There is a lot of unknowns right now with COVID 19, but one thing stays the same. Doulas are vital members of the birth team. Here is the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses official statement supporting this. Our goal has always been health and safety for you and your baby. San Francisco recently announce that spouses, partners and doulas will not be allowed in the delivery room. This is NOT okay and the risk that it places on mothers and babies is unacceptable. Locally this is not currently the case. Thankfully! If you are being faced with this the best thing you can do is TALK TO YOUR PROVIDER BEFORE you go into labor. Having a doula supported birth reduces your chance of C-section by 25-39%, decreased occurrence of low APGARs at 5 mins by 38%, decreased risk of dissatisfaction with birth experience by 31 %, reduced labor time by an average of 41 mins, and an increase in spontaneous vaginal birth by 8-15%. All these factors contribute to a shorted hospital stays that can return you to the safety of your home. Unfortunately because of restricted visitor numbers at some hospitals some families previously planning having a birth photographer are not longer able to do so. This service is can be therapeutic for moms who may feel disconnected for the details that make up their birth. This is one of many benefits to having a doula that is also professional birth photographer. I am still able to support families in this way in addition to my doula duties. Doulas don't just provide support in birth, we also provide support during pregnancy and postpartum. This informational, emotional and physical support is crucial especially in times of stress. Prenatally we can support you with evidence based information and resources to make informed decisions such as, ways to address common pregnancy complaints, exploring alternative prenatal care and birth options, give you the tools to labor at home and reducing your time in hospital, listen and help address concerns that you might have, supporting your nutritional needs, supply needs and more. In the postpartum period we support your breastfeeding needs, support your emotional needs in this transitional phase, support your informational needs and last but not least you nutritional and supply needs. This postpartum support show an increase of breastfeeding initiation rates (breastfeeding and immunity), decrease in postpartum depression. 

This post is not about my ability to work, I am thankful to already do a lot of out of hospital care. The heart of this is my concern for the well-being of families that are expecting. If you are need of services, resources for or looking for alternative prenatal or birth options in El Dorado County and the Greater Sacramento Area please let me know. 

The Greater Sacramento Area is pretty lucky to have a diverse collective of midwives. Finding the right care provider is so important and with so many to choose from, you can interview the midwife that is perfect for you and your family. The thing that gets me is how many people don't know that midwifery care is even an option. It's not just an option for prenatal care, its also an option for gynecological care. Say what? Yes, you read that correctly.

Honestly it wasn't until I was pregnant with my first I had even experienced Midwifery Care. As a low risk pregnancy, I was given the option to see a CNM through Kaiser. I accepted the option and the remainder of my prenatal care I was seen by my midwife.  The experience with my midwife made me fall in love with the midwifery model of care. She never made me feel like the next patient. She got to know both my husband and I, and really took an interest in our questions, concerns and general life. For us this was the best option for us at the time. 

​In hospital midwives are a great option for our community, but it is not the only one. Our area also has CNMs that attend homebirths and birth center births and LM, CPMs that attend homebirths. I'm not kidding when I say we are so lucky to have a wonderful group of midwives to choose from. Each midwife is amazing in their own way. Thank goodness they aren't all the same. The diversity of care providers means there is an opportunity for families to find the care provider that is right for them. That care provider that is perfect for some families might be an OBGYN and that is wonderful because they had an option for find the person that they felt most comfortable with to receive quality care.

​With all this please just look at your options and choose what is best for you and your family. 

​Resources to explore:
Midwives Collective of Sacramento
Midtown Nurse Midwives
The Birth Center
California Birth Center

This lovely doula taught me what it means to be a doula on so many levels. Her kindness, compassion, knowledge and joy are inspiring. I have had the great opportunity to work along side her for countless births and when I was pregnant with my second, I could not image having anyone else as my doula. Her skills as a doula are invaluable to a laboring mother and partner, but her skills as a massage practitioner makes her that much more equipped to help clients relax and find comfort in the labor process.  Jacinda is truly passionate about the mothers of El Dorado, Sacramento, Amador and Placer County having the best support emotional and physically through their pregnancy, labor and postpartum period. If you are looking for a doula, I highly recommend checking out this Placerville area doula!