Heather Ford
Birth Doula • Hakomi therapist
Meg
...this very body that we have, that's sitting here right now, with its aches and its pleasures ...is exactly what we need to be fully Human, fully awake, fully alive - pema chodron
A D V O C A C Y
Full Spectrum Advocate:
Not all reproductive health experiences include the birth of babies. But all reproductive experiences can be powerful, sometimes purposeful journeys that expand us into a deeper sense of ourselves.
From fertility issues, pregnancy loss, repeated miscarriage, abortion and menopause - all reproductive experiences deserve unconditional support and the opportunity to find the golden threads in what may otherwise feel only bleak, disheartening and of course, tragic.
Loss is painful and through that painful experience doorways may appear that were otherwise hidden from our view. We aren't meant to carry it alone but we must allow it. This is the key to opening those doors.
We all need to be held through tough times - and then witnessed and celebrated as we find our way again on the other side.
This is the role of the advocate.
Birth Advocate: (remote support)
One of the ways my doula practice has expanded, especially in the age of Covid, has been to develop my ability to support and advocate for my clients even when I can't be there in person. This option is ideal for families that want prenatal and postpartum support as well as access to remote support as needed during labor, rather than having someone with you in person.
Birth is personal and can not be separated from your agency as the birth giver.
The range of 'normal' is as deep as it is wide and there simply is no one way or ‘right’ way to bring your baby into this world.
Having supported over 400 families through their birth journeys and developed professional relationships with OBs, midwives, nurses and many perinatal health practitioners - I offer a deeply experienced wide angle lens of service to the unique needs of each of my clients. Your experience is never about me and my personal beliefs - it is always about you. The beauty of my job is about sharing information based on my decade of attending births (at home, birthing centers and hospitals) and then orienting you back to your own embodied intelligence.
For many womxn, pregnancy offers an awakening to this very intuitive process that can feel unfamiliar at first, but then may develop into something you will never unlearn: the ability to determine what resonates with you and make informed and confident choices about your path forward.
This is the role of the advocate.