Titus 2 Birth Services is an extension of T2 Shepherd Ministries, Inc. Services include:
Midwifery Services - (under supervision)
Direct entry midwifery is legal in Texas and a safe option for most women. Student midwives in the Association of Texas Midwives approved course are required to perform a certain amount of care under supervision prior to graduation and documentation.
Kathy has completed both her academic work in the ATM program and her clinical experience requirements prior to taking the NARM (North American Registry of Midwives) test to become a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife). She is continuing to work under her preceptor, Jane Gandy, a local CPM. She also has the opportunity to work with several area documented midwives in a less formal relationship.
Kathy is available to take clients under supervision for those interested in receiving care from a graduate student midwife. Jane Gandy provides supervision for this type of care.
Contact Kathy if you are interested in scheduling an appointment to discuss supervised student-provided midwifery care.
Christian Childbirth Education
The purpose of Christian childbirth education is to strengthen the family during the pregnancy and birth experience. Classes focus on what the Bible says about families, children, childbirth, and how we choose to rear our children in addition to the anatomy of a pregnancy, exercises, nutrition, and birth choices.
Classes are 9 weeks in duration and include a study workbook for each family group. Instruction includes: discussion, videos, demonstrations, practice sessions and various activities.
You can contact Kathy for class times, locations and fees.
Parenting Education and Marriage Enrichment Classes
ParentProject: Tools for Godly Parenting is a parent education program written by Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha. Classes are 8 weeks in duration. Instruction includes: discussion, videos, demonstrations, and various class activities. Student workbooks must be purchased at Lifeway Book Store prior to the first class. Class material focuses on children Birth to Age 2, but is also applicable for older children.
Keys to Loving Relationships is a video series that focuses on all kinds of family relationships. This series by Dr. Gary Smalley continues to grow as he adds more tapes to the series. The current offering is for 18 90-minute sessions.
You can contact Kathy for class times, locations and fees.
Doula is Greek for slave or servant. The word has come to mean a woman trained to provide emotional and physical support during pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. Doulas may be known as childbirth assistants, professional labor assistants, or birth companions.
A doula may provide: explanation of procedures, emotional support, advice during pregnancy, exercise and comfort suggestions, help preparing a birth plan, massage or other pain relief measures, position suggestions for labor and birth, support for the partner and family members, assistance to avoid unnecessary interventions, breastfeeding help, a written record of the birth, and assistance after the birth.
Studies show that having a doula can provide a: 50% reduction in caesarean rates, 25% shorter labor, 60% reduction in epidural requests, 40% reduction in oxytocin (pitocin) use, 30% reduction in analgesia use, and 40% reduction in forceps delivery. Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier and Healthier Birth, by Kennell, Klaus, and Kennell (1993).
A monitrice supplies labor support services with limited clinical skills. These skills may include: vital sign monitoring (blood pressure, temperature, pulse), fetal heart tones, vaginal exams and charting. These skills have been verified by a licensed professional.
In addition, the monitrice may also provide assistance like a doula. This assistance may include: explanation of procedures, emotional support, advice during pregnancy, exercise and comfort suggestions, help preparing a birth plan, massage or other pain relief measures, position suggestions for labor and birth, support for the partner and family members, assistance to avoid unnecessary interventions, breastfeeding help, a written record of the birth, and assistance after the birth.
Birth Support/Assistance for Military Families
Birth Support/Assistance for Military Families is a project supported and assisted by Titus 2 Birth Services to help provide reduced fees for birth services needed by military families where the father of the baby is serving in active military duty at the time of the baby's due date.
Titus 2 Birth Services has joined with a number of area doulas, monitrices and midwives in this project. You can find more information for this Birth Support program by clicking on the link.
Vaccine Information Assistance
Many parents are concerned about childhood and adult vaccine recommendations. With the average child now receiving as many as 24 vaccinations before age 6, parents may be understandably concerned about side effects, vaccine safety and the risk of disease infection. Additionally, many adults are now confronted with the issue of vaccinations for themselves in order to gain or retain employment.
After over five years of research, Kathy has accumulated a wide range of information regarding:
Some of this information appears on this web site. Permission is granted to copy the information in the Vaccine Refusal Form, Vaccine Exemption page, and the Religious and Philosophical Exemption Worksheet. But, this is certainly not all of the information available. A parent information booklet is available for $12.25 to interested parents and caregivers.
You can contact Kathy regarding vaccine information or to receive Vaccines: A Matter of Choice, Safety and Value.
Gift bags provided by formula companies send a not-so-subtle pro-formula message to mothers who have chosen to breastfeed their babies. That message includes:
Fed up with the lack of support in even the breastfeeding mom's gift bags, Kathy has put together the Breastfeeding-Friendly Bag for birth professionals who want to provide a more encouraging message to new moms. Assorted items in the bag include: diaper samples, diaper coupons, baby soap, diaper soap, personal hygiene items, samples of various other items, ads on products for new and experienced parents, baby magazines and information leaflets on various options parents are concerned about. Items change regularly, depending on availability.
This service is available to birth professionals at a very minimal cost. Bags come already stocked and ready for distribution. Bags are not sealed, so you can add practice-related items.
Contact Kathy if you are interested in scheduling an appointment to see a sample or place an order.
More and more couples are finding out about the advantages of umbilical cord blood and choosing to bank or donate their baby's cord blood at birth. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells; the same kinds of cells used in traditional bone marrow transplants. Stem cells are the cells which produce every type of blood cell in the human body. Transplants utilizing cord blood stem cells have fewer problems and pose a lower risk than transplants using bone marrow stem cells because they generally do not carry exposure to serious infectious disease which might compromise serious health concerns of a patient needing the cells. Stem cells in cord blood are less mature than bone marrow cells and adapt better in transplants patients.
Other advantages of cord blood stem cell use over bone marrow in transplant include:
Research is also being done in treating other diseases with stem cells.
For information on any Titus 2 Birth Service option, contact Kathy.
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