Welcome, Kaylee!

I received a call at 6 pm last night from my clients, thinking that their labor was starting. Things settled down, so they called and told me it was a false alarm. So lucky me... I got a full night's sleep. Then as soon as I was showered and ready, and all my kids were ready for the day, I got the call that she really was in labor! When does that ever happen? I can't believe I got to go to a birth with a shower and full night of sleep under my belt. :)

I met up with this couple at 10:30 at the hospital. She was dilated 5 cm, and having alot of back labor. Luckily, the hip squeeze did the trick. So the dad and I switched off offering this support until she started pushing. To get through the pain she kept telling herself that the pain wasn't real, and it worked! She was totally relaxed, focused, and in control the entire time. Up until the last hour of labor, mom was all smiles and often talkative between contractions. Her attitude was so positive, and her mood so sunny. I loved it!

Mom's favorite way to labor was on the birth ball, but she also walked the halls and sat in the jacuzzi tub. Music was a constant supporter as well. At 1:25 she was dilated to a 7, and at 2:45 decided to have her water broken to speed things along. It worked. Her contractions intensified quickly, and she started pushing just an hour later.

And at 4:08 pm, Kaylee was born!

These love birds have been married for 9 months and 3 days! They are such a good team, you would think they have been married for years!

Mom and dad were both thrilled to tears to meet their little angel. It was such a beautiful moment, I couldn't help but drop a few tears myself. :)

Even though she was almost two weeks early, Kaylee weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds and almost 10 ounces.

I am afraid to jinx this, but it has been almost an entire year since I have had a client receive any type of intervention. It is just so awesome to see all these women take control of their births, and deliver naturally. I love my job!

These two were really looking forward to their first family dinner. I hope they had a great evening together. Thank you so much for sharing your birth!

One Tough, Little Cookie!

Tuesday the 8th was the final night of my latest Music Birth class series. Our class was shrinking due to births, and I was wondering if this particular couple would make it or not. But they were there! Only hitch.... pretty sure she was in early labor. She was already dilated to 4, so we were hoping early labor wouldn't take long. Well, early labor had something else in mind. We didn't meet up at the hospital until Wednesday evening, around 7:30. Her contractions were regular, but her cervix had only gone from 4 to 4+. And she found out she was strep B positive, and was getting her IV when I arrived. Not the most encouraging way to start things out.

I never know what to expect when I arrive. I knew this mom had a strong desire for a natural birth, but every now and then I get a mom who changes her mind really early on. But this mom was A-MAZ-ING. She had her relaxation music on, and was breathing deeply. I could see right away that this mom really knew what she was doing.

This is not a typical contraction pattern! This mom had contractions like this all the time! She could go anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes without a complete release from her contractions. And she was so in control and relaxed, that she almost appeared to be sleeping through it. And this went on for quite some time. I could tell that this mom just got it. While most moms worry about what kind of massage or other comfort measure to use, this mom understood that tuning into the music and using deep abdominal breathing was key. The massage of course helped, but she knew it was her responsibility to stay relaxed, and our responsibility to support that however we could.

At 12:15 am mom was still only dilated to 5 1/2, so the decision was made to break her water. It definitely helped take the contractions to the next level. And by 3:25 mom was pushing. At 4:44 am, February 10th, Rayna was born!

I know! She is soooo adorable!

Tipping the scale at 8 pounds and 2.6 ounces. She looked like she was ready to crawl away!

There is no doubt in my mind this guy is going to be a great dad. He was a wonderful coach and support to his wife. He was in tune, supportive, and patient the entire time.

What a great couple to pull an all nighter with! :) Thanks for sharing your birth!

Baby "Wild"

First time moms seem to worry about labor because it is unknown to them. They have no idea what it will be like. But a second time mom knows exactly what to worry about. And they always wonder if the hardest part of their first delivery will be as difficult as it was the first time around. This particular mom had an unusually long and exhausting first labor. I was supposed to be there, but was out of town. And boy did my back up doula have her work cut out for her! Needless to say, this mom really didn't a labor that spanned several days.

I don't think I have ever gotten a heads up call at 8:00 in the morning! Who gets to go into labor after a full night of sleep?! By 11:00 we were at the hospital, and at 11:40 we found out that mom was already dilated to 8 centimeters! (applause here) Both mom and dad were AMAZING. This mom was definitely one of the most relaxed and in control moms I have ever had the pleasure of serving. She let me sleep all night, and then she was easy! Her personality is so laid back and happy that it didn't surprise me at all , though. Dad was a major multitasker: supporting his wife and taking care of his 2 1/2 year old daughter (which included alot of potty trips).

12:40 pm, grandma arrived. Hurray! This took alot of stress off of dad. And good thing since mom started pushing at 1:15!

It took a couple contractions to figure out the best way for mom to push. But once we did, that baby just flew out! And I won't lie.... There was screaming involved. :) This serene mom who vocalized quitely through each labor contraction really let it all out during pushing! Pushing a baby out in less than 5 minutes can be pretty intense!

And at 1:26, Chayton Lamar was born.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces.

For those wondering, his name was "Wild" throughout her pregnancy

because he was so active in there!

I sure lucked out with this one! I got the second labor which was WAY shorter. I didn't lose any sleep. And most of all, I got to be a part of this amazing birth, and work with a great family. Thanks for sharing your birth with me!

Slideshow and lullaby created at www.lullabyoflove.com.

Latest Arrival

Well, it has definitely been a while since I last posted! I took a much needed break from doula work. While there are few things I enjoy more than attending a birth, myself and my family needed to be free from me being on call. My time off is about to end, and I have several births in the next couple months. So keep checking back to read those stories!

