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The Smart Doula| Virtual Doula Blog
Welcome to my Blog page!
You can find all my musings on virtual doula support, my own birth experience and other pregnancy, birth and postpartum topics
Since when was 'Natural Birth' a dirty word? And what even is 'Normal Birth'
What is 'Normal Birth' Normal can be defined as ' the usual, typical, or expected state or condition'. In 2023 31% of births in the UK...
thesmartdoula
Sep 24, 20247 min read
The Role of Hormones in labour, and how you can support them!
Discover the unsung heroes and the villain-to-hero story arc of the hormones of labour. Empower yourself to positively influence your birthi
thesmartdoula
Sep 17, 20245 min read
Essential Oils for Pregnancy Nausea
Three essential oils that you might not know can help you in your pregnancy, birth and postpartum
thesmartdoula
Sep 10, 20246 min read
Hospital Bag Essentials
Packing your hospital bag or getting together your items for a homebirth is exciting but can feel overwhelming! There are so many...
thesmartdoula
Sep 3, 20246 min read
How to write the perfect birth plan
unlock-the-secrets-to-an-empowered-birth-how-a-virtual-doula-can-help-you-design-the-perfect-birth Why do I need a birth plan at all? The...
thesmartdoula
Aug 20, 20247 min read
This Virtual Doula's cascade of intervention.
What is the cascade of interventions? In most simple terms the cascade of intervention is that one thing, increases the likelihood of...
thesmartdoula
Aug 13, 20246 min read
What happens if your placenta doesn't come out (retained placenta)?
Full disclosure this isn't my placenta, I didn't get a picture of mine, I regret it to this day! I think if I had a picture to look back...
thesmartdoula
Jul 30, 20247 min read
What is prodromal labour?
How long does labor last - what does Google say? The most important thing to remember is that most of the stats online are calculated...
thesmartdoula
Jul 23, 20246 min read
Should I use a contraction timer?
How will I know when I am in Labour? Did you know only around 60% of women go into labour spontaneously? The number is probably less than...
thesmartdoula
Jul 17, 20246 min read
Using Gas and Air at Leeds General Infirmary
Who can use Gas and Air? Gas and Air is available in most hospitals and birth centers! You can use gas and air whilst you are giving...
thesmartdoula
Jul 6, 20244 min read
Are Doulas (and Virtual Doulas) Dangerous?
Are Doulas Dangerous - We already have the answer to this question! What does the evidence say? A Cochrane review (A professional body...
thesmartdoula
Jun 25, 20243 min read
Coping with contractions without medication.
Coping with contractions and the Fear-Pain-Tension cycle In most other points in our life pain is telling us that something is wrong and...
thesmartdoula
Jun 1, 20244 min read
Do I need a Doula?
A Low-Risk Pregnancy, Did I need a doula? If you are coming at this thinking why do I need a doula, I know where you are coming from,...
thesmartdoula
May 21, 20245 min read
Not seeing the same midwife twice?
Why seeing the same midwife (continuity of care) is important in pregnancy and how you can find it for yourself! With my second pregnancy...
thesmartdoula
May 7, 20242 min read
What does a doula do?
What does Doula mean? The word doula comes from the Greek word doulē, the meaning of which translates to female helper or maidservant....
thesmartdoula
Apr 30, 20242 min read
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