Your Pelvic Floor : What You Need To Know

Approximately 1 in 3 women in the US suffer from pelvic floor issues at some point during their lifetime. Pregnancy and childbirth can strain and weaken the pelvic floor muscles leading to leaked urine when you sneeze or cough, or even sexual dysfunction. We spoke with Dr. Deb McKim, PT, DPT, MTC; a physical therapist at Western Berks Physical Therapy who specializes in pelvic floor health. What is your pelvic floor? For those of you who don’t know, the pelvic floor...Read More

Meet Your Doulas: Holly Yeager

Holly has been a doula since 2009. She believes in creating a healthy emotional experience for all of her clients. "Because childbirth is one of the most profound things we can go through as parents, I believe that having the very best care is paramount." Holly is trained and certified as a Birth Doula through CAPPA,  DONA, and ProDoula. She is also trained and certified as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist through IPPA and ProDoula. She holds her Postpartum Doula and...Read More

A breakdown of ACOG’s new recommendations

Recently ACOG (The American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) released a committee opinion report titled "Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth". This new report has a list of steps that care providers can implement to create a safer and more satisfying birth experience.  ACOG has had a long standing stance on the benefit of doula support and it is great to see that on the list. Here is the breakdown of the new recommendations: Continuous Support During Labor: Doulas –...Read More

The Hottest Summer Names For Your Warm Weather Baby

Arroe - A fun alternate spelling of arrow that reminds us of summers spent at camp. Strong and flexible, she (or HE) is destined to lead the way for their peers. Arroe is fearless. She will forge her own path and never look back Lucas - Lucas means "light". What a perfect name for a baby born during the sunniest part of the year. Lucas has been steadily growing in popularity and it is easy to see why; classic with...Read More

Tricks For How To Eat Less Treats This Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We have so much fun dressing up every year and visiting our neighbors. It is all my kids have been able to talk about for over a month. Many parents though don't want their kids snacking on the enormous amounts of candy that comes with the holiday. So how can you still enjoy the fun of Halloween without the candy fueled high that comes with it? Here are a few suggestions that can...Read More
birth plan

Birth Plan ( With Free Template )

Creating a birth plan with your partner is a great way to keep you on the same page with your wants and needs. It is also a great tool to help open a dialogue with your care provider. You can use this template as a jumping off point to create a more personalised plan, or you can use it as is. Lancaster Doulas makes it easy with our birth plan template. Just print it out, check the boxes of what you would...Read More

My House or Yours?

Last year I made the decision to only offer placenta encapsulation in our clients homes. It was a completely different direction then all the other placenta encapsulators that I knew in our area, but I knew that it was the best decision for me and for Lancaster Doulas. So what led me to change the standard? Safety: Our clients love seeing our top notch sanitation process. It puts their minds at ease knowing that all of our Postpartum Placenta Specialists carry their bloodborne pathogen certification, and PA...Read More

Summer Vacation

Yesterday morning I snuck into each of my kids room with the same anticipation and surprise that comes with Christmas morning. I crawled into each of their beds and laid my head down next to theirs. I whispered into each of their ears " wake up, I have a surprise for you". While they all clamored down stairs for breakfast I gathered them around me and exclaimed that we are going to the beach for the day! This in itself...Read More

New PA Child Seat Law

Most of you have seen the advertisements for the new child safety seat law that took effect last week. What does that mean for you and your children? Lancaster Doulas breaks it down for you!   Gov. Tom Wolf signed  Senate Bill 1152 making Pennsylvania one of only four states in the US with such a law. The new law is aimed at making children safer while riding in the family vehicle. What kind of car seat should I use? Many parents...Read More

World Breastfeeding Week 2016

Last year Lancaster Doulas asked local women from Lancaster, Reading, York, and Harrisburg for their experiences breastfeeding their children. This year, we checked back in with a few of them to see how things are going! [caption id="attachment_2032" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Melissa Ishman[/caption] (Melissa Ishman) My sweet boy is still nursing at week shy of 15 months. Our beginning was rough since he would only latch on one side but that side pulled through and provided him with everything he needed...Read More

World Breastfeeding Week 2015

Lancaster Doulas is excited to kick off World Breastfeeding Week!   We took to social media to ask women in our community their thoughts on breastfeeding. Here are there responses:   Jennifer Jacobs (Jennifer Jacobs) My favorite thing about breastfeeding is how easily it calms all of us.  If my littles are frustrated, or even if I am frustrated if we just sit down and breastfeed it gives us all a chance to calm down, but I do  sometimes get...Read More