Loving Birth Services

08/08/2023

Last call, comment or dm me for details:

I love birth & preparing mothers for a beautiful birth experience. I offer a peaceful presence & rea

18/07/2023

12/07/2023

Stretches/birth/prego exercises:

Throughout my pregnancy, I would do each of these (whenever i felt like it but also) in this order before bed each night. It only takes a couple minutes, and helped me sleep so much better and I used a lot of these during labor also, helped my muscle memory to practice ahead of time.
1. Forward leaning inversion (FLI) 30 seconds, come up slowly
2. Hip dips, 2-3 minutes, or as long as you like.
3. Forward lunges, 30 seconds each side, make sure your pelvis points straightforward.
4. Pelvic tilt‘s, 2 to 3 minutes, focus on moving your pelvis not your back.

22/06/2023

All women welcome!
This Thursday 7pm
Pregnant, not pregnant, postpartum.
It’s going to be fun to connect together no matter who your care team is. Without children, we also need support around us, hope of connection. come enjoy a night out just for you! & meet others in their journey!

16/06/2023

Come for yoga tomorrow!
$7 suggested donation for Ali Teeslink, our yoga instructor:)

07/04/2022

My intuition told me, but here’s some more.

Everyone should have this information. 👇🏼
This way, if you choose to have IV fluids and or need them, newborn weight and loss/gain can account for this in the first weeks.
In 2011 a team of Canadian researchers published a study which linked routine IV fluids with excessive weight loss in newborns. The study concluded that it takes about 24 hours for babies to correct their fluid state and therefore a true birth weight should be done at 24 hours. Here's the issue with with weighing baby at birth with a mother who received IV fluids: those fluids not only over saturate the mother (throwing her into an electrolyte imbalance), but this same thing happens to baby!
So let's say you had the typical hospital birth..labored for 12 hours with fluids being pumped into you the entire time. Baby is born weighing 8lbs 8oz. You go to your 3 day postpartum checkup and baby is down to 7lbs 5oz! Well..thats over a whole pound lost. The provider you see suddenly encourages you to supplement with formula because your baby is losing too much weight. You wonder how could this be...youve been nursing round the clock, changed plenty of wet diapers. How could this happen? .
You spent months researching breastfeeding and all its benefits for it to come down to this?..and at only 3 days postpartum! You feel like you've failed, but you fear that your baby is starving. So what do you do? You supplement...with formula. Next your milk supply drops because you're not bringing baby to the breast, but rather to the bottle. Before you know it you have an exclusively formula fed baby. .
This scenario is SO common, and I believe receiving IV fluids in labor is a HUGE part of the problem. As if the obstetric community hasn't failed women enough..now their "harmless" interventions caused you to lose all confidence in your ability to feed & nourish your baby from your breasts. .
So what can you do???
1. STAY OUT OF THE SYSTEM!
2. Say NO to routine IV fluids
3. Bring this study to attention if this happens to you
4. Continue nursing your baby. Bring baby to breast as first solution when she cries
5. Nurse in demand NOT on schedule



Edited to add:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948093/

References:
https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-4358-6-9

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3174114/pdf/1746-4358-6-9.pdf

https://www.nfaap.org/sso/sso.aspx?nfredirect=https%3A%2F%2Fpediatrics.aappublications.org%2Fcontent%2F127%2F1%2Fe171.abstract%3Fsso%3D1%26sso_redirect_count%3D2%26nfstatus%3D401%26nftoken%3D00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000%26nfstatusdescription%3DERROR%253A%2520No%2520local%2520token&no-redirect

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine put this as well in one of its 2017 protocols.
https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/3-supplementation-protocol-english.pdf

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2011/08/15/study-shows-link-between-maternal-iv-fluids-and-weight-loss-in-newborns/

Good info form evidence based birth.
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/iv-fluids-during-labor/

09/03/2022

Tongue ties,

what if there’s a better way!

metabolism + motherhood () added a video to their Instagram account: “we are hearing about tongue ties and lips ties left and right these days. some might say it’s an…”

02/03/2022

We look at our babies and say “I LOVE you”… but look into those deep little eyes and receive it, heaven speaks through the window of their eyes.
Pregnant women, listen to this message today:

I pray for you, that all your love for this baby and your excitement about participating in birth and your trust in your body (that it knows just what to do,) will push away all the fears that come up. Perfect love casts out fear.
Your belly grows in size, it grows in love, that little one is made of love, and that love grows and pushes fears out of our body’s pores. Sometimes that perfect love looks like meditating on truth and affirmations, like “my body knows how to make this baby, my body knows how to birth this baby,” or maybe there’s a few affirmations that speak specifically to your heart.
Some women worry about baby being too big or the bacteria in the birth canal, or if they can handle the intensity of birth… No matter what the fears are, go back to design. You were designed to do this. Even the bacteria is part of the design, even the surges you feel during labor are part of the design, all of it, don’t be afraid, look into your design, find out why those things are important and good! (If you’d like resources, I can send them to you bc there’s a lot of inaccurate and discouragement on the web to sort though).

That’s why doing
MOVEMENT & STRETCHES
are so important prenatally. It literally opens up our bodies so baby can have room to get in a good position before labor starts:) Position is way more important than the size of the baby. Both 6lb and 10lb babies have the same sizeish heads, and the plushy body just follows the head. Position of the baby prenatally also is a huge factor in how long and intense labor is. So stretching creates room for baby to move freely and get into a good position before the pressure waves start pushing baby down.
REST & MEDITATION
is also so important prenatally. Learning how to calm ourselves and connect our heart, mind, body, and really listen is huge. If that connection and trust is already built during pregnancy as a daily practice, you can go there during labor. Prioritize and make room in your life for daily practices of both stretches and meditation, even if you just do 15 mins/day. I promise it will be worth it, it will serve you. Now is the time:) Now is “go time”, it’s time to pattern some intentional peace and “go slow time”. You’re in transition now💕

03/02/2022

Regardless of where you give birth, these questions and concepts help us simplify, go deep into our hearts, and get back to the relational ❤️root of birth. Be encouraged💕

Relaxation is key, and it looks different for everyone. What has helped you cope during labor?

