The Doula Difference

It's time. I had slowed my doula work since the birth of Paige, and acclimating to two little ones that are  years apart. Now that she is almost two and a half, the decision to return to my passion and work is an easy one. I am elated to get back to doing what I love.  Staying home while the babies learn to nurse, coo, laugh, and crawl is something I decided was best for my family. Since every family is different, many families choose different routes after becoming a family. I had wanted to return when she was one, however, we weren't comfortable with daycare options in our area, and she couldn't yet tell us about her day to day. Those days have passed. (I really miss the crawling and snuggle coo's though, that's the best part of babies, oh, and the smell!)  So I just wanted to say Hellooooo, and that there is another Doula out here in KC! 

Meeting my sweet daughter would prove to be no easy task...I certainly waited for a long time to have a daughter, so it seemed fitting. She was due in late May of 2015 but decided to get here a bit closer to her brother's birthday of May 16th. So that is where we shall begin... We had just wrapped up my son's Car themed birthday party. He turned 3 that Saturday, it was May 16th. It was nice to celebrate his birthday on his actual birthday this year! We started the day seeing our midwife in the morning and then setting up for the festivities. All things Paige related were looking good, my previous birth (the little guy we were celebrating) was an overwhelming 43 weeks! So we were in for the long haul this go around as well. She certainly had other plans. So as we said our goodbye's to our family and friends that Saturday we reluctantly agreed to let our now 3 year old leave his celebration decorations up until we moved. You see we were also moving in less than a week, so w

There are many herbs, and even more ways to use them. For post pregnancy ailments, she is a good choice to provide comfort and can aid in the healing process. Comfrey (Symphytum officinalis) is often referred to as "knitbone" due to it's ability to promote mending. The herb contains 'allanton' which aids the healing of torn tissues and can also be used postpartum to provide comfort in several fascinating ways... - As a leaf compress comfrey soothes swollen and sore/tender breasts. - Comfrey Sitz bath or adding some to a peri bottle can relieve tenderness from childbirth. - Some midwives have used a poultice with comfrey and applied to vaginal tears. Comfrey is one of nature's healers, and has many more uses outside of the postpartum period. Throughout various cultures, women have been finding the comforts of comfrey an integral part of their postpartum healing. Comfrey ( Symphytum Officinalis )

In the beginning of a pregnancy, it's all so new and exciting. There are all of those 'firsts', hearing the baby's heartbeat, getting that much anticipated sonogram, even those early midwife/OB visits seem to bring on their own special brand of anticipatory excitement. Then that last trimester sneaks right up on us. With the frequent bathroom breaks, seemingly endless cups of water, and aches and pains that go along with growing a human being start to catch up and take a small toll. Many of us 'mothers to be' in that space have a universal feeling of the never ending pregnancy. So, how exactly does one cope with the anxious waiting game associated with the last few weeks, and sometimes, those extra days beyond the prescribed 'due date'? Having patience in pregnancy can be a tall order in the end...take it from me, I was beyond 42 weeks when my little one decided it was time. The first and best way to handle all that antsy pantsy-ness is pure distracti

After the birth, usually the baby is kind of messy. While bringing baby into the world is neither easy or clean work, a lot of the 'messy' stuff remaining on the baby is quite useful for the early moments in life and bonding. Typically once baby is delivered, and placed on mama's chest, a gentle wipe down or towel off is sufficient for a while. Delaying the bath can increase the start of breastfeeding. The vernix and amniotic fluid left on baby provides cues to the mother's brain to begin producing milk/colostrum. Additionally the immediate placement of baby onto moms chest can promote early breast feeding cues, again due to the powerful scents of birth and our olfactory recognition.  Aside from a beautiful beginning to breast feeding, bathing too soon may lower the infants temperature. Even when warm water is used, studies have show. The temperature can decrease up to 3 degrees. Infants are not fully able to regulate their own temperature until about 72 hours of life

During the childbearing year, so many of us prepare for the birth experience. We take childbirth preparation classes, such as Lamaze, Hypnobabies, or even Birthing from Within. While these are all gloriously wonderful techniques to use in preparation for and during childbirth, those first few 'baby moon' months are of great importance as well. The idea of the 'fourth trimester', or the first three months post birth, creates a soft landing space for your new baby to cope with the whole concept of being 'land side', and all the exciting experiences that come with it. The newborns' experiences in the womb are often recreated post birth in order to calm/soothe baby. Such techniques include swaddling, which recreates the tight, enclosed womb like feeling they had while in utero, and swinging/swaying, again baby was constantly swayed while in the womb. Shushing, or humming are also quite soothing to baby since they have been hearing mom's heartbeat, and ot