Mindful Birthing

Gentle Birth Companions to be translated into French!

2012-01-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

Calling all Francophone doulas! I am so delighted to announce that French publishers Souffle d'Or have agreed to publish Gentle Birth Companions in translation, due out in May!

Check out the lovely cover image and pre-order your copies HERE:

http://www.souffledor.fr/actualite/actualite_souscriptions_5_1.html

What does 'support' in childbirth really mean?

2011-12-09T10:54:00.001-08:00

I have been thinking about the use of the word 'support' in relation to childbirth and wondering if it is not just being paid lip-service to lately, a bit like 'natural' childbirth.

Folk say "Yes, of course support is important' but do they understand what this really means? What kind of support we are talking about? Or why it can make a difference?

My wise doula sister BB tells me that Michel Odent is not a fan of the use of the word 'support' which perhaps suggests there is something to this discussion. Yet what term are we to use instead?

For me, this poem by Anonymous, really sums up what I mean when I talk about childbirth support, or any kind of emotional support I suppose:

What is Support?

Support is unconditional

It is listening
Not judging, not telling your own story
Support is not offering advice …

It is offering a handkerchief, a touch, a hug … caring.

We are here to help women discover what they are feeling … not to make the feelings go away.

We are here to help a woman identify her options … not to tell her which options to choose.

We are here to discuss steps with a woman … not to take the steps for her.

We are here to help a woman discover her own strength … not to rescue her and to leave her still vulnerable.

We are here to help a woman discover she can help herself … not to take that responsibility for her. We are here to help a woman learn to choose … not to make it unnecessary for her to make difficult choices.

Anonymous

Although written as if for mothers, if we replace the word 'women' for 'men', it becomes a poem for fathers too.

So let's be mindful of how we use the word 'support', let's notice when and where we use it and what we really mean by it, and if we hear it being paid lip service to, let's feel proud to quantify the true value of its existence.

Gentle Birth Companions review by RCM in Midwives magazine

2011-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled that Gentle Birth Companions has received such a positive review by the RCM in Midwives magazine this month. One more small step in bridge building between midwives and doulas, I hope!

See following link, the review is in Bookmark on page 44:

http://issuu.com/redactive/docs/issue7-2011

'Birth Aunties'

2011-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to have been invited to the annual 'Gala Evening' fundraiser event for our university campus, last week.

It was a 'black tie' do and I found myself seated between a Professor (our host) and a Doctor of Education who I had not previously met, both highly intelligent, interesting and interested men.

Inevitably the moment came when I was invited (by said Dr) to define a doula.

"But surely that's the same thing as a midwife?" he responded, "What's the difference?"

So, after reiterating the emotional, social and practical - rather than the clinical - support bit, I tried something new:

"Kind of like a birth auntie!"

The conversation then changed to another subject. However, some fine wine and a good dinner later in the evening, as we paused between Raffle and Auction, the delightful Dr reflected this term back at me in perfect context.

Yay, he so got it! I was so impressed! And it made me reflect on the possibility of using 'Birth Auntie' as a way of describing the doula more often ...

Gentle Birth Companions - review from www.naturalchildbirth.co

2011-10-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Lovely review of Gentle Birth Companions by Sarah Buchanan of Natural Childbirth.

Check out this inspiring new website dedicated to supporting and informing expectant and new parents, childbirth supporters and maternity healthcare professionals alike.

Thank you Sarah!

http://www.naturalchildbirth.co/uk/products/15-book-reviews/89-gentle-birth-companions-by-adela-stockton.html

Sarah Buckley review for Gentle Birth Companions!

2011-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

"This little gem provides essential information about the role of the doula for mothers, fathers, babies and families wanting to make gentle choices in pregnancy, labour and birth. For birth professionals, Adela's excellent summary of doula history and the scope of doula practice in modern Europe will be useful and illuminating. Highly recommended."

Sarah Buckley, GP/Family Physician, author of 'Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering'.

Thank you Sarah! www.sarahbuckley.com

Doula UK Review for Gentle Birth Companions

2011-06-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

"This gem of a book is written by Adela Stockton, Doula UK Assessor/Mentor and doula course provider (Mindful Doulas). The quote at the start ... really encapsulates the way of a doula and the message of the book.

"As you listen, do not seek solutions. Just wait in silence. You will gain strength and greater understanding." Sheila Kitzinger, Birth Crisis 2006 p.151

Although a small book, Gentle Birth Companions reaches deep in its content. Adela draws on her background as an NHS midwife, and explores the role of the doula in the UK and throughout the world. I thought the book managed to convey the essence of doulaing as well as discuss complex issues such as doula 'training' and regulation for a role that is embodied rather than a 'professional' one.

I liked this book for both its factual content and its emphasis on doula stories. The stories are a key aspect of doulaing and provide the ability to keep reflecting and gain new understanding. However, the presentation of research in such a clear, structured way was equally relevant. I certainly don't find academic work bedtime reading but Adela's practical style made this quite a different book for me.

Gentle Birth Companions is thought-provoking in a way that engages rather than provokes. I can see its importance in the field of birth which can so often be divided. To sum it up, this is an excellent book to bridge knowledge and hearts. I think it would be useful for fellow doulas, health professionals as well as couples considering a doula."

Avni Trivedi, co-editor of Doulaing, the Doula UK newsletter

European Doula Network launches new website

2011-06-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

What an inspiring and humbling day I spent at the French doulas convention in Paris last weekend, and what a huge amount of work had gone into organising the event. Thank you to everyone at Doulas de France!

with BB and Valerie D

Around 75 doulas gathered, principally from France but also from Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Hungary and Canada, to learn from and share with each other through presentations, workshops and displays. I had the pleasure (and agony!) of kicking off the Friday morning session with a presentation on Gentle Birth Companions, then Quebec based doula Isabelle Challut explained the interesting position of local midwives and how her role has developed in Canada.

This was followed by the official launch of the new European Doula Network website, presented by Swiss doulas Regula Brunner and Sabine Lanfranchi, an exciting development for doulas in Europe!

When it came to workshops, I felt drawn to the Théâtre Forum - "improvised role play emerging from conflictive situations around childbirth" - led by Anne Bonno and Charlotte Marchandise, even though it was held in French. My Doula UK sister Bridget Baker bravely joined me and I/we still learned plenty, managing to share some thoughts nonetheless! It was very moving to hear how the French doulas are suffering from strong opposition from the medical profession, including the midwives, and even more shocking, to realise how unsupported mothers and fathers are during childbirth when they choose to follow the natural process.

Birthing families in France SO need doulas!

European Doula Network meeting

And in Italy too, I learnt that there is huge resistance to lay birth companions. These doulas badly need support and encouragement from those of us who are working under less restrictive circumstances and where a doula organisation has been present in our country for longer. The challenges we face in UK certainly felt small in comparison!

The European Doula Network seems set to provide a forum from which local doula organisations can offer support to and share skills, knowledge and understanding with each other across Europe however, a platform which is greatly needed if we are to unite and grow together. With its own Code of Ethics in the pipeline, papers/articles and other resources listed plus a members forum, the EDN looks like the place to be found virtually lurking in doula world right now!

