Blooming You Doula Services

05/24/2023

02/26/2023

Recall Alert! If you purchased Enfamil Pro-Sobee Plant-based infant formula, please check the UPC code and use by date. You can find more information about the recall on the Food and Drug Administration's website http://bit.ly/3IlElh5

02/25/2023

Babies are not manipulative.
They are communicating with you in the only language they know.
They trust you enough to cry out for you❤️

Babies ALWAYS cry for a reason.
Babies can NOT self soothe.
Babies can NOT be spoiled.

Now that we've addressed those three points, lets dig a bit deeper...

I think we're falling into a detrimental trend of putting adult expectations onto children at younger and younger ages, in which we're even seeing these expectations placed in early infancy.

- We expect babies to self soothe.
- We expect toddlers to be speaking full, intelligible, sentences and be potty trained.
- We except preschoolers to sit for prolonged periods of time, know how to read and write, etc.

But I wonder where this rush is coming from?

1. Is it that parent's are feeling a sense of pressure?

If you're feeling pressure, please remind yourself that parenthood and childhood is not a competition of who does what first, well, better, best, etc.

2. Are we comparing and thinking that one child's development is representative of how all children should and could be?

Please know that every person is different, and these differences are present from the start. How you baby sleeps, eats, communicates, plays, their interests/approaches to learning etc. are all unique, and we must respect who they are and how they're growing. Just because one baby has begun walking at 10 months, doesn't mean all babies could, should, or will hit that. This does not mean the 10 month old baby who has become walking is a gifted person, and it doesn't mean your 10 month old baby who isn't walking is "beyond." They're simply different. Of course we have developmental milestones that we can use as a guide to ensure possible developmental delays are addressed, but let's not get wrapped up in unhealthy and unnecessary expectations. Back to point 1, it's not a competition.

3. Do we think pushing development translates to advanced development?

Pushing children to do things before they're developmentally able to do so can have both immediate and longterm negative psychological and physiological effects. This is shown when we ignore our babies cries, force potty training, force academics, and so on and so forth. Please note, just because a baby's cry has been ignored (resulting in an overall reduced amount of crying), it does not suggest they are "soothed." Similar concept, we can say we "teach our children x,y, and z," but teaching does not suggest learning.

We must remember that certain stages of development happen at just that; stages! and should never be rushed or forced prematurely.

We must also remember that our expectations, experiences, perspectives, decision-making skills, abilities, etc. are drastically different from that of a baby or child. Something you think they should do or know because you're able to, is setting everyone up for failure.

The attached image is really wonderful chart created by Sarah Ockwell-Smith (I just revised it a bit, making the text a bit bigger). Read more about her ideas regarding Self-settling here: https://sarahockwell-smith.com/2014/06/30/self-settling-what-really-happens-when-you-teach-a-baby-to-self-soothe-to-sleep/

At the core of healthy development is a baby/child's sense of security and love. It's an absolute necessity we must honor and provide from day one. So let's close with where we began...

Babies ALWAYS cry for a reason.
Babies can NOT self soothe.
Babies can NOT be spoiled.

02/17/2023

01/21/2023

Great advice on choosing bottles for combination feeding💕

I am often asked for bottle recommendations. There is no one size fits all when it comes to bottle selection. The best bottle for your family may depend on your family’s feeding goals, your baby’s oral anatomical structure, milk flow rate, and many other factors. However, when a parent is planning on combination breast/chestfeeding and bottle feeding, there are a few things to consider when choosing a bottle ni**le shape to support that body feeding journey.

There is no such thing as a bottle that functions just like breastfeeding. Many bottles are made to “look” like a breast or marketed to be “closest to breast”, but that does not mean they will function in the baby’s mouth like a breast.

Often, bottles with ni**les made to look like a breast are wide at the base of the ni**le (the part near the bottle collar). A new parent may choose one of these bottles based on the look and shape- if it looks like a breast, it acts as a breast, right? Not in this case. In most cases, baby cannot get a deep enough latch on the ni**le and the part that gets abruptly wider keeps them from getting that part of the ni**le into their mouth- so they end up chomping on the narrow part of the ni**le and getting a shallow latch. If the wide part of the ni**le is super soft and flexible, the baby’s lips can actually compress that part of the ni**le leading to leaking milk and baby sucking in air.

My top bottle choice for a chestfed baby is one with a gradual increase in width of ni**le. This shape is ideal for the breastfed baby because this allows and encourages the baby's lips to fl**ge out correctly and for the baby to get a good portion of the ni**le (not just the tip) in their mouth. We want to see a nice wide open mouth with a good seal on the bottle just as we do on the breast. Two brands that are a great example of this ni**le shape are the Evenflo Baby Balance and Lansinoh USA (The bottom left and bottom middle photos.) Another option is a bottle with a narrow ni**le down to the bottle collar (like the bottom right photo). The goal when using these bottles is to have the entire ni**le in baby's mouth. Essentially, your baby’s lips should be touching and flanging out on the bottle collar.

