Dalton Doula Services

05/25/2025

This is where informed consent BEGINS. Let’s have these conversations!

02/08/2024

It was an honor to be part of the welcome crew for the second time with this sweet repeat family. Their connection to each other and the Lord was beautiful to witness as the new year held its breath and bided baby girl come. 💗

09/21/2022

The second, or more often the THIRD day can be so difficult if you’re not aware that it is by design! This is the day when milk is trying to come in, you and baby are feeling the soreness and aftermath of birth, and your hormones are overloaded and emotions are high.

SECOND NIGHT SYNDROME

Many new parents are quite caught off guard by night number two with their new baby!

After the first 24 hours of sleepiness and even having to "wake baby to feed," baby seems to wake up and discover that they are ravenous!

All. Night. Long. Feeding, then crying, then feeding then crying! It's easy to become concerned that maybe you're just not producing enough milk and your new baby may very well starve. Cue deep feelings of failure (which are then exacerbated because you're exhausted from the birth process and now not sleeping all night!)

It makes sense if you think about all that baby has been through - the physical exertion of birth and their bodies recovering and adjusting can make them exceptionally tired the first day. But by day two, they wake up and bit and realize that things are SO MUCH DIFFERENT than what they are used to.

They are experiencing a rumbling in their tummy that is quite disturbing. They have new textures on their skin, new noises all around, and the brightness of the lights makes them want to keep their eyes closed. The only thing they recognize is mama. The warmth of her skin makes them feel like they are safe. Home.

Another good reason babies seem to have their "days and nights" mixed up that second day is biological: Prolactin (our milk hormone) is highest when melatonin (our sleep hormone) is highest. And our milk supply is a supply and demand system.

Thus: the more your baby nurses at night, the quicker your milk supply will come in!

So mama, just be prepared. Your little one will need some extra attention on night number two!

Hold them close, lots of skin to skin, nurse as often as they desire, and don't get discouraged! You are doing exactly what you were meant to do! You're doing a great job!

09/09/2022

Love learning this history!

Good enough for a Queen.
Queen Elizabeth after her fourth homebirth.
…
Her Majesty was the first royal woman to have her husband accompany her at childbirth when she welcomed her fourth child Prince Edward with Prince Philip present.
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"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she'd been keenly reading women's magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea. Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the birth of his child.”
….
Like her mother, the Queen gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, at home via caesarean, after a 30 hour labor, but went on to have three VBACs although with scopolamine.
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Eventually Charles was born by a Caesarean section in a music room in Buckingham Palace which had been converted into a theatre. She was attended by Obstetricians Sir William Gilliatt and Sir John Peel, and also midwife Helen Rowe, who was thought to be present for all the births. Caesarean sections were also less common in the general public at that time; in the 1950s only around 3% were caesarean section. It would have been of some concern that the Queen required one.
…

The midwife Helen Rowe was known to be present as letters written to her by the Queen were discovered after her death. There is an irony in this as, in 1970, Sir John Peel, the queen’s obstetrician, was lead author of the report “Domiciliary midwifery and maternity bed needs”, which recommended 100% of births should be in a hospital.
…

There have been considerable changes that have taken place in maternity services since the births of the Queen’s children. The accessibility of research and information is only one thing! The Queen, in all her experiences as a woman and mother in the role, has paved the way for royal births to be different and opened the door for many of her subjects to challenge the status quo at the time. The importance of looking back in history to see how we have got to where we are should not be overlooked and I challenge others to investigate history of our profession over the past 70 years.
…
From Dr Jenny Hall

https://www.maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/queen-elizabeths-royal-births-transforming-the-monarchy/

08/08/2022

one day i’ll have my bed back. ☁️
one day i won’t wake up in the middle of the night to comfort you. one day i won’t sleep in crazy positions to nurse you all night long. one day i won’t wake up half off the bed because you wanted my pillow. 🌸
one day i might sleep more than two hours at a time. one day i might even be able to sleep in as long as i want, and wake up so refreshed that i won’t even need coffee to get my through the day. ☕️
but..
one day your face won’t be the first thing i see when i wake up. one day i won’t wake up to your kisses. one day i won’t wake up to your little hands rubbing my face like i am your favorite human in the world. 🥺
one day you won’t sleep with mommy and daddy. one day your spot next to mine will be empty and i will be worrying about you from the comfort of my own bed. as tired as i am...i’m so thankful that today is not that day. 🤍
📸 kennamorgannn
Photo credit:
Follow on IG 👉 https://www.instagram.com/kennamorgannn