French Doulas Conference, Paris, June 3rd-4th 2011

2011-05-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.doulas.info/jdd2011-en.php

The 9th French Doulas Conference is almost upon us! And it is with great excitement that I write this post for it is the first time that I will be attending this annual event.

I am extremely honoured to have been invited to speak about Gentle Birth Companions and doulaing in the UK on Friday 3rd, and also to co-present a workshop on the European Doula Network with my Swiss doula colleague Regula Brunner.

But there are plenty more birth and postnatal orientated sessions planned to fill the two day programme. Presentations and workshops led by both English and French speaking faciliators from around the world - with translation - plus improvised theatre, belly art, red tents, dance, father's groups and Friday evening shows to name a few.

With less than two weeks to go, this action packed doula-focused happening seems set to offer plenty of inspiration and food for thought. If you have not yet booked your place, I encourage you to seriously consider doing it now!

Against the professionalisation of doulas - where next?

2011-05-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

The role of the doula has been formalised in the UK for ten years now and I sense that the doula community and what we stand for may be standing at a threshold. My recent blogposts challenging the case for professionalisation of doulas have been met with some interesting feedback from both sides of the pond.

There seems to be a general consensus that doulas work in a 'professional' way - we do what we say we are going to do when we say we are going to do it and we work with respect and integrity towards our clients as well as health professionals - but that we are not 'trained professionals' in the same sense that a midwife or a teacher is. And I do believe that the majority of doulas, including myself, would concur with this theory.

However, I also believe that there is MUCH more we could do in the way of giving a consistent message to the public and to health professionals by avoiding the use of the word 'professional' altogether. In essence, Doula UK's Philosophy has traditionally promoted the doula as a lay person:

"The doula role, we believe, is a way of "being" not "doing". A "training" implies completion and it is not useful to believe that a woman can attend a two or three day workshop or ... course and believe that she is a doula. Doulas are learners, they are explorers, they are guides, friends, sharers, it goes on and on. Without an open approach to self development and human growth it is impossible to be available to enable others. Within a doula’s education there must be a deep concentration and focus on self awareness and ... a lot of time reflecting." "We do not want doulas to add another layer of ‘professionalism’ to an already overloaded maternity system."

yet terms like 'training', 'trainee', 'profession' and 'continuous professional development' still feature in the organisation's vocabulary. There is perhaps room for adjustment here therefore, a replacement of such professionalised terms for others that are more in keeping with the lay role perhaps, such as 'preparation course', 'new doula', 'doula work/doulaing' and 'ongoing learning'.

During the doula preparation course too, much work can be done by course leaders and facilitators to remind new doulas that our role is not a professional one. Terms such as 'qualified' and 'certified' simply suggest that doulas have some special 'professional' status which in fact we do not. Why not 'attended an information session' or 'completed a preparation course'? If all doula course leaders were consistent in perpetuating the use of lay language, our students would carry this with them on out into their work.

In any occupation, jargon particular to that line of work may be found, jargon that is relayed initially to new workers via their educators or supervisors - so why not doulaing too?

As we stand on this threshold where an awareness of our role has reached a wider public, where more mothers and fathers are choosing to enlist a doula during childbirth and more maternity health professionals are beginning to take the value of lay support seriously, we can surely step forward from here and make ourselves what we want to be.

I believe that now is the moment to commit to our principles and fuse the definition of our role into how we want it to represent us into the future, for if we do not, I fear we will miss the moment, and possibly miss the greatest opportunity UK doulas will ever have to unite as one voice.

Congos in Dumfries

2011-05-20T04:52:00.000-07:00

As a hardcore reggae fan who, in my youth, endured many long hours of waiting in dark smoky venues for reggae bands to make their appearance - including the notorious Misty in Roots gig at the Edinburgh Playhouse in 1980 (?) when they eventually turned up at 2am (and yes, in the days when you could still stand, and smoke, in the auditorium) - I should have expected nothing less from the mighty Congos when they played the Venue in Dumfries last Wednesday.

If you can call 10.45pm ‘late’, that is. Now a 40+ yr old parent and obliged to get home for the babysitter by midnight, it was late enough to mean that I had to slope off before the reggae legends had completed their set. But hey, it was still worth it!

Recorded in 1977 and produced by infamous genius Lee Scratch Perry, Heart of the Congos was, and still is, one of the all time No. 1 reggae albums in my over quarter-of-a-century old collection, the track Solid Foundation containing one of the most breathtaking ‘breaks’ ever recorded on vinyl. For sure, I had never imagined that I would ever enjoy the privilege of seeing them play live. So you can imagine my intrigue when I spotted the black, gold and green posters shouting the news that this trio of original Jamaican reggae maestros were coming to town. A tribute band, surely! How old are the Congos?

http://music.brynovsky.co.uk/

It is to the most excellent Brynovsky it seems, that I owe thanks for having booked this gig. The Dumfries & Galloway dub reggae quintet’s supporting set, fused by the compelling synergy of Anders’ drum and Chungerbie’s bass - reminding me of early Sly and Robbie - was a fine way to start the show.

Then what turned out to be a couple of hours delay ensued, while the ancient Rastafarians were located, for they had clearly left the building. When a number of fit dreadlocked black men loped in through the door heading for the backstage room, things started to look hopeful. Meantime strong loud Studio One tracks provided by Samson Sounds held our anticipation, kept us dancing. But it was still another half hour before the wizened snowy-grey locksmen were spotted threading across the room, slightly rocky on their feet. Back from their walkabout in Dumfries town centre, the Congos had finally reached.

A few trial runs to get the mikes right while the two most elderly of the four singers struggled to be heard and the bassie tripped onto autopilot, but with technical hitches smoothed out, the Congos did not disappoint. Cedric Myton’s unique falsetto still held strong, and with exquisite harmonies intact, they set a cracking pace through every classic song. While the hardcore sound of the 80’s had maybe lost some of its original subtlety and finesse, the overall effect was still powerful. For me though, the star of the show was Ashanti Roy who of the original trio, appeared to have weathered the years rather more sedately than his fellow singers, standing calm and focused throughout the show, he engaged with the audience and seemed genuinely happy to be there. Respect!

Against the professionalisation of doulas - why?

2011-05-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

Having recently stuck my head above the parapet for challenging some of the principles raised during the process of Doula UK's imminent Board changeover - and got it nipped (!) - I feel an urge to further elaborate on why I disagree with the professionalisation of doulas.

Admittedly much of the literature written on doulas does apply words such as 'qualified', 'professionally trained' and 'certified' to the lay childbirth companion, but this is because the vast majority of these texts are American. And the way American English is used to describe the US doula does, in many ways, make her a different entity to the UK doula.

The reason for this difference however, is because midwifery practice in the US is also very different to that in the UK. And it is the midwife-doula relationship that lies at the heart of my argument against the professionalisation of doulas.

There has always been discussion among the doula community - as the newcomers to the UK childbirth arena - about how to creatively build bridges with midwives, in the belief that this can only help towards sensitively and effectively supporting women and birthing families. While the doula's first allegiance is to the mother and father she is working with, she is also mindful that her positive relationship with the attending midwife can play a key part in ensuring the protection of an undisturbed birth environment.

