Posts by Anya Wait
How Much Does a Doula Cost in Madison, WI? (2026 Pricing Guide)
By Anya Wait, CD, CBI | Birthside Doula Care Wondering about the cost of a doula in Madison, WI? You’re not alone! Finding prices can feel a little like trying to figure out how much a wedding costs. It depends on what you need, what’s included, and who you hire. Let’s make this easier. I’ll…
Read MoreWhat does a Postpartum Doula Actually do? A look inside a day or night of Madison, Wisconsin postpartum doula care – plus a link to some of my favorite newborn, breast, and bottle feeding supplies
If you’ve never hired a postpartum doula, you may wonder what we actually do for several hours at a time. Do I just hold the baby while you sleep? Sometimes. And honestly, if that’s what you need, I’m perfectly happy to do it. But postpartum doula care is about so much more than baby holding—it’s about taking some of the mental and physical load off new parents so you can recover, get some sleep, learn your baby, and occasionally remember what it feels like to be a person instead of a 24-hour milk-and-diaper service.
Read MoreWhy Experience Matters When Choosing a Madison Birth Doula
Shopping for a birth doula is a little weird. You’re basically interviewing someone to hang out with you on one of the biggest days of your life. No pressure. You scroll through websites. Everyone has beautiful photos. Everyone says they’re compassionate. Everyone loves “empowering” families. Everyone has a cozy couch and a cup of tea…
Read MoreTENS Unit for Labor: How It Works & Who Should Use It
TENS Unit for Labor: What It Is and How It Helps With Pain If you’re looking for drug-free ways to manage contractions, a TENS unit for labor is one of the most overlooked options in the U.S. As a birth doula in Madison, WI, I bring labor TENS units to my clients’ births. Here’s what…
Read MoreMadison WI Birth Doula | Having Siblings Present at Your Birth
Think having children at your birth might be weird? I am here to tell you, not only is it not weird, it can be truly beautiful. Here are a few tips to have an amazing sibling attended birth!
Read MoreCan a midwife and an OB/GYN truly collaborate together (?) … part 2
The answer is obviously YES, we can! We had our baby Zachary at home, in our garden tub. In the water. In 1999! And my OB/GYN husband caught our little man. At the time of Zachary’s birth, we were living in Indiana. In Indiana at that time, home birth midwives were not recognized and were…
Read MoreCan a midwife and an OB/GYN truly collaborate together?
Can a midwife and an OG/GYN truly collaborate together? Yes, they can. They can even be married to one another. Like us. We were Dr. Erik and Anya Wait. Or as one doctor at an Indiana hospital used to call us, “The Dr.’s Wait.” I don’t know why he called us that. Obviously I didn’t…
Read MoreMadison Wisconsin Birth Photographer | Anencephaly Awareness — a Story of Love
This Valentines Day I would like to share a beautiful story of love. I met this mama (and the baby in her belly) on a cold January morning at the Starbucks in Janesville. She had emailed me a couple weeks prior that she was pregnant with a baby who had anencephaly, and she would love…
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