May 212013
Jan 142013
You asked for it, so we are doing it! A Midtown location for our teas!
You are invited to attend a monthly introductory tea of the Labor of Love Women. We will be meeting on the third Tuesday night at 7:00 pm.(January 2013 will be the 4th Tuesday) This is a great time for couples to casually meet each doula. We show a short video and then introduce the company’s services. Each specialist will have a chance to be introduced and say a little something about the area with which she is involved within the company. This presentation is less than an hour. Then there will be a time to ask questions, mingle and informally meet all of the women of love that work with Labor of Love Doula and Childbirth Services, Inc.
We have childbirth educators, labor and postpartum doulas, lactation specialists, massage therapists, belly casters and also have apprentice doulas that would love to meet you. This is a couple event, so please bring your partner if they would like to meet us as well. If you want to come alone that is fine too. We do ask that you not bring children to this tea, but babes in arms are welcomed.
This is an opportunity of sorts to do informal interviews with each person within the company. It allows time for you to meet each one individually and decide if you would like to set up a formal interview or make plans to hire one of the ones you have met from this informal interview setting. There is no obligation on your part at all. Just come and see what we are all about and let us share our philosophy and services with you.
This meeting is free and open to any friends or family members that are also interested in hearing more about our services. Feel free to spread the word among your friends. We do ask that if at all possible, you send an email with your name, due date, phone number and location for your birth to Teresa to confirm your attendance a few days in advance.
Please visit our Calendar to see when our next classes will be held. For more information on classes or events call Teresa at 770-241-2078 or email her at teresa@alaboroflove.org.
Directions for the Tea: I-85, exit North Avenue. North Avenue eastbound to Peachtree. Peachtree northbound to 5th street. Right on 5th (one way street) to Juniper. Right on Juniper (one way street) to 4th. Right on 4th to parking lot entrance on left side of street, directly behind the church. If you’ve gone to Peachtree, you’ve missed the parking lot entrance. There is another parking lot on the right side of the street for the church, but there should be plenty of parking directly behind the church as well. The Fireside Lounge is the smaller building on your left as you pull into the parking lot. Drive around to the BACK of the Fireside lounge (the lower level of the parking lot), and park directly in front of the back doors. You will see a fenced in playground to the left of the entrance to our space.
Redeemer Lutheran Church: http://www.redeemer.org/
Directions: http://184.173.197.219/~lcr/
im-new/directions-parking/ It is free secure parking at the building- this is near the Fox Theater.
RSVP via an email to Teresa as soon as possible, but at least the day before the tea if you plan to attend.
For more information please contact Teresa Howard at 770-241.2078 or Email her at teresa@alaboroflove.org.
Jan 142013
Additional Classes
We are always offering new classes- this is just a short list of what we offer- see our events pages on our facebook pages and our calendar for more information.
Breastfeeding Couple Class, taught by Teresa Howard and Pam Roe is to prepare you prior to the birth of your baby in understanding the whys, hows and whens to breastfeeding to insure success. This is a unique class with new approaches to learning positions and latching techniques.
Infant and Child CPR Class, taught by Guy who is an RN and is also certified with the American Heart Association. Know what to do in an emergency situation to save your child’s life.
Infant Massage Introductory Class taught by Teresa Howard, Leigh William or Charlotte Scott. Learn how to sooth your baby with some basic techniques that you may find invaluable. Come with your baby to have some fun! Better digestion, happier baby, longer sleep and great bonding times!
Move Your Way to an Easier Birth- Optimal fetal positioning techniques to avoid back labor are taught as part of our regular Wisdom for Birth classes but more can be learned though our Dancing for Birth and Prenatal Fitness and Yoga classes.
Growing Green Families: A Smaller Carbon Footprint- taught by Renee Wymer. This a class on being more reflective of chemicals we are exposing our children to and how you can recycle and use products that are more baby friendly.Many new families are looking for ways to reduce exposure to everyday toxins and soften their impact on the earth. You’ll leave this workshop with lots of ideas for simple changes that will make your life healthier and greener.
Cloth Diapering Workshops- taught by Renee Wymer. Ever wonder how to get started with cloth diapering? Renee is a great guide to this money saving and environmentally more friendly way to diaper your baby!
Dancing for Birth- taught by Teresa Howard, Charlotte Scott and Renee Wymer. These classes are great prenatal and postpartum fitness classes with a touch of birth and mothering wisdom flavoring the class. Postpartum moms come wearing their babies in slings and carriers! This class is taught in several locations.
