2023 Reviewed

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!

2021 Reviewed

31 births

29 hospital births, 2 home births

24 vaginal, 7 Cesarean

1 VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean)

14 unmedicated, 17 epidurals

9 inductions

20 with midwives, 11 with OBs

Smallest baby: 4 lbs, 6 ozs

Biggest baby: 9 lbs, 1 ozs

Shortest labor support time: 2.5 hrs

Longest labor support time: 35 hrs

Average labor support time: 9 hrs

Longest gestation: 41 weeks 5 days

First birth: 17

Second birth: 12 (4 were repeat clients)

Third birth: 1

Fourth birth: 1

Location of births: Baptist Health Lexington 6, Clark Regional 1, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center 2, Frankfort Regional Medical Center 2, Home 2, UK 18

Individual provider who caught the most of my clients’ babies: Hayden Meza, UK Midwife Clinic (5 babies)

Practice whose providers caught the most of my clients’ babies: UK Midwife Clinic (17 babies)

Professional development: Body Ready Method

My house is quiet and still as I write this- my children are at school, my husband is at a job site, my dogs are asleep on a rug. Outside my window, it is also still (and bare and cold). It feels like such a heavy contrast with the way I would describe this year in birth work. I’ve had more clients than the previous four years due in large part to situations related to the pandemic. So many of my clients’ labors and births were unique and unpredictable. Because of that, I’ve grown quite a bit in this work. The never-ending learning as a doula continues to challenge and amaze me.

Three of my clients had preterm births, meeting their babies at just over 35, 33, and 32 weeks of pregnancy. One had IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and severe preeclampsia that required induction of labor and the other two went into preterm labor. Two of the three had Cesarean births and all of the babies spent weeks in the NICU.

Due to the pandemic, I supported two clients virtually. One was at Baptist Health Lexington which was not welcoming doulas at the time and the other was COVID positive (on her last day of isolation- so close!). I was also unable to attend two of my clients’ births at Baptist Health Lexington because they had C-sections and the current policy does not allow doula support in the OR, in recovery, or on postpartum. I was able to support some of my clients in the OR at both UK (unplanned Cesareans) and Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (planned Cesarean). I also had to call a backup doula for the first time this year because I was at another birth down the hall. I walked in shortly after their baby was born; they had wonderful care from my backup and I’m so grateful she was there for them.

While my clients’ induction rate was lower this year than the past two years at 29% (9 of 31), some of them happened suddenly/urgently, which I think made them take center stage in my brain. Six were medically indicated (e.g. preeclampsia, IUGR) and three were elective or unclear on the medical indication.

I’ll end with some interesting situations and highlights of the year:

• Supported a client during the worst ice storm of the year. We drove around downed tree limbs on the way to the hospital.

• A home birth client had a vaginal birth after having a Cesarean with her triplets about 2.5 years prior.

• Two of my clients were in labor at the same time in rooms right next to each other. With permission, I was able to leave one client to support the other’s precipitous labor, then go back to the first client.

• Two of my clients are best friends and they gave birth less than two weeks apart.

• Attended my first birth at Clark Regional in Winchester.

• Supported two 40 year old clients, one having her first baby and the other her second. They both had spontaneous vaginal births.

Reflecting on the year, the theme that comes to mind is team building and collaboration. One obvious advantage of attending more births is that I met and worked with more nurses and providers. I’ve said it many times, but learning nurses’ and care providers’ styles and approaches to different types of situations and developing collaborative relationships with them is so valuable to folks who choose me as their doula. I have now seen 40 providers catch/deliver babies! I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what to expect from different practices, individual providers, and hospital staff.

I was also fortunate this year to team with Bundle Birth Nurses and cover tuition for five L&D nurses in their Physiologic Birth Training. Nurses from Baptist Health Lexington, Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan, Frankfort Regional, and UK claimed the spots. I know that the pandemic has been extremely taxing on nurses and this small gesture was a way to show how appreciative I am that they’ve continued to show up the way they have for my clients.

Birth work has not been easy this year. 2021 was harder than 2020, in my opinion. We’ve seen loss, illness, hospital staffing concerns and changes (compensate these L&D nurses and hospital midwives fairly, please, NOW!), and almost everyone I’ve known has felt burnout at some point this year. I’ve witnessed so much community support, though, which has provided some solace. I hope that this spirit of community care and collaboration continues and grows in the new year.

Why I Dropped the Phrase "All Births For All People"

Up until recently, I believed that I was willing and capable of supporting all births for all people. However, a client and I recently ended our relationship and it made me realize that boundaries that I have set in place for the overall health and happiness of myself and my family mean that I cannot support any and every person or birth setting. Oftentimes, I can sense whether a client is a good fit before we even meet (enter a dash of expert level internet research). Other times, it takes the consultation to know whether I want to work with them. During most of the pandemic, I’ve chosen to be a little loose with my boundaries and occasionally ignored my intuition about folks. It hasn’t worked for me or for some clients, so I’m making a change.

One thing that I think a lot of folks, including myself, do not always consider when entering a relationship with a doula is that it is just that, a relationship. Yes, the client pays me to provide a service, but I cannot do that well if boundaries are not well established (on both ends) and one another’s humanity is not respected. While ours is one relationship, we have others that we must attend to with equal or more love and time.

