amy@wholemotheringcenter.com; Heather Thomas {Program Director} at heather@wholemotheringcenter.com. Keep in touch with new services & upcoming events by visiting their website. Now registering for breastfeeding & childbirth classes.

Featured Editorial Archive

Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau

Need some time with other moms? The Whole Mothering Center is sponsoring a facilitated discussion group that meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6 pm at the Logon Cafe' (3805 Calder) in Beaumont. Next meeting is 5/14. Guest speaker Samantha Whalen will talk about the newest way for moms to stay fit - Stroller Strides!
Free admission to WMC Members, $5.00 admission to non-members.

The Whole Mothering Center offers a free, no-obligation first consultation for prospective clients and is willing to barter, set up payment plans and/or offer reduced fees for low-income women who are VERY committed to natural birth and breastfeeding.