New Logo!

I am so thankful to have such a talented brother. I gave him my idea for a logo and look what he created!

I absolutely love it!

(What I do not love is re-doing all my paperwork so that I can have it as my letterhead...)

Change is in the air

There are going to continue to be a fair amount of changes over here as I get all my ducks in a row. I am in the process of getting an official logo designed, redoing my doula contract and fee structure, tossing about the possibility of adding a back up doula later this spring, and opening myself up to all the other things in motion right now. I was recently told about the need for someone to start IVs for the homebirth midwives in the community when they have GBS+ moms and I am really hopeful that I can fulfill that need during the next year (after I pass the RN licensing exam this summer.) Lots of amazing things happening so stay tuned!

And you can find listings on the doula network and on Plus Size Doula Connections!

Facebook!

Finally got a facebook page set up just for my doula stuffs!

Come "like" me!

More client comments!

I just got these from my clients whose birth I attended this past summer in June. We had only met a couple times since she moved here rather late in her pregnancy but luckily we just clicked pretty quickly. After a baby who didn't want to budge, an induction was scheduled and it didn't take very long before their sweet boy made his appearance.

"Rochelle was my doula in June of 2011. She was an absolute blessing for my labor and delivery! She was very compassionate and highly supportive of what my husband and I wanted. She was very professional and friendly to the nurses and doctors and guided me through my induction. She was very knowledgeable on the medical procedures that I had questions about and explained things to me with kindness and expertise. She made my induction go as smooth as possible and made me feel comfortable with my delivery. I would use her again and definitely recommend her for anyone who is looking to hire a doula!" - Tiffany Rea

And from her incredible husband (who I wish could come to all my births with me!):

"Rochelle was our doula for our first son in 2011. She was very professional and helped my wife through her labor and delivery. She never undermined my opinion as the husband and was very helpful to both of us. She was friendly to all of the hospital staff and made sure my wife got what she needed when she needed it. She did everything from giving my wife massages through contractions to helping her push. It was a great birthing experience and I would recommend Rochelle to anyone who is wanting a doula." - William Rea

In addition to being an incredible mother, she takes beautiful pictures and kindly took some amazing pictures for me and my husband this last fall. This one and this one too!

Keep an eye out around town for my business cards

And my first real recommendation!

From Shandi:

"I knew before I even asked Rochelle to be my doula that she would be amazing. However, I did not know just how much I would need her and how amazing she would actually be. Rochelle agreed early in my pregnancy to be my doula, so I had her for prenatal support from about 8 weeks on. I knew I would need her because I had a very bad experience watching my sister give birth in a hospital, and I could not birth like that. She listened when I complained about the drama around my family, she answered my questions about home birth since I was so unhappy with my OB, and she even recommended me to an amazing midwife. On days towards the end of my pregnancy when I felt miserable and was just ready for it to be over, Rochelle would send me a happy note, invite me out to lunch, or randomly stop by with a red velvet cupcake (my fav!). When my labor wouldn't start after my water broke, she was there to hold me while I cried, screamed, and cursed my body for betraying me, all the while assuring me that it's fine to have these feelings and that I need to let them out. When my midwife decided it was time to transfer to the hospital to start pitocin because my labor just would not start on it's own, Rochelle rode with me to the hospital and assured me that everything would be ok. My pitocin was started at 11 am, and I delivered my daughter the next afternoon at 1:28 pm after 26 1/2 hours in labor. Rochelle stayed with me the whole night and stayed awake while letting my husband and midwife rest. She kept me from falling off the bed countless times! She did things, suggested things, and held me in ways I didn't even know would be beneficial, but I know I couldn't have made it through without that help! She held the heating pad on my lower back, held me up while I was in a deep squat, and kept dealing with my hair for me. Rochelle didn't even care that I was taking immense pleasure in telling her that when she's in labor, I'll be the one telling her to "F off" when she starts asking for pain meds! At one point, I vomited and some went in her shoes, but she never complained. My husband and I will never birth without the help of someone as amazing as Rochelle, and I hope she can be the one to assist us if we're ever blessed with another child!"


