Hopefully not the same crock you use for your nacho cheese!:lol

ewww.

our hosp took away the crocks because they don't have good enough temp control. darn it. now we just use hot water from the tap, which of course is often hot enough to scald someone

i often hear, "Oooooooh, Sasha, your hands are so nice and cold. that feels good!" hahahahaha, my dh NEVER says that . he's been known to jump clean out of the bed when i crawl into bed and cozy up, my whole body is that cold.

anyhoo, i've also heard a mama say, after i apologized for how rough and scratchy my hands were, "no way. they feel REAL and that feels good. don't stop." that always makes me smile.

Besides the urinary test strips, there are several other things on your list that seem more in the scope of a monitrice or midwife:

emergency birth kit
doppler
astroglide
hemhalt
gloves
evening primrose oil

Are you a monitrice as well as a doula?

I know we all practice differently, but I know if I showed up at the hospitals in my area with a doppler, astroglide, hemhalt, etc. it would not go over too well.

Everything else on your list I generally bring, and I have a small rolling bag as well and I agree - much easier to transport!

Jeez, Bella and Michelle! I just burst out laughing and my DH is looking at me like I've lost my mind...again....

I didn't use a crockpot, just the tap, thus the thorn about not having things ready when a Mama needs them!

I don't bring my own to births just cause I have so much other junk already. I talk about warm perineal compresses to all of my clients and I haven't had anyone bring it up again when they call me to the hospital or during birth. If I knew in advance that Mama wanted it, I certainly would.

And I would CLEARLY label it: VAGINA WASHCLOTH CROCKPOT so no one would make party dip in it

This is totally a deep, dark secret but: I didn't actually know what the crockpots or boiling water on the stove were for until I came to AD

Honestly... I have never even seen hot compresses used. Nope.... If I saw a crock pot at a birth I would be thinking "mmm someone brought cheese dip".

I dont show up at the hospital with anything.... the nurses would think I was a freak. I use as much as I can of theirs.
And wow... those of you that get hot water in a hospital...LUCKY!! It takes about 10 minutes for us to get hot water.

But by your signature, you are a doula, not a midwife, not a midwifery student and not an RN. So unless you are one of those and functioning in that capacity, why would you need to check for protein in the urine?

What qualifies you to test, diagnose, etc?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE a scalp massage with cold hands LOL

Hi All,

I have a couple of questions:

Any particular flavor of honey sticks? Has anyone ever brought slippers? I hate to wear shoes once I'm inside and would love my feet to be comfortable. I also have PCOS & Insulin Resistance. I take pills at least 2-3 times a day. Has anyone else had to navigate doulaing and taking meds? I must eat when taking my meds or I get very nauseous.

Things I carry in my doula bag:
For Mom & partner:
Rice Socks~ two, one for heat and one for cold
tennis ball for massage
wooden massage tool
a sarong or pashmina for labor support/positioning
suckers
new chapstick
gum
tea bags
bottled water
massage oils, variety of scents
CD's of relaxing music, nature sounds or mom's fave if I know


For me:
notes/mom's file/pen
labor ball pump
snacks&water
money/ID
cell phone and charger
extra sweater or pashmina
warm socks or slippers
face wash
toothbrush/paste
hair brush/ hair tie
chapstick
Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth
handi-wipes and hand sanitizer
tylenol
fem products

I also carry my birthing ball and a CD player if client wants either, and a pillow and blanket from home, as the hospital never seems to have enough!

I carry a leather satchel type bag with two compartments, one for mom and one for me. Works great and wipes clean easily (hospital germs freak me out so I always wipe down the bottom of my bag with a clorox wipe)

Most women in the community I serve as a doula are low income as I said before,so they dont have insurance,I also get a lot of women from other countries(refugees) and most dont receive prenatal care until 2 trimester(maybe later).With that said,I have done all of my training as a doula with a midwife,so I guess you could qualify me as a montrice as well.As far as the doppler,astroglide,hemhalt and emergency birth kit,I live in a rural area where the nearest hospital is 45-1hr away,and I've been called to births where mom was crowning and midwife was "on the way".In those cases,I felt it very important to have a "just in case" birth kit-I've actually used 3 emergency birth kits.Maybe I should have explained that the nearest hospital is an hour away.I try to get most moms to the hospital 10cm and ready to push,but some moms of course have gone faster than I expected,so I've had to deliver.Because all of my training as a doula has been with a midwife,she taught me how to check urine,dilation/cervical thinning,know signs of pp hemorage ect. She also felt it crucial to tell me I should have these items on hand just in case.Also,most of my clients are home births,and because I work closely with mw's in the area,I am called as a Birth assistant because I am closer to the clients then they are-there are no mw's closer than 2hr away from me,so most times I get to the birth before the MW.Combine that with the fact I have had way to many precip births I feel more comfortable having this stuff on hand just in case-even if it just sits in my bag unused for months(or even a year).ALACE doula certification covers showing how to check the cervix btw.To me,its better to be prepared,though I didnt mention I dont go pulling all my "montrice/birth assistant" tools out at the hospital,I just like to have them just in case.

This is all still out of a doula's SOP no matter what the circumstances.
I do not care that you do these things, you just can't call yourself a doula while doing them.
There really needs to be a totally different name for more clinical doulas.

ALACE workshops have the cervical exam component so that doulas can learn what providers are looking for to have a better understanding of what cervical exams are. ALACE states VERY that they are NOT training those who attend their workshops to PERFORM vaginal exams on clients.

As for the first part above, it's still NOT within a doulas SOP to be dipping urine and reading results that she's not qualified to address.

i agree. i don't think you are doing anything wrong either. you sound more like what i would call a midwife assistant than a doula. i agree there needs to be another title than simply "doula". your job description is just far too different from what is commonly SOP for a doula. in my community if i was doing what you are, calling myself a doula, and showed up at the hosp w/ a transport, my butt would be in a sling and the rest of the doulas in town would string me up. calling myself a midwife or assistant working w/ midwife, totally acceptable.

I take slipper socks with those rubber things on the bottom. I figure, whatever makes you most comfy!