Equally, there is concern among the midwifery community regarding the increasing number of birthing mothers and couples who are enlisting doula support and how, hand in hand with Government cuts, the presence of doulas may be aiding the erosion of the role of the midwife. Why, if the UK midwife autonomously provides physical, emotional as well as spiritual care to the birthing family, should there be a need for any additional support? What can a doula provide that women and couples are not already offered by their midwife?

I make no excuse in refraining from attempting to respond to these questions here, for to remotely adequately comment on this sensitive issue deserves an evidence based paper written for another time and place. My point is not about what the doula or the midwife does or does not do in any case. Rather to suggest how insulting it might feel for the midwife, who is a professionally trained, qualified and registered practitioner, to contend not only with another figure in the childbirth arena who potentially threatens her very existence, but also with one who - further to having undertaken a course comprising of just a few days as opposed to years - deigns to describe herself as a 'professionally trained' or 'qualified' practitioner.

This is my point against the professionalisation of doulas.

I have to admit that I just do not understand why some doulas and doula organisations choose to use this terminology at all. Does it stem from the need to big-up the doula role, to make it more acceptable, more accountable, more credible? Does it come from a place of lack of confidence in the right to 'be' there as a non-professional support person? Or is it down to people simply not thinking through what they are saying, not considering the implications behind the words they are using? Perhaps not fully understanding the role of the midwife too?

As part of the doula community's commitment to building bridges with midwives and maintaining harmony in the way that birthing families are supported in the longterm, I would so welcome an 'outing' of this issue. And I would so like to hear Doula UK, as the leading voice for UK doulas, take a much stronger position against the use of professionalised language in reference to doulas for all the reasons I outline in this post.

To end on a positive note however, much to encourage and support the coming together of doulas and midwives, to share learning, skills and knowledge of our not dis-similar yet in many ways very different roles, is already unfolding. Meetings, MSLCs, workshops and study days are providing forums for discussion and exchange, to build on understanding and to air concerns regarding each other's roles. And I applaud those who are instigating these opportunities. Let's keep working on it!

The Doula-Midwife Relationship 1 - training & boundaries

2011-04-01T02:40:00.001-07:00

I am in the unusual position of being a trained midwife (no longer practising) as well as a currently working doula and doula trainer (or 'course leader' as I prefer to say) at Mindful Doulas. This has given me much cause for reflection lately regarding the issue of boundaries between the two roles and how this is being presented to student doulas during their 'training' course.

Although I have always supported the idea that doula courses are most appropriately led by working doulas, for we are lay people and do not require to be 'trained' in the same way as a midwife, I guess this is because I do have the experience of having been a practising midwife. I do therefore fully understand the working boundaries between the two roles.

How can a doula, generally speaking, be in a position to comment from a truly informed position on the midwife's role? How can she fully understand the way the midwife is bound by policies and the pressure to conform to a system of care, or how if she steps out of the box, she can be ostracised from her own professional community? Or how the boundaries of this 'box' can vary so drastically between trusts/units, with much depending on the support the midwife receives from her senior colleagues?

This is not a failing of the doula, simply a fact that doulaing and midwifery are different roles. And therefore, I believe that, rather than focusing on any 'bad midwife' or 'unsupportive NHS' stories, it is more relevant and useful for the doula course leader to keep clarifying with her students the working boundaries of the doula, to reiterate that while she is there to protect the mother's birthing environment, a part of this includes striving to ensure a harmonious relationship with the attending midwife.

So perhaps there is a place for inviting a midwife speaker in to the doula course, as some already do, to share exactly what her working boundaries are? Working together does require respect and integrity between us, but I believe this is helped hugely if we are well informed about and have had a good experience of each other's role.

Regardless of whether she had completed a course or not, a doula may be very experienced in supporting birthing families as a lay companion. And yes, her role is to protect and promote normal physiology, but often the reason why the doula is enlisted in the first place is because the mother feels her voice was not heard during a traumatic birth experience the last time round. The doula develops a close trusting relationship with the mother and her partner through pregnancy and works on sharing resources with the parents to enable them to make their own informed choices about the maternity care that feels right for them.

If things start to deviate from the norm during labour, the birth doula can only be led by the parents on how best to support them and the midwife's advice will also enter this equation. However, the doula also knows (or should know) that sometimes, disturbance of the birth space (through noise, lack of privacy, stressed or fearful supporters, strangers entering the room) can be the very reason why the birth process starts to deviate from the norm in the first place. If the parents also understand this and have prepared well to minimise the risk of this, then it is likely that in view of her own role in supporting the couple's wishes, the attending midwife will be mindful of limiting disturbance in the birthing room too.

Indeed, many doulas and midwives are working amicably and effectively together in this way to support normal physiology right now - for example, supporting a mother to birth her twins in water!

In the same way that the midwife may feel caught between her employer's rules and regulations and the choices of mother or couple she is attending, the doula may feel caught between her client's wishes and medical advice. Of course it is not her role to defy professional opinion, but it is the doula's role to support the mother if the mother chooses not to accept medical intervention.

Since the biggest impact on the doula/midwife relationship is likely to be established in the clinical area, and since the doula may be perceived as the ‘newcomer’ on the scene, I feel we have a responsibility to take the initiative towards establishing a harmonious working relationship. However, this does not mean that I would encourage a doula to coerce with the midwife if the mother's wishes were not being heard. And let's face it, despite the best will in the world, there is evidence to show that this does happen, as indeed there are doulas who equally inappropriately cross their working boundaries.

We are all only human, but one thing we do all have in common is a passion for supporting women, men and families to enjoy the best birth and early parenting experience possible. I believe that if we both, as doulas and midwives, truly have the mother or couple and their baby's best interests at heart, most times we will do our utmost get it right between us, and doula course leaders can do much to mindfully promote this good intention.

Doula 'Trainers' - obliged to 'pass' all their students?

2011-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Someone raised a salient point for me this week and I wanted to share it. "It is in the doula training organisation's interest to 'pass' the women doing their training course." Discuss!

First off, how well does the word 'training' sit with the word 'doula'? As 'lay' people, why is there any need for doulas to undertake - as the term 'training' has been defined - 'a prolonged period of study leading to professional qualification’? Why not simply doula 'preparation', or doula 'course' with a 'course leader' or 'facilitator' who doulas the new doula through the first step of her journey as a birth companion? The relevance of a 'pass' or 'fail' in the doula's lifelong journey of learning may in any case, be questionable.

Presumably it is for good reason that there is no statutory 'regulation' of doulas and therefore no formal requirement for 'certification' or ' registration'. The doula supports, she does not give advice or make any decisions about care or perform any clinical intervention. Greater heed could well be afforded to the glib use of these professionalised words in relation to the doula therefore, and indeed, due consideration given regarding the implications of what the professionalisation of this lay role might mean.

Secondly, the idea of a 'doula training organisation' sounds corporate, not what might be considered in any way related to the true essence of the doula. And what interest? Financial? That would go with 'corporate' I guess. Moral? How could it be in the interest of parents to be served by a doula who has automatically been 'certified' on account of her presence on a 'training' programme rather than on her individual ability and integrity?

