What is a doula and what do they do?

A birth doula is a non-medical support professional for pregnancy, birth, and immediate postpartum. Birth doulas are trained in comfort measures, coping techniques, and are knowledgeable about pregnancy and labor. We are NOT medical professionals, and do not advise you in medical matters or assess your medical conditions. Rather, we provide you with education and awareness of your options in pregnancy and labor, helping you to understand your options or alternatives so you can make a confident, informed decision. We are also there for physical support and are trained in a variety of techniques to help you during pregnancy and labor. Doulas can also provide access to a vast network of resources in your area, helping you to find the specialized or extra support you might need during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Are doulas worth it?

That’s up to you to decide! Though the exact numbers vary, studies have found that doula support results in lower incidence of cesarean section, premature birth, and low birth weight, less use of epidurals, other pain medications, and other interventions, and lower rates of birth-related PTSD, as well as postpartum depression and anxiety. Support by a doula also results in higher rates of breastfeeding, increased maternal satisfaction, and better infant and maternal outcomes across the board. While a doula fee might seem high, consider that there are also costs associated with the complications and interventions that doula support reduces.

How do I find the right doula for me?

Not every doula and client is the perfect match, and that’s okay! Each doula has a different style, personality, philosophy of birth, and unique experience that they bring to their work. I highly recommend meeting with several doulas and then deciding which is the best fit for you. Reach out to me via my website form or email, and we can schedule a free meet-and-greet where we can talk and get to know each other - most doulas will do this!

Do you support all types of births?

I am available to support any birth where a licensed medical provider is also present, whether in a hospital, birth center, or at your home. It is my personal decision not to support “free births”.

What is your service area?

I can support births in Waco, Temple, Belton, Killeen and surrounding areas. I try to keep my clients within a 90 minute radius so that we can easily meet in person, and I can respond for your birth in a reasonable amount of time. However, if you are outside this area and still want to hire me, I am open to traveling further. Please contact me!

Brewer Diet Coaching is fully virtual, so you can access this from anywhere around the world. Childbirth Education is available in person and virtual. Please contact me for more information on these!

What is the Brewer Diet and where did it come from?

The Brewer Pregnancy Diet was developed by Dr. Thomas Brewer, an obstetrician. Throughout medical school and his first years of practice, he researched a disease that was then called “metabolic toxemia of late pregnancy.” Today, we call it preeclampsia. He hypothesized, like his medical school instructors and many researchers before him, that toxemia (preeclampsia) was primarily a diseased of malnutrition. Then he created a diet that he hypothesized would greatly reduce this disease. Over 12.5 years, during the 60’s and 70’s, he supervised the prenatal care of over 7000 women in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay area. By every metric, his patients were at high risk for preeclampsia; they were low-income, ethnic minority, first time mothers, and 2/3 of the first time moms were teenagers. Similar populations had preeclampsia rates of 20-35% at the time. Under his care, his patients had a preeclampsia rate of 0.5%, with none reaching the life-threatening state of eclampsia, which is characterized by seizures. Because he would not do a randomized controlled trial (he said it would be unethical not to provide pregnant women with this life-saving nutritional counseling), the NIH would not publish his work. His diet is NOT restrictive, rather it is a nutrient dense, well-rounded diet designed to nourish a mother and baby.

How will Brewer Diet Coaching help me?

Should you decide that the Brewer Pregnancy Diet is right for you, education and support materials can make all the difference in your success. However, accurate information on the Brewer Diet can be hard to find. I have studied his diet extensively, and can teach you all you need to know to accurately apply it. In addition, I can provide you with practical tools like checklists, shopping lists, and sample menus, as well as helping you identify areas where your diet can be changed to fit Brewer Diet principles. You won’t be counting calories or weighing your food at every meal - I want to make it simple and easy for you to succeed!