Freya Birth

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Orem, UT
Freya Birth

Katie Foerster

Birth Doula
Postpartum Doula

Empowering parents with knowledge and support as they journey into parenthood.

Serving Utah and South Salk Lake Counties

07/03/2024

Say hello to our wonderful holistic team of doulas!

We are a one stop shop for birth and postpartum doula services, placenta encapsulation, birth tub rentals and more!

When you hire a doula through Freya Birth you're hiring a doula with a village behind her! You can come meet her backups at one of our beautiful Village Blessing events that are part of every package.

We would be honored to be considered to support you on your birth and/or postpartum journey. 💗

04/07/2024

Every once in awhile I write poems and wanted to share one with you all ☺️

The uninhabitable house

I once had a house I was told was unseemly.
Too noisy, too warm, too unruly, too big
It would be shameful to live inside, I was told.

So I made a home in the backyard shed, a practical space, very reasonable, and unassuming.

Spending my days trimming the hedge,
Planting colorful flowers, painting windowpanes, all to cover the house as to not bother any passersby.

Until one day I saw over the fence my neighbor leaving her house, the look on her face furtive, not fearful, glowing with what seemed a lovely secret.

I rushed back to my safe shed, stunned by her audacity, and swore that wouldn't be me, yet deep in my heart I held the light of the look on her face like a fragile bird.

It seemed as though my house began to call me, and that bird in my heart tried to sing a reply. Worried, I ignored the call as best I could. Yet it grew louder, softly persistent, and the song was so lovely.

A candle in my hand, I ventured to the door, creaking it open, slowly, ready to bolt, I held the light up.

What I discovered was noisy, the music washing over me, it was warm, holding me like a hug, it was unruly, enthralling with its mystery, and it was very big, my heart barely grasping the implication, the potential.

That day I didn't dare cross the threshold but with time I got bolder, exploring each room, curiosity my guide.

A stranger yet it was mine, but a sadness stood between us, tentative we both were to trust one another.

The taste of rebellion was sweet on my lips. This place felt like home, my shed seeming so cold and lonely in comparison.

But how did one live in a home such as this?

10/06/2023

People unfollow me everyday.

I am sure there are lots of reasons they do so. I'm probably not crunchy enough for some, too crunchy for others. Some may think I'm not advocating strongly enough, others that I'm too anti the system for their palate.

Thing is, I don't care about any of that. I am here as much to process my own experience as I am to share. Whenever you step into radical accountability and self-compassion it's going to ruffle feathers.

I allow myself to evolve
I allow myself to be unpopular
I allow myself to stand in my truths, and for those truths to change as I learn and grow
I allow myself authenticity

I am ony own journey of how I can use the status of "influencer" to create value, not try and persuade you into anything. I would never want to disempower you in that way.

So in this space I won't idealize birth, I won't try and tell you what to do, I won't set up a pair of rights and wrongs, blacks and whites. I won't tell you things absolutely HAVE to buy or try or look like or do.

Because I don't want you to get into the comparison game. I don't want you to ever feel guilty or unworthy in any way.

Because how I view birth is that it's a unique opportunity for YOU to take the next step in YOUR journey.

So when I present information my hope is that you'll take it and ask yourself "what does my intuition say about this" "does this feel light and good, does it expand my understanding?" Or does it feel like it's not the way for you? That's fine too.

So thank you to those who are still here. I hope i can offer you value on your journey. And if you ever feel like I'm not, go with love out of my space.

Blessings,
Katie
📸

10/03/2023

Wise words to remember for postpartum and all of motherhood.

Rest, mama. Rest.

10/01/2023

Can you find the peace within even when there is chaos without?

There are many advantages to birthing in a familiar environment, but sometimes things beyond your control may change what you have envisioned.

So don't forget to invest time in creating a bastion of peace in your mind. Practice calming your mind and body no matter the environment. Meditate in public, use your affirmations when everything feels chaotic. If you only prepare your mind for birth when everything is smooth then you leave the door open for disappointment to make your experience a negative one.

As a doula one of the things that most break my heart is when a client who birthed powerfully still asks me later what she did wrong.

If we go in with expectations and something goes astray, we feel as though we have failed. If we go in prepared and willing to follow whatever path birth may take, we feel powerful, no matter what the birth ends up looking like.

09/26/2023

What fears are speaking to you this pregnancy?

When I talk about working through fears that arise I'm not talking about conquering or eliminating them because fear serves an important purpose, and it's impossible to completely remove it anyways as there will always be some fear when we do interesting and brave things.

It's about bringing them to the surface and becoming familiar with them so they're not unconsciously controlling your experience.

When you push aside, cover up, or leave fears unresolved, they can often get between you and your intuition, driving your decisions under the guise of "helpfulness".

I love this letter to fear in the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. (I have taken parts out and edited a bit)

Dearest Fear,

{Birth} and I are about to go on a road trip together. I understand you'll be joining us. I acknowledge that you believe you have an important job to do in my life. -- You're allowed to have a seat, and you're allowed to have a voice, but you are not allowed to have a vote. You're not allowed to touch the road maps, you're not allowed to suggest detours, your not even allowed to fiddle with the temperature. -- And above all else, my dear old familiar friend, you are absolutely forbidden to drive.

Incredible series of images by

09/23/2023

I'm often asked why I love birth so much.

I have given many answers over the years. I felt confident and powerful after my unmedicated births. I felt connected to my body and baby in a very special way. I felt a deep sense of pride and achievement at the work I did to prepare and the way I made it through the births themselves.

