Birth Your Way Israel - Rebecca Aaronson, Birth Doula, RN, CRNP

19/11/2025

✨ Preventing Perineal Tearing — What You Should Know ✨

As a doula, I am often asked: *how can I prevent tearing?*
While tearing is sometimes unavoidable, there are techniques you can learn and practice that can significantly reduce the risk.

🌬️ Breathe Baby Out - Slow, controlled breathing allows baby to come down gradually. Focusing your breath and energy downward with long, complete exhales, relaxed jaw, and relaxed pelvic floor (“J-breathing”).

❌ Avoid Directed Pushing - Unless medically necessary, only push when your body tells you to. This shortens pushing time and decreases strain on the perineum.
Avoid holding your breath or purple pushing.

💧 Warm Compresses on the Perineum - Warm compresses during the pushing stage can reduce the risk of severe tears and help soften the tissues.

🤲 Perineal Support & Counter-Pressure - Your partner, provider, or you yourself can apply gentle support to the perineum as baby crowns, helping prevent tearing.

🧘‍♀️ Upright or Forward-Leaning Birth Positions - Use positions that open the pelvis and use gravity reduce strain on the perineum and give baby more room.

🖐️ Slow Down the Final Moments - The birth of the head (crowning - “ring of fire”) is the most intense stretch. Slowing down here (pausing between urges, and soft “shhh shh shh” or “hoo hoo hoo” breathing instead of pushing) gives your body time to stretch and prevent tearing.

✂ Avoid Episiotomy - Research shows natural tearing (if it happens) usually heals better than a surgical cut. You can request no episiotomy unless medically necessary.

🌸 Perineal Massage in Late Pregnancy - Some women find that gentle self-massage from 34+ weeks increases elasticity and comfort with stretching sensations during birth.

With preparation, patience, and supportive care, birth can be calm, safe and deeply empowering!

If you’d like to learn more and set yourself up for success, with the goal of a birth centered on calm and confidence — I’d be honored to support you. 💛

📩 Send me a message to chat about doula and birth prep services. 053-351-4624

21/10/2025

The “rest and be thankful stage” is the lull in labor that some women experience after full dilation and before feeling the physiological urge to push. This is normal and not a “stalled labor.”

This “rest and be thankful stage” gives your body a chance to relax and prepare to do a different type of work (in labor the muscles of your uterus are working to draw your cervix up and open. During pushing, the muscles of your uterus change functions and begin to push down instead of pull up). If you wait to push until you really need to, you will often find that your pushing time is shorter (less energy expended) and progresses more smoothly than pushing before you feel the urge.

In other words…No need to start pushing just because you are 10 cm dilated - *Follow your body’s lead* and take the beautiful opportunity to rest when it presents itself. 🙏.

21/10/2025

22/09/2025

Shanah Tovah! As we welcome in a new year, I want to wish everyone a year filled with inner and outer peace (personally and world-wide). New life and strength and positive experiences. Closeness to our families and friends.

A sweet, healthy happy new year filled with brachot, shalom, health, parnassah, connectedness, and only good news. 🙏❤️🍎🍯

Ketivah v’Chatima Tovah.

🌟Just as the 100 shofar blasts/ cries birth a new year, a birthing woman releases the sounds she needs to from her body and soul that brings new life into the world.

🌟 Shofar and Shifra (the Jewish midwife in the Torah) share the same letters and role. Birth and newness in our world (full of miracles). 🌍

So honored to be a part of so many birth journeys and to support families that choose to have me on their birth team 🥰

11/09/2025

21/08/2025

29/07/2025

“I couldn’t be more grateful to have had Rebecca as my doula. Even though I reached out late in my pregnancy — around 35 weeks with my sixth baby — she stepped in seamlessly and became not just a doula, but a true coach, guide, and friend throughout the final stretch of pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Even with this being my sixth birth, Rebecca came with fresh ideas that truly made a difference — from late pregnancy comfort and health tips to labor prep and nursing advice. In just one meeting, she tuned in deeply and somehow remembered every little detail I mentioned I might like during labor, even though it all happened so quickly (we were in the delivery room for just 30 minutes before baby arrived!).

She had my playlist playing, battery candles flickering, massaged all the right places, and reminded my husband about orange essential oil — all while helping me in the bathroom and then gently guiding me into my preferred birth position. She even arrived at the hospital before us and had already explained to the staff that I tend to labor quickly, so we skipped triage and went straight to delivery — just in time. Her ability to navigate everything in Hebrew was also a huge help and comfort.

Rebecca is a true gem. Don’t hesitate to have her by your side. She brings not only a wealth of knowledge and experience, but also a calming, empowering presence that lifts you up through pregnancy, labor, postpartum recovery, and nursing. I only wish I had found her sooner!”

