Sunday, November 6, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
services rendered (from page 2 of my packet of hand-outs)
services rendered...
Currently I am in the process of becoming certified, which involves attending several births, becoming a lactation consultant, creating a list of resources for my clients, reading several texts, essay writing and tests.
Since I am at the beginning of this journey, I am happy to offer my doula services at a discount for those who qualify for my “certifying births.” My retaining fee is $50, which can be paid at one of our two meetings pre-birth. The other half of the fee is also $50 and may be paid at the post-partum visit once you return home with the new addition to your family.
A complete list of my services includes:
Two pre-birth visits:
One to discuss services, fees, go over paperwork, check out books from my library, & be sure that you wish to secure my services.
At the second visit, I will have the mother-to-be submit a birth plan, post-partum care plan, & sign a contract, among other things. We will go over any specific wishes or dislikes she might have. (from massage to labor positions to who holds baby if mother isn’t able to just after birth, I hope to discuss all we can think of!)
The birth: I will attend your birth if at all possible! In the unlikely event that I am unable to attend your birth, I do have a fabulous back-up doula, Tammy, who attended the birth of my own daughter. (I can attest to her being fabulous!) If you have any questions, or would like to meet her, please just let me know.
Postpartum care: I am not a postpartum doula yet. (That is another training away!) But I will visit with each mother I labor with once she is dismissed from the hospital. I want to make certain that all is well; that mom is not showing signs of depression, or becoming overwhelmed & that baby is doing great, too.
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Please contact me with any & all questions that you might have!
Sonya Gray Key
(309) 837-3793, sonya.graykey@yahoo.com, servingmoms.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 2, 2011
VBAC induction: why it's not a great idea
http://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Prenatal/vbac_induction2.html
Another good article on VBAC. This one deals w induction: why not to induce, esp. if the birth is a VBAC. I spent the past hour reading, reading, reading about different ways/outcomes to induce w VBAC & none of the outcomes were great. It seemed that all I read gave the risks for another C-sect & uterine rupture as "slightly increased" once the moms who were attempting a VBAC were induced.
My conclusions: Keep walking (exercising as much as you are comfortable with) & having sex (stimulation for mom as well as semen had good, natural effects on ripening/progression) while pregnant, but don't attempt (or allow anyone to) induce your labor, moms. Stay healthy & educated!
Another good article on VBAC. This one deals w induction: why not to induce, esp. if the birth is a VBAC. I spent the past hour reading, reading, reading about different ways/outcomes to induce w VBAC & none of the outcomes were great. It seemed that all I read gave the risks for another C-sect & uterine rupture as "slightly increased" once the moms who were attempting a VBAC were induced.
My conclusions: Keep walking (exercising as much as you are comfortable with) & having sex (stimulation for mom as well as semen had good, natural effects on ripening/progression) while pregnant, but don't attempt (or allow anyone to) induce your labor, moms. Stay healthy & educated!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
my services, prices & general information
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| taken by grandma: the kiddies & mom the day after mom finished her doula training in Champaign |
The following is a reply to in inquest for information recently sent to me over email. I thought it might be helpful for readers interested in my services....
Yes, I would absolutely love to go to Carthage for a birth! I have yet to meet the famous Lila. ;) I've heard great things about her. (But let me mention that I can also come to your home for early labor if you so choose.)
Good for you for thinking way ahead this pregnancy! I'll give you a little info about myself/my practice and hopefully we can meet in person if you choose to hire me. (I would love to host you here at my house, or somewhere in Macomb, but am totally open to going to you as well.)
I'm relatively new at this practice. I have only assisted friends/family/a child of a good friend at birth previously, but I will be attending another birth in December. My husband teaches History at WIU & he won a Fulbright award last year, so we lived out of the country (fall/winter) for six months, which slowed my progress for a while. :) My last birth to attend before we left was actually last August, then we left in Sept ('09).
Upon arrival back in the U.S., I began working (again) at the Y here in Macomb, teaching Youth Yoga & Zumba (sometimes Yoga & Pilates, too). And over the summer I was hired to teach a Yoga & Pilates class at WIU (teaching future K-12 PE teachers how to implement Yoga & Pilates into our schools...I hope they follow through!)
