Entries For: August 2010

On Saturday, August 14, 2010, Foundation for Early Learning joined with over 100 partner organizations to kick off the 2010 Early Learning Fair.

In Seattle, the Foundation partnered with Casey Family Programs to organize an early learning exhibit as part of the Educational Resource Street Fair.

Despite the temperature hovering above 90°F, families and organizations from across Seattle came out to share information, play games and support children. Over 1,500 people attended Saturday's event.

In addition to connecting families with educational resources, the day included a ceremony where the Early Learning Action Alliance presented Crayon Awards to legislators who have been strong advocates for education. You can view the complete list of recipients by clicking here.

The Foundation distributed Getting School Ready!® booklets, magnet picture frames and preschool coloring books.

Thanks to Bartell Drugs, the Foundation also distributed over 200 bottles of hand sanitizer to parents, so children can enter kindergarten germ-free.

This past Saturday, our partners in Richland also held their fair event. With support from Foundation for Early Learning, United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties partnered with the local library to host fun activities for children that support school-readiness. Children blew bubbles, learned about colors and painted a sign for the event. Foundation Board Member Dennis Gissi joined in on the day's activities.

Over the next six weeks, fair activities will continue across Washington. These educational exhibits and early learning activities will be hosted in the following cities Aberdeen, Bellevue, Chehalis, Colfax, Covington, Everett, Langley, Marysville, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Puyallup, Richland, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Toppenish, Vashon, Walla Walla, Wapato, Wenatchee, and others.

To find an event in your community, please visit the Early Learning Community events page and select a push-pin on the interactive map.

My friend Janet is newly pregnant. As a first time mom-to-be she is going through the usual ups and downs—excitement, morning sickness, family leave at work, figuring out what clothes fit, what doesn’t, and sharing the news with friends and family. When I learned about the news I gushed over email. We emailed back and forth comparing notes, and I tried to share some thoughts on things that helped with the all-day nausea.

In one of my emails I sent Janet a link to a news article about doulas. I used a birth doula and really enjoyed the experience. Janet emailed back saying that she had to Goggle the word doula. She then said “I never heard of that before. I didn't even know such a thing existed. I'm so glad you recommended it; I think that’s exactly what I need now. Robert [her husband] is great but he’s a dude.” I laughed when I read that, I knew exactly what she meant.

Part of the reason my husband and I used a doula is he’s also a dude. My husband is wonderful, but he has limitations. During our pregnancy we dutifully attended childbirth preparation classes. Jesse is a firefighter and an EMT, he has seen a lot of tough stuff in his career. I thought the birth would be a breeze for him. Nope, he had a hard time watching the birth videos during the class. It was at that moment I realized that he is a dude and he would need support through this process too.

I mentioned this to my doctor who suggested hiring a doula. I had briefly thought about it earlier and had decided against it. I didn’t want extra people around or someone with hippy-ish beliefs urging me to go all natural during the birth. I was wrong and I’m glad I was wrong. Around the time that I was making this decision I was in touch with Sheila Capestany, Executive Director, of Open Arms Perinatal Services. Open Arms provides doulas to women who would otherwise find themselves alone or with little support. Sheila was so generous with her time and explained what doulas are and why she believes passionately about their services. The morning we talked she had just come from helping a mother deliver a healthy baby boy. 

Sheila explained that birth doulas are there to support the whole family before and through the birth and many times afterwards. They attend to the mother, support and find helpful ways to involve the father or partner and family if desired. The support they provide is both emotional and physical. They do not perform medical procedures, but can help to decipher some of the medical jargon, make suggestions for new positions for ways to ease pain and advance labor, and they advocate for the mother's desires. Many doulas also believe in giving the mother the birth that she wants—if you want an epidural than the doula will support that, if you want a natural childbirth they can help with that too, many doulas can also support mothers through c-sections.

Doulas can also help before the birth too. Katrina, our wonderful doula, met with us before the birth. During these talks she asked us questions about what sort of birth we wanted and what I expected from Jesse. She also asked us several questions about how we felt about interventions, how I handle pain, how did Jesse want to be involved, and many other questions. The questions were good; it got us to talk and to listen to each other. Without Katrina I don’t know if I would have sat Jesse down and said “Jesse I expect you to…I handle pain like this…” Talking to Katrina also helped to reassure me that just in case Jesse wasn’t there someone else knew what I wanted during labor and delivery.

Katrina also mentioned that often doulas and your partner are the only people you know for sure will be there. You don’t know which nurse will be assigned to you and you don’t know which doctor or midwife will be on call. I think this was important for my dude-husband. It allowed him a minute to slip out of the room to grab a bite to eat and know that someone was with me in labor. During labor Katrina was great about explaining what was going on, helping me readjust positions, and involving Jesse.

After the birth Katrina stopped by for a few post-birth visits. Jesse really appreciated those visits. Katrina helped us figure out our new little guy. As first time parents Katrina checked in on us to make sure we had what we needed, gave us tips on handling our newborn, helped with breast-feeding, and suggested little things that made huge differences. These home visits were the way home visiting programs should be non-judgmental, non-interfering, and trusted.

Would I use a doula again? In a heartbeat. Would I recommend a doula to all new moms, sure—but like everything in life the relationship is important. Finding a doula that will jive with your personality is important; many people suggest you interview a few doulas to ensure you find the right fit. We were so fortunate to find Katrina, I still think about her on Ivan’s birthday. To think she was there on the day he was born is special.

Some Resources:

Doula Match: http://doulamatch.net/Default.aspx

Doulas of North America: http://www.dona.org/

Having a Doula: Is a Doula right for me: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/havingadoula.html