As 2015 comes to a close, we thought we’d share the most popular posts from The DONA Doula Chronicles this year. If you’ve missed any of these articles, here’s your chance to catch up! Thank you for making 2015 the best year yet for DONA International’s blog.

Top 5 Posts in 2015

In the DONA Doula Chronicles, we cover a range of topics and offer a variety of post types from research to practice tips to news from DONA International. These five were the most popular in 2015:

Breastsleeping, New Word, Old Concept – This summary of a published commentary from Drs James J. McKenna and Lee Gettler proposing a new phrase for co-sleeping nursing families was our most popular post in 2015. This article also includes a video from Dr. McKenna, Director of the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at Notre Dame and multiple sources for doulas to obtain additional information about the relationships among co-sleeping, SIDS and breastfeeding.

DONA International Stands Against Informed Doulas Report – Director of International Development for DONA International, Ana Paula Markel, wrote this response on behalf of the organization to a report released by the General Nursing Council of Spain, which included defamatory and untrue accusations about doulas.

Certification Requirements for Birth Doulas Revised – Our third most popular article of the year was also the most widely read post about DONA International. This description of the new documentation and education requirements for birth doulas certifying with DONA International was big news for the doula community.

New ACOG Opinion on Exercise in the Childbearing Year – We’ve summarized several Committee Opinions, Practice Bulletins and policy statements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to help doulas stay informed of the latest guidelines for ob-gyns. This post was the most popular of this type and the fourth most read overall providing a detailed summary of an Opinion on physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum including recommendations, warning signs and contraindications to help doulas share the latest information with our clients.

Nurses and Doulas Playing Nice for Optimal Birth – Guest posts provide additional perspective and expertise to share with our doula readers and it’s no surprise to see one rounding out the top five for 2015. This article from guest writer Barbara Hotelling addressed a topic that resonated strongly with us on how nurses and doulas can work together to better support families and one anothers roles.

We have great things planned for The DONA Doula Chronicles in 2016, so be sure you are following the blog to get new posts delivered right to your inbox. If you’d like to submit an article or have an idea for something we should cover in 2016, drop us a message at blog@dona.org.

With Gratitude,
Adrianne Gordon, CD(DONA), MBA, Blog Manager