I have known Debbie Benton way before she became our doula. In fact, I've known her my whole life…read more Since I was a little girl, she was always this light of all things holistic and healing. I used to come to her house and she would teach me about healing with essential oils, gardening, delicious recipes that weren't entrenched in sugar, and all things BIRTH. I always told her that one day, when I was going to have a baby that she was going to be my doula. And oh boy was she. First of all, she is certified in so many birthing preparation courses, it makes her the most well rounded educator. She is a certified hypnobabies educator and we took the 6 week course with her in preparation for our birthing time. We learned more with Debbie than I did with my OB. Debbie provided us an entire educational viewpoint with the added hyonobabies platform. It was incredible! I went into labor at home and labored until I was about 4.5 centimeters, using hypnobabies. When I got to the hospital, I was wearing my headphones staying in hypnosis and the nurses who triaged me complimented me on how calm how I was choosing to move through my birthing waves. It was an incredible experience. Also, having the education of what the hospital would try to coerce me into doing or saying, and knowing what my rights were or how to push back gently was very empowering. I had no anxiety about sticking up for myself, because I had practiced ahead of time, using Hypnobabies. We even went though a mock birthing and delivery simulation at home, within hypnobabies, and my husband was prepared on the different birthing positions he could support me in, different ways to help me stay in hypnosis, how to advocate for me with hospital staff while I was under hypnosis, physical pressure points to help and so much more.
She's also trained in the Body Ready Method and she used this technique to support us in so many ways. When I was having lower back pain, she taught me the poses to do to help stretch and alleviate that pain. She taught us what poses we could do on my birthing ball. She taught us poses to do to help the baby engage deeper into the pelvis. Our whole experience was a complete holistic, well rounded education and preparation for birth and I could not be more thankful. I can't say enough how much more I got from Debbie than I did from my OB. Working with Debbie outside of the hospital system helped me to feel like a real person. At the hospital, while I had a positive experience, I definitely felt like a number.
Speaking of hospital, it was our plan to labor at home and then go to the hospital when I was further dilated and we did that. It also just so happened that Debbie knew some of the hospital staff on the floor at the time, being that she had worked with them out in the birthing field. It only made my experience better. When Debbie arrived, she set up candles (fire proof) all around my room, tea lights, affirmations to encourage being calm and peaceful. It was so incredible and it contributed to the whole experience being that much more peaceful. When I was pushing, she helped me to breathe down into my pushed. Before I would make a decision with the nurses, I would look to Debbie for opinion first. My entire birthing experience was supported and Debbie was such a huge part of it.
When I was laboring at home the week before I delivered, she stocked my fridge with soups for postpartum, a pregnancy drink to help with labor, sitz bath herbs for postpartum, lactation cookies. She did our placenta and turned them into capsules, she made us a tincture with the placenta too. I used her blend of pregnant tea throughout pregnancy. She is so knowledgeable and it exceeds birth. Her whole life is this beautifully holistic, homeopathic, healing example of a life lived with intention. Any birthing family is blessed to work with her. Thank You, Debbie!
- Naikea Ward Ubaga