Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Doulas of Iowa City
  • Home
  • Doula
    • Fertility Support
    • Prenatal Support
    • Labor and Birth Support
    • Postpartum Support
  • Classes
    • Childbirth Ed
    • Yoga
  • Lactation Services
  • Placenta Encapsulation
  • Massage Therapy
  • Sleep
  • Contact Us
  • Doula Training
  • Join Doulas of IC
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Doula
    • Fertility Support
    • Prenatal Support
    • Labor and Birth Support
    • Postpartum Support
  • Classes
    • Childbirth Ed
    • Yoga
  • Lactation Services
  • Placenta Encapsulation
  • Massage Therapy
  • Sleep
  • Contact Us
  • Doula Training
  • Join Doulas of IC
  • Blog
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

5/23/2021 0 Comments

DOIC Member Spotlight - Meet Grace Swartzendruber

Picture

Doulas of Iowa City members bring a wide variety of trainings, skills, and experiences to their work with families in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and surrounding communities. We're excited to highlight our member doulas through this series.

Today, meet Grace Swartzendruber of All Bodies All Births Doula Services.
Picture
Picture
What clients say about Grace:
​"
During virtual prenatal visits due to COVID, Grace helped us with our birth plan and shared many resources. She walked us through what to expect when arriving at the hospital to birth our baby which helped us feel more confident and prepared. It was clear Grace had attended many births and was very informed about staff and procedures at the hospital we would be going to. Most of the staff at the hospital knew who Grace was and were elated to know Grace would be attending the birth. I understood it was important to have a “village” of support during my pregnancy and birth and Grace was at the center of it. She connected me to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, lactation consultant and prenatal massage therapist and also went above and beyond by communicating with my midwife. 

Grace kept in close contact in the days leading up to birth and arrived at the hospital at just the right time. She provided many comfort measures (my favorite was rolling a lacrosse ball on my rear and lower back while on all fours!) and offered many suggestions for birth positions. When the birth was grueling Grace offered encouragement and affirmations. She supported us while we made difficult decisions about how to get our boy out. When our son was finally on my chest Grace was there to help with his first latch. 

When the birthing gets rough Grace knows how to bring love into the room and bring you back to yourself. She is the master of unconditional positive regard, has no judgement providing only support, and is the Validation Queen. Two and a half weeks out from birth Grace continues to check in, normalize how I feel, and directs me to resources. I feel like I hired a doula and ended up with a friend!"

Services Provided:
Pregnancy & Birth Support, Postpartum Support, Specialized Support - VBAC preparation, cesarean birth prep, cesarean birth recovery, induction preparation. She offer both in person and virtual support.

Three things about Grace outside of her doula work:
In addition to her work as a full spectrum doula, Grace advocates for birthing people across the state as a representative and advocate for the Iowa Maternal Quality Care Collaborative through the Iowa Department of Public Health. Additionally, Grace helps to facilitate Pregnant & Postpartum in the Corridor, a online and in-person support group and resource for local parents. Grace is also a founding member of Doulas of Iowa City, a local professional networking and continuing education organization for doulas. In her free time she enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling and also good old-fashioned Netflix binge.

How long have you been supporting families?
Since November 2016

When did you first know you wanted to work with families in the time around birth?
After the traumatic birth of my first child in August 2015.
​
Three words that describe your approach to working with families?

Compassionate. Non judgemental. Empowering.
Picture
Anything new you are excited to share about your business?
​I plan to launch a limited collection of postpartum care boxes that will include local, handmade products to support post birth recovery and the transition to parenthood.

Looking to connect with Grace and our other members? You can learn find all our member businesses on our homepage or join us for our next Meet the Doula Event.
0 Comments

10/31/2018 0 Comments

Why I Hired a Doula - Allison's Story

Picture
With baby number four on the way, my husband and I started reminiscing about our past labors with our other three kiddos.

I was induced at 38 weeks with my oldest for pre-eclampsia, my middle came all on his own at 37 weeks, and my youngest (and at the time, we thought last) decided he wanted to make his own statement coming into this world by arriving at just 35 weeks.

With my third child, my water broke around 1 p.m., and I did not start having contractions until 8 p.m. The OB intended to start Pitocin (a medication to induce contractions) but was pulled away to an emergency, and in that time my body decided to kick start itself.

