As I dove deeper into birth work, the answer became clear. Many women feel disempowered because modern-day maternity care often follows a one-size-fits-all path, perpetuating our cultural disconnection from the experiences and possibilities within childbirth. I call this the Maternity Conveyor Belt, and it goes like this:

let's look at the cycle that nearly every first-time-parent-couple takes:

1. Couple receives positive pregnancy test

2. Care begins at a hospital-clinic

3. In the second trimester, couple signs up for a hospital-based childbirth education class.

Is this popular cyclical pattern serving families well? Consider this:

I talk about birth often. If we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, we’ve probably chatted birth! I have yet to hear of one family, ever, who has reported that they felt extremely confident and prepared as a result of their hospital based birth education class alone.

I have yet to meet a partner who knew his partner’s birth plan thoroughly, and how to advocate with appropriately-timed “yes, no’s, or let’s wait’s…”

I have yet to meet mamas who told me the 5, 6, 7 different positions she knew to work through as early labor turned active, active turned transitional, transitional turned pushing.

Friend, as you can see, more than head-knowledge is needed to adequately prepare for birth. One simply cannot expect that a four-week series class is going to lead to adequate birth preparation. This is a vital component—the process of education translating to preparation— that most first-time parents completely skip over, and it does not fair well on labor-day.

How a woman and her partner experience labor is largely shaped by the decisions, education, and preparation made long before the due date. Today, I’m sharing two million-dollar questions that most women & partners with disempowering birth experiences tend to overlook:

A story of waiting & delightful surprise.

…You get the picture. And hey, I’m not condemning, I certainly enjoy a smooth cup of Joe myself, however, mine is almost always a treat. Not “treat” in the “consume sparingly” sense, but rather, I like me a caramel latte, make it breve, and if you have some tasty cold-foam, throw it on!

If you’re like me, you understand that these daily treats, while arguably feeling like a “need”, can add up as an indulgence quite quickly. I’m *almost * sorry to go here, but hey, you’re an intentional gal, and you deserve to know this mathematical truth:

Just as women and families pay for the service of wedding coordinators, movers, massage therapists, financial consulting, and the list goes on, doula support is a service you invest in for the betterment of YOU.

What most people don’t consider, though, is how hiring a doula can actually save you money (and, arguably more importantly, protect your peace of mind). Allow me to expose just 3 ways that working with a doula may provide savings:

Today’s guest post is from Holly, a kind-hearted Mama of three who is sharing her inspiring story of her precipitous birth of her third child. Her birth story is a great reminder that, while timing is out of our control, God’s timing is always perfect (and often surprising)!

As I dove deeper into birth work, the answer became clear. Many women feel disempowered because modern-day maternity care often follows a one-size-fits-all path, perpetuating our cultural disconnection from the experiences and possibilities within childbirth. I call this the Maternity Conveyor Belt, and it goes like this: