¿Es Ud. Una Mujer Embarazada Que Vive Cerca De Portland?

May 012013
 

Una mujer que está embarazada

¿Sabía que dar a luz en casa es una opción que una mujer embarazada que vive en (Portland) Oregon tiene? La verdad es que tiene muchas opciones para su parto aquí en Portland. ¿Quisiera hablar con una comadre (una partera) que hable español para aprender más?

Aquí tengo tres recomendaciones de comadronas hispanohablantes:

Si está en busca de a una doula (dula) hispanohablante, estoy a su servicio.

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Placenta Encapsulation (Placenta Pills): Should You Have Your Placenta Encapsulated?

Apr 242013
 

This is the end result of placenta encapsulation - dried powder in capsulesHere in Portland (PDX), most of my clients to have their placentas processed and encapsulated (made into capsules) to take postpartum. I have never personally heard a Mom regret doing it, but I have known a few who regretted ::not:: having ‘happy pills’ made out of their baby’s placenta.

As a doula, I make very few recommendations – I do actually recommend this for my clients. If you’re pregnant and wondering about whether or not you should invest in placenta encapsulation as part of your birth plan, here are some articles and blog posts to consider:

About Placenta Encapsulation In The Media:

Moms Blog About Their Placenta Eating Experiences:

DIY Placenta Instructions/Recipes:

Of course, f you’re considering placenta encapsulation and you live in Portland, Oregon, please get in touch.
 Portland MamaBaby offers off-site placenta encapsulation and tinctures and serves the entire Portland metro area.

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The October Doula Tea and a Topic (Doula Workgroup)

Sep 262012
 

 

Yikes, I turned around and September is over! I wonder how many of you Mamas are feeling the same way after getting your children back in school and returning to a “school days” state of mind and how many of you homeschool and year-round school and unschool? We are lucky that we have so many different ways to bring up our children.

It’s time for Doula Tea and a Topic.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 3:30pm at the Portland MamaBaby Center, which is located at 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd (Portland, OR 97206). At the last doula tea we talked about how nice it would be to work together as a group to update our resource lists, and after giving the logistics of it a lot of thought, we decided to hold this as a Doula Tea and Work Party. We also decided to make it a snack potluck, so please bring a snack to share!

If you’d like to attend, please try to bring a laptop with you (if you have one). We have all the wifi you could want. We’ll bring our laptops and we’ll have the iMac available to use at the center, as well. If you have your resource lists printed out, you could share that – if you have them bookmarked, we can form a collaborative Pinterest board? We can all work together to fill in the gaps of our resource lists and share our bookmarks this way and ultimately we all serve our clients better as a result of our collaborative efforts.

Any questions? Just drop Kate an email.

(PS: If you didn’t hear, my email exploded metaphorically and I lost every email through last week, so if you’re reading this and wondering why I haven’t replied to you already, please resend your email because I no longer have it :( It’s a very sad story, but sometimes technology blow up in your face.)

 

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Secrets of Successful Waterbirth: A Waterbirth Certification Course

Sep 242012
 

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Join Us For Doula Tea and a Topic: Boundaries and Self Care for Doulas

Aug 132012
 

Our next doula tea is scheduled for Monday, August 27th, 2012 from 10am-11:30am. [calendar]

This month rather than just gathering to meet and support each other, we have a guest speaker and a topic.

Portland therapist and doula, Keely Helmick, will be joining us and the topic will be setting healthy doula-client boundaries to avoid vicarious traumatization along with some self-care strategies.

There is no fee to attend, but we would gratefully accept your $5-10 donation toward funding guest speakers and mini-workshops like this one (we can take your debit/credit card via Square, to make it extra convenient for you to be able to contribute if you don’t carry cash.)

Please plan on attending if you are a doula, doula in training, or a student doula in the Portland Metro area, and please plan to bring a friend. We would appreciate your help in spreading the word to reach all the doulas in our birth community!! Paraprofessionals are also invited to attend, though we will be speaking specifically to the topic as it relates to doulas, the information will be beneficial to others in related fields.