Surely the role of the doula has evolved in part as a kickback at the financial greed, corporate mentality and lack of morality exercised by those responsible for the undermining of women's power in childbirth in the first place? What would doula 'trainers' be thinking if they were simply churning out new doulas regardless of their skills, knowledge or personal attributes in return for financial gain and the perpetuation of just another level of para-professional within an already top heavy medical hierarchy?

Yet as the doula community continues to grow, isn't it likely that more women who are maybe not (yet?) ready or suitable to doula, present themselves for doula courses? And doesn't it therefore become all the more pertinent that course leaders take responsibility for whether or not a student goes on from their course to support birthing families at their recommendation?

If you are a doula 'trainer' (or doula course facilitator!) reading this post, what do you think? Have you ever withheld a certificate of completion from one of your doula students? And if so, what process did you set in motion to support said trainee? Or do you think that every trainee has the given right to walk away from your course, 'qualification' in hand? Have you ever wanted to withhold a certificate but just not felt able to do so, and if so, why? Or perhaps you support the notion of doula-ing as 'business', professionalisation and financial profit, bring it on!

If you are a doula and have recently (or not so recently) completed a course, why not have your say too? I welcome some healthy discussion on this, feel free to leave your comments!

In Support of Doulas - Jan Tritten

2011-03-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

"Doulas have an especially important role in changing birth practices, both one birth at a time and as a presence in the larger birth movement. With the exception of a brave few, midwives have not been able to infiltrate the hospital system. Doulas are reaching many spaces in birth care that we cannot. Doulas help more women have good births and motherbaby needs them.

If a woman hires both a doula and midwife, it is really important that they work together to make sure the mother’s autonomy and needs are put first. It is often difficult to synchronize our care but it is a goal we need to reach for. ... Birth is so much about relationships and motherbaby should always be the center of those relationships.

Being a doula is a great stepping stone and a rich profession of its own. ... In Europe I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful doulas. Many of them have the desire to become a midwife but most of the schools they would have to attend are brutal. You do not become a loving birth practitioner through the brutal education that many countries have. We don’t need more cogs in the medicalization of birth. The education that doulas have gleaned put them in the best position to be the world’s next midwives. ..."

Jan Tritten, mother of Midwifery Today, March 16, 2011 Volume 13, Issue 6

Big shout for Jan and Midwifery Today!!

Doulas' reviews

2011-03-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

"I attended a beautiful, challenging and wonderfully successful VBAC today. I took Gentle Birth Companions with me, as I had a feeling reading in the corner was going to be my role in the early stages. It was, and although I had read the book once already, to read it cover to cover in this sacred space was exactly what was needed. Thank you for this much needed, simple journey into the emerging role of the doula. It helps also for me to explore in myself where we are in Holland as doulas, and where we want to go."

Jennifer Walker, experienced doula, Amsterdam

Gentle Birth Companions is "everything we have needed from a book about doulas. Simple, lovingly written and inspiring. I read Birth Space, Safe Place last year and to be honest ... your messages and beliefs have really inspired me to begin my Doula-Journey. This will hopefully last a lifetime. I really want to be a part of something revolutionary."

A new doula, Stirling

Thank you sisters for your uplifting words and thoughts, they are truly much appreciated.

Homegrown doulas, great resources

2011-03-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Developing Doulas

This year, we celebrate Doula UK's 10th birthday and I have been reflecting on how many of the really great doula resources available to us now originate from the UK, as well as from around Europe. It is understandable that our first reaction when looking for a doula reference may previously have been to turn to our US sisters who set the precedent for the role of the modern doula, yet I am thinking that it could be time for UK doulas to mindfully keep their eyes wide open closer to home.

We have UK doulas blogging, speaking, building bridges with midwives, writing, running courses abroad, we have Maddie McMahon's Birth Hub, Nicola Goodall's Wysewomen, Paula Gallardo's Mamaheaven, Olivia Seck's Birthing Wisdom, the film Doula! and much more. A wealth of rich and relevant experience and exciting discourse to tap into at our finger tips! Not forgetting our links with our sisters in mainland Europe, the Doulas de France, the ongoing development of the European Doula Network and the doulas at Da-a-luz in Spain.

Da-a-luz

I say 'relevant' because my feeling is that the doula culture in any particular country must to a certain extent evolve in direct response to local midwifery practice. For example, in the UK midwives are autonomous professional practitioners and therefore it makes sense that doulas remain as lay workers; it somehow validates our role as the mother or couple's chosen support person, rather than presenting as a kind of para-professional which could suggest links to the maternity care system and its politics. In the US, where hospital midwives are much less autonomous, interestingly, the doula role is more professionalised and has been known to include undertaking vaginal examinations! The French doulas on the other hand are not permitted to support their clients in the absence of a midwife, for fear they are practising underground midwifery. Doulas can act as apprentices to lay midwives in Spain, where it is assumed that all women will give birth in hospital attended by obstetric nurses and doctors, but for the few who choose not to, attendants who have not completed any formal training are accepted. Conversely, many of us will be aware of the harrowing story of Agnes Gereb, the Hungarian obstetrician/midwife who was imprisoned for supporting mothers to birth at home, yet even in that country, doulas are gathering.

Debra's DVD

There is little doubt that we owe much to the US pioneers of the modern doula role, to Dana Raphael for reminding us of the Greek women who supported the mother so that she could breastfeed, to Ina May Gaskin for sharing her inspiring journey from doula to community midwife, to Penny Simkin and her founder colleagues at DONA International for establishing a premise for doula education and peer support , and to Debra Pascali Bonaro who continues to bring DONA's courses to the rest of the world today. However, it is clear that the American doula has her own way of working, her own guidelines and boundaries which can differ considerably from the way that doulas work elsewhere.

As one of my favourite North American sister bloggers Molly Remer of Talk Birth comments:

"I hadn’t realized how ethnocentric my own perceptions were about the role and history of doulas and I previously assumed that the “doula movement” was essentially synonymous with the “doula profession in the US.” Not so!"

Creative Birth Workshop - Glasgow

2011-02-25T06:21:00.000-08:00

It was with great pleasure that I accepted an invitation from the Birth Project to facilitate two small group discussions at their recent Creative Birth workshop in Glasgow. There were eight group sessions in total and three other facilitators with whom it was an inspiration to work alongside. Overall, we comprised a mix of midwives (experienced, newly qualified & student), educators, doulas, birth activists and one film director hailing from across Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, gathered together to explore ways of supporting better birth experiences for the women and couples we work with.

How inspiring was that!!

My sessions were to focus on 'Protecting the Birth Environment' and as I listened to the participant's contributions unfolding, there were three aspects that struck me most strongly. Firstly, I felt so proud of the doulas who showed no fear in speaking out about some really elemental aspects of working as birth supporters, who demonstrated an awareness of the potential to disturb the birth environment ourselves and of the importance therefore of maintaining mindfulness and integrity when asked to be present in another woman's birthspace. Secondly, I was reminded of and duly humbled by the often hard hitting challenges that student midwives face in their desire to question practice yet maintain the status quo with their senior colleagues and the hospital system, and also by the real difficulties that qualified midwives face in their attempts to uphold their vision for gentle birth while working within a predominantly medicalised model. Thirdly, and quite shockingly, I learnt that no matter how difficult we know the situation to be in Scotland viz protecting and promoting normal birth physiology, it seems that the position in Ireland is far worse.

