Innate Doula Services with Erica

07/28/2025

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The term “high risk” gets thrown around a lot in the birth world! But did you know there’s no actual definition of it? It’s become an unhelpful catch phrase, soaking women in fear (and often complete lies) to persuade a particular course of action. High risk = whatever that “expert” is uncomfortable with.

High is subjective. Risk is subjective. Higher than what? Risk of what?

Sister, YOU are the one who determines what risks you will take. There is no life without risk. There is no birth without risk. The more we intervene to mitigate *some* risks, the more we introduce other ones.

⚠️High risk...how much?
•How often does that feared thing occur?
•What exactly do you mean by “high”? All? Some? One percent? Less than 1%? Is that actually “high”?
•How often does that thing NOT occur?

⚠️High risk...of what?
•What *exactly* is the risk we are worried about and why?

⚠️High risk...with what type of care?
•Do other providers address this completely differently?
•Would another OB or midwife give completely different advice?
•Would this have been treated differently just a few years ago or in a few years time when protocols and recommendations change yet again?

⚠️Who’s the one who should ultimately be weighing and deciding what risks she is comfortable with in her own situation for herself and her baby?

We need to consider that in way too many cases the high risk label and the recommendations because of it actually can *create more* risk for many women than the actual thing that is of potential concern 😳

If this term starts getting thrown around, don’t be afraid to question it, challenge it, dig into it, or even walk right away from it.

👉🏼👉🏼What’s more high risk than anything is being afraid to take ownership of your health and not questioning the same system that has failed women and babies over and over again.👈🏼👈🏼

🤍

07/20/2025

You'll never know that vaginal breech birth is possible if you never see it. And if your providers tell you it's not possible.

-Love,
Flor Cruz
Badassmotherbirther

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, & 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭!
on IG

06/05/2025

In our Lakota lifeways, giving birth was never treated like an emergency or a sickness. It was a sacred transition—one that connected a woman to the spirit world and marked her as powerful, not fragile.

💛 After birth, a woman wasn’t expected to return to daily tasks.
She was honored and given rest. Her healing time was protected.
She was cared for by a circle of women—her mother, grandmothers, aunties, and midwives—who fed her, cared for her baby, tended the home, and wrapped her in support.

🌿 Nourishment & Medicine
New mothers were given warm broths, bison marrow soups, and teas made from sacred plants like:

Wíyaŋ čhaŋ (Red raspberry leaf) – for womb healing

Ȟaŋté čhaŋȟlóǧa (Yarrow) – to slow bleeding

Sage, wild mint, cedar – to cleanse and restore balance

Sweet clover and comfrey – used as compresses or poultices

🌿🦬Check out our Pejuta Winyan Tea or Tinctures on my website www.lakotamade.com 🦬🌿

Warmth & Womb Healing

Bellies were gently wrapped in cloth or hides, keeping the womb supported.

Herbal steams may have been used to aid recovery and cleansing.

Binding and light massage helped reposition the uterus and soothe the body.

Ceremony & Spiritual Support

Women were seen as walking between worlds after birth—their dreams and visions were listened to.

The birth space was blessed, songs were sung, and prayers were offered.

This wasn’t isolation—it was sacred solitude for bonding and healing.

The baby was seen as sacred, a gift from the spirit world.

Naming ceremonies and blessings welcomed the child into the community.

🧡 It Took a Village
Caring for a new mother wasn’t just the family’s job—it was the community’s responsibility.
She was never left alone to “figure it out.” She was held, nourished, loved.

Colonization disrupted these lifeways.
But our teachings are still here.
They live in our memories, in our blood, in the stories our grandmothers passed down.

Let’s remember that true postpartum care is ceremonial, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Let’s return to the circle.
Let’s honor our Wíŋyaŋ for the life-bringers they are.

05/06/2025

01/11/2025

In the hospital they usually tell moms to try to breastfeed every 2-3 hours. Wake baby to nurse every 2-3 hours. That way you can make sure to nourish baby and bring in a good milk supply.

Unfortunately this isn’t exactly how it works🙄 this visual was shared in a post from a friend that I shared a couple years ago and it’s incredibly accurate.

