Spoiler alert: BOTH doulas and midwives are your best option! When expecting parents prepare for childbirth, they often think about who will be on their “birth team.” We encourage each family to consider two key support roles: doulas and midwives.  While both provide valuable services, their roles and responsibilities are very distinct. Here’s a quick [...] The post Doulas or Midwives: Who’s Your Best Birth Companion?  appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

One thing that has surprised many of my clients over the years is the amount of time they are asked to spend on the baby heartrate monitors during their labors. I wanted to share some of the evidence behind this practice and some tips for families to consider as they prepare for their baby's birth. [...] The post Intermittent Monitoring During Your Baby’s Birth appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

How important is having a "nice nurse" at your birth? Thoughts from the video... What is evidence-based care? Evidence-based care is a data-driven, scientific approach to patient care decisions. It involves integrating the best available evidence with clinical knowledge and expertise, while considering patients’ unique needs and personal preferences. 3 Things to Consider: Is your [...] The post How important is having a “nice nurse” at your birth? appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

I remember feeling so isolated after the birth of my first son. I was a fifth-grade teacher who was used to being surrounded by lots of people every day. My son was born in December and we rarely left home. It was just me, him, and the Today Show. I was so lonely! Last fall, [...] The post New Mom Support Groups in Des Moines, IA appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

After the birth of my first son, I started interviewing in-home daycare providers. I'll never forget the awful feeling I had after we finally decided on a place for my son--only to find out she had booked the spot a few hours earlier. I was crushed! We ended up sharing a nanny with my best [...] The post Postpartum Doulas, Night Nannies, and Finding a Nanny appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

Between baby showers and upcoming holidays, we thought we would put together a list of our favorite baby products we use--and love-- with newborns. You can consider us experts as we support A LOT of newborns each year! Please note, many of these links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero [...] The post Our Favorite Baby Products appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

Between baby showers and upcoming holidays, we thought we would put together a list of our favorite baby products we use--and love-- with newborns. You can consider us experts as we support A LOT of newborns each year! Please note, many of these links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero [...] The post Our Favorite Baby Products appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

I remember being pregnant with my first son and the discussion about doulas came up. This was many years ago and I think Des Moines had two doulas at that time. I wasn't sure if we needed one in addition to our amazing midwife so we decided not to pursue it. To this day, it's [...] The post Do We Really Need a Doula? The Difference Between Partner Support and Doula Support appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

Doula support and nurse support are both important forms of support during pregnancy and childbirth, but they differ in their roles and responsibilities. Doula support focuses on emotional and physical comfort, while nurse support focuses on medical care and monitoring. In my opinion, having both a great nurse and a great doula makes for a [...] The post Differences Between Doula Support and Nurse Support appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more

One of my favorite things to do in Des Moines is shop local boutiques and gift stores. I thought I would share my favorite local places I go for baby gifts! I am sure there are more than what I'm sharing here, so be sure to leave your favorites in the comments section too. One [...] The post Shop Local for Baby! appeared first on The Iowa Baby Lady ..read more