Traci Doula Traci Weafer

Welcome to the Doula Blog

MIDWIFERY VS. MEDICAL MODELS OF CARE

As a doula, one of the very first questions I ask my clients is what is their belief system around birth? What are their birth experiences? What do they know about their own birth? I want to understand their perception of birth in their birth culture. What the majority of families describe is a hands-off, family-centered, low intervention, natural feeling of care. They talk about wanting to be seen as a normal person who’s having a baby and not a medical condition. ​ When I’ve asked childbearing women to describe the midwifery model of care, I hear words such as: Mom-focused Low

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DADS, SHE DOESN’T NEED A DOULA TO HAVE A BABY, BUT YOU DO.

I recently read a fascinating article in Romper called, “My Husband said no to a Doula & I’m still pissed.” Writer Kelly Green openly discusses her frustration about her partner’s decision “quasi-unilaterally” that they did not need to hire a doula for the birth of their child, a choice that Green writes should have been hers to make. I know hiring a doula can be a tricky thing, but they are beneficial for dads too. (I’m using the term “dad” here because I most often deal with fathers, but this applies to any birthing partner.) In my experience, dads want to just

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DOULA, WHY YOU SHOULD STOP TELLING CLIENTS TO SWITCH PROVIDERS

How many times have you heard — or even said yourself —  “just switch providers,” after someone has a difficult prenatal appointment? This response makes a lot of sense on the surface when your client is clearly mismatched with their provider, their goals and choices are not being supported, or they are not being treated respectfully. You know that if a pregnant person is meeting resistance around their preferences in their prenatal appointments, it is likely going to continue into the birthing space. You want to protect them and do everything possible to help your clients have empowering, beautiful, and

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HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT DOULA MATCH

You’ve seen the evidence and know you want doula support for your pregnancy and birth. So you hop online and do a quick search for doulas in your area – should be simple right? The short answer is no, depending on your local birth community. You might be facing a long list of doulas with stark differences in support style, beliefs, and skills.  How do you narrow down your search and find a doula that aligns with your birthing goals? The key starts with you. Taking the time to understand your beliefs about birth, explore what your ideal birth would

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HOW TO BUILD A POWERFUL BIRTHPLAN

Is your birth plan helping you connect to your power and confidently advocate for yourself and your goals? Birth plans can be a strangely divisive topic in the birth world. Some people believe they are rigid lists of what you do or don’t want done during your birth. But a birth plan done right can help you obtain the education you need from your provider to be able to say yes or no to a procedure that is most likely a routine practice or policy. So how do you create a powerful birth plan? When you stop the information overload and uncover

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IMPLICIT BIAS AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE AS A DOULA

What would you do if you found out that your own biases and beliefs about birth were disempowering the clients you are serving? Chances are you started your important work as a doula after your own birthing experiences. And maybe that experience was a powerful, amazing birth that you believe all pregnant people deserve. More likely though, it was a birth that didn’t go as planned and you might even feel you need to protect your clients from their providers and the birthing system as a whole.  What if I told you that – positive or negative – your birth

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LOOKING AT THE EVIDENCE: THE BENEFITS OF HANDS-ON FETAL MONITORING

When planning a birth, it is important that the information you receive is evidence based. Reading the evidence can help you make unbiased decisions about your upcoming birth. So many women are pressured into procedures or other assertive birth techniques that either do nothing to help the baby or can actively cause harm. That’s why I believe in evidence.There are two kinds of fetal monitoring that are commonly used today: Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) and Hands-On Listening. Both are meant to serve the same purpose, to monitor the baby’s heartbeat during the birthing process. In electronic monitoring, an ultrasound machine is used,

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END-OF-YEAR REVIEW

2017 has been a fantastic year, but I couldn’t have done it without my amazing parents.  Here are some of the highlights of my year! 25 Natural childbirth Classes 5 Evidence Based Birth (R)  Workshops 2 Breastfeeding Classes  I’ve had to honor of serving 18 birthing families… 9 boys 8 girls 2 who are still cooking 1 set of twins!!  One birth in particular stands out, a twin birth that was simply amazing! Here are a bit of what Melissa had to say: “I swear all of our chats leading up to birth made me so mentally strong to voice

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ADVOCACY AND THE DOULA

by Traci Weafer I’ve been active in doula work for 20 years and presently doing more mentoring. I find it very important to pass down the knowledge to keep this work alive.  Two very interesting topics have continuously come up in talking with Doulas. Speaking on behalf of clients A doula cannot/should not speak to medical staff  I hear on almost a weekly basis how confused a doula might be because it’s a rocky line when supporting a mom’s wishes or communicating goals. Let’s look at some of the top Doula certifying agencies on what their codes of conduct/ethics look

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EVIDENCE BASED BIRTH FINDINGS: WHY ARE DOULAS SO EFFECTIVE?

Traci is very proud to be featured in the article “New Evidence for Doulas” by Evidence Based Birth supporting one of her moms. The findings from the article include: 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin* 28% decrease in the risk of Cesarean* 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth* 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience* For the four of these outcomes with an asterisk, results with a doula were

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Doulas Do Not Have “Scope”

The word “scope” is a controversial word in birthwork. At times, it has also been used to reprimand doulas. The confusion has largely come from doula organizations using the word “scope” as their perspective of how the doula of that organization should practice. While one organization says that their doula “scope” cannot use essential oils, another organization says they can. However, doulas do not have a “scope of practice.”  A scope of practice regulates a set of standards under a license. Doulas are not licensed or regulated. This is explained by Hermine Hayes Klien (youtube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ6ngb4ng4I. Doulas do not

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MIDWIFERY VS. MEDICAL MODELS OF CARE

As a doula, one of the very first questions I ask my clients is what is their belief system around birth? What are their birth experiences? What do they know about their own birth? I want to understand their perception of birth in their birth culture. What the majority of families describe is a hands-off, family-centered, low intervention, natural feeling of care. They talk about wanting to be seen as a normal person who’s having a baby and not a medical condition. ​ When I’ve asked childbearing women to describe the midwifery model of care, I hear words such as: Mom-focused Low

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HEAR TRACI ON THE “BIRTH MONOPOLY” PODCAST

Traci was recently featured on the “Birth Monopoly” podcast! In episode 11, Traci joined host Cristen Pascucci to discuss providing moms with information to make their own choices about their birth experiences. Traci talks about her unique role as an advocate and educator.

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Traci Weafer

Childbirth Educator, Mentor, Advocate, Parent

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