Stripping back to basics and centering a little on ourselves, as women, as mothers, as birthers as well as birth supporters was where we started therefore. The pre and perinatal therapeutic practice of American psychologist and researcher Ray Castellino offers us some insight into how the imprints from the time around our own births can influence the way we are in the world as adults. His work is based on the principle that our bodies hold the memory of everything that has ever happened to us in our lifetime, meaning that each time we are present at the birth of a baby, we are potentially tapping in to the memories of our own birth. If there was a lot of fear, trauma, drugs or separation, around our own experience for example, then it would make sense that we might find deep feelings surfacing for us when we are in the birth environment of another woman, although it is equally possible that we are not conscious of how we truly feel about birth, let alone from where our feelings originate. Yet if we are better able to understand and resolve any issues around our own felt sense of birth, perhaps we can be better equipped to stand firm when supporting birthing women?

While only a brief taster of how we might further reconnect to ourselves in this way, my hope is that through doing so we can raise our self awareness and integrity as birth supporters. If we feel safe enough within ourselves to effectively support expectant parents to have the confidence to rise to the challenge and truly choose the care that feels right for them, perhaps we can also be part of instigating creative birth practices within a wider arena?

During the second half of our session, we looked at what else we could do to protect the birth environment in a practical way, through maintaining privacy and quiet for the mother for example, through simply sitting beside her rather than adopting a task orientated approach. And the eternal question of what to do with the bed in the middle of the room! We talked about what happens when shifts change and how this can generate the potential for disturbance, and, rather than asking the mother for eye contact and answers to our questions as we take over her care, how nurturing a space to - as one student midwife put it - "gather a sense" of what is going on in her labour may be a more creative way of supporting of the physiological process. And we debated the value of offering relevant, honest and practical birth preparation sessions, while still being able to tick the boxes on 'pain relief' or 'labour ward tour', including ways of enabling parents to embrace the responsibility of preparing for the birth of their baby with an informed appreciation of how the birth environment has the potential to disturb (or not disturb) the birth process.

All 50 participants gathered together at the close of the day for some general feedback from each group. Given our collective awareness of the notorious shortfalls between theory and practice, it seemed that the workshops had nonetheless provided an effective forum for positive and inclusive discussion on changing birth practices to embrace greater creativity in protecting normality. Perhaps more significantly, and certainly at a personal level, was that it had been a multi-disciplined forum: this felt like such a valuable step in building harmonious working relationships between every one of us who profess to be working towards the single same thing - supporting parents to enjoy the most positive birth experience possible.

That in itself was certainly something to celebrate!

The Birth Project is a group of 9 passionate women including Jo Murphy-Lawless, sociologist at Trinity College, Dublin, Nadine Edwards, Vice-Chair of AIMS and a director of the Pregnancy & Parents Centre, Edinburgh and Rosemary Mander, Emeritus Professor of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh, plus further likeminded midwifery educators, independent midwives and one film director practising across Scotland and Ireland. Popular as ever, this was the third workshop run by the group in as many years.

NEW - Birth Faciliatators course at Da-a-Luz, Spain

2011-02-03T03:11:00.000-08:00

Exciting news from Da-a-luz in Spain:

"Da-A-Luz is a group of midwives and doulas, situated in the Alpujarra mountains of Southern Spain, faciltating natural births and empowering women to do so. They will offer, for the FIRST TIME EVER, starting this year, a ten weekend modular course in Traditional Lay Midwifery. The course will cover all aspects of prenatal and postnatal care, the mechanics of birth and approach birth from physical, emotional and spiritual perspectives likewise. Visit their website or email for info on the course vanessadaaluz@yahoo.co.uk" Sunshine House Jan 2011

Midwives Rock group Oct 2010

I am so looking forward to teaching on the October 2011 module of this course!

Gentle Birth Companions - new review from America

2011-01-12T01:21:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Molly Remer, MSW, ICCE, CCCE
http://talkbirth.wordpress.com

"Gentle Birth Companions is the first book “written about the doula movement beyond the US” and as such it was a fascinating read. I hadn’t realized how ethnocentric my own perceptions were about the role and history of doulas and I previously assumed that the “doula movement” was essentially synonymous with the “doula profession in the US.” Not so! Indeed, Stockton discusses the way in which in the US, doula professional organizations strive mainly to be acceptable to the medical community, whereas in the UK the doula operates outside of (or parallel to) the medical system. And, she provides an interesting analysis as to whether doulas should be referred to as “professionals” in the first place (this is also due to a difference in what the word means in the UK compared to the US). She expresses several criticisms of certification or even of specialized training programs, feeling that professionalization builds additional, unnecessary layers of bureaucracy into the maternity care system and that the role of a doula should be the role of a lay woman. She also posits that the role of doula actually represents a return to the role of traditional midwifery—what midwifery was supposed to be and has now become removed from politically, socially, and culturally.

Gentle Birth Companions is divided into three sections. In the first, Grassroots, it explores the origins

of the doula, the 21^st century doula (including doula preparation and training), the UK “brand” of doula, and the wider doula community (thoughts about a global movement and also about doulas in the developing world as well as the industrialized world). The second section, Guardians of Gentle Birth?, explores the doula’s role both antenatally and postpartum and the return to “traditional midwifery” represented by the role. In the third section, Doula Tales, some UK doulas share birth stories , experiences, and thoughts in their own words.

Gentle Birth Companions is an excellent look at the “politics” of the doula movement and the professionalization and motivations of such, as well as at the role and purpose of the doula in women’s lives."

http://talkbirth.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/book-review-gentle-birth-companions/

Thank you, Molly, for particularly highlighting these salient points!

Self publishing: the niche market

2011-01-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

There was a time when publishing your own book led to the assumption that the text had not been subjected to rigorous review and therefore lacked credibility. Worse still, that self-publishing was an act of pure vanity. Yet nowadays, when half the publishers refuse to look at a manuscript unless it is submitted via a literary agent, and the other half won't consider a contract unless the author's existing reputation guarantees a best selling title, self-publishing has become increasingly common.

Findhorn Press took on my first book Birth Space, Safe Place: emotional wellbeing through pregnancy and birth after I had shifted the first print run of 200 books in self-published format. They could see from sales as well as enthusiastic reviews that there was a gap in the market for a new book for parents promoting gentle birth. But my latest publication Gentle Birth Companions: doulas serving humanity posed too much of a risk in its specialist subject for a small (though well established) publishing house. Not that I berate Findhorn Press, I utterly love them and have had great pleasure being published by them and would highly recommend working with them to any aspiring author.

It is frustrating however, when I know that the current niche market for doulas is destined only to grow substantially within the next few years, not to be able to persuade another publisher to take the bait. Much is down to my lack of persuasive skills I suspect. If I'd had a better gift of the gab, perhaps I could have eventually tipped Pinter & Martin into the glass half full position! But hey, I also respectfully accept that we all have businesses to run and costs to cover.

