Carrie D Doula Support

07/13/2025

🧠 Fear of childbirth? There’s something that actually works.

A new study found that mindful self-compassion helped first-time moms reduce fear dramatically—from a score of 77 to 46 in just 8 weeks.
No hype. Just real tools that rewire the brain for confidence.

At GentleBirth, we’ve seen this transformation every day.
Fear doesn’t disappear—but it becomes something you can move through with strength, calm, and support.

💛 Birth is a mind-body journey. And the way you think impacts the way you birth.

💬 Read the blog here: https://www.blog.gentlebirth.com/home/reduce-fear-of-childbirth-with-this-one-mindful-practice

07/05/2025

.
🩸 The Hijacking That Happens at the Crown 🩸

They "let" you labor.
They "let" you breathe.
They "let" you believe that you’re the one guiding your birth.

Until that baby begins to crown.
And then suddenly it’s their show.

🧤 Hands reach in.
🗣 Voices get louder.
🚨 Commands replace consent.

Your body, your rhythm, your baby, hijacked in an instant.

What should be the most sacred, instinctual, soul-deep moment becomes clinical, rushed, interrupted.

Not because something is wrong.
But because they’ve been trained to manage, not witness birth.
Because they believe they are the finish line.

But you were always the expert.

You didn’t need help at the end, you needed space.
You didn’t need “guidance”, you needed respect.

Let’s stop pretending that the birth is over when the head appears.

That’s when you are at your most powerful.

Don’t let them take that from you.

-Love,
Flor Cruz
/ .like.a.badass

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, & 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭!

07/05/2025

Which one are you? 👈👉

Posture is not just how you stand…
It’s how your baby descends.
It’s how your labor unfolds.
It’s how you feel -right now-

Let’s connect the dots:

Misalignment → Discomfort → Labor Dysfunction → Intervention Risk

Anterior Pelvic Tilt
• Discomfort: Low back pain, round ligament pulling
• Labor Impact: Baby stays high, poor engagement
• Risk: Long labors, epidural risk

Thoracic Kyphosis (hunching)
• Discomfort: Rib tightness, shallow breath
• Labor Impact: Inhibited pushing, breath holding
• Risk: Fatigue, coached pushing

Foot Pronation or Supination
• Discomfort: Knee pain, hip instability, foot fatigue
• Labor Impact: Uneven descent, imbalance in pelvis
• Risk: Malposition, stalled labor, back labor

Forward Head Posture
• Discomfort: Neck tension, headaches
• Labor Impact: Tension overload, adrenaline spikes
• Risk: Irregular contractions, poor labor rhythm

Pendulous Abdomen
• Discomfort: Pelvic heaviness, bladder strain, diastasis
• Labor Impact: Baby can't rotate or descend properly
• Risk: "Failure to progress", C-section pressure

Hyperextended Knees
• Discomfort: Joint strain, weak core grounding
• Labor Impact: Mobility limitations, poor pelvic mechanics
• Risk: Early intervention or hospital transfer

The Maternal Alignment Assessment is about helping your body make space, the space your body and baby actually need.

✔️ Custom posture + breath evaluation
✔️ Real-time corrections that bring instant relief
✔️ 100% virtual + tailored to your body

This is what we should be talking about in late pregnancy prep.

This is for anyone pregnant in all trimesters.

🛑 Get assessed & aligned today!
Learn about how your posture is contributing to your overall experience & take control where you truly have power.

Virtual assessments for all mothers around the world, only $35!

Get Assessed & Aligned:
https://wombsisterhood.wixsite.com/tppjo/maternalalignment

Become a certified Hands on Skills Practitioner to learn how to assess & align expecting mothers in need of this support around the world, follow to learn more!

07/05/2025

You were literally designed to birth your baby.
You CAN do this! 💜

07/05/2025

Did you know? 🤔 Midwives play an important role in providing care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They offer personalized support to families across Alberta, contributing to better health outcomes for parents and babies. Stay tuned for more midwifery facts!

05/17/2025

What makes birth positive?

It’s time to bust some myths! A positive birth does not mean your birth has to be....

🌿 Pain-free
🌿Vaginal
🌿Without pain relief
🌿 Without being induced
🌿 At home
🌿 In a pool
🌿 With music playing
🌿 Surrounded by candles....

These things are wonderful & very conducive to physiological birth, but just because a birth may be physiological does not mean it will automatically be positive. Here’s why...

Birth is about how you FELT throughout. Did you feel coerced or pushed into making a choice you didn’t want to (or have to) make? Did you feel scared during labour? Did you feel your voice wasn’t listened to? Were you given all the information? Did you feel important? Were you asked for informed consent? THESE are the things that make birth positive, a that when you reflect back, tell your story or think about growing your family even more, you feel GOOD about it, in fact, you feel amazing 🤩

You aren’t a vessel, a hunk of meat or a body that is less important than your baby. You are giving birth & your experience REALLY matters! YOU really matter!

I hope you know what a big deal your experience is, however it unfolds! ❤️

Follow on IG:
www.instagram.com/thebirthimpact

Words•

📷•


Thewombsisterhood.com

05/17/2025

🟣 Another blog post updated and moved to my website!
The research evidence regarding induction for rupture of membranes is poor. Giving antibiotics in labour 'just in case' is not supported by current evidence, and may cause problems for baby and mother. Women need adequate information on which to base their decisions regarding the management, or not, of this situation. Women who choose to wait for labour should be supported in doing so.
https://www.rachelreed.website/blog/prelabour-rupture-of-membranes

05/17/2025

05/17/2025

Lots of conversations now highlight the ways in which women and families are being groomed and coerced during their pregnancy and birth experiences, and it's good to see awareness being raised about this.

This often happens around induction of labour, which some professional bodies have describe as a 'shared decision'.

While it’s laudable that these bodies and their representatives can finally see that the patriarchal approach is inappropriate, the term ‘shared decision making’ is not the answer.

Because, when it relates to whether or not someone wants to accept an elective intervention that is being offered to them, the decision is not shared.

Options, information and evidence should be shared.

But the decision is made by the person whose body and health care is under discussion.

I am not for a moment denying the value of professional expertise and experience, which can be immensely valuable and is sadly often undermined and denigrated these days.

And I frequently caution people to be aware of where they are getting information, especially online.

These days, too many people “don’t know what they don’t know.”

But if it’s your body that will be affected, the decision is yours.

If you’d like more information on this as it relates to maternity care, please see What’s Right For Me? Making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth.

And there’s also loads of free info on my website as well.

https://www.sarawickham.com/me

04/25/2025