Category: Labor

Fear of Childbirth

Fear of Giving Birth….. Again

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Childbirth can be a really scary thing. Most of that fear comes from the lack of control and fear of the unknown; how will it feel? What if I don't know I am in labor? What if we don't get to the hospital in time? These are very real and very valid fears. But what if you HAVE given birth before and it was not the experiance you were looking for? As your pregnancy progresses and you get closer to...Read More

Fear of Giving Birth

Posted on by Holly Yeager
There are few things in this world that scare us as much as childbirth. If this is your first child, many of those fears tend to come from fear of the unknown. Childbirth is such an unpredictable experience and each birth is as unique as a snowflake. In our highly scheduled and controlled world it can be scary to let go and let nature take its course. Today we are going to talk about some of the biggest fears many pregnant...Read More

Nitrous Oxide is now available in Central PA !

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Nitrous Oxide has been used in labor and delivery wards overseas for decades. Now this popular labor tool is coming to Central PA. I have been a doula for well over 8 years and this is one of the most exciting things to happen in maternity care in our area! UPMC Pinnacle Health is the first to take this wonderful leap in helping women have a better birth experience. Nitrous Oxide in low doses is both an anxiolytic (for anxiety)...Read More
pregnancy and infant loss

When Birth and Death Collide

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Trigger Warning: This blog talks about pregnancy loss and stillbirth. Doulas get into this career because they love the ushering in of new life. It is a joyous occasion. A celebration. Somewhere in the back of our minds we know the horrible truth though. That eventually, it will not have a happy ending. With each birth it drifts further and further from our minds. Each happy ending just affirms the joyous way of the world. Sometimes we work for years...Read More

The Power of Pain

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Ouch! Just hearing the word PAIN makes us shudder and recoil. No one wants to be in pain. We spend our whole lives trying to avoid pain. It is no wonder that pain is the number one fear women have of labor. Pain has a purpose. Pain is our body's way of protecting us. It is a signal to "pay attention". In the instance of touching a hot stove, it creates an immediate and  powerful reaction to protect us from...Read More

Meet Your Doulas: Holly Yeager

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Holly has been a doula since 2009. She believes in creating a healthy emotional experience for all of her clients. "Because childbirth is one of the most profound things we can go through as parents, I believe that having the very best care is paramount." Holly is trained and certified as a Birth Doula through CAPPA,  DONA, and ProDoula. She is also trained and certified as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist through IPPA and ProDoula. She holds her Postpartum Doula and...Read More

A breakdown of ACOG’s new recommendations

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Recently ACOG (The American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) released a committee opinion report titled "Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth". This new report has a list of steps that care providers can implement to create a safer and more satisfying birth experience.  ACOG has had a long standing stance on the benefit of doula support and it is great to see that on the list. Here is the breakdown of the new recommendations: Continuous Support During Labor: Doulas –...Read More
ruin

The One Question That Can Ruin Your Birth

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Many years ago when I took my first doula training I was taught how to help my clients through changes to their birth plan. I had one question to ask.  It is a valuable skill to have because many births do not go down the way a client initially envisions them. I loved this question. When I asked clients this one question surely I was helping them have the best birth experience possible. There is so much power in words...Read More

Nipple Stimulation – A How To Guide

Posted on by Holly Yeager
Disclaimer: Please do not try nipple stimulation before 40 weeks and without talking to your care provider first. Nipple stimulation is one of the most common ways for women to try and start labor or keep a good labor pattern going. Because it is easy to do, discrete, and does not require any extra equipment or monitoring it is a good choice for many. There is some debate on the best way to do nipple stimulation for the best results...Read More