I
am currently offering a special price for those clients who want to help
new doulas learn or would just benefit from a price discount. I am
creating a DVD which shows how I do prenatal meetings to share with
newer doulas and I will give a $100 price reduction in exchange
for letting me record our prenatal meetings. I love mentoring and
I also feel it is important to help new doulas become great
doulas. Contact me for further details.
"Doula" refers to a supportive companion (other than a friend or loved
one) who is professionally trained to provide labor support. She
performs no clinical tasks. Doulas know that birth is a key life
experience for women and their families. It is her goal to help provide
the best memories and the highest satisfaction with the birth as
possible.
Physical, emotional, and informational support to women and their partners
before during, and after labor and birth
Advice and assistance with comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, massage, and
positioning
Assistance to women in gathering information about the course of their labor and
their options
Continuous emotional reassurance and comfort for the birthing woman
and her partner
Non-medical skills such as massage, positioning, and other non-pharmacological pain relief
measures
Assistance to partners who want to play an active support role
Help so the woman has a safe and satisfying childbirth as the woman defines it
Non-judgmental assistance for your birth choices
Initial breastfeeding support if desired
On
average doula attended births provide:
Reduction in the cesarean rates
Shorter labors
Reduction in epidural requests
Reduction in oxytocin use
Reduction in analgesia use
Reduction in vacuum and forceps
deliveries
Improvement of the mother/infant bond
Improved satisfaction with partner after birth
Higher breastfeeding success rate
My name is Georganne. On October 1, 2005, I became the Alaska State
Representative for DONA International, a position I am very excited
about. I have been a member in good standing of DONA
International (Doulas of North America) since the spring of 2000.
I got to Alaska on Christmas Eve of 2003. I love living here in
Alaska. I work for The Adult Learning Programs of Alaska
as the Chief GED Examiner as well as having taught their Computer
classes. I also facilitate the Orientation of students into our
program. It is also a "job" that I find meaningful. It is
important to me to be able to do work that I can feel proud of. I am
a Certified Breastfeeding Educator. I own
the email list, AlaskanDoulas@yahoo.com and am the Moderator for
DoulaNet@yahoo.com.
I occasionally get to work as a musher and tour guide for Muzzy's
Place Kennels but really, that is more fun then work! I am also a staff member on AllDoulas, a support forum for doulas around the
world.
I have experience in medicated and non-medicated births, hospital,
birth center, and home
births, cesarean and VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) births as well as water births.
I took my original doula training in Kennewick, Washington in 2000 and took Advanced Doula Training by
Penny Simkin herself in Oklahoma City in 2001.
I was a member and Secretary for Doula
Association of Central Oklahoma (DACO). I also took another doula training here in Fairbanks, August
2005 taught by Peggy Halsey from Mat-Su
Midwifery. I was honored to help create and teach a portion of Bassett's hospital
based labor support program, Bassett Empowerment Support Team (BEST).
I have a BA in Secondary English Education and graduated from the
University of Southern Colorado in 1998. I have two children, one of
which was born by planned homebirth.
My favorite non doula hobbies are henna, dog
mushing, backpacking, camping, and geocaching,
I
cover Fairbanks and the surrounding area. How far out depends on
the season at the time of your due date and how comfortable you would
be having your specific distance for me to travel. I have driven
up to 3 hours for doula clients.
I provide a free initial consultation, a minimum of 2 prenatal meetings, labor doula care,
breastfeeding assistance, and 1 postpartum meeting. You will have
continuous contact with me from time of contract signing. My on call
status starts from week 38 or sooner if it looks like birth will be
earlier or if you are having problems with your pregnancy. More meetings are available if you
need them. I also have a backup doula in case of a rare emergency. I will also assist you in billing your insurance, Tri-Care, Denali Kid Care, or Cafeteria Plan if you are interested.
Optional Services Include:
Belly Casting
Henna Body Art
Private Childbirth Education and Breastfeeding Classes if needed such as
when you are on strict bed rest
Video and Book Lending Library (free to clients)
Pregnancy, birth, and new family photography (birth photography
free to clients)
Baby Wearing Instruction
Extensive Referral Network
Feel free to contact me for a free initial consultation, a chat on the phone
or email contact.
