Doula Services with Natasha.

07/11/2022

“We are told we need to rest in the postpartum, but so many birthing people arent told WHY. And sometimes it's the WHY that makes the difference between deep rest and deep regret. ⁠⁠
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The average diameter of a placenta is 22cm/8.6 inches. ⁠⁠
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You could say that it's the size of a side dinner plate, an average watermelon🍉 paper plate or a soccer ball ⚽️ for reference. It's also the size of the average placenta that we have just grown for 9 months. ⁠⁠
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After we birth the placenta, we are left with a wound inside of our uterus where the placenta was attached. If we had this wound on the outside, say on our back or chest, EVERYONE would be telling us to rest and they would help us! Also, the placenta is an organ, that we just expelled from our body, if we had lost a kidney or an appendix, 40 days of recovering would be pretty minimal and probably unheard of. Our doctors and family would expect us to rest longer.... ⁠⁠
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The wound site from the placenta is one of the main reasons for postpartum bleeding/lochia 🩸We lose about 1/10 of our blood supply from this open wound! So whether you had a c-section birth or vaginal, everyone has this bleeding wound. ⁠⁠
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It takes on average 6 weeks for this wound to heal. And this is just an average, because it depends on how much we rest, the nourishment we receive from food and support. So mothers who receive less may take longer, and mothers who prepare and set themselves up may heal quicker. ⁠⁠
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The longer the wound site is left open, the higher risk we have for infection and hemorrhage, even if you had a safe vaginal delivery or zero complications from birth. But because this is an internal aka hidden healing part of the postpartum recovery we don't always take it seriously. And neither does our community. ⁠⁠
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After birth we are hormonal, exhausted, emotionally vulnerable, learning to feed our baby AND our body is working hard to heal this huge wound. It's a lot. Do yourself a favor and REST and ask for help!
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If you are a partner or friend or family member, take this information in, SUPPORT is what they need.”

05/26/2022

“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

05/07/2022

03/10/2022

08/12/2021

My Boys. 💕

04/07/2021

Breathing for Labor :-)
https://youtu.be/eK9BrVX8RhM

04/06/2021

If you where wondering what the difference is between a Doula and a Midwife, this is a great article.

https://www.allnursingschools.com/articles/doula/

Learn about the differences between a doula and a midwife. Discover their roles, education and training.

04/01/2021

Discover even more ideas for you

04/01/2021

There for you.

Discover even more ideas for you

03/25/2021

When we come together and share our stories, our wisdom gets passed on.💜

03/24/2021

Have you ever heard of "The Golden Hour after Birth"? Other than the sweet smell of this newest little Human, there is so much magic! Here is an excellent opinion piece regarding what I consider a , Sacred Hour. 🌸

https://www.scarymommy.com/golden-hour-after-birth/

Taking advantage of "the golden hour" is the absolute best thing for you and your baby.

03/24/2021

~Tina~

03/22/2021

https://www.mother.ly/life/newborns-need-care-so-do-new-mamas?utm_sq=g8qdm9725q&fbclid=IwAR3Bn25IHCBk9b3dNh8JzsFhsotHQFsFrl_QPIgdGaHnD4JmK2LeuHLJzyc

I matter too. I am a person too. I am valuable. I am the baby's whole world so I need to be seen so I don't lose myself.

03/16/2021

https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/benefits-of-a-doula/

Birth and postpartum doulas improve outcomes for families. DONA International trains strong, professional doulas equipped to make a difference!