During my "time off" (still pretty busy being a wife and mother!), my husband and I launched our new website: LULLABY OF LOVE. It has been so wonderful and exciting! We offer a site where parents can write the lyrics to their baby's lullaby. It is the only website out there (trust me, we've searched!) that gives anyone the ability to write beautiful and meaningful music. And the best part is, it's soooo easy.



First thing is choosing music. We have written, arranged, and recorded 4 beautiful songs to choose from. Choose the one you like best.

Next, write the lyrics. Tell your child what it is your heart. If writing the lyrics is too daunting, just tell us what you want the song to say and we will formulate it for you.

That's it!

Then we record and ship it to you in 2 weeks or less.

But I've saved the BEST part for last. Watch and see...



The world's most customizable birth announcement. One of a kind lullabies, written by loving parents. Is there a sweeter way to announce the birth of your little angel? (PS: Do you remember this mom? Read her birth story here.)

MUSIC BIRTH Mommies always gets discounts, too! Use the PROMO CODE: musicbirth to get 20% off any order. Use it yourself, and/or tell your friends!

For more information, watch the video below. It goes through step by step, how to create your one of kind lullaby.

The results are in...

and MUSIC BIRTH still ROCKS! (But you already knew that, right?)

In the past 12 months:

67% of Music Birth moms delivered without any intervention
(The national epidural rate is between 80 and 90%)
(can't seem to find any reliable data on forcep/vacuum delivery rates...)

67% of moms going for VBACS were able to have vaginal deliveries
(vs. 12% nationally)

Only 17% of Music Birth Moms received pitocin
(vs. 47% nationally)

Only 1 Music Birth mom required a cesarean delivery.
(vs. 1 out of every 3 women)

This was a first for me, and it was rough. I have had class members need cesareans, but until last month, I had never had a doula client need one. I have never seen a mom so patient, determined, and long-suffering. I was moved by her strength, and impressed with her courage.
I wish it could have ended differently for her. But after being dilated to 7 cm (yes, I said SEVEN) for 35 hours (yes , said THIRTY-FIVE), we were running out of options. Hours of peaceful laboring quickly became chaotic and stressful.

As birthers, all we can do is prepare and do everything in our power to ensure a safe and healthy delivery. When that doesn't work, we know we need the intervention. There is a peace of mind that comes from knowing you did everything you could, and you did everything right. It's ok to get an intervention if you need it. Actually, it's a really good thing. But if you don't need it, it's not worth the risk. And I am thrilled to see that my clients continue to not receive interventions that they don't need.

How Long Will Pushing Take?

This is a question I get from ALOT of women, and of course, I don't know what the answer is. But one thing almost all women can count on is it is usually easier and faster with each subsequent child you have. So this mom (who pushed for 3 1/2 hours with baby #1!) was REALLY hoping that pushing would go by much quicker this time around!

I received a call from mom at about 4:00 Friday morning, saying she was on her way to the hospital. I asked if she wanted to me to meet her there, or if she wanted to call once she was checked etc. She said she would call once they were all set up at the hospital.

5:25 am, Dad calls and mom is already 7 cm! I get up and out of the house in a whopping SIX minutes! A personal record. :) But even with my speed, mom is complete when I arrive shortly before 6:00. I felt SO bad that I had missed the entire labor. I was with mom and dad with baby #1, and we joked that #2 would surely feel ripped off because there were no pictures of his labor. So we quickly took this picture to at least have one of the labor! :)


6:15 mom begins pushing. So of course we are all thinking things are about finished, but we were pretty wrong. Mom opted for intrathecal pain meds, with is a lot like a spinal but not as strong. It works much quicker than an epidural, but doesn't last nearly as long. Moms like pain meds for obvious reasons, but they do inhibit pushing. Combine that with a posterior baby, and this mom was gearing up for a lot of pushing.

Goal #1: Rotate Baby.
This mom is always positive and willing to try anything. She was a great sport about changing position every three contractions. She pushed in almost every possible position: each side, hands and knees, squatting etc. 1 hour and 45 minutes later, baby was in the exact same spot. UG!

Goal #2: Push baby out. :)
But as the pain meds began to wear off, not only did mom's pushing get more effective, but the baby started to rotate too! So once that happened, baby was born in about 20 minutes!

Welcome to the world, Baby Preston! Born at 8:26 am, Friday April 23rd.

A big boy: 8 pounds 14 ounces.

The birth of baby #1 was not only long, but stressful and ended with a trip to the NICU. It definitely took it's toll on dad. But this time around I don't think dad got faint or queasy at all!

There's no lack of love for this little guy. Here he is being adored by both grandmas, and mom's best friend.

So mom still spend quite a long time pushing. But she did shave off about 30% of how long it took her to push out baby #1. That is actually really good progress!

Thanks for sharing your birth! You guys did great!

Billions $ vs. Breastfeeding

I am so happy to see that people outside of the "birth world" are starting to notice the benefits of natural birth and breastfeeding! I am trying not to get ahead of myself, but I am hopeful that the pendulum is starting to head back the other direction, and that our country is headed in the right direction. Just today I was reading an article about breastfeeding; and how if more women breastfed... fewer babies would die, and it would save the US billions of dollars every year.

Breastmilk is hands down the most perfect food in the world, and is totally free! It is the most amazing natural resource, always keeps up with supply and demand, and is grossly under utilized. According to today's article, the government spends billions of dollars a year on formula. I am assuming this is due to the number of women utilizing WIC services, which provides free formula to low income families. Imagine the double bonus our country would experience if fewer babies were getting sick, and the billions of dollars going towards formula could actually go towards health issues?!

I so hope that health care reform will really focus on prevention instead of treatment. We could all benefit by starting at the beginning, instead of at the end. And it all starts with pregnancy and birth. Healthy birth is the start to a healthy life.