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Episode 68: Understanding SIDS
October is SIDS Awareness Month. Trigger warning: This episode discusses infant loss. As birth workers, one of the most common concerns families face is the health and well-being of their babies. As postpartum doulas, understanding SIDS is a topic of great importance to doulas and parents alike. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age. The death is unexpected and has no known cause. SIDS is the leading cause of death of infants under one year of age. Approximately 90% of SIDS deaths occur before the baby is six months old. It is important to understand that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome…
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Episode 67: The Rainbow Experience
October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. Trigger warning: This episode discusses pregnancy & infant loss. The term Rainbow Baby is to define a pregnancy that happens after a miscarriage or infant loss. It signifies the hope or rainbow that comes after the storm or loss of a child. All too often the communities that surround families who have experienced loss seem to forget or overlook the experience this family has weathered before. Using the term rainbow baby often helps families to remember, identify and acknowledge what came before. The loss of a child. By using this language it gives the family an opportunity to disclose more about their…
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Episode 26: Supporting Loss
Supporting loss. This is a topic that doulas and other birth workers hope to never face. Yet when you are involved in birth work long enough, it’s inevitable. Join us as we discuss the ways that doulas can support families through loss with our incredible guest, Annie Willems. Often called bereavement doula work, walking alongside clients as they navigate the loss of their baby is a heavy topic. It doesn’t matter if the loss is expected or unexpected. These births can be beautiful if they are handled the right way. For many doulas, they enter the process of supporting clients through loss unprepared. That first experience is often the catalyst…
