You may have heard of something called the “birth plan curse”, or something along those lines. The basic idea being that the more detailed a birth plan, the more likely a woman is to end up with a c-section. I’ve heard this idea tossed around, encountered it in online labor and delivery nurse forums, and I’ve even had a client report that a nurse told her after her Cesarean birth that it was essentially her detailed plan that caused it. Today I’d like to call this ideology out for what I believe it is. Complete and utter BS…

Insider Tips: How to Have a Positive Birth Experience

I’ve been a practicing birth doula for the past four years, supporting births of all kinds- mostly in hospital, a few home births, medicated, unmedicated, hypno-births, cesarean, vacuum assisted, some short, some really long. I’ve also gone through the pregnancy and birth experience twice personally- once before and once after training as a doula, once with a doula and once without. Somewhere along the way, a spark was ignited, a deep desire to to spread information far and wide in order to help others have positive birth experiences too. Because YES, a healthy mom and baby are always at the top of the list, AND how a family feels about their experience matters DEEPLY. You do not get a do-over on your baby’s birth story. So here’s my advice on how to prepare for a positive experience…

Who Doesn't Love a New Beginning?

A fresh start, a clean slate, an opportunity to learn and grow. New beginnings can be filled with excitement, challenge, and yes, a period of adjustment. But who doesn’t love a new beginning?

We, the doulas of Align are excited about the next chapter unfolding in 2020, and are committed to bringing high quality doula services to even more Madison area families this year, because we know that a doula supported beginning is often a smoother one…