Grace and Ivy Birth

Grace and Ivy Birth Birthkeeper & Biz Coach - I support pregnant women and birth workers to step into their ‘F*ck Yes’! I love what I do, it is a true calling.

Hey Beautiful Human,
I'm Jenine
Birthkeeper, Space Holder, Energy Healer, Doula and Placenta Lover! As your Doula, your sacred Birthkeeper, I will walk beside you on the intuitive journey to meet and welcome your darling baby. Using ancient wisdom, evidence-based information, heart-centred support and genuine connection, I will help you prepare to birth in your full power. When your birthing day arrives you will know deep within yourself that birth isn’t a scary medical event and that your body isn’t broken. You will whole-heartedly understand that by believing in yourself and tapping into the sacred spiritual relationship between you and your baby, your body will know exactly what to do to bring your little one earthside. My passion for reproductive wellness and bodily autonomy have guided me to offer support during the full childbearing year including Womb Wellness offerings, Hypnobirthing, Energy Healing and full Postpartum Support. I believe in energy and intention, crystals and chakras, somatic healing, mantras, tarot and most other ‘alternative’ healing therapies, but don’t consider myself ‘crunchy’ and will only bring that to our relationship if you feel connected as well. Otherwise, I am just your average, proud Q***r Doula, passionate about supporting all birthing people, not just ‘Mamas’. Remember, everything you need to birth is within you! 🖤

Hey, my lovelies 👋I wanted to update you on some changes happening on my end. Life and business have been quite the whir...
09/09/2023

Hey, my lovelies 👋

I wanted to update you on some changes happening on my end. Life and business have been quite the whirlwind lately 🌪️, and while I've enjoyed every minute of it, I've realised the importance of stepping back and breathing. 🌿

I'll be taking some time off for a bit of self-care and recalibration. My plan is to be offline for at least 3 months, though I'll be playing it by ear. 🌊

It's crucial for me to make sure I'm at my best so I can continue to serve all of you authentically, and holding space has become increasingly more difficult lately. 🌟

To my current clients...I will remain fully available for you during my break. 💕

However, please note that my books will be closed for new clients for at least 3 months. 📚

While away, I encourage you to continue exploring, trusting yourselves, and believing in the power of birth.

🌺 I can't wait to come back refreshed, with new perspectives and even more to offer.

Till then, take good care and be kind to yourselves. 🙏
I look forward to reconnecting soon. 💕

Love and Blessings,
Jenine xx

Okay, okay...maybe we don't plant or harvest rice in our modern, urban lives, but the wisdom behind this age-old adage i...
01/09/2023

Okay, okay...maybe we don't plant or harvest rice in our modern, urban lives, but the wisdom behind this age-old adage is gold.

In traditional rice-planting cultures, the focus is on the community's long-term health. It starts by honouring the mother's need to heal because the whole community knows that if the newly-birthed mother isn't given time and space to heal and nourish herself properly, the rest of the community will need to pick up the slack for her, come planting or harvesting season.

In our modern culture, we live in a world that's always "on"; we're obsessed with bouncing back...but, our bodies haven't got the memo. They still operate on ancient wisdom. They need time to heal, restore, and rejuvenate after the depletion of birth. They need the time to nurture mamatoto (the mother-baby diad).

After the incredible journey of birth, our body and soul need time to adjust, recover, and rebalance. We might not be planting rice, but the metaphor remains - when you don't take the time to heal and nourish yourself properly, you can't fully show up in any area of life...whether it's mothering your baby, looking after yourself or tending the fields.🌟

Embrace the 'rice planting wisdom'—slow down, focus on nourishment, and allow yourself the grace of recovery. ✨

If you would like to discuss how to put together a nourishing postpartum plan jump into my DMs. I'd love to have a chat.


Being called "weird" for wanting a free birth? Wear it like a badge of honour! 🌟The Old Scottish and English roots of th...
31/08/2023

Being called "weird" for wanting a free birth?

