Revelstoke Doula - Robyn Hooper

05/25/2022

Love this post - it’s exactly how I feel as a doula too ☺️

Repost I Won’t Hold Your Baby

…unless you ask me to, in which case, I will snuggle and cuddle your baby as much as you want me to.

I never ask my clients if I can hold their baby. In fact, I rarely ever touch my client’s baby if I can help it. Sounds sort of like the opposite of what you might picture of a doula, right? We must all be birth crazy, baby obsessed women who just want to cover babies in kisses and love and get an emotional high from attending births?

Not this doula.

I LOVE attending births. Call me crazy, but getting those middle of the night calls is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get to listen to someone at their most vulnerable times- the excitement, the hesitation, the nervousness of the unknown. Being able to provide some comfort, reassurance and continuity of care to the people I work with is so important to me (and them!)

Rushing off in the night, quietly getting myself ready, getting in the car and heading off to their home or hospital makes me feel like I’m on a secret birth mission that nobody around me knows about. When I arrive I fall as seamlessly as I can into the rhythm of the birth and start supporting my clients in whatever way they need most.

When the baby arrives I step aside and leave room for the new parents to discover their baby. I try and grab some photos (I’m not a birth photographer though, so keep your expectations in check!) and then I only step in if my client needs me for some reason.

Why does that matter? Why won’t I ask to hold your baby? Simply because: they are yours, not mine. I want you to be able to hold your baby as close as you want, for as long as you want without anyone interrupting that time. There will be enough people coming along in the next few hours and weeks who need to take that baby out of your arms for whatever reason, and tons of friends and family who will offer help by “holding the baby”.

Instead, I want to hold you, whether that’s in my arms, in my heart or my thoughts. By supporting and “holding” you, I don’t need to hold your baby. But if you ask me to, I would LOVE to.

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05/06/2022

Thank you midwives !

“We do not arrive in this world with a smile. We arrive with a scream. A declaration to all and everyone that I AM HERE. Midwives not only guide new life into the world, they help ensure that the voice of the next generation is heard.”

To all the midwives all over the world, thank you for keeping families from Kyiv to Kinshasa, Portland to Port au Prince, Halifax to Hope, Sturgeon Lake to Somalia to South Sudan - safe and healthy, every single day, in every single way. Your work continues to inspire us all. Happy International Day of the Midwife 💗

05/19/2021

Want to be a Doula? Check out this fantastic course now offered ONLINE!! Heather is an amazing instructor: https://www.doulaessentials.com/birth-doula-trainings

Use the form on the right to contact us. If you have any questions or would like to host any of our workshops in your area please get in touch! 

04/11/2021

04/06/2021

There are three steps to get vaccinated. Register, make an appointment and get the vaccine. Help your family and friends register!

01/09/2021

Online prenatal classes 😊

Learn practical skills for a positive childbirth experience and early care of the newborn.

12/04/2020

What are some good positions for labour? There are so many! It was fun to be a part of this short video by Mommy Berries Health (a Kelowna Physio): https://youtu.be/re-SyePfTC8

Labour and birth positions. I recommend practicing being in a variety of positions so that you are ready for anything. There are many options and they each h...

12/04/2020

Interested in learning more about positions for labour? It was fun being part of this short YouTube video hosted by Mommy Berries Health (Melissa, a pelvic floor Physio in Kelowna) - https://youtu.be/re-SyePfTC8

Labour and birth positions. I recommend practicing being in a variety of positions so that you are ready for anything. There are many options and they each h...

11/19/2020

Some of the ways in which I doula : hip squeezes! Thanks to this beautiful client for the photo sharing permission ❤️ (also note the use of the gecko cold cloth 😉 )

10/08/2020

Spinning babies has some great resources for daily activities during pregnancy 😊

Daily activities for pregnancy bring comfort and prepare you for an easier childbirth by balancing your body to make space for baby’s best birth position.

09/03/2020

Some breastfeeding tips for newbies 😊

08/28/2020

Looking for a resource to prep your pelvic floor for childbirth? Check out Mommy Berries Health Free Push Plan Guide: https://melissa-s-school-5490.thinkific.com/courses/push-plan-guide-insights-from-a-pelvic-health-physical-therapist

Insights from a pelvic health physical therapist. This free resource will help you to prepare for your upcoming birth.

