I'm here to equip, educate, and encourage you as you prepare for childbirth! I'm an ICEA certified childbirth educator.
I teach childbirth classes as well as offer doula services. The journey to parenthood changes you in the best of ways. There is something remarkable that happens in the heart of a person when they have a child. I feel blessed to be apart of that journey in a small way.
01/23/2024
Thing thing you haven’t realized about WINTER❄️
It’s by design that the trees lose their leaves and stand bare each winter. It’s by design that certain creatures hibernate. And to think - this process of falling away. Of shedding everything happens EVERY YEAR. Not just once. Just makes me wonder about how the Lord desires for us to be renewed, transformed, and changed each passing season.
Every year it looks like the world around us is dead for a few months. It looks DEAD…and yet we know the earth is only sleeping.
And it just makes me wonder how many of us have been called to a season of “wintering” if you will. Have we been called to shed parts of ourselves, of our schedules, of our lives… and peel back the layers of who we think we are.
Grab a cozy drink & come listen with me as we talk about what the Lord might be up to in your heart this winter. Hit play in your podcast app to be encouraged, and explore all that the Lord has for you this season 🤍
Be sure to tag me, if you’re listening! I’d love to see you friends 🫶🏻
01/12/2024
The most important thing I’ll ever do as a mom….
Will be to teach my children how to hear the voice of the Lord.
Because, our children having a REAL, personal intimate relationship with their Creator will change the world.
Our children need to hear from the Lord. They need more than just understanding of WHO God is. They need to EXPERIENCE Him for themselves if they are going to grow up to be lifelong followers of Christ.
That’s the goal isn’t it? That our babies turn into adults who choose to passionately live their lives for Jesus.
Friend, when you give up your personal time to teach, to train, to love, to discipline, to invest in your children GENERATIONS change. You might not see it in your lifetime, but the effects are far beyond what you will ever see. If we can teach our children to truly serve the Lord, there will be HOPE.
Your time spent speaking to the heart of your children will change our land. It will create in these special people soft and tender hearts who will hear the hearts of others.
Being a great mom is a non negotiable. We just have to do it. We don’t have a choice, but to succeed. We don’t have to do it alone. We have strength, a wise counselor, discernment, creativity, and grace inside of us because the Holy Spirit lives in us! Let’s not forget the power that lives in us! He will equip us. We just need to do the work. The risk of allowing other people to do this job is TOO GREAT!
So, invest in your life. Read the books. Read your Bible. Rally around your friends. Pray. And keep pressing forward toward ALL that God has for you & your family.
And if you’re ready to continue this conversation, go grab a warm drink, and hit play on this week’s episode of the Perfectly, Wonderfully Made Podcast 🎧
Take a screenshot of yourself listening and tag me in your post!
Find it at the link in my bio or where you like to listen to podcasts 🤍
Cheering for you my friends 🫶🏻
01/03/2024
Here’s what you need to realize 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Having a baby is MAINLY MENTAL.
In many ways, your physical body is going to take over and do what is was CREATED to do.
But, whether that is a positive or negative experience for you will depend on your mental health and fortitude 💪🏻
▶️We don't think our babies out of our bodies.
But we do, need to be in the right headspace to allow our bodies to take over and get our thinking brains out of the way.
1️⃣ Buckle up mama, you're going to need some MENTAL TOUGHNESS. You are STRONGER than you know! I promise.
2️⃣Your EMOTIONAL WELLBEING is super important to how you labor. Stress, unresolved trauma, an unhealthy relationship, fear, or lack of boundaries in your life can actually show up in labor and cause major issues. So, get to work my friend. For YOURSELF and your baby. You are worth it!
3️⃣ Your MINDSET is so important. Do you trust your body? Do you trust your Creator? Do you believe in yourself? Get those positive affirmations flowing. You're going to need them!
Feeling confident and prepared for labor will change everything for you ✨
I know you can do this. And I know you also don’t want to do this on your own. Comment GUIDE below and I’ll send you my free guide, 4 Keys to a Positive Rewarding Birth experience. Let’s get you started on your journey to a positive birth experience!
Cheering you on my friend 🫶🏻
12/28/2023
I don’t think we talk enough about this enough…
I don’t think we celebrate this reality enough.
By grace, we are the temple of the Most High God. By grace, He lives in us. By grace, his power is at our disposal. By grace, he works within us to complete the LABOR of grace that he has begun.
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
Let that sink in for a moment, friend….
Do you see how powerful this is when we consider pregnancy and birth?
