Seattle Birth Co, Bothell, WA (2025)

09/25/2025

Why I Love the Tub in Labor ✨

There’s something almost magical that happens when a laboring mom sinks into warm water. I’ve seen shoulders drop, faces soften, and breathing change within moments. It’s like the body finally gets permission to let go.

Warm water calms the nervous system, eases the intensity of contractions, and creates a space where birth feels more private, more sacred. It’s not just pain relief—it’s about grounding and giving you back a sense of control in the middle of something so powerful.

And yes, even in the hospital. Many are equipped to support you using the tub, even with monitors or IVs. You’re not limited to birth centers or home—you can often still choose this comfort measure wherever you are.

Every time I see someone find relief in the water, it reminds me how simple, natural tools can be the most powerful. The tub isn’t just about coping—it’s about creating a safe, supported environment where your body can do what it was designed to do.

I love it in early labor at home, as it can help to get things going and I love it in transition too! It’s one of my favorite coping tools!

Would you use the tub in your birth?

09/22/2025

There is one thing that every single mother does in labor, no matter what kind of birth she has — and that is SURRENDER.

Every birth I walk into, I see it unfold. I see the tension in her shoulders, the fear in her eyes. I see a father or partner beside her, unsure how to support, afraid of how vulnerable she looks. It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s sacred.

So I begin with the breath. I breathe with her. I let her feel my grounded presence and rhythm. Then I bring in touch — gentle, intentional, steady — reminding her she’s not alone. Then movement. I give her permission to move, to feel it all, to let it wash over her instead of trying to escape it. I watch as she begins to feel her own power. Her body starts to lead.

Then the rhythm comes. The work begins. She’s in it. Breathing. Moaning. Swaying. Deep into the layers of herself. And then — the moment we all know — she says she can’t do it. That she wants to give up. And this is where the true work of birth begins. This is where I whisper: “It’s time to let go. To surrender. To jump off the cliff and let yourself be caught by the process.”

That moment? That’s the gateway. That’s when the energy shifts. That’s when she stops trying to control and starts trusting. Her body, her baby, her intuition — all begin to move in harmony. It’s the most beautiful moment of every birth. And if you allow yourself to surrender, you will feel it too. You will come out the other side changed, expanded, reborn.

Surrender is not weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s the secret every birthing woman eventually discovers — the one that transforms pain into power.

09/18/2025

“Your doula helps you wiggle your baby through your pelvis — and yes, that matters more than you think.”

One of the most underestimated parts of labor is baby’s position. We call it The Passenger — and just like any journey, if the passenger is out of alignment, it changes the entire ride.

When your baby is posterior, tilted, or not fully engaged in the pelvis, labor can become longer, more painful, or stall altogether. Add interventions too early, and suddenly you’re on the road to a cesarean not because your body failed — but because the baby didn’t have the space to navigate the way out.

✨ This is where your doula steps in.

As a doula, I know how to recognize a malpositioned baby early — through your contraction patterns, through belly mapping, through how you move and rest. I use tools like my rebozo, Spinning Babies techniques, and most importantly — my hands, intuition, and deep understanding of birth physiology.

We create space. We move. We wait.
We wiggle your baby into position, together.

🌀 Your pelvis matters.
🧠 Do your research.
💪🏼 Know your body.
🔍 Understand how alignment affects outcomes.

A baby in a great position + a pelvis that’s mobile = a dramatically better birth experience.

If you only take one thing away from this post, let it be this: birth is movement. The more you move, the more your baby can move. And when your baby moves, birth flows.

