Preparing for Parenthood as a First-Time Mother

You’re about to begin the most rewarding chapter of your new life, one filled with happiness, discovery, and fulfillment of your greatest purpose in life: being a mother. There’s no denying the excitement that grows as the big day approaches, but it may be mixed with anxiety as you know raising a child is hard work. You’ve heard the stories of waking up in the middle of the night to soothe a sobbing infant or change a dirty diaper. However, a little preparation will make it a whole lot easier, and you’ll be able to enjoy parenthood rather than just get through it.

Be Mentally Fit

Delving into your past may provide answers to some of your most pressing questions. According to Psychology Today, pregnancy stirs up memories about your own childhood and how you were raised. Dealing with those issues can help you identify what you want to do differently as a parent to better provide for your child, both physically and emotionally.

As for the present, identify the biggest sources of stress in your life now and do your best to eliminate them. If it’s finances that keep you awake at night, examine your expenses and come up with a new family budget that provides enough for you and the baby, as well as a little extra to deal with any emergencies that might arise.

Take Some “Me” Time

Of course, it’s always important to have some fun, and self-care should be a priority. Why not get out of the house and head to some of your favorite hangouts, such as the mall, the park, or the local cafe? Yes, it’s a great way to unwind, and you’ll also see which places are baby-friendly and stroller accessible. Bring your friends along for the jaunt and make a day of it.

While you’re enjoying the simple pleasure of life, treat yourself to a warm bath or a massage. These are quick ways to relieve stress that come in handy when you don’t have much time, and as child-rearing website Mother & Baby explains, “Taking care of yourself is as important as taking care of your baby, and will help you to adapt to motherhood.”

Find a Helping Hand

A huge part of motherhood is multi-tasking. You’ve got to juggle feeding, changing diapers, and cleaning up little messes with all of your everyday chores like washing the dishes and doing laundry. No matter how independent you are, you’ll need a helping hand, so look for it now while you’ve got the time.

What kind of help? Let’s start with the housework. Paying someone to come in once a month — or even more often — is a worthwhile way to spend your money if it means more time with your newborn. It will also save you stress. And as much as your four-legged friend likes to take a trot around the neighborhood with you, they can get used to a dog walker if necessary.

Meet Other Moms

You’re not alone in this. Reach out to your friends and family who have already been where you are going. They’ll be able to give you advice and support when you need it. Another option is to check out meet-ups for pregnant women in your area, and there’s a myriad of support groups online that provide valuable social interaction in addition to tips on childcare when you can’t leave the house.

Remember all the fun you’re going to have and all the things you have to teach to your little bundle of joy as they discover the world around them. And as for all the little hassles, you can meet them head-on thanks to all the homework you’ve done. You’ve got this.

Written by Alexis Hall Click here for Alexis’s site

Resources and Links:

Psychology Today

Self Care

Baby-Friendly

Mother & Babyhousework

Meet-ups

Online

There has been some talk amongst child-birth professionals as to whether or not doulas are able to apply for payment from insurance companies. Some people are supportive and some disagree. There have been some cases where doula services were reimbursed for full or partial payment by the insurance company to the client.
What I have discovered is that you can submit a letter to the insurance company requesting that these services are covered or at least reimbursed. I have secured an NPI number and know the CPT codes to help you find out if you qualify. There are over twenty insurance companies who have paid or reimbursed for services. Upon request, I can send you the information. Your Doula must be certified, have a tax ID number or a social security number, and an NPI number.
You may need to write a letter explaining the need for doula support. You can site the decrease in cesarean rates, which will lower costs to the insurance company. Doulas can help shorten labor. Parents supported by doulas have less incidence of postpartum depression. Hiring doulas and having childbirth education helps parents to opt out of the use of pain medication. The maternal and infant mortality rates are high in the United States, especially in the African American communities. These communities need and would benefit from doula support. There several real-time statistics that can support these findings. According to the “WHO” The World health organization, recommends that Doulas attend all births globally”. **March 23, 2016, International Doula Institute
ACOG The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists says, ” The recommendations also suggest that women benefit from continuous emotional support and the use of non-pharmacologic methods to manage pain. Support offered by trained labor coaches such as doulas has been associated with improved birth outcomes, including shortened labor and fewer operative deliveries. In addition to considering use of medications or epidural anesthesia to manage pain in labor, practitioners are encouraged to offer women coping techniques, such as massage, water immersion in the first stage of labor, or relaxation techniques. Recognizing that the complete absence and elimination of pain is not what all women value, use of a coping scale rather than pain scale is recommended to evaluate the multifactorial experience of labor.
“Techniques such as an epidural can relieve pain but may not ease anxiety or suffering,” said Tekoa L. King, CNM, MPH, ACNM liaison committee member and lead author. “Providing emotional support and coping mechanisms have proven positive outcomes, therefore, it’s recommended that providers consider instituting policies that allow for the integration of support personnel in the labor experience. This strategy may be beneficial for patients and cost-effective for hospitals due to an association with lower cesarean rates. It is important that midwives, ob-gyns, and other care providers collaborate to support women both emotionally and physically over the course of labor.” **American College of Obstetricians and Gynococlogist January 25, 2017
As a final consideration, you may attach a letter from your practitioner. You may find that your practioner can also be very supportive of doulas.
Compassionate Care Doula will help you find out if you are eligible for payment or reimbursement of payment for my services.
If you have any further questions or interest in summiting information for doula care please contact me at Compassionatecaredoula123@gmail.com I can provide you with the information that I have. Happy Birthing Dawn