Wear it like a badge of honour! 🌟

The Old Scottish and English roots of the word weird are tied to destiny and fate. So, when someone calls you 'weird,' they're unknowingly acknowledging that you're in tune with your destiny. ✨

Your choice to have a free birth is as deeply personal as it gets. It's not about being contrary; it's about aligning with your intuition and taking charge of your own fate. 🌿 So if that's 'weird,' then so be it!

I hate the latest buzz words, and "healing birth" is the latest in a long list, in my opinion. But let's get down to bra...
30/08/2023

I hate the latest buzz words, and "healing birth" is the latest in a long list, in my opinion.

But let's get down to brass tacks: what the f*ck is a 'healing birth'? 🤔

Here's the plot twist...it's whatever you need it to be, and it doesn't have to align with anyone else's experience, judgements, or beliefs. 🙌

For some women, the path to healing may mean opting out of the system entirely. Saying a hard 'no' to institutionalised medical settings that strip them of their autonomy and choosing, instead, to birth on the loungeroom floor with their partner and the cat as witnesses. ⛔️

For others, it might mean inviting that very system into their home on their own terms. 👊

And let's get this straight - sometimes, healing doesn't mean 'fixing' a previous birth experience. It means embracing it as a part of your journey without feeling the need to rewrite history.

Controversy alert 🚨: Some women will never find another birth that 'heals' a previous one, and guess what? That's okay. Healing can also be saying, "This is my experience, and it doesn't have to define me."

So, whether you're a second-time mum wary of the hospital policies that failed you the first time or choosing to birth on your livingroom floor, your idea of a 'healing birth' is valid and has nothing to do with anyone else...it's yours to define.

Let's jump on a call or DM me if you'd like to explore this further. I'm here to support you in your birth journey.

Never let anyone tell you women aren't strong and powerful.If you have ever watched a woman give birth, you will see wha...
29/08/2023

Never let anyone tell you women aren't strong and powerful.

If you have ever watched a woman give birth, you will see what we are truly made of...a strength and determination so fierce that men can but watch in awe!

📸 ❤️

Ready for some more truths you didn't ask for?Most of my clients aren't first-time mums—they're on baby  #2 or  #3 and a...
28/08/2023

Ready for some more truths you didn't ask for?

Most of my clients aren't first-time mums—they're on baby #2 or #3 and are done with the conventional system.

🤰Swipe left to dive into why this matters. 👈

⓵ So, you might be picturing a certain "type" of mum seeking alternative birth methods—perhaps someone you'd describe as "crunchy" or "hippy." The reality? Most are everyday suburban women, just like you and me.

⓶ They're not the extreme homesteaders or hardcore activists. They're women who have been through the grind of the healthcare system and are saying, "No more." 🛑 They've felt disempowered, dismissed, or rushed through previous birthing experiences and are looking for something different.

⓷ Here's the clincher: They're fed up with how they've been treated in hospital settings. They're tired of feeling like just another 'case' on the conveyor belt of medicalised birth. 🏥

Are you nodding your head in agreement?

Then you're probably one of the many women who recognise that birth can be reclaimed, redefined, and respected in a whole new way.

💪 It's not about where you live or how "natural" your lifestyle is; it's about wanting the autonomy and respect every woman deserves. ✨

Are you to join the quite revolution of ordinary, everyday women who know birth is best when undisrupted and unhurried? Jump into the comments or my DMs. Let's chat xx

**t

Monday morning truth bomb: You are PERFECTLY designed to give birth!Yep. Your body, your spirit, and your very essence a...
27/08/2023

Monday morning truth bomb:

You are PERFECTLY designed to give birth!

Yep. Your body, your spirit, and your very essence are crafted by nature to birth new life into this world.

I know society tells us otherwise. "You need this test, that monitor, these drugs." But what if we peeled back the layers of institutional bias and profit motives? What would we find? The raw, unfiltered essence of birth, just as nature intended.

Now, don't get me wrong.