So rather than leave my prophetic manuscript to gather dust, I chose to go down the self-publishing route again. Please note, that I say self-publishing, which I should explain is a wholly different thing to vanity-publishing. To self-publish means that, after actually writing the book, it is I (the author) who circulates the manuscript round the big-wigs for peer-review and endorsement, I who organises the editing, proofreading, reference checking & permissions, I who pays the printer to lay out my text, print it and bind it with my chosen design - oh yes, and I who must then undertake the PROMOTION!!! Vanity-publishing, on the other hand, is when the author pays a vanity publisher (often above the odds) to do all of the above (minus the all important endorsements), a fee which can run into thousands (rather than hundreds) of pounds.

Nonetheless, money up-front must be found even for self-publication - how does the author go about this?

Find a funder? A grant perhaps? Or a loan, payable on sale of the books? I am extremely grateful for the support of national network Doula UK who generously donated almost half of my initial printing costs; also to my friendly local printer Solway Offset who invoiced me only two thirds of the set up costs until I had sold the first print run and could pay the balance. I am happy to say that, after just two months, having sent out 40 books for review or as complementary copies, the remaining 60 have now been sold and we are onto the second print run. Lately there has been a rush of orders from Spain!

Meantime, I am tentatively considering preparing the manuscript for e-book format.

Should you spot yet another post by me about my 'new' book therefore, please take a breath (rather than a frustrated sigh!) and bear with me. I am just a humble author who has written a pioneering text for a currently very niche market, trying my best to spread the word! And if you can find it in your heart to tell your friends and colleagues about Gentle Birth Companions, write a short review for the online chatrooms, bookshops and social/professional networks that you frequent, even recommend it through your personal website reading list, I would be eternally grateful.

Publishers always say "writing the book is the easy part, now you have to promote it" ..... ho hum!!!

Gentle Birth Companions - Review by Sheila Kitzinger

2010-12-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

Imagine how chuffed I was to receive this feedback from the wonderful Sheila Kitzinger, so warm and inspiring as always - respect! Thank you Sheila!

"I feel like a mother to doulas in the UK.

I remember the day when I called a meeting at my house to explore how we could help women who sought support in childbirth from other women who were not professional care-givers, but friends and allies with knowledge and insight.

Michel Odent came to this meeting, and the group included women who supported each other through birth in the Orthodox Jewish community in London, childbirth teachers, post-natal counsellors and activists from AIMS, the NCT and the Active Birth Movement. My friends and colleagues in the USA, Penny Simkin, John Kennell and Marshall and Phyillis Klaus shared with me our thoughts about developing the doula movement internationally.

In this fascinating book we see how the help that doulas offer is not really a matter of 'training', but of personality, and that everything depends on the quality of human relationships.

It is an excellent introduction for anyone considering becoming a doula and basis for preparation and reflection on good practice."

Sheila Kitzinger, childbirth activist and author of Birth Crisis www.sheilakitzinger.com

Doula 'training': debriefing, reflection and ethics

2010-11-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

"As a doula course leader (Mindful Doulas), I regularly point out to prospective students applying to my programme, the questionable issue of ‘training’ as a requisite. Despite suggesting that, as doulas, we are simply women supporting women, mothers supporting mothers, they mostly still feel that they would prefer to do some preparation work. I often wonder how much this stems more from a generic lack of belief in their own abilities, as women, as mothers, as birthers even, than from a genuine desire for knowledge. In addition, these women are frequently under the impression that they are not ‘allowed’ to work as doulas until they have undertaken a ‘training’ course or acquired a ‘qualification’. While this is clearly not the case, in the light of such anxieties it might seem appropriate that a certain level of learning and support is provided for new doulas, over and above their personal experience. Perhaps more significantly, the new doula should have the opportunity to begin to debrief and reflect on her own birth and parenting journeys within a safe environment.

Many tears have been shed as buried emotions re-surface during our course workshops. Comments such as “I have never told my birth story to someone who really wanted to listen before”, “I thought I had processed all my grief, yet there is still more in there”, are common. Without taking the time to acknowledge, process and debrief from traumatic birth or mothering experiences in particular, new doulas may carry their unresolved issues into the birthspace or ‘babymoon’ of another mother or family. Not only is this inappropriate to the supportive role, the doula is also vulnerable to continuing to attract situations which mirror her own unfinished issues until she makes a commitment to addressing them within herself. Working as a doula is not about the doula, it is about the mothers, fathers and families she supports. A doula who does not take care of herself is not only unable to wholly support others, but she also runs the real risk of burning herself out.

There are a few women who may endeavour to commence doula work from a deep personal (albeit unconscious) need for emotional support themselves, and for whom it may not be immediately possible to resolve their own issues to the point at which they are ready to doula for other women. A doula course can be a way of identifying these women, and it is the course leader’s responsibility not only to the student but also to the public, to support them to find the safest direction for their doula journey at this point. This might mean that the novice doula takes some time out to reflect and nurture herself, with a view to perhaps becoming emotionally strong enough to offer doula support at a later date."

"There is no finite, standardised system for the preparation of doulas, which may be seen as a positive situation, for if the ideal is that there is a doula for everyone, so diversity in her learning and experience is surely the key. Wherever she resides, a woman coming into doula work would be well advised to choose her preparation course carefully, ensuring that the philosophy behind it resonates with the way she lives her life and that the programme leader is sympathetic to the true essence of the doula. Given her inherent nature to ‘be’ rather than to ‘do’, it could be suggested that a course based on honouring the “celebration of childbirth” and parenting with humility and integrity, where the student is encouraged to work in a way that mirrors ongoing reflection and commitment to service and community, would seem preferable. Mindfulness of the course leader’s attitude towards financial gain and approach to marketing and how this sits with the ethics of doula work, may also be advisable.

In the same way that a birth or a breastfeed cannot be rushed, neither is it compatible for the doula to push for work. Aggressive marketing and any notion that there are opportunities for financial profit to be made from doula work contradict the entire doula ethos. If the key to her role lies in her continuity of support and the mother’s trust in her integrity, the doula will take care to ensure that she is available at all times within their agreed boundaries. .... While, as doula and course leader Maddie McMahon concurs, providing ‘shared’ care with another local doula, whether for birth or postnatal work, can be a satisfying and successful experience for all concerned, it is only acceptable when the mother (and her
partner) has consented from the start, has met with both her doulas throughout and is in no doubt that the reliability of the support she is offered will not be compromised. If bringing community back to childbirth is an integral part of the essence of the doula, for her to venture outside her own community to seek work in an area that is already covered by more local doulas, on the basis of milking a potential business opportunity, may also be considered unethical. Indeed, there seems little doubt that the dynamic of doula-ing changes when a doula is chasing money. As experienced doula Linda Quinn advises her novices: “If you don’t click with the parents at that first interview, you should walk away,” for through lack of feeling some deep care towards her client, the integrity of the doula’s role is surely lost."

