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Welcome Health Care Providers!
Whether you are currently caring for a WellBegun client or you have heard about my services some other way, I am pleased that you have taken the time to visit our online home! I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a bit about what I do as a professional, non-medical member of an expectant mother's birth team. In addition to the information shared here, I would be happy to answer any questions that you have - please contact me for more information.
The Bradley Method®
Also known as "husband-coached childbirth," this is a complete course in natural childbirth education that teaches much more than just a tool or two to cope with labor! Points of focus include:
- Excellent nutrition – the foundation of a healthy pregnancy – and exercise to prepare for birth and maintain strength and stamina;
- Avoidance of unnecessary medications and unsafe activities during pregnancy, labor, birth, and breastfeeding;
- Relaxation and deep, natural breathing, as well as other comfort measures, as safe techniques for coping with labor;
- Active participation of the husband (or other loving partner) as coach;
- Positive communications, and how to work as a team with care providers;
- Consumerism and informed consent, including education on the many choices they may face in their birth, and how to weigh their options against their circumstances to make the best choices for their situation;
- Preparation for unexpected situations, such as complications, cesarean, and emergency childbirth;
- Breastfeeding – the foundation of a healthy baby – and postpartum care.
You can read more about the principles of the Bradley Method® on the national website. In addition, I have some exciting opportunities for you to get personal insight into Bradley® education!
Class Shadowing: I invite birth care providers of all types – obstetricians, midwives, nurses, birth assistants, doulas, etc. – to sit in on actual classes that I am teaching to expectant couples. The series is 12 weeks long, but as care providers may not be able or willing to shadow an entire series, I allow sign-ups for classes on an a-la-carte basis. For an outline showing what topics will be covered in any given class, please contact me. The number of shadows accepted for any given class will depend upon how full my class is. Providers shadowing my classes are welcome to gain and share wisdom in classes they attend, and I will also make individual time for them before or after class, if desired, for specialized questions.
In-service Workshops: I am also willing to come to your office space (or a location of your choice) and do an in-service workshop for you and as many of your colleagues as you wish to arrange. There is no cost for this service, but media must be provided. In-service workshops will be tailored to the informational needs of your office (based on a pre-workshop survey) and may include charts, video, activities, and discussion.
Healthy Pregnancy Classes: I also teach “Early Bird” or “Healthy Pregnancy” classes. These classes are especially beneficial for expectant mothers in the first five months of pregnancy. They focus more on the foundations of a healthy pregnancy – nutrition, exercise, the changes that occur with gestation, pregnancy comfort measures, etc. – than on labor and birth. These classes include charts and may include video. I offer them free of charge to as many of your clients as you wish to arrange, but space and media must be provided.
Doula Services
I am also pleased to offer a workshop on doulas - who we are, what we do (and don't do), our role in the modern birth team, and how both clients and care providers can make the most of the services of a doula. I will come to a location of your choice and present to as many colleagues as you wish to arrange. There is no cost for this service, but media must be provided. This workshop will be tailored to the informational needs of the participants (based on a pre-workshop survey) and may include charts, video, activities, and discussion. |
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| It Takes a Village |
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Are you wondering where a Bradley® instructor or doula fits into the birth team? Do you feel that these services are superfluous or will interfere with your care? If the Bradley® instructor or doula does their job right, mothers who seek out these services are some of the best people to care for!
Bradley® Education
Because Bradley® classes teach parents to stay healthy and low-risk, Bradley® students are less likely to need extra medical care and intervention during pregnancy and labor. Because they are educated on common options and complications, more time can be spent discussing their particular situation, and less time discussing basic concepts. Education on the informed consent process enables Bradley® students to ask the right questions to make decisions from a place of knowledge about their care. Finally, training in positive communications and teamwork enables Bradley® students to take an active and productive role in their care.
Doula Services Doulas have been shown to reduce medical intervention and increase satisfaction in births. As the oft-quoted Dr. John Kennell said, "if a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." In addition to being of great service to a mother, her partner, and any other support people, a doula can make a nurse's life a lot easier as well. With a doula present, the nurse will not constantly asked to assist with logistics, comfort measures, environmental adjustment, water or ice chips, etc. A doula can also answer requests for information about the process of birth and ideas for comfort. This enables nurses to focus on their important clinical work, and is especially of value if there are many laboring mothers present that day. | |
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