*Updated July 21, 2020
This is a difficult time but Voices of Eve: Birth ministries is dedicated to help you through it! Please feel free to examine and use the resources below to help your family or to serve others.
Doulas are being limited at births because of COVID-19 in many birth settings. However there is much evidence to refute these policies.
Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
– “AWHONN recognizes that doula services contribute to the woman’s preparation for and support during childbirth and opposes hospital policies that restrict the presence of a doula during a woman’s active labor.
– “Doulas are not visitors and should not be blocked from caring for patients in the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum period. Most doulas have been contracted by patients weeks to months ahead of time and have established provider relationships. They are recognized by AWHONN and ACOG as essential personnel and part of the maternity care team,” said AWHONN member Nancy Travis, MS, BSN, RN, BC, CPN, CBC, Florida Section Chair.
– AWHONN supports doulas as partners in care and acknowledges their ability to provide physical, emotional, and partner support to women.
– AWHONN opposes hospital policies that restrict the presence of a doula in the inpatient setting during an infectious disease outbreak. Read more about
– “Continuous support during labour may improve outcomes for women and infants, including increased spontaneous vaginal birth, shorter duration of labour, and decreased caesarean birth, instrumental vaginal birth, use of any analgesia, use of regional analgesia, low five-minute Apgar score and negative feelings about childbirth experiences.”(2017, Bohren et al.)”
– “Infection control guidance on managing visitor access, including essential support persons for women in labor”, they go on to state, “if a restriction of all visitors is implemented, facilities can consider exceptions based on end-of-life situations or when a visitor is essential for the patient’s emotional well-being and care.” (Interim Considerations for Infection Prevention and Control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Settings, February 2020).
The WHO statement on the evidence of Companions and their impact on labor and birth: →
“…doulas are considered an essential part of the support care team and should be allowed to accompany a pregnant individual during labor and delivery as an additional support person, as medically appropriate.” →
DONA International created this letter to send to hospitals about doula care and whay they are essential. As well as a document on Doula care and COVID-19 →
CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) Recommendations for safely supporting clients during COVID-19. →
This is a letter created by birth advocates in California it successfully changed practices to hospitals in their area. →
ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) created this outpatient assessment for pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 also a document explaining why limiting interventions in labor and birth is vital. →
In Dallas County’s ruling on essential workers “Certified Doulas” are listed under “Essential Healthcare Operations”. The are listed as such in the same category as hospitals, blood banks and more! →
Birth Monopoly created this document with recommendations for helping to change hospital policy about doulas and COVID-19. →
Petition to let Doulas back in Texas Hospitals→
Voices of Eve created this letter to Government Officials regarding doula care in hospitals. →
Voices of Eve created this letter to News Organizations regarding reporting on unethical hospital Policies surrounding doula care during COVID-19→
My personal cry to open hospital doors after I was forbidden from accompanying a client →
I created the below document for doulas supporting clients in hospitals in the hopes that it will help give them physical access to their clients in their birthing space. If you are a doula please feel free to use it or to use it as a base to make your own! →
I have dropped virtual doula services down to $100 for the duration of the crisis. If you are a doula and are unsure how to support a client virtually please contact me! I had my first virtual client and it ended in a successful VBAC! →
Blog post for doulas and clients who are considering virtual doula services →
A podcast for doulas on how to make virtual doula care more effective and efficient →
I have dropped the cost of my online childbirth class down to $10 a year for the duration of the crisis! Regular cost is $25. →
I have redoubled efforts to get a few projects off the ground to help as much as I can with the Pandemic. One of them is my Live Podcast! Join the event here to follow! During this podcast you can have your questions answered in real time! →
I have begun working on creating an online Homeschool curriculum that I am hoping to release soon! Until then I am uploading fun home activities regularly on my website! →
I am working on and hoping to have my Online Breastfeeding Class up and running soon! The cost for that class will also be $10 for the duration of the crisis and $25 regular cost when the lockdown is over. →
I created an account on doxy.me which is a HIPAA compliant video conferencing app to ensure that I will be able to communicate with my clients via video at any birthing place! And here is the link to my waiting room on Doxy. →
I added a page to my website that covers my ministry. There you can see all who have been helped, what my plans for the future are, and how you can be a part of that ministry! It is a great way to find out how you can be involved! →
Here is a couple of helpful resources for families who are in labor and especially for those families who are having to choose not to have a doula or extra support person. I made these two aids to help partners support their partners in labor. →
“New moms who’ve recovered from the coronavirus appear to have a ‘strong immune response’ to the disease in their breast milk” →
“Coronavirus antibodies in breast milk may protect infants”→
WHO Recommendations for Breastfeeding and COVID-19
” 1. Practice respiratory hygiene, including during feeding. If you have respiratory symptoms such as being short of breath, use a medical mask when near your child.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap or sanitizer before and after contact with your child.