If you have any questions, please contact Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com.

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Monthly Doula Tea Meeting at Portland MamaBaby Center

Jun 062012
 

Doula Tea Meeting at Portland MamaBaby CenterI hesitate to name it a doula tea, because that limits us so much! Maybe one day we’ll decide to have a potluck, or like this month we’ll eat hummus (and you can still have tea if you want it!)

Just to clarify, this isn’t a BSN sponsored event, just a MamaBaby come and hang out tea and chat time.

So here’s the plan for June: We’ll have “Doula Hummus and Pita” from Mezza at the Portland MamaBaby Center [map] and you can still have a cup of tea or a coffee if you wish on Wednesday, June 20th at 1pm .

You’ll still find it as “Doula Tea” on the calendar. There is no cost or fee to attend, but we will gratefully take your donation towards the MamaBaby Clinic if you feel so inclined as to contribute to midwifery care for women regardless of their ability to pay.

All doulas are welcome

Certified doulas and uncertified doulas, doulas in training, and aspiring doulas, you are all welcome to attend!  I figure this will be a chance to just sit and enjoy the company of sister doulas without the pressure of a workshop or a presentation. This is your moment to capture the spirit of the sorority of the doula community that surrounds you. This is just some you time to refill your spirit tank.

You can also bring your questions about the DONA doula training that begins the next day and any questions you might have about the Business of Being a Doula workshop I’m teaching.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend by June 19th.
You can just RSVP to the Facebook Event
or by emailing me (Kate)
so that I know how much hummus to order:

[kate@portlandmamababycenter.com]
Or just use the contact form

Babes in arms and nurslings are welcome.
Please arrange for childcare for older children so that we can all relax
and enjoy the sacred sisterhood we are creating.

 

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Another Beautiful Pregnant Belly Henna Tattoo at the Portland Mama Baby Center

Jun 022012
 

pregnant belly henna tattoo at portland mama baby center

This morning at the Portland Mama Baby Center, Ana spent a couple of hours with a lovely Mama doing this henna tattoo. I think it’s gorgeous. I really can’t say enough how much I love pregnant belly henna. What a great baby shower or blessingway gift, too! If you’d like to gift a henna belly tattoo to someone, just let me know and I’ll whip up a special little gift card for you to give to Mama.

If you’d like to schedule some time for your own pregnant belly henna tattoo, please just get in touch with Kate. It’s easy.

By email: kate@portlandmamababycenter.com

By phone: (503) 206-7715

By text: (503) 451-3452

On Facebook  | On Twitter

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Herbs for the Childbearing Year at Portland Mama Baby Center

May 302012
 

herbs for the childbearing year

Herbs for Women in Their Childbearing Years
With Jessica Elliott

  • Herbs every women should have in her life.
  • Fertility & conception.
  • Nourishing herbs during pregnancy.
  • Herbal solutions for common pregnancy complaints.
  • Postpartum herbs for the perineum.
  • Milk supply herbs.
  • Preventing & treating postpartum blues.

CLASS: Herbs for Women in their Childbearing Years
WHEN: August 18 from 10am to 4pm.
WHERE: Portland MamaBaby Center (map)
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: Herbs for Everyone
COST: $75.00. 

To register, simply download our registration form and attach your payment.

Return your completed registration form and payment to Portland MamaBaby Center at 5528 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland, OR 97206. We also accept Paypal and major credit card. If you wish to use PayPal or a credit card, please fill out the registration form and send it in and then contact Kate directly (kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com) to make your payment.

