TzimTzum Doula

28/11/2023

I am beyond thrilled to announce the birth of a new Jewish organization that has launched! Special thanks to for awarding with the tools to pave the way for Bara’s success.

👩🏽‍🍼At the heart of life’s most vulnerable yet transformative moments, Bara: The Jewish Birthing Network is dedicated to nurturing vibrant Jewish community among expectant and new parents. We believe that every birth is not just a new beginning, but an opportunity to strengthen the rich tapestry of your Jewish identity and heritage.

🤰🏻We empower, educate, and enrich the journey of expectant and new parents by weaving together birth and postpartum experiences with the warmth of Jewish tradition, wisdom, and support. Through comprehensive birth and postpartum education, diverse social programming, compassionate mental health initiatives, and nourishing spiritual circles, we create a nurturing and inclusive space for all.

🍼 looking to dive in? Have you given birth in the past 3 years? Join us for our first program for Jewish postpartum birthers on 12/10 in Wilmette. Register here:

https://forms.gle/91DpEiMqVHFgSyph8

12/05/2023

🤣 A very happy Mother’s Day weekend to all the magical maternal superheroes!

This is what 10 cm dilated looks like. Get your mother something nice this weekend.

21/03/2023

What an honor to be featured in DONA International's latest edition of International Doula Magazine!
Take a read here:
https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=786471

International Doula Volume 30, Issue 4
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EXCELLENCE  Founders Awards 2022 PLUS Empowered decision-making for all The dream that became reality VOLUME 30 – ISSUE 4 | 2023 CELEBRATING

04/01/2023

Conception comes easy for some. For others, it can be a long, arduous roller coaster. If you are having difficulty conceiving, the last thing you want to hear is someone telling you to just be positive or the painful “maybe if you just stop trying, it’ll happen!” Hello, toxic positivity! Nobody needs that.

So while this type of positivity often leads to even more frustration, the ancient rabbis DID believe whole heartedly in mind power. That’s not to say that infertility could be wished away with some prayer and zen vibes. Rather, they believed that your state of mind has a direct impact on your sexual and physical health and even on the quality of the s***m and the egg. Mental health science actually backs this today, so the rabbis were waaaay ahead of their time in preaching this!

The rabbis went so far as to say that when trying to conceive, partners should only look at pleasant things, so as to “set the mood” right. Have a picture in your bedroom that’s slightly slanted and drives you nuts? Go fix it before you start your makeout session! Just watched a horror movie and you’re feeling anxious and jumpy? Maybe hold off on that baby making tonight. Have a favorite scented candle or song that puts you at ease? Indulge in it before getting hot and heavy!

Is a lot of this magical thinking? Perhaps. Might you try all of the above and still see a negative pregnancy test? Totally. But the rabbis were certainly onto something, reminding us that our minds are the gateways to our bodies and souls. Learn how to connect to your mind, and you will connect more deeply to your physical state as well.

30/07/2022

“Babies are cute for a reason. Their rounded features evoke an instinctual affection in most people- even strangers… they help elicit care from parents and welcoming smiles from passersby.” - David DeSteno in his book “How God Works”

We learn this also from the Torah when Moses’ mother, Yocheved, looks upon Moses for the first time and sees that “he was good” (Exodus 2:1). Interpreters say that usage of the word “good” in this context refers to Moses’ appearance being pleasant to look at. In other words, he was a darn cute baby!!

Perhaps his cuteness was, in part, what motivated Yocheved to brainstorm a plan to save Moses’ life instead of just praying the Egyptian guards wouldn’t pull him from her arms like the other Hebrew baby boys. But one thing we know to be true: Moses was welcomed into Pharaoh’s household and family even though they knew he was a Hebrew. This is HUGE! And all because little Moses was simply adorable?!

Humans have natural soft spots for babies and it is deeply psychological. Next time you have the chance to adoringly stare at a baby- whether it’s yours or not- soak it up and relish in the truly magical wonder of human connection (and teeny little fingers and toes)!

31/10/2021

Happy Halloween, Mamas!

26/10/2021

The mind blowing connection and power of pregnancy

“When pregnant, the cells of the baby migrate into the mothers bloodstream and then circle back into the baby, it’s called “fetal-maternal microchimerism”.⁠

For 41 weeks, the cells circulate and merge backwards and forwards, and after the baby is born, many of these cells stay in the mother’s body, leaving a permanent imprint in the mothers tissues, bones, brain, and skin, and often stay there for decades. Every single child a mother has afterwards will leave a similar imprint on her body, too.

Even if a pregnancy doesn't go to full term or if you have an abortion, these cells still migrate into your bloodstream.

Research has shown that if a mother's heart is injured, fetal cells will rush to the site of the injury and change into different types of cells that specialize in mending the heart.

The baby helps repair the mother, while the mother builds the baby.

How cool is that?

This is often why certain illnesses vanish while pregnant.

It’s incredible how mothers bodies protect the baby at all costs, and the baby protects & rebuilds the mother back - so that the baby can develop safely and survive.

Think about crazy cravings for a moment. What was the mother deficient in that the baby made them crave?

Studies have also shown cells from a fetus in a mothers brain 18 years after she gave birth. How amazing is that?”

If you’re a mom you know how you can intuitively feel your child even when they are not there….Well, now there is scientific proof that moms carry them for years and years even after they have given birth to them.

I find this to be so very beautiful.

02/08/2021

Thank you for the interview, Voyagela! 🥰

http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-anna-calamaro-of-tzimtzum-doula/?fbclid=IwAR2tvt4gOTay-TplCoRnckaBDeKkzVUU2TfY-nI2dfRQpTI7Lp5kss6ROx8

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Calamaro. Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. My passion for birth work truly began when I was about eight or nine years old. My parents gave me a book called “Happy Birthday” by Robie H. Harris th...

28/07/2021

The experience is incredibly common. It’s time to lift the stigma.

14/07/2021