Support for Families
While a Midwife and Doula will often work together on the same birth team, and some individuals offer both services, it is important to know that they are not one and the same or interchangeable.
Midwife
-
is the keeper of the sacred birth space. She makes sure that the many threads which comprise the birth journey weave together smoothly. Like a doctor, the midwife agrees to share responsibility for the safety of mother and child throughout the process. She pays keen attention to the birth’s unfolding and witnesses that it remains within the realms of normal. It is her charge to recognize and respond appropriately if anything shifts outside of the range of normal. At home, the midwife serves in a similar capacity to that of a doctor or nurse midwife in the hospital.
Where Obstetricians are trained to focus on looking for problems and acting preemptively, The Midwives Model of Care™ is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life events.
Studies show that planned home birth with a midwife is a safe choice for low risk pregnant people https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24479690/
If you're interested in hiring me to be your midwife use the form below to schedule a free consultation.
Doula
-
is the companion who agrees to enter the sacred birth space with the mother, lending physical, emotional, mental and spiritual support continuously throughout the process. Often a friend or family member is called upon to fill this role. A professional doula brings experience, which lends confidence to the process. It also provides a cache of tools and techniques which have been proven to help navigate the birth process. Doulas have emotional perspective which allows them to step in when advocacy is needed so that loved ones are able to continue to experience the birth as their own life changing event without compromising support to the birthing person. Doulas work alongside a doctor or midwife as an additional support person for the mother. They can be present in a home birth, hospital or birth center.
Studies show that doulas improve birth outcomes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647727/
If you're interested in hiring me to be your doula use the form below to schedule a free consultation.
Lomilomi
-
is traditional Hawaiian massage. I have been practicing this healing art since 1999 when I had the honor of learning it from Auntie Margaret Machado. I offer full-body sessions which run from 60 to 75 minutes. It is an intuitive process of listening to the body and responding accordingly, within the framework of a timeless traditional sequence. If you're interested in receiving Lomilomi, contact me using the form below.