A mere two hours later my little Elias entered the world. During labor my contractions got more intense than the ones before, but when I was not contracting I felt fine and was even joking with my husband, the nurse, and some friends. Because my labor was progressing quickly, when I was about 7 cm dilated my doctor said, “If you want the epidural you better get it now because if we wait any longer there will not be time. There is just a little lip left on your cervix and when that is gone it will be go time, your body will rev up, and you will completely dilate very fast.”

With my other two kiddos, I got epidurals during labor. But this time I wasn’t in as much pain. Had he not scared me with the “now or never” approach, I  probably would have declined pain medication with that labor. But, I was already in an anxious state of mind knowing my baby was coming too early and may need NICU time so I just gave in.

The story of my third labor still makes me disappointed every time I tell it, because I felt I could have continued to labor unmediated, but out of fear I let my doctor's commentary sway me. Now do not get me wrong, I was absolutely in love with him and would have him again if he didn’t move away. I think he was just giving me a harsh reality check that it was now or not at all for an epidural.

After we found out about baby number four, I did some research. I had never had a doula before but had heard about the benefits and how others had positive labor experiences with them.  Previously, I never wanted a doula because I associated that term with midwife which I associated with home births. While that may be the way to go for some, for me, with my history, it was not an avenue I was willing to take.

But after doing research, I found out they are not the same at all. In fact, a Midwife has medical education while a Doula is a non-medical support person during labor. Doulas have training in understanding labor and its stages along with techniques and positions to help support you during labor, but they do not offer medical advice (whereas midwives are trained medical professionals). During my research I also learned many midwives will work in the hospital and are not exclusively for home births.

After sharing this with my husband and talking about it, we decided to hire a doula for my fourth birth.

As I say to potential clients, make sure you interview several doulas and pick the one you mesh with best. We found a local chiropractor that I ended up going to due to my severe SPD. After talking with her more and more, I learned she was also a doula. We got along so well it wasn’t long before we hired her. With her on my side, I felt that I would have the support I needed to continue to push through this labor and make my dream of a medication-free birth a reality.

My fourth labor with doula support left me convinced that everyone can benefit from a doula. I cannot even begin to describe the amount of support I felt from her. I went into labor at 35 weeks (again!) and due to some unforeseen circumstances, my birth plan went out the window (and that itself was very hard for me to grasp). She was there and helped keep me calm when I wanted to just run home and be done with it all. I was able to labor without pain medication even through Pitocin-induced contractions, and I am extremely proud to say that! I absolutely would not have been able to do it without her. (There were a few moments of despair on my end, and I will admit I did ask for some IV pain meds, but I was too close to delivery to receive them.)

Our interactions with our doula did not end there. She offered support postpartum as well, which I firmly believe is so important, and I preach it to anyone I can. Moms always put themselves last, and we cannot keep doing that. We need to take care of ourselves so we can take care of our family too!

After everything she helped me through, combined with my love for labor and delivery, I chose to become a doula myself! I am beyond excited that I chose this path, and  I just can’t wait to be that person to them that my doula was to me.
A version of this blog first appeared on the Divine Doula Services blog.
Looking for a birth or postartum doula to support you in this exciting time?  Join us for our next Meet the Doulas event!

Picture
Allison Carfizzi is a trained prenatal and postpartum doula with Divine Doula Services. She has a history in working in healthcare and offering compassion to her clients. She is a mother of four under 6 and loves spending her time researching and learning anything new pertaining to conceiving, pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum. She will offer non-judgmental support to any family, from all walks of life, through pregnancy, labor & delivery and beyond.
0 Comments

9/26/2018 0 Comments

Why I Hired a Doula - Emily's story

Picture
Confession time...I didn’t want to hire a doula.

And I didn’t - not for my first two births at least.  

I couldn’t understand why I would want a stranger in my hospital room seeing me in pain.  It seemed too vulnerable to me, and frankly, I could not see the benefit.

Fast forward a few years, and we were expecting our third child.  At the time I had been working as a doula for a year, and I was much more informed about childbirth as well as the role and the benefits of having a doula.  

But to be honest, I still didn’t want one.

Luckily, the organization that I used for my doula certification trained me extensively in using a reflective process to look at situations.  I was able to dig deep into my resistant feelings of hiring a doula, and I finally realized that it was my pride that made me reluctant. I didn’t want to give up the idea that I could do everything on my own and that asking for help would make me seem weak.  

