Ma Mi Amor Birth

23/08/2021

13/01/2021

30/08/2020

D U E • D A T E S
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This week September begins which means I’m entering baby’s birth month! 🎉
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The intended parents recently asked me “so X more days to go?” to which I responded, “It can be any time. Counting the days may drive us crazy, I’m choosing to just go with the flow and let my body and the baby tell us when it’s time.”
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If you love and/or support a pregnant person, it’s easy to get excited over a “due date” because it’s a celebratory date you can look forward to and plan around. The truth is due dates are estimated guesses based on the pregnant person’s first day of their last period before they became pregnant. If your menstrual cycle is outside of the 28/29 day cycle average, the margin of error increases in the estimated due date formula. In my case, my due date is an estimated guess based on adding a week after the date of the embryo transfer. That said, it’s best not to get attached to the date.
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Getting attached to due dates can create unnecessary fear, anxiety, and pressure for the pregnant person and their support team. Instead, focus on helping the pregnant person stay as comfortable as possible during the last few weeks of pregnancy as they await any signs of labor.
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**An important note for the pregnant person:
Give yourself two weeks before and after your guess date as your guess month. When people ask you when you’re due (which they will!), get into the habit of responding with a general answer like “Around September” or “in the Fall”. I noticed it drives some people crazy because they want a firm date, but that’s when I choose to tell them, “I trust that my body and baby will tell me when it’s time.” 🤷🏽‍♀️
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Here are some DOs and DON’Ts for loved ones of pregnant folks when it comes to due dates. Please share far and wide so we can start to prioritize maternal health and wellness as a community.

29/08/2020

Happy Black Breastfeeding Week!

07/08/2020

What is it?
is colostrum (the first milk) in the final weeks of and storing for use after .
This gets replaced, so there's no concerns about using it up before the arrives. It also doesn't cause the next stage of (milk coming in), as the needs to be delivered for this to happen.

Why do it?
This used to only be suggested for families who knew their baby might have challenges with blood sugar or feeding after birth, for example gestational diabetes, or cleft lip. But now, it's generally accepted that anyone that wishes to can store colostrum.
But why is it worth doing? Firstly, it's a great way of familiarising yourself with your anatomy, and how to .
It can be hard to predict which babies might need extra support with feeding and blood sugar after birth, so it's great to know you have some stored in case you need it.

When should I do it?
Usually suggested from , though there is some thought this could be sooner in a healthy, low risk pregnancy. Speak to your about your own individual circumstances, especially if you know you're more likely to give birth early, e.g. twins.
You can do it 2 or 3 times a day for a few minutes at a time. Stop immediately if you have any discomfort or experience tummy pain.

Where?
Wherever you like, but the key is finding somewhere you feel relaxed and comfortable.
A private space is often useful. You'll also need to have access to somewhere you can wash your hands, and have a freezer for storage.

How?
First you'll need to get hold of some syringes with caps so that they can be sealed, and some labels to put on them once used.
Wash your hands.
Do some breast massage, anything you like really, but whatever you do should be comfortable and warm. This is more about getting relaxed and comfortable than moving the colostrum.
Now make a C shape with your thumb and first two fingers. Feel back from your ni**le until you feel a change; a firmer, lumpy texture. This is the spot you'll be compressing.
Using the C shape you've created, compress for a couple of seconds in a firm but comfortable way and then release for a couple of seconds. Repeat. Build up this slow, steady rhythm without dragging the skin or causing discomfort. It can take a bit of time for the colostrum to come, or you may need to move your C shape back or forward ever so slightly until you 'hit the spot'.
Some people find a gentle roll forward with your fingers can be useful. Others may find pushing back a little toward the chest wall before compressing helpful.
There are ducts all the way around the breast so once you've finished the first spot you can move your C shape around to a different place.

Colostrum is often a yellowy/golden colour, but may be clear too. You may get no colostrum at all, or just get a glistening of it on the ni**le, or you may get drops coming out. Anything is normal! If you don't get any or much colostrum at this point it does NOT mean you will have a low milk supply.

Any syringes with colostrum in need to be labelled with your name and the date, capped and put into a clean box in the freezer. Make sure the box is deep in the freezer. They can be stored for 6 months, so even if you don't use them in the first few days, you can use them later down the line. (Some people like to think of it as a little immune booster!)

The more you practise the more likely you are to get some colostrum to store.
Remember, any discomfort at any time please stop x

26/07/2020

The purple line is our body’s natural indicator that baby is emerging soon.