I (finally) attended my childbirth doula workshop in Sept. of this year with Tammy Ryan from Iowa as my trainer. I trained through DONA int., an established group which I fell in love with through their longstanding motto, "A doula for every woman." (Despite cost, age, whether the mom is keeping the baby, etc.) Please take a look at their webpage for any information on DONA or how I was trained. You could even check out books which were recommended reading (although I've done supplemental reading as well). I would highly recommend any of those books for you/your partner. I wish I would've read/looked through them all before the birth of my children! If we do meet at my house I have a small "library" here where I am allowing moms to check things out. I've collected birth/breastfeeding/sibling books & hope to continue to grow my library as I grow my practice. I also will go through some paper work with you (birth plan, post-birth plan, scale of pain relief, questions to ask health professional, etc.). I'll give you several things & then you can take whatever supplemental info you want as well.
I am still working on my contract, but I expect to be finished with it by Thanksgiving break. So far, my costs will be $50 security deposit & a $50 charge for the birth & follow-up visit. I am still doing my "certifying births" for my training, so my costs are relatively cheap (and if cost is a factor for you, please let me know! I firmly believe that every woman should have a doula...even if she cannot pay a dime!)
As far as my service, my hope is that we will meet once or twice before the birth. Then I will attend your birth & stay with you & your new family for a few hours after birth (I hope to have my lactation training completed in the spring, but I am currently nursing my toddler & have nursed for about six years total, so finish it or not, I can help with a latch if you need it.:) I also hope to come to your home once after you & baby are released. I am not a postpartum doula yet (that's another training away), but I do feel that it's important to check mom for depression, the need for assistance, & feelings of becoming overwhelmed. Also, I'll confess that I would love to see the newest addition to your family! :)
I do have a back-up doula, Tammy McIllhaney. She was my doula at the birth of my daughter. My birth experience would've have been the same without her! She also used Lila for the births of her three babies, so you could ask Lila about her. The only reason I would use Tammy is if I absolutely had an emergency & could not attend. I do have an almost 6-year-old and a 2-and-a-half year old, so you never know what they are going to do! But so far, we've not had any ER visits for anything. :)
I hope I answered some of your questions. Please feel free to e-mail me again (or give me a call) with any more questions. If you would like to meet to go over anything I've written about, please just let me know. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope all goes well & that you are able to rest with a toddler & one on the way! It's a challenge sometimes, I know. :)
Sincerely,
Sonya Gray Key
Good for you for thinking way ahead this pregnancy! I'll give you a little info about myself/my practice and hopefully we can meet in person if you choose to hire me. (I would love to host you here at my house, or somewhere in Macomb, but am totally open to going to you as well.)
I'm relatively new at this practice. I have only assisted friends/family/a child of a good friend at birth previously, but I will be attending another birth in December. My husband teaches History at WIU & he won a Fulbright award last year, so we lived out of the country (fall/winter) for six months, which slowed my progress for a while. :) My last birth to attend before we left was actually last August, then we left in Sept ('09).
Upon arrival back in the U.S., I began working (again) at the Y here in Macomb, teaching Youth Yoga & Zumba (sometimes Yoga & Pilates, too). And over the summer I was hired to teach a Yoga & Pilates class at WIU (teaching future K-12 PE teachers how to implement Yoga & Pilates into our schools...I hope they follow through!)
I (finally) attended my childbirth doula workshop in Sept. of this year with Tammy Ryan from Iowa as my trainer. I trained through DONA int., an established group which I fell in love with through their longstanding motto, "A doula for every woman." (Despite cost, age, whether the mom is keeping the baby, etc.) Please take a look at their webpage for any information on DONA or how I was trained. You could even check out books which were recommended reading (although I've done supplemental reading as well). I would highly recommend any of those books for you/your partner. I wish I would've read/looked through them all before the birth of my children! If we do meet at my house I have a small "library" here where I am allowing moms to check things out. I've collected birth/breastfeeding/sibling books & hope to continue to grow my library as I grow my practice. I also will go through some paper work with you (birth plan, post-birth plan, scale of pain relief, questions to ask health professional, etc.). I'll give you several things & then you can take whatever supplemental info you want as well.