Happiest Families- Happiest Baby on the Block, CALMS/ HUGS parenting and soothing your baby classes.This class is multifaceted. We offer the techniques of Harvey Karp of the Happiest Baby on the Block along with the CALMS techniques for soothing your baby based on Drs. Contey and Takikawa in combination with the HUGS techniques by Jan Tedder. We also offer parenting skills that are tried and true regarding getting sleep as new parents, beginning lasting family rituals, budgeting with a new addition and much more!
Dr. Karp’s 5 soothing techniques to prevent colic and help to calm your baby will be accompanied by a take home DVD with the techniques as well as a white noise CD that has a retail value of $40+. Plus, we include the ideas of CALMS which teach five ways to interact with your baby to keep you and your baby calmer, along with Tedder’s techniques to learn to understand the amazing language of your newborn and help to regulate your baby- therefore having a baby that cries less in the first year and is more independent in the 2nd year of life.
These are essential tools to equip every parent. This is a couples class and it is strongly recommended that both the mom and partner attend to get the full benefit of the class. This class is facilitated by Teresa Howard &Pam Roe.
For more information on classes or events call Teresa at 770-241-2078 or email her at teresa@alaboroflove.org
Please visit our calendar to see when our next classes will be held.
Jan 142013
We offer 3 types of childbirth classes.We offer different times and locations to best meet your needs.
- We offer the BOLD Wisdom for Birth classes that have an emphasis on the preparation the woman needs to make with a secondary couple’s class offered that is optional. It can be taken by those who want more than a basic class teaches as an add on to a basic class. It is taught over a weekend of Saturday and Sunday with the couples class on a different Saturday and Sunday. The BOLD women’s class can be taken anytime in pregnancy and the couples class is best taken in the last trimester. This class is taught in Lawrenceville.
- We offer the FUNDamenatals for an Empowered Birth classes in two locations- Atlanta and Roswell. The Atlanta class is over a long weekend- Friday- Sunday and the Roswell class is 3 consecutive Sunday late afternoons. This is a couples class. This class offers much more than the basic childbirth class with an emphasis on the fundamentals that most couples feels is essential for an informed birth experience.
- We offer private classes. Although this is not our preference, we understand that some couples need this. So we offer this in our class locations based on your particular needs. Let us know if you need this. We personally think that the dynamics of a group class offer many benefits for everyone involved.
Jan 142013
“I am interested in hiring a labor doula. What do you need to know and what do I need to do next?”
First, you have made a great decision regarding including a labor doula at your birth. The studies show :
● Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
● Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
● Reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
● Reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
● Feel more secure and cared for
● Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
● Have greater success with breastfeeding
● Have greater self-confidence
● Have less postpartum depression
● Have lower incidence of abuse
According to DONA these are the things that a doula provides:
● Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
● Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
● Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
● Stays with the woman throughout the labor
● Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint.
● Helps the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
● Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
● Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience
● Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level
We provide a bimonthly Meet the Doula tea so you can attend to:
● Meet all of the doulas and educators within our company
● Have a chance to hear about our services
● See a short video about doulas
● Have an opportunity to mingle and talk to each doula who is of interest to you
● Send us your due date, location for your birth and your phone number for our sign in if you plan to attend the tea.
When you contact our company we provide:
● Contact information for each doula with fees associated with each doula in a packet of information
● You can also email any doula by contacting her by using her first name@alaboroflove.org
If you are unable to come to the tea:
● Call the doula who is of interest to you and chat to determine if she sounds like she may be a good fit
● Set up an interview with the individual doulas who may match your needs
Once you determine the right doula for you:
● Send in the last page of the labor doula agreement with the retainer
● Contact the doula to let her know it is on its way to our office
● Set up a prenatal with her if you to be done near your 36 week mark
● Put a reminder on your calendar to send in the final payment to reach our office by the beginning of the 38th week
Stay in touch with your doula:
● We love to get emails about your pregnancy progress
● We love to assist you with questions of a non-medical nature to help you have a smoother journey
● We love to hear your desires and dreams for your birth
● We love to have you visit our blog and read information that may help you in your pregnancy, labor and postpartum period
● We love to have you sign up for classes we offer and hear about the classes you are taking
● We love to share and offer input on books that you may find helpful in gathering more information
“I am interested in hiring a postpartum doula, what is the next step?” Most of the labor doula ideas are the same for a postpartum doula.
According to DONA these are the things that a postpartum doula provides:
● Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester
● Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying
● Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary
When considering a postpartum doula:
● Where you live is important as some doulas do not go to all areas
● What hours are you considering needing
● What days of the week are you desiring
● We do not provide overnight care since a postpartum doula “mothers the mother” and night time care is really being a night time nanny- we believe if a mom is taken good care of during the day, she can handle her nights
● We do provide night care for moms with special needs- postpartum depression issues, surgical births or multiples if it is needed
How and when do you hire a postpartum doula:
● Ideally we like to be hired prior to the birth of your baby, but often times couples do not anticipate a need until after the baby has arrived
● Setting up an interview where she comes to your home is helpful although you can also hire a postpartum doula at the Meet the Doula Teas
● You mail the agreement with the retainer that pays for the first 5 hours and contact the doula to set up the times you need if your baby has already arrived
● Each week you receive an e-bill to alert you to the hours worked and the balance that is to be paid each week for her services
● You mail this to our office, it delays things if you give it to the doula herself
● If you have hired a doula prior to your baby’s arrival, contact her after you have had the baby and let her know the baby has arrived and when you want her to come
● Ideally we need a 48 hour notice on both when you want the doula to arrive as well as if you need to reschedule her arrival on a prescribed time
“I am interested in some classes you offer. What is my next step?”
● Preparing for your birth, for being a parent and for breastfeeding is an essential step.
● Information is power and preparing for a new event gives you valuable information
● Our classes are very hands on with not only information but how to put that information into practice
● We offer a variety of classes to choose from based on your needs
● How do you find out about our specific classes and when they are offered:
● Our online calendar on our website is updated frequently. You can access it at http://alaboroflove.org/calendar.html
● You can contact us to get the informational packet which has a list of our current classes, dates and prices
● We offer childbirth classes that are done in a group setting on two different days and times and also a 2 weekend immersion. For those who just can not get into a group session, we do offer private classes held in our class spaces in three different locations around town We also offer a Birthing Again class for repeat birthers who took some type of class the previous pregnancy.
● We offer several specialty types of classes and most are held at least quarterly.
● How do I get signed up? Email us for an informational packet and fill our the class agreement and send payment for the class to hold your spot
“I still have questions. Who and how do I contact someone?”
Teresa Howard is the owner of Labor of Love Doula and Childbirth Services. You can call her at 770.241.2078 or email her at info@alaboroflove.org. Also visit our main facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Laboroflovedoulaandchildbirth to enjoy a great community full of information! Thanks!
Jan 142013
We offer another service that you may find helpful–placenta encapsulation with Melanie Nasmyth. The placenta is perfectly created by your body to nourish your baby during pregnancy. Nearly all mammals consume their placenta after giving birth in order to retain the important nutrients and hormones. Placenta encapsulation allows you all the benefits of the placenta in a more palatable way.
Consuming the placenta has been known to:
-balance your hormones
-decrease the incidence of postpartum depression
-increase energy and facilitates a faster recovery from birth
-lessen postpartum bleeding
-help your milk production
We offer two different methods of Encapsulation:
Traditional:
Inspired by the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approach to encapsulation, this method involves steaming the placenta, dehydrating it at a low temperature for several hours, then grinding it up and putting it into capsules. TCM offers a steady dose of the hormones and nutrients, and is particularly indicated for those suffering from baby blues. You start with a high dose for the first week, then steadily decrease the dosage over the next couple weeks as your hormones balance.
Raw:
This method involves drying the raw placenta at a low temperature, according to the raw foods movement. Raw placenta pills are known to have more of a “kick”–they are extremely high in hormones and women report having a large energy boost when taking them. These are taken in a smaller dosage, one in the morning and an optional one in the afternoon.
You may choose which meets your needs, or if both sound appealing, you can choose to do half raw and half traditional.
Other placenta services offered include:
Placenta smoothie–If you’re up for it, a smoothie is a great way to take advantage of the placenta’s benefits at the time of birth. When I come to pick up your placenta I can cut off a small chunk of the placenta and make a delicious frozen fruit smoothie in your room for you. You will not taste the placenta in it.
- Placenta tincture–A tincture is a great way to extend the life of your placenta remedy. The tincture is a small bottle containing a piece of the placenta in vodka, which is left to ferment for at least six weeks. After that the mother can take it during times of transition or stress, returning menstrual cycles, and menopause. The tincture can also be used by the biological mother and daughters of the birthing mother, and by the baby. Specific dosage instructions are included upon delivery.
For more information contact Melanie Nasmyth at melanie@alaboroflove.org or 404.388.3847
*these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose or treat any disorder
Melanie is an independent contractor and Labor of Love does not accept any liability.