Why You Can't Afford Not To Hire A Postpartum Doula

The first few days and weeks of parenthood can be rough. You have a brand new responsibility that does not come with instructions and you are trying to figure it all out. You are learning your baby's cues, trying to establish feeding, wondering if you are doing everything right, not getting enough sleep and are overall overwhelmed and exhausted. It can be a lot.

Many cultures around the world come together when a baby is born, hence the saying "It takes a village." While some women are cooking and preparing nutritious meals for the new mom, others are showering mom with ceremonies to welcome her into parenthood or teaching her tricks or "life hacks" about breastfeeding, diapering, caring for herself and baby, etc. There is always someone around to step up and help out when needed. Somehow, In America we lost that. Mom spends a day or two after birth in the hospital surrounded by nurses who help care for her and baby, but are then sent on their way, often with no further help. If parents are lucky they have family or good friends nearby who can help, but the village mentality no longer exists.

So how can a postpartum doula help? Here are a list of just a few of the amazing things a postpartum doula may do to love on and support mom, baby and family. 

• Allow the parents to express any questions or concerns they might have in a non-judgmental atmosphere
• Teach parents basic newborn care from swaddling, how to bath baby, how to recognize baby's hunger cues, and more
• Offer non-biased, evidence based information
• Refer parents to local resources to seek additional help if needed
• Assist in feeding, bathing or any other newborn care needs
• Cook a nutritious meal for the family
• Help with light housework, from baby's laundry, to doing the dishes, etc. 
• Watch for signs of postpartum depression and offer resources for mom to find help if needed
• A time to care for baby so parents can nap, shower, care for or spend time with other siblings or family members, etc. 

Doula's are not just great at helping first time parents either. Second, third, fourth time (or more!) parents can greatly benefit from a postpartum doula. Having that extra hand around the house to assist in the demands of a newborn can give mom and dad a quick sigh of relief. It can reduce stress and help calm and affirm mom and dad that they are doing a good job.

But what about the financial cost? Postpartum doula support might not fit into everyone's budget. We know that. We understand that not everyone who needs our services can easily afford it. We understand that keeping on budget is a huge priority for a lot of families. If you decide not to hire a postpartum doula because you feel you can not afford it, I urge you to reconsider. While not every doula will offer a discount, most of us are willing to discuss your budget and see what would work to benefit both client and doula. Sadly, I have heard of doula's telling potential clients to open up a new line of credit or remortgage their house or some other ridiculously budget-unfriendly advice in order to afford their doula services. But I am here to tell you that that is a terrible idea. Please do not do that.

Instead, here are a few other ideas to help you save up for and pay for postpartum doula support if you are on a tight budget:

• Ask for money to go towards postpartum doula support, as a baby shower gift. 
• Additionally, if you are looking to hire a specific postpartum doula, ask them if family and friends can buy gift certificates from them to help offset your cost. Many doula's would be more than happy to create gift certificates for clients friends and families to give as baby shower gifts.
• Talk to your doula (or potential doulas if you have not hired one yet). Honesty can go a long way. Not every doula will be able to offer a discount, but they may offer a payment plan to help you out if you are open and honest about any financial concerns you have. 
• Prioritize other spending. I know, this option is not the most fun. But once you start looking at your budget you will see what you don't really need to spend money on, and what you do. Maybe you don't really need the car seat that connects to bluetooth and has speakers so you can play music for your baby from your phone into the carseat. Opting for a simpler car seat* without all the gizmos and gadgets in order to put more money towards hiring a postpartum doula to support you, will likely be something that you will not regret. (*insert "car seat" with any other expensive baby gadget that is not totally necessary)
• Money Jar. This is how I personally have saved up money for big purchases over a longer period of time. When I got engaged I had a jar of cash and coins I would add to frequently. At the end of about 6 months of doing this I had enough to pay for my wedding dress up front. My main rule was, any money put into the jar could not be taken out for any other reason. 

Overall, there aren't a whole lot of reasons why you should not hire a postpartum doula. We will love on you, support you, help you, empower you, encourage you, and so much more! To chat with me further feel free to email me at samanthaswartzdoula@gmail.com or check out my website at www.samanthaswartzdoula.com. 

My First Birth Experience

I can't seem to find the right words to start this post, so I'll just jump right in. Last week, I got to experience my first birth. I am absolutely in awe of the whole experience, it has almost left me speechless. No amount of studying, reading or viewing videos of birth could have ever prepared me to see it first hand and to be a part of the action. I am so amazed at our bodies ability and design, the strength women have and the miracle of life itself.

Throughout my training and up until I left for the hospital, I kept thinking to myself "Is this what I want to do?" "Will this make me happy" and now I know that 100% for sure, THIS is what I want to do with my life. I want to empower women to advocate for themselves, I want to support them, educate them and their partner on the process of childbirth and on caring for their newborn. Being able to be such an important role in my client's lives is a blessing and an honor. Their trust in me during such an intimate time, is something that I will never be able to thank them enough for no matter how many families I support and how many birth's I attend.