We have been given an incredible gift. God, put us in Christ! He knew we would need his strength, His power, His love, His wisdom, and His grace and our Father put us into Christ so we could accomplish His plan for our lives here on earth.
We have the very strength of the One who created the universe INSIDE OF US 🔥Living, and breathing. Alive & active INSIDE of us.
Jesus Christ dwells within us.
Does this change the way you see your body and your ability to birth your baby?
Can you see just how magnificent the Lord’s design in pregnancy is?
Can you see it?
The gift we have been given as a Temple of the Most High God…. Have you considered the WONDER of this part of our identity as Christ followers. God the Father saw us WORTHY because of Jesus to put us in Christ.
The curse of childbirth in Genesis is OVER. It’s done. It was done on the cross when Jesus died for us. We have been given the opportunity to have a redeemed birth experience. Jesus died to redeem IT ALL.
Our birth experience and our relationship with Him.
There is so much goodness waiting for you my friend. So much the Lord has prepared for you THIS SIDE of Heaven. Can you see it?
The treasures the Lord has hidden away for you to discover in your motherhood journey.
Dig in.
Press in.
There is an incredible gift for you this season the Lord is just waiting for you to unpack! Don’t miss this.
If you’re ready to deep dive into discovering just how much the Lord wants to do in you through your pregnancy and birth COMMENT GUIDE and I’ll send you over my FREE Guide to a positive birth experience!
I’m cheering for you my friend ❤️🫶🏻
📷
12/24/2023
Here’s the secret to having JOY this Christmas💚❤️
Y’all Jesus was NEVER rushed. As I sat last weekend rocking Wilder for his nap, this reality hit me hard.
Jesus was NEVER rushed. Not once in the Bible do we see him RUSHING.
NO Where.
Not for anything.
And it made me think of Jairus’ daughter from Mark chapter 5. A moment we would think Jesus would RUSH to save her.
But He doesn’t.
Instead he has slow feet. He pauses for the women who bled. He takes time for her. He sees HER too. He sees everyone who has a need. In their moment of need. And he doesn’t rush. When everyone wants him to rush. Jairus wants him to rush. Jairus’ wife wants him to rush.
Jesus has time for EVERYONE.
EVERY NEED.
Every person this season.
It’s okay to slow down this Christmas ❤️💚
This is your permission to slow down. Be present with your family. Take some deep breaths and soak in the next few days ❤️
I’ve got a sweet special guest for you on the show today for you ❤️ So, hit play, grab your favorite drink, and enjoy the conversation at the link in my bio. 🎧 MERRY CHRISTMAS friends ✨
12/20/2023
UNPOPULAR OPINION…ready for it????
It’s wild to me how quickly woman can give up their power ‼️
How they can be so willing to turn it over to a system…
But, fear will do that to you.
When did we get so fearful?
If you all have learned anything from the last almost 4 years it is that the media and our culture can twist, weave, web, and shift the truth. It will change the narrative to benefit an AGENDA.
The fear of childbirth is a direct result of the culture and media that has created it.
BUT IM HERE TO TELL YOU having a baby is meant to be the most empowering experience of your life! We just need to stop messing with a good thing!
There is wisdom that God has deposited deep inside of you. I like to call it birthing wisdom. It’s your body’s wisdom that understands it’s innate ability to birth safely and joyfully.
It’s already there!
You just need to trust yourself.
Your instincts were given to you by God for a reason.
Y’all God didn’t need continuous fetal monitoring to figure this thing out. We have muddied the waters and it’s time for us to take back what’s been taken from our generation! There’s a generation of women who need us to find our strength again. To know how strong we are.
To trust ourselves.
Don’t hand over your power so easily.
It’s been given to you for a reason ❤️
If you’re ready to jump start your labor prep and understand what it takes to have an amazing birth experience…
✨COMMENT GUIDE ✨and I’ll send you over my FREE GUIDE to get you started on your journey to your best birth experience ❤️
What are you waiting for??
📷
12/07/2023
Guess what??
Your birth story will be nothing like you think…
This we know is true. It will be different. You won’t be able to predict every detail that may unfold. And I know that’s harder for some of you than others.
BUT there are a few things you can certainly count on. You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your birth will change you. Either in a beautiful way or in a really hard way. For some of you it will be both beautiful and really freaking difficult.
You will experience a SURRENDER like you’ve never known before. You will transform and grow and come to see the world so differently. That is the wondrousness that is BIRTH ✨
And for everything you can’t count on in birth, let me encourage you to find the elements in your story that you can rely on 🤍
You can create a birth team that supports you, nurtures you, and respects you. It is up to YOU and you alone to select your team.
