Adrienne Wetherell - yoga & doula services

11/04/2025

For the Doulas & Other Birth Nerds:

I often say that people really have no idea what we do as doulas. There are so many ways we support our clients that seem behind the scenes.

Sometimes it takes more ”gymnastics” to help a baby be born 🤸

When a client of mine is in labour, I’m always asking:

Where do you feel the contractions in your body?

I’m sure it’s annoying the number of times I ask this, but it helps give me an idea of how the baby might be positioned.

Doulas don’t do pelvic exams to check for cervical dilation or baby position (because we aren’t medical providers) but there are other signs!

Here’s a recent birth as an example (although similar scenarios have occurred many times):

During my client’s very early labour, I suspected her baby was not optimally positioned. Due to her contraction pattern and what she was feeling in her body.

I worked with her virtually through the night giving her exercises to help her baby to reposition.

Her back pain eventually subsided (yay!), but her contractions didn’t stop or progress (I would have expected either scenario).

But her new body sensations + contraction pattern told me her baby was stuck at the top of her pelvis and not descending.

By the morning, I told her we were entering into uncomfortable birthing position territory.

I suggested she do abdominal lift & tuck for 5 contractions while I made my way over.

When I arrived, her contractions had spaced to 9-10mins and were very short (approx 20+ seconds)

We used a rolled up yoga mat and I helped her into Walcher’s on her bed. She said it felt comfortable and I told her that meant we were doing it wrong so we adjusted!

Within a few minutes, her contractions started coming every 2-3 minutes and doubled in length!

And not long after that, she transitioned into active labour

(Side note: 2-3 min apart contractions does not necessarily mean active labour!)

The reason I started off saying this is “behind the scenes” is because by the time the healthcare provider does a pelvic exam, the baby has sometimes already (continued in the comments) 👇

Walchers:
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Photo: ⁣
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10/22/2025

13yrs ago today, my very first client became a mama and I became a doula!

I love marking this special day, every year.

I am so grateful to all the families I’ve had the honour of supporting, and the wonderful connections I’ve made along the way.

I wish I could remember all of the baby birthdays!

For myself and my seasoned colleagues, it is no small thing to be doing this work for an extended period of time.

Longevity in doula work is hard won.

The average career span for a doula is 3-5 years, largely due to burnout.

I’ve spent lots of time over the years reflecting on what it means to do this work sustainably.

Here’s what I’ve realized:

It involves changing the culture of our industry and the unspoken expectations surrounding doula work.

We give so much because we love what we do and because we are givers and nurturers.

But with the demands of on-call life, it’s very easy to develop what I call a “house on fire” nervous system.

I’ve felt this truth in my body. IYKYK!

I remind myself that working within my capacity is how I will make the most meaningful and lasting contribution.

This informs my business best practices and boundaries.

I haven’t solved it, I’m always reviewing and refining how I do things.

At the end of the day, what’s good for us is also good for our clients.

Because who doesn’t want a calm, experienced and centred doula at their birth?✨

10/08/2025

Reposting on my grid again. I love how powerful this image is ❤️
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“We think in pictures and we should be painting accurate pictures. The cervix nor the va**na bloom. The cervix is not a zip lock bag. The purpose of labor is NOT the creation of an opening or a hole... The purpose of labor contractions and retractions is to BUILD the fundus, which will, when it is ready, EJECT the baby, like a piston. Without a nice thick fundus there is no power to get baby out....the cervix does not dilate out....it dilates UP as a result of the effort to pull muscles up into the uterus to push muscles up to the fundus. The cervical dilation is secondary to that. The cervix is pulled up as a result of the building of the fundus. Assigning a number to cervical dilation is of little consequence and we make a huge mistake by interpreting progress or predicting time of birth to that number.

Any experienced midwife or OB can tell you that the cervix can be manipulated and that a woman whose cervix is at 7 could have the baby in a few minutes or a few hours.

If more providers and educators knew the truth about birth physiology, we could make a huge difference for mothers. What is important is to keep her well supported for the purpose of the appropriate chemistry, to keep her well hydrated and nourished for muscle strength, and to believe in her. We should be supporting her so that her physiology and that of her baby are unhindered, so they can finish what they started.

We should not be measuring, poking, or interpreting her labor. THIS CHANGE in teaching about labor could make such a difference for women who are imagining what is happening in their bodies during labor.

How much more strength might they have if they have an accurate picture?” -Carla Hartley

http://www.indybirthservices.com/blog/nova-birth-services

10/02/2025

10/01/2025

Thinking of you and holding space ❤️‍🩹

Repost

09/23/2025

Repost
・・・
ACOG reaffirms that is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. Read our full statement at the link in our bio.

