Head Heart Hands Doula Services

10/23/2023

In a world where we rush around and try to fit too much in, a baby’s ‘due date’ has come to be seen by some people as a kind of appointment.

Statistically, only 5% of babies are born on their due date and many healthy babies are born after this.

I sometimes suggest that people plan to do something nice on their baby’s due date; there’s a really high chance that you’ll be free to do it!

But the important thing to remember is that, on the whole, our bodies and our babies’ bodies know what they’re doing.

If you’d like more information about due dates, induction or birth in general, see www.sarawickham.com/iol

Yes, feel free to repost. We just ask that you keep the original pic, words and credit intact and don’t put Sara’s words into your own branding 💜

10/23/2023

How I see postpartum is about just this, mothering the mother so she can mother the child.
Words:

📸
・・・
Olhei para o lado enquanto andava rápido e o tempo parou nessa cena: uma mãe anciã acariciava os cabelos da filha enquanto a filha amamentava, as duas doando colo e amor de duas formas diferentes, ambas nutrindo a próxima geração.

Essa cena tem muito a ensinar sobre tempo e afetos, sobre coisas que deixamos pra trás numa vida que busca incansavelmente preencher vazios que só podem ser preenchidos com presença, amor e muitas outras coisas que dinheiro nenhum pode comprar.

Sinto muito por termos desaprendido tanto, mas também sinto que podemos re-aprender, sempre.

♥️

Foto na aldeia Manoel Alves, povo Krahô.

10/22/2023

Use them for what they're for, mama 💜

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10/22/2023

Your health care provider might suggest they use a blunt, plastic hook to break the amniotic sac. While this can shorten some labors, it might also prolong others or introduce unforeseen complications.

Spinning Babies® offers insights on potentially reducing labor time.

Extended labor can result from tensions in muscles or uterine ligaments. For example, lax ligaments can decelerate labor, like when the uterus protrudes over the front pelvic bone.
In some cases, prolonged labor results from birth positions that constrict the baby's movement in the pelvis. Our comprehensive Birth Positions Poster illustrates the best positions for each phase of the baby's journey. With a balanced body, hormones flow and intuition is more accessible. You may be more tuned in to choose a birth position that moves bones from baby's way or you can pick a birth position for the level of the pelvis where baby is moving when you want to make more room.

Tip: Boost your labor instincts by practicing body-balancing routines from our platform. The arrangement of techniques we call The Three BalancesSM enhances intuition and instinct.

10/22/2023

Trust that it will 💜

10/22/2023

Did you know that our bodies are incredibly designed with specific hormones to support and guide us through the beautiful process of birth? As a homebirth midwife, I witness the magic of these hormones daily. Let's delve into them:

1️⃣ Oxytocin - Often referred to as the 'love hormone', oxytocin not only strengthens our bond with our little ones but also drives the contractions, ensuring labor progresses as nature intended.

2️⃣ Endorphins - Our body's natural painkillers. These wonders are released by the brain to help manage the discomforts of labor, showing that our bodies truly know best.

3️⃣ Adrenaline - The 'fight or flight' hormone. While it plays a crucial role in many scenarios, it can slow down labor if we're stressed or anxious. This highlights the importance of a calm and supportive environment during birth, something I'm passionate about facilitating.

Every birth is a dance of these hormones, and understanding them can make the journey even more empowering. Trust your body, it knows the way! 💕

✨

10/22/2023

Read that again, mama. 💜

10/22/2023

“Go armed with the inner strength to advocate for yourself as well as the birth you want. That way, fear can never win.” – Katy Anderson

Who’s arming themselves with inner strength today?

10/22/2023

10/22/2023

“I am a big believer that knowledge is power and in order to make sure I feel empowered during pregnancy, birth & postpartum, I am diving deep into some new resources that I wish I had for the first time.

The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson has been a game changer for how I am preparing for my home birth and creating my safe, nurturing space afterward. I feel like I want to quote the book every time I talk to someone about postpartum and hand out copies to every woman I know, whether she is pregnant or not.

My second resource is The First Forty Days by Heng Ou. It is a mix of anecdotes, advice, and recipes. I went through and bookmarked my favorite recipes to give to those who ask if they can make a meal after the baby is born.