08/27/2020

Parenthood is a complex human experience and that comes with complex human emotions. Just because you don't feel joy all of the time (or even most of the time) doesn't mean you are a bad parent - it means you are human!

It is normal to grieve the loss of your old life, or want a break, or to feel sad or angry. It doesn't mean you are broken.

And, it doesn't mean you will feel like that forever.

And, its ok to need and ask for support with whatever it is that is coming up for you.

You deserve support!

08/26/2020

Let’s talk about...LABOUR! 🤰🏽Check out these labour positions below👇🏾
1. STANDING SUPPORTED SQUAT
Pros: Realigns your pelvis to increase the opening by up to 15 percent.

2. SEMI-SITTING
Pros: Comfortable.
Good use of gravity.
Good resting position.

3. SITTING
Pros: Good for resting.
Uses gravity.
Can be used with continuous electronic fetal monitoring.

4. SITTING ON TOILET

Pros: Helps relax perineum.
You get used to an open-leg position and pelvic pressure.
Uses gravity.

5. SQUATTING
Pros: Encourages rapid descent.
Uses gravity.

6. SIDE-LYING
Pros: Helps get oxygen to the baby.
Good resting position.
Helpful if you have elevated blood pressure.
Fine with epidural.

7. WALKING
Pros: Uses gravity.
Contractions are often less painful.
Baby is well aligned in your pelvis.

8. STANDING
Pros: Uses gravity.
Helps get oxygen to the baby.

9. LEANING OR KNEELING FORWARD WITH SUPPORT
Pros: Can help shift the baby if needed.
Uses gravity.
Birth ball can be used.

10. KNEE-CHEST
Pros: Good for back labor.
Assists with rotation of baby, if needed.

11. ON BACK WITH LEGS RAISED 📝 📷

08/24/2020

Love these images of the stages of labour!

Repost The Four Stages of Labor💡

I’m starting a new series over the next couple days discussing the Four stages of labor. These Four stages can be broken down into different phases which will also be discussed! 💫

Let’s start with Stage 1: Latent phase (Early Labor)🌟

There are 3 phases of Stage 1 that I will be discussing. The facts for each stage are based off the average in the medical community but may not be what you experience necessarily. So if you are reading this and think “that was not my experience!” that’s okay! Again, this is all just based on the “norms”.💁‍♀️

Latent phased quick facts!
- ✔️typically this stage takes the longest time, in a first time mom up to 9 hours, with subsequent pregnancies typically 5-6 hours
- ✔️cervical dilation goes from 1cm to 4 cm
- ✔️stay hydrated 🧊
- ✔️empty your bladder ever 1 to 2 hours to make room for baby and decrease discomfort
- ✔️contraction occur ever 10-30 minutes, sometimes moving closer to 5 minutes, lasting 15-45 seconds and are considered “mild”
- ✔️usually most mom’s call into triage and are instructed to stay home during this time period till contractions become closer and more intense ( depending on what your provider says and what else is going on)🏡
- ✔️Try to rest during this period! It’s a long road ahead and mom needs to conserve her energy😴

What was your experience with the Early Labor? Did you rest? Did you tire yourself out? What activities did you find helpful? Let me know in the comments below! 👇👇👇

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08/24/2020

FUN FACT
Did you know the Jolly Jumper, which many of us bounced in as babies, was invented by an Indigenous woman here in Canada?

Olivia Poole was raised on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota and was inspired by the traditional practice of using a bouncing cradleboard to soothe babies. In 1957, she patented her invention of the baby jumper, under the name Jolly Jumper, making her one of the first Indigenous women in Canada to patent and profit from an invention.

Susan Olivia Davis Poole, inventor (born 1889 in Devils Lake, North Dakota; died 1975 in Ganges, BC).

If you don’t know, now you know.

https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/olivia-poole

07/25/2020

Thanks to some clients I finally have some photos of me “Doula-ing” in action ❤️ what do I do as a doula? So many things ! From foot massages, to cold clothes, to listening to concerns, to guiding breathes, to offering assurances and encouragement, to helping partners know how to help, suggesting various birthing positions ... the list continues! I love doula-ing 🥰 after 3+ years and 15+ births, I’ve learned so much and can’t say how much I enjoy supporting families in Revelstoke!