"Overall, a doula preparation course is perhaps as much about the doula pursuing her own inner journey as it is about initiating her vocation as a birth or postnatal companion. It is about encouraging a reflective attitude and community spirit, a presence of mind and careful action and nurturing the confidence that it is enough just to be herself. These are qualities and, indeed, lifelong lessons for which no academic qualification or professional certification can assume to guarantee. .. Further detailed discussion on doula education is provided in Part 1. 3. UK ‘brand’ of doula and 4. The wider doula community."

Extracts quoted from Gentle Birth Companions: doulas serving humanity (2010), all material copyright of Adela Stockton. See also Doula-Midwife Relationship posts.

New doula handbook - now available

2010-11-22T01:01:00.000-08:00

Here it is at last!

The first ever, fully referenced, comprehensive account of the doula movement in UK and mainland Europe, Gentle Birth Companions outlines the history and politics of the childbirth companion and the essence of her modern role. The book includes a critique of doula training & regulation, discussion on how the doula works in relation to the midwife, a lovely selection of real life doula stories and many further resources.

Essential reading for anyone involved in supporting birthing families as well as expectant parents seeking to enlist a birth or postnatal doula.

You can buy this book now from http://www.adelastockton.co.uk/content/gentle-birth-companions **10% from every sale goes to Doula UK's Hardship Fund**

Thank you for your support!

Once upon a time in Peru - Lurigancho 1984

2010-11-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

"Visiting at Lurigancho, the men prepare for San Pedro, three days journeying into spirit world and the great unknown, tended by the Chief whose elegant wives file in from the selva, pots on their heads green wilderness in their deep dark eyes. Ian peers from the dark interior of Pabellon 7, of his soul, casting sapphires upon my innocence, unbelieving, four years of emptiness after the torture. If only he had committed the crime. The equatorial sun becomes our heart, immense and furnace-like, as it touches Lima’s low horizon at dusk. Separate lives again, we challenge a system so weighted by corruption its humanity barely breathes. 1984. Belaunde and his cronies languish, children sleep cheeks to the pavement, armed tanks in the Plaza de Armas, the unmerciful smell of fear. Sendero Luminoso on everyone's lips. A woman psychologist is taken hostage at El Sexto, pale hands pleading from the balcony a knife at her throat, shot point blank her terrified face explodes before the paparazzi who splash it across next day’s La Republica. Yet my reality pales in comparison to his, bare survival amidst the all-pervading violence, day in day out. My grandmother’s friend tells me not to go again. But a new solicitor brings new hope. And we find some tenderness in that narrow stifling cell, sifting the heady taste of ripe mango through our teeth, play-cursing like teenagers in street Castellano, sucking the sweet creamy flesh off chirrimoya seeds, shiny as beetles. Later, from its highest thankless spot, fingers linked, we watch the dusty barren foothills light up beyond the prison's towers, snapshot splendid in the setting sun. And as I step free once more to merge with jostling ambulantes and the colectivo queues, I can still see his hand, waving through those distant iron bars."

Peru is as notorious for its many natural splendours as it is for political oppression. The people suffer appalling poverty and brutality, and life can be complicated in a way that is difficult to comprehend, even imagine, in the West. I went there in 1984 to teach English and travel a bit after leaving university; following a riot at Lima’s central El Sexto prison which happened within days of my arrival, I learned that there were UK inmates incarcerated at another prison in the city’s suburbs of Lurigancho. I volunteered through the British Embassy to visit these men and continued to do so on a weekly basis for the 10 months that I spent in Peru. I was 24.

Ian had been arrested in 1980 on false charges and tortured until he ‘confessed’ to the crime he was supposed to have committed. Following a series of farcical court proceedings held without legal representation in a language he did not understand, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison. He served much longer due to a string of thieving solicitors and no outside support. With the help of two ex-inmates, a tall generous Jamaican and a wild but kind Canadian, I managed to enlist the expenses-only services of their trusted lawyer - an understatedly resiliant Peruvian woman whose partner was also in prison - and who eventually secured Ian’s release in early 1985.

Lurigancho houses over 8,500 men in a series of three storeyed pavillions built for 1500 (Medecin Sans Frontieres, 2006) and is considered to be one of the most dangerous jails in the world. Although heavily guarded at its perimeters, it is the inmates who rule within the walls. Everything comes at a price, from sleeping space to food to clothes to a variety of rare luxuries. There is no running water. Prostitution, drug abuse and HIV are rife. Many prisoners (Peruvians as well as foreign nationals) are held without trial or beyond the end of their sentence due to lack of outside support and effective legal representation.

It is often said 'if you can't do the time, don't do the crime', yet whatever your opinion may be regarding a criminal offense, torture is wrong. And for the many individuals around the world who are unlawfully incarcerated and duly tortured, there simply is no crime to confess. The Medical Foundation provides physiological, practical, social and psycho-therapeutic support for survivors of torture and their families in the UK, please join me in promoting its important work.

*names have been changed to protect confidentiality

Orgiva 2010

2010-11-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sister Moon watched over me
all the way to Da-a-luz
- and all the way back –
her fullness revealing my path.

Sue's olive grove

It was like going home.

mighty Alpujarras

Mountains aflame in the evening sun
myrtle scents on the dusk dawn air
pale gray rocks along a thirsty riverbed
awaiting the autumn rains.

riverbed view from Da-a-luz

Like we wait for birth.

And there among the ripening fig and tall, tall avocado
the wooden hut where we women* gathered
to open our hearts and share our love
to tell our stories of babies born.

Saida and Veronica

In wonder.

Phil, Bex and Kerys

We drew deeply from our souls those days
holding our vision
midwives calling for new birth ways
wise women, stepping up.

Vanessa

* Respect to Jo, the man midwife, who is also part of the Da-a-luz team.

Midwives Rock at Da-a-luz, Spain

2010-10-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

So many thoughts on changing birth ways, not least that birth facilitators need nurturing too!

Paula

I was so excited I couldn't sleep, or was it just that Paula and I had 20 years to catch up on and didn't stop talking - in Sue's cosy caravan - until the wee small full-moon-lit hours of each night's morning. I am still flying on the love and inspiration of being amongst like-minded, strong wise women for a whole 3 days in the Orgiva autumn sunshine.

Wonderful Women of Midwives Rock Oct 2010

The passion of those that work at Da-a-luz literally shines from Vanessa, Sue, Jo, Paula and Veronica's eyes, their integrity and connection to the spirituality of childbirth so clearly evident. It is no wonder that Bex and Phil have arrived with a similar calling to learn and follow their way. It is not surprising that all the lovely midwives, doulas, mothers and other birth supporters who came to share at the Midwives Rock last weekend felt it too.

Of all the things that I learned, and there were many wise and wonderful, one in particular stays with me. We were talking about mindfulness and our boundaries as birth facilitators and how committing to some way of being watchful of our egos is essential to our work, whether through the practice of tai chi, yoga, meditation, even line dancing (yay, Paula!) - if that's your thing.

Keeping ourselves out of the way in the birthspace so that the birthing family's story can unfold, yet holding the space so that they feel safe for it to do so, is our job. Forging harmonious communications with each other as midwives or doulas in the birthing room, is part of that picture too.

