Doula Care Collective

Local midwife in need of suppport as her son recovers from brain surgery.

Repost from @chelscaris This is as real as it gets ladies! Breastfeeding in the back of the car! My best friend and I went to target to get props and clothes for a shoot I’m doing. She does my hair and helps stage most of my photos. We were there for quite a while and decided to get Jamba Juice after and got stuck in the drive through line for about 35 mins. Let me tell you, Addy was pissed! She was getting antsy from being in the car seat/stroller the whole time. I had fed... her before we left but sometimes (as most of you know) nursing helps comfort them as well. We tried everything, singing to her, pacifier, toys, music the works. So finally, we pulled a quick swith-a-roo, she jumped in the driver seat I hopped in back and nursed! was it comfortable? No. Was it worth it? Yes! She nursed for about 10 min and promptly fell asleep! Who else has done something like this? Photo by @kirkwood01 ______________________________________ #ivfmom #infertile #ivfstrong #ttc #ttccommunity #infertilitywarrior #ttcjourney #ivfsuccess #ivfwarrior #ivfcommunity #fourthtrimester #infertilitycommunity #pregnancyafterloss #infertilityawareness #infertilitysupport #ivfjourney #ivf #infertility #ivfmiracle #infertilitysucks #fertilityjourney #1in8 #infertilityjourney #thisiswhatinfertilitylookslike #unexplainedinfertility #infertilityblogger #fet #iam1in4 #breastfeeding

Great infographic for helping to distinguish Midwifery vs. medical models for birth.

Irving Potter M.D. and his Internal Podalic Version ...his stated goal was the elimination of the 2nd stage... https://history-of-obgyn.com//potter-rounds-mhc-jan2008.pd

My sweet client wrote this and I love it. It's how I feel about our bodies, postpartum and parenting <3 "To my mama, You worked so hard to get me here. Your b...ody stretched and grew, wider each day, to accommodate my growing self. Look at how good you did, mama. Look at how good WE did. I’m strong and healthy. Thank you for that. We went on a journey together during birth, didn’t we? Did it go how you wanted it to, mama? Did you feel supported and empowered? Or did you get thrown for a loop and our birth leave you feeling lonely and confused? Sometimes babies tell their mamas how they need to be born, and that’s okay. My birth story matters, either way, and I hope you bravely tell it one day when you’re ready. Now that I’m here, you look different. You ARE different. You might not even recognize yourself. Your belly is still swelled from where my home used to be, but now it’s soft & stretched. I hope you see the beauty in that, mama, because it makes me feel safe when I’m lying on you. Your belly is a soft landing place for me, a safe haven, & has gone through so much to get me here. I hope you know how much I love you because I can feel and see how much you love me. Each time I cry, you rush to me. I’m placed on your chest and I feel safe. I can hear your heartbeat, too. The same sound I heard inside of your womb. I instantly calm down and feel at home. When I’m hungry, you place me to your breast or you give me a bottle and I can feel the dedication, selflessness and love pour into me. Thank you, mama, for all that you do. Thank you for sacrificing your body & your mind. All for me. One day, I won’t rely on you so much. Until then, thank you for paving the way for me. Thank you for loving yourself right where you’re at so I can learn to love myself right where I’m at. Thank you for being gentle with yourself. And thank you for the courage it takes to share your postpartum body with the world. You are inspiring other women to do the same and normalizing the fierceness of a woman’s body. You might now know what you’re doing, you might lose your mind some days, and you might let the sleep deprivation get the best of you, but each day you show up for me and you try. Trying is enough. You are enough. Together, we are enough. I love you, mama. Love, Your baby"

Did you know... Amniotic fluid is generated from maternal plasma and passes through the fetal membrane by osmotic and hydrostatic forces. Your baby’s kidney...s start to function around the 16th week of pregnancy and his/her urine starts to contribute to the fluid as well. The fluid is made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, phospholipids and urea, which all aid in the development of your baby. The amniotic fluid also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products between you and your baby. The amniotic fluid keeps your baby at perfect temperature at all times and allows the baby movement for proper development of their limbs and bones. The fluid also serves as a cushion to protect the baby from jabs and blows from the outside world. Your baby’s breathing completely bypasses it’s lungs for the entire pregnancy. The amniotic fluid fills your baby’s lungs and keeps the sensitive linings moist in preparation to go from being aquatic to terrestrial. PhotoCred: @nataliaeidt.fotografia . Repost @doulaviewllc

