The word doula is synonymous with support. In fact, most would say that what doulas do is provide physical, educational and emotional support to women during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. And while that’s true, the educational piece is tricky.

What we’ve learned over the years is that when it comes to pregnancy info, not everyone wants it. And that’s totally ok!

Doulas are not pregnancy police and at Northeast Doulas, we promise not to cram pregnancy info down your throat!

Now don’t get me wrong, there is no topic surrounding pregnancy, birth, babies or the postpartum period that we haven’t invested countless hours in studying and researching, but we believe that when it comes to pregnancy info, you get to decide what you want to know.

Knowledge is not always power!

In fact, sometimes knowledge is terrifying and we totally understand that. We know that birth is unique to the individual experiencing it and we want you to be able to experience it the way it feels best for you. For some, it is dissecting all of the evidence-based research, for others it is asking friends or family members about their experiences and for others, it is leaving the decisions to the medical providers. The bottom line is, you get to decide what is best for you!

As we help you navigate all of the pregnancy info that will lead you to your decision-making process, one of the tools we like to share is the acronym, BRAIN.

Let’s break it down!

B – BENEFITS – What are the benefits to what is being introduced to me?

R – RISKS – What are the risks associated with what is being introduced to me?

A – ALTERNATIVES – What if any, are the alternatives to what is being introduced to me?

I – INSTINCTS – What are my instincts telling me about what is being introduced to me?

N – NOTHING – Can I wait and do nothing right now and then re-assess this in a little while?

The bottom line is, don’t let all of the pregnancy info out there overwhelm you! Contact the experts at Northeast Doulas and create your own comfortable path to parenting!

The best pregnancy info we can share with you is to be sure to tell everyone involved that you want to give birth in a judgment-free space!