You can create a birth environment where you feel safe. Safe to be everything that you need to be.
You can trust that you have a birth teammate (YOUR BABY) who will be working just as hard as you will be.
You can count on your body to do what it knows how to do! Not to do what a hospital or provider policy says it SHOULD do, but what it was created to do. Our bodies don’t fail us, health care systems fail us.
If you’re ready to get started preparing for the birth you want, then mama I’ve got you covered!
COMMENT “GUIDE” and I’ll send you my free guide to a positive birth experience ✨
Cheering for you my friend 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
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11/29/2023
How do we do this INFORMED CONSENT thing? 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
➡️Expectant parents today are sometimes accused of spending more time investigating strollers than investigating the choices they have during pregnancy, labor, and birth.
➡️With the explosion of information available on the Internet and in the media, how can you determine what is best for you and your baby?
➡️How do you know whether something you’ve heard or read is actually true?
✨It’s time for you to become a SAVVY CONSUMER of your health care. Gone are the days when we can’t find something out for ourselves!
📍The Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org) is considered the “gold standard” in the medical world for reliable information about evidence-based care.
📍The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not- for-profit organization which provides up-to-date information about the effects of health care.
📍There are “plain-language” summaries about many medical care practices, medications, and treatments.
👉🏻Under “Browse by Topic” use the pull-down menu to select “Pregnancy and Childbirth.”
👉🏻Select the topic that interests you.
YOU CAN DO THIS MY FRIEND!
You can learn new things! And you can learn about your options! Your baby is counting on you!
💥Take a childbirth course and get equipped to make INFORMED DECISIONS! You won’t regret investing in yourself!
💥Grab my FREE GUIDE the 4 Keys to a Positive, Rewarding Birth Experience now and START TODAY ❤️
Comment GUIDE and I’ll send it to you 🚀
11/23/2023
I didn’t know just how thankful I would be for this photo… 🫶🏻
🧡GRATITUDE🧡
It heals us.
It changes our hearts.
It’s the way forward.
When life gets out of control and the waves rise and the tide shifts. Gratitude will keep you afloat.
Gratitude will heal your brain and set you on a pathway to move into a new place.
Gratitude is powerful.
I’m thankful for these moments I had before things got real scary for me postpartum. Yes, birth trauma can happen to anyone. It happened to me. But, I’ll tell you I wouldn’t have healed from this experience like I have without the support system I set up for myself in pregnancy. Without my husband, and my doula and postpartum doula and my mentors and life coach. Without giving myself the time and space to heal. Without doing the work that needed to be done.
Everything I did in pregnancy, gave me the strength and support system to come back from an experience I never thought I would have to walk through.
And I’m here today, encouraging you to find the parts of your story that you can be grateful for. Because it’s the only way to heal.
Yes, grieve and sit with your feelings for as long as you need to. But don’t stay there.
There’s healing for me and there’s healing for you. Be kind to yourself and keep moving forward. One baby step at a time.
Find gratitude today my friends. I promise it’s the way you want to go 🧡
11/14/2023
You’re going to need to hear this 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
I’ve got a NEW Episode for y’all my friends 🎙️
Y’all are going to fall in love with my girl on the show!
This girl has lived some LIFE and she so graciously shares her story with us all!
We talk about questions like…
📍How do we cope when we feel like our dreams have been taken from us?
🤍Main Topics from the episode:
➡️What do you do when you feel like your dreams have died?
➡️It’s okay to start over
➡️MRKH syndrome + infertility
➡️IVF
➡️Gestational Surrogacy
➡️How to turn your pain into powerful for a testimony of hope
➡️Overcoming a victim mindset
➡️Divorce
➡️Trauma + Therapy
➡️What do you do when God doesn’t answer your prayers?
🫶🏻I would LOVE to hear what you think about the episode! Send me a DM and tell me what you think!
🫶🏻Thank you for including me in your day! I’m honored to be in your ear buds as you drive, workout, fold laundry, and do the dishes ❤️ Truly means so much to me!
And if you like this content, take a screenshot of the episode and share it with your friends 😘
You can listen to the show whenever you listen to podcasts 🎙️
11/02/2023
No one wants an UNPLANNED CESAREAN!
✨Here’s what you can do to prevent an unplanned cesarean👇🏻
1️⃣Let labor begin on its own when possible!
Elective induction leads to a direct increase in the need for medical interventions.
