The Body and Birthworker

01/07/2023

Exciting news! I started a new massage job today🤩 at Avivage Massage in Saint Paul. Avivage is a French word that means, “to make bright again”, perfectly describing the rejuvenating soul-shining massage offers to your body & mind.

I’m so thankful to be welcomed in to Avivage’s beautiful community of massage therapists and people looking to care for their bodies. I feel lucky to be on this path of sharing healing touch with others and encouraging a little more peace in the world. The gratitude I hold for this work and for people allowing me to bring my energy into theirs is more than words💛

Come and visit me in our cozy house at Avivage! I’d love to treat you and your body to some TLC🥰

06/06/2022

I’ve been absent for awhile.

Social media is hard, especially when it feels like the world is in pieces. I’ve been working pretty much all day, every day of the week, plus experiencing some really emotionally intense harassment because of who I choose to love. So my brain hasn’t had a whole lot of extra capacity! But I’m here and caring for families, caring for bodies, and leaning into love as often as I’m able.

Just wanted to share this bit of love with you. I celebrated my second anniversary with the sweetest partner in Nashville, and it was the most wonderful. We had relaxing days together outside, ate amazing vegan food, went to museums, and sang karaoke for the first time together at a piano bar!

Life with my love is a dream, and I know many people would tell me otherwise. Despite the shame and hate that some want to spread, I want to say I’m here and proud of our love. This part of me is both so familiar and new, and I’m still working through my childhood and imposter syndrome to embrace myself and my love in all its glory. And oh, is it glorious💖🌟

Happy Pride, wishing you all so much love & light

05/02/2022

Curious about my in-home bodywork sessions?

Right now I’m exclusively providing traveling bodywork, bringing care & healing right to your home until I have my own space one day.

I love visiting people’s homes and having sessions where they feel most comfortable: in their bedroom, family room, dining room, home offices, baby’s nursery. I’ve done sessions in nearly every kind of space (besides a bathroom🤪)!

You don’t have to worry about leaving your house, traveling somewhere, being new in an unfamiliar space. The body relaxes best when it feels safe and secure, and it’s such a joy to bring the healing to your own home where you can continue to unwind right after the session is finished.

Want to schedule a session with me? Visit www.bodyandbirthworker.com or reach out at bodyandbirthworker@gmail.com

04/28/2022

✨📣😤

04/13/2022

A few weeks ago I shared an amazing postpartum reflexology session with someone I met in my earliest days of being a doula! Now we’re both at Blooma and it was so special we could have this session to help her relax after having her second baby. Read on for her session testimony:

"Just had a 90 minute reflexology session with Sydney and feeling so very relaxed and refreshed! It's so wonderful that she's able to offer convenient sessions in the comfort of your own home as she brings all that she needs. Her zero gravity chair is so comfortable and quickly takes you into relaxation mode, along with Sydney's added touches of calming music and blankets. Sydney is such a warm, attentive and caring person that tailors the session ahead of time to meet your specific needs. I really appreciated how much thought she put into the session and felt completely cared for. I drifted off to another dimension and was restored afterward. I highly recommend her services and look forward to another in the future! Thank you Sydney!”

Interested in a session for yourself? Visit www.bodyandbirthworker.com or reach out at bodyandbirthworker@gmail.com to schedule!

04/03/2022

I’m so honored & excited to share that this spring I’m joining Pregnancy & Postpartum Support Minnesota as a postpartum doula in their scholarship program!

The Radhika Lal Snyder Postpartum Doula Scholarship program is very special, offering free postpartum care to selected families who apply. Everyone deserves comprehensive support during postpartum, and I love that this program makes the necessary care more accessible for all families.

Would you like this support or know another family who would benefit? Nominate yourself or someone else in need of care and experience the feeling of being lovingly supported in postpartum 💛

Visit ’s website to apply for the scholarship. Deadline is April 30th!

03/25/2022

I don’t think I’ve done an introduction post since I started this account ages ago! So in honor of I thought I’d reintroduce myself and share some sweet doula moments🥰

My name is Sydney (she/her) and I’m a postpartum doula, reflexologist, massage therapist, aromatherapist, plant-based home chef, care worker & nurturer, empath, and a mom to two kittens and lots of houseplants.

I came to birthwork because I’ve been so naturally drawn to caring for others my entire life. Everybody just wants to be seen for who they are in the present moment, and caring for people in postpartum is such a sacred time and space to hold. I feel so honored to get to witness people grow in confidence as new parents and human beings, reconnecting with who they are as people and parents.

