Freedom Pond Moonworks

please also visit the breastfeeding page

on this site

 
Mothers Moon doula services include
pregnancy, birthing and post-partum support.
 
 
 
Fees for services start at standard rates, but are evaluated on a case by case, and needs by needs basis.* 
 
 
*Including free birth doula services as well as postpartum consultations that are available to low-income, teen, and single moms who plan to give birth within thirty miles of my home.

 

What is a doula?
 
 

Birth Doula is someone who is a professional labor support person and is knowledgeable about the physical and emotional aspects of labor and birth.  As your birth doula, I work with you before, during and after your birth. We'll meet and decide how I may best work with you and your partner during your pregnancy and labor, as well as discuss your preferences for pain management. I can also help you get information so you can make informed choices regarding your birth, and to become familiar with your birth plan.  During labor I will work with you, your partner and/or family, and any medical staff by making suggestions for effective and comfortable positions,  offering words of encouragement,  massage,  visualization,  breathing,  hypnotherapy,  aroma therapy, uses of a birthing ball,  and other comfort measures to help you during labor and birth.   I will stay with you throughout the entire process from the beginning until the family is resting and bonding after delivery.  After your birth, I will be available for comfort & care, and for any postpartum issues, including breastfeeding.

 

Postpartum Doula is someone who is experienced with newborns and new families.  Familiar with postpartum adjustment, newborn characteristics, care, feeding, and development, and the promotion of parent-infant bonding, they are experienced in supporting families through their postpartum experience. Coming into the home during the fourth trimester following birth, they provide education, non-judgmental support, and companionship, and to assist with newborn care and family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tasks. Postpartum doulas offer evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, infant organization. By "mothering the mother", the doula enables the new mother to recover from pregnancy and birth and focus her energy on bonding with her new baby. Parents are able to care for their children with the reassurance that non-judgmental support and an extra set of hands are available when they need them. Through this support, the doula is able to help parents and older children integrate the baby into the family in a loving, gentle manner. As your postpartum doula I will come to your home after your baby is born and help to nurture you. I may help with practical things such as light housekeeping, baby laundry, light meal prep, sibling care, information on cord care, diapering, bathing your newborn, breastfeeding assistance, and other information and education on new families and newborn care. Just as being a Birth Doula who offers emotional support during labor and birth, as a Postpartum Doula I am a source of emotional support during the early days of welcoming the new baby home. I may also offer referrals as needed to other services in your community for additional support.

 

 Please contact me for more information about any of my services.
 
Dawnella Sutton  :  207-399-9407   mothersmoon@fairpoint.net

 

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You may already know that you want to use a birth doula, or maybe you're just not sure yet. There have been lots of studies done that show having a constant, educated, support person can drastically improve the birthing process. Here are some statistics, which can be discussed during our initial appointment if needed. A meta-analysis of six studies concludes that the presence of a doula resulted in the following decreases:

 

in the overall cesarean rate by 50%

in the length of labor by 25%

in the use of oxytocin by 40%

in mothers' requests for pain medication by 30%

in the need for forceps by 40%

in requests for epidurals by 60%

 -Klaus, Kennell, Klaus, 1993 Mothering the Mother

 

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"Before the world became industrialized, women always breastfed, and babies were birthed by midwives. And there were women to help in the process, whether they were called witches, midwives, doulas, aunties, medicine women or grandmothers, and the time has come to return to our traditional cultures and values."
- Pam Ferry, RN, Post partum doula, herbalist.

 
 
 
 

Birth Mandalas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Created to help visualize opening the cervix to 10cm. they are a powerful reminder of womens power during childbirth.
pictured above are by Helen Wright



Mothers Moon's own Birth Mandala  tiles
are available online at 
www.cafepress.com/mmmandalas

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