At the current moment I am offering postpartum support. I absolutely loved my first birth doula experience, however my schedule is not flexible enough to properly support births. I am so thrilled to be able to offer postpartum support to moms, dads, and babies and am excited to continue learning and growing alongside my clients. Thank you to everyone who has helped me to get to this point, and thank you to everyone who I will be serving and supporting throughout the rest of my doula career.

My Journey to Certification

There is a sense of accomplishment when you take steps towards following your dreams and achieving your goals. As of this weekend, I am one step closer to not only starting my own business, but to use my passion for loving on other's to serve and help mom's and babies.

To see how this journey began, let's take a look at the past year. Summer or 2016 was a strange summer for me. Summer has always meant spending multiple weeks at the beach, going on missions trips, to music festivals, sleeping in, spending the nights star gazing, watching movies and being with family and friends. Although I had a busy traveling schedule in the summers, I always managed to be spontaneous and carefree. But after I got married, I needed to become a little more responsible (Ugh, adulting is the worst). So I got an office job. I would sit at my desk in a windowless hallway on those beautiful, hot sunny days, nostalgic for spontaneity and flexibility. That's when I realized that if I wanted life to change, I had to work towards making that change for myself.

I started brain storming of ways I can make money while doing what I love. I love napping, but a professional mattress tester didn't sound like a real job. I love going to the beach and the pool, but I don't have the attention span to be a lifeguard, always on the look out, and what would I do in the winter? That is when it hit me. I want to be a doula. At the time I only had a basic understanding of what a doula was, I just knew they worked with mom's and newborn babies. And for those who know me, you know I love some good baby snuggles.

After some research and conversations with a friend, I got connected to Wendy Shiffer from Family Trees Doula School. It took me some more time, research, and asking for money for Christmas, but I finally saved up enough money and did enough research to feel confident that this is what I wanted to do, so I registered for the Spring 2017 session of Doula School.

For the last five months I have been reading about, researching and studying everything from the stages of labor, to the benefits of breast milk, to hormone cycles, epidurals, home births, medical interventions, how to properly swaddle baby, and so much more so that I can give evidence based information to families. All this studying, researching and reading all lead up to this past weekend. Our class met for a hands-on training workshop/seminar, resulting in our official certification. I am beyond excited to take this next leap of faith as I work towards working for myself, taking on clients I love, and serving them with all my heart. I may not be able to go back to being the completely carefree, spontaneous person I was growing up, but I will have more flexibility working for myself. I will be the one in charge and making all the calls, and I will be the one reaping the benefits of my hard work. And I can't wait to see where else this adventure takes me.

I can not write this blog post without sending a huge shout out to Wendy. She has been such a major blessing through this process. She is not only knowledgeable and passionate about what she teaches, but she is caring and wants to see her students succeed. She goes above and beyond and is there every step of the way. If becoming a doula and helping mom's and babies sounds like something you'd be interested in, I highly recommend you check out Family Trees Doula School and talk to Wendy.

To keep up with my adventures be sure to follow me on my social media pages (linked on sidebar)

The Benefits of Vernix Caseosa

If you are like me, you saw the newest Johnson and Johnson commercial and cringed. The commercial sets the scene in a hospital room, a beautiful newborn baby is being bathed by a nurse. The narrator explains that this baby is just minutes old and that Johnson and Johnson is the brand most hospitals trust to wash newborns. But why do I, along with so many others find this cringe-worthy? It is because newborns are born with Vernix caseosa.

Vernix is a naturally occurring, cheesy like substance that coats the skin of newborns. This lipid-rich substance covers and protects the fetus from amniotic fluid during the third trimester but it also has a variety of benefits outside of the womb. Some of these awesome benefits are that it helps baby's skin surface adapt to it's new environment and keeps the skin moisturized. It has antioxidant properties due to the presence of vitamin E and melanin, and contains antimicrobial peptides(1). The best way to take advantage of these benefits is to rub the vernix into the baby's skin soon after birth, rather than wash it off.

In the womb, vernix works as a separation between the baby and the amniotic fluid. It is a lipid-rich substance that is unique to humans. Once baby is born it helps the skin defend itself from outside bacteria and fungal agents. More specifically it has been tested and shown beneficial to defend against E. coli, Group B Strep, Staph aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Listeria monocytogenes, Serratia marcescens and Klebsiella pneumonia (2). All of which could be a potential risk for baby.

Newborn baby with vernix still on their skin

Skin is our biggest organ, and one that continues to develop after birth. A baby's skin is not fully mature until about twelve months of age, so it is important for parents to care properly for their baby's skin and to know about healthy bathing practices. It is advised to give baby a bath 2-3 times a week for the first six months while being aware of the soaps and detergents that could irritate or dry out baby's skin (3). For a list of EWG verified baby wash products click here.

