Doula Well Podcast Victoria Wilson CD(DONA)

What if our conventional ways of doula support actually hinders our clients in their parenting? That sounds harsh, but this conversion with Dr. Britta Bushnell is anything but. With her warm, inviting, and wise spirit, Dr. Bushnell gently points us towards a practice model that honors new parents in their role. I’m so excited for you to hear this interview! As the author of the widely accalimed book Transformed by Birth, Britta introduces ways to focus our client interactions on solutions. Plus, you’ll have to listen to the very end to find out which high-profile celebrity has endorsed her work! Learn more about Britta at brittabushnell.com.

Doula Well Podcast Season 3 has dropped! I'm shaking a few things up and the theme of this season is simply 'Conversations'. The next 10 episodes or so of the podcast will simply focus on talking to movers and shakers I want to hear from! (While I'm at it, I'll have a more chill episode release schedule, too!) This allows me more freedom to pour myself into a very exciting upcoming project: Doula Well, the membership! Learn more at motherwelldoula.com/waitlist.

We continue our series of conversations with birth workers who have made a mark in our field. Today’s guest is Dr. Amy Gilliland! We have a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation about how doulas relate to each other, a doula’s scope, the medical system, and more! Dr. Gilliland is an independent PhD researcher and educator. She is the author of ‘The Heart of the Doula’ and a forthcoming book specifically about doulas and how we relate to one another. 

Get a view of birth in my backyard! I thought it would be wonderful to speak to some of my real-life clients (with their permission, of course!) about their experience having a doula. Jessie Jones is drama and English teacher and I've been her doula twice! First, through the pregnancy and birth of her firstborn son. And, at the time of recording, through her second pregnancy with twins! Hear Jessie's unmedicated birth story, and how I am technically responsible for her failing the hospital drug test...you don't want to miss this one!
Sign up for Doula Well Mentorship Community at a lifetime founders' rate of $59/month: https://motherwelldoula.com/doulawell

We continue the view of birth in my backyard! This client's experience is wildly different from our last guest. Amanda Hamilton is the mother of two and an accomplished social worker. I was honored to be her doula for the birth of her second son: a planned-for VBAC that turned emergency C-section. Amanda generously shares her birth story and speaks very highly of how doula care positively impacted her high-risk pregnancy. Smash down the expectation that doulas are only helpful for 'natural' birth. Doulas make a difference for everyone! 
Sign up for Doula Well Mentorship Community at a lifetime founders' rate of $59/month: https://motherwelldoula.com/doulawell
 

Despite awareness and accountability of obstetric violence having grown over the last decades, mistreatment remains pervasive in maternity care. And being witnesses to obstetrical violence can certainly burn doulas out! Dr. Hillary Melchiors is paying attention, and has insights and solutions that will help doulas navigate OB violence and sustain themselves through their careers.  
Hillary is a DONA certified birth doula and a Lamaze certified childbirth educator who has lived in the tri-state area since 2012. She also has a PhD in Medical Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Public Health. She loves working with all types of families to help them have their best birth experience, no matter what their preferences are, and teaching families all of their options. Since founding the Doula Group of Evansville in 2014, Hillary has had a wide variety of professional experiences both as a doula and anthropologist, including being invited to speak about doulas and cultural barriers to breastfeeding at The Women’s Hospital in Evansville. In her free time, she enjoys being with her partner Andrew and her two daughters Annika and Mayzie. Find Hillary on her personal website https://hillarymelchiors.com/. 
You can follow her doula agency on Instagram @doulagroupofevansville.