My goal in the work I do is to gently guide people to trust and find home in their bodies through care work, cooking, bodywork, etc. When we can know and trust ourselves, the world around us becomes a little softer. When you believe in the goodness within yourself, you’re better able to protect that energy and share it with the universe.

If we haven’t met yet, I’d love to meet you! Tell me about your favorite things in the comments, or to connect about bodywork or postpartum care, visit my website
www.bodyandbirthworker.com

03/15/2022

A peek at my reflexology space in a client’s home last week💜

If you book a reflexology session with me, I show up at your home with this whole set-up!

My reflexology chair is zero-gravity, which gently leans back to prop your feet up above your heart space for optimal circulation, ease of breathing, and relaxation. With blankets and pillows for support, you’ll sink right in and let the reflexology do the rest. When I was searching for the right chair, it was important to me that the chair be nice and spacious and well-supported to make it accessible, comfortable, and safe for all bodies during a session.

My trusty saddle stool allows me to roll around you during session to smoothly access each hand and foot without disruption, while keeping my own body comfortable and in good mechanics.

I offer 60 or 90 minute sessions catered specifically to you and your body’s needs. Want to schedule a session with me? Visit www.bodyandbirthworker.com or reach out at bodyandbirthworker@gmail.com

03/04/2022

What does reflexology *feel* like?

I get this question so often, as most people haven’t experienced reflexology before, or they simply equate it to a hand or foot massage.

There are a wide variety of techniques I use during a session. Unlike massage, which has broader soothing strokes, reflexology is much more pinpointed and specific. I incorporate some hand/foot massage to warm up and soothe the tissues, range of motion stretches to help loosen and find areas of tension, then the focused reflexology points using direct or alternating pressure.

People call it “the best foot massage you’ll ever experience” and say their feet feel like clouds after they finish! Others exclaim to me throughout the session how they can feel different sensations and relaxation in other parts of the body, when I’m just detailing certain pressure points on the limbs. This is when the work really feels magical. People wake up feeling refreshed and in awe of how such a full-body experience comes from working on solely the hands & feet.

Want to experience the magic for yourself? Visit www.bodyandbirthworker.com or reach out at bodyandbirthworker@gmail.com to schedule a session

02/26/2022

It’s and I’m feeling so blessed to be where I am in my recovery.

I recently saw on an anti-diet dietitian’s page the statement, “My body is bigger and so is my life.” Which couldn’t be more true. I never imagined a world where I’d stop hating my body and shrinking myself to be “good”. I became small in every way: in my body, the way I showed up in spaces, the permission and opportunities I granted myself. Restriction & starving is just a slow death. Thinness never gives the long-term happiness it promises. I thought I was supposed to be small and sad forever. And how freeing now, to take up as much space as my sweet body needs without fear.

I am so privileged and thankful to have the tools and headspace to heal. I could never be as good of a doula, partner, friend, and human if I didn’t forgive myself over and over and over again and start recovering. And what a gift it is now, to get to use my own healing body to heal other bodies through bodywork and cooking nourishing meals, to present them with the idea of finding trust and home in their own bodies.

Every day is a choice to continue healing or to give in to the pressures of diet culture. And I’m so grateful I’m still here to choose life & love & joy & healing, each and every day.

Eat for joy, my sweet friends. We are not here on this earth to shame & be disappointed in our bodies and shrink ourselves for our whole lives. You were once a small baby where your changing body and growth was celebrated, and that’s still within you. You and your body deserve to be here and take up all the space you need💛

02/26/2022

What exactly is reflexology and what does it do?

Most people haven’t heard of reflexology before, which makes sense! It’s a gentle form of body & energy work that tends to be more popular in Europe, but I’m excited to bring it more locally and make it accessible for those who have never had a session.

On each hand and foot is a map of the entire body (see second slide): insides, outsides, and mental states. Reflexology uses specific techniques to apply pressure to certain points on the limbs to bring healing to the rest of your body. Don’t like your feet being touched? No problem! Reflexology works the same when focusing solely on the hands, too.

In a session, I typically ask people 3-5 body parts or states that ache or just don’t feel quite right, and we focus on those points. Like acupuncture, reflexology works with your body’s meridians, gently giving the body permission to slip into a deep, relaxing state where healing can happen and your body can return to your own unique homeostasis.

Every body can benefit from reflexology, and here are some common experiences reflexology can help with:

•Stress
•Anxiety
•Sleep
•Depression
•Digestion
•Irritable Bowel Syndrome
•Headaches
•Post traumatic stress disorder
•Menstrual pains
•Respiratory issues
•Immune health
•Increasing energy levels
•Relieving aches and pains (chronic & acute)
•Fertility
•Pregnancy & postpartum recovery
•Promoting healthy body, organ, and mind function
•Teaching the body to react less in times of stress
•And so much more

Interested in adding reflexology to your self-care practice? Reach out with questions or to schedule with me at bodyandbirthworker@gmail.com

www.bodyandbirthworker.com

02/19/2022

If you peek on my website, you’ll see a new tab for BODYWORK!