06/27/2022

One of the biggest scare tactics used to force mothers into inductions or c-sections is, “your baby is measuring too big”. I DONT BUY IT! With the right support and preparation, you can birth your baby your way— big or not! If your provider is telling you that your baby is looking too big, give me a call and lets talk about your options.

Edited to add. This is not medical advice. This is simply an encouragement to find the right provider, do your research, check your provider/hospital c section rates AND EDUCATE yourself on child birth. YES there are extenuating circumstances. If you’re healthy and your baby is healthy - ASK questions and know your options.

YOUR BABY IS NOT TOO BIG - This is my amazing client, Susan. She's 5'5'' and 118lbs pre pregnancy. Baby was consistently measuring 2 weeks ahead . At 40 weeks, she went into labor spontaneously, naturally delivering a 10lbs 8oz baby at home in the water. AND SHE DIDN'T TEAR. Not one single stitch was needed. I'm OVER these providers using scare tactics to manipulate women into inductions just to control the timeline. Did you know your doctor doesn't get paid if you deliver with another provider?

Your baby is made perfectly for your body ♥️

03/05/2020

I was just talking to a friend of mine about getting her tongue tie revised as an adult... have you ever thought about it? It’s now recognized by many healthcare professionals that tongue, lip, & cheek ties can have long term affects on our health and comfort even as adults!

Having my tongue tie revised as an adult was the best thing that I could have done for my body and chronic pain. Could my story help you?

03/05/2020

My baby had both tongue and lip ties and I am so grateful I knew what to look for!
Did/does your baby have a tongue or lip tie?

Did your baby have a lip or tongue tie?
Did breastfeeding improve for you and baby?
🤱🤱🏻🤱🏼🤱🏽🤱🏾🤱🏿

02/27/2020

Can’t get over this one! 😂😂😂

A newborn baby in Brazil showed she wasn't in the mood to be born in a viral Facebook photo.

12/14/2019

I am often asked for Lactation Consultant recommendations and it’s always, ALWAYS For Babies' Sake. I have worked with them personally and had many other clients see them, too.

Are you looking for expert, outside of the box help with breastfeeding? We can help! www.forbabiessake.com

12/10/2019

MEANINGFUL WORK | There are so many things that occupy us day to day, that fill the time and space. Some of them feel important and fulfilling. Many of them feel mundane and arbitrary.
🌱I recently had the privilege of participating in a twin newborn photo shoot and after the “ooh”s and “ahh”s and “they’re so cute”s, I just sat with this tiny gal and watched her rest in my hands. And I realized the gravity of that moment. It was a moment I felt that the work of my hands (and the comfort they bring moms and babies) is the most meaningful thing in the simplest, smallest, almost unnoticed of ways.
🌿As a doula and photographer, I am often just a touch point for people growing through transition. A passing friend. Likewise, as a mother, daily life often feels rote— between diapers and books and cleaning the floor for the umpteenth time.
🍃Maybe, you feel like me. Maybe you find yourself questioning your pursuits and passions and identity. Maybe you hear a lying voice that says you don’t matter and you’re not important. I encourage you to press into your “mundane moments” and see them as life giving, however small. These small moments, even the passing ones, are the most important and most meaningful and most honorable.
✨ Thank you, Baby Abigail for reminding me that being a stabilizer and a comforter for others in transition is more than enough.

10/31/2019

Oh how I would love to see this become offered more places!

Dr Pauline Joubert has recently performed two Maternal Assisted Caesarean Sections.

While not necessarily suitable for everyone or in an emergency situation, this does provide mothers with another option for the birth of their baby.

See our blog for more details: http://www.exxpectations.com/news/maternal-assisted-caesarean-sections