We are providing nutritious and delicious food for new Moms, for 6 weeks after delivery. Check out our page!! #m2mpostpartum

I just want to remind everyone that I am still teaching childbirth prep classes and they feel more important than ever. I’ve been teaching my own curriculum for... TEN years and it’s my fourth year teaching through fires and my fourth class during a pandemic, and we still have lots of space for hilarity, hella grown up body talk, and all the sacred aspects of birth, sex, death and parenting. Emphasis is given to trust and evidence based care. Partners freakin’ love this class. And everyone has been cool with it online, we haven’t lost a thing. As an educator, I’m as invested in the information as much as I am invested in how you absorb the information. Language and storytelling matters. If you want to know how rad your mind/body/spirit is, take this class. We are warriors! This is not a wuwu class, this class is for badass mamas and their people, queer folk, and those who like to do things their own way. Tell your people. #childbirtheducation

FER...What is that?? Stands for Fetal Ejection Reflex and while I have experienced it myself I didn't hear the term until I joined an unassisted birth group a ...few years ago. FER is when the body involuntarily pushes baby out. You may have heard some birth stories where the mom is saying she can't help pushing, that its just happening. That is FER and it is wonderful! Unfortunately in most modern births women don't experience FER because of interventions, inductions, and medications. Our bodies are seriously amazing and they have the ability to birth even without our cooperation, although its definitely more enjoyable to cooperate! Midwife Marianne Littlejohn says, Physiological birth is an involuntary process, related to activity in the primitive brain and body structures. It occurs best when a woman’s parasympathetic nervous system is operational and she is in a state of trust. A dark, calm, quiet, and almost solitary surrounding serves the mother best for labour and birth. Birth is not a voluntary action So how do have FER and why would you want to?? FER is most often achieved when a women feels safe and is in a state of trust, when labor has progressed naturally and isn't being rushed. A lot of hospitals tell women to push when they reach 10cm as if this is the magic moment of birth, but there is so much more to birth than just dilation. In fact, many women's labor will slow or stop after reaching 10 cm, giving a break as it gears up to finally expelling baby. Remember that the uterus is a muscle and you don't want to cause fatigue in the muscle that's going to push baby out! Waiting for FER gives mom a chance to rest and allows her to work with her body instead of against it. And baby is usually out in less pushes with FER than without. So, if that is something you are interested in, research more about have a Physiolgical birth, a birth that works with your body instead of against it, talk to your midwife or doctor about it and prepare your birth space and your mind for a peaceful, uninterrupted birth. See more

Some sweet images of a squirrel giving birth. We see you mama!

Are you familiar with why we wait for the white when clamping or cutting your baby’s umbilical cord? It’s known as delayed cord clamping. If you take a look a...t the first couple photos you’ll see what your baby’s cord may look like at birth. At that time there’s still about a 1/3 of your baby’s blood pumping through the cord and placenta. The latter photos show what the cord looks like after waiting a while. Physiologic cord camping allows for optimal transfusion of this blood which is necessary for your baby’s health. DCC results in a boost of your baby’s blood supply & higher iron levels, which is vital for healthy brain development and increased oxygenation for your baby. Midwives have always practiced delayed clamping and cutting while many providers clamp as soon as the baby is placed on moms chest. Policy’s are being updated as hospitals become more mom & baby friendly & providers are catching up on the evidence. Don’t hesitate to state your desires to delay clamping the cord if you birth in a space where this isn’t the norm. The time delayed varies by many providers, but a rule of thumb would be to wait until the cord is no longer pulsating. If you view many out of hospital birth photos & see the baby still attached to the placenta, this is why. Did you delay clamping and cutting your baby’s cord? Why or why not? #delayedcordclamping #waitforthewhite #homebirth #mymidwifetia #naturalbirth #midwife #childbirtheducation #birthprep #pregnancy : tagged in original post on Instagram.