I am still working on my contract, but I expect to be finished with it by Thanksgiving break. So far, my costs will be $50 security deposit & a $50 charge for the birth & follow-up visit. I am still doing my "certifying births" for my training, so my costs are relatively cheap (and if cost is a factor for you, please let me know! I firmly believe that every woman should have a doula...even if she cannot pay a dime!)
As far as my service, my hope is that we will meet once or twice before the birth. Then I will attend your birth & stay with you & your new family for a few hours after birth (I hope to have my lactation training completed in the spring, but I am currently nursing my toddler & have nursed for about six years total, so finish it or not, I can help with a latch if you need it.:) I also hope to come to your home once after you & baby are released. I am not a postpartum doula yet (that's another training away), but I do feel that it's important to check mom for depression, the need for assistance, & feelings of becoming overwhelmed. Also, I'll confess that I would love to see the newest addition to your family! :)
I do have a back-up doula, Tammy McIllhaney. She was my doula at the birth of my daughter. My birth experience would've have been the same without her! She also used Lila for the births of her three babies, so you could ask Lila about her. The only reason I would use Tammy is if I absolutely had an emergency & could not attend. I do have an almost 6-year-old and a 2-and-a-half year old, so you never know what they are going to do! But so far, we've not had any ER visits for anything. :)
I hope I answered some of your questions. Please feel free to e-mail me again (or give me a call) with any more questions. If you would like to meet to go over anything I've written about, please just let me know. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope all goes well & that you are able to rest with a toddler & one on the way! It's a challenge sometimes, I know. :)
Sincerely,
Sonya Gray Key
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
What is a doula?
A doula is someone who...
Pictured: my doula, Tammy, assisting me as I labor with baby Zora. My birth experience wouldn't have been the same without her.
- provides emotional and physical support for a woman during, and/or just after labor.
- stays by the side of the woman during the entire labor.
- assists the woman and her partner in carrying out their birth plan.
- understands the physiology of birth
- understands the emotional needs of a woman in labor
- facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner & the medical care providers.
- perceives her role as one who nurtures & protects the woman's memory of her birth experience. (I love them all, but I think this is my favorite.)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Upcoming...a tea, a film & the best kind of gift.
I hope to post here at least once, maybe twice a month. Tammy, the other local doula, and I are planning to host a Doula Tea in October. If you or someone you know is at all interested or curious about what a doula is or using a doula, please check back here. Once we get the date & location set, I'll be sure to post it here...and hopefully at lots of locations throughout Macomb.
I ordered my certification package yesterday and spoke with a mom about setting up an interview (to become her doula) today. She is due in December. At first I thought about not accepting any moms in December because of my son's birthday, final exams and Christmas (our first to host at our house), but after speaking with my hubby about it, I think it'll work out fine. There may be a fantastic gift for that family this year! :)
As far as information, check out: The Business of Being Born. Wonderful film/documentary for those who are or want to become pregnant. Empower yourselves, ladies.
I ordered my certification package yesterday and spoke with a mom about setting up an interview (to become her doula) today. She is due in December. At first I thought about not accepting any moms in December because of my son's birthday, final exams and Christmas (our first to host at our house), but after speaking with my hubby about it, I think it'll work out fine. There may be a fantastic gift for that family this year! :)
As far as information, check out: The Business of Being Born. Wonderful film/documentary for those who are or want to become pregnant. Empower yourselves, ladies.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
a new beginning
I just got back from my training workshop and I can't wait to get started packing my doula bag, hosting a tea, and getting the word out that I am getting closer to being certified all the time. ;) I ordered my business cards today and talked to someone at La Leche about advertising there. Our monthly meeting is this week, so I'll see some moms then.
Also on my mind...my trainer mentioned a book that I just finished reading last week, Birth: the Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy. Such good stuff. (click on the title of the book for her blog)
If you are at all interested in why we now do the things we do as far as birth, it's a very educational read. It shows how birth moved from home to hospital, midwives to OBs and the such. Sometimes it's a sad story, but always very enlightening.
More to come soon!
Also on my mind...my trainer mentioned a book that I just finished reading last week, Birth: the Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy. Such good stuff. (click on the title of the book for her blog)
If you are at all interested in why we now do the things we do as far as birth, it's a very educational read. It shows how birth moved from home to hospital, midwives to OBs and the such. Sometimes it's a sad story, but always very enlightening.
More to come soon!
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