Beloved Embrace Doula Care

09/27/2025

🔹 Early Pregnancy (first trimester)
At the very beginning, amniotic fluid isn’t p*e at all — it’s mostly made from your body (water from your plasma). This is what surrounds baby, keeps them cushioned, and helps form their little world.

🔹 As Baby Grows (second trimester)
Around 12–14 weeks, baby’s kidneys start working… which means they start p*eing into the fluid. (And yes, they also swallow it — which is actually amazing for their development!)

🔹 Later Pregnancy (third trimester)
By the time you’re in the last stretch, most of that fluid is made up of baby’s p*e. Every day they’re:
• Swallowing it → practicing sucking & swallowing skills for feeding
• “Breathing” it into their lungs → practicing for those first real breaths
• Peeing it back out → showing their kidneys are healthy and working

It’s a whole cycle — sip, practice, p*e, repeat. And it’s one of the ways baby is training for life outside the womb.

🔹 Why it matters for mama
• Amount of fluid tells doctors a lot about how baby is doing
• Too little or too much can sometimes signal that baby needs extra checking
• But most of the time? It’s just baby happily floating in their cozy, self-made swimming pool 🥹💛
So when you tell your kids the story later, you can say:
“Yep, you p*ed inside my belly… and then you turned right around and drank it. Ewwww! But that’s how you learned to eat and breathe, so good job, kiddo.” 🍼💦😂

09/24/2025

Benefits of laboring on the toilet (“dilation station”):
• Natural positioning: Sitting on the toilet mimics a squatting position, which opens the pelvis and gives baby more space to descend.
• Relaxed muscles: Your body is trained to relax pelvic floor muscles on the toilet, making it easier to let go of tension that can slow dilation.
• Gravity assist: Sitting upright uses gravity to help baby move down, rather than lying flat.
• Encourages progress: Can help contractions become more effective, supporting dilation and descent.
• Mental cue of release: The familiar act of “letting go” on the toilet often helps your mind connect with the idea of releasing control, which supports labor flow.
• Rest option: Provides a place to sit and rest while still maintaining an effective labor position.

Doula’s call it the “dilation station” because of how often it helps things pick up when dilation seems to be stalling.

09/24/2025

🌿 How Laughing Gas Can Help During Birth
1. Reduces Pain & Anxiety, Not Awareness – Laughing gas takes the edge off contractions by reducing perception of pain and helping mothers feel calmer, but it doesn’t put them to sleep. You stay alert, present, and in control.
2. Fast-Acting & Short-Lived – It works within seconds of inhalation and leaves your system just as quickly once you stop breathing it in. This means it can be used only when you want it—like during contractions.
3. Self-Administered Control – Moms hold the mask themselves and decide when to breathe it in. This gives a sense of empowerment, since you are in charge of your own pain relief.
4. Safe for Baby – Nitrous oxide does not build up in the baby’s system. Because it leaves the body rapidly through normal breathing, the baby is not sedated or affected in the way stronger medications might be.
5. Doesn’t Slow Labor – Unlike some pain medications (such as epidurals or opioids), laughing gas does not interfere with contractions, pushing, or progress of labor.
6. Flexible Option – It can be combined with other coping tools (movement, breathing, hydrotherapy, doula support) or even other pain relief methods later if needed.

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🌿 Why It’s Not Harmful
• No Lasting Effects – Because it doesn’t stay in the body, there are no lingering effects after birth.
• Low Risk of Complications – Side effects are usually mild and temporary, like dizziness or nausea, which stop once use ends.
• No Increased Risk for Baby – Studies show no increase in NICU admissions, Apgar score issues, or newborn complications compared to unmedicated birth.
• Maintains Mobility – Moms can still move, walk, and change positions since nitrous oxide doesn’t cause numbness.
• Less Invasive – No IV, catheter, or anesthesia procedure is required, unlike an epidural.

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✨ Many women describe laughing gas as taking the “edge off” while still allowing them to feel in tune with their body and baby. It’s not about eliminating pain completely—it’s about making it more manageable in a safe, low-risk way.

09/20/2025

Laughing Gas in Labor

• Safe for Mom & Baby – Nitrous oxide doesn’t build up in your body or your baby’s, so it doesn’t make the baby sleepy or affect alertness after birth.
• You Stay in Control – You hold the mask and decide when to breathe it in. It works quickly and wears off just as fast when you stop.
• Doesn’t Slow Labor – Contractions, pushing, and baby’s activity aren’t affected. You stay awake, mobile, and able to work with your body.
• Mild, Short-Lived Side Effects – Some moms notice dizziness or a little nausea, especially if inhaled too much or too quickly, but it goes away once you stop breathing it in.
• Best Way to Use It – Start inhaling just before a contraction builds, breathe normally through the mask, and stop when the contraction eases. This keeps it effective without overdoing it.

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In short: Laughing gas won’t take away all the pain, but it takes the edge off, helps you stay calmer and more focused, and does so without affecting your baby.

09/12/2025

09/12/2025

09/12/2025

09/12/2025

You are not a failure if your unmedicated birth didn’t go as planned.A c-section doesn’t mean God wasn’t with you. It doesn’t mean you didn’t prepare enough. And it certainly doesn’t mean you made a mistake.Every birth looks different. But every birth where mom and baby come out alive and safe—that is a good birth.God was there. He placed the right doctors, the right nurses, the right timing. He guided every moment, even if it didn’t look like your original plan.So don’t carry shame. Don’t carry defeat. You did not fail. You birthed in strength, and God was with you.

09/10/2025

God designed your body with wisdom. During birth, your hormones release in a perfect sequence—oxytocin to fuel contractions, endorphins to comfort you, and prolactin to prepare you for nurturing. Science confirms what faith already knew: you are wonderfully made for this moment.

09/08/2025

08/08/2025