Welcome to my blog! My name is Kylie O'Donoghue and I am a birth doula, BACE certified childbirth educator, and public health professional (MPH) in Boston, MA. I am so happy you're here. I'm creating this blog to share my thoughts and experiences surrounding my passion--birth! I hope you enjoy reading.
Hi! I have some exciting news to share on this cold, wintery day here in Boston. I am currently working on creating a recorded childbirth education class. This will be released as a self-paced course that consists of and introduction video and 11 learning modules. While taking a live class, and especially an in-person live class, is preferable in...
For many pregnant people, the main fear and anxiety they feel regarding their impending labor and birth is about pain. The media portrays labor and birth as a scary, painful experience which is a sort of "right of passage" that one simply has to endure and move on--either that, or get an epidural and "avoid all pain." There is a...
I recently certified as a Childbirth Educator in February of 2021. While doula work is separate from teaching childbirth education, the two go hand-in-hand very well. After completing my doula training in 2018, I desired a more in-depth knowledge and understanding of the birthing process. I thought that in order to best serve my doula clients, I...
I am currently in the process of trying to get into Masters programs for Maternal and Child Health. I thought I would share with you my essay for my applications because it really sums up what I am hoping to achieve, what I believe in, how I got here, and what I am passionate about. So, here it is:
The process of finding the right birth doula can be a daunting task. You may meet with many doulas in initial consultations until you feel you have found a match with your personalities and the manner of support offered. You may vibe with the first doula you interview. No matter how you end up finding the doula for you, this...
Hello, birth world! I wanted to share some information that I share with clients. We go over these exercises in our prenatal meetings and practice the moves together. For many, it makes sense when we meet and then they practice them later on their own and say "wait, how long do I hold this for?" or "what was the...
Overabundance of medical technologies can negatively impact peoples' lives and well-being. The over-medicalization of childbirth is an example of the problems abundance can cause. With advancing technology, we are able to make medical advances that can be life-saving. However, using unnecessary interventions can lead to more problems than they...
Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you're here. I thought I'd use this first blog as an opportunity to talk about one of the many useful approaches to doula and birth work. It's not a philosophy or mission statement, but a way to help moms make informed decisions surrounding their birth. This strategy can be applied to any situation that...
