Motherwort Doula Services

09/17/2023

Exciting update! I have started working towards becoming a social worker. I have started classes for the masters program at GVSU this semester.

My hope is that I will be able to be more involved when helping new parents experiencing perinatal mood disorders.

I am still accepting clients, although I have lightened my caseload because being a working mom going to school is no joke!!

03/08/2023

My current read. I have such a special place in my heart for grieving parents. Our society does not talk about infant death, it is a very taboo topic. We ignore parents who are going through the process of grieving their baby’s death, whether that be a miscarriage, a stillbirth, or the loss of their infant.

For parents who have ever had to grieve a child. I see you, and I am so sorry. You are not alone.

01/26/2023

Momsbloom is an invaluable resource to new parents in the Grand Rapids area!

A new baby brings lots of new changes!

The postpartum period can bring a wide variety of strong emotions. Whatever you are feeling is normal! Take some time to talk to someone you trust to help you navigate through this period.

01/25/2023

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08/26/2022

💯💯💯

08/18/2022

08/02/2022

Hold the mother, not the baby 💛

Hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
Because the baby’s being taken care of—⁣
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—⁣
by not only the mother,⁣
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.⁣
⁣
But the mother,⁣
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣
may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣
may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣
⁣
And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣
⁣
So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣
in the background, making it all happen:⁣
feeding her baby at all hours,⁣
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣
and being that baby’s everything.⁣
⁣
So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣
⁣
And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣
⁣
So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣
⁣
Because the mother needs to be held more.⁣

📸: This Mama Doodles
....................................................⁣⁣
My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc

07/30/2022

Intensive mothering ideology tells us that motherhood should be everything—that we should put our own needs on the backburner and focus all of our energy on our kids.

So even when moms do return to the workforce, they often find themselves battling working mom guilt—they feel like failures for being away from their children, guilty when they prioritize their careers, and pressure to balance work and still be “perfect” moms.

It took a lot of unlearning for me to realize that it was okay to want a role for myself that was different—that it was okay to want to forge my career path and be driven by something beyond motherhood.

This week on the podcast, we are joined by , law professor and author of Ambitious Like a Mother, to discuss mom life balance and overcoming working mom guilt.

See an excerpt from the podcast blog post below ⤵️

Instead of engaging in mommy wars and belittling other moms’ choices, we should all realize that we are pawns in a culture war that tells us there is only one right way to be a mother.

There are plenty of moms out there who are breaking the mould and embracing motherhood in their own ways. Those of us who want to mother differently can look to them as examples. We can embrace diversity in motherhood.

We can also give permission to other mothers to do it differently. This is why Lara is open with her law students about being a working mom. She wants to normalize the struggle of motherhood and show her students that there are many paths available to them—both in their careers and in their families.

Head to happyasamother.co/blog to read more or listen to Episode 131 with

07/24/2022

💛

I'm just so sorry that you were in the position to flush the toilet in the first place.🥺

This is one of those morbid, horrible details that we often can't share with others because of how dark it feels.

So here's a post telling you that it's okay. Flushing the toilet doesn't mean that you don't value their short life. It doesn't mean that you don't wish you could have buried them, have a funeral, or care for them.

It's okay if you flushed the toilet.
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