Compassionate Care Doula Services is happy to announce that I will begin offering Placenta Encapsulations services to my surrounding areas Bluffton, Beaufort, Charleston and Savannah Areas. I received my training from Traditional Doula Arts. I adhere to strict protocol in accordance with the OSHA Blood borne Pathogens Standards 29 CFR 1090.1030. I have completed my training and hold a certification in blood-borne pathogens & infection control for Doulas, Midwives and Placenta Encapsulators. I pride my self with being certified with Traditional Doula Arts. I attended a 3 day workshop, where we were given a hands on chance to learn the TCM (Traditional Chinese Method) of encapsulation. We learned the raw dehydration method, cubed, smoothies, tinctures and prints. We were required to take the blood born pathogens certification. Once certified I added chocolate truffles. I offer a separate preparation area away from all family areas. According to my training organization we are only allowed to have one placenta processing in our possession at a time. By separating and processing this way it eliminates cross contamination. If you have any questions please let me know. Below is me encapsulating

The Day My Heart Stopped

This day like any other birthday will always remain an important day in my life.
Nov 11th, 1988.

It was a warm day. My husband and I were living in Texas. It was just us because my husband was in the military and our families lived in New York and New Jersey. We had been married for 3 years and wanted to start a family. We waited long enough to put to rest the rumors that I was pregnant being the reason that we married so early.
The day we found out that we were expecting we were over the moon excited. This would be the first child/grandchild in the family. We started to plan our annual trip home for the holidays. It was the middle of August. We just moved to a great neighborhood into a 4 bedroom house, white picket fence and 2 dogs. The perfect “American dream”. We were only 22 and 24.
I found a great OB. Dr. Scott M Murray. Oh, he smelled just like Polo cologne. I will never forget him. We quickly scheduled all of our classes. Parenting, breastfeeding, childbirth, hospital visit, etc.
Our Christmas trip home was going to be better than ever. I was so organized and ready. Plus, I could show off my brand new baby bump!!
I ate properly. I got plenty of rest. I massaged my belly with cream so I wouldn’t get stretch marks every night.
Finally, around it was the end of my 3rd month. I could breathe. After all, I escaped the 1st trimester with no morning sickness. I was starting to show (a little too much). Ahh, I was starting to look and feel pregnant. 4 Months!! yay, we heard my baby’s heartbeat and had a picture from the sonogram. I also thought I was beginning to feel little flutters. Oh, what a blessing.
Now its the end of October and it’s almost time to see my family.
Nov 10th was a usual day. Full of excitement. Then, I noticed a bloody discharge. Alarmed, I call my Dr right away. He asked, “was I cramping ?”, No, I wasn’t. “Was It bright red blood?”, No, it wasn’t. So he suggested some rest.”Put your feet up and rest. Drink plenty of fluids and call back in the Am”. The next morning I checked and nothing!! No blood! I felt so relieved.
A Little while later I checked again and yes, it was back. The Dr instructed me to come to the office.
We were greeted with the usual hug and handshake. Ooh, that polo cologne. He had me drink a lot of water so they could do a sonogram. Ok, we already saw the heartbeat and I had a picture..so no worries, right?
After the sonogram, he had us wait in his office? No worries, it was after hours, right? That’s when he told me that there was no heartbeat. My baby’s heart stopped…my heart stopped…Nov 11th. Apparently, the baby stopped progressing around 14 weeks right after my 1st sonogram. I was supposed to be about 16 weeks. Dr. Murray held me for an hour while I sobbed uncontrollably.
I was too distraught to handle letting body expel my child naturally. Dr. Murray sent us to the hospital for a D&C. When I got to the hospital I threw up all over the place. Partially my nerves and all of that water. I kept apologizing to the poor nurse.
Now it was time for my epidural, my 1st epidural. Alone, scared, incredibly broken and sad, I sat sobbing. The anesthesiologist refused to do the epidural, he said I was moving too much. He actually started yelling at me. “Be still!!” My Dr. heard him, he threw him out and did the epidural himself. Then he gave me something to calm me down. I went to sleep. I woke up in the OR with loud machines and my legs in stirrups as they removed my baby, my heart.
The hardest part was to explain to friends and family, something that I didn’t understand myself. I tried to explain that I was a good person, I did everything right. I was not to blame. It was not my fault….right?
We spent that Christmas home, alone and broken..cause November the 11th I felt like heart stopped.

I have a few pivotal moments that helped me to decide to become a Doula, this story is reason #1 that I became a doula. Its why I put compassionate in my title. Its a tribute to the people that were compassionate to me at the one of the worst time in my life.