Monthly Archives: July 2015

The Last the Thing You Want to Think About During Pregnancy

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The last thing you want to think about during pregnancy…no, not that.

Exercise. Yep, exercise. You’re spending all of your energy on growing a human inside of you, the last thing you want to think about is peeling yourself off the sofa at night or rolling out of the bed extra early. But exercising during a normal low-risk pregnancy can benefit you more than you think.

The key is exercising safely and responsibly. On askdrsears.com, they state “the key to safe exercise while pregnant is to work your body without stressing it or your baby’s. A general guide is—if it’s too strenuous for you, it’s too strenuous for baby.” Dr. Sears’ website also offers some other basic guidelines on exercising while pregnant. As always, consult your doctor or midwife before doing any physical activity during your pregnancy (or before your 6 week postpartum check-up).

Usually, whatever activities you have been participating in before pregnancy are usually safe to continue through most of your pregnancy. For example, runners can usually continue to run while pregnant (within limits and with care provider permission, of course).

For those that have been mostly inactive before pregnancy, starting off slow can really help to ease the transition. Moderate walking or a prenatal yoga or dance class could be beneficial and could help ease some of the discomforts of pregnancy. It can also be helpful in conditioning core and leg muscles and increasing stamina for labor.

As with anything in pregnancy or the postpartum period, when starting an exercise regimen, always consult with your provider and listen to your body. Being healthy during pregnancy can not only help your body through that long nine months but it can also aid in your labor and recovery. It’s also proven that exercise helps to boost your mood and energy levels as well.

So, get out there and find your groove and do what feels best to you and your body!

Jessica
With over 4 years of experience serving families during the most exciting, overwhelming, and rewarding time in their lives, Jessica Strickland is considered an asset and irreplaceable support person for new parents and expanding families.

Jessica, a DONA trained Labor Doula and trained Postpartum Doula with ProDoula, began her journey as a doula and small business owner in 2010 after leaving a career in non-profit marketing. Her passion is in birth work and supporting families through one of the biggest transitions in their lives. Her Doula career began as the mentee of an experienced Labor Doula and since then, Jessica has expanded the services she provides to the community as well as committed herself to furthering her skills to better serve her clients including Rebozo techniques and breastfeeding education.

When she is not pursuing her passion of supporting families, Jessica is living in Colorado Springs, CO with her husband, young daughter and two dogs. She loves to travel with her family and considers herself an amateur photographer and social media enthusiast. She is also a State Co-Coordinator with Postpartum Support International, Inc. Jessica is the owner of The Birth In You Doula Services LLC.

doula support benefits colorado springs birth labor

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3 Unexpected Benefits of Having a Doula By Your Side

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When you envision a doula at your side, what do you think of? Perhaps you think of a friendly person tenderly massaging your feet during your labor. Or, you may picture your doula giving you advice while you are laboring in a hospital bed. As labor doulas, we certainly do some of these things (and much more!), but there are actually many unexpected benefits of hiring us as your doulas!

The Top 3 Unexpected Benefits of Doula Support

1. Because you might not remember everything (and you might not want to). A doula will supply you with evidence-based information whenever you ask for it throughout pregnancy and your birth. If you find that you need to make an informed decision during labor, we can give you unbiased information and remind you to use BRAIN (a handy acronym that we teach all of our clients). You deserve to have all the information at your fingertips, without resorting to Google or a hazy recollection of the birth class you took 3 months ago. Our doulas pride themselves on their troubleshooting skills, their knowledge of birth, and their understanding of the wide variety of circumstances that can happen during labor. Let us handle the remembering so that you and your partner can stay focused on your growing family.

It is always useful to run through the BRAIN acronym before making a non-emergency decision

2. Because you might change your mind. We get it, things can change quickly, and we want you to know that you are safe with us- safe to change your mind, safe to be upset with the intensity of birth, and safe to rely on us. We can help clients and their partners achieve their birth goals, but we are also prepared to throw the plan out the window if you change your mind or circumstances change unexpectedly. No one should have to feel guilty about their choices, and we believe that you, the birthing client, will make the best decisions for you and your baby. We even suggest a code word for our clients to use when they are serious about making changes to their birth plan. With a code word, a client is free to say or do anything during their labor- vent, move, get frustrated- and we are free to continue supporting them in the ways that we have planned. But the minute our client uses the code word, we switch gears with them and start down the path that they would like. You, your partner, and your family are 100% supported.

