Brave Birth Doula Care

11/20/2025

Yesterday’s childbirth class had such a good flow — real conversation, hands-on learning, and couples actually getting to understand their own anatomy and options.

If you're expecting and want a class that feels grounding, inclusive, and actually useful for birth + postpartum, my next class is on December 14th.

And if you want to get ahead on the early weeks at home, my Virtual Postpartum Planning Class is on December 2nd.

Designed for all families — Portland in-person + virtual.
Visit our website to register.

🌿 Evidence-based
🌿 LGBTQIA+ inclusive + affirming
🌿 Practical, human, and calming

11/19/2025

“Babies don’t arrive neutral. They come out already knowing the body they grew in. Everyone else is still earning fluency.”

This simple truth sits at the center of early postpartum, especially for families planning homebirth or midwife-supported birth.
The birthing parent’s physiology is the baby’s first blueprint — their smell, their hormones, their heartbeat, their whole sense of safety.

In this week’s blog, I’m talking about how this shapes bonding, division of labor, and the natural tilt toward the birthing parent in those early weeks… and how families can rebalance with time, consistency, and intention.

Full read: https://www.bravebirth.com/brave-birth-faqs-blog/2025/11/14/the-birthing-parent-decides-everything-at-least-for-a-while

Deep appreciation to .midwifery for the grounded, heart-centered care they bring to Portland families every day.

Brave Birth offers monthly childbirth classes for modern + q***r families in Portland.
Learn more: BraveBirth.com/childbirth-class

Prenatal group and private childbirth education and breastfeeding taught by our team of doulas, Lamaze educator, and lactation consultants.

11/16/2025

“If you’re feeding your baby from your body, you’re putting in the equivalent of a full work week… every seven days. You're working full time and taking care of everything else you used to.”

Feeding is labor.
It’s time, energy, sleep, identity, and a full-body investment that most people outside the feeding dyad don’t fully see.

If you’re in it right now — or preparing for postpartum as a family — this blog breaks down why early parenting tilts toward the birthing parent, how feeding shapes the division of labor, and what helped us regain balance.

Full read: https://www.bravebirth.com/brave-birth-faqs-blog/2025/11/14/the-birthing-parent-decides-everything-at-least-for-a-while

Shouting out for the beautiful work she does supporting feeding parents.

Brave Birth offers monthly childbirth classes for modern + q***r families.
Learn more: BraveBirth.com/childbirth-class

11/14/2025

“Most babies come out already fluent in the birthing parent’s language — your smell, your heartbeat, your hormones, your breath. Everyone else is still learning the dialect.”

If you’ve ever felt like your baby “only wants you,” it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong. It’s biology, bonding, and time.

I wrote about all of it — the bonding, the division of labor, and how our family slowly figured it out.

Read the full piece: https://www.bravebirth.com/brave-birth-faqs-blog/2025/11/14/the-birthing-parent-decides-everything-at-least-for-a-while

Tagging https://www.facebook.com/BarbBucknerSuarez/ for the folks who want more support from perinatal pros who get it.

08/22/2025

"Parenthood isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about adding more to who you already are."
This summer taught me how to hold onto old me while embracing the new.
Blog → https://www.nicoleferrellbirth.com/blog/daycare-doula-life-and-motherhood
Class + Workbook → https://www.nicoleferrellbirth.com/store/p/childbirth-education-class-workbook

08/18/2025

"You don’t have to lose yourself to parenthood."
After 20 years in doula work and early childhood education, I thought I knew what to expect. Parenthood still surprised me.
Blog → https://www.nicoleferrellbirth.com/blog/daycare-doula-life-and-motherhood
Class + Workbook → https://www.nicoleferrellbirth.com/store/p/childbirth-education-class-workbook

08/15/2025

"Old me. New me. Still me."
Motherhood didn’t erase who I am—it added to it. This summer of daycare gave me space to stand strong in both.
Read the full story → Read the blog
If you’re expecting, my childbirth education class + digital workbook are on sale here → Check them out

A doula’s honest take on balancing motherhood, daycare, and identity—plus why I built my childbirth education class and digital workbook.

07/11/2025

"Want to feel more ready and less... rattled?"
Real talk: You need more than a hospital tour. Brave Birth’s small-group class prepares you for birth and what happens after, including the ‘both/and’ of parenting.
📆 Next class is coming fast: www.bravebirth.com/childbirth-class
🖤 Blog: frank truth, no fluff.

Prenatal group and private childbirth education and breastfeeding taught by our team of doulas, Lamaze educator, and lactation consultants.

07/10/2025

What if you don’t cry when daycare starts? What if you actually breathe easier? Let’s talk about the real feelings that come with becoming a parent.
✨
📖 Read more: www.bravebirth.com/blog
👶 And yes—this is the kind of prep we do in class: www.bravebirth.com/childbirth-class

https://www.bravebirth.com/brave-birth-faqs-blog/2025/6/24/savoring-her-by-letting-go-a-little

I didn’t miss her. On her first day of daycare, I felt relief—real, full-bodied, guilty relief. I moved through my day without being pulled on. I had thoughts I finished. Emails I replied to without a toddler rage fit launching off my lap. For the first time in a long time, I breathed deeply wit...

07/07/2025

You don’t need to white-knuckle your way through parenthood.

Preparation isn’t just about knowing what to expect.
It’s about building the kind of internal scaffolding that makes the unexpected less destabilizing.

Brave Birth classes are capped at 6 couples so you have room to ask, reflect, and rehearse the unknown.

This blog post? It’s a story from the other side of that kind of preparation.

Cracked Open: On Daycare Drop-Off, Soft Returns, and the Space Between Us My baby didn’t care when I dropped her off at daycare for the first time. Not even a little. No tears, no hesitation, just a confident toddle toward the toys like she’d always belonged there. I stood there, stuck in the do

07/02/2025

✨A key part of early parenting:
Being in tune enough to trust your baby’s readiness.

This is true at 4 months, 14 months, or 4 years.

It’s a through-line in the work I do — in Brave Birth classes and beyond.

This blog post is a story about daycare drop-off.
But it’s also about how we build confidence as parents.

Cracked Open: On Letting Go, Coming Home, and What Our Baby Already Knew Our baby didn’t cry when I dropped her off at daycare for the first time. She walked in like she’d been there for months. Like the room had already whispered “welcome” to her in her dreams. I stood in the doorway, watch...

06/30/2025

Being a childbirth educator doesn’t mean I get a gold star at parenting.
It means I notice things. I prepare. I trust.

And when it came time to let go just a little… I knew she was ready. Because we were ready.

This month’s blog touches on that space between growing and releasing.
I hope you read it. I think you’ll feel it.

Cracked Open: On Daycare Drop-Off, Partnering Through Postpartum, and the Quiet Confidence That Comes from Knowing Your Baby My baby didn’t cry when I dropped her off at daycare for the first time. She didn’t even look back. No hesitation. No dramatic pause at the door. She just walked—confide...