There is so much that happens in a birthing event. It’s not a secret that within the hospital setting, the experience can be very mechanistic because that is how it is set up. They need to get through the process because they probably have 10 more right after yours and probably had 10 before yours. However, many people still do feel safer giving birth in a hospital setting and that is okay! Because we have doulas that can advocate for us and educate us on all the things so that we remember that we have a choice in all scenarios.

In this conversation that I have with Rebecca Durlin Smith of Birth First Doulas, she shares how doulas support families to have empowered birthing experiences. Doulas can educate mamas and partners about all the tools that are offered from epidurals to pitocin to the manipulations that happen to the baby once born - they will share the pros and cons of all so that parents can make informed decisions with a clear mind before the baby comes.

It was nice to learn that Oregon hospitals and birthing centers are a lot more baby-friendly than other hospitals. Watch our video to learn what that means!