You don’t need to research childbirth when there’s a doula by your side

3. Because you might want a dance party during your labor, and you shouldn’t have to do that alone. No, we’re serious. If you want your birth experience to look like a party, we will help you achieve that. If your heart’s desire is to watch Star Wars during your labor, we will watch excitedly with you as Luke blows up the Death Star. If you want us to help keep you upbeat and happy during your birth, we can do that too, since we already know your style and have built a friendship with you. We enjoy being with our clients, and we aim to make your birth as fun and enjoyable as you want it. Let’s face it, birth can be downright hilarious, and we find that the more we follow your lead and laugh at the humorous parts of birth, the more easily you can let go, which helps the process of laboring and moving your baby down and out. We want you to have a positive birth experience, and we want to enjoy it with you!

Hiring a Colorado Mountain Doula has never been a better idea for you and your entire family. Contact us today to find out more about our services, and how we can help you create the birth that you dream of!

Sarah
Sarah is a birth and postpartum doula who provides services through Colorado Mountain Doulas. She is a La Leche League leader, a volunteer with her local babywearing group, church choir member, and mother to two young children. Sarah enjoys cooking, reading, and music.
http://www.florabirthservices.com

Nutrition and Pregnancy: An Interview With Christi Trimble, SBD APPAC

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Every time I speak to Christi Trimble, of Luminosa Wellness and Birth Services, I learn something new and I’m inspired to continue to strive toward my goals that, sometimes feel so far out of reach. She has a way of making you believe you can do anything!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to chat Christi about nutrition, specifically in regards to pregnancy.

How long have you been studying/working with nutrition?

5 years.

How did you get started?

My mom has always been a fitness and health fanatic so I was kind of raised around it. Then in my early 20’s I had freedom and started to eat whatever I wanted, which was not a great idea in hindsight. Then I got married and comfy, and then pregnancy really is what propelled me back into it.

I gained almost 90 pounds by first pregnancy, then had to try and lose it. That’s where things really started for me, again, 5 years ago.

I was in a really unhealthy place back then.

It seems like pregnancy is a motivator for a lot of woman to really start paying attention to what they are putting into their bodies.

Absolutely!

I had Gestational Diabetes with my first and second baby. With #1 I was like “ok I’ll take the meds and still eat what I want” but the second go ’round was totally different.

 

We all get a little bit better each pregnancy, I think. How do you apply your nutrition experience in your work with women?

For me, they fit seamlessly together. So many times I talk to pregnant women who are experiencing very common and typical pregnancy issues that are causing stress in their daily life. Many times they can make a small dietary or daily habit change to alleviate an issue and they just don’t even realize it’s that simple. We are told to take our prenatal {vitamins} and eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, and everything will be fine. But, so many people don’t know what a ‘balanced diet’ is, and the ideal diet for one woman is usually a little different from another. Supplements are a big deal during pregnancy, as well, but not many people really understand what’s needed, what’s not, what should be paired together for the best absorption and what shouldn’t be taken with something because they compete with each other or inhibit each other in the body. Herbal intake is another thing to be cautious with in pregnancy. Some women stay entirely away, but there are so many herbal remedies that can help with things during pregnancy. It’s just important to get good information from qualified people vs google.

Yes! There is so much misinformation out there! So, you help your clients “custom fit” their diet to what they truly need?

Exactly, everything I do is customized to mother. Each has their own needs, health concerns, things to work on. There is no one size fits all health approach for nutrition or exercise. To have your healthiest pregnancy you need a plan specific to your needs.

Currently, I’m working on setting up pregnancy and postpartum holistic health and nutrition programs. I’d like to start offering them in the fall so I can help other moms outside of those I doula for, in addition to one-on-one counseling.

The curriculum is being developed this summer and so much research and development is going into it.

That is such a worth-while pursuit and much needed! You also specialize in infertility. Can you tell me a little about that?

Yes! Before I got pregnant with my first I had a miscarriage and some infertility issues. I was able to figure out what I needed and get myself on the right track. This goes back to the no ‘one size fits all’ approach because the cause(s) of infertility really vary from woman to woman.

I Love that so much! Where did you gain your knowledge about addressing infertility?
It first started with my own personal experience. Then as I began my Holistic Health Practitioner program, that topic kept coming back around. It’s not something I specifically intended on studying. But so many women kept circling back asking for help I began to feel a real calling to learn and study and help them. I’ve lost count of all the books I’ve read and keep in my library for reference on it. It’s fascinating to discover all the ways the inner workings of our bodies are connected. And it’s such a joy to help in even a small way and contribute towards conception for a couple
With such an amazing spirit and so much that sets her apart, we are so very blessed to have Christi in our area.
Shellee Semrad
Shellee is a full-time wife and mommy. She has two sweet little boys, Grey (3 years) and Linc (1 year). In her limited free-time, Shellee loves to sing, dance, write, read, crochet and watch Netflix with her hubby. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and also LOVES to serve others. She loves her job and calling as a doula and can’t imagine not supporting laboring women and their loved ones.