In conclusion, using a combination of healthy bathing practices as well as holding off your baby's first bath until the vernix is rubbed into their skin, has the potential to benefit your baby in the world outside of your womb. Although not every hospital follows this procedure, the benefits are becoming more well known. If you have any further questions or concerns, be sure to reach out to your health care provider.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

We've all heard the saying "breast is best" but what are the benefits of breastfeeding? How can breastfeeding help your little one and how can you use breastfeeding for your own selfish gain? *hint: it may involve being able to lose weight while eating more food. I bet Jenny Craig can't do that for you, now can she?

Benefits to baby

• The first day or two after birth you are producing colostrum. This thick substance is very rich in antibodies, low in fat and high in protein and carbohydrates to help keep your baby healthy.
• The composition of your breast milk is unique to your baby and will change to meet your baby's needs. For each child you have, your body will produce a different composition of breast milk based on the unique needs of your newest baby. 
• Your breast milk contains living cells that will coat the mucous membranes of your baby's digestive system. this will protect him against all kinds of bacteria and viruses that he will be exposed to in the world outside of your womb. 
• Exclusively breastfeeding your baby for at least the first six months will reduce the risk of:
• asthma
• food allergies
• allergy rhinitis (runny nose) 
• Several studies on the development of intelligence in babies have shown that babies exclusively fed breast milk have shown higher scores on IQ tests (note: breastfeeding alone will not make your baby a genius, other factors such as loving touch, skin to skin and being held can contribute to a baby's development.) 
• Breastfeeding also has analgesic properties. Babies who are breastfed while getting the heel poke to draw blood will cry little, if at all. It also comforts baby if they have a cold or the flu

Benefits to Mom

• Oxytocin release
• This can cause uterine contractions which help the uterus shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size
• Helps reduce the chance of postpartum hemorrhage
• Suppression of ovulation and menstration
• Helps mom return to pre-pregnancy weight faster, while being able to eat an extra 500-600 calories a day- Score! Who doesn't want to lose weight while being able to eat more food?
• Reduced risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures once mom is postmenopausal
• Breastfeeding is FREE
• formula can cost anywhere from $1,800-$2,600 per year per baby, but your body creates breast milk at no added financial cost (except maybe the extra burrito you bought at Chiptole to make up for all those burned off calories... but don't worry, your secret is safe with me) 

Although this is just a short list you can already see how beneficial breastfeeding is for both mom and baby. For more information check out Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding also look into your local Le Leche Leaque , talk to your doula, midwife, OB, and other friends who have breastfed. 

Benefits of Hiring a Doula

Doula's have great benefits to a mother, her partner and any other family members involved in the birth and in raising the baby. To properly answer the question "How can a Doula benefit me" let's first look at what a doula does and does not do. 

What Doula's do:

Provide emotional support

Gives non-biased, evidence based information

Reassures and comforts mother

Uses comfort measures like breathing, relaxation, movement, etc.

Helps mom become informed on various birth and parenting choices

What Doula's do NOT do:

Not medical professionals

Do not perform clinical tasks such as vaginal exams or fetal heart monitoring

Do not give medical advice or diagnose conditions

Do not judge you for decisions that you make

They do not let their personal values or biases get in the way of caring for you

They do not take over the role of your husband or partner

They do not deliver the baby

A doula's main job is to be a "mother to the mother" to be present, and aware of the mother's needs during Labor and in Postpartum. 

How can a Birth Doula benefit you? 

Women who have continuous labor support experienced a:

31% decrease in the use of Pitocin

28% decrease in the risk of C-Section

12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth

9% decrease in the use of any medication for pain relief

14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery

34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

How can a Postpartum Doula benefit you? 

They can help identify symptoms of postpartum depression

Help with soothing techniques for baby

Help with breastfeeding or bottle feeding support

Help with light house chores to free up some time to bond with baby, other children or your partner.

They can help watch baby for a time so you can take a shower, spend time with other children, take a nap without worry, etc. 

And so much more! 

In conclusion, you deserve to hire a Doula! They will be your best friend through your birth and a great help and sigh of relieve during the postpartum period. 

For more benefits and information check out: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/

Why Did I Decide to Become a Doula?

I often get the question "Why a doula?" especially by people who don't always understand what a Doula does. Personally, I decided to become a doula because I care about and love people. Childbirth is one of the most personal and memorable things a woman will ever do and caring for a newborn can sometimes become overwhelming. I want to help mom's (and dad's) feel more confident about their decisions in childbirth and in caring for their newborn by not only being a non-judgmental support system, but by also educating them about evidence based practices.

Our current medical system is not doing the natural process of birth justice. Women's bodies were not only designed for this, but women's bodies know what to do and when without any second thought. Your body will tell you when baby is ready to come out and your body will tell you when you need push. I believe birth to be one of the most natural things I woman can do and I want to educate and empower her to have the best birth possible.