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Smiley Birth Services, Waterloo, IL (2026)

01/03/2026

Tomorrow is the first class in my 6 week series! It’s not too late to sign up for the whole series or just the classes you need. Also! If you’ve ever taken my entire series before, you are always welcome to join in on another series as a refresher for free! Reach out to sign up 😃

01/01/2026

This is the stack of books I’ve gotten through this year in my midwifery program! Feels like an accomplishment seeing it all together. On to 2026! 💪

12/30/2025

As this year comes to a close, it’s so fun to look back at all the amazing births I was able to attend. I am truly grateful to have been at each and every one of them. I learn something every time! Thank you so much to all the amazing midwives who have referred to me and to those who have let me assist them. While I do hope to continue my work as a doula, I am praying for more experience as a home birth assistant in 2026 as I slowly work towards my goal of becoming a midwife. Thank you so much to all my wonderful clients this year. Thank you for trusting me to support you through this transitional time in your life. Thank you also to everyone who shares my info with family and friends so I can continue this calling. I am so grateful for 2025 and I know God has a plan for 2026.

24 doula clients
1 backup client
7 birth assists=32 total births this year
13 girls and 19 boys!

12/27/2025

I’m thankful I did not struggle with very much heartburn in my pregnancies, but I know a lot of women have a very hard time with it. Aviva Romm does not recommend baking soda and antacids, which I’m sure is a common recommendation to remedy heartburn. Instead, she says slippery elm bark is a great alternative, specifically in lozenge form (p. 202). An article on vitallibrary.com states that slippery elm can “coat irritated mucous membranes in the mouth, throat, and digestive tract, and may help ease irritation and support healing.” While there are lots of articles on its benefits, WebMD cautions that it has not been adequately studied to be able to recommend its use during pregnancy. Although the only possible side effects mentioned were that slippery elm may interfere with some prescriptions and that some people may be allergic to it. Have you ever tried slippery elm for heartburn? For something else? Also, if you had heartburn during pregnancy, did the wive’s tale hold true with your baby having lots of hair?

Slippery elm bark for IBS, heartburn, and sore throat, evidence based benefits and risks - VitaLibrary
Slippery Elm: Uses, Benefits, and Risks

12/25/2025

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!!!!

12/22/2025

Another common complaint during pregnancy is headaches. While headaches can be caused by a myriad of problems, one thing you might not have considered is supplementing with calcium and magnesium. Magnesium can help with all sorts of ailments, but Aviva Romm recommends adding a 600-800mg of calcium and 300-400mg of magnesium to see if that helps your headaches (p. 188). Dr. Susan Hutchinson recommends 200mg twice daily of magnesium to help prevent headaches in pregnancy, which is consistent with Aviva Romm’s recommendation. In an AJMC article, they found that people who had high calcium and magnesium food intake, had fewer migraine headaches. So while they weren’t looking at supplementation, calcium and magnesium did appear to play an important role in headaches. If increasing those foods in your diet is possible, that is always superior to supplementing them. Did you get headaches in pregnancy? What did you find helpful?

Natural Migraine Prevention During Pregnancy: Safe Supplements That Work
Examining the Link Between Dietary Intake of Calcium, Magnesium With Migraine | AJMC

12/20/2025

Here we are again looking at the magical nettle plant. This time it’s to battle the fatigue that can accompany pregnancy. In The Natural Pregnancy Book Aviva Romm says that 2-3 cups per day of a strong nettle infusion can “nourish the adrenals, regulate blood sugar, improve nutrient intake, and build iron levels (p. 185)”, all of which could help alleviate fatigue. An article from Peaceful Birth Midwifery states, “Nettle is a gentle yet powerful tonic to the adrenals, and is known to rebuild the adrenal cortex, thus improving energy levels.” Serra Blaine, certified herbalist, reports that nettle tea has numerous benefits including boosting iron levels, reducing inflammation, and providing essential vitamins and minerals. She says to always use caution and to start slowly with about 1 teaspoon of nettle tea per cup of water and monitor how you feel. From the articles I found, nettle seems to be a powerhouse for the body while being very low risk.