Samsara

And through the practice of mindfulness, we are also nurturing ourselves.

More when I get the rest of the photos ......

"Gentle Birth Companions" - what people are saying

2010-10-06T03:51:00.000-07:00


Image by Marlene L'Abbe

"Gentle Birth Companions provides a thoughtful, enlightening analysis of the fast-growing worldwide phenomenon called the doula, who may represent the most significant positive influence in re-humanizing childbirth. Adela Stockton traces the organic growth of the international doula movement - a grassroots reaction against maternity care that devalues the mother’s emotional and spiritual experience and harms women. The doula, with her continuous compassionate companionship through one of life’s most challenging journeys, may be the hope for restoring joy and confidence to childbearing women. This book should be read by anyone who is connected with childbirth in a personal or professional way."

Penny Simkin, co-founder of DONA International, Author of The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions

"Adela’s new book is a very welcome addition to current birth literature. She chronicles the history and evolution of the modern doula, bringing much needed clarity to the role of the doula for health professionals and parents. With the thoughtful observations and inspiration for doulas everywhere, Doula UK is delighted to be associated with Gentle Birth Companions."

Bridget Baker, Co-Chair of Doula UK

"Gentle Birth Companions, Adela Stockton’s second book, is an exemplary exploration of how women have provided empathetic support for each other during birth since the beginning of time. … I am overjoyed at Ms. Stockton’s loving, thorough and inclusive (yes doulas support fathers too) treatment of the subject matter. She establishes doulas’ historical and cultural context, their local and global significance and the modern implications of their vocation. This is a warm, engaging and comprehensive book in which parents and birthcare professionals alike can find support."

Patrick M. Houser, author of Fathers-To-Be Handbook, director FathersToBe.org

ecotherapy ...

2010-06-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sculpture by Matt Baker, Isle of Mull

They say that being in the wilderness heals the soul. A new, yet ancient, approach to mental health support blends outdoor activities from gardening to walking in the park to camping in wild places with psychotherapy and counselling. In 2007, MIND published research which supports the theory that people feel better in mind, body and spirit after taking time out to be in nature. Wilderness Therapy or Eco-therapy is beginning to make its mark in the UK. This is the work that calls me.

wobbly templates

2010-05-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was talking to Clare, a fellow homeopath-doula-wysewoman in Ireland, about how the universe seems to be calling us to re-invent ourselves - how we live, what we do to live, who and how we are in out there the world. And recognising that there is no precedent for these times. We are starting from a clean slate, which means we are bound to try out a few ways of re-invention before finding the right path. As my insightful friend said, "We've never done this before, so it doesn't matter if we make a few wobbly templates before getting it right." The point, we agreed, is to stay mindful and keep trying.

I feel strongly moved to extend my work beyond birth, yet tentatively. Training in counselling may be a way of preserving the essence of my intention - 'being' not 'doing', but my options for where I work and with whom are broadened.

doula workshop, dumfries

2010-05-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great session last weekend, three wise mothers and me!

Focusing on 'wise-with-women' skills ...

At Mindful Doulas, our aim is to bring community back to childbirth through doulas who are committed to the grassroots values of the work that we do.

We do not support the need for 'professional training', yet we do acknowledge the need for a period of 'preparation' before new doulas go out to support other women during the time around childbirth. This preparation is as much about pursuing our own personal journey as it is furthering our knowledge and skills in our role as a doula.

Our course embraces the celebration of childbirth and aims to promote emotional wellbeing through pregnancy, to encourage gentle birth, and to support breastfeeding and positive parenting.

Birth Consultancy doulas hold the hands of mothers and fathers as they embark on their own rites of passage to parenthood, not to advise or guide, rather to uphold their wishes in creating the birth and parenting experience that is right for them.

The word 'dula' means 'to sit' in South African Sesotho, so why not come and sit with us, drink tea, eat cake and share your birth stories, your mothering skills and your inner wisdom around what it might take to effectively protect the birthspace.

Its a good day to do a doula course!

nail polish remover causes coma

2010-04-23T10:13:00.001-07:00

Heart by Matt Baker

On Monday evening, my almost 10 year old daughter collapsed unconscious and was rushed to hospital where she remained in a coma for three hours. It turned out, so she told us when she woke up, that she had accidentally ingested solvent from an ‘acetone-free’ nail-polish-remover pad, those which, according to paediatricians Savage, Khan & Loftus (2007) “are widely used and perceived as safe.”

It seems that the chemical γ-butyrolactone (GBL), a main ingredient of these nail-polish-remover pads, has already been proved responsible for causing almost instant coma in other children however. Every mother to whom I have since spoken about this with a child of similar, independently responsible, age has expressed deep concern that such a product remains on the open market.

For us, this was the first medical emergency we (my husband, daughter and I) have experienced as a family and it was truly terrifying, although ultimately, enlightening. The staff showed us absolute sensitivity and respect whilst undertaking their difficult task of trying to work out what had caused her collapse with focused professionalism. We were and always will be deeply grateful for the support and expertise they provided.

Only in retrospect though, can I begin to make some sense of what was happening at an emotional level. Even with some clinical experience of hospital emergencies from my previous days as a midwife, it is never the same when it’s your own. I am aware of how all the other ‘stuff’ I carry around in my head, times, dates, plans, just peeled away, disintegrated, there was no other time than the absolute present and precious moment. Either she was going to live or she was going to die.

Yet while fear, anger, guilt for not having protected her from this and utter helplessness filled my whole being, I also felt a strange kind of clarity, of hope, of reassurance. I do not follow a particular faith but I was aware of events being wholly out of my control and in the hands of a much greater entity. Although, no doubt I can afford to be more rational about what happened now than I ever would have been had she not woken up.

The experience has made me think again about mindfulness and being in the present. How the energy of that allows for complete focus and right action. And how maybe this event was to serve a purpose in my daughter’s life much more than in my own: to mark a key turning point as she leaves her early childhood and ventures into adolescence perhaps? A threshold moment.

I hear a tone of awareness and understanding in her voice that I have not heard before, as she throws herself back into the comfort of what is familiar once more, yet, it seems, with newfound independence and dare I say it, a fresh perspective on responsibility.

Meantime, my husband and I continue to reflect on the parts we play in this journey. Could it be that this has been a rite of re-birth for us all three in some way?

Birth Space, Safe Place: emotional wellbeing through pregnancy and birth

2010-04-19T04:31:00.001-07:00

Written for mothers and fathers-to-be, my new book reflects ways of protecting gentle birth. It tells of the role of doula (childbirth companion) and the benefits of lay support. It supports you to discover your birth journey in the way that is right for you.

"Every decision to be made during your pregnancy is yours to make. You are always entitled to ask for and pursue the care that you feel is right for you. If at any point you do not have all the facts with which to make a fully informed choice, you can take more time to find out further information before making your final decision."

"Essentially, your doula is someone you know and trust to uphold your philosophy of birth and parenting, to protect your memories of your birth experience and to assist you in your transition to parenthood in the way that is right for you and your partner. She may also help facilitate communications between you and other caregivers."

Available from Findhorn Press or Amazon.