MamaShakti Prenatal

12/21/2025

12/21/2025

Do Labor Epidurals = NO Movement?

NO, definitely not.

Even if you choose an epidural at some point during labor, you can often still move, shift, stretch, and find comfort, especially with partner support.

Movement doesn’t stop once your epidural medication starts.

With guidance and support, gentle position changes can:

✔️ Help baby rotate and descend
✔️ Reduce tension in the hips and pelvis
✔️ Support pelvic opening + fetal position
✔️ Increase comfort and connection

In this video, I’m demonstrating a few of my favorite partner-supported labor movements:

🤍 Spinal circles for comfort and mobility (you can do this on your own)
🤍 Side stretches to lengthen the lat muscles and create space in the pelvis (also one that you can do on your own but a little shoulder massage after your stretches feels AH-MAZING!!!)
🤍 Partner figure-four hip stretches
🤍 Fascia-releasing jiggling for the hips and pelvic bowl

Birth is not an all-or-nothing experience. You can combine modern medicine + mindful movement and still feel active, supported, and empowered.

👇 Want more partner-supported labor tips?
Comment “BUMP” and I’ll send you the replay of Bump to Baby Boot Camp.

12/21/2025

S***M 🧬

This might surprise you…..

Trying to conceive?
It’s not just about the egg —> s***m plays a huge role in the journey, too!

✅ S***m can live in the female reproductive tract for up to 6 days!
✅ Research shows s***m health is just as important as egg health for conception + baby’s wellbeing
✅ Fellas- Your lifestyle matters: diet, stress, exercise, sleep, and toxins all impact s***m quality
✅ The egg is picky, it actually helps “select” the healthiest s***m for fertilization
✅ S***m health can affect not only fertility, but also early pregnancy outcomes and baby’s long-term health

👶 Healthy s***m = a stronger start for your future baby.
✨ Both partners’ wellness matters when making a baby.

12/18/2025

✨ Birth of a Mother ✨

They say when a baby is born, so is a mother.

But what does that really mean?

It means the moment you cradle that new life in your arms, something within you shifts forever.

A new version of you is born, softer and stronger all at once.

You begin to feel everything more deeply: the weight of love, the ache of exhaustion, the fierce protectiveness, and the quiet wonder.

Motherhood cracks you wide open, not just to nurture a child, but to rediscover parts of yourself you never knew existed.

12/17/2025

Let’s talk about laboring down ✨

Did you know you don’t always have to start pushing the moment you reach 10 cm?

Laboring down (also called delayed pushing) means allowing your body and your baby to descend naturally before active pushing begins.

This often happens when you’re fully dilated but don’t yet feel a strong, involuntary urge to push.

Instead of forcing the process, you rest, breathe, change positions, and let gravity + uterine contractions do the work.

Benefits of laboring down:

✔️ Less maternal fatigue
✔️ Shorter active pushing phase
✔️ Increased chance of spontaneous (less coached) pushing
✔️ Reduced pressure on the pelvic floor
✔️ May lower the need for interventions like forceps or vacuum
✔️ Gives baby time to rotate and descend optimally

Laboring down is especially common with epidurals, but it can also happen in unmedicated births when the body just needs a little more time.

✨ Reminder: Birth works best when we listen to the body, not the clock.

📚 Evidence-based support:

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) supports delayed pushing for many women, noting it can reduce fatigue and shorten the duration of active pushing.
ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 205 & Committee Opinion on Second Stage Labor
A Cochrane Review (2017) also found that delayed pushing resulted in a shorter pushing phase and less maternal exhaustion, especially for women with epidurals.

Did you labor down?

12/16/2025

Pregnancy is often called a journey~ and for good reason.

In just nine months, your body, mind, and spirit transform in incredible ways to grow and nurture new life.

✨ Physically, your body adapts each month: hormones shift, blood volume increases, and your uterus stretches to make room for your baby.
You may notice changes in your energy, sleep, appetite, and even how you move through daily life.
Every adjustment is your body’s way of creating the perfect environment for growth.

✨ Emotionally, pregnancy can feel like a rollercoaster. Joy, excitement, and anticipation often mix with worries, doubts, and big feelings as you prepare for one of life’s greatest transitions.
This is completely normal, your heart is making space right alongside your body.

✨ Spiritually, many mothers describe pregnancy as a time of deep connection and reflection.
Feeling baby kicks, hearing the heartbeat, or imagining your baby’s face can spark awe and wonder at the power of creation.
By the end of these nine months, you’re not just welcoming your baby into the world~ you’re stepping into a new version of yourself too. 🌙

💛 Remember: the transformation of pregnancy isn’t about “getting through it” but about honoring the changes, listening to your body, and trusting the process.

Words and image ~

12/15/2025

Braxton Hicks vs. a Firm Pregnant Belly ✨

Not every tight belly is a contraction.

