22 births
11 additional babies born with Amy as doula (and not included in following stats)
18 hospital births, 4 home births
16 vaginal, 6 Cesarean (3 planned, 3 unplanned)
3 VBACs (vaginal birth after Cesarean)
11 unmedicated, 11 epidurals
13 with midwives, 9 with OBs
7 inductions
Smallest baby: 5 lbs, 9 ozs
Biggest baby: 8 lbs, 9 ozs
Longest gestation: 41 weeks 1 day
Shortest gestation: 36 weeks
First birth: 7
Second birth: 10
Third birth: 4
Fourth birth: 1
Shortest labor support time: 0 hrs (client was COVID+ and baby came before midwife arrived)
Longest labor support time: 31.5 hrs
Average labor support time: 10.5 hrs
Location of births: Baptist Health Lexington 2, Home 4, Norton 1, Norton Women’s and Children’s 1, UK 14
Individual provider who caught the most of my clients’ babies: Megan Sharp, UK Midwife Clinic (4 babies)
Practice whose providers caught the most of my clients’ babies: UK Midwife Clinic (9 babies)
Professional development: Recertified as a DONA doula
Here are some interesting facts from 2023:
One baby born on his due date
Lots of “early” babies- only 6 babies came after their due date
Missed two births- one client had COVID and provider didn’t even make it to her birth, one had baby about 45 min after she called me to come
Popular baby names: Benjamin (3) and “Josie” (2 Josephine, 1 Josie)
Alphabet babies- only letters of the alphabet not used in a baby’s first or middle name were Q, S, U, Y, and Z
No grand or wild thoughts come to mind when reflecting on 2023 clients and their births. You could even say that the year was a little boring which was due in large part to having a doula partner with whom to share the work. Last year, I attended 32 births (and did all of the prenatal and postpartum support as well). In 2023, I only went to 22 births. It felt so incredible to have Amy Jessie supporting not only our shared clients, but also me as a partner and friend.
One trend this year did seem to be breech babies. We had a lot of clients whose babies were breech pretty late in pregnancy and some who were still breech at birth. Some clients opted for ECVs and others opted for c-sections. There also seem to be more and more clients with blood pressure issues, either gestational hypertension or preeclampsia. I wonder if other doulas and providers have noticed this.
One sweet personal connection this year was that I was able to support a dear client during the birth of their third baby after having been with them for their first baby’s stillbirth and their son’s live birth. Then, I got to attend the birth of the OB who supported them for the first two births. Both the client and the OB hold very special places in my heart and I’m glad that I got to be by their sides as they welcomed their daughters. And when I attended the OB’s birth, I also got to see my 50th provider deliver/catch a client’s baby. I’ve now seen 53 different providers in action at the time of birth with many others who’ve been a part of the labor process. I think having worked with such a variety of providers is one of the greatest benefits to my clients. The knowledge I’ve gained from watching them practice helps me provide solid informational support and advocacy for birthing people and their families.
Thanks for continuing to support my work as a doula. Looking forward to supporting five repeats (so far) and incredible new clients in 2024!