It’s basic math that they use in the hospital to give you the “ideal” feeding schedule. This “ideal schedule” equals about 8-12 nursing sessions in 24 hours which means baby would only have to nurse every 2-3 hours.

This is their way of saying that baby needs to eat often, but this isn’t exactly how it works for mom and baby in real life. Which can cause a mom to really struggle when her baby wants to nurse more often than every 2-3 hours! Nothing like setting new moms up to fail🤦‍♀️

Because they push this so heavily, I’ve noticed that parents seem to think breastfeeding is going to be super simple and perfectly spaced out feedings like the cereal picture. It also makes it look as though all feedings should be the same size so they should be nursing for the same amount of time each time. Which also is NOT accurate.

THIS IS NOT THE REALITY. In reality, baby will have big/long feeds sometimes. Or little/short feeds. Or feeding sessions while they are still mostly asleep. Or feeding sessions that aren’t so great. Or anything in between! They are not guaranteed to sleep better just because their feedings are all spaced out perfectly and done for the same length of time.

Instead of watching the clock and timing sessions, let baby lead! Watch for feeding cues from your little one and go from there😊

I also wanted to say that I love the blueberries portion of this visual. It shows more of a reality for how nursing sessions go. Some are bigger. Some are smaller. Sometimes there’s a longer amount of time in between. And in counting the berries, there are STILL the correct number of nursing sessions for the day.

Amazing, right?! Our bodies and our babies know what they are doing. Let them lead💙💚

Incredible repost words by: Ariel Kaye
📸: .dietician

04/24/2024

It's okay to not be okay and your feelings are valid 💖

03/30/2024

Thirteen sisters in the Brooks family view their only brother Leslie Benjamin, following his birth at home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1954.

04/24/2022

😍💖🥰

04/20/2022

😍😍😍

Yip this bub was born vaginally at home in the birth pool.
5.46 kg
12 pounds
3 hour labour
Intact Perineum
🌈
The midwife had this to say.
“Stop telling women they can’t birth big babies vaginally “
👏
Midwife

04/20/2022

You read that right.

Per the American College of OB/GYN's 2019 VBAC guidelines, the risk of maternal death during a planned vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is 0.0019%.

Expressed another way, that is a risk of 1 in 52,600.

Did you have any idea the risk was that low?

Whereas the risk of maternal death with an elective repeat cesarean after one cesarean is 0.0096% or 1 in 10,000.

Again, both really small numbers but the risk of maternal death is five times higher in a repeat cesarean.

This is why when pregnant people are threatened with "you could die if you plan a VBAC," it falls flat.

But it is often really successful in coercing someone into a repeat cesarean... as well as eroding patient autonomy and any trust when the birthing person learns the facts.

As a L&D nurse told us, "There is no real informed consent anymore."

This is just yet another example.

ETA: Some people asked in the comments about the risk of fetal death. We discuss that here: https://vbacfacts.com/2012/04/03/confusing-fact-only-6-of-uterine-ruptures-are-catastrophic/

Others have asked about vaginal birth after classical cesarean: https://vbacfacts.com/2021/08/10/vbac-after-classical-t-j-incision/

… or after two cesareans: https://vbacfacts.com/vba2c

… or after three or more cesareans: https://vbacfacts.com/vba3c

Also, you can download our free resources including:

- a report debunking the top 5 uterine rupture myths: https://vbacfacts.com/report

- a handout busting the top 3 VBAC myths using national guidelines: https://vbacfacts.com/acogmyths

- and a VBAC planning checklist: https://vbacfacts.com/checklist

02/16/2022

Flashback Vintage Photo

Way back when a woman could not breastfeed or died during childbirth... a goat nurse maid was brought into nourish a starving infant.

What do you think of this super rare picture of rural homestead life in 1927.

10/30/2021

Do you live in the Genesee County area or know someone who does that needs support during their pregnancy and birth? No matter what type of birth you want/need, I can be there for you! Schedule a free, no obligation meet & greet with me to see if I am that missing piece in your journey 💖