🤍 A firm pregnant belly:

Especially in late pregnancy, your belly can feel firm but still have a little squish or give when you press on it. This is often just baby growing, stretching, or your uterus getting ready for birth.

🤍 Braxton Hicks contractions:

These are practice contractions. For some moms, the belly becomes very tight, very firm, or even hard to the touch. It may go from round to more spherical in shape, and some notice a color change, a light pink or reddish tone, like blushing cheeks.

⏳ Braxton Hicks usually:
• Come and go
• Aren’t regular
• Ease with rest, hydration, or position changes

Both can be normal.

Trust your body and if tightening becomes regular, painful, or doesn’t ease, reach out to your provider.

To download my free “Am I in Labor?” guide, comment LABOR below. 👇

Video clip shared by

12/15/2025

Pregnant Moms, Dads~To~Be, Grandparents, Aunties, & Newborn Caregivers 👶

There are so many changes our babies go through in the first few months of life.

Here are some helpful diagrams to save and share with parents of newborn babies.

💩 How Poo Changes in the Early Days
In the first days after birth, babies pass meconium, thick, sticky, and black. Within the first week, poo usually transitions to lighter colors as milk intake increases.

🤱Breastfed Babies: What’s Normal
Yellow or mustard yellow – Very common and healthy
Greenish or tan – Normal
Bright green – Can happen with fast milk flow or high lipase milk
Orange – Often linked to vitamins or mom’s diet
Dark green – Can be normal, especially early on

👩‍⚕️ Call your provider if you see:
Red (possible blood)
White or gray (may signal a digestion or liver concern)
Black after the first few days of life

🍼Bottle-Fed (Formula or Combo-Fed) Babies:
What’s Normal:
Tan, yellow, or greenish – Very common
Dark green – Especially common with iron-fortified formula
Bright green – Often digestion-related and usually fine
Orange – Can happen from formula ingredients

🧑‍⚕️ Call your provider if you see:
Red
White or gray
Black (unless advised by your provider, especially with iron)

🍼 How Much Milk Do Babies Need?

Milk intake changes as babies grow, and ranges are normal. These are general guidelines, not rules.

Some babies prefer smaller, more frequent feeds.

Others take larger amounts less often. Both can be normal.

🍎Once Solids Begin

When babies start solids (around 6 months), milk remains the primary source of nutrition, but:

•Milk intake may gradually decrease
•The amount of milk needed depends on how much solid food baby is eating

Every baby is different. Feeding amounts, feeding frequency, poo color, and digestion patterns can vary widely. If your baby is growing well, having wet & dirty diapers, and seems content, that’s often a sign things are going just fine. Contact your provider with any concerns.

12/13/2025

When a baby is born, so is a mother 🤍

And just as the newborn needs to be held, warmed, and reassured, the mother does too.

Science reminds us that birth is not just an event, it is a profound physiological and neurological transition.

The Science 🧬
After delivery, a mother’s body experiences a dramatic shift in hormones. Oxytocin, often called the love hormone, surges when she is held, supported, and made to feel safe. This hormone helps regulate bleeding, supports milk production, and soothes the nervous system.
Gentle touch, a warm embrace, and steady presence signal to her body: you are safe now. Her cortisol levels soften, her breath deepens, and healing can begin.

✨Spiritually, birth is a crossing.
A woman passes through a sacred threshold, leaving behind who she was and emerging as someone new.
In many traditions, this moment is honored as a rebirth of the mother herself. Holding her is a way of saying, I see you.
It grounds her spirit back into her body and affirms that she is not alone as she steps into this new identity. Love becomes an anchor, helping her soul land gently after the intensity of bringing life into the world.

So hold the mother.
Hold her hands.
Wrap her in warmth.
Speak softly.

Let her rest in the knowing that she is loved, valued, and supported.

Because when we nurture the mother, we nurture the baby too. And when we honor the mother’s becoming, we honor the sacredness of life itself.

12/10/2025

En Caul Birth

One of the Rarest & Most Sacred Ways to Be Born

An en caul birth happens when a baby is born still completely inside the intact amniotic sac, appearing as if they are floating in a water-filled bubble.

It’s often called a “mermaid birth” or “veiled birth” because of how ethereal and otherworldly it looks.

📊 How rare is it?
True, fully intact en caul births are estimated to happen in only 1 out of every 80,000 births. Partial caul births (when part of the sac remains over the face) are more common, occurring in about 1 in 400 births.

🌍 Cultures that consider en caul birth a blessing:
Across Irish, Scottish, parts of African, and Asian traditions, babies born en caul are believed to be:

✨ Spiritually protected
✨ Naturally gifted or intuitive
✨ Destined for leadership, healing, or good fortune
✨ Safe from drowning and great misfortune

The sac is seen as a spiritual veil, a sign the baby arrived with divine protection still intact.

Whether viewed through science or sacred tradition, one thing is certain:

An en caul birth is a rare, powerful, and awe-inspiring entrance into the world.

Did you have an en caul birth or have you ever seen one?