Estrella Luna Doula

12/06/2022

Walk into a room while I am supporting a birth and you might think that I am just sitting there doing nothing. I won’t be talking. I won’t be touching the client. I won’t be using anything in my bag.

So what am I doing exactly?

🪑 Watching mom’s breathing and sometimes breathing loudly alongside her to remind her to slow down her breath

🪑 Scanning mom’s body during the contraction to make sure that she isn’t holding any tension

🪑 Monitoring the temperature and lighting to create the peaceful environment that she desires

🪑 Calculating how long it has been since she emptied her bladder

🪑 Thinking about how long she has been in her current position and thinking about the next position that she might try

🪑 Timing contractions to see if they are longer, stronger and closer together

🪑 Thinking about when mom and her partner last had a snack

🪑 Reviewing her preferences to make sure that everything is going according to her plan

🪑 Giving the couple space to connect on an intimate level (allowing for oxytocin) and/or guiding the partner to be the lead support

🪑 Updating notes and capturing labor flow

Sometimes just being fully present is enough. Sometimes just knowing I am there in close proximity is all mom needs to be able to relax and focus on what she needs to do. Sometimes just holding space for them in an unbiased manner allows for a noticeable shift in the energy of the room.

And the list goes on….

Source

10/13/2022

09/30/2022

Everyone should have this information. 👇🏼
This way, if you choose to have IV fluids and or need them, newborn weight and loss/gain can account for this in the first weeks.
In 2011 a team of Canadian researchers published a study which linked routine IV fluids with excessive weight loss in newborns. The study concluded that it takes about 24 hours for babies to correct their fluid state and therefore a true birth weight should be done at 24 hours. Here's the issue with with weighing baby at birth with a mother who received IV fluids: those fluids not only over saturate the mother (throwing her into an electrolyte imbalance), but this same thing happens to baby!
So let's say you had the typical hospital birth..labored for 12 hours with fluids being pumped into you the entire time. Baby is born weighing 8lbs 8oz. You go to your 3 day postpartum checkup and baby is down to 7lbs 5oz! Well..thats over a whole pound lost. The provider you see suddenly encourages you to supplement with formula because your baby is losing too much weight. You wonder how could this be...youve been nursing round the clock, changed plenty of wet diapers. How could this happen? .
You spent months researching breastfeeding and all its benefits for it to come down to this?..and at only 3 days postpartum! You feel like you've failed, but you fear that your baby is starving. So what do you do? You supplement...with formula. Next your milk supply drops because you're not bringing baby to the breast, but rather to the bottle. Before you know it you have an exclusively formula fed baby. .
This scenario is SO common, and I believe receiving IV fluids in labor is a HUGE part of the problem. As if the obstetric community hasn't failed women enough..now their "harmless" interventions caused you to lose all confidence in your ability to feed & nourish your baby from your breasts. .
So what can you do???
1. STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEM!
2. Say NO to routine IV fluids
3. Bring this study to attention if this happens to you
4. Continue nursing your baby. Bring baby to breast as first solution when she cries
5. Nurse in demand NOT on schedule



Edited to add:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948093/

References:
https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-4358-6-9

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174114/pdf/1746-4358-6-9.pdf

https://www.nfaap.org/sso/sso.aspx?nfredirect=https%3A%2F%2Fpediatrics.aappublications.org%2Fcontent%2F127%2F1%2Fe171.abstract%3Fsso%3D1%26sso_redirect_count%3D2%26nfstatus%3D401%26nftoken%3D00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000%26nfstatusdescription%3DERROR%253A%2520No%2520local%2520token&no-redirect

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine put this as well in one of its 2017 protocols.
https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/3-supplementation-protocol-english.pdf

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2011/08/15/study-shows-link-between-maternal-iv-fluids-and-weight-loss-in-newborns/

Good info form evidence based birth.
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/iv-fluids-during-labor/

07/22/2022

Informed consent never looks or sounds like something already in motion. Huge red flag. True informed consent takes hold of the concepts of a conversation. One that explains risks and benefits, leaves room for questions and time to consider, and then the decision is up to the client. With the choice of No being a full one.
What have you experienced?

06/19/2022

I began to specialize in trauma-informed intimate healthcare because I sought approaches to improve my own clinical practice that could work for sexual assault survivors and q***r people, of which I am both, and wanted to take the best care possible of my communities. many years ago I drafted this “stop” and “out” language, and began demanding that providers attend attention to the patient’s non-verbal cues as part of ongoing consent. this script (this image is just an excerpt of the longer dialogue) and many others are available on my blog, linked in bio. I write a new script almost every week in my subscription newsletter - would love to have you reading there, too 💌

I’m still crafting language and drafting suggestions. I still want to really understand the research, history, and ethics behind true informed consent, the challenge of healthcare provider power dynamics, and approaches that seem easy and “of course” to so many and yet are so difficult for the MIC as well as many midwives, nurses, and other intimate care providers. If you read my work and say “of course,” and “that’s so easy!” then I couldn’t be more thrilled we are on the same page! but if you read my work and your response is defensiveness, excuses for why these suggestions aren’t possible, or an attempt to discredit my experience and knowledge, I can almost guarantee that what I write and advocate is meant for you and the patients in your care. if your response to yesterday’s post about physicians cancelling birth plans was an gut-reaction “well some patients,” take a step back. and think about what sort of an MIC environment creates that response within you, and how that same environment creates how you view “some patients.” start here, with informed and consent, gentle intimate exams, and verbal and nonverbal cues about patient comfort.