You will likely see this on other pages in my blog too! Thanks Shandi!

An awesome birth!

I had been very excited for Shandi to have her baby but didn't really expect her to go early since it was her first baby. Imagine my surprise after a night of a vicious stomach virus, when she called to tell me her water had broken. I was feeling pretty bad still and hadn't had much sleep since it was 2am so I fell back to sleep for a few hours before deciding to just head to her house and crash in the recliner.

 Her husband went to Walmart and bought a breast pump and we spent the day pumping and walking the neighborhood. We walked so much I ended up with a sunburn. The midwife came and checked the baby a few times through out the day but then got called to another birth. Her back up came that evening and encouraged Shandi to get some sleep. I went home and did the same.

I returned the next morning, now Wednesday, and we did much of the same, adding in lots of temperature checking, emergenC, and blue & black cohosh. Nothing was getting the contractions regular and everyone was starting to feel discouraged. We decided to call it a night after the midwife came and checked the baby one last time for the evening. I went back home since I live pretty close so that I could see my husband for a bit and get some sleep.

The next morning, Thursday, I was prepared for more of the same when Shandi called to let me know they had spoken with their midwife and made the decision to etransfer to a local hospital with a good relationship with this midwife. I rode with them to the hospital so we could discuss the change and get a better idea of how to help her. We got settled into a room around 9:30 and she finally had her first vaginal check. She was at 2cm and the baby was -3, meaning she was still really high in the pelvis.  The Pitocin was quickly started on a high dose protocol and the contractions quickly kicked into gear. The midwife borrowed a birth ball from another local midwife since we forgot mine at Shandi's house. We used position changes a lot. Shandi had this lovely vocalization going the whole time, begging her cervix to "oooopppeeennn" through each contraction. Her husband and I did our best to keep things light (and mostly succeeded.) There was one point that really amused me when she was taking delight in the thought of one day being the one who got to tell me I didn't need any pain medication.

By the early hours of Friday morning, every one was thoroughly exhausted. Shandi recieved some Nubain and began to sleep in between contractions. She'd startle awake and go right into her vocalization. The midwife and her husband both got some sleep during this time but I didn't have that luxury. I had myself up in the bed with her, with my knee in the small of her back, pushing on a heating pad, and with my arms around her so that when she slipped into sleep, she didn't just tumble off of the bed. I got to close my eyes against her shoulder from time to time, but was really starting to feel the effects of going that long without sleep.

We were lucky enough to get the same nurse Friday morning that we'd had the day before and she quickly honed in on the exhaustion. Shandi had really started fighting the contractions, very discouraged by how long it had been and how little progress she had been making. The doctor was still fine with waiting it out a little bit longer, but at this point, I think most of us thought she'd end up with a cesarean that afternoon. The nurse asked her if she wanted to reconsider the epidural, which she did. I got some coffee while she got the epidural, and later a spinal when the epidural was ineffective. Everyone tried to get a little bit of sleep at this point and a few actually succeeded. Around 1, the nurse came in to say she was seeing some head compression in the baby so she wanted to check Shandi. We were all surprised and so greatful when she informed us that she was complete and ready to push. She got her to do a few practice pushes and then went to get everything set up. Shandi had a second wind and a whole wave of new energy. Since the midwife was there, I didn't have to hold a leg, which meant I was free to take lots of pictures for her, both to enjoy later, and to see that there was indeed a baby, with hair, coming out of her vagina! After only about a half an hour of pushing, Lilly Katherine came into this world, totally covered in vernix, and completely pissed that she finally had to leave the womb. She nursed almost immediately and was a perfect 7lb 6oz with lots of hair.

You can read her mommy's side of the story and see lots of (graphic) pictures that I took here.

It was a wonderful birth and a true test of my endurance. I was so impressed by this doctor and his amazingly laid back attitude. I know that if I ever had to have a homebirth transfer, he would definitely be the one I would want providing my care. It was a lovely reminder why I am putting up with all the hell of nursing school and I can't wait to get my business cards out to folks and really start attending births on a regular basis. Look forward to a recommendation from Shandi in an upcoming post!