You’ve been there. Your friend posts a picture of her cutie pie in the car. Your eyes start darting and focusing on every corner of the picture. Is the vehicle moving? Is he rear facing? Is his chest clip where it needs to be? Maybe I should send her a quick message. You know what I’m talking about, the kind of message that’s called the ‘compliment sandwich’. Step one, tell her how adorable her kid is. Then tell her that the cup in the cup holder can become a dangerous flying object, but follow it by complimenting little Johnny’s shoes. (While mumbling that your kid only wears hand made mocc ..read more

Did you know that the doula isn’t just for the mom? We are there for the whole family! So why would you, as the father, care about hiring a doula? You won’t be the one in labor, but you will still need support! What are some ways that a doula can support you, the dad, through the birth of your child? We can give you a break. Yes of course you don’t want to leave your partner’s side, but sometimes you may need to (or want to, that’s okay!) With a MKDS doula present, you won’t have to worry about leaving her alone while you take a breather. We can grab you things. In contrast to #1, is there s ..read more

Unless you have been living under a rock, I’m sure you have heard about the tragic events at Disney World in Orlando. Déjà vu kicks in here, since not even three weeks ago our social media outlets were covering a similar incident in Cincinnati. Both are terrible, terrible events that took place in locations that are otherwise considered safe, family friendly places. No one expects to watch their child be dragged around by a gorilla at the zoo. No one can even fathom having to return home from “The Happiest Place on Earth” without one of their children.   So fast as lightening, the questio ..read more

Around four decades ago there was a push to rethink childbirth. Instead of looking at childbirth as an illness that needed treatment, more and more mothers wanted an active role in their own labors. Their partners did too. Childbirth education participation soared in the 1980s and 1990s, but has recently seen a downturn in attendance. Many cite the overabundance of information available on the internet as a catalyst for the change. But is that good? Heidi Murkoff, the author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting notes “Google ‘epidural’ and you’ll get nearly 3 million hits, more than yo ..read more

Today, we are going to talk about Pitocin. Pitocin is the most popular drug used to stimulate contractions of the uterus to induce or quicken labor. Many providers also use it to reduce bleeding after delivery. In order to understand Pitocin, we need examine the history of the hormone oxytocin. The word oxytocin comes from the Greek term oxytocic, meaning “quick birth”.  In 1906 by Sir Henry Hallett Dale discovered that oxytocin was vital to uterine contractions.1 but was not sequenced or synthesized until the 1950s by Vincent du Vigneaud. Du Vigneaud received a Noble ..read more

What do you say when your older child asks how the new baby is going to come out of your body? You’re not a new mom. You’ve got this whole thing figured out. Your first child prepared you for what’s to come…..diaper blowouts, sleepless nights, Cheerios on the floor, morning cuddles and that first “I love you”. But you were NOT prepared for THIS question! “Mommy, how is Baby going to come out of your tummy?” Here’s how we suggest you handle it, don’t forget to tell us how it went! We love your funny big kid stories. Ask how he thinks baby will come out. This serves a couple of purposes ..read more

Mid Kansas Doula Services is celebrating a birthday! We have officially been serving the Central Kansas area for one year. (Where has the time gone?!) After compiling all of the documents and gathering the data, we are excited to present to you our 2015 Mid Kansas Doula Services Statistics: +++++ Wait, wait, wait. Aren’t we going to talk about how many clients birthed their babies vaginally, via cesarean or by stork delivery? Aren’t we going to disclose how many clients received pain relief in labor? Aren’t we going to talk about who chose to vaccinate, circumcise, delay cord clamping, w ..read more

I’m glad a I had a doula when I risked out of homebirth. Last summer when I was preparing for the birth of my third baby (read the story on my personal blog here), I had envisioned a homebirth where my husband and I would be surrounded with our sons, doula, midwife and photographer.  Things were going smoothly during the pregnancy…… Until they weren’t Due to situations out of my control, I risked out of the homebirth we were planning.  I was 35 weeks into my pregnancy.  It was time to rewrite my birth plan, explain to my sons (who were 3 and 5 at the time) that th ..read more

Are you pregnant and planning to breastfeed your new babe? Sometimes it can feel overwhelming trying to get everything together to make sure things are perfect for your new breastfeeding relationship. Here are some of the things that the doulas at Mid Kansas Doula Services suggest having on hand that may make breastfeeding a little easier. A support system While not absolutely necessary, a support system is very important to many breastfeeding relationships. What views does your partner have about breastfeeding? How does your family feel about it? If things are hard do you know wher ..read more

  (Last week we posted this ‘Advocate’ graphic on our Facebook page and it got a lot of attention. It brought about a lot of discussion in the doula world about the word ‘advocate’. Since it has received so much attention, and we have had the opportunity to really hash out our feelings on the subject, we are going to share them here.) When you hear the word advocate, what comes to mind? Many of the most popular synonyms include champion, promoter, spokesperson, crusader or white-knight. These all sound like positive things right? They can be, but you know what they all have in commo ..read more