The Ivy Doula Group, Birth and Lactation Support

10/28/2025

If your OB's office has a midwife, it is NOT the same thing as midwifery-led care. Let's elaborate...

Midwives in OB offices:
🔹️Are typically Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM).
🔹️Midwives in OB practices usually work within the practice and under the direction or supervision of an obstetrician.
🔹️Although one can experience care from a midwife in the OB setting, this is still done within the OB-led model of care.
🔹️Pregnancy is seen as a risk to be managed which can lead to additional testing and/or interventions.
🔹️Individulaization of care is often sacrificed for efficency with many prenatal care appointments being 30 minutes or less.
🔹️Often includes minimal education on areas such as: unmedicated labor/birth, postpartum care & healing, and breastfeeding/lactation.

Midwifery-led care includes:
🔹️Autonomous and independent care from certified midwives (CNM, CM, or CPM) without obstetrician oversight.
🔹️Holistic prenatal, birth, and postpartum care for the birthing person and their family.
🔹️Consultation with obstetricians and/or maternal-fetal medicine specialists as necessary.
🔹️Prioritizes continuity of care with their clients.
🔹️Pregnancy is seen as a safe and natural occurance, leading to a decreased use of unnecessary interventions.
🔹️Follows the same appointment and testing schedule as an OB, but with appointments averaging 60 minutes in length.
🔹️Emphasizes educating and preparing parents for all phases of the pregnancy journey including labor, birth, postpartum care and lactation.

Obstitricians and Midwives are all integral parts of the maternal health care system in this country. It is important that you find the right match for you, your family, your situation, and your baby to help ensure your best outcomes! Want to learn more? Contact us today!

******erva ******er

10/24/2025

Someone's been keeping a secret! Our team is growing! Mandee is cooking up the newest addition to the Ivy Doula family. Let's catch you up on the story so far....

Current Gestation: 13 weeks
My first signs of possible pregnancy were bleeding gums and changes to my two year old's breastfeeding behaviors. We received a positive pregnancy test at 5 weeks, confirmation ultrasound 8 weeks, and had the first appointment with our prenatal care provider at 11 weeks.

The ultrasound was really cool. We got a clear view of the yolk sack. It's what sustains the fetus until the placenta is fully developed at around 10-12 weeks gestation. Everything was as it should be. My dates were spot on. The only additional suprise was a second gestational sack.😳 We were relieved to see it empty. 😮‍💨 Twins do not run in my family, or my husband's; however, I do have several risk factors (age & breastfeeding).

Once we had pregnancy confirmation, it was time to consider my preferred birth setting and choose a prenantal care provider. I'm a healthy 39 year old post op bariatric patient with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and two previous uncomplicated, unmedicated, vaginal births (birth center & home birth). I absolutely loved my home birth experience and look foward to having this baby at home, too. It was an easy choice for me to return to Linden Tree Midwifery, LLC for our prenatal care & birth team.

📺Stay tuned to learn more about midwifery care and pregnancy after weight-loss surgery!🤰

10/19/2025

🎉Team Member Spotlight🎉
Hi, my name is Victoria! I am a postpartum doula. I have over 6 years of caregiving experience. I have two children who were born at home, a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old. I love baking bread and cooking. In my spare time you will find me outside listening to birds or gardening.

I am very passionate about serving families in the fourth trimester because I truly understand how difficult the transition can be. It takes a village! And I would be so honored to be a part of your village.

❓️Want to schedule a consultation with Victoria or learn more about Ivy Doula's postpartum services? ⭐️Send us a message today!⭐️

******erVA

10/18/2025

When your baby is born, your body begins the most incredible hormonal dance 💃✨

One of the star performers in this process is prolactin.

Prolactin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland, and its main role after birth is to kickstart milk production. Throughout pregnancy, your prolactin levels quietly rise, preparing your breasts for lactation. But it’s only once the placenta is delivered that prolactin really gets the green light. From that point on, every time your baby latches, suckling signals your brain to release more prolactin, ensuring your body keeps making the milk your little one needs 🍼

And prolactin isn’t working alone! It teams up with oxytocin (the “love hormone”), which helps with let-down and creates that sense of bonding and calm. Together, they support not just feeding, but also connection and recovery in those early days postpartum.

Your body truly knows what it’s doing! Prolactin is just one of the many reminders that the transition from pregnancy to postpartum is beautifully designed to care for both you and your baby 🤍

10/18/2025

Join us for moms and mimosas. A kid friendly event. Bring a snack to share and we provide the drinks. Chat with other mommas while the kids play!!

Invite your momma friends, all are welcome!

10/17/2025

Just a little bit of encouragement for your Monday 🫶🏻

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that birth is not a crisis to be managed, but a powerful process to be supported 🤍
Yes, emergencies can happen, but most of the time, birth unfolds exactly as it should, step by step, wave by wave.

When we shift our perspective from fear to trust, we see birth for what it truly is: an emergence, a transformation, and the beginning of a new chapter; for both baby and parents 🌿

10/17/2025

10/10/2025

This!

Research tells us that the routine use of reclined positions increase the likelihood of perineal tears, pelvic floor dysfunction, non-reassuring fetal heart tones, and episiotomy while decreasing .😟

➡️ Side-lying and positions are possible with an and in . ⬅️

This means developing advocacy skills, becoming familiar with different positions and feeling them out in your body in , and communicating your preferences to your or well in advance are essential. 💖

10/10/2025

Your milk is alive! It is constantly changing, adapting, and meeting your baby’s exact needs through every stage. From immunity at birth to brain and muscle development later on, your body knows exactly what to do. That’s the power of breastmilk. 💪🏽💛

10/06/2025

Our team is growing! Welcome Jess Slonaker to Ivy Doula! Jess will be bringing her experience and expertise to our team of birth doulas. Message us to connect with her today!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hi, I’m Jess! I have been serving local families as they welcome new life for 7 years. My perspective is simple, yet radical: EVERY birth, regardless of how it might deviate from your vision, can be empowering. When you are treated with respect and dignity and given the chance to make decisions with informed consent, there is always an opportunity to enter your postpartum period feeling empowered.

As your doula, my goal is to ensure that you feel safe, respected, and informed every step of the way. I accomplish this through education, in-depth prenatal support, thorough birth planning, and continuous support and advocacy throughout your labor and birth experience.

My husband and Will and I have two beautiful children, Irene and Leonard. We live in the Back Creek Valley area of West Virginia. We are both passionate about living our lives in service to others, myself through birth work and Will through his work with our houseless neighbors. In my free time I enjoy floral design and painting/drawing and listening to Taylor Swift on repeat.
******erva

10/06/2025

Developing observational skills to determine how is progressing is a research based way to support outcomes and an experience-based that many and work hard to develop 👯

It is also a skill that the and can employ but may take some intentional development when primarily supporting folks with an 👍🏼