Our unique training instills confidence to help you serve new mothers and their families through a human values approach that is sure to make the weeks at home with a newborn, more joyful ones.
Welcoming a newborn and learning to be a new parent is an emotional, amazing, and exhausting time for parents. It is a transformational, magical, powerful and uniquely special time as well. Parents' views and awareness during pregnancy until the moment of birth, are reflected in how their thoughts and feelings are embodied in their energy of parenting. Choosing the right postpartum doula is key to making sure mom and baby are as healthy and happy as possible, ensuring the weeks at home with a newborn to be joyful ones,
Parents can be influenced by their postpartum doula’s beliefs, attitudes, lifestyle, and how she gave birth and parented as well. A BirthWorks Postpartum Doula exemplifies the importance of respect for body, self, family and home. Also, the human-values of -- Truth, Right Action, Peace, Love, Nonviolence -- are underlying each intention, word and action as a BirthWorks Postpartum Doula supports a new mother, baby and new family. There are varied ways a BirthWorks Postpartum Doula can do this such as:
- striving to be a good listener
- being non-judgmental and open minded
- helping her to feel safe and rested
- knowing the importance of mother/baby skin-to-skin contact
- believing in the instinctive knowledge born within women during birth and parenting
- seeking personal growth through her experiences in life
- promoting the nutritional and emotional benefits of breastfeeding
- respecting various cultural traditions and perspectives
- keeping personal attire and language professional so her clients feel trusting
Is the BirthWorks Approach different than the approach of other doulas? Those who have gone through our trainings say “Yes!” because of our philosophy which is so comprehensive and addresses what really matters in the postpartum period . ~ BirthWorks Is Different!
BirthWorks Philosophy includes the belief that the knowledge about how to give birth is born within every woman. We help women have more trust and faith in their bodies. For new mothers, this trust and faith in their bodies means they typically have more confidence, shorter labors, easier births, and are more relaxed, healthier and happier after the baby is born. Babies born from empowered mothers are often more content and more easily breastfeed. Sensory integration in the significant moments right after birth through mother/baby skin-to-skin contact, ensure protection of the mother-baby dyad. This encourages bonding and successful breastfeeding. Postpartum Doula support in this context is the most effective kind of care.
BirthWorks is a process, not a method. We believe that each woman will labor, birth, and parent in her own special way. We offer a unique and innovative approach with integration of mind, body, and spirit through the practice of human values. Moms who feel intuitively connected, experience an integrated wholeness of self and are confident to find their own special way to care for, feed and love their baby. Seeing their baby as a miracle, brings deep respect, connection, and love.
BirthWorks encourages women to listen to their bodies by following their instincts in birth and in parenting. The instinctual knowing and body awareness experienced in labor by moving and eating/drinking as needed, breathing slowly and deeply to promote relaxation and facilitate labor, all builds in the postpartum time. In the postpartum period, it is important she trusts her own healing, knows her body can make the milk her baby needs, and is tuned into her own intuition when it comes to her baby’s needs and best choices for her own baby’s care.
Our postpartum doulas help mothers to find within themselves all these beautiful qualities and possibilities as described above. They also agree to the following Ideals of a BirthWorks Postpartum Doula:
- Believes that birth is a deeply spiritual and joyful experience that impacts a woman’s entire life.
- Recognizes that integration of the mind, body, and spirit generates a more positive birth postpartum experience.
- Understands that emotions and nutrition of the pregnant woman have a great impact on the health of her ba- by from its life as a fetus through adulthood.
- Believes that breast milk provides optimum nutrition for the newborn baby, and therefore encourages breast- feeding whenever possible.
- Respects the privacy of a new mother and her family.
- Knows that her role is to support the social structure of the home environment, i.e., caregivers, family and friends, and to meet the emotional needs of the parents, providing suggestions and information as necessary. Her role is not to provide medical support or to make decisions for the expectant parents.
- Keeps talk to a minimum, knowing her actions speak for her. She can remain humble, calm, loving, peaceful, and harmonious, so the baby can experience a quiet and loving atmosphere.
- Sees herself as an important member of the birth team, all on a journey together with birthing parents, caregivers and other doulas, sharing their love of birth and having mutual respect and cooperation with each other.
- Trusts her own conscience when responding to events surrounding the postpartum period and encourages the new mother and partner to release any fears and expectations that may cause worry and anxiety.
- Fills her heart with compassion and is prepared to help anyone of any age, race, religion or community, acknowledging that babies are beings of love and should be met with only one language, the language of the heart.
- Realizes that it is important to limit her number of clients so as to create a balance between her own responsibilities to her family and to those she serves in birth.
- Strives to see good, think good thoughts, speak kind words and listen to what is good, knowing these feelings can only come out of love.
- Believes that the ability to love is essential for the health of the body, peace of the mind, and joy of the spirit.
We hope this gives you a deeper sense of what a BirthWorks Birth Doula does and how they provide support! Always reach us with questions: info@birthworks.org
For parents: you can find a BirthWorks Birth Doula here or check our our Parent Workshops
For aspiring professionals: one of our Workshops or Certifications might be of interest.
