Should I hire a doula for my birth? my postpartum?
Doulas are your key to supported, unconditional care, and better outcomes for your labor, birth, and postpartum journey. Again and again we hear it from our own clients and from our birth worker community… doulas are a gift! (Which is why the term doula or “one who gives herself up to another” now applies to other life spaces, too – like fertility, loss bereavement, adoption, and more!)
Do you want to feel loved, educated, and respected during the decision making process? A supportive birth team will provide you with the resources, tools, and SPACE so that you can make the best decision(s) for your family without fear of judgement or bias.
We want you to leave your birth experience as an active participant, the MOST important person in the room, and empowered from using your voice to advocate for your family.
Doula Alyssa, Owner, Cherry Blossom Doula Services, LLC
The Oxford Dictionary says that doulas are –
a. a (person), typically without formal obstetric training (i.e. we are not medical professionals), who are employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labor, or
b. a (person) employed to provide guidance and support to the mother of a newborn baby
Here at Cherry Blossom, your doulas specialize in empowering your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. We say well mothers and families change the world! And we’ve seen it first hand.
A supported birth and labor experience with us can include:
- “triage” in early labor; we share tricks and tools that will allow you rest, nourishment – and how to protect your space so that labor gets off the ground
- helping keep you and your partner calm
- reminding you of what is normal – and if you need to take an unexpected side road (literally or figuratively), we can help you be a calm, cool, and collected part of the decision making process with your provider and birth team (we love the acronym BRAIN – Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition or pause and do Nothing); helping you process these changes and stay positive makes our souls sing
- joining you at home in active labor, and helping you decide the best time to go to the birth center/hospital or call over your midwife and birth team (homebirth)⠀
- problem solving if labor patterns are funky, labor isn’t progressing or you need to navigate an unexpected labor change/intervention⠀
- helping you manage contractions with comfort measures (including touch), progression of labor, and communicating to you and your partner about what stage of labor you are in and what to expect as it progresses, and⠀
- reminding you to eat, stay hydrated, when to go to the bathroom or have a position change, GIVE YOUR PARTNER A BREAK, hold your throw up bowl, help you put a pad on your underwear, fan you, and put a cold cloth on your temple or back
The list could continue on and on because your doula is naturally-inclined to cheer you on, encourage you, help with guided affirmations, use massage/counter pressure, a rebozo, essential oils, and so much more! Our heart is to treat you with the utmost respect, remind you that you are a badass, capable queen, and love on you like a sister.
This extends to our time with you in the postpartum.
Doula Marlene puts it best…
Supported postpartum is having a safe space to process everything you are going through emotionally and physically. It means you are seen and heard; you don’t feel alone. It is having someone to go to with parenting questions, fears and small celebrations. Supported postpartum is feeling taken care of so you can take care of your babe and family.
Doula Marlène
Dear one, it is never too late to create your best support team!
Questions?
Reach out to find out more about birth and postpartum services, from labor doula support to Ayurvedic mother care to placenta encapsulation, postpartum boxes, and so much more, we are with you! And follow us on social media as we dig deeper into postpartum support (and how this can support you for years and years to come!) later this moth.
Your Cherry Blossom Doulas
Hi! I’m Alyssa Leon. I lead Cherry Blossom Doula Services, LLC – an inclusive birth + postpartum doula team in Arizona; and mentor doulas in Arizona and beyond.
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