Lunar Spirit Doula Services

12/02/2022

"Don't push!"

This incredible, badass mother fought against the urge to push with every ounce of her being after being made aware of a cervical lip.

Moments later, the decision was taken out of her hands as her body decided that baby was coming.

PS. Peep those custom bottoms, hand-drawn by yours truly. 😜

22/01/2022

••Appreciation goes a long way, show your love for those mama’s!••

My husband said to me today ‘I don’t know how you do it all day.’ Those words made me feel like I was capable, even though today in moments I didn’t feel like that. It’s amazing what words can do for a mum. A friend of mine told me the other day their husband said to her ‘Thankyou for all you do, this house would fall apart without you.’
When you get a chance, tell a mum she is doing a good job. You don’t know how much it might mean to her.

Gem oleander

21/04/2021

Mama, shower those babes with all the kisses! 😘 💋

“Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?! Amazing, right?”

http://www.mothering.com/articles/10-things-might-not-know-breastfeeding/ 📸: Dusktildawnphotography

15/01/2021

•• Sibling love 💕

02/01/2021

31/08/2020

✊🏼❤️

THIS is postpartum!
Thank you for keeping it real! 🙌🏼

05/07/2020

2020 has been a year 😅
I am usually pretty open about what’s going on in my life. When I’m struggling with body image or work etc. Well to keep things real & not just the highlight reel...
I was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety.
🖤
I felt I needed to be honest about this for anyone else who might be going through a similar struggle. To know you are NOT alone.
None of my friends or family have dealt with this so I felt very alone at the start.
🖤
A new baby — especially your first — can easily trigger worry. And when every new product you buy carries with it an all-caps warning label about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), well it doesn’t help matters. 😅 Now top that with a world wide pandemic & my job literally grinding to a halt.... yup… there I was dealing with PPA.

Otherwise known as the Hidden Disorder as few moms recognize it & it goes undiagnosed...postpartum anxiety symptoms manifest themselves mainly in the form of worry. Its loss of the normal sense of balance & calm.
There are a variety of triggers- mine just happened to be Covid.
🖤
There is a lot of stigma around postpartum anxiety. Lots of stigma around taking medication to help with it.
And honestly when I first reached out to my doctor I was so scared I was going to be judged. That she would think less of me. Or my husband would be embarrassed of me- my family would think I failed as a mom. That my friends (especially my friends with kids) would think I was a bad mom. Then I got mad at myself that I couldn’t handle all the stress of being a new mom & a world wide pandemic. I seriously felt all the emotions. 🙈

Reaching out & asking for help was so hard but so worth it. I can now function without being in a constant state of fear. Without worrying myself sick.
So to any new mom who is struggling- Regardless of whether your anxiety falls on the moderate or more severe end of the spectrum, it's better to seek help sooner than later. This is how I look at it, “Taking care of yourself is taking care of your baby."
🖤

But also I hope this is a reminder to everyone to BE KIND during these new & changing times. Social media only shows so much so always lead with love & kindness.🖤

28/06/2020

Don’t forget about you too - you got this. ❤️

20/06/2020

Oxytocin is:
the spark
the generator
the impetus
the power
the stimulus
the protector
of the birth process.

It creates:
bonding
connection
growth
love.

When you begin to understand how intricately involved oxytocin is, not just in the progression of birth but also in safeguarding the process, it seems insane to birth in any other environment than one where the conditions for oxytocin flow are optimal.

Do you feel safe?
Do you feel unobserved?
More bluntly:
Could you have an or**sm in this environment?

If you are not able to answer with 100% certainty, “yes” then you are not birthing in optimal conditions.
More than likely, your birth will be disturbed.
These disturbances lead to so many of the rampant “problems” of obstetrical birth: failure to progress, augmentation and induction of labour, epidurals, ‘stuck’ babies, tears, episiotomies, vacuum, forceps, cesarean surgery, stunned babies needing assistance, breastfeeding struggles, etc. So many of these situations (and specifically, their high rates of occurrence) are necessitated and caused by inference and disturbance of birth.

They are the result of a basic lack of understanding: you cannot understand birth until you understand oxytocin.

Learn about oxytocin. Respect oxytocin. Plan your birth accordingly ✨
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