Madam Doula

11/01/2022

I am so grateful to Rachel for letting me be a part of her birth journey. Happy one-month birthday to little Dean! His birth was a long one but an absolute blast.

As a side note, I cannot believe it is already November! Another month full of births awaits...

08/16/2022

Have you ever heard of castor oil?

I hadn't until I started researching postpartum healing for my belly birth clients.

Castor oil is a plant-derived oil used in traditional medicines for thousands of years. It's healing, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and relaxing!

When doing a little more research, I've discovered that castor oil, when applied as a pack, can be incredibly useful for self-care, fertility, pregnancy support (with midwifery care), and postpartum healing.

If you'd like to try a castor oil pack grab some castor oil, unbleached wool flannel or cotton, plastic wrap, and a heat source. Set up your space with an old towel, a good book or TV show, and a nice cup of tea.

1. Saturate your wrap with castor oil.
2. Apply to the desired area.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and add heat.
4. Relax and enjoy!

If you want to know more about castor oil and its health benefits for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum check out our blog post.

11/09/2021

We want the best for moms and families. That’s why we are going to be hosting a monthly virtual call called “A Better Birth with Madam Doula”. This event will be dedicated to sharing birth and postpartum information with our community, from our perspective as professional birthworkers.

By joining this event you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other local families, hear our unique perspective on relevant birth and postpartum topics, and meet other informative guest speakers.

This month, join us on November 17th at either 12PM or 7PM for “5 Ways to Build an Empowered Birth and Postpartum Experience”. We will discuss several important points, including:

✅ Choosing a provider you trust
✅ The importance of creating a birth plan AND postpartum plan
✅ How to build a solid support team

… and more!

There will be a Q & A session following our presentation.

This event is open to all. We are looking forward to seeing you and answering your questions!

The link register for this event can be found in our bio.

11/05/2021

Happy fall from Madam Doula! 🍁

We hope that you’ve all had a wonderful and bountiful fall, and have enjoyed watching the leaves change color as much as we have!

We’ve had a very busy autumn so far. Mostly, we’ve had our schedules filled with postpartum work, with a few beautiful births here and there as well. We’ve also been able to make great strides in solidifying our partnership and officially are working out of our own office!

We have limited availability through the end of the year but right now we still have space for:

❄️1 birth client in December
❄️1 postpartum client in December

If you are located in the DMV and are looking for a birth and postpartum doula in December, please use the link in our bio and reach out to us! We’d love to hear from you.

Many blessings,

Mary and Katya

11/02/2021

We’ve done a LOT of postpartum night shifts here at Madam Doula! 🌙

Every family has different needs at night. Some moms hire us to care for their baby throughout the entire night so that they can get a full 8 hours of rest. Other moms need help troubleshooting feeding issues, such as gas or a poor latch. Other parents simply need encouragement and emotional support throughout the first weeks of the postpartum period.

As postpartum doulas, we provide numerous services, including:

✨Taking charge of the baby so that the parents can get a full night of sleep
✨Helping moms overcome common feeding issues, whether they choose to breastfeed or bottle feed
✨Washing and sanitizing bottles and breast pump pieces
✨Promoting safe sleep practices
✨Completing basic household tasks, such as dishes, laundry, and tidying up
✨Supporting new moms through their postpartum healing journey
✨Providing additional services such as belly binding and yoni steaming
✨Ensuring that mom is well fed and watered throughout the night
✨Encouraging parents through the tough moments that may arise in the first few weeks of parenthood
✨Providing a listening ear to the parents and validating their experiences
✨Providing referrals when necessary

Do you think that you could benefit from the support of a postpartum doula? We’d love to connect with you.

Head to the link in our bio to schedule a free consultation!

10/26/2021

Hopefully, we’ve all heard about the importance of creating a birth plan. However, it is as equally important to create a postpartum plan in order to prepare for a joyful and healing postpartum period.

Some common topics to include in a postpartum plan are:

✨Infant Feeding:
How are you planning to feed your baby?
Are you confident in your abilities to breastfeed or bottle feed?
How much do you know about common feeding roadblocks, such as tongue ties, GERD, or a poor latch?

✨Postpartum Healing:
Are you familiar with the changes your body will go through following the birth of your child?
What will you be eating, and who will be preparing your meals?
Are you aware of the symptoms of postpartum depression, and do you have a loved one looking out for these symptoms as well?

✨Professional Support and Community Support:
Do you have access to professional resources that you may need? Examples include: pediatrician, mental health professional, IBCLC, massage therapist, newborn photographer, etc.
Do you have family and friends that you can rely on for support?
Would the support of a postpartum doula be beneficial to you?

It’s never too early to start creating a postpartum plan. After answering these questions, you may recognize that you need more education and support and that’s okay! Whether you’re at 12 weeks or 36 weeks, your efforts to prepare for your postpartum in advance will pay off and you’ll enjoy more quality time with your baby.

Katya has written a fantastic blog post titled “Why and How to Build Your Own Postpartum Plan in Three Easy Steps”. Find the link in our bio!

What did you include in your postpartum plan? Let us know in the comments!

