Simply Doula and Co.

04/14/2022

Come see us tomorrow, April 14th, between 2 and 4 at Kalispell Fire Station 62 behind Costco!

If you have time please please come say hi. We have a lot of technicians from all across Montana here to help you! The more seats we have the better for our own ongoing education and we love being that second set of eyes for current install and next steps as your kiddos grow!

Fighting with big kids on staying in a harness or booster or even staying rear facing? Let a professional back you up on what's safest until they are bigger!

03/22/2022

Sharing an empowering birth story by :

"This strong mama found out she was pregnant at 21 and also found out she had ovarian cancer. At 19 weeks she had surgery to remove the tumor and her right o***y. After that she did chemotherapy. Through the whole process she wanted to stick to her birth plan and birth at the birth center. She finished chemo two weeks before her due date. She tried her hardest to birth at the center but after over 20 hours of labor she had to and transfer to the hospital. She did deliver va**nally in the end after getting an epidural and getting some much needed rest."

Mama and baby are doing fine.

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03/15/2022

Blood makes us Related, Loyalty in the bond you have makes you family. It takes a village, yet in reality not everyone has a village.
Love, light, positive energy 💫💫💫 .
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03/15/2022

Happy Tuesday!
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03/11/2022

✂️ EPISIOTOMY ✂️

Do you know what an episiotomy is?

This is where a doctor or midwife makes a cut in the area between the va**na and anis during labor; this makes the
opening a little wider and therefore more accessible for the baby to come out.

You might know you can tear during labor, so some doctors offer an episiotomy to prevent tearing from
happening

Currently, around 1 in 7 deliveries in England need an episiotomy. (although I use need lightly)

The current guidelines suggest an episiotomy should be offered if

- Baby is in distress and needs to be born quickly ging
- There is a need for forceps or ventouse
- There is a risk of a tear to the a**s
Vaginal

If you need this procedure, you should, as always, be asked for consent!
If you do concent, you are normally given local anesthetic to numb the area before they make a small cut, you will probably need stitches following this which are dissolvable

I can tell you from experience recovery is tough!

I went through quite a lot of packs of pain killers! And I really believe that is what made my recovery so hard but I also know it did have to be done.

How was your recovery?

03/11/2022

✨Lanugo🦧✨

Lanugo is very fine body hair found on a newborn.

Not all babies are born with lanugo but all babies are coated with it in the womb, it just usually disappears (falls off) sometime around 36-40 weeks gestation.
Lanugo usually falls off in the first few weeks earthside! 🌎

SO, who here had a little hairy monkey on their hands at birth??
I think they are the cutest!!!!
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I.D photo of the upper back of a newborn with pink skin. You can see it’s back is covered in very fine blonde hairs “lanugo”
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03/11/2022

✨ HAPPY FRIDAY! ✨
XOXO

03/11/2022

Doula support. There is nothing quite like having a person in the birth space that just gets you.

They get it.

They can see what you need before you even need it.

They know where to touch before you even show them.

They know what you need to hear before you ask them to say it.

They get YOU!

Whenever people join us in our practice, we often hear this question: "are doulas even worth it?"

YES, SO WORTH IT! EVERY. TIME.

03/11/2022

Guiding hands 👐🏽✨🤲🏽
Holding mom, holding baby.
Who have you got on your birth team?! Let me tell you, that decision matters! Give your team a shout out and tag them below! ⬇️

03/08/2022

Let's talk
NUCHAL CORDS

A nuchal cord happens when your baby's umbilical cord becomes wrapped around their neck in the womb. This is actually quite common, despite what many may
think, and rarely causes serious complications. After all, it gives baby all the blood, oxygen, and nutrients that
they need. This is because your baby doesn't breathe through their trachea while they're en utero, they receive their oxygen through the umbilical cord. Thanks to Wharton's Jelly, a gelatinous substance which insulates and protects the umbilical cord, it is actually very difficult to compress the umbilical cord enough to reduce oxygen flow. Any problem with baby's umbilical cord can be very worrying, but the majority of nuchal cords aren't dangerous in any way.

