The Enchanted Doula

02/28/2026

Another reason why I love homebirths. I was constantly being interrupted and baby was all poked and prodded.
I wonder how different my postpartum would have been had I delivered at home and had been more proactive in protecting our healing and bonding space.

“It’s not fair that we can’t come see the baby.”

Actually?

What’s not fair is expecting freshly postpartum parents to host, perform, or hand over their newborn while their bodies and nervous systems are still bleeding, leaking, learning, and healing.

The early postpartum period is for bonding and imprinting.

Mothers need to establish breastfeeding and milk supply.

Parents are learning their baby’s cues.

They are in the process of regulating hormones and nervous systems.

Resting, recovering, and being left the hell alone is a necessity sometimes.

Mothers are leaking milk, tired, and often recovering from perineal tears(some severe), traumatic births and major abdominal surgeries.

Newborns do not want to be passed around like a hot potato.

They want warmth. Familiar smell. Familiar heartbeat.

They want the people whose bodies they already know.

Guilt-tripping parents for protecting their postpartum period is gross behavior.

It’s biologically appropriate for parents to not want to host you in their home.

Access to a newborn is not a right.

It’s a privilege and one that should be offered when parents are ready, not demanded out of entitlement.

If your feelings are hurt because parents are choosing rest, safety, and bonding…that’s a you problem. Not a postpartum one.

Let new families cocoon if they choose.

Support them without the pressure to hand over their baby.

Love without conditions.

And ask how you can help instead of forcing intrusion.

That’s how you show up.

𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐙 / 𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 ©

l hie

02/28/2026

As Black History Month comes to a close, I have been thinking a lot about the roots of the work I do.

Because before birth moved into hospitals, before obstetrics became a medical specialty, before policies and protocols, there were Black midwives carrying communities.

They attended births in living rooms and bedrooms. They walked miles to reach laboring mothers. They practiced continuity long before it became professional language. They knew the women they served. They cared for entire families, often across generations.

In the American South, Black granny midwives attended the majority of births in their communities well into the 1900s. One of the most well known was Mary Coley, a Georgia midwife who caught thousands of babies and represented a legacy of skilled, community based care.

As birth became medicalized, many Black midwives were pushed out through regulation and systemic discrimination. A lineage of community midwifery was disrupted.

Today, Black mothers in the US are still significantly more likely to experience complications and maternal mortality than white mothers, regardless of income or education. That reality is not separate from history.

My own beginning in birth work is tied to this legacy. For 2 of my pregnancies, I was cared for by Jennie Joseph, a Black midwife whose model centers dignity, access, and relationship. Being her client shaped the way I understand birth. I later became a doula through her training program, and it further grounded me in the importance of continuity, listening, and building systems that actually serve mothers.

When I think about birth, I think about relationships. I think about sitting in a living room for prenatal visits and knowing a family before labor begins. That model isn’t new. It has deep Black roots.

As a white midwife and mother, I know I carry privilege within a system that doesn’t treat all women equally. Naming that matters. It shapes how I listen, how I practice, and how I advocate.

Black History Month may be ending, but honoring this legacy and advocating for safer, more respectful care for Black mothers cannot be limited to one month. ❤️

02/20/2026

Love newborn smiles… 😊

¡GESTOS EN LA OSCURIDAD!: ¿POR QUÉ TU BEBÉ SONRÍE CUANDO DUERME? 👶🌙🚨

Seguro te ha pasado: te quedas mirando a tu bebé mientras duerme y, de repente, lanza una sonrisa perfecta que te derrite el corazón. Muchos dicen que "sueña con angelitos", pero la ciencia tiene una explicación más increíble. No es una emoción real, es tu bebé entrenando sus músculos mientras el cerebro descansa. ¡Aquí te cuento qué hay detrás de esa sonrisa! 🚨⚠️

El entrenamiento secreto del cerebro: Durante las primeras semanas, el cerebro del bebé está en modo "instalación de software". Cuando entra en la fase de sueño profundo, el sistema nervioso manda señales eléctricas a la cara para probar que todo funcione bien. El resultado es esa sonrisita involuntaria. Es como si el cuerpo estuviera haciendo una prueba de luces antes del gran estreno de sus emociones reales. ✨🩺

