My 2013 Doula Babies

Here is a look back at what I experienced in 2013 as I helped 7 beautiful families.

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• 2 girls (making it a streak of 7 girls from last year), followed by 5 boys in a row

• I had 3 clients having their 1st child, 3 clients having their 2nd child, and 1 client having her 4th child.  

• Earliest delivery was 38 weeks, 3 days and the longest was 41 weeks, 0 days. 

• The average gestation was 39 weeks, 4 days for my 1st time moms. 

• The shortest labor was 6 hours the longest labor was 66 hours. 

• I attended births at Summit, Maury Regional, and Vanderbilt hospitals. 

• Midwives were present at 4 of the births, and an obstetrician was present at the other 3.

• An epidural was chosen 33% of the time. 

• Pitocin was only used in 2 deliveries. 

• With my VBAC clients, there was a 50% success rate. All other clients delivered vaginally. 

• Induction, assisted delivery (forceps) and episiotomy rates were all low at 14% (1 out of 7).

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One big accomplishment for this year was completing my Hypno-Doula Certification. I absolutely adore working with Hypnobabies moms! Other memorable moments included being able to assist the midwife in delivering a baby and being selected to cut the cord for another baby. I also served my first repeat client this year. It's such a privilege to be invited back to assist a family for such a memorable occasion.

Wonder what 2014 will bring?