Melissa Godsey, Birth and Postpartum Doula

06/04/2020

Nikki is a GEM of a human being, and the work she’s doing is so very important. White birth worker friends, please consider donating to Nikki’s fund to open a much needed birth center in San Diego. She is a WOC and a member of the LGBTQIA2+ community, and now is a great time to put your money where your mouth is. Link to her donation page is in the comments!

10/16/2019

Tatiana is such a skilled and caring midwife, and we are so lucky to have her! Things like this really showcase how she goes the extra mile for the people she works with. If you live in San Diego or North County and you’re thinking about a homebirth, you have GOT to speak to Tatiana 💙🌀

10/16/2019

This is some really phenomenal information regarding the release of tongue-ties. If you have struggled with ties (with your kiddos but also even yourself), this is a great read!

10/10/2019

A big part of being a parent is having the “hard” conversations. This is something important to consider no matter where you are in your parenting journey ❤️

Nope. Silence about race can reinforce racism by letting children draw their own conclusions.

10/09/2019

This is beautiful! I missed International Le***an Visibility Day by about twelve hours, but here’s to making EVERY day one of LGBTQ visibility ❤️🏳️‍🌈

Photos Of A Butch Woman That Challenge What Pregnancy ‘Should’ Look LikeKasandra BrabawAt some point, Ari Fitz kind of forgot that she even has a womb. The YouTuber is a masculine, black, q***r woman — and in embracing her masculinity and watching family and friends embrace it as well, she tel...

10/08/2019

This! If your care provider tells you that you are “ready to start pushing,” I definitely recommend asking what station your baby is in. If they’re still high up in the pelvis, save yourself some energy and hold off on pushing until your baby helps you and moves down on their own!

If you are looking at this picture and tilting your head, you're probably not alone. So much focus in birth is on dilation that not much thought is given to baby's station.
What does that mean? Station is how far baby's head is down in the pelvis in regards to the ischial spines. When baby is at 0 station, the top of their head is level with your ischial spines. As they move down the number becomes +1, +2 and so on until +4 which is baby is coming out.
So why does this matter more than dilation? A woman can be fully dilated but baby could still only be at 0 or +1 station (sometimes still in the negatives even). As talked about above, +4 is baby coming out; so if you start actively trying to push while baby is still high, you're going to wear yourself out pretty quick. Letting your body do what it was designed to do and contract your baby down to +2 station will help decrease your pushing time and help save your energy which will improve outcomes for you and baby.
When you're in labor, ask for baby's station rather than dilation!

10/07/2019

Kelly and Tiffany are a phenomenal team of midwives, and we are so lucky to have them right here in San Marcos! If you are in need of a home birth, shared care, or well person care, they are your gals. Check them out!

Should a birthing family hire a doula if they are having a homebirth?

Kelly and I had the pleasure of answering this question (and quite a few more) at a Doula Circle on Friday with these amazing birth support professionals in our area.

You already know our hearts for birth are deeply rooted in the educational, physical and emotional support we provided as doulas years ago when our passion for birth first began. It was actually the first homebirth I attended as a doula that propelled me into pursuing a midwifery career.

Women have always been attended by other women at homebirths- the original birth setting for all. Historically, your mother, sister, neighbor or auntie would come sit and hold space for your process alongside your midwife.

I don’t love the way we have industrialized birth and fragmented the sense of imperative community around family life- but I do love that there is a realization that this support is meaningful and that there is stand-in for this important role in a modern doula.

I also love that in San Diego we have a rich collaboration with so many family advocates that stand for meaningful and safe birthing options for women. Doulas are some of the most knowledgeable and compassionate people we know!

08/27/2019

I’m back, back, back again!
I’m very happy to share that I’m now serving families in the Temecula Valley area. There will be some very exciting things happening over the next few months, so stick around! 🏳️‍🌈💗

06/07/2019

I love this article from Best Doula! As a member of the LGBTQ+ community (cis bisexual, pronouns she/her), I’m proud to be able to support all members of my community with knowledgeable and personalized care.

Navigating becoming a parent and the medical system as a q***r person living in a cis/hetero-normative society comes with its own set of issues and frustrations. Having someone (like your doula) on your care team who has your back and doesn’t need you to educate them while they’re supposed to be supporting you is a HUGE asset. Happy Pride! 🌈💕

The need for q***r doulas and increasing diversity in birth work.

04/15/2019

This is a super important post, my friends! Post eclampsia is rare, but it is serious and can be really scary. Please make sure you’re aware of the symptoms, especially if you already have a pre-e diagnosis.

.labornurse with
・・・
Postpartum Preeclampsia 💜⁣⁣
Many women are familiar with preeclampsia, but are you aware that it can strike you AFTER delivery as well?⁣⁣
In many cases it develops within the first 48 hrs after birth, but can develop up to six weeks postpartum. ⁣⁣
Postpartum preeclampsia is more commonly found in women who experience preeclampsia (or eclampsia) during pregnancy, but it can strike any woman, at any time. ⁣⁣
Postpartum preeclampsia usually comes with warning signs, and it’s important to watch out for these!⁣⁣
🔸Severe Headache⁣
🔸 Elevated blood pressure⁣
🔸 Shortness of Breath⁣
🔸 Stomach Pain (more specifically, right upper quadrant pain)⁣
🔸 Nausea/Vomiting ⁣
🔸 Vision changes, such as seeing spots⁣
🔸 Severe swelling in your extremities⁣⁣
Postpartum preeclampsia can be dangerous for you, because it can lead to eclampsia (seizures), stroke, organ damage, or even death (remember Lady Sybil on Downtown Abbey?) ⁣⁣
It’s SUPER important to trust your gut when dealing with these symptoms, if you feel off and feel like something is just not right with you, call your provider or go to the emergency room. ⁣⁣
Just bringing awareness!! ♥️♥️♥️