Shellee strives to continually grow her knowledge and understanding so that she can serve her clients in the best way possible.

http://whitelotusbirthservices.com

Turning My Passion Into a Paycheck

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In 2002 I began helping families in their birthing year. They were mostly friends and family, mostly in other states and mostly planning 2nd, 3rd and even 5th babies.

I LOVED it. Unfortunately I did not have the support system needed to begin what I knew would be my career as a doula.

I continued supporting friends and family as often as I could, in any way I could. I was passionate about this work and threw myself into every book, article and YouTube video I could get my hands on.

In 2011 we moved to Colorado and I was able to FINALLY take labor doula training and a childbirth educator training. I walked away from the training feeling even more fire for what I wanted to do, but without any REAL tools to make it a career. It felt very lonely. I reached out to others in my training classes with no real response, and the fire fizzled a little with the reality of working full time and settling into a new state and a new home. I learned a couple of things in each of these trainings, but mostly, it was information I had been teaching myself for the past 9 years. There was very little information about how to get clients other than “put your business cards out at coffee shops” and “join mommy groups.”

My kids are teens/preteens. “Joining mommy groups” filled with toddlers and new mothers made me feel inauthentic and frankly, a little predatory.

About a year and a half later, my best friend, who had also moved to CO was planning her 5th baby. I had been her virtual doula for number 4 and was SO EXCITED to attend my first REAL LIVE birth.

THAT birth rekindled my desire to be a doula and I flew through my certification process. I still felt completely alone in the process, knowing the job itself, but with no guidance or contact with my training organization. I knew I would never certify with this company again. I didn’t know how to run this business and I made a lot of mistakes. I had almost no marketing. I had very little in the way of contracts or business paperwork. I was just floating around, getting referrals from other doulas and doing the job, but without any long term goals.

In the Spring of 2014 I was liking and joining every doula related page I could find when I joined The Business of Being a Doula (BOBD).

My.life.changed.

THIS is what I’d been looking for! There were people in that group FEEDING THEIR FAMILIES doing this work. There were people discussing marketing, contracts, business strategy and legal documents!

This amazing source of information was run by ProDoula, its owners and trainers. I knew immediately that my new certifying organization would be ProDoula.

In October 2014 my new business partner and I signed up for a business consultation with Randy Patterson.

Dare I say it? My life changed again. Plans we thought needed to be 3, 5 and 10 years into the future suddenly zoomed within reach. One call with Randy and we saw how we could make a living doing this work.

In January 2015 we brought Heidi Shulista out to train us as postpartum doulas. In February 2015 we launched our agency. In April, Randy came teach Advanced Business Training, and postpartum doula training. We, along with our two new subcontractors took both classes. Just this week, Heidi came back and trained us in labor doula training.

Not only did we learn the most important hands on skills for our profession, we were trained in how to communicate with clients, how to interview, how to deal with unexpected circumstances, how to effectively communicate and work WITH not AGAINST medical personnel, and how to support our clients in ALL of their decisions about their birth.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of all, we created bonds with our fellow trainees. We got to know each other. We became friends and colleagues. We can call on each other with questions, refer clients to each other, support each other and generally be amazing together.

With ProDoula, I have a certifying organization that KNOWS me. They know me by name. They know my face. They know my personality. They know my business. I can call them with any and all questions. I can contact my mentors, or any other trainers any time I have a question and they will respond. This is what makes ProDoula a certification agency for the modern doula and the only certifying organization Colorado Mountain Doulas Agency uses for training.

Jenn Leonard
A passion for helping families to make educated decisions about their families and their birth choices has lead Jenn to become a great source of information for many across the country. She has been educating families on their choices and guiding them to find their own voice in maternity care since 2002.

Jenn is a certified Labor Doula, beginning her studies with CAPPA, taking many additional trainings along the way and is recertifying with ProDoula in 2015. She is also a trained childbirth educator and Postpartum Doula teaching childbirth preparation classes, and also creating her own curriculum for a pre and early pregnancy workshop focused on families who are just beginning to plan for a family, into the 2nd trimester.

Today Jenn is the Co-owner of Colorado Mountain Doulas LLC, providing the community with much needed education, local resources, sibling, postpartum, and labor Doula services.

When she is not guiding families through their birthing year, Jenn is living in Black Forest, CO with her husband and two children on their hobby farm.

http://codoulas.com