Thankfully, I was able to look back at my first two births and realize that during those births, I could have really benefited from some help. I swallowed my pride, and I hired a doula.
 

I am so glad that I did!

Every birth is different and hiring a doula does not guarantee any certain birth outcome. However, I have had the experience of birthing with and without a doula, and I can identify at least 3 differences in my birth experience with a doula attending.
  • I was confident in my choices.  
I was empowered to make a birth plan and discuss it with my healthcare provider.  Going through my options with my doula helped me gain the confidence I needed to make my desires known.  It helped me become a much better advocate for myself.
  • I was physically supported
Having a person with me that understood the birth process and what was going on in my body made a huge difference in how I worked through the pain of childbirth.  Having the right amount of pressure on my hips was a game-changer. Being physically supported in a position so that I could relax my muscles helped me work with the contraction instead of fighting against it.  In fact, just having my doula suggest position changes was a large difference from my first birth where I remember being afraid to leave the bed to use the restroom without the “permission” of my nurse first.
  • I felt heard
My doula was able to focus on me during my birth. She was unconditionally there to meet my needs.  I found that since I didn’t feel any judgement on what I wanted, I was able to express myself more freely.  I didn’t have to hold anything back. Specifically, I remember she was there to listen to me express my doubts and complaints near the end of my labor when I reached the “I can’t do this anymore!” phase.  Her whispered acknowledgements of what I was feeling gave me the encouragement I needed to keep going. It didn’t make the contractions less painful, but being heard and understood helped me from feeling overwhelmed.  

I am glad that I hired a doula for the birth of my third daughter.  And a few years later when we were expecting our fourth daughter, I made sure to call my doula early on in my pregnancy.  I finally, personally, knew the benefits to having a doula on my birth team.
Looking to add a doula to your support team? Join us at our next Meet the Doulas of Iowa City event or reach out to any of our member doulas for a consultation.

Picture
Emily Piette lives in rural Washington County with her husband, four daughters and a variety of animals.  She is a birth doula and childbirth educator for her co-owned business, Iowa City Birth Services. In her free time, Emily enjoys working on projects around her old farmhouse, gardening and reading. ​
0 Comments

9/12/2018 0 Comments

What is a Birth Doula?

Picture
What is a birth doula?

A birth doula is a trained professional for who offers informational, emotional and physical support throughout your pregnancy, labor, and birth. Doulas are not medically trained and do not perform any clinical tasks. As such, doulas are also not a replacement for a care provider such as a midwife or obstetrician. Doulas provide knowledge and resources as you explore your options for labor and birth and will assist you in creating a birth plan. Doulas can teach and provide you with comfort measures for pregnancy and labor, such as positioning, relaxation, visualization, and other pain coping techniques. Doulas provide a calm, caring presence and a familiar face during the uncertainties of birth, especially in cases where you do not know who will be on call when you give birth. 
What services does a birth doula provide?

Everyone's birth package looks slightly different, so it's important to talk through the details with the doulas you interview and carefully read through their package description and contract. Typically once hired, birth doulas meet with the birthing person or couple several times throughout pregnancy to get to know them and their wishes for labor and birth. Your doula is available via phone, text and/or email when questions arise and is a great source of emotional and informational support throughout the many changes that take place during pregnancy.

Doulas are also a great referral source for local resources and typically have networked to create relationships with many providers in your area. Once your labor is established at home or the hospital, your doula will join you when you feel like you need additional support. The doula remains with the birthing person/couple throughout labor and birth, and typically until 1-2 hours after baby is born to help the family adjust to the immediate postpartum and assist with breastfeeding if that's one of the family's goals. Usually a birth doula will also have one postpartum follow-up visit in the client's home about 7-10 days after the birth to check in, make sure things are going well, assist with feeding if needed, and refer to any outside resources.
​What are the benefits of a doula?

Doulas serve many purposes, but for me personally, the primary doula purpose is to have that constant support during labor and birth which can be full of unknowns. You typically won't know which nurse, resident, midwife, doctor, etc. will be on call when you give birth, and over the course of a longer labor and birth, these providers will change shifts so you may have multiple different nurses and midwives/doctors. I know, for me, I feel much safer and more secure knowing there will be at least one person beside me who knows me, my partner, and my wishes for birth.

Experienced doulas can also be very helpful since they are usually familiar with your birthing location's staff, procedures, and protocols and can help educate you in advance and also during birth when you have questions. Doulas work together with birth partners as a team to support the birthing person, and can tag in and out to offer continuous support while also taking care of personal needs such as eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom.

