Why should I have a Doula?

Lisa Maloney — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 18:57:22 +0000

A doula is a woman that is specially trained in pregnancy care, child birth and post partum care of a mother and infant. Why should you have a Doula?

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Recently I began a new career path in Doula work. Doula work has been around for a long period of time although not many people know what a doula really is.

It is a Greek word that means “Woman’s Servent”. A doula is a woman that is specially trained in pregnancy care, child birth and post partum care of a mother and infant. When I think of the word Doula I think of many words such as support, love, nonjudgmental, and loyal; I could go on all day with words to describe a doula and there are several other words that I’m sure others would use as well.

When it comes to having a Doula there are ample benefits for both mother and infant, it has been reported that woman who have a Doula have a 60% decrease in receiving an epidural, a 50% decrease in cesarean birth, a 40% decrease in the use of pictocin, and a 30% decrease in the use of narcotics and/or forceps. A doula has also been proven to decrease the mother perception of labor pain, and increase satisfaction in labor. Of course there are many other benefits such as less stress on the partner/family/friend who attends the birth by allowing them to take breaks and providing information, or being able to provide a constant support through the entire labor process. A Doula does not leave the side of a mother no matter what, she will usually stay until the mother gets into her room and the baby latches (if the mother chooses to breastfeed).

All Doulas work differently in their styles but a Doula’s main focus is the mother. There are many techniques a Doula may use during labor such as essential oils or a rebozo wrap to help with labor pains. They can also be there to provide information in regards to things such as breastfeeding, babywearing, and she may also provide more parenting tips for parent/s.

A Doula is not a medical professional and can not perform any medical tasks that include delivering a baby or giving medical advice. But a Doula can provide you with all the information needed to come up with a birth plan that fits you and she will be there to show you how to be an advocate for yourself

There are many woman like myself that have had a doula and will tell you that they don’t regret the experience, some would not go through labor without one. If you are interested in learning more about a Doula you are able to by searching on the web, asking family/friends or even searching through facebook groups. The cost of Doula services can go anywhere up to $2,000 but you may find Doula professionals that charge based on income. I highly recommend anyone to look into finding a Doula for your pregnancy/birth/post partum period. I can gaurantee that you will not be disappointed by the experience at all.

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #NYCBreastfeedingWorld

Lisa Maloney

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I am a 31 year old mother of 3: Crystalltynn-14, Carla -13 and Anthony who is 19 months old. I breastfed all my children for various durations but did not have the proper support or knowledge with my older daughters, so I was very determined to achieve my breastfeeding goals with my son. I learned that advocating for breastfeeding rights was not benefitting for me and my peers, but for my daughters and their generation, I hope that one day breastfeeding is more normalized and no woman will second guess the power of their bodies or be ashamed.

The post Why should I have a Doula? appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

What happened at the Today Show?

Lisa Maloney — Sat, 23 May 2015 22:42:02 +0000

On Thursday, May 21, Kathie Lee and Hoda had a segment on their show that included the topic of breastfeeding pictures on social media. They stated that although breastfeeding is beautiful, it was TMI to share pictures on social media. It caused a uproar among breastfeeding pages on facebook. A Nurse-In was organized for May 23 at the Rockefeller Plaza Studio Today Show. I could not miss this opportunity to go and support something so special to me, my teenage daughters and I made signs to show support.

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That morning we woke up very early to make sure to get there at 6:30am. It was cold and the trains were messed up, but that did not stop us. We arrived about 6:45 with our signs in hand and ready to show our support. To my surprise, my signs were confiscated at the entrance. The 2 security guards explained they can not be aired on t.v; but did not explain exactly what was wrong with the signs. They assured me I can retrieve my signs when I left. I was very disappointing that the word boob and breast could be offensive when I hear insulting words on day time T.V all the time.

Photos by Alexia Garcia – Alegares Photography

When we got past security, I met with Jill DeLorenzo (a breasfeeding advocate), Anastasia West, and Alexia Garcia (founder of NYC’s Breastfeeding World Project). Jill Delorenzo was live streaming to keep all our online supporters up to date on what was going on. She had stated that they had seen her sign on tv earlier but thought that the cameras might be avoiding us cause of her sign that read “#brelfie”. It was very upsetting that we were silenced.

Although today was not a complete success, we will continue to bring light to a cause that is so important. We made connections and will continue to support together. This is not only for us, but for our daughters and their children too. I am honored to be apart of such a amazing community and look forward to advocate for such a important movement in womens and babies rights all over.

Check out all the other lovely pictures from this awesome event!

Update: Jill DeLorenzo has begun a “Change Petition” asking NBC to stop shaming and censoring Breastfeeding Moms, let’s all show our support by signing the petition! we need to reach 500 signatures but together I’m sure we will go beyond that! Sign here

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #NYCBreastfeedingWorld

Feel free to comment below with your thoughts!

Lisa Maloney

The post What happened at the Today Show? appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Lisa Maloney – Breastfeeding World

Why should I have a Doula?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

What happened at the Today Show?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!