Talk with your provider about the pros and cons of induction. You should talk about how successful your induction might be based on your BISHOP SCORE before deciding if induction is right for you!
*PRO TIP* Ask your provider what their facilities Cesarean rate is with an induction of labor.
⚡️Remember — Your body and your baby know the perfect time to be born!
2️⃣Ask for intermittent fetal monitoring
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that intermittent monitoring is just as safe for low-risk women as continuous monitoring and that continuous monitoring is associated with an increased risk for cesarean surgery.
3️⃣Hire a doula
Having continuous labor support from a doula has been proven to decrease your risk of a cesarean birth, as well increase your overall satisfaction in your birth experience. There are so many benefits to hiring a doula, but this is a BIG one!
4️⃣Ask for more time
As long as you and your baby are doing well, it is okay for labor to last a LONG time. I know, maybe not what you wanted to hear. But TIME in labor is your friend! The average labor for a first time mom is 12-24 hours. Plateaus, when labor slows or even stops for a while, are considered normal.
4️⃣Take a childbirth course
I want you to believe in birth and in yourself. Most women (at least 85 to 90% according to the World Health Organization) can and should give birth vaginally. Gain the confidence and skills you need to have the best birth experience possible!
Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered! If you’re ready to begin your journey to an amazing birth. I’d love to serve you in this season!
I’m FOR YOU. I’m cheering you on 🎉
If you want my FREE GUIDE The 4 Keys to a Positive, Rewarding Birth Experience comment “GUIDE” and I will send it to you!
Xo,
Alise
10/30/2023
Hi friends! HAPPY MONDAY! ✨
If you’ve been around here a minute you know I’m doing my best to make a comeback around here 😆
If you’ve just found me, HELLO 👋🏻 I’m Alise and I’m a wife and mama to 3 kiddos. I’ve been a childbirth educator and doula for the last decade!
In 2017, I launched the Perfectly, Wonderfully Made Podcast and created my first online course, Your Best Birth Course 🎉
My family and I recently packed up our entire lives in Washington state, sold much of everything we owned and traveled full time in an RV for 9 months before landing in Middle TN! Y’all it was A TRIP. I’ll say that 🤣
Our lives NEEDED to change. Quickly!
My family was falling apart. My marriage was almost over. And the life I had lived for 12 years was crumbling apart.
2020 tried to break us to bits, but in the breaking we actually came back together again 🤍
We sold our dream home in 2021, our cars, almost all of our “possessions” and packed up our puppy and family in an RV. Y'all I'd never even camped in an RV before 🙈
We left everything to take a GIANT risk on a new life. To trust Jesus. And you know what happened……My marriage began to heal. Slowly but surely, we healed and the pieces came back together. Not in the same way, but in a completely new way!
And 2 weeks after we pulled out of the driveway, I found out I was pregnant. With the 3rd baby I had wanted for the last 7 years.
I had a super traumatic pp hemorrhage and embarked on a slow recovery. We were surrounded by strangers. These people who barely new us, cared so tenderly for us in that season ❤️ We saw the CHURCH in action!
Slowly but surely, we all healed.
The greatest risks, truly do have the biggest rewards. When you risk your life on Jesus, my friend you won’t ever fail.
While, I know I’ll go back to in person birth work in the future, I’m so thankful to be online in this season.
If you’re ready to begin your journey to an amazing birth. I’m FOR YOU. I’m cheering you on! And I can’t wait to watch you achieve your goals!
If you want my FREE GUIDE The 4 Keys to a Positive, Rewarding Birth Experience comment “GUIDE” and I will send it to you!
Xo,
Alise
10/20/2023
One of the biggest risks to you today in pregnancy is becoming disconnected from your body and your baby.
So often today, in a medical model of care, or traditional OB care the very real psychological and physical bond between mother and child is reduced to a series of visits, tests, measurements, and what ifs. Mothers are controlled by policies and procedures. Series of routine tests and preparing for potential problems that may occur.
The miracle of your pregnancy and your growing baby in your body is overlooked.
Reduced to a 15 minute appointment.
It’s easy to feel like your pregnancy is governed by statistics and other people’s malpractice insurance policies.
But, OH HOW MUCH there is to miss out on if we don’t truly take the time to understand how God designed our bodies and our babies to grow in this season of pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a time to deeply connect with your changing body.
To learn to trust the God who created you and who also created the baby inside of you.
To trust HIS design.
His plan.
To learn to work with your body. To surrender.
To learn how to go to a place of reliance on the Lord.
