Houston Doula Cooperative

02/22/2022

Coming up on March 5, The Birth Class: Community Edition is designed to for couples planning births at home or in a birth center! Enjoy a day of hands-on learning, laughter, and encouragement as you prepare for the birth of your baby, all in an in-person, small group environment. The class is taught by certified childbirth educator, doula, and senior student midwife, Heather Barrett. Questions? Email info@illuminatal.com. Register at illuminatal.com/birth.html.

10/11/2021

Maternal mortality is a huge crisis in the U.S. and particularly in Texas. Did you know our rates are among the worst in the developed world?

04/30/2021

Registration is open NOW for both The Birth Class and The Baby Class! Weekend sessions are being held in May in the Katy area. Take $50 off when you register for BOTH! Register at illuminatal.com and use code TWOFER to get your discount (code takes $25 off each class registration). Questions? Send me a PM or email at info@illuminatal.com.

04/22/2021

Just a few days left to sign up for The Birth Class: Community Birth Edition! This class is designed specifically for those planning birth center and home births. We will be meeting in-person, following CDC guidelines, in the Katy area. The 6-hour class will be held over two Saturdays, May 1st and 8th.

All classes are now being held online via Zoom. As always, classes remain live, interactive, and hands-on. Class materials will be mailed to your home or will be available for pick-up at local midwifery offices. Please feel free to reach out to Heather at info@illuminatal.com with any questions or c...

04/12/2021

Join Heather, one of our doulas and childbirth educators, for this class designed specifically for home and birth center birthers! Need another type of class? More group classes are coming up soon, so reach out to Heather at info@illuminatal.com for more information!

All classes are now being held online via Zoom. As always, classes remain live, interactive, and hands-on. Class materials will be mailed to your home or will be available for pick-up at local midwifery offices. Please feel free to reach out to Heather at info@illuminatal.com with any questions or c...

03/13/2020

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Whether you are recovering from birth, morning sickness or a long weekend with a toddler, healing is not a linear process.

03/12/2020

During pregnancy we're fiercely protective of our health and feel especially responsible for everything we do and expose ourselves - and baby - too. If you’re pregnant, naturally, you’re concerned about COVID-19 for your own health and your baby’s. Who wouldn’t be? We’re inundated with ove...

02/23/2020

Join us for the next session of The Birth Class! We'll be meeting for 6 Thursday evenings, beginning March 26th, at Midwife in the Heights on 20th Street in Houston. Space is limited! This class is perfect for all couples, no matter where you are planning to give birth or what your hopes are for your birth experience. Learn about all your options, the evidence behind them, explore comfort measures, and get empowered.

Register online at http://www.illuminatal.com/birth.html

02/17/2020

If you are on the east side of the Houston area, don't miss this one-day offering of The Birth Class at The Birth Center of Beaumont! Taught by one of our doulas and childbirth educators, Heather of IllumiNatal Doula Services.

01/28/2020

Stanislawa Leszczyńska was instructed to murder babies, but refused. She is a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic church.

01/25/2020

“Nearly 81% of the women who attended classes had normal vaginal deliveries, versus 59% of women in the comparison group. In addition, only 12 women who took the classes needed an intervention during delivery, such as a vacuum extraction, compared with 36 women who didn’t take the classes.”

(Reuters Health) - First-time mothers who take childbirth classes are more likel...

01/20/2020

Great visuals! Did you birth your baby in one of these (or another) position in the hospital?

Ever thought about how giving birth lying down is kinda...counterproductive? The birth canal curves upwards when you lie down, so you're going against gravity. Birthing on your back can make labor last longer because the body has to work much harder to eject the baby. It constricts blood vessels, meaning baby and mother won't receive the optimum levels of blood & oxygen. It also makes you more prone to tearing, and is typically more painful than birthing in an intuitive position. Your pelvis isn’t given the opportunity to open to its fullest capacity, and makes it harder for babies in non-optimal birthing positions to rotate or switch to better positions - which can lead to a need for medical intervention.
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There are a number of positions to give birth in that are better for both mommy and baby. Unfortunately, hospitals sometimes have a habit of telling birthers that they “can’t” deliver a baby in any position besides on their backs. DON’T LISTEN. Request the squat bar. Adjust the bed to your liking. Switch to a side-lying position. Do what feels COMFORTABLE and - most importantly - follow your body’s lead.
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12/05/2019

UPDATE: The American Society of Anesthesiologists have released a Statement on Resuming Breastfeeding after Anesthesia. They reiterate that there is no need to "pump and dump" and include the following recommendations for lactating people requiring surgery:
1. All anesthetic and analgesic drugs transfer to breastmilk; however, only small amounts are present and in very low concentrations considered clinically insignificant.
2. Narcotics and/or their metabolites may transfer in slightly higher levels into breastmilk; therefore, steps should be taken to lower narcotic requirements by adding other analgesics when appropriate and avoiding drugs that are more likely to transfer (i.e., have a higher RID).
3. Because pain interferes with successful breastfeeding, women should not avoid pain medicines after surgery. Despite an excellent safety record, breastfeeding women who require narcotic pain medicines should always watch the baby closely for signs of sedation: difficult to wake and/or slowed breathing.
4. When possible, spinal or epidural anesthesia consisting of local anesthetic and a long-acting narcotic, should be used for cesarean delivery to reduce overall post-operative pain medication requirements.
5. Patients should resume breastfeeding as soon as possible after surgery because anesthetic drugs appear in such low levels in breastmilk. It is not recommended that patients “pump and dump.”
Find full text: https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-guidelines/statement-on-resuming-breastfeeding-after-anesthesia
*Have you breastfed after surgery?*
Breastfeeding and anesthesia are generally compatible. The common suggestion to "pump and dump" for 24 hours post-surgery is not in line with current evidence. Generally, the mother can resume breastfeeding once she is awake, stable, and alert after anesthesia has been given.

Find a printable PDF version here:
https://lllusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Anesthesia-and-Breastfeeding.pdf

11/13/2019

Anyone ever feel like this? 😂😂😭😭

😀

10/29/2019

Let's talk about the microbiome! We often hear about how dirty untidy homes can be a hazard to babies, and wouldn't you rather have a nice clean hospital bed. The reality is that sterility is not an ideal birth space, and that the bacteria that do survive in the hospital setting are dangerous. Birth at home sets you and baby up for a diverse and robust microbiome.

Myth: "Hospitals are cleaner"
Fact: The microbiome of your home is safer than hospital microbes.

Further reading here:

https://midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/homebirth-and-the-microbiome/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181031080557.htm

https://www.futurity.org/home-birth-diverse-microbiome-1901502-2/

http://theconversation.com/home-birth-may-start-babies-off-with-health-promoting-microbes-119045

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4080534/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28413115

https://www.amboss.com/us/knowledge/Nosocomial_infections

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/most-dangerous-germs-hospital-may-be-those-you-bring-you

Photo: Aimee Preston

10/19/2019

10/14/2019

Would you be interested in using virtual reality during labor?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/08/tech/vr-pain-relief-birth-labor/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0GZXpELMxROlo_24NhLdVlEGt1hl4g1MZsWMS_7O-yv65Sj84nkUdZg8U

While in labor with her second child, in November 2016, Erin Martucci's doctor suggested an unorthodox option to quell her anxiety about giving birth without the pain relief of an epidural: a virtual-reality headset.

10/10/2019

In what ways could this apply to labor, birth, and postpartum?