Amy Bauer: A Doula's Role & Being a Consumer in Your Birth

Thank you Amy Bauer for joining us to discuss her journey to a Doula Agency owner, advocate and grandmother of 5.

This episode will give you insights on the role of a Doula in pregnancy and birth- how agencies can support both clients and the staff of doulas differently than an independent doula and understanding how they advocate in the delivery room. 

Download the Pocket Doula App in the App Store or Google Play Store!

Learn More About Amy
My journey began with having my own babies and experiencing birth on my own terms with the help of my doula.  Prior to experiencing childbirth, I had heard such terrible stories from others that left me in fear, but after having had positive and empowering births myself, I wanted to attempt to pass that gift on to others.  I supported my first birth in the role of a doula mere months after my oldest was born.  It wasn't long, however, before my mission to support individual women through their births wasn't enough.  Working in the system underscored the need for more comprehensive efforts to make change.  This brought out the activist in me which resulted in joining forces with organizations like Improving Birth and 2020Mom, and participating for several years in events such as Improving Birth Rallies, Mom Congress, and March for Moms.  In the wake of these efforts some positive changes began to be visible in general awareness of maternity care issues, and perhaps more importantly, I began to see ways to "be the change" locally in my own community.  To that end, in 2017, I started Indiana's first doula agency, Hoosier Doula Network, as a way to improve access to doula care for women and to make doula work more supported and sustainable.  This brings us to today.  Hoosier Doula is a thriving success with 10 doulas and counting currently working with us in Northwest Indiana. However, there is still more work to be done...much more.  This brings me to our latest project.  We have developed an app called Pocket Doula to be a reliable information resource for parents throughout their pregnancy journey and into postpartum, to create community, and to help women find the resources they need to take back their births and to experience the joys and growing pains of early parenting in a fully equipped and supported way.

@hoosierdoulanetwork
www.hoosierdoula.net

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