KATY GLADWIN
― KDKaty was my doula, but she wasn’t at my birth (thanks to a certain very behind-schedule baby of mine). This isn’t the typical opener for a doula testimonial, but it feels particularly relevant in the new normal to which we are adjusting. Katy began working with me early in pregnancy, and immediately became our ally. …
I’m Katy Gladwin, I’m a mother, wife, doula, wellness coach, childbirth educator, woman advocate, medical advocate, and activist of various sorts. I have been providing doula services for mothers in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area for over 7 years, and have attended over 100 births. I have a passion for supporting women have healthy pregnancies that lead to beautiful births and healthy babies and children.
Over the years, I have had the privilege to witness the vast spectrum of normal birth. I trust a woman’s body to birth her baby if allowed to move through the physiological process unhindered. However, in our busy and intense world, actually attaining the environment for birth to work best is hard to do. I see my job as first, creating and supporting an environment that can carry a mother through birth, feeling supported and allowing her body to open as it’s made to do. I then, use my knowledge and experience to ease the mind and body of the laboring person, as well as the rest of the birth team.
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What a Doula Does
A doula supports you in your birth. Period.
A doula provides information and physical support to help you attain the most empowered experience possible. Working closely with you, your doula will assure you have all the information, time, and space you need to make a truly informed decision. Your doula does not have an agenda, and supports women in all types of birth. I respect birth as a physiological process, also I recognize the desire and need for medical support in many instances. Whether your desire is to have a transformative mind-body-spirit experience, avoid medical interventions, make birth go well while avoiding pain, or needing support during a surgical birth, your doula will have tools and suggestions for increasing your chances of attaining the birth you hope for.
Resources:
I Challenge you to a Doula – a dad’s perspective
Impact of Doulas on Healthy Birth Outcomes
Do I Need a Doula for a C-Section?
Birth Doulas – Everything you need to know – MamaNatural
Nurses, Doulas and Childbirth Educators Working Together for Common Goals
Improving-Birth-Doula-Fact-Sheet.docx – Handout for your care providers