But lately I've realized that the true reason is that birth makes me FEEL.

I have always been someone who through my own life experiences learned to just tough things out, grin and bear it, soldier through and take a lot of pride in my strength and how little the events around me affected me. But after doing so much work the last few years I see now that I actually did all that by cutting myself off from my actual feeling self. That FEELING sense became a foreign and unused thing.

Yet as I was pregnant and did all the work to prepare for my births, the things that made them so beautiful, and still makes attending them magical for me, is the deep feeling and humanity of it all. The openness and vulnerability, the raw, unedited depth of people's souls that shines through in those sacred hours.

And yet I realized that while I had accessed that power on the inside while birthing I had still never felt safe to let it show to those around me. For those observing I was calm and controlled and no one could see the epic journey happening inside.

Because this is one of the gifts that birth offers, this opportunity to be brought face to face with our feeling world, and as we process how the birth went internally, we can see clearly what our coping mechanisms are, and if we want to continue with them, or if it's time to do the work of changing.

For me this last birth was a step on my journey to take my armor off, pull my walls down, and to find safety in softness and connection.

What did your birth teach you about yourself?📷

09/21/2023

This is what it's all about.

LOOK AT THE JOY!

I met this client early in pregnancy and she told me about her first birth which had been very traumatic for her, needing to be induced for preeclampsia and feeling like everything spun out of control, including a failed epidural.

This time around she prepared with her whole heart. I loved having her at all my positive birth circles and hearing her insights and building even more of a relationship.

She took it back. The power in birth that had been robbed from her this first time around. She made conscious choices and asked questions, she followed her body's lead and got into any position and made any noise they felt good and I am so so proud and honored that I could be there.

I took this picture shortly after that baby hit her chest and she knew she'd done it and it was so beautiful that I asked to edit it for me as a keepsake for my client.

Those powerful REDEMPTIVE moments are ones that stay in my heart always and lift me up on the heavy days.

09/20/2023

Our intention with this gathering is that you will leave with a full cup having connected with your body, heart and baby and feeling nurtured and celebrated as you prepare for your journey through birth and motherhood.

This event is free for all Freya Birth clients and because of the generosity of our sponsors .chiropractic and we are able to offer it to the general public for just 30$.

We want this to be an accessible, loving place for all those who feel this holistic preparation is needed during this time so we will also have some bartering opportunities for attendance! For example: contributing snacks made with love or creating a centerpiece from flowers, etc. Message me if you have an idea how you can contribute!

We would love to have you join our circle.

Register at the link in my bio!

09/16/2023

You never know what will feel good in your birth space.

Some women like it quiet and dark (this was me)
Some like talking in between contractions
Some births we are all rolling with laughter even up until near the end
Some we cry and hold onto one another through it

And maybe it will have moments of each.

The important thing is that your birth team follows YOUR guide and pays attention to you and what is working for you.📸
Mama:

09/12/2023

When I got the pictures back from my beautiful, powerful third birth, I remember seeing this one and a few others and having the thoughts cross my mind:

"yikes"
"I am so not photogenic"
"Why does my shoulder look so wierd"
"This isn't one I'm gonna be sharing"

This moment I was riding some intense sensations inside my body as she moved quickly down into my pelvis. I am curling my body around to create a better path for her. Adrenaline is beginning to rush through my veins. It was the very first urge to push moment and soon afterwards I followed my body's lead to stand up and quickly after that my baby was in my arms. This was a powerful moment of transition between laboring and pushing. Why is it that my first thought is about how "attractive" I look in that moment rather than seeing the POWER of it?

I have been working to reprogram my brain and posting this is part of the process. I am owning my power and breaking out of the need to always be "pleasing" to what society says is attractive or beautiful.

This birth FELT beautiful and wonderful, so however I looked at the time is part of the beauty and wonder.

I challenge you to share a real, uncensored, powerful moment of your birth that you may at some point have hesitated to share. I would be honored if you would tag me in it as I want to share and help to normalize what birth looks like and together we can break free of the mentality that our worthiness comes from looking good all the time and own that we are worthy in every moment. Especially the ones where we are channeling our powers of creation.

I will share some more powerful pictures of my last birth in my stories and I would love to share yours too if you want to send them to me rather than share them yourself. That's ok if you aren't ready to do that, liking and watching others share will hopefully help you to take your own steps towards more acceptance of all your facets.

Address

Orem, UT

Website

http://www.freyabirth.com/

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Katie Foerster-Birth and Postpartum Doula

I had both of my children in Germany where childbirth preparation courses, childbirth, and postpartum care are all covered by the healthcare system and is considered standard care for every woman. After we moved back to America I soon came to realize that it is not the same here. When talking with my friend Rachel about her childbirth experience, she said: "I felt very alone throughout the whole process, no one really told me anything to prepare me or help me cope with labor. My birth was a very hard experience for me, and although i want more children, I am scared when i even think about doing that again." Another friend of mine, Kim, said: "After i had my baby, everyone thought i should be so overjoyed but all i felt was exhausted and anxious. I never felt like i had anyone to talk to about it. I felt so alone." These talks and countless others like them inspired me to become a doula and try and change the birth and postpartum experience into a positive one and help women get the support they deserve.

My goal is to help women find their birthing voices and have all the information they need to make the right birthing choices for them and their past and their situation, whatever that birth may look like. Only when fully informed and carefully pondered can we make the choices that we can stand behind and never regret. No matter your birthing preferences, i would be honored to help support you along your journey.