I work on a sliding fee scale. While I do have expenses that I need to cover and a
basic set fee, I would not want anyone to go without my services because of a
fee they felt they could not afford. I am open to payment plans, bartering, and reduced fees. I also have a lot of ideas for fundraising. I
hold dearly DONA's mission of "A doula for every woman who wants
one."
I
am also a volunteer for CAPPA's Operation Special Delivery.
Operation
Special Delivery (or OSD) provides volunteer doulas for qualifying pregnant women
whose husbands or partners are deployed at the time that they are due to
give birth.
I have
been a member of DONA International since May 2000. Once again, I am going through the certification process. I am proud of DONA (Doulas of North American
International) for recently going "International". Click on their logo to
check out our wonderful, newly updated site and learn more about doulas.
DONA International: We are the world’s premier doula organization.
Pardon us for bragging, but we are the oldest, largest and most
respected doula association in the world. Our founders are among the
foremost experts on doula care, and DONA International certification is
a widely respected measure of quality and professionalism. We are an
international, non-profit organization of doulas that strives to have
every doula trained/educated to provide the highest quality/standards
for birth and/or postpartum support to birthing women and their
families. To that end, we promote continuing education for doulas and
provide a strong communication link among doulas and between doulas,
families and the medical birthing community. DONA
International is an amazing community with a shared passion for
families that reaches around the world. DONA International doulas and
the families they serve are in more than 20 countries.
I
became a Certified Breastfeeding Educator
in 2002 through The Breastfeeding Educator Program™ taught by Debi
Bocar, RN, MS(N), PhD, International Board Certified Lactation
Consultant. Before that I was a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for
WIC.
I am also
certified in CPR/First Aid.
I always
encourage partners to be involved in our prenatal meetings and of course,
at the birth. I really enjoy working with the women's partner and
getting to know them both. When hired, I consider them BOTH my
clients.
"The woman's partner (the baby's father or another loved one) plays an essential role in providing support
for the
woman. A doula cannot make some of the unique contributions that the
partner makes, such as intimate knowledge of the woman and love for her
and her child. The doula is there in addition to, not instead of, the
partner. Ideally, the doula and the partner make the perfect support
team for the woman, complementing each other's strengths." DONA Position Paper
During pregnancy and birth, a lot of the focus is put on the mom. I do not
forget that this is a special time for dads too. A birth is the
creation or extension of a family and dads go through many of the same
emotions and have many of the same concerns moms do. As a doula, a
mother, and a wife, I realize this. One of my favorite quotes is from
the book, Mothering the
Mother. "In no other area of the hospital is a family member asked to take on such a significant
care taking role as in childbirth."
Whether a dad wants to be the primary support, sit back and
observe, or do something in between, I will support him in whichever
level he is comfortable. I can also help other family members or
friends who are attending the birth to be more of a helpful,
participating member of the birth team.
For women who do not have partners during labor, I can be especially helpful.
I have been honored to support several women through their births while
their husbands have been deployed.
"Georganne,
You were such a wonderful doula and friend for my daughter! Being 4500
miles away, it just made such good sense for you to be her Wise Woman On
the Spot! Should you ever need a reference letter from a happy
grandmother, by all means let me know. I'll be back in Fairbanks to see my
little family in mid-September - hoping for not too many snowflakes!"
Dawn
Kersula
Henna
Body Art and Belly Casting
I
started to explore henna as a winter project. I found that the more
time I spent doing and researching henna, the better the winter
went. There are so many different aspects of henna that the study of
it keeps me entertained. Also I always feel better when I am able to
regularly utilize my creativity. And since I am done having babies,
this is a wonderful opportunity for me to "create". You
can find pictures of my work on my flickr page here. 2007
Henna, 2008
Henna.
Since
this is a temporary page, I have not added my Belly Casting and Henna
Page. If you would like to see some of my belly casts, please email
me.
Physical, emotional, and informational support to women and their partners
before during, and after labor and birth
Baby Wearing Instruction