¿Cuándo es una sonrisa de verdad?: Esa sonrisa de sueño se llama "refleja". No necesita un chiste ni ver a mamá para aparecer. Sin embargo, es una excelente señal de que el desarrollo del sistema nervioso va por buen camino. Alrededor del segundo mes, esa sonrisa pasará de ser un reflejo a ser una respuesta social: ahí es cuando tu bebé sonreirá porque realmente está feliz de verte. 🏗️✅

¡Disfruta el espectáculo!: Aunque sea solo un reflejo de los músculos, ver a tu pequeño practicar sus gestos es una de las mejores partes de ser padres. Es la forma en que el cuerpo se prepara para comunicarse con el mundo. ¡No le quites la vista de encima, porque cada sonrisita es un reporte de que su motor está creciendo fuerte y sano! 🏛️✨

AVISO MÉDICO: Contenido educativo. Las sonrisas reflejas son normales y saludables. Si notas movimientos bruscos, rigidez o falta de respuesta cuando el bebé está despierto, consulta a tu pediatra. No reemplaza el consejo de un profesional. 🩺📋✅

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

01/28/2026

Good informative post about Uterine Ruptures and why they can happen.

A uterine rupture is when the wall of the uterus tears open, usually during labor.

This can cause the baby, the placenta, or both to move into the parents belly, which is can be dangerous for both the birthing person and the baby.

It’s most likely to happen if someone has a scar on their uterus, like from a previous C-section.

But can happen to an unscarred uterus.

It’s rare, especially if labor is watched carefully, but when it happens, it’s an emergency that usually requires a quick C-section.

Reasons why a rupture can occur⬇️

📌Previous Uterine Surgery
➖Cesarean birth scar
➖Previous uterine surgeries like myomectomy (fibroid removal) or surgeries that enter the uterine cavity.

📌Overstimulation of the Uterus
➖Excessive or inappropriate use of Pitocin or prostaglandins (like Cytotec or Cervidil)
➖Augmentation of labor "speeding it up"
➖Very frequent or strong contractions can stress the uterine wall.

📌Trauma
➖Car accidents, falls, or physical trauma to the abdomen.
➖External cephalic version (ECV) in rare cases, especially if done forcefully or when contraindicated.

📌Obstructed Labor or Malposition
➖Labor that is prolonged or obstructed, such as with a malpositioned baby or cephalopelvic disproportion, increases pressure on the uterine wall.

📌Multiple Gestation or Polyhydramnios
➖Twins/triplets or too much amniotic fluid can overstretch the uterus, increasing rupture risk.

📌Grand Multiparity
➖Having 5 or more births can thin or weaken the uterus over time.

📌Manual Removal of the Placenta
➖Aggressive or improper manual removal can cause uterine trauma, especially in a previously scarred uterus.

📌Congenital Uterine Abnormalities
➖Rare, but structural abnormalities can make the uterus more vulnerable.

-Love,
Flor Cruz
Badassmotherbirther

01/28/2026

😮 wow! I didn’t know this when I was birthing my babies over 20 years ago. I had unmedicated births and I’m so glad I did!!

Most people are never told what’s actually in an epidural.

Epidurals don’t usually contain just a local anesthetic.

They often include an opioid, most commonly fentanyl, added to enhance pain relief and allow lower doses of anesthetic.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid.

It’s extremely potent.

It’s about 50 times stronger than he**in and 100 times stronger than morphine.

That doesn’t automatically mean “dangerous” in every context, but potency matters when we’re talking about pregnancy, labor, and a developing baby.

Fentanyl also crosses the placenta.

This isn’t controversial or speculative.

It’s pharmacology.

Anything circulating in the mother or birthing parents bloodstream has the potential to reach the fetus, and fentanyl does.

Because of this transfer, newborns can test positive for fentanyl in their urine after birth when an epidural containing fentanyl was used.

This has caused real confusion and harm in some cases, including unnecessary CPS involvement, because families aren’t told ahead of time that this can happen from standard medical care.

𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠:
📌Changes in fetal heart rate patterns
📌Slower or more irregular breathing immediately after birth
📌Increased drowsiness or difficulty staying alert
📌Reduced muscle tone in the early hours
📌Lower rates of early breastfeeding initiation and effectiveness

Again, this doesn’t mean every baby will have these effects.

But risk is not the same as guarantee, and parents deserve to understand the range of possible outcomes before consenting.

One of the most overlooked impacts is on feeding and early bonding.

Opioids can make babies sleepier and less organized in their feeding cues. A baby who is drowsy, floppy, or less responsive may struggle to latch or sustain feeding, especially in those crucial first hours when breastfeeding is being established.

When that struggle happens, parents are often told they “don’t have enough milk” or that the baby “needs formula,” without acknowledging the role medication may have played.

None of this is about shaming epidurals or telling people what they “should” choose.

Pain relief is valid.

But informed consent means more than “this will help with pain.”

𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠:
✅ what drugs are used
✅ how they work
✅ what crosses the placenta
✅ how they can affect both birthing parent and baby

You can want pain relief and want transparency.

You can choose an epidural and still deserve the full picture.

Education isn’t anti-epidural.

Education is pro-autonomy.

And parents should never have to find this out after the fact.

For someone with a history of substance use, this information isn’t just “nice to know”.

It can be critical to their sobriety, mental health, and informed consent.

Many people in recovery intentionally avoid opioids.

Not because they’re anti-medicine, but because opioid exposure can be triggering, even when it’s medically administered and even when the person doesn’t consciously “feel” high.

Informed consent is not optional in medical spaces.

It’s necessary.

𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐙 / 𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 ©

09/11/2025

Say yes to ecstatic birthing!! 😉

🌸✨ Birthing Ecstatically ✨🌸

Birth is not only survival. It is not only pain.
It can also be ecstasy.

When the body is undisturbed, when safety and trust wrap around a birthing person like a cocoon, the hormones of labor can open not just the cervix, but the mind, the spirit, and the heart.

🌿 Oxytocin surges like a love-drug.
🌿 Endorphins wash over pain like waves.
🌿 Adrenaline peaks only at the final push.
🌿 And in that moment of release there can be laughter, tears, moans, shaking, ecstasy.

Birthing ecstatically doesn’t mean “without challenge.”
It means fully embodied. It means the same hormones that create or**sm, love, and bonding are also the ones that carry us through labor.

Birth is not just a medical event.
It is a human, primal, sacred, wild experience.

🌀 You are allowed to imagine birth not just as something to survive but as something that can be deeply pleasurable, transformative, and yes… ecstatic.

-Love,
Badassmotherbirther

09/06/2025

Baby growth video- week by week!

Look at quickly that baby grows!!Growing a baby is such a gift that results in little miracles being born.

09/02/2025

This is why cervical checks are not necessary. Plus— they can be discouraging for mommas in labor when they don’t get the number they’re hoping for.

.
💠 THE RHOMBUS OF MICHAELIS 💠
◇
This area of the pelvis is formed by the lower lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum, and a ligament that extends from the skull to the sacrum. It’s often described as taking the shape of a kite.
◇
When the cervix is fully dilated in an undisturbed, physiological birth, the body often shows signs that the baby is moving down:
❤️ Reaching up to hold on.
❤️ The back arching.
❤️ The head tipping back.
❤️ Hands pressing against the back of the pelvis.
◇
These movements happen as the “kite” shifts backward, widening the pelvis and allowing the muscles to open. This adjustment creates crucial extra space for the baby’s shoulders to rotate and descend.
◇
Experienced traditional midwives may not feel compelled to check the cervix at this stage. They recognize these behaviors as natural signs of descent and know birth is close when the mother begins to “open her back.”
◇
Recognizing these instinctive patterns means we can trust the process, protect the mother’s space, and avoid unnecessary interventions.
◇
Sometimes, simply seeing is more powerful than touching. Unwanted hands can interrupt, intrude, and slow the flow of labor.
◇
-Love,
Flor Cruz

08/25/2025

Epidural information ℹ️