09/22/2025

・・・
On June 23, 40-year-old Ravinder Kaur Sidhu from Brampton died of septic shock after childbirth.

Her family says faster treatment could have saved her life.

The story starts in mid-June, when the 40-year-old mother from Brampton gave birth to her third child at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. The birth itself was uncomplicated, but within hours Ravinder developed fever, shakes, heavy bleeding, and an elevated white blood cell count.

These are classic symptoms of sepsis. Instead, the hospital gave her painkillers and reassured her family this was “normal.”

Overnight, Ravinder’s condition worsened. She complained of excruciating pain in her legs and was unable to move them. By morning, her blood pressure had plummeted. On a video call, her sister immediately recognized Ravinder was in septic shock. Still, the hospital dismissed these concerns.

It wasn’t until 4 p.m. the next day, 29 hours after her first symptoms, that she was finally assessed by an infectious disease specialist and prescribed antibiotics.

By then, the infection had spread. Medical staff tried to save Ravinder’s life by having her undergo a hysterectomy, but it was too late, she was transferred to Sunnybrook and died on June 23.

Why this matters:

⚫️ Sepsis is the leading cause of maternal death. It can be fatal within hours, but is treatable with early recognition and antibiotics.

⚫️ In Ravinder’s case, the delay in treatment was devastating. Canadian researchers point out this is part of a larger systemic problem: most provinces (Ontario included) still don’t have a sepsis action plan. That means medical staff often aren’t trained to recognize sepsis and there’s no standard protocol.

⚫️ In addition, racialized and marginalized folks are more likely to have their concerns dismissed and receive lesser care than their white counterparts.

We need urgent changes: standardized sepsis protocols, stronger medical training, and accountability for systemic inequities in care.

Ravinder’s story should be a turning point, not another preventable tragedy.

09/17/2025

In honour of my daughter’s recent 12th birthday, I thought I would make a little compilation of some of things she’s said over the years 😆

09/02/2025

Starting my week with so much gratitude!

These kind words have such a big impact on my “labour of love” (my small business!)

Many of my clients come through referrals.

It always feels so special to meet someone
via a previous client, or when I get to support repeat clients (second, third, and fourth babies!) 💗

08/07/2025

I’m often asked at postpartum visits whether or not it’s wrong to hold your baby while they sleep.

We have a longer conversation about this, reflecting baby’s age/stage and family needs, but essentially my answer is:

It’s never wrong to nurture your baby.

Your baby needs this connection and so do you!

It can form a beautiful part of your bond over time, and an attunement with your child.

1.5yrs ago, I started to notice I was losing weight. My clothes fit differently, my rings were falling off. I’m just busy! I’ll have to try and eat more, I thought. And then I began to feel my heart pounding. It must be because I’ve lost weight, I reasoned. Maybe my heartbeat is more noticeable now?

Then one night, my daughter came to lie down in bed with me, and she put her head on my chest.

(She was a higher needs baby who spent a lot of time in my bed over the years)

“Your heart is REALLY loud”, she said.

Oh, I thought. It’s not all in my head!

I promptly booked myself a doctor’s appointment.

“Your blood pressure is still in the normal range” the doctor told me, and said she was hesitant to book a blood test.

Thankfully, advocacy is my jam.

“But is it normal for me?” I asked. What is my typical range?

She looked again at my file. “It IS higher for you,” she said. “You’re typically on the lower side.”

I went for a blood test that day, and my doctor called me the very next morning (on a Saturday).

“It’s your thyroid,” she said, and she immediately sent me a prescription to regulate my heartbeat and put through a referral for an endocrinologist.

Thank goodness for my daughter!

Our children are so in tune.

As parents, the connection we nurture with them gives back to us incredible and profound ways.

📷Throwback pic of me and my daughter 💕

08/02/2025

“Hi, I’m a raisin!” 🙋🏻‍♀️
Apparently I was super proud and wanted everyone to know.

07/29/2025

I originally posted this to my page on October 13th, 2023. Months before, I had a dream I was standing in front of a huge pile of broken concrete.

What happened? I wondered.

I thought the Gardiner expressway (an old overpass near my home) had fallen down.

And then, when I began to see images of families and children being pulled from the rubble, this dream flashed before my eyes.

We have arrived at “devastating humanitarian consequences” and gone way beyond.

We now know exactly how a genocide happens, and how silence enables it.

As the tide is slowly turning on being vocal about this ongoing tragedy, I’m holding space for those who are the most vulnerable (intersectionality) and who, despite the consequences, have been raising awareness for a long time.

Their voices and tireless labour have paved the way.