06/07/2022

Hello friends, I have created my own home birth practice and I am thrilled to say I am now taking clients.

Serving the families of Central Florida at a birth center for the last four years has truly been a dream job. Still, I can’t escape the call to attend to families in their own space, on their own terms. There's nothing quite like home birth for that.

It is the greatest honor to be in the clinical role for these families, providing safety and guidance through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, not as the authority, but as a servant.

In this work, I get the joy of seeing people empower themselves in seeking information, community, and tuning in to their own intuition as they come into their own as parents. I can’t wait to walk with birthing families in this more connected and personalized manner.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in concierge pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care, or if they would benefit from childbirth education or lactation services, please refer to my social media or website for information on getting a free consultation. The future is bright.

05/14/2022

Relactation or induced lactation (for those who did not give birth to their baby) is essentially a two-fold process: You will be teaching (or re-teaching) baby to nurse at the breast, and to equate nursing with comfort. At the same time you will be developing (or re-developing) a milk supply.

03/31/2022

please don’t be out here in the MIC or ANY birthing location shaky as hell or lookin trapped!!! 🙏🏿😵‍💫

there are doulas everywhere who support people in every financial bracket. Doula support can be FREE depending on where you live or your insurance - there is NO EXCUSE! 💯

the hood needs doulas and you can BE one or FIND one ❤️‍🔥💋

03/23/2022

🎉Happy World Doula Week! 🎉

03/16/2022

This is what home birth looks like,

Midwives sitting at the table chatting, sipping coffee and water.

Your best friend sitting on the floor playing with your toddler.

Your partner holding your hand while you work with the waves that rush over you to bring your baby into this universe.

Home birth isn’t how the movies depict birth. It isn’t an agonizing mother in hospital bed. It isn’t a woman who’s left to do the work all on her own. It isn’t unfamiliar doctors and nurses ushering in & out of your hospital room.

Birth is,
Powerful.
A rite of passage.
Transforming.
Empowering.
Normal.

03/15/2022

Treating her patients well is not the only reason that Joseph has become one of the pre-eminent advocates of—and a national role model for—midwifery in the U...

03/07/2022

🤌🏽These are 4 absolute MUST HAVES that I always have stocked!!!🗣

organic l**e - LOVE this and every single product they make.

basal body thermometer - I use the app to track and have been hormonal bc free since the my pregnancy with nary a pregnancy scare!

belly butter - it just feels good to rub that bump, and the ritual can help foster deeper connection! This belly butter is pretty clean and you can feel good about putting it on your skin.

postpartum recovery kit - I have no words. Just click “buy”.

Anything you all recommend? Drop it in the comments! 🎉

**e

03/01/2022

Double tap if you’ve been personally victimized by this statement. ❤️

This is singlehandedly the most annoying fu***ng thing I always hear when a new parent expresses their overwhelm.

As if a shower is enough time to mentally recoup, catch up on sleep, and fill your cup. 🙄

There’s no shame in taking a few hours AWAY if you can. If not, GODSPEED. ❤️

02/28/2022

Literally who is telling people they can’t eat during labor 🙄😂

02/24/2022

Wondering what it’s like to work with me? 🤔

Here’s a client review for ya! 🗣

Kind words from an even kinder soul, and my first home birth experience as a doula!

02/23/2022

Less than 24 hours later (swipe)

😫Can you tell I was not enjoying pregnancy?! The swollen feet, face and belly. RIP 🥴

The mind is such a powerful thing. And there is so much more power in knowing your body.

I woke up that morning, walked into the living room and said “I’m having this baby today.” I was 40 + 5.

Your intuition is arguably the most important component of your birth experience.

It’s all you baby. No one else.

I remember the midwife telling me “You’re not having this baby until tomorrow” when I arrived at the birth center. HA.

I KNEW when my baby was coming.

Don’t just stretch and expand your body to prepare for birth — stretch and expand your awareness too.

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02/23/2022

Less than 24 hours later (swipe)

😫Can you tell I was not enjoying pregnancy?!

The mind is such a powerful thing. And there is so much more power in knowing your body.

I woke up that morning, walked into the living room and said “I’m having this baby today.” I was 40 + 5.

Your intuition is arguably the most important component of your birth experience.

It’s all you baby. No one else.

I remember the midwife telling me “You’re not having this baby until tomorrow” when I arrived at the birth center. HA.

I KNEW when my baby was coming.

Don’t just stretch and expand your body to prepare for birth — stretch and expand your awareness too.

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•
•

02/21/2022

🤌🏽You need this tip before baby arrives 💥

If you are doing the parenting thing with a partner, it’s important to be on the same page with your approach.

Gentle parenting?
Time outs?
Generational trauma to unpack?

Talk this out BEFORE your babe arrives, to help ease the already difficult transition to postpartum. ❤️

Double tap if this was helpful!