💜 🅣🅗🅔 🅟🅤🅡🅟🅛🅔 🅛🅘🅝🅔 💜
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Vaginal exams are not the only way to assess how far along a birther is in a labor and even where the baby is stationed in the pelvis.
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More often than not, there’s a purple line that may start to appear above the a**s in early labor and it will continue to get darker in color and move higher up the birthers natal cleft(butt crack) the further labor progresses.
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This purple line can be various shades of pink, red, dark purple or even silver, and it depends on the birthers skin tone.
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This purple line can be used as a way to minimize unnecessary vaginal exams and be less invasive.
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The World Health Organization says:
🗣 “the number of vaginal examinations should be limited where it is necessary.”🗣

Link to study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4329935/
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PhotoCred: Mckaila Shiloh Photography
FoundOn: Home Sweet Homebirth

23/07/2020

N O W • B O O K I N G
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I will be going on maternity leave at the end of August through December (depending on when I give birth). I am now booking clients for the following offerings starting in January 2021:
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🌀Birth Doula Support- Includes virtual prenatal appointments, help formulating your birth plan, answering questions, and being on-call for labor and birth support.
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🌀Conscious Childbirth Online - My 5-week course is always open for enrollment and includes access to our private online community, and virtual doula sessions with me! (enrollment link in bio) ⠀
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🌀Placenta Encapsulation for local births (Long Beach and surrounding areas)
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🌀 Mexican Traditional Postpartum Care - warming, nutritive meals after birth, massage, herbal baths and vaginal steams
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🌀 My ebook GLOW UP!: Voice Journaling for Self-Compassion will be released August 1st along with my 3-month vocal empowerment membership program. Details at link in bio!
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If you have contemplated working with me in any capacity, now is the time for us to chat. DM me or email me to setup a 15 minute consultation to see if my offerings are in alignment for you.
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I am grateful and honored to do this work wholeheartedly.
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I am beholden to the clients I’ve had the privilege of serving over the past nearly 8+ years for allowing me to play a role in their sacred birth and rebirth ceremonies.
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I have prayed to my ancestors and to the ancestors of the future families I have called in to work with next year and trust that they are the families I am meant to guide and support.
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And so it is! 💫🙏🏽
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22/07/2020

Baby Buns & Mongolian (or Hyperpigmented) Spots 😍
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(aka Congenital Dermal Melanocytosis or Slate Gray Nevi)
**See Edit Below**

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These harmless marks are flat bluish-gray or greenish marks found on babies either at birth or within the first few weeks of life. Many are found on the butt, back, arms or legs but can also appear on the face as well. Typical cause of pigment that did not make it to the top layer of skin but generally no cause for alarm. ⁣
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These marks are common in people of Asian, Native American, Latino, East Indian, or African descent. They may appear as bruises so it's important to know what they are if you see them to not warrant any mistake for child abuse from others. They generally hang around until school age but may last longer. ⁣
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My 3 year old still has hers ❤ Did you or your babies have a Mongolian Spot? Did it fade or stick around? ⁣
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📸: A Mother's Love Doula Services LLC
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⁣**Edited To Add**

While the medical term for these birthmarks is called Congenital Dermal Melanocytosis, a common name you may have heard or seen often is Mongolian Spot. Coined in 1885 by German anthropologist Edwin Baelz who used it to refer to "Mongoloids" and other traditionally BIPOC people, as he noticed these spots commonly on babies with darker skin. A derivative of the word Mongolia (Mongol or Mongoloid) was also being used to describe people with Down Syndrome or mentally disabled thus characterizing a condition by ethnic characteristics in the 1860s. This term, although commonly used today, has some negative connotation to its use in history. Other names used for these birthmarks may be Hyperpigmented Spot or Slate Gray Nevi. An important thing to know is they are normal and common among babies of BIPOC descent but may be referred to as different names to not be offensive due to the history of the various uses of the term "Mongol."
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08/07/2020

