Guiding Gates Doula

04/12/2026

Me on my way to a birth, knowing another client is also in labor. I like to live life dangerously.🤣

04/09/2026

United is the first major insurer to begin rolling out doula coverage! 🎉😍

The benefits of using a doula are well-documented. Research shows doula care can lead to better birth outcomes, reduce unnecessary interventions, and help address racial and systemic disparities in maternal health

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/doulas-can-improve-health-outcomes-women-babies-insurers-are-taking-no-rcna263390?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ5CMNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF2Um1IaEhTN2pSQlkyZkRqc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpbKUV-6E4JQQn2CrM0e_V9ZjCkBkhqBcqJlcgpis9gpw2-PtWdNkYHaru8Y_aem_Ta3NYsTEysT0RRYAYGjCuw

While more Medicaid patients and even some on private plans have gained doula coverage in recent years, United is the first major insurer to begin rolling out the benefit nationwide.

04/06/2026

My word. The comment on a post where a doctor mentioned eating during labor is quite shocking. 😬

Nourishment is a god-given human right. Starvation or a liquid diet during labor has been debunked. It's not evidence-based.

Can you eat and drink during labor? YES!

How about if you have an epidural? YEP!

What if you're being induced? YOU BET!

And if there's an increased chance labor might end in a C-section? ABSOLUTELY!

This outdated policy comes from when anesthesia was pretty heavy and some women would have complications due to aspiration. That's rarely the case nowadays.

Your body needs fuel during labor. You have the right to nourishment. You can eat and drink as you please, no matter what the policy says.

Weigh out the pros and cons to eating vs. not, and make YOUR informed decision!

Evidence on: Eating and Drinking During Labor - Evidence Based Birth® https://share.google/rzCB5X9k32jlfuO9q

04/02/2026

📣𝑷𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵!📣

A few weeks ago, a shocking story from a Florida hospital made the news. A woman, who happens to be a doula, had been laboring for 12 hours when a nurse came into her room holding a tablet. On that tablet were a judge, lawyers, and doctors. They told her the state had filed an emergency petition to have her undergo a C-section she didn't want.

Yes, you read that right. A group of strangers forced her into a major surgery that she did not consent to. Her rights were effectively stripped away. The even more shocking part? She was not the only one.

Mentally competent patients typically have the right to choose their medical care — or refuse it. But there is one notable exception in Florida and a few other states: pregnant patients.

The petition seeks to stop forced C-sections at two FL hospitals.
https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/no_forced_csections/?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawQ2CPFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZbk5aTUF3WDhjR09YVkFac3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjNc8YFT0XEfLgOwaBj8EEkTu6yzVs4L9tWKBPaiPc_Xv5fuwKm5-IpBYu2o_aem_q7O2A0oSZRidswt3VNHTdg

Full story:
https://www.propublica.org/article/florida-court-ordered-c-sections

Cherise Doyley was 12 hours into labor at University of Florida Health (UF Health) Jacksonville when a nurse walked in with a bedsheet and told her to cover up. A tablet was wheeled to her bedside. A judge, flanked by lawyers, doctors, and hospital staff, appeared on the screen. Doyley, a profession...

03/28/2026

Naolí is a Mexican midwife, educator, speaker, inventor, creator, author, and anthropologist. She's also a huge inspiration in my doula career.

To learn more:
https://www.naoli-vinaver.com/

03/24/2026

🤔Why are we conditioned to believe that childbirth is a life-or-death event?

🤔Why are we so scared that we don't even afford ourselves the ability to choose anything beyond the preservation of life?

🤔Why do we believe that the destination/outcome is the only thing that matters?

While I won't deny that sometimes birth can be risky, it's definitely the exception. Yet, the narrative is as if we should all thank our lucky stars (and our very skilled OBs) for making it out alive.

Did women used to die from childbirth? Yes, but not as much as you think. The oldest recorded rate is about 170 per 10,000 (or 1.7% of women). We now have safe medicine, technology, and good old hand-washing...something that didn't exist in ye olden days. And thank goodness for that! Yet sometimes, it feels like we've gone backwards. What used to be a natural process has now become a medical event.

Do women still die from childbirth? Yes, it's less than 1%. And most deaths are treatable and preventable. Getting regular pregnancy care and labor support from a medical professional is one of the best things to help prevent these deaths.

No, I don't have the answers to those questions, and I'm not sure I'll live to see the day that the vast majority of women can choose more than just being alive.

https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/blog/2024/09/19/childbirth-in-the-past/

03/21/2026

For those of you who've lost a baby, it's not your fault. You're not alone. Your baby is real.

"It seems to me that you feel like you’re all alone there. You aren’t. There are women reading this right now who have tears in their eyes. There are women who have spent their days chanting daughter, daughter or son, son silently to themselves."

https://therumpus.net/2010/07/15/dear-sugar-the-rumpus-advice-column-44-how-you-get-unstuck/

03/17/2026

I just don't know what to say about this new protocol for local doulas. It makes me feel like they're trying to control and silence us. But it mostly feels like they don't understand what our clients have confidently hired us to do. We aren't just employed strangers. We are deeply connected to our clients and are committed to looking out for their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Unlike many medical providers, we don't just strive for the bare minimum of an alive baby and mother. We strive for respect, joy, and safety in the process. This doesn't just happen overnight. The relationship grows over the course of months, long phone calls, sleepless nights, and intimate conversations with both parents.

❌I'm sorry, but nourishment is a human right and I refuse to ask for permission.

❌If my clients want oils to smell, you best believe I'm busting out my oils.

❌While my intention isn't to be flat-out adversarial, I'm hired (and trusted) by my clients to participate in their medical decisions. It seems that makes some hospitals uncomfortable.

❌Many hospital policies are not evidence-based. I say that with full confidence given the fact that I can produce unbiased sources that give my clients the full spectrum of their options, not just what the hospital prefers.

I cannot, in good conscience, blindly promote these policies if they go against my client's wishes and most especially, if she has other options that ARE evidence-based.

I will NEVER keep options away from my clients just so they can comply and I can remain on the hospital's good side. Sometimes, it ruffles feathers, and sometimes, it's a much needed reminder for providers to slow down and remember that they're dealing with a full grown patient who has feelings and deserves respect.

I value the experience and expertise of hospital providers and I wish they could say the same about me.

03/13/2026

Growing a baby takes a lot of iron. Many people are surprised by how common low iron can be during pregnancy, and how much it can affect energy, mood, and recovery.

I put together this quick guide to help explain the basics. It covers why iron matters, signs that your levels might be low, what your lab numbers mean, and simple ways to get more iron through food and supplements.

If you are pregnant and feeling extra tired, having headaches, or even craving ice, it may be worth looking at your iron levels.

03/11/2026

BIPOC, Spanish-speaking, and LGBTQ families in Hampton Roads, this one is for you!

Come out to meet culturally aligned prenatal and postpartum providers such as doulas, chiros, OBs, peds, and many more!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bellies-birthworkers-tickets-1982590715199?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

03/07/2026

Did you know that it was common for laboring women to drink beer during childbirth?

Back in 18th-century Europe and the US, when a woman found out she was pregnant, she would brew a very strong beer called groaning ale that would mature during the pregnancy.

Once she was in labor, she, the midwife, and the gossips (originally God-sibs) would drink the ale. During these times, women had no options for pain control in labor, so the beer would help them get through it. Some male doctors even complained of incompetent mothers during the birth due to drunkenness.

What was left of the sterile liquid was used to wash the newborn.

"Groaning time" would refer to the time a mother would prepare for labor, and other traditions included baking a groaning cake, pie, or bread, and making a groaning cheese.

I sure love it when my love for labor, beer, food, and odd history combine! 😁

03/04/2026

Math has never been my favorite subject, but this I do know. Numbers are often used to scare the bejesus out of pregnant women.

I'm sure you've heard the following:
"Your risk of stillbirth nearly doubles between 41 and 42 weeks."

Yikes, right? Who would be so careless as to refuse an induction at 41 weeks? I mean, a twofold/double/50% increase is a huge deal.

What they don't tell you is that at 41 weeks, the absolute risk is 1.66% and at 42 weeks, it doubles to 3.18%. That means it goes from nearly 2 to 3 babies out of 1,000 being stillborn. So yes, it is "double, " but likely not as big as you'd imagine.

It's a very low risk, but maybe those numbers don't sit well with you, and you would rather induce. Or maybe you tell yourself you're more likely to be one of the 997 who have a healthy baby and are willing to take the risk.

Neither choice is good nor bad, but HOW the numbers are presented and how they relate to YOUR specific situation (health, history, risk factors, preferences) matters greatly!