Corona Virus or Covid-19: What are we doing to prepare?

McAllen Covid-19 Preparation:

Pregnancy and the Coronavirus.

What a surreal life event this has been, am I right?

If you’ve been checking in on any social media or media outlet, you’ve probably been inundated with news and updates pertaining to Covid-19.

What does this mean for birth photography or doula services here in the Rio Grande Valley? Well, it means that we have more restrictions in our area hospitals (who are overwhelmed at this time) and that we’ll have to be even more conscious about our habits as we move forward and support you. There IS a plan of action in place for Sojourning Birth.

Hospital births has pretty much come to a halt when it comes to birth photography and doula support. The only way we are allowed in is if you choose to have me as your doula and only support person at the hospital. (Limit of 1 additional person in the birth space.)

However, if you are choosing to birth at home or at one of our local birth centers, our services haven’t changed much there. We can still offer birth photo or doula support in person with the presence of your partner as well. You’ll simply need to clear it with your midwives.

Here’s our current plan of action:

All prospective client meetings will be scheduled virtually vs in-person.

We can Facetime, use Zoom, or Google Hangouts to talk about your birth and how I can help support or document your special day.

Moving forward, all prenatal and postpartum meetings will also be held virtually.

Part of our plan of action is to be proactive in keeping our own health in tip-top shape. This means abstaining from large gatherings, unnecessary travel, etc. My goal is to keep all of your families safe as well as my own little crew here at home.

Keeping up to date with all WHO and CDC updates and recommendations.

There’s a whole lot of information coming at us from every angle. I am aware that some sources out on the internet and social media are not always accurate. For this reason, I’m making sure to lean into reputable sources for updates to ensure your safety.

Immune system maintenance.

If you follow my social media, you may already know that I am pretty obsessed with maintaining a healthy and strong immune system. (Vitamins, water intake, and eating those fruits and veggies have never looked better.) I do my best to keep away from folks who are sick, have been sick recently, or have other sick family members at home to minimize risks. I take this job pretty seriously and truly care about your health. Thank you for trusting me and for inviting me to your sacred spaces.

Honesty and Transparency.

All relationships based on trust tend to be off to a good start. I want to be totally transparent with you and invite you to do the same with me. I will update you if I am not feeling well and you can do the same with me. I will likely not be shaking your hands in the coming weeks or coming in for a hug anyway (as a preventative measure…) we can just do that awkward wave and hello from a distance, maybe laugh about it too.

I will have trustworthy back-ups in place in the event that I am ill or one of my family members is ill. They will step in to support you or document your journey (I will still be editing your photographs.)

I will be 100% flexible with your sessions. If birth photography is not an option because you are laboring at a local hospital, we can plan a “Coming Home” session. I will meet you at the hospital as you are released, follow you home and while staying socially distant, document your coming home moments. These are great to capture big brothers and big sisters in action.

Handwashing.

Fun Fact: I trained and certified as a nurse assistant in 2005. I also trained (while in the NAVY) for medical emergency response while deployed on the USS Iwo-Jima LHD7.

Handwashing has always been super important to me because life with my own kids has shown me you can never be too careful. ha!

I’ve been trained in proper handwashing, glove usage and general sanitizing procedures in health facilities.

While I can’t use my medical training in my doula role, I can still implement the tools I learned along the way in effort to help keep myself and those around me safe.

I never thought I’d have to write about this in one of my blogs but I’m sure it will bring you a little bit more peace of mind… :)

Please know that I am working right alongside you to ensure our whole community is safe. I’m so thankful for you and always invite you to reach out to me if you have any thoughts, questions or concerns.

~Norma H

Your birth provider: Are they the right one for you?

Choosing your birth provider in the Rio Grande Valley

Doulas are a great source of support for your upcoming birth. One of those ways we as doulas can support you is by introducing questions you can bring up at your next appointment with your provider. 

Sometimes we select our provider because they were recommended or have been a part of our lives for a really long time. That doesn't always mean they are the right fit for us. (Now, they very well could be the perfect fit, we are certainly are not trying to pull you away from your fave provider at all.) Asking questions can help you see how their own way of practicing will serve you on your birth day.

Example questions: 

Do you follow evidence-based birthing practices? 

Do you differentiate between high and low-risk pregnancies? If yes, how?

What can I expect my birth to look like (typically speaking) if I am a low-risk patient? 

What is your cesarean birth rate? 

EDIT*

Add questions about the current Covid-19 restrictions at your provider’s hospital. Such as:

Will they allow you to have a doula + your partner?

When do you get tested for Covid-19?

Is baby separated from you and your partner if you are positive for Covid-19?

Will baby be allowed immediate skin to skin time despite a positive Covid-19 test result?

You may think of other questions that may be very relevant to how you wish to birth your baby. Ask them. You are well within your rights to ask what you need to ask to get to know your provider a little better. This allows you to explore the person who will be assisting you when you bring your baby earthside (it’s a pretty big deal.) Birth matters. Having the right provider matters.

Another way to really hone in on where your provider stands on certain issues that may be important to you would be to prepare a birth plan and present it early(ish) on in your pregnancy. A birth plan does not guarantee that your birth will go exactly as planned. It will, however, open up dialog between you and your provider. Once they review it, you will find out whether they are on board with all the things you wish to achieve or ask for at your birth. Examples: Delayed cord clamping, free movement while laboring, no episiotomy, no induction unless absolutely necessary, etc. 

If you need some help creating your birth plan, feel free to reach out to me. You and I can sit down, talk about how to put one together and maybe I can assist you if you need a little guidance. You can also check out this link which will allow you to build a visual birth plan for your own birth. Click Here.  My most recent client loved her plan and her providers found it super easy to read while they got ready for the pushing phase.

Again, you simply want to open up dialog and find out if you are with the right provider for you.

You are hiring them for their services and if their services are way off base with how you wish to birth your baby, then it may be time to explore others.

Have any questions for me? Shoot me a message, I’d love to chat.

~Norma Hess

Sojourning Birth