Preparing for Birth in Lincoln, NE

With over 15 years of birth support experience in the Lincoln area, I am asked quite often for my recommendations on how to prepare for childbirth in our community! Here are my recommendations.

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What I Would (and Would Not) Do Differently

A client recently asked me what I would have done differently if I could go back and prepare for my first baby’s birth again. Here are the three things I would do differently, and five things that I would not change if I could go back.

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Information overload

There is a massive amount of information about childbirth on the internet, you can truly learn everything you need to know to be prepared for birth online! The problem is, how do you know whether or not you're getting quality, relevant, and balanced information?

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2019 Nebraska Hospital Cesarean Rates

Since 2017, I have been compiling all of Nebraska’s maternity care statistics from public sources, and here are the most recent, publicly available data on Nebraska hospital overall Cesarean rates, from 2019.

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Induction and Cesarean in the US

I recently created some videos for my Tiktok account on rates of Induction of Labor and Cesarean birth in the United States in recent years. Currently, the Tiktok app only allows me up to 60 second long videos, and both video descriptions and comments are limited to just a couple sentences, so I can’t really get into the nuance of topics in that platform to my satisfaction. Since I’m not a YouTuber kind of doula/childbirth educator, I have decided to expand on the topics I share about on social media with longer blog posts! Check out this summary, super flattering screenshots of yours truly, and watch for more on my social media accounts, in my email newsletter, and here on my blog!

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Joyce Dykema
2018-2019 Nebraska Hospital Cesarean Rates

For the last two years, I have been compiling all of Nebraska’s maternity care statistics from public sources, and here are the most recent, publicly available data on Nebraska hospital overall Cesarean rates, from October 2017-September 2018.

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Trust birth?

“Trust birth” has truth behind it. But it’s not the whole story. If your pregnancy and birth are smooth, it’s easy to trust birth. However, when your pregnancy and birth are full of complications, is your body and birth still trustworthy? Here are my thoughts.

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My favorite things: Golf balls

Here is my latest in a series of all of my favorite things! This will include my favorites for supporting people in childbirth, doula life and recovery, small business owner hacks, books and resources, and more, but today is all about golf balls! Golf balls and other massage tools help to provide firmer pressure and can help the support team to use their energy more efficiently, so they can provide the massage and counterpressure for longer periods of time.

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My favorite things: The Birth Partner

Here is my latest in a series of all of my favorite things! This will include my favorites for supporting people in childbirth, doula life and recovery, small business owner hacks, books and resources, and more, but today is all about The Birth Partner, by Penny Simkin! This excellent book has been one of my favorite items since my own first pregnancy.

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My favorite things: Swim rings

Next up in my series of all of my favorite things! This will include my favorites for supporting people in childbirth, doula life and recovery, small business owner hacks, books and resources, and more, but today is all about swim rings! I have used these childhood water toys as both a mom and a birth doula. Read more about what I use this for, and why it is one of my favorite things.

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My favorite things: My Shining Year

Here is the latest in a series of all of my favorite things! This will include my favorites for supporting people in childbirth, doula life and recovery, small business owner hacks, books and resources, and more, but today is all about the My Shining Year Business Goals Workbook by Leonie Dawson! The workbooks take you through your previous business year finances, services, systems, and more, helps you to quickly identify areas where you need to make changes, and then helps you lay out your goals for the year ahead.

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My favorite things: Rice socks

Here is the latest in a series of all of my favorite things! This will include my favorites for supporting people in childbirth, doula life and recovery, small business owner hacks, books and resources, and more, but today is all about rice-filled socks! These DIY microwaveable heating packs are simple and a great comfort tool. Read more about what I use this for, and why it is one of my favorite things.

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