10/19/2021

We are so excited to add placenta encapsulation to our current list of offerings at Madam Doula!

There are numerous reasons that new mothers choose to encapsulate their placentas. Placenta consumption has been scientifically linked to higher levels of oxytocin, decreased stress hormones, and an increased milk supply, to name just a few benefits. Placenta encapsulation services may be beneficial for mothers who want to promote balance and energy in the body following birth.

Mary, our placenta specialist, has been processing placentas for two years and has supported clients all over the DMV with this service.

In addition to placenta pills, Mary can also create:

♦️Placenta salves
♦️Placenta tinctures
♦️Placenta prints
♦️Umbilical cord keepsakes
♦️Placenta cubes for smoothies

To learn more about our placenta encapsulation services, visit our website or reach out to Mary for a consultation!

Placenta artwork by our own Mary Ghyabi 🎨

03/05/2021

I cannot tell you how many new mamas have asked me “how do I tell if my baby is getting enough to eat” and “why didn’t anyone tell me anything about postpartum recovery?” So Amy and I are more than excited to answer these essential questions this upcoming Wednesday, March 10th, at 7:30 pm. Join us for this free event by registering here: bit.ly/2ZT8FK2

Join us as Amy shares How To Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough to Eat and get Katya’s pro tips on Healing Yourself Postpartum.

02/16/2021

A key component of healing is sleep so how do you sleep enough to heal your postpartum body when your newborn only sleeps a couple of hours in a row? 😴

Here are five tips (suggestions) to keep in mind when thinking about postpartum sleep:

1. Borrow an extra pair of hands: If you feel comfortable having others in your home I recommend assessing what resources you have at hand. Who do do you feel comfortable having help you? (Family/friends/postpartum doula)💪🏻

2. Take shifts: Even if you’re breastfeeding/pumping you can still benefit from taking shifts. After you’re done feeding, hand off the baby to your partner. This will help you and your partner get some reliable sleep.

3. Stay in bed longer: Keep in mind that just because you got into bed at 10pm doesn’t mean you should be getting up at 7am. Try keeping track of your feeds this should give you a better idea of how much sleep you’re getting. 🛌

4. Have baby sleep in your room: As newborns wake up anywhere from every 1-3 hours, having your baby at arm’s length can make getting better sleep a lot easier. Having to get up every time you have to feed becomes exhausting. 👶🏽

5. Consider bedsharing/breastsleeping: It is important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages breastfeeding citing the increased risk of SIDS. (those statistics include parents who had been smoking and under the influence) However, I encourage all breastfeeding parents to do their own research and come to their own conclusions. When following the safety guidelines for bed sharing, it can be a safe and incredibly useful tool to get enough sleep.

Let me know what you’d like to hear about next by commenting below 🥳

02/11/2021

Pack your bags, destination POSTPARTUM! 🧳🎒

What do you actually need to take with you on your journey through the land of postpartum? If you ask google you need a lot of “essential” stuff for you and your baby. As any new mom can tell you all that stuff is great until you’re struggling to latch your baby, can’t handle another sleepless moment, or don’t understand why your baby is still crying. Keeping all this and more in mind, my postpartum essentials list focuses on five essential elements for a smoother postpartum:

Confidence 😎
Knowledge 🤓
Support 💗
Resources 🧰
Patience 🙏

Join me and (the amazing Amy Tanzillo, IBCLC) 2/19, at 12pm, for an online event: Mastering A Pain-Free Latch and Postpartum Essentials. The sign up link is in my bio. I’ll be discussing how to develop these five essentials elements of a solid postpartum. Hope to see you there!

02/09/2021

During a postpartum visit last week, my client said “why didn’t anyone tell me it was going to be this hard?” I hear this more often than not from postpartum clients and my heart hurts for them every time. 💗

Why is postpartum so hard? We’ve lost the support networks and traditions/rituals that use to accompany women through the fourth trimester. When coming home new parents often find themselves underprepared, exhausted, and overwhelmed.

Why aren't we talking more about postpartum? There is so much to navigate during pregnancy and birth that postpartum often gets overlooked.

Why plan for postpartum? The average labor time for a first time mom is 12-19 hours (according to marchofdimes.org) while the fourth trimester is always 12 weeks. The fourth trimester is an undeniably vulnerable time that with more resources, education, and planning could ensure new parents a smoother transition into parenthood.

To help make postpartum smoother join me for 12 weeks of postpartum content including information, resources, tips, and special events.

Check my profile bio for a link to a free event: Master a Pain-Free Latch, with Amy Tanzillo and Postpartum Essentials with me! I’ll share more information about the event Thursday. 👆🏻

09/16/2020

Welcome to Madam Doula, a birth and postpartum doula practice in Northern Virginia serving NOVA, VA, and MD.

I am so excited to use this space to serve, connect, inform, and learn. As as a doula I am so passionate about connecting with expecting parents, friends, birth enthusiasts, and inquirers to show birth as the magical, mystical, and beautiful experience it is.

If you are thinking about adding a doula to your birth or postpartum team shoot me a message! I am happy to answer your questions and schedule a free consultation today.

Peace and blessings! Katya Daily Show

08/08/2020

07/23/2020