10. How Doulas Can Make or Break Your Birth

What are the qualities that you should look for when hiring a doula? What is and is not within a doula’s scope of practice? Is a doula supposed to speak up for you in the hospital? Should a doula argue with the staff in the hospital? What happens if your doctor is recommending something against your wishes? What’s the difference between consent and coercion? What happens if you change your mind about something that you planned about your birth? How is the landscape surrounding birth changing in hospitals and who is responsible for this change? Bracha and I dive deep into these issues in this episode.    Bracha Bard-Wigdor is a Jewish bridal educator, sex coach and doula. She is passionate about women’s health, most especially sexual health. Bracha believes that every woman deserves to feel confident in her body and her choices, both in birth and in her relationships. She now has 10+ years of experience dedicated to empowering and educating women. Bracha enjoys normalizing conversations that are taboo within Jewish communities. She appreciates breaking stigmas and is a committed community activist. You can find her on her Instagram page, on Balaboostas.com/forum, an online community for Jewish women, and contact her through [email protected].    To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.   Links for this episode's sponsors: 7th Day Shine - natural, chemical and paraben free makeup specially formulated for permissible application on Shabbos. Use code “BIRTHWAY10” for 10% off your purchase. Find them on Instagram.   Elys & Co. - beautiful and high quality baby bedding and layette line. Use code “BW10” for 10% off your purchase. Find them on Instagram and Facebook.    Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie’s other favorites.   If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow: 1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. 2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode. 3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.  Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.