Doulas provide a key role of holding space for the birthing person, especially during a long and/or difficult labor and birth. They provide compassion, empathy, and unbiased support when difficult decisions have to be made and when things don't go according to plan. Doulas help remind you of your goals and priorities, but are completely nonjudgmental when things change.
You may see research or statistics that indicates the presence of a doula will lower your chance of having an epidural, cesarean, and/or other interventions, but I personally don't like to make that claim because sometimes those interventions are wanted and/or needed, and that's totally okay. It doesn't mean you have failed or your doula has failed - doulas are there to support you however your birth unfolds.

​Your satisfaction with your birthing experience is usually more related to your involvement in the process and decision making than the outcome. To loosely quote January Harshe of Birth Without Fear, the goal of a doula is to make sure you know your options, that you feel supported, and are respected.
Looking for a birth doula? Join us for our next Meet the Doulas event or reach out to one of our member businesses directly to set up a consultation.

Picture
​Grace is a trained birth and postpartum doula at Iowa City Birth Services, and provides unbiased, non-judgmental support to all birthing people. Grace is passionate about supporting and empowering families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. Grace is the mother of a spirited three-year-old son and is expecting her second child in September 2018.
0 Comments

8/18/2018

Why I Hired a Doula - Alaina's Story

Picture
When I became pregnant, I thought I had a leg up when it came to birth. I had been studying midwifery for 4 years and knew quite a bit about the physiology of birth and what to expect. A good chunk of my time then was devoted to scouring evidence-based research, plus I was a nanny, so I figured I had the know-how and experience to deal with whatever came my way the next few years. I knew what I wanted out of my birth and how to achieve it (hooray for being informed!) I was so ready.
I got to my 3rd Trimester and started really getting down and dirty: I started finalizing plans for my home birth. Got the birthing tub, got the midwives on speed dial, got all the old towels and yes, the placenta bucket ready. I had been chatting with my doula every few days and I was feeling incredibly confident. 19 days past the due date, I finally went into labor at 3am. My poor partner had insomnia that night  and hadn’t fallen asleep until 1am. So there we were. In labor, on no sleep.
Picture
Picture
My friend had been staying with us (we planned on a postpartum visitor for a little extra help, but baby stayed in really, really long. Like, really long.) so she started helping with stuff, getting the tub blown up and taking pictures of my radiant early-labor glee. But I needed someone for ME. My partner was incredible, doing everything he could to help me feel comforted, but I could tell he was exhausted. My awesome, helpful friend was great, but she didn’t know a thing about labor and birth. I needed someone who knew what they were doing! Someone who cared! Enter: the doula. ​
I tell you what, that woman made my labor glorious. While my partner rested, she was there to give deep-tissue massage on my legs (with aromatherapy lotion!) She handled all the physical work of comforting me so my mom could focus on doing calming, sweet things like brushing my hair and telling me stories. My doula knew just where to push on my back to take the pressure off, and when I told her to squeeze my hand she knew that I meant “as hard as you possibly can, please.” 
Picture
Picture
It’s hard to say how things would have gone if we hadn’t had a doula there. It would have been fine, of course. We would have made it through. But instead of just making it through, we thrived. We had a beautiful, calm, empowered birth, thanks in part to our doula. My partner got to start his new life as “Daddy” fairly rested instead of exhausted. He didn’t have to feel guilty for leaving me to take care of himself, because I had someone else to provide excellent support while he was resting. And even now, she loves talking about that day with me and re-living the beautiful and hard moments. And that’s pretty wonderful. 
This blog was original published on February 3, 2016 on the Kind Roots Blog.

Picture
Alaina lives in Coralville with her partner and two young children. She is the owner of Kind Roots Doula and Birth Services and provides birth & postpartum doula support and placenta encapsulation services to families in the Corridor.

    Author

    The Doulas of Iowa City blog contains guest posts by Doulas of Iowa City member businesses. We are excited to share with you about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and surrounding communities and to help you connect to fabulous local resources.

    Archives

    May 2021
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All Babywearing Birth Doula Books Classes Doula Spotlight Fall Fitness Food Holiday Local Meet The Doulas Postpartum Postpartum Doula Pregnancy Prenatal Self Care Self-care Winter Yoga

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly