A cesarean or c-section (also known as a belly birth), is a surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through incisions in your abdomen and uterus. Scheduled c-sections may be suggested if your baby is breech, you have placenta previa, you are expecting multiples, or you need a guaranteed delivery before you reach full-term gestation. Unscheduled cesarean sections are when there is a reason for imminent birth and it is necessary to have a surgical birth within the next few minutes to hours.
Doula
A doula’s guide to c-sections
While c-sections can be life-saving for parents and babies in certain situations, they are also associated with higher risks of complications compared to vaginal birth. Additionally, c-sections and its ensuing healing can have long-term health consequences for both the parent and baby. In saying this, belly births continue to be one of the most stigmatized journeys to birth a family can take.
Top 8 Doula Myths
As our friend, LC and doula Allie Mennie says, “A doula is someone who is there for you. The medicine is out of our scope, so we are there as someone supporting you and your partner. We make sure you’re fed and hydrated, you’re remembering to pee, your room/environment is calm and supportive for the birth process
Brood’s Birth Story
The name Brood was inspired by visions of a large group of squishy babies, toddlers and kids — sunkissed, muddy and laughing. It’s also inspired by the concept of creatures caring for their own, in order to survive – and thrive. Collectively caring for one another through knowledge sharing and hands-on support while finding joyful moments along the way — that’s the spirit of our Brood. It was co-created by two new parents and a full-spectrum doula who not only saw, but intimately understood how in-person care during pregnancy and early parenthood can positively transform the family AND the care worker.
Is Sleep Training Worth It?
At Brood, we believe that parent’s know best — for their babies, families and themselves. This includes how parents and their babies sleep for the duration of the parenting relationship. For some parents this includes sleep training, co-sleeping, night nurses, sleeping in shifts and much more! Sleep arrangements tend to shift based on your own needs and your babies’ ability — this blog post outlines some of the ways this can look, while using sleep training as a tool.
Living Wage for Care Work
We’re thrilled to be one of the first doula care agencies to become a certified Living Wage Employer one of the 400 Living Wage Employers in BC. A living wage is the baseline hourly amount for families to be able to afford a decent life. With recent economic pressures, especially in the care economy, this movement is powerful and important. And it’s made even more relevant by the City of Vancouver’s recent end to their commitment as a Living Wage Employer.
“Gender neutral terms take away from womanhood” and other myths about queer-inclusive language
I don’t know about you, but I would rather save lives than complain about how difficult it is to make a switch in language. If gender affirming language means I have to go through mental shifts in order to learn how to be more of a respectful person who is rooted in community care – then count me right in.
8 ways to become a queer inclusive doula practice
My answer is always: Why? Why do you want to be queer inclusive? Is it because you’re queer yourself and want to find more supportive ways to care for your community? Is it because you’re cis and/or straight and want to make sure you want to provide safer spaces for people? What drives your needs and wants to make your practice queer inclusive? What are your priorities? Let’s start there first.
Surprise, I’m Weaning!
Then something happened. Seemingly out of the blue, I had a full blown event-based anxiety attack. My bestie (and one of Brood’s co-founders) Lizzy went into labour with her first child and instead of the expected feelings of excitement (the good kind) I began experiencing deep worry and fear, losing sleep and having repetitive negative thoughts. It felt like I was back in my first few weeks postpartum and those evenings of baby blues. It took more than a week, a therapy appointment, and some serious body detective work to figure out what was actually going on.
Intimacy and the Transition to Parenthood
Sexual health is an integral part of our physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It’s about pleasure, identity, and intimacy. It’s always influenced by gender norms, expectations, and power dynamics and it changes and evolves throughout our lifetime.
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We work and live on the unceded and occupied territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Since time immemorial, the original peoples of these lands have cared for their families and communities. We are committed to honouring their teachings, legacy and their sovereignty.