Int'l Doula Month - Giveaway #8

Sarah McKay is one of three doulas within the cooperative, 9 Months & Beyond. Sarah contacted me to be a part of the giveaway and has offered the very cool, and very different prize of $100 off of a birth tub rental! They ship anywhere within the continental U.S. and have both The AquaDoula and the Birth Pool In A Box.

You may want to seek the advice of your birth attendant, doula, friends who have birthed in water and of course, Waterbirth International for information on which tub is right for you. Of course whatever tub you think you will be most comfortable in is a very important factor!

They provide a BASIC birth tub kit for tub use which includes everything needed EXCEPT a sterile drinking safe garden or RV hose to be purchased at local hardware store.

Renting from 9 Months & Beyond, LLC means:

• An Experienced waterbirth mom and dad team supporting your family
• Local ownership and service (Tennessee clients)
• Front door one way UPS shipping (included in rental fee)
• All equipment provided (except clean garden hose)
• Choice of two tubs: heated and inflatable
• Choice of RENT or PURCHASE
• Best price (cheaper than any online retail/rental website!)

Please see here for more information on their birth pool rentals.

Sarah is a personal friend of mine, but it was still a delight to hear her responses to my questions and I invite you to become more acquainted with Sarah and 9 Months & Beyond!

I'm a self-proclaimed coffee addict, but then again, what mom isn't? I have 6 children – 3 by birth, 3 by plane, a fantastically wonderful husband, and the laziest basset hound you've ever seen. I'm a doula, childbirth educator, and lactation educator who has the pleasure of working with the greatest group of women anywhere! Oh, and I enjoy long walks on the beach and a good margarita. (Again, what mom doesn't?) I have dreams of someday retiring on an island with said hubby and lazy dog (we all know the dog won't live that long), and will appreciate the occasional visits from my children and any grandchildren I may be blessed to have the opportunity to spoil.

What makes your heart skip a beat, hold your breath, or sigh with happiness:

The laughter of my children – especially when they're laughing together. Siblings naturally spend so much time being competitive, so hearing them giggle together and enjoy each other makes my heart smile.

I became a mother at the ripe old age of 19, in less than ideal circumstances. My birth experience was far from beautiful. By the time my second child was born, eight years later, I was much more educated, and in an entirely different place in my life. I understood that I was in charge of my care, and had the confidence to make better decisions – including choosing a supportive care provider. Her birth was as close to perfect as I could have imagined – fast, unmedicated, easy, although a bit chaotic. The night and day comparison of my first and second births sparked a desire to show others the difference that a little education and confidence can make. So, when I was finished with birthing my own babies, I went searching for how to feed my passion for all things pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding related. It still amazes me that I actually get paid to do this!

The first birth I was hired to attend as a certified doula was with a lovely couple preparing to welcome their second child. They shared with me their first experience, and spoke very highly of the doula that had supported them. I thought it would be good to talk with her, with their permission of course. I contacted her, and we immediately hit it off. Little did I know that this would lead to my involvement with and eventual ownership of 9 Months & Beyond. I am honored to call her friend, and consider her to be a huge blessing in my life.

When you think of a doula, what do you think:

Advocate. Educator. Sounding board. Non-judgmental, unconditional support. I see doulas as the tour guides – pointing out all the sights and attractions along the families journey to parenthood.

Consequentially, what do you think of birth practices in the U.S. right now:

I think the statistics speak for themselves. We intervene more, but the outcomes are no better. I meet women every day that are blind to the fact that they have options, and that is disappointing. I would love to see some research on the long term physical effects of common interventions. Animals adapt to their environments, so I wonder if our bodies will eventually adapt to truly needing these interventions in order to give birth. Maybe, before I retire to my island, I'll do some of that research. Until then, I encourage all birthing women to learn the meaning of informed consent and informed refusal.

Thank you for donating a $100 gift certificate to our celebration, and thank you, 9 Months & Beyond, for making such a great difference in the birth practices of middle Tennessee.

RULES FOR ENTERING:
Remember, EACH OF THESE count as one entry. You have to complete the first entry to be able to be able to have the other entries counted. To have them counted as one entry each, they must each be fulfilled with their own, separate, comment. Be sure that your comment contains your email either in the body of the message, or through your profile.

For your first entry, you must post a link to this giveaway on your FB OR create your own blog post regarding this giveaway, with a link to this post, then comment with a link back to your blog post/FB post.. Then, copy and paste a link to that in a comment here on my blog.

For an additional entry, visit 9 Months & Beyond, then give them some site feedback by comment here on my blog.

If you took advantage of the Early Bird Entries, you can add any/all of your Early Bird entries to this giveaway by commenting with the words "EB Entry". commenting with the words "EB Entry".

Entries will be closed on May 29th, at midnight, and the drawing will occur on May 31st, at noon.