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In a world of fast pace    impersonal disconnection is it  any wonder that women and  families are finding their  pregnancy and birth experience  anything more than fast pace  and impersonally disconnected?  We are in a society of mass  production lines. Women go to  Doctors groups of 15+ doctors  to care for your pregnancy and delivery your baby. Likely you will not meet the same person twice and you will most likely have never met the doctor that delivers your baby. One can argue that at that point you won’t care who is there. But I believe that we do care. And the statistics back me up. Documents in the Cochrane Library, referring to a midwifery model of continuity of care, state that “The main benefits were a reduction in the use of epidurals, with fewer episiotomies or instrumental births. Women’s chances of being cared for in labour by a midwife she had got to know, and having a spontaneous vaginal birth were also increased.

Is it any wonder it is next to impossible to get a midwife in Calgary. The wait list is endless because women want and crave that model of care.

Luckily there are other options for achieving continuity through the support of a doula. Studies show that women supported during labour by a birth doula compared to those receiving usual care were 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section, 41% less likely to give birth with a vacuum extractor or forceps, 28% less likely to use analgesics or anesthesia, and 33% less likely to be dissatisfied or negatively rate their birth experience. The power of having support that is consistent and familiar and flows throughout your pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience is evident and the numbers don’t lie.

Calgary Birth Essentials strongly believes in this, and wants to be an advocate for women and their families to have such care during their experience. That is why we provide prenatal education, birth doula support and lactation consultation. We also have community partners we recommend to strengthen your support structure. We are excited to be growing this commitment by beginning this blog which will provide relevant information for your childbearing year. We will be starting a email campaign for our clients that offer timely articles, updates and information depending on the stage you personally are at, from your pregnancy through your birth all the way to your childs 3 year of life. It is our hope to help improve your experience, increase your confidence and be your partner supporting you through this pivotal point in your life.