For specific questions about the class, please email Jessica at Jessica@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com

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Doula Workshops for your Doula Business at the Portland MamaBaby Center

May 102012
 

the business of being a doula

If your doula training was like the typical 24 hour DONA Birth Doula Training, you spent 99% of your time talking about pregnancy, labor, childbirth, postpartum care, and practicing hands on comfort and relaxation measures and then approximately 1 hour talking about establishing and running a doula practice. It was probably something that you touched upon at the end of your training, when you were worn out and tired and ready to just start attending births. Maybe you did your training a long time ago and you just never really managed to attract clients and so your practice has just kind of sat stagnant?

This course is designed with this question in mind:
“I’m a doula – now what?”

In this six (6) week course that meets for 3 hours weekly (that’s 18 hours total, for people who are keeping track) at the MamaBaby Center, you will expand your doula education to become a certified and professional doula. You will also have the opportunity to create a doula collective with other doulas who are also registered for the course as you get to know each other over the six week period. The business part of doula work is the part I actually enjoy the most – it’s where my passion lies – in helping new doulas get started! Here’s how I’ve broken up the sessions:

Doula Workshops for your Doula Business

Session 1:

  • How to set up your practice (a holistic view)
  • Defining your target client
  • Branding/logo
  • Basic marketing materials

Session 2:

  • Advertising vs. Marketing vs. Networking
  • Social Media and Birth Work
  • Creating a simple marketing plan that works
  • Contacting companies for samples

Session 3:

  • Client paperwork
  • Doula charting
  • Client educational materials
  • Client goodie bags/gifts

Session 4:

  • The consult! Who is interviewing who here?
  • Prenatal appointments
  • Postpartum appointments
  • Being on call

Session 5:

  • Your First Official Client
  • Packing your doula birth bag and your own personal birth survival bag
  • Dealing with difficult situations/difficult clients
  • “Secret” Doula tips and recipes

Session 6:

  • Doula personal life and professionalism in an internet world
  • From doula to …? Options after life on call
  • working with home birth midwives (guest speaker)
  • wrap up and plan a 1 year reunion!

The cost for this 18 hour course is $360.00. I know that is nearly as much as you paid for your doula workshop, if you took one, but I think the practical nature of this course and the hands on workshops that will help you develop your practice are a smart investment in your new doula business.

You could be the best doula in the world, but without clients, you won’t ever make you any money, so you need to invest in both a doula training workshop and a doula business workshop if you really want to create a thriving practice. Preregistration is required by June 30th. If you have the resources and you’d like to save $60.00, register by June 10th [AMENDED DATE]  for an early bird discount! You can download the registration form for this class or email me and I’ll send it to you.

Recommended articles will be provided as .pdf files to registrants, and the lending library at the MamaBaby Center has the books that will support our curriculum. Participants will receive educational/client materials for their clients as well as develop their own. The first course begins on [AMENDED DATE] Tuesday, July 10 at 6pm [calendar]. Appetizers and refreshments will be served at each class, since it’s a 6-9 pm class!

Questions? Please send an email to
Kate@PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com

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VBAC and VBAMC Policies in Portland Area Hospitals

Apr 182012
 

Portland Area VBAC Policies Provided by ICAN

VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) and VBAMC (Vaginal Birth After Multiple Cesarean) policy data provided and used with permission by Portland ICAN. All women are invited to ICAN meetings – I recently had a conversation with a leader at ICAN about encouraging more first-time Mamas to go to the ICAN meetings to learn how to prevent that first cesarean in to begin with. I think that’s a goal I can get behind! Don’t wait until you’ve been cut to learn about ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). Learn everything you can because knowledge is power in birth!

[NB: I did read today that St. Vincent's has agreed to do VBA2C under certain circumstances, so their De Facto Ban may be changing soon]

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Portland Tri-County VBAC Statistics Provided by ICAN of Portland

Apr 122012
 
Portland Area Hospital VBAC Rates

Click on the table to see it enlarged

Thank you to ICAN of Portland for providing this data. I chose to highlight only the local hospitals, birthing centers, and home birth statistics for the purposes of this blog post, but if you are an Oregonian outside of the Portland Metro area, you can go to the full report and find your region and hospital.

