The Sweet Surrender, LLC

12/17/2025

Co-regulation refers to the way one regulated nervous system can support another during moments of uncertainty or stress. During labor and the postpartum period, heightened stimulation, pain, fatigue, and unfamiliar environments can activate the body’s fight-or-flight response, disrupting hormonal flow, communication, and physical progress.

A calm, attuned support person helps buffer this stress by providing steady presence, responsive touch, and emotional regulation. This supports parasympathetic activation, more efficient labor patterns, improved coping, and smoother postpartum adjustment. Co-regulation is not about directing the experience, but about creating physiological safety so the body can function as designed. This is a core component of effective, evidence-informed doula care.

11/23/2025

🧬 Phosphatidylcholine & Pregnancy

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a critical nutrient during pregnancy, playing key roles in fetal brain development, methylation, and liver health. It’s a major component of cell membranes and a primary source of choline, which supports memory formation, neural development, and long-term cellular function.

Research shows that adequate choline intake during pregnancy:

🧬 Supports fetal brain and hippocampus development
🧬 Enhances DNA methylation patterns, critical for long-term health
🧬 Promotes maternal liver function, reducing fatty liver risk

11/23/2025

Herbal Blend for Weeks 36+ of Pregnancy

This tea blend was developed specifically for pregnant women who are at least 36 weeks pregnant. Rich in calcium and magnesium, Labor Ease (formerly Eager Mama) helps to strengthen the uterus while also nourishing mama so that she is strong and ready when it’s time to bring baby into the world.

This blend also helps to clear heat and remove stagnation that might otherwise delay onset of labor, and gently encourages contraction of the uterus.

Drink 2-6 cups daily, and throughout labor.

11/20/2025

11/04/2025

If you’ve heard me talk about food first, you know I’m picky about supplements. That’s exactly why I use and recommend Juice Plus+® capsules, a concentrated blend of fruits, veggies, and berries that delivers naturally occurring folate alongside the phytonutrients that actually show up in real food.

Since 1995, Juice Plus+ has invested in 33 human clinical trials on its Essentials capsules, resulting in 47 published, peer-reviewed papers demonstrating 13 distinct health benefits, all using gold-standard methods that confirm bioavailability (your body actually absorbs and uses it).

If you want whole-food-sourced folate with a solid paper trail in the medical literature, Juice Plus+® capsules are a clean, sensible way to nudge your micronutrient status in the right direction.



🍊 swflbirthdoula.juiceplus.com

Our products are packed with plant-based nutrition from fruits, vegetables, legumes, ancient grains, and superfoods, so you can add more goodness to every day. Join us, inspire health, and start incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet today!

10/15/2025

As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
This TCM recipe reflects that philosophy by using herbs and ingredients that strengthen the body’s defenses as the seasons change.

10/08/2025

09/28/2025

With Doula On-Demand, I offer last minute labor support for families who want calm, experienced care by their side while they labor and birth in hospitals.

06/01/2025

Yesterday marked my third and final birth for the week, and I could honestly name several nurses and an OB between Cape Coral Hospital and NCH who showed real dedication and heart, but it was midwives Sarah Lee and Sandra Lewis, of Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida, who truly stood out. The care they offered wasn’t just compassionate—it was deeply patient-centered, skillful, and grounded in quiet confidence. You could feel their respect in every direction, every pause and every gentle decision.

These midwives showed up with professionalism, warmth, and unwavering presence. They were gentle without ever being passive, enthusiastic without ever rushing, and completely attuned to what this mom needed—moment by moment.

This is what respectful, evidence-based care looks like. I left that room deeply grateful and am writing to remind us all that when midwives are supported, and not restricted, to do what they do best, families feel it forever.

Thank you, Sarah and Sandra. You’re the kind of care providers we all hope for. 🤍

05/01/2025

Informed consent isn’t a courtesy—it’s your legal right. You have the power to ask questions, decline procedures, and make decisions about your body. Know your rights. Know your options. Make empowered choices.


You are not at the mercy of the system. You have legal rights as a patient.
(Ask for the Hospital’s Patient Bill of Rights.
Every hospital has one.).

Visit
They accredit hospitals and offer public resources:
jointcommission.org

Follow orgs
Groups like Birth Monopoly & National Patient Advocate Foundation break it all down.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:
    •    Ask questions
    •    Say no
    •    Get clear answers
    •    Make your own choices

🍊 begins with informed decisions, especially when you have to stand your ground.

07/28/2024

Don’t ignore the ways in which you feel ill postpartum, and always report ⬅️these symptoms to a care provider.

04/30/2024

Fear is the world’s most powerful hallucinogen. It will show you images that do not exist. It will mesmerize the mind and disconnect it from reality. Once fear has control of you, it will show you just how things can fall apart.

Fear can significantly impact the hormonal process during childbirth, leading to changes that can affect labor progress and maternal well-being. Fear triggers the body’s stress response, leading to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can interfere with the production of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions during labor and cervical dilation. Fear can also increase pain perception. When the natural release of oxytocin is inhibited due to fear, labor progress may slow down.

To mitigate the disruptive effects of fear during childbirth, it’s essential to address and manage fear and anxiety through various strategies, such as education, preparation, emotional support, relaxation techniques, a positive environment, and open and clear communication.