My friend, it’s so good.
Spend the time to learn how your body was designed to work.
How each phase of labor brings you closer to your baby.
To understand the power and meaning of physiological birth.
I don’t you you to miss out on the beauty and GIFT it is to experience a deep connection with your body and your baby.
This season of pregnancy is so much more than weights and numbers and vital signs.
I encourage you to spend 3-10 minutes everyday journaling, breathing, and practicing gratitude for what the Lord is doing in you in this season.
Don’t miss out on all there is so gain. It’s not all cupcakes and rainbows. But, gratitude is the way through my friend ❤️
Because when you develop an understanding of your body in pregnancy you’ll trust it in the hard places of labor when the time comes.
I don’t want you to miss this, friend ❤️
If you’re ready to experience your best birth, then I’m ready to walk with you!
I’m here for you! Send me a DM or comment the word GUIDE to get started today!
📷
10/19/2023
Most of you know the benefits of WATER 💦 in labor!
BUT…do you know how to maximize the benefits of the tub in labor??
If the tub is too hot you can become dehydrated, lethargic, and exhausted because you’re working so hard in labor! If you get overheated, your baby’s heart rate increases and you’ll need to get out of the tub to cool down.
Here are my tips for the best use of the tub in labor:
1️⃣Keep the water temp between 96-98 degrees Fahrenheit.
2️⃣Drink water with electrolytes in the tub! Drink between 1-2 quarts for every hour you are in the water.
3️⃣Stay in the water for 1 hour and then get out for 30 minutes before going back in. This will allow you get to the most pain relief from the warm water, allow for different positions and labor coping techniques to happen, and keeps your temperature even.
Ready to learn more???
I’ve got you covered 🎉Download my FREE Guide 4 Keys to a Positive Birth!
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HELLO! MY NAME IS ALISE MARSH, AND I AM A CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR AND DOULA.
I have two amazing little ones, Monroe & Indiana. My husband Jeff is a creative genius. I’m biased I know. He creates beautiful photography and videography almost effortlessly it would seem. I fell in love with the ideals of motherhood as a small girl, and the rest has led me here.
My heart is to help you make the decisions that are best for you and your family and no one else. Informed decision-making is game changer. The best thing about this job is that I get to watch each mama discover just how strong she really is. That everything she needed, she already had. No matter what your birth preferences may be, I believe every couple deserves to be supported, respected, encouraged, and championed throughout their birth experience.
I am an ICEA certified childbirth educator and doula. I've had the privilege of attending births as a doula for several years. I get to watch couples come to love each other in a new way as they see each other for the first time as new parents. It is truly such an honor.
Thanks for coming by! Feel free to say hi, I’d love to meet you!
A FEW FUN FACTS:
1. I am the oldest of 4 children. There’s no one who can make me laugh like they do.
2. I like food. A lot. Mostly burgers.
3. My laugh is more like a cackle most of the time.
4. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
5. I was a children’s pastor for 3 years.
6. My husband (Jeff Marsh) is incredibly talented. He’s a gifted creative and it blows me away every time.
7. I love to ski. There’s something about being on the mountain for me. I feel free, almost like I’m flying. It’s magical.
8. My kids are the joy & light of my life. I believe all mamas have super powers.
MY IDEAL CLIENT:
Believes birth is a life changing experience.
Laughs a lot.
Asks questions, listens hard, willing to learn and adapt.
Is genuine and honest with themselves.
Takes pleasure in yoga pants and a good messy bun.
Drinks coffee.
Wants to be my friend.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING:
“Alise was my doula with my first baby. She provided great insight prior to labor; helping with our birth plan, providing information on what to expect, and providing resources for breastfeeding and postpartum care. It was a long process after being induced, but Alise was by my side the entire time. She was very flexible considering the length of our labor. It was great to have someone in the room who knew what I wanted and respected it. She is the advocate any mother should have in the room with her! As a first time mom, it was great to have someone with the resources and knowledge to help me make decisions about the birth of our son. She provided information on topics I would otherwise not have known I had a choice about. Her follow up postpartum made me feel cared about.”
— Mindy
“Alise is amazing! I would recommend her services to all moms to be. She is very knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate. As soon as she arrived to the hospital she was hands on...providing hand and foot massage and relaxation techniques. As labor progressed she directed my friends and family on what they could do to assist in the process. She did not leave my side for one minute. She also communicates in a timely fashion and is always available to answer questions via text, phone, and email. I think all first time moms should hire Alise as their doula!”
— Gina
