A Parents’ Guide to Doulas

by Lily Ostle, Co-Director of NAPS Doulas

Unlike other options that include family members, friends and neighbors, doulas are trained nonmedical professionals who assist families by providing evidence-based information and resources, in addition to non-judgmental emotional, physical and culturally appropriate support.

Building a Truly Useful Birth Plan

by Kim James, ICCE, LCCE, BDT (DONA)

Birth plans are a terrific vehicle for clarifying and communicating your values, beliefs and intentions for your baby’s birth and immediate postpartum care. To do this, first start with identifying your values around childbirth and medical decision-making.

Resources & Apps

• Bringing Home Baby - class for new parents, focused on relationship of the parents to each other
• Fussy Baby Network - warm line and support services for parents of fussy babies (primarily King County)
• LactMed - database of drugs and dietary supplements that may affect breastfeeding. From the National Institutes of Health
• The Penny Simkin Channel - local birth educator, physical therapist, advocate and leader Penny Simkin has several short videos on birth and newborns
• Parent Trust - classes for new parents, including Conscious Fathering
• Vroom - app with fun ideas for supporting child development and parenting
• WonderWeeks - app that shows significant milestones and what to expect as baby grows
• Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science - book by local author that summarizes current research and makes it easy to use

Articles

• Workplace Legal Rights - article, Janet Chung, Legal Voice