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Empowering Visions
Family Birth Companions

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Helping You Deliver Your Dreams, One Baby At A Time...

Did you know that studies show having trained continuous labor support like that from a doula can cause women to be..

26-50% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
28% less likely to use any pain medications and
33% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience (Hodnett and colleagues 2004).

Empowering Visions Family Birth Companions offers
"Full Circle Doula Care" to a diverse range of families.

Just what is a doula?
Doula is an ancient Greek word that traditionally meant a "woman who serves". It now refers to a "trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period." (DONA International website)

So then what is a "Full Circle Doula"?
Full Circle Doulas follow a specific philosophy of care for pregnancy, labor, and birth as taught by the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC). As Full Circle Doulas we offer services for Before, Birth, and Beyond. We recognize that "the birth ceremony extends into the first three months postpartum to include infant and postnatal care, breastfeeding promotion, and advocacy." (ICTC website) There is no distinction in the Full Circle Doula care model between prenatal, birth, and postpartum, they are all considered part of a necessary circle of care that a woman needs to feel supported.

Why should I choose Empowering Visions?
What sets us apart from other doula services is quality and quantity of care. We make an average of 5 prenatal visits before birth and 2-3 visits postpartum. Most doula services see their clients an average of 2-3 times before birth and 1-2 times after birth.
We feel this distinction is important to building the relationship of trust that is imperative in the mother-doula relationship. It also gives us time to know the families we work with on a more personal level and give quality attention to any questions or concerns you might have about the birthing process. We also work with a diverse range of families giving us a special sensitivity to working with your unique family!