✨PARENTING FOR LIBERATION GIVEAWAY✨

💥✨G I V E A W A Y! ✨💥It was such a sincere joy to engage with my friend and colleague Trina Greene Brown founder and author of today. We had some technical difficulties which meant that not everyone could get in BUT you are now able to watch the replay right here on the IGTV, our YouTube, and page.⁣
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In honor of the birth and release of this book and the profound and important work of , we are giving away this amazing BOOK BUNDLE valued at $50. ⁣
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Winners will be announced after my kids go to bed this Friday evening (7/10 ~9ish PST🤞🏽😆). Here’s how to enter:⁣
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💫 Be following & ⁣
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💫 Comment under this post by tagging friends (1 tag per comment = 1 entry per comment)⁣
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💫Bonus— SHARE in your stories (must be public to verify)⁣
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That’s it! ⁣
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Also— if you don’t end up winning, you should still BUY THE BOOK (and/or the bundle). Visit to buy from the publisher and other Black owned bookstores like . ⁣
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29/06/2020

✨ G L O W • U P • ! ✨⠀
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I’m working hard to meet my deadline of launching my very first ebook by August 1st. The ebook is about 50+ pages right now, fully outlines my voice journaling practice, and also includes interactive pages to guide you along the way. It’s almost ready to go to editing! I can’t wait for you to see it! ⠀
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You can hear me talk more about my Voice Journaling ebook in my chat with for her Not-So-Basic-Brunch from this morning. 🥂We went into depth about how this practice started, how it’s helped me, and how it can help those who join me by purchasing the ebook and joining my membership program. ⠀
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Thank you to all who have reached out in support of this new project. It’s been incredibly healing and exciting to work on during such an interesting time in our lives. 💗⠀
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If you want to enjoy the pre-sale price of my ebook before the official launch, please visit the link in my bio.⠀
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26/06/2020

L I F E • & • D E A T H ⠀
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Today is my mother’s birthday. 66 years ago she was born in Los Angeles, CA to my Grandma Lucy in East LA. 5 years ago on this day is also the day we learned that my brother Ronnie had transitioned into the spirit world. ⠀
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It’s interesting how death shows up in life and how life shows up in death. For years we mourned and questioned why my mom would learn of her son’s death on the day of her birth. We know now that we were all being called into a rebirth of our own in the wake of my brother’s passing. ⠀
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After he transitioned and my heart was no longer closed out of anger and denial that he was physically gone, I started to feel his strong presence. He came to me in my dreams and told me that he was so much better off and that he finally felt free. He told me to stop being a chillona 😂. He said I would be seeing him around more often and that if I let him, he would be guiding me towards my life’s purpose. ⠀
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We were 16 years apart. He was an adult when I was a child. He was deployed for most of my childhood and socially withdrawn for most of my life. He had challenges in his physical body that none of us could understand. He had painful experiences in his youth that he never talked about. And yet, I feel closer to him than ever. His spiritual presence is strong. He has come to some of my friends and made himself heard with his distinct voice and goofy laugh. He has flirted with my friend who is a spiritual channel which is so like him... 🤣⠀
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I miss him so much, but I find comfort in knowing that we are not as disconnected to the spirit world as we think. I find solace in moments of peace and quiet, when I’m alone, where I can be open to hearing him and receiving his warm spirit. I feel especially connected to him in the ocean where he loved to be. 🌊 ⠀
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Happy birthday to my mom and happy rebirth to my brother. May you both be at peace in your hearts and your spirits today and always. 💗⠀
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26/06/2020

G. R A T E F U L • 🙏🏽⠀
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My Conscious Childbirth Online course is always open for enrollment! ⠀
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I love when clients send me beautiful words of affirmation reminding me why my class is unique. Not only do they receive quality childbirth education, but they also receive my nearly 10 years of experience as a mother and birth worker in a myriad of learning styles to help the info stick, an online community, and 2 virtual sessions with me! ⠀
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I spent a year putting this course together with great intention and love. This wasn’t a course that was put together overnight because of COVID19, I had just launched my course before the pandemic hit. Every module is bursting with information and exercises which is why I set it up to take place over a 5-week period. ⠀
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Childbirth education is the single most important gift you can give yourself and your baby when you are planning to give birth. Especially if you do not have the resources to hire a doula, childbirth education should be non-negotiable. It’s more important than ever for us to be our own greatest advocates in labor and birth. ⠀
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Click the link in my bio or send me a message for more info. 👶🏽⠀
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25/06/2020