By selecting a bottle ni**le that supports a healthy latch and a slow flow that mimics the work it takes to receive milk at the breast, you can help set your little one up for success switching between body feeding and bottle feeding!

01/10/2023

*Fisher price is reannouncing their recall after 8 more infants have died in the Rock ‘n Play sleeper after the original recall and removal from the market.
*Dispose of these properly by cutting the fabric and otherwise making it unusable by an unknown finder.
*positional asphyxiation is silent and can happen right before your eyes.
*Always place baby on their back on a firm flat surface for sleep

: Fisher-Price reannounces recall of 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play Sleepers; At least eight deaths occurred after recall. Stop using and get refund or voucher. CONTACT: 866-812-6518 or www.mattel.com. Full recall notice: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Fisher-Price-Reannounces-Recall-of-4-7-Million-Rock-n-Play-Sleepers-At-Least-Eight-Deaths-Occurred-After-Recall

12/27/2022

Yes this! 👏🏼 Posted • ‘I’ve been suffering with awful constipation..’ ‘oh, you know what will help? Lie down on your back and I’ll watch and shout at you a bit until you’ve finished..’ said nobody. Ever.

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Pretty much every time I talk about birth, I come up with some kind of poo comparison. (Okay, you’re probably going to love what comes out quite a bit more when it’s a baby but there’s a lot to take from the analogy I promise!)

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Picture this, if you will, it’s been a day, maybe two, since you last went for a poo, and suddenly you feel the urge! (Don’t cringe, it’s pregnancy, we’ve all been there 🤣) What exactly is going to make this experience easier for you? Where do you picture yourself? In what position? Who’s with you? How do you feel?
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You’re probably picturing yourself somewhere private, probably enclosed, there’s probably no one else in the room, so you’re feeling uninhibited- if you need to pull a face or make a noise, you don’t mind, because no one else will know! You’re seated or squatting- you’ve got gravity on your side, maybe you have a little wriggle, change position slightly, just to make it a little easier.. you don’t question it, you just do what feels helpful in the moment..
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Imagine instead I asked you to lay on your back in a bed whilst I watched and told you exactly what you needed to do. Try for your poo now. Easier? Harder? I promise I’ll never ask you to do this 🤣 but question for a minute then, what birth looks like on the tv.. why are women always on their backs? It doesn’t make sense physically.. why are women always in bright rooms surrounded by people? It doesn’t make sense hormonally!.. why are we taught that anyone else can understand what’s going on in our bodies better than US? The person FEELING it? It doesn’t make sense physiologically!
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So just for a moment, think about birth as if you were doing a poo! It could change everything!

For more excellent poo analogies 😅 join our online hypnobirthing and Antenatal Course for just £40! Link in bio.

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Photo

12/05/2022

Perfectly said💕

Walk into a room while I am supporting a birth and you might think that I am just sitting there doing nothing. I won’t be talking. I won’t be touching the client. I won’t be using anything in my bag.

So what am I doing exactly?

🪑 Watching mom’s breathing and sometimes breathing loudly alongside her to remind her to slow down her breath

🪑 Scanning mom’s body during the contraction to make sure that she isn’t holding any tension

🪑 Monitoring the temperature and lighting to create the peaceful environment that she desires

🪑 Calculating how long it has been since she emptied her bladder

🪑 Thinking about how long she has been in her current position and thinking about the next position that she might try

🪑 Timing contractions to see if they are longer, stronger and closer together

🪑 Thinking about when mom and her partner last had a snack

🪑 Reviewing her preferences to make sure that everything is going according to her plan

🪑 Giving the couple space to connect on an intimate level (allowing for oxytocin) and/or guiding the partner to be the lead support

🪑 Updating notes and capturing labor flow

Sometimes just being fully present is enough. Sometimes just knowing I am there in close proximity is all mom needs to be able to relax and focus on what she needs to do. Sometimes just holding space for them in an unbiased manner allows for a noticeable shift in the energy of the room.

And the list goes on….

Source

11/22/2022

It’s been pretty quite over here but for good reasoning!
Blooming you doula services has moved!
Now located just outside of Concord we can service the greater concord area, greater Manchester area, the lakes region and all the towns in between!
Available for birth and postpartum services once again💕🎉

10/15/2022

09/26/2022

We’re here to compliment not compete💕

So many times it's either "oh my husband is my doula" or "my husband wants to support me, so we don't need a doula."

😳🤔🙄🤭

1) Your husband and a doula are not the same. We have different roles with the same goals and can work well together.
2) Doulas do not replace your husband. You will need both. And if your doula is doing it right, your husband comes out looking like a rock star! ⭐
3) Momma, let's let him have that one! We know ... 😉

Meet with a doula and just see what y'all think. You'll never know till you try. 💗