Sheryl Askins is the owner of Dreams Delivered Birthing Services and she is not only a certified doula with MaternityWise, but she also wears many other maternal care hats! Today she joined us to tell a little more about her experience with becoming a doula, and how MaternityWise impacted her career and business. If you want to become a doula, we would love to have you join our loving "family" community! Check out this link to find more information and connect with someone wh

There is an industry holding society together that rarely gets recognized as an industry at all. Women raise children, teach classrooms, care for the sick, comfort the dying, support mothers through pregnancy and birth, tend to aging parents, manage households, counsel families, remember appointments, notice emotional changes, and anticipate what other people need before those needs are spoken. Then millions of those same women go to work and do it professionally. They become

We're excited to invite you to a special free virtual film screening and panel discussion in collaboration with the Perinatal Resource Collaborative (PRC) and Perinatal Mental Health Institute (PMHI). Join us for a screening of the award-winning short film Cow Heavy and Floral, a moving story that follows a postpartum writer navigating motherhood, identity, and the many roles new parents are asked to hold. Through beautiful split-screen storytelling, the film offers an honest

Today, we are joined by Monica Lane - who is a walking miracle, severe stroke survivor, who went on to become a certified doula through MaternityWise International and is now working toward her doctoral degree!! This is what a success story looks like, folks! She and Anne were chatting and thought it might be a good idea to record the conversation about why she became a doula and why she chose MWI. Listen in and I hope you'll find it just as entertaining as we did :) If you w

In this era of evolving learning methods and the rise in visual, interactive learners, we listened to our students' needs. Our students told us they wanted more structure, less reading, less independent study and more easy to follow instruction. We heard you. Our students told us they were having a hard time committing to workshops that included a Friday and we heard you! Your manual is coming to life within the easy online platform of short videos, resources and mini quizze

Joining a professional membership or forming partnerships can transform your career or business in ways you might not expect. Many people overlook these opportunities, missing out on valuable resources, connections, and growth potential. This post explores the many benefits that come with professional memberships and partnerships, showing how they can open doors, build skills, and create lasting value. Professional Maternal Health Workers at an International Conference Access

The numbers are impossible to ignore. According to a newly released CDC report, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy—including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia—have increased by more than 70% over the past decade. Today, more than one in ten women giving birth in the United States experiences high blood pressure during pregnancy, making it one of the leading contributors to maternal and newborn complications. While researchers continue to investigate why these rates a

Are you using the CLEAR method in your client care? We developed this communication method as a tool to help remind everyone on the birth team of the steps we can take to facilitate our clients' self-advocacy, while protecting her right to do so. Take a look at the link here, to read the entire article I wrote that was featured on the InJoy Health Education blog. https://injoyhealtheducation.com/how-to-communicate-during-birth-so-providers-will-listen/

Join me, as I explain the membership benefits and process for our student and alumni community. If you'd like to receive all the benefits of membership, like inclusion in our members only MyMaternityWise.com professional directory... You can set up your membership now, here: https://www.maternitywise.com/plans-pricing Thank you!

One of the most important questions in maternity care is rarely asked directly, "Who is in charge?" Many people assume the answer is obvious. Some believe it is the physician. Others point to hospital policy, clinical guidelines, or institutional protocols. Yet when we step back and examine the purpose of maternity care, the answer becomes much simpler. The woman giving birth is in charge... Read the rest of the article here: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/reclaiming-tru

Informed consent is a cornerstone of respectful and ethical maternity care. Yet, many birthing people face challenges in understanding their options and feeling truly heard during labor and delivery. Honest communication and the presence of a doula can transform this experience, ensuring that consent is not just a formality but a meaningful process. This post explores how clear dialogue and doula support protect informed consent and improve birth outcomes. Being a Guardian of

"Becoming a doula is a trendy topic right now. Most people assume doulas only attend births, but doulas are for much more than that. Doulas are an anchoring, wrap-around care provider for families during the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. Families expect them to know, understand, and translate information throughout the entire early parenting experience. Doulas must be able to step up to the plate and fulfill that circumspect role, or families get lost in the shuffl

MaternityWise Director Anne Wallen was published again! "Organizations spend enormous resources trying to improve communication, collaboration, leadership, and workplace culture. Teams attend retreats, hire consultants, complete personality assessments, and participate in team-building exercises in hopes of discovering the secret to working better together. Yet one of the most powerful examples of effective teamwork exists in a place few corporate leaders ever think to look,

Birth is one of the only spaces in modern medicine where two forms of expertise meet in real time. Clinical knowledge, built through training, protocol, and experience, meets embodied wisdom, the deep and personal knowing a woman carries within her own body... Read the full article here: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/communication-methods-in-healthcare-spaces

A widely discussed U.S. study published in a prestigious journal appeared to conclude that hospital birth is safer—but a closer examination tells a much more nuanced story. Read on to discover what the study actually found... https://hencigoer.com/safety-of-home-and-birth-center-birth-redux/?mc_cid=26d49a3508#summary You know we love Henci Goer for her smart and comprehensive analysis of studies and stats. We can trust her hot takes on birth outcomes. Let's take a deeper di

If you've spent any time reading pregnancy forums, social media groups, or birth discussions online, you've probably encountered mixed opinions about doulas. Some families describe their doula as the best investment they made during pregnancy and birth. Others share stories that leave expectant parents wondering whether hiring a doula is worth the risk. As doulas ourselves, we believe these concerns deserve an honest conversation. The reality is that not every doula is a good

Feel free to save and utilize this handout (above) with your clients. One feature or suggestion you will see above is something called the Solfeggio Scale and another being Reiki as well as "Healy Sessions". All of these focus on the energetic status or bio-frequency of the person. All matter is energy moving at it's own rate or Hz frequency. You, me, the flowers outside, the molecules in the air you breathe and food you eat - it's all got it's own energetic blueprint or fr

First of all, take a deep breath. The heart that got you here, is still the number 1 most important ingredient in your skill repertoire. Next, let's talk about platforms. YuziCare.com is an amazing platform with everything you need to get your business launched and systemized AND growing. It's HIPAA compliant, full of Best Practice systemizations and processes, and makes billing your clients a breeze. And if you've been doing doula work for any amount of time, you'll agre

How can you know whether a VBAC is right for you, or maybe you're supporting a client who is asking this same question. Take a look at Henci Goer's post here, to help you provide balance wisdom about repeat cesareans vs a trial of labor... https://hencigoer.com/vbac-when-not-ideal-candidate/?mc_cid=cb592c6bea and then go to this link and read more about how Obstetricians are Failing to Help Ensure Community Birth Safety... https://hencigoer.com/obs-fail-to-help-ensure-commu

Hey everyone, I'm Anne Wallen, and I am the Director of MaternityWise. And I wanted to get on and record a real quick message for everyone today. I just got out of a little session called Hey Sis. And it is a community connection event that PRC, the Perinatal Resource Collaborative, puts on. It 's open to anyone. It's not just members, it's open to anyone, so I would encourage you to go. But the reason why I wanted to bring this up, and the reason why I wanted to record a li