Your body is not broken.
You just need the right support — someone who knows how to guide this process with care, patience, and skill.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
That’s what your doula is for ❤️

09/16/2025

Dasha was my doula for my wonderful homebirth in May 2025. She is absolutely amazing. She supported my husband and I by providing pre-birth education that she scheduled very kindly according to fit our timing. She also educates using her social media platform which was so helpful for me to see her speaking about all types of births and her day to day activities as a doula. Dasha is one of the best people I have ever met. She is so loving and caring towards her clients and I know without a doubt she truly loves what she does. She never stops talking about birth and babies and that’s exactly what I would want out of my doula! She is ALWAYS available by text or call. She supported me in my first birth which was a homebirth and she advocated for me to get the midwives to my home in time when my birth progressed very quickly. She made me feel like I was not alone when my birth was moving differently than I had prepared for. She came with a bag full of tools and got me right into different positions that helped my baby and birth go extremely smoothly. She supported my husband and spoke to him in all the right ways to give him strength and encouragement as a husband and new father too. She came back even after the birth to check on us and just be present and excited with us. She even managed to take the most stunning photos! My birth would have been a lot different without her there and we are so so thankful she was our support! I never want to have a birth without her there and I tell every pregnant mama I run into about her!!

Emma ❤️

Thank you mama, it was an honor to hold space at your blessed & spirit filled birth ✨ I will never forget it ✨

09/15/2025

“Like the sunflower turns to the sun, she turns inward—trusting her body, trusting the light, trusting the life within.” 🌻

There is a quiet conversation between mother and baby, one the world can’t hear. It lives in intuition, in instinct, in the quiet pull of one heartbeat speaking to another. Trust in birth is not blind—it’s ancient. It’s the mother listening to the subtle cues her body gives, and the baby responding in turn. It’s the surrender to something sacred, powerful, and unseen.

📸 by me ✨

09/12/2025

“What’s in your doula bag?”
It’s one of the most common questions I get from families during interviews.

Yes, I bring tools. Yes, I have a well-stocked bag. But truthfully? Most of it doesn’t get used at every birth.

If I had to run out the door and grab just one thing—it would be the wooden comb.

Simple. Powerful. Reliable. Pressing it into the palm during contractions taps into acupressure points and helps the brain process pain differently. I love it so much, I gift one to every client during our prenatals.

The rest of the bag is built for comfort and calm:

Twinkle lights, battery candles, a galaxy projector

A TENS unit

Essential oils for scent grounding

Rebozo for movement and baby positioning

Massage tools, eye masks, warm packs

Affirmation cards, lip balm, mints

Snacks, drinks, and mama-care items

But here’s the truth:
No tool matters more than presence.
My voice. My hands. My steady energy. My ability to hold space while a woman becomes a mother.

Birth doesn’t need bells and whistles. It needs safety, support, and belief.

If you’re curious about how doula care might look for you, I’d love to talk.

09/05/2025

The sweetest little boy is here — and his birth was nothing short of powerful.

Preeclampsia is one of those things that no one ever expects…
It’s scary, unpredictable, and unfair — a serious complication that can put both mama and baby at risk.

This mama was an anchor of strength through it all:
• A challenging and fast-moving induction
• Alarming bloodwork results
• Hours of pushing through exhaustion and emotion
• Two doulas on deck, holding space
• A father who stepped into his role with tender strength and deep care — even while facing his own fears

Together, we navigated the unknown. We cried, we prayed, we advocated. We became a little family in that room.

And when he finally arrived?
Every hard moment faded behind his perfect little face.

Preeclampsia can feel like it steals so much from birth — the control, the plan, the timing. But it cannot steal the love, the power, or the beauty of what’s created in that room.

These photos came to me just recently — of a thriving baby boy and two glowing parents now soaking in the joy of their journey.

Birth can be brutal. But healing is real.
And even in the scariest stories — love leads the way, for families and for doulas and all who are involved ❤️

09/03/2025

August Birth Recap 🩵

I was supposed to take August off… but I’m so glad I didn’t.

I supported of my own 4 clients and 3 backup births — and each one blew me away.