3. Routinely clean and disinfect any surfaces you touch.
4. If you are severely ill with COVID-19 or suffer from other complications that prevent you from caring for your infant or continuing direct breastfeeding, express milk to safely provide breastmilk to your infant.
5. If you are too unwell to breastfeed or express breastmilk, you should explore the possibility of re-lactation (restarting breastfeeding after a gap), wet nursing (another woman breastfeeding or caring for your child), or using donor human milk. Which approach to use will depend on cultural context acceptability to you, and service availability. “
” The virus has not been detected in amniotic fluid, breastmilk, or other maternal samples.” -CDC
“Breast milk provides protection against many illnesses and is the best source of nutrition for most infants.” -CDC
“You, along with your family and healthcare providers, should decide whether and how to start or continue breastfeeding.” -CDC
“In limited studies, COVID-19 has not been detected in breast milk; however we do not know for sure whether mothers with COVID-19 can spread the virus via breast milk.” – CDC
CDC: If you are sick and choose to direct breastfeed
– Wear a face mask.
– Wash your hands before each feeding.
CDC: If the you are sick and choose to express breast milk
– Express breast milk to establish and maintain milk supply.
– A dedicated breast pump should be provided.
– Wash hands before touching any pump or bottle parts and before expressing breast milk.
– Follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use, cleaning all parts that come into contact with breast milk.
– If possible, consider having someone who is well feed the expressed breast milk to the infant.
CDC and COVID-19 Resources for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and more →
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on COVID-19 and Pregnancy →
“Mother-to-child transmission of coronavirus during pregnancy is unlikely, but after birth a newborn is susceptible to person-to-person spread.” “A very small number of babies have tested positive for the virus shortly after birth. However, it is unknown if these babies got the virus before or after birth.” – CDC
CDC recommendations for COVID-19→
“Reports of newborns with fetal distress and stillbirth after maternal contraction of the virus during the third trimester suggest that there may be a Covid-19 induced placental infection,”→
Free Birth Affirmations for COVID-19→
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. →
ACOG Pregnancy and COVID-19 Resources →
Evidence Based Birth created this free birth class during COVD-19 is full of helpful tips and resources!→
“…women share experiences with pregnancies, small children during COVID-19″→
Bright sides to Maternity Care and COVID-19 →
Other Resources: COVID-19
WHO on Clinical Management of COVID-19 →
Lessons from the Lockdown—Why Are So Many Fewer Children Dying? →
FDA advises consumers not to use hand sanitizer products manufactured by Eskbiochem →
General recommendations for routine cleaning and disinfection of households →
A COVID-19 Birth Story →
“This is the first in a two-part series about sexual assault. It addresses where to go and what to do if you’ve been sexually assaulted, and how to be in control of your own health care as a sexual assault survivor. Part 2 will examine the health care provider’s role in caring for sexual assault survivors.” →
Arizona doctor believes Vitamin C could be game changer in COVID-19 treatment. →
Avoiding viral infection advice from an immune comprised person. →
Food to help fight COVID-19→
Best Materials to make reusable face masks.→
This form was created by Evidence Based Birth for families that choose to refuse separation from their infants.→
Re+ Birth is a nonprofit organization committed to building bridges in the interest of achieving birth justice for marginalized communities across the state of Texas.→
NCBI information on Informed Consent →
The National Conference of State Legislatures brings you up-to-date, real-time information about bills related to and responding to COVID-19 that have been introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. →
Vlog and Blog on alternatives for toilet paper! →
This has been a difficult time for many of us and we have all faced challenges we might not have faced before. But I have found new vigor in my ministry. Because the mission statement of my ministry is “Empowering birth services for everyone”. Everyone has become bigger and more diverse. It has given me an extra hungry for the work I love and I am so excited to see all that God will do through it!
Cheers!
Abbey Barnosky
Birth, Postpartum, Bereavement, and Sibling Doula, Breastfeeding Educator, Post Abortion Counselor, Photographer, and Artisan in Fort Worth Texas.
voicesofeve@yahoo.com
(304)203-6688