ICAN of Portland is the local chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network. Their goal is to provide support to women who are recovering from a cesarean, women facing a medically necessary cesarean, or women searching for VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) information. ICAN of Portland has a face-to-face support group on the 3rd Monday of each month from 7-9 p.m. For more information, just fill out the ICAN contact form.

Here are the MamaBaby Center, we are planning a weekly month long VBAC class [4 sessions total] that will be offered twice a week: one daytime class for Mamas with a flexible schedule who can make a daytime meeting and one evening class each week to accommodate Mamas with a 9-5 work schedule.

Registration will begin May 15th for the July class. You’ll want to register early because there are some prerequisites for the class: you’ll have a short reading list and you’ll need to request and acquire your medical records and surgical summary for the first class. …more info is coming about the class and so is a registration form!

We’d love to help support you through your VBAC or HBAC or WBAC.

Our resident midwife, Tia, does attend VBAC births at home (check out the home birth VBAC stats above!!!)

You also have the option of laboring at home with one of our monitrice-doulas and delivering your baby in the hospital with a your monitrice-doula and your OB or nurse midwife.  

Ready to schedule a free consultation?

Please contact Kate [Kate @ PortlandMamaBabyCenter.com] or call the center [503-206-7715]. 

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PDX: Why Portland, Oregon Is The Best City To Have A Baby

Apr 062011
 

Portland, Oregon, is the #1 city to have a baby*:

word cloud map of the state of oregon portland

I love Portland. It is truly the single best place in the United States to work as an advocate for Mamas and Babies. We’re not without fault, our cesarean rate is still high and consistent with the national average. We could be doing better, but I think the fact that so many women and men in Portland are actively working to improve our maternal health system and protect our right to birth where we want and with the provider we choose is ultimately our greatest strength. Portland women, especially, seem to agree that women have the right to birth in a way that even they themselves may not themselves choose. The right of other women to VBAC or birth at home with or without a midwife if they choose to seems to be something that most women who I come into contact with agree should be the individual woman’s right, not the government’s decision to impose upon them.

  • According to data from the CDC, infant and maternal mortality in Oregon is especially low.
  • Portland babies are 24% less likely than average to be born with low birth weight.
  • Babies here are 21% less likely than average to be born prematurely.
  • 88% of Portland mothers attempt breastfeeding. That’s the 3rd highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 75%.
  • By six months of age, 56% of Portland babies are still being breastfed. That’s the 6th highest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 43%.
  • 19.% of Portland mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, making it the 2nd highest scoring city in this category. The average for cities in our survey is 12%.
  • Once Portland mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 14% more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That’s the 8th highest level of follow-through of any city in our report.
  • Oregon has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.
  • 14.3% of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3%.
  • Portland has one doula for every 146 live births, the 4th highest ratio in our survey. The national average is one doula per 649 live births.
  • Portland has 116 midwives for every 1,000 births, the highest in our survey. The national average is 37 midwives for every 1,000 births.
  • Portland has 61 lactation consultants for every 10,000 live births, the 2nd highest ratio in our survey. The average city in our survey has 23 lactation consultants per 10,000 live births.
  • Portland has plenty of high-risk pediatricians, 69% more than average per capita and the 9th highest in our survey.
  • Portland has more OB-GYNs than average, the 5th highest in our survey.

*According to a 2008 study conducted by FitPregnancy.com

As a birth worker, I appreciate my sister doulas, the birth support network, and the network of midwives that I have available to guide me. As a Mama, I appreciate knowing that even if my family is ‘weird’ that there are other families just as ‘weird’ as ours is and I can find a playmate for Little. As a women I am grateful for the activists who work to preserve my daughters’ birthing options. After our 7 year adventure around the United States, I can say that there is no better place to have a baby and raise a family than in Portland, Oregon.

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