Your Essential Doula

02/07/2023

Want to have a special keepsake made out of your breastmilk? I highly recommend Loved by hazel! This is a local mama here in NH and the reason she started her business has such a special meaning! 💕

01/23/2023

Been having a snowstorm here in NH and snowstorms like to bring on the babies. Let’s see what the evening will bring!

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe. 💕

01/21/2023

Yes, this! 💕

It’s not always doing and being hands on. There are times that it is just sitting, listening or watching. When listening to the breathing and labor sounds or watching you can determine how relaxed or comfortable mama is in labor and if she is happy resting or maybe needs a change.

I love being that calm presence in the room!

Walk into a room while I am supporting a birth and you might think that I am just sitting there doing nothing. I won’t be talking. I won’t be touching the client. I won’t be using anything in my bag.

So what am I doing exactly?

🪑 Watching mom’s breathing and sometimes breathing loudly alongside her to remind her to slow down her breath

🪑 Scanning mom’s body during the contraction to make sure that she isn’t holding any tension

🪑 Monitoring the temperature and lighting to create the peaceful environment that she desires

🪑 Calculating how long it has been since she emptied her bladder

🪑 Thinking about how long she has been in her current position and thinking about the next position that she might try

🪑 Timing contractions to see if they are longer, stronger and closer together

🪑 Thinking about when mom and her partner last had a snack

🪑 Reviewing her preferences to make sure that everything is going according to her plan

🪑 Giving the couple space to connect on an intimate level (allowing for oxytocin) and/or guiding the partner to be the lead support

🪑 Updating notes and capturing labor flow

Sometimes just being fully present is enough. Sometimes just knowing I am there in close proximity is all mom needs to be able to relax and focus on what she needs to do. Sometimes just holding space for them in an unbiased manner allows for a noticeable shift in the energy of the room.

And the list goes on….

Source

11/10/2022

08/19/2022

Spinning babies private & group class options by the awesome Alyssa Sylvester Birth Services 🥰

What does a private Spinning Babies Parent Class look like?

Same tools and props for hands on learning.

More individualized learning, more time to focus on specific stretches and modifications for your body and baby.

Same fun learning environment with yours truly 😝

More flexible booking opportunities, weekday/night and weekend options available! (Childcare available weekday mornings for siblings)

Same information on how YOU can have a more comfortable pregnancy and easier labor!

Message me now to book your private Spinning Babies Parent Class or sign up for a group class using this link! https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=726823&stype=-8&sTG=22&sVT=5342&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100000014

06/29/2022

A Note From Kate

I want to share that I have made the decision to close the birth center, with our last month being July of 2023. I will be offering home birth services only after that point. There are a few reasons why, which I will highlight here.

It cannot go without saying that the climate of midwifery in the US is changing. While the demand for midwives and out of hospital birth is steadily increasing, the systems in place to support us are lacking. Our medical malpractice insurance, which is required in order to be in network with insurance companies, increased by more than double in the past year. Affordable medical malpractice insurance has been an issue since I started midwifery. I have had to wonder, every year, whether or not I would be able to maintain this expense. This, combined with poor reimbursement rates from insurance companies and Medicaid, makes it impossible to run a sustainable or profitable business without compromising our own work/life balance.

Since my son’s birth, I have been able to take a step back from on-call duties at the Birth Center. I have spent the first year and a half of Monty’s life as a full time, present parent and realized how much I value time with my children and family—and how much I missed with my older daughters. Midwifery is a beautiful calling, but I let myself give more to my clients than my family. It's time to give my family the same dedication I’ve given my calling to midwifery.

With this decrease in my on-call time, I’ve had the time to reflect on why I wanted to be a midwife in the first place. What came out of that was the ability to provide compassionate, personal care that is based on the principles of informed choice. I wanted the ability to teach people how their birth can be a positive and profoundly life changing experience. I also wanted the ability to take time to get to know my clients, and to celebrate life or mourn loss together, with humility, humanity, and loving care as the guiding principles of my practice.

The decision to close the birth center brings me back to those roots. I am so thankful for the last 16 years of this beautiful space and I am looking forward to this last year in it as the new start we all need to our midwifery practices. I will continue to take clients for both home and birth center, but I plan on a much lower volume, with the due date cutoff being July 15, 2023. Clients in my care who are due after that will be planning home births.

As far as the staff of the birth center goes, Bryn will be opening her own home birth practice based out of Loudon. I cannot put to words how much I have appreciated Bryn’s steadfast support for so many years. We plan to continue to work together regularly, assisting each other and covering for each other when needed. Her practice is called Northern Lights Midwifery and she is taking clients due in September 2022 and beyond.

Tessa will be practicing in their home state of Vermont. Tessa, you have been such a gift to our practice in so many ways. Tessa’s practice is called Threshold Community Midwives, providing home birth and IUI services in Central VT.

Nora will remain with me at the birth center, as well as attending births with Bryn and other area midwives. We look forward to continuing to work with her as she transitions into being a certified, licensed midwife.

Sherry will continue her home birth practice, New Life Midwifery, based out of Meredith. Thank you for your help at the center over the last couple years, and for your experience, companionship, and reliability.

I love and appreciate all the students that have grown into midwifery here. Thank you for your commitment and loving care to the center and our clients.

I cannot end this letter without thanking my longtime colleague and friend Cindy Owen. You brought so much to this place, and to me.

Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns. You, our community, are important to us. We all look forward to continuing to serve as your midwives, with a renewed perspective of what we want to give and what we need to take.

06/08/2022

Do you want to be a blessing to another mom? The Nest Family Cafe in Londonderry has a blessing corner where you can bring your unused diapers, wipes, and other items you don't need. It is a great way to help someone else without wasting something you might not need.

05/12/2022

05/08/2022

🌷 💕

🌷❤️🥰

01/19/2022

04/23/2021

03/14/2020

Now booking for December 🤗😜

02/29/2020

You would not consider trying to 💩 lying on your back? Ummm NO WAY, right?!
Why, do you think that is?
It would be so much harder and AWKWARD!
1️⃣ It’s just plain easier to be in an upright position allowing gravity to assist.
2️⃣ Your pelvic outlet is wider in different positions. It’s like trying to squeeze through a door that someone is shutting on you as opposed to an open doorway.
3️⃣ You’re not compressing important arteries and compromising oxygen to the baby.
4️⃣ You will feel more in control and less likely to feel traumatized! Aka happier!
That all being said, most women in the US give birth laying flat on their back.
Research, educate yourself, hire a doula, TELL the birth team how YOU want to give birth!

How did you push? Comment below

02/14/2020

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️
Call me! 📞

01/12/2020

❤️

01/10/2020

I would love to be your doula and help you 💕

01/05/2020

Breathe. Trust. Let Go.