Intent vs. Impact

By: Meredith Ashton Cohen, CD(DONA) Last month I attended our UDA Spring Conference with keynote speaker Dr. Courtney L. Everson, PhD. The topic for her Friday evening presentation was “Inequities in the US Birthing Landscape: Understanding Difference, Power & Discrimination” and one of the ideas she brought to our discussion was that of intent vs.…

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Spirituality and the Doula

Our post this week comes from an interview with Heather Tolley, chaplain and doula. Heather has been an advocate of compassionate healthcare for over four years. She loves helping her doula clients have a positive experience with pregnancy and birth by cultivating confidence and providing individualized support.  Can you share about your path to doula work? Heather: I…

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When Baby Dies—A Guide for Doulas

By Lindsay Dougal, CD(BAI), RYT A sometimes hard truth to swallow is the fact that death is a part of life. Even harder to acknowledge is the truth that babies are among those who die. In the United States, 1 in every100 pregnancies end in stillbirth (fetal death after 20 weeks gestation)—roughly 24,000 babies every…

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Comunidad Materna en Utah

By: Mayra Zamudio El nacer significa más que una experiencia física en la vida de la mujer, es el reencuentro con nuestra fuerza interior unida a la fuerza de un nuevo ser. Esta experiencia puede estar llena de sentimientos encontrados y muchas preguntas como ¿Qué sucederá? ¿Cuánto tiempo durará el parto? ¿Podre resistir el dolor?¿…

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4 Reasons a Surrogate Needs a Birth Doula

Surrogacy is a beautiful gift to families that have struggled to have a child. There are so many aspects about surrogacy that are planned and thought out from the beginning. One of them can and should be is if the surrogate should have a doula for the birth. As a doula myself, I see the…

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The Briana Project

By: Sara Vranes, CPM What is The Briana Project? The Briana Project is a mobile outreach program providing free postpartum care, education, and advocacy for underserved women and mothers in the Salt Lake Valley. We provide in-home and mobile prenatal and postpartum visits and community classes in Salt Lake City. We meet with and assess…

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Birth In African Cultures

By: Marilyn Sorensen This year marks my third year living in Narok, Kenya, Africa. A place that has become the source of many awakenings for me. Including immersing myself back into the wonderful world of birth. Last year at this exact time, I had the opportunity to go to a local hospital with a midwife…

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