@doulaschool

As birth workers, you've probably heard of the possible shortage of epidural tubes that has begun to happen across North America. Here in Ontario, the area where my team works, the discussion is increasing and some hospitals are preparing for how to handle the situation. It's an important time to make sure you are communicating with clients and helping them prepare for multiple scenarios, which can help your client feel confident to deal with the unexpected (and maybe the not-so-unexpected). Dr Filteau, the vice-president of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society suggested in a recent interview with CTV that pregnant people should be considering birthing coaches and learning about alternatives to prepare themselves in case an epidural cannot be provided. Well hallelujah! We sure are happy to see that recommendation. As birth workers we can help people really dig into the programming around pain and coping. What do they REALLY believe about pain, about ways to mitigate pain, about our body’s ability to navigate labour, and a million other things. There is no question many nurses and midwives possess amazing skills to help people through labour, but we also know the nursing shortage is REAL. Nurses and midwives are burnt out from two and a half years of dealing with COVID and shortages. Hopefully as doulas we can work to support clients and the staff who are working so diligently to support families. This is gonna be a wild ride folks. Buckle up. #Doula #Birth #Childbirth #epidural #ontariodoulas #ontario #pregnancy #birthdoula #BirthPlan #Parents #pregnant #pregnancyjourney #birthworker #birthwork