Diamond Valley Birth Collective

06/05/2025

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.

05/26/2025

Some births change us forever.

This week, we had the sacred honor of walking alongside a family whose love was palpable in every moment. They brought their baby earthside with tender hands and open hearts, holding space for him with a depth of devotion that moved us to our core.

While their time together was brief, it was filled with so much love- a love that will continue to grow, root, and bloom in their lives forever. We are humbled and grateful to have been invited into such an intimate and holy space. These are the moments that remind us why we do this work.

At Diamond Valley Birth Collective, we believe every story matters. Every pregnancy is sacred.

We also want to extend our gratitude to whose training and teachings have expanded our bundle to better hold space in these moments with reverence- to protect dignity, center autonomy, and walk gently alongside families.

Thank you to this sweet family for allowing us to witness and support your journey. Your love was, and is, powerful medicine.

- Ashley 🤎✨

05/23/2025

Let’s talk about perineal tearing 💗

It’s a topic many people are nervous to ask about—but understanding your body and your birth options can make a powerful difference.

Tearing during vaginal birth can be common, but it’s definitely not inevitable. At Diamond Valley Birth Collective, we support birthing people with techniques that reduce the risk of tearing and help protect the perineum and many of our clients experience no or only minor tearing. Why?

✨ Hands-on and hands-off support (based on your preferences and evidence-based practices)
✨ Optimal fetal positioning techniques to get baby aligned
✨ Helping you time desired interventions to allow your body to progress
✨ Breathing and pacing to avoid too-fast crowning
✨ Encouraging upright and side-lying birth positions that reduce pressure on the perineum
✨ Warm compresses for comfort and elasticity
✨ Advocacy during birth to help avoid unnecessary episiotomies and rushed pushing phases

Doulas at DVBC create a birth environment rooted in consent, calm, and accountability. Our presence alone encourages a slower, more respectful approach—one that honors your body’s rhythm and reduces trauma to your tissues.

This image is a helpful visual guide to the four degrees of perineal lacerations, showing how far a tear can actually extend. (Image source unknown—frequently shared online with great educational impact.)

We believe in education, prevention, and healing—not fear.

Your birth. Your body. Your say.
You deserve care that honors all three.

05/21/2025

Thank you to everyone that came to our very first meet up. It was such a pleasure to see everybody. It is such a privilege to work with so many amazing families. We look forward to seeing you all again in two weeks.

05/21/2025

Thank you to everyone that came to our very first meet up. It was such a pleasure to see everybody. It is such a privilege to work with so many amazing families. We look forward to seeing you all again in two weeks.

05/08/2025

Another LATCH training in the books with 💗

At Diamond Valley Birth Collective, we’re passionate about supporting the full circle of lactation care — and that includes strengthening the skills of our incredible local RNs.

Nurses are often the first line of support for families beginning their infant feeding journeys. Before (and after) lactation consultants step in, nurses are there, protecting breastfeeding and providing vital care.

We’re honored to contribute to building a strong, skilled, and compassionate lactation ecosystem in our community. Grateful to be part of this important work!

05/04/2025

Always forgetting to take pictures 😆 here are a few from the Mom & Baby Fair today! Thank you to everyone who came to say hi! 🥰

05/03/2025

Hey everyone! 👋 We’re excited to announce that Diamond Valley Birth Collective Doulas and Lactation Consultants be at the Temecula Mom & Baby Fair today! 🎉 If you’re local, come by and say hi – we’d love to meet you! Whether we’ve worked together already or you’re a new client, it’s the perfect chance to connect in person. 🌸

Check out the event details here:

Hope to see you there! 💕