The Bump Doula

01/04/2024

2023 was a great year! I welcomed my 5th baby and this past fall I got to support two incredible families welcome their babies-one being twins!! I feel so grateful to be able to support moms through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum! And to get to do it while raising my own babies-such a dream come true! Thank you for all your support! If you’re having a baby in 2024, I hope your birth is a wonderful experience! One where you feel loved and supported!

11/17/2023

It’s still hard for me to look back on photos of Zelie’s birth, even to remember

I’m not of the opinion that all that matters is a healthy baby. No matter how long your baby spent in the nicu, it changes you as a mother.

When Zelie graduated from the nicu, I was thrilled to have her home, but there was/is a lot to work through from that experience. And like most things, you have to do it while the world steams full speed ahead. I’ve learned you have to allow yourself the grace to feel whatever emotion you need to feel, whenever it might hit. That others might not allow you that same grace because you came home with a healthy baby and you should appreciate that.

While I mourn the loss of an experience I had hoped for and time without Zelie, I’m also able to appreciate the empathy I’ve gained from all this. It helps me support mothers better. Mothers can support their healthy baby coming home, but who is going to help support that mother until she is healthy again, no matter if it’s 2 months or 5 years?

Hugs to all the parents of premature babies out there. Especially to the ones who never got to bring their sweet babies home 👼🏻

07/17/2023

Trusting yourself as a mother.

Motherhood got a whole lot easier and more enjoyable for me when I realized and gave myself permission to parent my children the way I felt right. When I realized I didn’t have to do what everyone else was doing or what someone recommended. That I could trust my gut and that I did, in fact, know what was best for my child. It didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t happen without doubting myself some days. But here we are seven years into it and I’m confident in the life we’re living. It’s been a journey to get here. One that I extended myself grace in because it’s not without its share of mistakes.

So here’s to allowing yourself to be the mother you want to be and giving yourself the grace to forgive your past choices if they don’t align with what you believe now. We’re all doing the best for our children, whether our journeys look similar or different.

05/06/2023

Friends, I love the newborn stage. Like I really love it. I can function pretty well on little sleep and if I had to pick a stage, it would be newborn. But that’s just it. This is my preferred stage. The one I love. Catch me around 12-18 months and I will not be singing the same song. I struggle and I know so many people love that age. My point is don’t judge my favorite stage against your least. We’ve all got different gifts and thrive in different seasons. Soak up those stages you love and give yourself grace during those not so fun ones 💗

📷:

04/26/2023

We welcomed our sweet Zelie Rose 6 weeks early. She graduated the nicu after 10 days. We’ve been spending our days resting and being smothered with love by her siblings. Zelie’s birth story is very different from her siblings. I’m still very much processing it and all the emotions that come with it, but hope to share it in the future.

02/08/2023

I’m hosting mama bear meet up this Saturday! Join me at berkners from 11-1!

02/02/2023

Four things I encourage all moms to do during labor:

▪️Move
▪️Rest
▪️Eat
▪️Bathe

What did you find most helpful during labor?

01/17/2023

Things have been quiet around here. Life’s been busy and it’s about to become even busier! 👶🏼

I feel incredibly blessed to be adding another babe to our crew in May!

I plan on sharing this journey with you all in hopes of providing some encouragement and advice 🤍

09/10/2022

Come join me tomorrow from 11-1 as I fill in for Stephanie! Can’t wait to chat with some mamas 💕

Join the for the Mama Bear Meet Up tomorrow!!!!! Come and go as you are able from 11-1 at Berkner’s Pizza in Ortonville.

08/11/2022

Some friends and I were chatting the other day about how inevitably one of our kids always ends up in our bed at some point. It’s not necessarily that we planned on cosleeping, but as one mom mentioned, “It’s about survival.”

It got me thinking. I wonder how many of the things we do with our children, we didn’t actually plan on doing. But at the end of the day, things change and to avoid complete exhaustion, we do them.

I’m guessing if we’re being honest, most would nod their head yes. I also wonder how many people (especially with their first) kept quiet about it for fear of being judged. You read the “rules” of what to do and not to do that make you a “good” mom on the internet. Except there aren’t any. We’re all just doing our best. And that looks different at different seasons of people’s lives.

So instead of trying to keep up with the internet and what social media labels as a “good” mom. Let’s chat about our struggles more and normalize doing things differently and being ok with that.

06/16/2022

The 5-5-5 rule is something to keep in mind when planning for those early days of postpartum.

You might feel great after birth, but it’s important to remember that, at the bare minimum, you have a wound the size of a dinner plate inside your uterus that needs to heal. If you don’t take time to properly rest, then your healing process will take longer.

I realize to some this might not be feasible, but I hope this is a reminder of how important is it to accept help during those early days and also offer help to your friends and family that have just given birth.

Preparing for postpartum is just as important as preparing for birth!