The Art of Birthing
Holistic Childbirth Preparation Classes and Hospital Labor Support Services
Provided by Wise Women Care Associates
541-772-2291

“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.” – John Kennell, MD

Professional Labor and Birth Support provided in your birth place help to reduce length of labor and pain experienced, as well as reduce the need for c-sections, epidurals, pitocin, and forceps. The benefits of doula support include increased satisfaction with birth and increased breastfeeding rates.

Meet our doulas

Carmen West

Carmen feels every woman has the right to the birth she wants. This belief has led her professionally toward helping women navigate the journey through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenting. As a Doula and Breastfeeding Counselor, she wants to assist families in experiencing joy in their birth and early nursing experience. Carmen is also a distributor of baby products including cloth diapers and slings to further support new families. She is also the proud mother of a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.

Lisa DiPaoli

Lisa believes that each and every birth will be its own unique experience and that we all have visions of how the birth of our baby will unfold. Those visions will differ from woman to woman, and it is her intention to support every woman in the way she needs it the most. With an open heart and objective mind, She wants to help women (and their partners) make informed choices throughout the entire process of bringing their baby into this world. As the mother of a beautiful 8 yr old girl, Lisa knows the strength of all woman to birth their babies and hopes to bring a sense of that calming strength to every birth she attends. As a DONA trained doula, she sees it as her job, her honor, to help every unique vision become the memory you hold of the birth of your baby.

Brier Campbel

 Brier's greatest desire is to provide each family she works with with acceptance, loving care, positivity and full support of their decisions and choices during their unique journey. Pregnancy, birth and early parenthood shape how families grow, and she hopes to create a sense of community, confidence and nurturing love during this time in a family's life. Brier is excited to be serving the underservered populations in the Rogue Valley including women on OHP, single mothers and hispanic families.

Sarah Searles

 Since becoming pregnant with her first child at the age of 17, Sarah has known first hand the power and importance of support during pregnancy, labor and birth. The instant bond she feels with young mothers is strong as she has been in their shoes before. Sarah is loving, down to earth, compassionate, and she has the innate passion for women journeying through this beautiful chapter of their life. Sarah lives in Medford with her husband and six children. She is excited to support many mothers in the future.

no-cost doula support

If you are birthing in the hospital or would like more support for any reason, hiring one of our doulas may be exactly what you are looking for. Please feel free to call for a free consultation or join us at our monthly “Tea and Cookie” Open House to meet the doulas, talk with other expectant couples and watch a short video on birth. Our Doulas offer complemetary care to low-income or OHP-enrolled clients. Please call for details or to find out if you qualify.

 

What is a doula?

The word “doula” comes from the ancient Greek meaning “a woman who serves” and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

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

benefits

Studies have found that birth companions, of which doulas are one type, offer numerous benefits both to the mother and child. Women with support have a reduction in the duration of labor, less use of pain relief medications, lower rates of operative vaginal delivery, and, in many studies, a reduction in caesarian deliveries. Newborns in supported births have lower rates of fetal distress and fewer are admitted to neonatal intensive care units. In addition, one study found that 6 weeks after delivery, a greater proportion of doula-supported women, compared to a control group, were breastfeeding, and these women reported greater self-esteem, less depression, and a higher regard for their babies and their ability to care for them. These results are similar to findings that support from a female relative during childbirth has similar effects.

One study found doula support without childbirth classes to be more helpful than childbirth classes alone, as measured by levels of emotional distress and self-esteem evaluated at an interview four months after birth. In particular, it was noted that women in the doula-supported group reported their infants as less fussy than the group attending childbirth class without any doula support.

541-772-2291