Sumner County Childbirth

11/28/2025

🍂🍁This season invites us to pause and notice what’s holding us. For me, it’s the families growing right here in my community. You inspire me every day. 🧡

Every single day, I’m reminded that supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and beyond is SUCH a privilege. Especially this year, as I contemplated various professional decisions, that privilege has really been highlighted for me. At the end of the day it didnt come down to the financials-it came down to the families. It’s always been the families that are so special to me. I close my eyes and see a slideshow of hundreds of families and over a thousand babies. Thats my lifes work and thats my legacy.

So THANK YOU to every single family who has invited me into your story, asked questions, shared laughter, and trusted me through all the tender moments. I hold each of you in my heart with deep deep gratitude. As i celebrate 15 years of doing this sacred work- I think of each of you.

Id also like to offer thanks and gratitude to the professional community who I could NOT do this work without. Birth is not just a moment. Birth is a community effort. I’m so grateful for every doula, lactation specialist, nurse, chiropractor, counselor, physical therapist, birth photographer, supportive sister midwives, collaborating Docs, hospital staff, EMS, students and all the other birth workers and champions for informed decision-making who advocate for and support this model of care. Together, we are building healthier beginnings and stronger communities! And I feel so very very blessed to be even a small part of that.

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope this season brings you peace and gratitude spending time with the ones you love. 🍁🧡🤎

11/26/2025

As I’m continuing to build my new practice name and branding it feels like starting all over in so many ways. Although I’ve been practicing for over 15 years, Im still not showing up in Google searches right now and it just feels like one step forward 2 steps back most days.

If I was your midwife or you’ve worked with me in any other capacity (as a doula, childbirth educator, mentor, preceptor, skills trainer, menopause support, etc)- I would be so very grateful if you could leave a quick review. This is EVERYTHING for a small business owner.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

11/15/2025

Meet our collaborating physician, Dr. Madeleine Smith.

If you’re looking for comprehensive, licensed midwifery care that includes practical and true physician support and collaboration (when needed), look no further. Sumner County Childbirth is the practice you’ve been looking for.

The combination of Gaylea McDougal, LM, CPM and Dr. Smith is a true dream team. With 15 years of practice, Gaylea has attended over 1000 births in every setting and Dr. Smith is 100% supportive of parental choice in every single way. She is also available to consult with our perimenopause clients on HRT and GLP options. We are so grateful to have her on our team!

Taking peri/menopause clients and Spring and Summer 2026 due dates now. Click the link below to read more about Dr. Smith and click here to book an appointment. 👉🏼https://sumnercountychildbirth.com/appointments

https://sumnercountychildbirth.com/team

Meet the Sumner County Childbirth team

11/12/2025

11/08/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN7tkK9jHxP/?igsh=NWJxdmVydXdpNW51

11/08/2025

https://sumnercountychildbirth.com/

11/07/2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/health/electronic-fetal-monitoring-c-sections.html?

Round-the-clock fetal monitoring leads to unnecessary C-sections. But it’s used in nearly every birth because of business and legal concerns, The Times found.

11/04/2025

It’s not up to the laboring person to accommodate their provider by getting into a more “optimal” position for delivery (usually flat on their backs).

If you leave a laboring person alone and allow them to get into whatever position they choose, they will often get into hands and knees. This position allows the tailbone (which is on a hinge) to move up and out of the way, creating more space in the outlet of the pelvis- the opposite of which occurs when someone is flat on their back.

It’s the responsibility of the provider to accommodate the person who’s pushing the baby out. Not the other way around.

📸 credit (minus the stickers I added for privacy): Jay Naff, Wild Birth Photography

11/03/2025

Want to previrw the Roots Childbirth curriculum? You can do so with the link below.

And to sign up- use this link: https://sumnercountychildbirth.com/shop

Comprehensive childbirth preparation suited for any birth plan or setting.

10/29/2025

Our next group childbirth class is now open! November 17, one day, in-person. All birth plans and all couples welcome. Book your spot today 📆🤰🏻

https://sumnercountychildbirth.com/shop

10/26/2025

Fetal lung maturity initiates labor.

That little tid bit has been part of the Roots Childbirth curriculum (written and created by midwife Gaylea McDougal) since 2009. For 15 years we have been providing childbirth education and support to over 1000 families. And for 15 years we’ve been talking about how baby’s lung maturity is one of the vital components that initiates labor. How cool is that little feature?

Roots is now Sumner County Childbirth.
New name. Same support.

Researchers have identified two proteins in a fetus' lungs responsible for initiating the labor process, providing potential new targets for preventing preterm birth. They discovered that the proteins SRC-1 and SRC-2 activate genes inside the fetus' lungs near full term, leading to an infl...

10/25/2025

You already won the race! You have nothing else to prove dear one.

Biology says that after sexual in*******se, a man deposits around 200 to 300 million s***m; they all begin swimming up the track to meet the egg.

Of all the millions deposited, only 300 to 500 actually reach the target (others tire along the way, because it's not an easy race), and of those that make it to the egg, only one fertilizes the egg, and in that case, you're the winner.

Have you ever thought this?

You ran a race without your eyes and legs, and you won.

You ran a race unprepared, and you won.

You ran a race without help, and you won.

What makes you think you'll lose now?

Now that you have eyes and legs, now that you have plans, visions, and dreams, you didn't give up on day one, so you can't give up. Giving up now is an insult to your creator.

No matter what you're going through right now, take it as a challenge, and remember that you WON from the womb.

Never give up. 💪

Credit to the author