Exton Babies R Us Expo

Main Line Doulas is excited to be participating in the annual Exton Babies R Us Baby Expo! See you on Saturday December 12, 2015 1-3pm in Exton. It will be a great event for first time moms/families as well as experienced expecting moms!

Celebrities and their Doulas


A doula is not only for those super hippie earthy crunchy types of people. New moms hiring a doula in Philadelphia has been gaining popularity for some time. And Hollywood is doing it too. Doulas are often hired by super stars. So what exactly is a doula? Well, the word doula originates from the ancient Greek word meaning, “woman who serves” and that is exactly what a doula is, a woman who serves hardworking women through their glorious pregnancies. They are trained professionals that provide informational, emotional, and physical support.


So, who exactly hires a doula?

Well any pregnant motivated individual would benefit greatly with a doula. That is why doulas are trending amongst many celebrities. Here are some women that see the value in hiring a doula.



Alanis Morissette hired a doula:

 Multiple Grammy Award-winner, as well as singer/songwriter. This talented women expressed to WebMD Magazine that, “I have an amazing midwife, and I’m using a doula. But we have a backup plan: I’ve called all the doctors and we’ll be ready if something should happen”. Luckily, the deliver went smoothly thanks to the help of Morissette’s doula and midwife.




Kelly Ripa hired a doula:


Actress, TV producer, and the co-host of Live! With Kelly and Michael. She was also named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the most powerful people in the media in 2012. On Live! She said that, “We used a doula with the second pregnancy…we did breathing exercises, we focused on things, and we focused on getting Mark (her husband) out of the room.”






Rebecca Minkoff hired a doula:

 Designer known for her luxury hadbags, apparel, and accessories. On MailOnline.com she empowers women to be “free to focus on welcoming your baby into the world”




Molly Sims hired a doula:

This model and actress told FitPregnancy, “I have a doula, Lori Bregman, creator of Rooted for Life, to help me during birth”



Alicia Keys hired a doula:

Incredibly talented Grammy Award-winning actress told The Sun that giving birth, “was bliss and a real miracle to be part of… And I really believe that (a) new day started the day Egypt (Alicia Keys’ son) came into the world”





Nicole Kidman hired a doula:

Kidman is a lovely Academy Award-winner, superstar, and wife of musician Keith Urban. On The Opera Winfrey Show, she described her birth as “extraordinary” and “easy”.



Idina Menzel hired a doula:

She was the star of the Broadway musical Wicked and a Tony Award- winner. Her husband, Taye Diggs of the show Private Practice said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! That the doula “basically told us everything that was going to happen before it was going to happen, because regardless of all the books that you read, for me personally, when I’m in the moment, I forget everything.”


January Jones hired a doula:

She was famous for playing Played Bety Draper in the TV show Mad Men. Jones said that, “I have a great doula who makes sure I’m eating well, with vitamins and teas, and with placenta encapsulation”. Yes, you read right, Jones even got her placenta encapsulated. Now that is dedication!




Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Houslely had doulas:

Together, these sisters starred in the hit TV show, Sister, Sister. Now Mowry-Hardrict is staring in Instant Mom. She told CBS Los Angeles that, “I had to go right back to work two weeks after giving birth.” As for Mowry-Housley, she is the author of the book Mama Glow and said that, “I taught her (Mowry-Hardrict) about all the lifestyle changes she should make to ensure a healthy baby and delivery… I helped her with tools in relaxation, meditation, and even breastfeeding support. She had a great birth.”



Alyson Hannigan hired a doula:

 Actress on How I Met Your Mother, Hannigan told Celebrity Baby Scoop blog that, “I had a midwife, her assistant, and doula”. For her second birth, she said, “It will be the same this time”.



Erykah Badu is a doula herself:

Badu is a singer, songwriter, actress, and a doula herself!!! She explained to Babble.com that, “I had all my children naturally. I had a very wise doula and midwives giving me the freedom to continue living my life. By the time I had my third baby, childbirth seemed a very natural part of me.” As you can see, Badu was so inspired by her support that she became a doula! What an amazing woman.





Emily Deschanel hired a doula:

 Deschanel is an actresses from the show Bones. In a FitPregnancy interview Deschanel told the reporter that, “I am a total hippie, so we will co-sleep and breastfeed. My mom breastfed me for more than a year and I can’t imagine doing it any other way.”


Jamie-Lynn Sigler hired a doula:

Sigler is famous for her role as the teenager Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos. She revealed to People that, “My doula told me, ‘Let’s prepare our minds for the level of pain we’re expecting and double that and what we want to do if that happens’ But I wasn’t scared of childbirth, I think because of my doula.”



Lisa Loeb hired a doula:

This singer/songwriter and actress posted a guest post on Celebrity Baby Blog on People, Leon stated that, “My doula, who is one of my best friends, came over to the house at 3 a.m. to confirm I was indeed going into labor and we caravanned to the hospital.”


Joely Fisher hired a doula:


 This gifted actress is a star of Til Death and Desperate Housewives. She explained to Ellen that, “I decided to have her (her baby) at home and to have a lot of friends around, and of course my father was there” she continued to describe her list of people she invited to the birth. These include, “the doctor, the doula, the midwife, the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker.”



Diane Far hired a doula:

 Famous for the shows Numb3rs and Rescue Me, Far told People that her doula, “guided me throughout my pregnancy” and she also said that, “I was afraid to not be in a hospital, but I wanted to labor at home under the guidance of a doula as long as possible”.





So as you can see, so many beautiful, independently minded women are hiring doulas to assist their pregnancies. So what is stopping you?




Works Cited


Roth Port, Dina, and Sherry Huang. "Celebrities Who Love Doulas." Parents Magazine. Marideth Corporation, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/doula/celebrities-who-love-doulas/#page=10>.

Bryn Mawr Hospital Maternity Fair 2015

Saturday Oct 24th, 2015 was the date of the Bryn Mawr Hospital Maternity fair and boy was it fun! Thanks to all the families that came out to this nice event. And thank you to the other vendors for help making this such a great day. A special thanks to LifeCycle WomanCare(also known as The Birth Center) as we had our vendor tables next to each other the whole day and had a fun time chatting! Thank you to Bryn Mawr Hospital and Main Line Health for inviting us.

Growing as Doula All about Newborn Sleep with Erica Desper


What is the number one question I get from clients?

 

 "Can you help us get our baby off to good start with healthy sleep habits?"  
Yes we can! And we are always continuing our education on this subject. Last night, expert sleep coach Erica Desper of Confident Parenting spoke to our doula team on that very topic. Please learn more about Erica's sleep consultations here: http://beaconfidentparent.com/


Left to right: Erica Desper, Doula Mary, Founder Aliza, Doula Brittany, Doula Cia, Doula Wendy and Doula Samantha































What a FUN event we had last night!! Here are so pics from our fun night together, growing as doulas continuing our education. Thank you ladies for your AMAZING DEDICATION to your craft.

That's part of what makes us the very best doula practice in the entire greater Philadelphia area.











Postpartum Doula Mary and Birth and Postpartum Doula Cathy

Doula Wendy with her sweet baby Sammy


Erica Desper, Sleep Coach at Confident Parenting