https://www.peacefulbirth.co/peacefulbirthmidwife
Is Nettle Tea Safe During Pregnancy? What You Need to Know - Pioneer Health Homestead

12/19/2025

Bleeding in early pregnancy can be a variation of normal, though it can make any mother feel uneasy. In Aviva Romm’s book, The Natural Pregnancy Book, for mild bleeding in early pregnancy she recommends a combination of wild yam plus either cramp bark or black haw to reduce cramping (p. 167). On natural-fertility-info.com, they say that cramp bark and black haw are “extremely effective at reducing uterine contractions and uterine muscle spasm.” They also can decrease pain without negative side effects like medicinal pain relievers. Sun Child’s article states that wild yam has been used for centuries and has anti-inflammatory effects which may help prevent miscarriage. Just like most herbs, wild yam has not been studied extensively for safety in pregnancy. Do the benefits outweigh the risks in your mind? Have you used any of these with success?

https://natural-fertility-info.com/menstruation-cramps-benefits-of-cramp-bark-and-black-haw.html

https://shunchild.com/article/is-wild-yam-root-safe-during-pregnancy

12/18/2025

Appropriate for this time of year, the next topic to discuss is colds, flu and mild illnesses. While there are many things you can do to support your immune system, echinacea root tincture is of interest to me. Aviva Romm recommends taking this tincture as a preventative measure and/or for colds, and then increasing the dosage for acute sickness and flu. An article on myhealthopedia.com states that echinacea enhances the immune system, shortens durations of colds, supports respiratory health, plus has antiviral and antibacterial effects. The NIH says that there are limited studies done on the safety of echinacea in pregnancy, but the studies that have been done have not shown any negative side effects of echinacea use in pregnancy. Echinacea is generally considered safe in pregnancy and appears to have lots of health benefits. Do you feel like echinacea has helped you?

https://myhealthopedia.com/echinacea-proven-benefits-side-effects-dosage/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582687/

12/17/2025

📖I’ve been reading The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm and have been learning a lot of helpful information that I wanted to explore further. I will be posting about each of the topics I’ve been looking into and would love your feedback! Have you tried any of these remedies? Did they help? Would you use them again?
The first topic to discuss is anemia. While there are various forms of anemia, most women who are struggling with anemia during pregnancy are dealing with nutritional anemias which can be helped with diet changes and/or supplementation. One of the herbs mentioned again and again in this book is nettles (or stinging nettle leaf). Aviva Romm recommends steeping a large handful of dried nettle leaves in a quart of boiling water for a couple hours and then drinking 1-4 cups a day of this herbal infusion (p. 155). In an article on medicine.net, they mention that while nettles are high in iron, they also can act as a uterine stimulant, so should be used with caution before term. Another article I found on realherbs.com, says that nettles “can offer potential benefits for pregnant women, such as addressing iron deficiency anemia and providing essential nutrients”. They also advise caution due to the uterine stimulant effect nettles can have.Nettle leaf tea has been used for centuries and the health benefits are well-known. It seems to me that in pregnancy, we should be sure to start slowly after the first trimester, and if you feel like you’re having too many contractions, back off. I’d love to know your experience if you have any!

The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm, 2014.

https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_benefits_of_drinking_nettle_tea/article.htm

https://www.realherbs.com/blogs/stinging-nettle-leaf/is-stinging-nettle-leaf-safe-during-pregnancy

12/11/2025

I still have room if you’d like to sign up for my next series ☺️

12/08/2025

As a doula who supports mamas wanting natural births, this is one uniform I do my best to avoid. But I am also very thankful for hospitals, caring providers, and even cesareans.

Smiley Birth Services

01/03/2026

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