I T ‘ S • A L L • F O R • Y O U⠀
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I’ve learned that in order for me to be a good parent to my daughter, I have to be a good person to myself. How am I going to teach her to respect herself if I don’t respect myself first? How am I going to teach her to use her voice in the world if I don’t listen, trust, and honor my own?⠀
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The greatest gift I’ve ever been given is to be loved by her because in allowing myself to be loved her, I accept that I am worthy of that innocent, unconditional love she has for me. 💗⠀
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I wasn’t always the person I am today. I was self-destructive and harsh. I didn’t care if anything bad happened to me because I didn’t have a reason to. I welcomed danger because anything dangerous was better than the numbness I felt from years of not being allowed to be who I truly was. When Corrie came along she gave me something to live for. She gave me purpose and a fresh outlook on life. She saved me. ⠀
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I have spent every day of her life in gratitude and in awe of her ability to make me change my perspective on the world; my perspective on myself! Our children are wise little teachers who have so much to show us if we relinquish our power over them and let them. Our power with them is medicine for future generations. ⠀
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For those who are parents or caregivers, what have your children taught you? For those who aren’t, are there children in your life that you’ve learned from? ⠀
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23/06/2020

Breech presentation does not = a cesarean. Midwives are amazing! 🙌🏽

ECV performed by a homebirth midwife. This is the third baby with us. Her first baby was breech, which we delivered vaginally at home.

20/06/2020

B L E N D E D • F A M I L I E S👭🏽👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⠀
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Families come in all shapes and sizes. ⠀
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I pride myself on being a single mother because I have been the single care provider for my daughter since she was born. It’s always been her and I. But I’d be lying if I said that I’ve raised her by myself. Our village rolls deep and every single year when we celebrate her birthday, I thank our village for their role in supporting us. I couldn’t do it without their support. ⠀
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What most people don’t know is that Corrie’s dad, his partner, and his parents are also an important part of our village. Though she doesn’t see them as often as they all would like, (especially right now during the pandemic) she sees them enough to have developed a meaningful relationship with them and her 3 siblings. Despite our differences and rocky start, we now have a fairly healthy relationship and have been able to respect each other in an effort to create a sense of stability and security for Corrie. ⠀
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Growing up in a broken home myself, this has always been a priority for me as a parent. It is important to me that Corrie doesn’t see us fighting, disrespecting each other, or using her as a pawn in our disagreements. Rather, that she sees us getting along, modeling clear communication, and spending time together as a family. Also, checking in from time to time to make sure that our agreement still works for everyone, specially Corrie. ⠀
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I am very proud of the relationship we have been able to cultivate and nurture over the last couple of years. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been worth it for my baby. ⠀
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Corrie’s paternal family has a rich and diverse history that makes up half of her DNA. It’s always been important to me that she knows both sides of the family so she has a healthy sense of identity. Corrie’s Grandma Pat has been such a driving force in making sure that Corrie knows her family’s history too. I’m filled with gratitude for her especially. 💗⠀
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Are you part of a blended family or do you know someone who is? What are the biggest challenges you face being part of a blended family? What are some of the benefits? ⠀
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20/06/2020

What is informed consent and what is not?

19/06/2020

S U R R O G A C Y • U P D A T E 🤰🏽⠀
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I’m 27 weeks now and still feeling really great! Staying active and honoring rest when I’ve hit my limit for the day. I enjoy being out in the sun whether it’s right outside in my front yard or out on the water at the bay. 🌊⠀
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My daughter Corrie has been such a loving presence in my life. She’s so empathetic and cares for me like a wise little abuelita. She has come a long way from her original feelings about this pregnancy to now. She wants nothing more than to be with me when I give birth, as do I. The future is uncertain though due to COVID19 and the birth center’s policies with limitations on how many people can be there. Plus, I have a whole crew coming with me including the intended parents and my support team; my doula and birth photographer . 📷⠀
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I’m very very grateful to have the support I always envisioned for my first birth. I’ve been working with my pelvic floor therapist Amanda from to help with the discomforts of pregnancy like round ligament pain and strengthening the pelvic floor. This helps so I won’t be “peezing” (peeing when you sneeze) during pregnancy or after birth as many of us do. Despite the popular belief that this is just an unfortunate side effect of having children, it doesn’t have to be. I’ve also been seeing Natalie at who helps create space in my spine to be able to fully support this growing belly of mine. 🤰🏽⠀
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I’ve been working hard to invest my overflow of emotional energy into my creative offerings while also holding space my community of educators, parents, and healers. I’m learning how to set boundaries and enjoying every moment of this pregnancy. This experience has been a rebirth for me and I’m grateful to all who have expressed an interest in wanting to be part of it. This is truly a magical time in my life right now. Even with everything going on in our communities and the world, I’m being called to go deeper into my practices in preparation for what is to come next. 🙏🏽⠀
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