On my end, a couple examples come to mind. I have two children who are the most important people in my life. If they need me, I’m going to be there for them, which is one reason I have backup doulas available. I also value my relationship with self which is why I find that my “built of straw” pandemic boundaries were a terrible idea. Having attended 80-something births is enough to know that I cannot support you without fear or a protective response with any provider or in any birth setting that you choose. And while most people that I work with are different than me and make different choices than I’d make (back to my focus on one another’s humanity), there are some folks that I cannot enter into a business+personal relationship with.

So, I want to apologize to people I’ve unintentionally, but undoubtedly, misled with the phrase “all births for all people.” I also apologize to myself for not seeing how that led to crossed boundaries and near burnout. I’m looking forward to being a better doula for you. Not for everyone, but for you and for me.

Attracting doula clients that are unlike me

I’m not the doula for everyone, but I am the doula for a lot of you. I was looking back at birth data for my clients and thought, “I wonder how many of these people have ever or will ever cross paths? How many of these people would I have ever met or supported had it not been for doula work?” Not many was the answer to both, but especially the second question. I am not a social butterfly, so that’s a factor for sure, but also the majority of my clients have been so much different than me.

The reason that I attract such a varied population is because I know that your birth experience is not about me and everything that I do is in accordance to this belief. This is not to say that I have no beliefs, preferences, or personality of my own. I seek to be myself always.

Thank you to all of my previous (and future doula clients) who’ve shared pieces of themselves with me and trusted me with their stories and care. Our relationships have been examples of health and growth, where we both give and both take and both end up better because of them.

How do I choose my care provider? Statistics, Opinions, or Intuition?

Recently, my doula friend, Mother Well Doula Services, held an amazing webinar on birth options in Central KY. It was so wonderful, in fact, that I am offering the replay to any client who wants more information before they choose their birth location/provider. If you’re in the process of making these choices, hospital statistics and “amenities” can be very helpful in informing your decision. There’s also a really good chance that your friends, or even complete strangers, have told you which providers they’d recommend (and maybe you’ve gotten their full birth stories ((unsolicited?)) as well). Maybe the stats and recs lead you to meet with a provider, or even consider them your chosen provider. You go to your first appointment and your gut is raising red flags, or maybe it’s saying that you are safe and heard. So, what do you do with all of this information? What do you listen to- statistics, opinions, or your intuition?

Honestly, it’s a question that I cannot answer without knowing A LOT more about you. In general, I’d say that all of them matter, but the one that deserves the most weight will depend on your individual needs and plans. As a doula mainly serving folks birthing in Lexington, KY, I have worked with a lot of professors from local universities and colleges, including UK, Centre College, Transylvania University, and Lindsey Wilson College. Some of these clients are very data-driven and pay close attention to the statistics. For these folks, it’s important to know a hospital’s numbers, and likely more important to know the numbers specific to their provider’s practice. Many of us are also influenced by our peers’ opinions. Spend 20 minutes in a parents’ group on Facebook, and you can probably gather as many provider recommendations. Then, there’s also the feeling you get when meeting with or looking into a certain practice or birth location. It’s a lot to process, especially if this is your first baby.

As of Monday, I have watched 30 different providers catch/deliver babies. I’ve been to all of the hospitals in Lexington, most in Central KY, and a couple in the Louisville area. I’ve also been to home births with three different professional midwives. So, I’ve seen what the statistics look like in person/action. I know the offerings of most local hospitals. I have a really solid sense of how the different practices operate and which providers are most in line with your desired birth experience. Maybe your friend says Dr. X is amazing or that Midwife Z is such a good listener, but to who are they comparing these providers? I cannot emphasize enough how valuable my experience with so many different hospitals, OBs, midwives, doctors, and nurses is to you when you choose me as your doula. While protecting specific client details, I promise to be transparent about what I have witnessed as a doula.

You’re likely to hear a lot of noise in terms of opinions when you’re pregnant. It’s rarely helpful and often causes you to question your own intuition. While there are certain professionals who are incredibly knowledgeable about the medical side of birth, or the statistics and evidence around birth, as a doula I have a broad perspective on birth experiences in Central KY. I also do my best as a professional to remain unbiased and provide information that is specific to you and your needs. I also feel best aligned with clients who are able to tune into their intuition about providers. You know better than anyone what is best for you, your baby, and your body. Did you feel rushed and ignored? Listen to that. Were you surprised that your blood pressure stayed normal and that you didn’t feel embarrassed asking all of the questions you put in your phone notes before you left home? Wow- that’s meaningful. I’m here to listen to you and provide unbiased informational support.

Every birth I’ve supported has been different in so many ways. Yours will be different from those. I hope to help you quiet outside noise (and even noise in your own brain) and help you focus on what is important to you. I don’t have a list of recommended birth locations or providers and would never blast a recommendation to the general public because everyone’s needs are different. Your situation is unique and I’m ready to support your decision making with unbiased informational support and active listening. I will never doubt that you know better than anyone what is best for you.