FAQ

How was Polliwog Doula started?

​

Even though we took all the hospital classes, my husband and I found ourselves decidedly ill-prepared for going from a family of two to three. Labor and birth were riddled with feelings of helplessness, hospital discharge instructions were unclear, postpartum recovery was debilitating, breastfeeding complications abounded, and a lack of support and resources left us doubting our ability to grow into our parenting roles successfully. 

​

Polliwog Doula Services was founded in 2018 to fill this gap in maternity care to meet the needs of mothers, fathers, and babies in the Tulsa in search of Christ-centered support and education through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and adoption. Studies all over the world show over and over again that the more social support and education parents have as they enter into parenthood, the more positively they recall their birth experience, the lower the instances of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and the higher the rates of adjustment and overall well-being for the entire family.

​

What do you offer?

As your birth and/or postpartum doula, I offer family-focused, evidenced-based, and Christ-centered education and support surrounding pregnancy, labor and birth. This includes birth planning, a variety of classes, labor and birth support, birth photography, hospital advocacy, lactation education, breastfeeding coaching, physical recovery preparation and support for vaginal and Cesarian births, babywearing coaching, nutritious home-cooked meals, sleep hygiene and respite, emotional support and supportive counseling, marital and sibling adjustment support postpartum depression and anxiety support, light housekeeping and organization, back to work preparation, perinatal mood and anxiety disorder assessment, processing of the birth experience, and quality community referrals.

​

What makes Polliwog different?

​

As a devout Catholic Christian, I can incorporate prayers, blessings, and other faith-based traditions and rituals of your choice throughout your care plan as your doula. This could include a pregnancy blessing, a blessing of the home, prayers for labor and delivery, blessing of the newborn, and a rite of passage into parenthood ceremony once your baby arrives home. Any and all additional rituals or traditions of your choice are included in your plan, so you can be nourished not only physically, emotionally, and socially, but spiritually as well.

Why "Polliwog"?

​

Polliwog is another name for a tadpole, or a baby frog. Polliwogs are a symbol of life and fertility in many cultures. They have a wide range of the way they care for their offspring, from burrows on the forest floor to nests in the canopy, just as there is great variability in the way we as humans care for our babies depending on our personal family preferences, cultures, and spiritual beliefs. Polliwogs have also been found to be excellent biological indicators of the wider health of ecosystems. Likewise, it seems to me that the quality of health care provided for new mothers and babies across cultures says something about the direction and values of that culture at large. As the founder of Polliwog Doula, my goal and my commitment is to provide the highest quality of support and education and to raise up the standard of care being provided to budding families in the United States, specifically in the Tulsa, Oklahoma region, through individualized and holistic birth and postpartum doula care.

​

What is a doula?

Doulas specialize in evidence-based and family-specific education and support through pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period for new and expectant parents. As a Birth Doula and trained Postpartum Doula through DONA International, the largest and most renowned accrediting body for doulas, I provide education, non-judgmental support and companionship, assist with newborn care and family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tasks, and more, to families in the Tulsa, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. As your doula, I recognize and honor that you are the expert on your family and on your baby, and I seek to empower you to grow into the fullness of your parenthood--whatever that looks like for you.

​

Do you offer scholarships or financial assistance? 

​

Finances should not get in the way of you getting the education and support you need to start your family off in a safe, positive, and enriching way. Postpartum is a beautiful, delicate, and vulnerable time of transformation and adjustment for you, your baby, and your family as a whole. Your experience the first year postpartum impacts your self-concept as a parent, your relationship with your child, your mental and emotional health, and the quality of your marital relationship and relationships between siblings. If finances are an issue, please apply for our scholarship and financial aid by downloading and sending in the application from the link below to my email at ainsleywatkins7@gmail.com

Thank you for choosing Polliwog Doula for your family-focused, evidence-based, Christ-centered care in Tulsa.

​