Possible causes:
-fetal movement
-extra amniotic fluid (which allows more fetal movement)
-longer than average cords

Happening randomly and often, occuring in more than one of four births; they are usually associated with a normal neonatal and maternal outcome. Present studies
found that women with a nuchal cord did not have a significantly higher risk of emergency Cesarean section or of Cesarean section for fetal distress.

Did anyone experience this? How did you feel?

Photo by

03/07/2022

*FAMILY PLANNING*

As a doula, I have clients that come to me very early on in their pregnancy and some that have already had their baby before they realize they need me. I also have clients who seek me out regarding fertility, birth control options in between children and "closing up shop" if you catch my drift.

The truth is that contraceptives help many people for various reasons. And while they aren't for everyone (shoutout to my natural family planners), unfortunately, they are not easily accessible in some parts of America and the world. When we talk about , birth control should be included. Birth control is health care and knowing all your options AND having access to those options is essential to making an informed decision regarding your health.

Here is a list of contraception options:
▫️Condoms (male & female)
▫️Plan B or Morning After Pill
▫️Pill
▫️IUD
▫️Implant
▫️Injection
▫️Ring
▫️Patch
▫️Diaphragm/Cap/Sponge
▫️Tubal Ligation/Vasectomy
▫️Withdrawal
▫️Calendar Rhythm Method
▫️Herbal Contraceptive

Please be thorough when researching and choosing a contraceptive. As with any medication, there are side effects. Every option isn't right for everyone and your health and safety is what's most important.

03/07/2022

Often times as a doula we hear these questions:

What will my husband/partner do?

Will he/she feel useless?

Isn't your job what he/she should be doing?

Whether your partner is hands on or not, we as doulas support your birth in whatever way that might look like for you. We have supported laboring Moms and assisted partners to do hip squeezes or helped partner understand what is going on, in addition to making sure your partner and yourself are hydrated, fed, and doing well, we make sure your birth is going as YOU want it to (as much as possible of course).

Supporting your partner is important to us too!

03/07/2022

03/07/2022

A momma's body is INCREDIBLE!
The ability to change and grow and develop and sustain the life of your baby is nothing short of amazing!

03/06/2022

To wash or not to wash 🤔

When a baby is born, they are born with this cheese like substance on their skins called vernix. Why does this matter?

The World health Organization recommends leaving vernix on your baby’s skin for at least 6 hours but preferably 24 hours. Why?

Vernix acts as a protective layer both in the womb and out of the womb. Vernix is also a form of moisturizer and contains lots of vitamin e (keep that in mind next time you go skincare shopping 😂)
Vernix also helps newborns maintain body temperature.

While vernix may look unappealing on your baby, it’s definitely doing your baby wonders of good. Rub it into your baby’s skin and it’ll be alright.

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03/03/2022

Please don’t waste that Golden Milky!
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Unless your b***s are really engorged and you need to have some release, you do not need to pump. Just wait till you are sober and then your milk will be too!
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03/03/2022

The Egg Chooses Her S***m
Some great research came out of Sweden in 2020 which turns the traditional "strongest s***m wins" belief on it's head.
It revealed that eggs have something like a tractor beam – in the form of a chemical. If the egg decides it likes the s***m, its chemicals tell it to swim faster. If it’s not a fan, the s***m is sent a go-slow message.
Interestingly the egg appeared to preference genetic diversity and may not agree to fertilisation with the partner we have chosen!
"The more diverse those genes are, the more diverse are the kinds of infections you can fight. And if your partner has a slightly different combination of these genes than you do, then you're going to produce offspring that can fight an even broader array of pathogens and diseases." explained researcher John Fitzpatrick to CNN (2020).
So goes to show that even before conception Mamas are programmed to fight for their baby's survival!
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03/02/2022

We all work together, not in competition!
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Who you have on your birth team is SO important and can be the difference between a positive birth experience or a not. Everyone has a role and everyones role is different in birth. What did your team look like? Who did you have? Who will you have? What about next time? ❤️And did you know that having a doula as part of your birth team reduces the risk of a cesarean by up to 30%, decreases the need/use of pitocin by 31%, and decreases the use of medical pain relief by at least 10%?! Are you looking for a doula?! Feel free to reach out and chat! Booking for February births on!

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