East Mountain Birth
Compassionate support for the childbirthing year and beyond.
“Just as a women’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale,
and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.”
-Virginia Di Orio
[email protected] | 505.639.3532
Pregnancy
Knowledge is power. Learn about your childbirth options, how to prepare for labor, and what you can do to have a healthy pregnancy.
Labor and Birth
Recieve comfort measures, emotional, physcial and nutritional support, and advocacy.
Postpartum
Recieve practical support that allows you to rest and recover from birth. Spend your time eating and drinking well and bonding with your baby.
What is a Doula?
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their client before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
(DONA International)
What does a Birth Doula do?
Physical Support: Labor and birth is a dance between the position and movements of the baby and the position and movement of the birthing parent. Doulas have a wealth of knowledge and ideas that facilitate labor progression. We also provide comfort and pain relief through touch, massage, counter pressure, breath, visualization, vocalization and much, much more.
Emotional Support: Pregnancy, birth and the postpartum are all intense periods in a person’s life. Doulas support birthing people and their families by holding space, listening and providing comfort through this life-changing experience.
Partner Support: Doulas aren’t there to support the person giving birth, but the whole family! Romantic partners, family and friends receive support as well, and doulas facilitate their involvement as much as they’re comfortable.
Education and Advocacy: Doulas are trained to connect families to quality evidence and resources that enable them to make the best choice for themselves and their unique situation. Doulas empower their clients to explore all the options and make an informed choice. We also work to elevate the voice of our clients in the birth room and facilitate communication between our clients and their care providers.
Birth outcomes with continuous doula support in labor:
- Decreases the use of pain medications by 10%
- Reduces risk of Cesarean by 39%
- Increases the likelihood of vaginal birth by 15%
- Shortens labor by 41 minutes on average
- Decreases risk of baby having a low Apgar score by 38%
- Reduces risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience by 31%
(Statistics provided by Evidence Based Birth.)
What does a birth doula NOT do?
Unlike midwives, doulas do not give medical advice or perform clinical tasks such as taking vitals, performing vaginal exams, or listening to fetal heart tones.