I’m officially opening my books for traveling, in-home reflexology services! I started my reflexology training in January 2021 and finished later that year in August, becoming certified with the Complementary Therapists Accreditation Association. After hoping for a space of my own to practice bodywork, I’ve realized it’s just not the right time to have my own space quite yet, but hopefully soon. Until then, I’ll be bringing healing to you, right in your home💛

Reflexology is a gentle form of bodywork which focuses on pressure points in the hands and feet to bring healing and balance to the rest of the body. The practice dates back to Ancient Egypt, later known in the Western world as ‘zone therapy’, then further developed into reflexology as we know it today. On each hand and foot is a map of the whole body, both internal and external, and by applying attentive pressure to specific zones, the body can release held tension without physically working on the sensitive areas.

Stay tuned to learn more about my reflexology practice and what reflexology can do in your life. Reach out to schedule a session and experience the benefits for yourself!

www.bodyandbirthworker.com

01/15/2022

The shift to this new year has been strange.

Usually I love reflecting on the past year and celebrating everything I made it through as I look to the new year with intentions and manifestations, full of hopes. This year it felt different though. The pandemic fatigue is so real. Compassion fatigue is real. The long work of turning life into a celebration is not easy. And still, I try to find grounding in small delights & gratitudes, the joy in the day to day to get me through.

Everyone I talk to is feeling the same exhaustion I describe. Fear of the endlessness of it all. Sometimes even feeling guilty for embracing the small joys when they see the world suffering. I just keep saying we’re all doing the best we can, and our best is enough. We deserve things that bring us joy and connection, especially when the world feels fearful.

There is no easy way to respond to such trauma that we’ve been experiencing. But the most healing thing I’ve found is talking to others. Being honest about how I feel and allowing myself to sit in discomfort and be seen in moments of fear, find peace in connecting with others through all the awful. Healing is meant to be done in community, not alone in isolation. There is such beauty in shared safe spaces where we can feel all the hard things, sitting in validation with each other and saying “this is really hard. I see you.”

No matter the burdens and worries you’ve been carrying, I hope you can find a safe space to put it down. Lay it all out over a kitchen table, a cup of coffee or tea, a friend’s couch or loving arms. See yourself and your multifaceted, painful, beautiful emotions that make us all human, and know you are not alone.

The world is immensely difficult right now, and all your feelings make so much sense. I see you. I see you. I see you.

12/29/2021

Amazing! I love this work

12/26/2021

Happy holidays from our little family—and introducing our Christmas kittens!❤️🎄 stay warm and stay safe✨

12/17/2021

I love bell hooks & this is such a good read. “Too many of us need to cling to a notion of love that either makes abuse acceptable or at least makes it seem that whatever happened was not that bad… love cannot include abuse and neglect. If abuse and neglect are present, that automatically means love is not.”

It is my hope that more progressive activists and thinkers will reflect on parenting and child care just as hooks has.

12/06/2021

Exciting news🤩

Some of my aromatherapy blends for infants & the perinatal time will be sold at ’s online shop in the near future! I’ll be sharing blends for colic & teething relief, fertility support, exhaustion, morning sickness/nausea, and postpartum depression.

Right now, Blooma is only offering local pick up for these items. But if you want these shipped to you, don’t fear! You can still order them online at my website to be sent to your front door.

I’m so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to share these blends with more people who need them💛

Get your very own blend for all needs & stages of life at www.bodyandbirthworker.com

11/05/2021

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking for my postpartum families, and it brings me so much joy!

Cooking is my favorite, and sharing it with new parents and their families is simply the best.

Food is not just energy and fuel. Food is love, community, healing, joy, connection, and experience.

Nourishment during the postpartum period is so crucial. The ways we allow ourselves to be nourished in postpartum make such a difference in the body’s recovery from pregnancy and birth. Postpartum bodies deserve 3 meals & snacks, following cravings and honoring your body with food it truly enjoys and guilt-free movement.

Food is not the enemy. You deserve to eat for joy 💛

Here’s some of the food I’ve been cooking up for clients:
•Slide 1- pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies
•Slide 2- Mediterranean quinoa salad
•Slide 3- pumpkin oat muffins
•Slide 4- green vegetable curry
•Slide 5- brown butter sage sweet potato lentil salad