At 39+3 week pregnant, I went to get a checkup at my OB and he found that I had a borderline Oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid), not enough to be super concerned, but enough to keep an eye on. He proposed that I have my membraned stripped to help start labour so I wouldn't have to be induced if the fluid went lower. So I did that, which was really really uncomfortable and pretty painful, but luckily it only lasted approximately 30 seconds. I came back the next day and the a

I had been planning a home birth. I knew that I wanted to be as natural as possible, without the intervention and pressure from the doctors, midwives, nurses etc. Just to be laboring at home with my husband and doula. Candles, a bottle of wine, soft music, fresh air... that’s how I envisioned my first birth to be. I was diagnosed at 30 weeks with a prematurely aged placenta. I was told I had to be monitored regularly through the rest Of my pregnancy and that I would likely no

Dear Friends and Family, This letter has been a long time coming. I wasn’t sure until now how to put this into the right words; words that wouldn’t hurt, insult, or embarrass, but rather draw an understanding. I have long marveled at the name of my profession. Doula is a greek word, whose literal translation is “slave woman.” The past two years have brought me clarity on my exact role as a Doula and have helped me find my authentic way of serving this miraculous profession, a

I am a planner. I have always been a planner. My days are dictated by checklists, reminders and calendars. So I was naturally pretty excited when I heard about the concept of a “birth plan.” I can decide in advance how each phase of my delivery is going to go? Great! It didn’t take long to come up with an outline: I would endure the initial laboring in the comfort of my home until I was ready to go to the hospital. Then, I’d tolerate the pain for as long as possible without r

This week I had the privilege of visiting St. Joseph's Maternity Ward with an expecting client of mine. The mother, who is going for a VBAC for this birth, is just one of many moms I've met who feel they are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to birthing big babies, and birth after cesarean, in Israel. Most Jerusalem hospitals have a policy of not allowing a "trial of labor" if the baby is over 4 kilogram in some hospitals, 4.5 in others. While this policy co