Oh, Hi. I'm Tracy. Nice to meet you. It's been a hot minute since I blogged. It's been written on my calendar as a to-do, in tiny increments (such as last weeks task: brain storm blog ideas) for weeks now. But, in reality, the thing that gets me typing is passion. Because, let's be honest, I have a LOT more to say about the things that "get my goat", as my husband would say, than I do about the topics I have written down on my calendar. What's the proverbial bee in my bonnet? Someone said something untrue about me. Ok, so maybe not directly about me. It was about doulas. Someone, (in somewhat of an authority position) essentially said that doulas were a waste of money unless you have a spontaneous, natural birth. (If you could audibly gasp for effect here, that would be ah-maz-ing. Thankyouverymuch.) Guys, this is so untrue. So much so. Sure, there are some rogue doulas out there who may only be about that bass, and who are only supportive of natural, unmedicated, spontaneous birth and nothing else. But, the majority of us here in the Huntsville/Madison area don't fit that bill. We care for our clients, and in our caring strive to provide support that matches what our clients desire. We are so much more than just a tool for unmedicated birth. Sure, a majority of my clients choose to have an unmedicated birth. But, some of my clients choose epidurals. Some of them know they want an epidural before they ever go into labor. Some clients are undecided. Some have planned cesareans. Some have planned inductions. Some clients have inductions and birth without pain medication, some do not. I created a graphic to represent my clients from last year. As you can see, I had a wide range of clients. 53% planned an unmedicated birth, 12% planned a medicated birth with an epidural, 6% had planned cesareans births, 6% had unplanned cesarean births, 18% had an induction without an pain medication, and 6% had an induction with pain medication. So, what do I do at "medicated" births? The same thing I do at non-medicated births.
The concept that only natural birth clients are to be supported in their choices by doulas is Boo-Hockey (any FRIENDS fans?) My main goal as a doula is not a natural birth. My main goal as a doula is that you feel supported in your decisions and that you walk away from your birth feeling like the freaking amazing rockstar that you are.
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Tracy AbneyTracy Abney is a certified and insured birth and bereavement doula serving Huntsville, Madison and other parts of north Alabama. Archives
April 2019
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