✨ A 4-hour VBA2C birth with a 10cm hospital arrival and a 15-minute push. I cried.
✨ A forceps-assisted birth at UW NW after a long induction — mama was so strong.
✨ A cesarean birth after fever and non-reassuring heart tones — this mama made the brave call to protect her baby.
✨ A powerful waterbirth at Puget Sound Birth Center — one push and baby Lola was here.
✨ A 28-week emergency C-section birth due to HELLP syndrome. Baby Clara is safe in the NICU and growing strong.
✨ Another beautiful VBAC after a hard and long labor — movement and mindset made all the difference!
✨ And one more incredible VBAC — mama worked through 2 full days of labor and did it after multiple hours of pushing and almost giving up, but she found the strength!

August was real, raw, powerful, and Holy. I held space for strength, sorrow, surrender, and celebration.

Thank you to these powerful families for letting me in. 💛

September, I’m ready. Let’s do this.

08/29/2025

Feeding your baby is the next hard thing that no one really prepares you for.

After birth, the focus often shifts — and suddenly you’re expected to just know how to feed your baby. But the truth is, most mothers struggle, and many do so in silence.

Ni**le pain. Engorgement. Low supply. Oversupply. Infections. Mastitis. Confusing advice. Guilt around pumping. Guilt around formula. The fear of “failing” at something that feels like it should be instinctual.

I know this firsthand — I’m a mom of four. I had my struggles too.

With my first, I primarily pumped. It was exhausting, lonely, and frustrating. Everything changed when I got real support from a trained lactation consultant — and with my next babies, I was able to breastfeed confidently and without pain.

So here’s my doula advice to you:
Get lactation support in place before your baby arrives.
You won’t regret it.

Here are a few amazing resources I trust in the Seattle area:
• Nicole at MILK lactation www.milk-lactation.com
• Thrive Lactation (Issaquah) lactationconsultants
Valerie
• La Leche League
• Hospital-based lactation consultants (ask your birth location for info)

The best part? Lactation support is often fully covered by insurance!

You deserve to feel supported.
You deserve to feed your baby without pain, confusion, or shame.

And no matter how you feed — you’re doing a beautiful job.

08/28/2025

What increases your risk of a C-section?
It’s not just luck. There’s a common pattern we see again and again.

• Going to the hospital too early (before active labor starts)
• Agreeing to induction or starting interventions too soon
• Being in a stressful, unfamiliar environment
• Early epidurals (can slow labor + impact baby’s position)
• Lack of movement or being stuck in bed = stalls labor and makes it hard for baby to navigate the pelvis
• Tension and fear during contractions = stalls labor
• Not eating — tired mom = tired uterus that won’t contract appropriate and baby with a flat strip due to low glucose levels
• Pitocin use (can cause fetal distress + increase risk of hemorrhage)
• AROM (breaking water too early = higher risk of malposition) the one is BIG and frequent!
• Lying down = no gravity, harder for baby to descend
• Not knowing how to cope with labor — no tools, no support = fear and early epidurals

This is how it happens:
Mom arrives too early → labor slows → fear/pain → epidural → Pitocin → baby gets stressed → water broken → baby misaligned → “failure to progress” → C-section.
Then potential hemorrhage from hours on Pitocin.

It’s not rare. It’s common.
Right now, 32.4% of births end in cesareans in the U.S.
And it’s not because our bodies are broken — it’s because the system is.

It’s very easy these days to end up a part of this formula, unfortunately. Do your research and have a plan for your birth. Take back your birth.

08/22/2025

There’s a moment in labor when everything shifts.
Not just physically — but soul-deep.

This is the becoming.
The moment a woman crosses from who she was… into motherhood.

It’s not always graceful.
It can look like shaking, crying, doubting.
It can feel like breaking.
But it’s also the moment she meets her strength in its rawest, truest form.

Birth is more than a baby being born —
It’s a mother being born, too.

You don’t come out the same.
You come out braver. Wilder. Wiser.
Changed forever by what your body and soul just did.

If you’re close to that edge —
You don’t have to feel strong to be strong.
Just show up.
That’s enough.
And it will change you.

Seattle Birth Co

09/25/2025

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08/22/2025

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