For some, it’s touch; it’s your spouse holding your hand, or your doula stroking your back.

For others, it’s quiet. Complete calm. Being alone and focusing inward.

So many stories are shared where there’s lots of interaction, which can be so amazing. But it’s wonderful to hear Lisa’s perspective, and her description of how she sinks into relaxation quietly and alone. For Lisa and many others, less is more.

05/09/2021

Homebirth safety. Everyone at the birth of this little one knows what a fight it was to get him out, and get him safe. The non-medical attendants may not realize the depths of the prayers I prayed.

In an emergency, a lot of things go through my mind in the moment. Some aren’t worth repeating, but today was not the first time I thought, “I am so glad this isn’t happening in a hospital.”

It’s not because hospitals are evil or intentionally do harm. It’s not because I’m a hero and capable in ways that others aren’t. It’s because the medical system is not designed to work with the natural physiology of birth. If she had been in the hospital, she would have been medicated, and would not have been able to participate in getting her baby out.

• Because she was at home, she kneeled, then put a leg up in a runners stance, then she stood, then she climbed out of the tub, then she squatted, then she laid down and helped hold her own legs back as I helped baby out.

• Because she was at home, baby wasn’t medicated either and was participating and fighting to be present.

• Because she was at home, her birth attendant was one who had trained extensively on getting a stuck baby out without doing great harm because of improper techniques.

• Because she was at home, delayed cord clamping is standard, so her baby’s oxygen supply wasn’t cut off, and he was laid on her chest while we worked to bring him into his body. He was surrounded by calm, loving voices that he already knew, telling him he was loved and safe, and I’m confident it makes a difference.

Don’t fear homebirth because it’s not in a hospital. Sometimes it might be what actually saves your baby’s life.

Happy Labor Day, little one. 💖

03/09/2021

“Come away” I hear the whisper when I slow down enough to listen. Come Away from all the voices of what we “should” do, or “should” think, or “should” feel….
Children, in moments like these, teach us to listen to our intuition and trust our hearts, and they don’t need words to do it✨
It’s so simple, it’s peaceful, it’s incredibly beautiful, it touches the deep parts of our souls(our kidneys as they’d say in Hebrew), when we just slow down and listen, listen to our design.

12/08/2021

Movement ✨

There’s something I’ve observed lately, and it’s reminded me of the Amish communities I used to serve in WV and OH. When I think back to the births of the Amish ladies, MOST of them were straightforward. Even first time moms didn’t have incredibly long labors. This past year most of Wellborn’s births have gone very smoothly and quickly.

What’s made the difference? Not a bunch of supplements. The longer I practice, the less I require, knowing a pill or capsule isn’t magic, nor is pregnancy an illness you need saving from.

It’s not entirely diet (Amish have terrible nutrition), tho it does help tremendously with muscle tone and stamina.

It’s movement. Every day movement, whether on-purpose exercise, or going up and down stairs a million times a day, or squatting down to pick up toys off the floor. Why does this make such a difference?

❣️daily movement causes good abdominal tone, which helps baby be nicely tucked into the pelvis.
❣️good abdominal tone helps minimize “after pains”, because your muscles help your contracting uterus with its work.
❣️it strengthens your pelvic floor, which helps baby navigate well and prevents malpositions.
❣️it gives you the stamina you need for the hard work of getting a baby out, which sometimes involves holding a squat, using gravity to assist baby’s downward trajectory, or doing movements to help baby get into a better position.
❣️hips and pelvis movement help baby correct an improper or less-than-ideal position and align themselves well.

So don’t stop moving. Don’t stop lifting weights, doing yoga, going on hikes, or having dance parties with your other kids. You’ll be so glad you did!!

19/02/2021

If you’re in a season of “waiting”... this is worth the read. Beautifully written.

https://www.doulavonda.com/doula-blog/last-days/

28/01/2021

I’ve been thinking about what I makes me unique as a doula. So here’s one piece of my heart:❤️
I love connecting with women and discovering treasures within them, finding what really hits their hearts deeply and drawing that out so that they, through their personal journey of birth, are empowered.
I love finding these things in couples as well, and helping them to find a flow that will carry them through pregnancy, birth and beyond.✨

This is my sweet Ariel. I love doing this with my kids too!

27/08/2020

✨Couple’s Birth Retreat✨
It was beautiful, and here comes another one!
Saturday September 12th
4:30pm-8:30pm
$75/couple (including dinner & spa)
Loving Birth Doula Services

We welcome you into a home setting for a sweet and simple date-night-like retreat. We’ll open with some brief teaching on “readying yourself with a fresh perspective of birth,” and then we’ll hear a word of hope & courage from a variety of birth workers. Dinner will be provided and some time to chat with others. Then we’ll have some guided listening time so that each couple has their own space to let their hearts be cleared and connected with each other’s. We’ll close with an experience: spa time for the women and a bonfire for the men.
Come away from the busyness and rest a few hours, share your hearts, and receive care.

If you’re interested in making this an extended date night (overnight in one of our tiny homes, or private room) feel free to inquire about booking one of our Airbnb’s. Here’s a link so you can see pictures of the Airbnb’s:

https://abnb.me/1vbWLWLnh9

https://abnb.me/XuKCSKNnh9

https://abnb.me/SVNF0SPnh9

Pm me to sign up