27/07/2025

The Haakaa silicone breast pump that works by suction is something that I recommend buying and having on your breastfeeding journey. It is great for relieving pressure /cutting the edge if you have some engorgement (making a softer, more comfortable landing spot for baby too) or if baby slept a little longer than usual and your breast is uncomfortably full of milk. Can also catch milk on the side baby isn’t latched on when you have letdown (which happens bilaterally). It is so light and easy to keep by your bedside or in your diaper bag and you can freeze whatever milk you get out.

Note: this simple pump, is indeed still a pump, so too much stimulation of the breasts with it can be a cause of oversupply, since our bodies still work by supply and demand.

The ability of this simple pump to to provide quick relief and take some milk out quickly, and easily using suction is really helpful. It is a brilliant tool to keep in your lactation tool bag 🤱🏻

***The more you squeeze the bottom of the pump, the stronger the suction will be 💪 .***

25/07/2025

“Rebecca was really the best shaliach for me in every way as a doula!! I searched for a doula for quite some time as it was my first birth and I had a high risk pregnancy, so I was looking for a doula with a medical background and experience with diabetics while also leaning towards the most natural birth process as possible. Really at every stage of the process- prebirth classes, the birth itself, and post birth, Rebecca was a wellspring of support, insight, and guidance. I really felt she went beyond for me at every stage!! The classes before really helped me and my husband prepare mentally/emotionally/physically. During the birth itself she was 100% on and focused, guiding me through every contraction and helping me manage the pain without medical intervention thanks to her encouragement, massage, movement and breathing techniques. And after the birth she continued to be a huge support, which especially with bringing home my first, I really needed and appreciate so much!! I can really see how huge her role was in helping me have a positive birth experience BH!”

16/07/2025

not the baby warmer.

Research shows that most babies born after an unmedicated labour, when provided with a period of uninterrupted skin to skin with their mother, will navigate themselves to, and then latch on to the breast within an hour of birth.

Creating an opportunity for interrupted skin to skin after birth is the best way to support this mind blowing process happen.

Research has also shown that immediate skin to skin increases the chances that babies are breastfed, extends the length of breastfeeding, and also helps to improve rates of exclusive breastfeeding.

If this period of skin to skin wasn’t possible for your baby and you, all is not lost! Skin to skin continues to be beneficial, and can help get feeding back on track, as well as promoting bonding.

Please get in touch if you need a hand with feeding your baby at any stage.

With huge thanks E, W & for letting me use this amazing image.

***s

13/07/2025

Mind-blowing fact: 🤯

Microchimerism is the presence of a small population of genetically distinct and separately derived cells within an individual. Microchimerism occurs between mother and fetus when a small numbers of cells transfer across the placenta during pregnancy. This exchange occurs both from the fetus to the mother and from the mother to the fetus. 🤰

So, mothers carry the cells of their children in them and cells from their own mother as well, long after the umbilical cord has been cut, these cells remain in the mother (and hers in her children as well). 👶🏻

These fetal cells stay in the mother’s body long after birth, settling in her organs, skin, and even her brain. These cells can help heal the mother. In some cases, scientists have found that if a mother’s heart is injured, fetal cells rush to the damaged area and turn into heart cells to help repair it. 🫀

This cellular connection means that every child a woman carries leaves a lasting mark on her body. Even pregnancies that don’t go to full term can leave behind this imprint. 💞

Remarkably, researchers have found fetal cells in a mother’s brain as long as 18 years after giving birth. It’s a science-backed reason why mothers often say they can “feel” their children, even when they’re not physically near.

It’s a beautiful reminder of how deeply connected a mother and child truly are—both during pregnancy and long after.

Seriously, incredible!!!

12/07/2025

Hemorrhoids. Ouch! 😭 An uncomfortable, but real part of many pregnancies and postpartum experiences.

💪 Good to be prepared with some tricks for healing and soothing these irritating, swollen veins that cause tremendous pain in the bottom.

They can be caused by hormonal changes and increased pressure from the growing uterus or from pushing during the birth itself. Hemorrhoids can cause pain, itching, and bleeding, particularly during bowel movements.

Some tricks for soothing and healing hemorrhods:

⭐️ Aloe Vera gel
⭐️ Witch Hazel (Tucks Pads)
⭐️ Coconut oil
⭐️ Ice pack
⭐️ Sitz bath with epsom salt (can also add chamomile)
⭐️ Calendula
⭐️ Use a peri-bottle or bidet to spray the area and gently pat dry (avoid harsh wiping with dry toilet paper)
⭐️ Castor oil topically (only postpartum!! Not to be used during pregnancy.)

Preventing straining with bowel movements is also important 🚽:

⭐️ Hydrate well with water
⭐️ Exercise
⭐️ Eat Foods with Fiber (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oatmeal, dried fruit)
⭐️ Magnesium supplement
⭐️ Use a Squatty Potty or Stool for feet