Now that I am officially in the third trimester, a few other things I am doing to prepare are:
🤰Freezing soups, muffins, sauces and other meals
🤰Planning my breastfeeding comfort space
🤰Organizing and rearranging what will be a shared bedroom for our kids
🤰Decluttering the house
🤰Setting boundaries for the holidays
🤰Letting people know our healing plans for the first four weeks postpartum

The biggest piece of advice that I have to remind myself is that it is absolutely okay to ask for help and making the transition from one kid to two, especially while I am healing, is the perfect time to create community and surround our family with those willing to help us.”

🤰✏️📓

Tune in next week for another Home Birth Journal entry!

10/22/2023

I’m very honored to have my photo of a humpback whale and it’s mother’s milk selected as one of the people’s choice category in this year’s wildlife photographer of the year contest.

Humpback whales do not have lips, so calves can be clumsy, and on very rare occasions the calf can miss some of the milk. After this abandoned swirl of milk floated in the depths for a while I dove down to film and photograph it. Just as I was preparing to go back up to the surface to breathe, I saw the calf rising in the background. I fought my urge to breathe, as this opportunity might only come once in my life. I refocused my camera, and managed to get a few photographs of the calf and the milk before making my way up for air.

Congrats to all the photographers and everyone involved at such a wonderful event. You can come see this image and all the others at the natural history museum in London

10/22/2023

“I Won’t Hold Your Baby

…unless you ask me to, in which case, I will snuggle and cuddle your baby as much as you want me to.

I never ask my clients if I can hold their baby. In fact, I rarely ever touch my client’s baby if I can help it. Sounds sort of like the opposite of what you might picture of a doula, right? We must all be birth crazy, baby obsessed women who just want to cover babies in kisses and love and get an emotional high from attending births?

Not this doula.

I LOVE attending births. Call me crazy, but getting those middle of the night calls is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get to listen to someone at their most vulnerable times - the excitement, the hesitation, the nervousness of the unknown. Being able to provide some comfort, reassurance and continuity of care to the people I work with is so important to me (and them!)

Rushing off in the night, quietly getting myself ready, getting in the car and heading off to their home or hospital makes me feel like I’m on a secret birth mission that nobody around me knows about. When I arrive I fall as seamlessly as I can into the rhythm of the birth and start supporting my clients in whatever way they need most.

When the baby arrives I step aside and leave room for the new parents to discover their baby. I try and grab some photos (I’m not a birth photographer though, so keep your expectations in check!) and then I only step in if my client needs me for some reason.

Why does that matter? Why won’t I ask to hold your baby? Simply because: they are yours, not mine. I want you to be able to hold your baby as close as you want, for as long as you want without anyone interrupting that time. There will be enough people coming along in the next few hours and weeks who need to take that baby out of your arms for whatever reason, and tons of friends and family who will offer help by “holding the baby”.

Instead, I want to hold you, whether that’s in my arms, in my heart or my thoughts. By supporting and “holding” you, I don’t need to hold your baby. But if you ask me to, I would LOVE to.”

Written by

10/22/2023

If we aren’t suppose to feed our babies at night then why is prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, highest at night? If we aren’t suppose to feed our babies at night then why does our milk have a higher fat content at night? If we aren’t suppose to feed our babies at night then why does our milk contain hormones and other properties that are specific or increased at nighttime that are necessary for a baby's function and development? If we aren’t suppose to feed our babies at night then why does breastmilk at night contain tryptophan, an amino acid that helps babies make melatonin which helps babies develop their circadian rhythm which gives babies the ability to distinguish day from night (which babies are born without)?

Think about that. Your nighttime milk helps your baby recognize the difference between day and night which could help your baby sleep better and more “scheduled.” Isn’t that the reason they tell mothers to stop feeding their babies at night, so they can sleep better and more “scheduled?”

I think the question we should be asking is… if our milk is so obviously designed this way, then why are mothers constantly being told to stop feeding their babies at night?

08/13/2023

Delaying the first bath has so many benefits in addition to those shown below!

It is great for baby's microbiome and gut health, the vernix (or as I like to call it, birthday frosting) protects baby's skin and can help reduce peeling, and that new baby smell gets those lactation hormones really flowing.

How long did you delay the first bath?

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08/13/2023

Many second time moms are surprised with how quickly their milk production increases when compared to their first baby. It is not unusual for moms to need to express some milk to comfort here and there when overly full if the baby is not latching at that moment. If you need help with managing your production, reach out to to schedule a consultation.