Can I be a doula if...?
Can I be a doula if...?

Have you been wondering if you can still become a doula if…

  • You have not given birth?

  • You have not birthed unmedicated?

  • You have not had a Cesarean birth?

  • You have not been induced?

  • You have not gone into labor spontaneously?

  • Or more?

Rest assured, your personal or medical history, your career goals, your current employment status, the ages of your children do not need to hold you back from pursuing your goals to be a doula!

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Joyce Dykema
Are You Called to be a Doula?
Are You Called to be a Doula?

Do you feel called to be a birth doula?

Sometimes the call to birthwork comes quietly, grows gradually. Maybe you’ve realized recently with a jolt that you want to make a difference in childbirth.

If your heart says yes, now’s the time to answer. 💛

📅 Birth Doula Workshop, September 25–28, 2025
📍 In-Person, Lincoln, NE
⏳ Registration closes September 18th
✅ DONA-approved + hands-on

Your presence could change someone’s birth story forever.
Reserve your spot: https://doulajoyce.com/birth-doula-training or link in bio.

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For Professionals, Life as a Doula, Nebraska, My StoryJoyce Dykemabirth, childbirth, doula life, doulas, Doula Joyce, learning, Nebraska, options, professional doula work, support, trauma
Preparing for Birth in Lincoln, NE
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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For Parents, NebraskaJoyce Dykemabirth, birth plan, baby, birth doula, caregiver, childbirth, childbirth education, doulas, Doula Joyce, expectations, EBB Instructor, evidence based birth, hospital, information, interview, Nebraska, options, pregnancy, prenatal, parents, parenting, postpartum, professional doula work, statistics
What I Would (and Would Not) Do Differently
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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For Parents, For Professionals, Life as a Doula, My Favorite Things, My Story, PostpartumJoyce DykemaDoula Joyceabout me, birth, baby, breastfeeding, birth plan, birth doula, comfort measures, childbirth, childbirth education, doula life, doulas, Doula Joyce, emotions, expectations, experience, information, favorite things, learning, my story, my experience, natural, newborn, options, prenatal, parents, pregnancy, parenting, postpartum, professional doula work, recovery, support, self care, thankful, unmedicated
Information overload
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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For ParentsJoyce Dykemabirth, birth plan, birth doula, breastfeeding, baby, cesarean, comfort measures, childbirth, childbirth education, CNM, caregiver, doulas, Doula Joyce, expectations, episiotomy, epidural, emotions, experience, family doctor, group b strep, hospital, iv, ican, information, induction of labor, learning, mothers, midwife, natural, newborn, OB, options, obstetrician, prenatal, parents, pregnancy, parenting, postpartum, recovery, statistics, saline lock, support, unmedicated, vbac
2019 Nebraska Hospital Cesarean Rates
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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For Professionals, For Parents, NebraskaJoyce DykemaDoula Joycebirth, cesarean, childbirth, ican, vbac, Doula Joyce, EBB Instructor, information, professional doula work, hospital, Nebraska, OB, obstetrician, mothers, pregnancy, statistics, women
Induction and Cesarean in the US
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
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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For Professionals, For Parents, NebraskaJoyce DykemaDoula Joycebirth, cesarean, childbirth, ican, vbac, Doula Joyce, EBB Instructor, information, professional doula work, hospital, Nebraska, OB, obstetrician, mothers, pregnancy, statistics, women
Trust birth?
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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For Parents, For ProfessionalsJoyce Dykemabirth, baby, birth plan, breastfeeding, cesarean, childbirth, Doula Joyce, expectations, experience, mothers, options, prenatal, parents, pregnancy, parenting, postpartum, recovery, support, trauma, vbac, cbac