Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Molly and Omar's Wedding


It was a privilage to see our good friend, Molly McLellen, and to meet her husband, Omar and photograph their wedding. We also got to meet their precious daugther, Libby! They had their 2nd wedding in Abingdon, VA this weekend (their first was in Los Angeles) on a gorgeous fall day! The day could not have been more beautiful.


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Asheville, NC


We stopped in Asheville for a day on our way to Abingdon, VA to photograph Molly and Omar's wedding! What a fun town Asheville is...very unique...very "green"...and LOTS of fun :-)

A quick pic of downtown Asheville. No chain stores or restaurants are allowed in the downtown part of Asheville. Everything is locally owned and operated.


We had a snack at the Green Sage Cafe. It is run by solar energy and all of the wasted food gets composted. They actually give you your coffee/tea in a mug versus a disposable cup! It tastes so much yummier that way too!

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More Asheville pictures




There was a lot of fun street entertainment...this guy was very talented!

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Thursday, October 09, 2008

I'm a doula!

After finishing my doula training workshop through DONA International I am officially a doula now! I'm so excited to be able to help moms and serve them during such a transient time in their lives. I'm working on my certification births currently and I have one client due on October 17th.


What is a doula? (Taken from DONA International)


"The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeeding more easily.

A Birth Doula

  • Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
  • Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
  • Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
  • Stays with the woman throughout the labor
  • Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
  • Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
  • Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
  • Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

A birth doula certified by DONA International is designated by the initials CD(DONA)."


Why should I hire a doula for my birth? (From DONA International)

"Women have complex needs during childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical care and the love and companionship provided by their partners, women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.

DONA International doulas are educated and experienced in childbirth and the postpartum period. We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth, as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth. We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures that make childbearing women and families feel nurtured and cared for."

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth

  • tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
  • reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
  • reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
  • reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

  • Feel more secure and cared for
  • Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
  • Have greater success with breastfeeding
  • Have greater self-confidence
  • Have less postpartum depression
  • Have lower incidence of abuse


I was adviced by the other Charlotte doulas in the area to begin charging between $600-$700 a birth once I am done with my certifcation births. I learned that when the same area doulas charge a similar fee, then potential clients will choose a doula based on her personality and how well they click together versus choosing based on price. This is very important to have someone whom you mesh with and are very comfortable with at your birth. I need two more births before I can apply for certification with DONA. Right now, I am charging $500, but that is on a sliding scale depending on income level.

Check out the website Pete helped put together for me! And, thanks, Peter Guy, for hosting the site!

One Gentle Beginning

Our sponsored child



Let me introduce you to one of our sponsored children through Compassion International. Diana Novita Sari lives in Indonesia. Pete and I started sponsoring Diana when we were sophomores at Virginia Tech and Diana was a very little girl...I believe she was maybe 3 years old.

Now she will be 14 years old in December! She looks so healthy and is going to school and learning about God. We love getting her letters and Kyla and Avery love coloring her pictures and sending them to her. She thanks us for the girls' artwork. She tells us in her letters about what she is learning in school and praises God for how good he is to her. Sometimes she even tells us that she wishes we would write her more! I guess we need to get better at that!

It is such a blessing to be give to a child who has so little compared to the surplus of what we have in America. Even right now with our economy so bad off, I look around and count my many blessings of having all that I really and truly need. Things might be tight for our family right now, but for so many other kids all over the world things are so tight and food and resources are so sparse, that it's a matter between life and death.

I encourage you that if you have never sponsored a child, go to Compassion's website and get involved. It's only $32 a month. Consider sponsoring a child in an AIDS afflicted area in Africa who lost her mom and dad due to AIDS. Or a little toddler in Ethiopia who is crying very hard because he's hungry and there is no food for him to eat because of the looming food crisis. There's children in every country that can truly be given a second chance at life and health if you sign up right now!! And on top of becoming healthy and eating well and receiving health care
, they will also get to go to school and learn about God's love!!

Now, how awesome is that!?!


Sponsor a child online through Compassion's Christian child sponsorship ministry. Search for a child by age, gender, country, birthday, special needs and more.