Of course, there's a place for medical interventions when lives truly depend on them. After all, that's why they were initially developed...to save lives. Never to manage birth. But the overwhelming majority of births, when left alone, unhurried and unobserved, never require intervention. Your body knows its task, your baby knows its journey. Nature and evolution don't get it wrong.

Intuition is your compass. Your birthing space should be a sanctuary where you tune in and listen to your intuition. If you're in a situation where intuition is being questioned or overridden, and you feel disempowered, it might be time to reassess and reclaim your space.

No one knows your body better than you do. You are responsible for every choice related to it. You also have everything you need to tap into the ancestral wisdom buried deep within your cells...the knowledge that will guide you through an intuitively driven birth.

If you're interested in a space to unpack your conditioning and tap into your intuition, I offer a 1:1 session just for this; DM me for more info! Otherwise, let's continue this discussion below.

**t

You will never see me use a disclaimer like this on my posts. And here's why.Birth is not a medical event! It's a physio...
26/08/2023

You will never see me use a disclaimer like this on my posts. And here's why.

Birth is not a medical event!

It's a physiological function of the human body, as natural as breathing, eating, and taking a s**t.

Society and the industrial medical complex have conditioned us to see birth as a medical event bordering on emergency. But in its purest form, it is neither of these. It's a natural event that the body instinctively knows how to handle. It's a personal journey, a potent display of strength, that should be private and unwitnessed.

So, when I share information and wisdom, insights, and guidance about birth, I don't see it as giving medical advice. I see it as sharing knowledge about a natural process that my ancestors would have shared with me if the wheels of patriarchy had not distanced us from our wisdom and traditions.

So, if you've ever found yourself taken aback by the absence of this disclaimer on my content, I invite you to take a moment and reflect. Why do you think birth is a medical event? Is it the lens you're viewing it through, or do you need to connect with your inner wisdom?

Ultimately, birth is about trust, power, connection, and stepping into the vast unknown to bring forth life. It's about you.

There is so much to see in this beautiful image.Immediately I notice the ease...the whole family is relaxed. There is no...
24/08/2023

There is so much to see in this beautiful image.

Immediately I notice the ease...the whole family is relaxed. There is no rush, just the ease of time. You can almost sense the co-regulation of nervous systems through the screen.

Mum has the time to land back in her body...rehydrate and breathe, while babe is safely nuzzled at the breast savouring the familiar taste of mum and her nurturing essence. Mother and baby both replenishing after their journey.

Dad is there as his best supportive self, a protective hand on bub and the other helping guide his babe to breast.

Placenta cocooned safely in it's bowl, floating peacefully, job done, waiting patiently to be released from it's spiritual twin.

And for me...the cherry on the top of this joyous image (there are actually two)...big sister in the birth pool gently caressing the toes of her baby...so much love in that simple action. (...zoom into the writing on mums cup 😂)

This is what birth should be about...family, love, trust and easeful transition.

Incredible 📸 :

If you've spent any time on my page at all you will realise I curate a space where we leave sugarcoating at the door.I s...
23/08/2023

If you've spent any time on my page at all you will realise I curate a space where we leave sugarcoating at the door.

I share and discuss the realities of birth - raw and unfiltered. I expose the system's pitfalls, and bring light to its shadows. But understand, it's not about pointing fingers or assigning blame. It's about informing, motivating, and breaking free from a pattern that no longer serves us - blindly accepting that birthing in hospital is normal.

I understand my words might stir emotions. I'd be a liar if I said that wasn't sometimes my intention, but if my information causes discomfort, anger, or shame, please recognise it as what it is...trauma bonding.

Trauma bonding is an attachment that develops from a cycle of trauma followed by positive reinforcement. Sort of like a traumatic pregnancy and birth experience in a system that convinced you they saved you and your baby would have died without them.

Remember, if you had birthed fully in your power, others' words or opinions wouldn't cause such distress. They wouldn't trigger you, because you'd be grounded in your truth, experience, and strength.

Feelings are complex, fluid, personal. They are not facts but reflections of our inner world, shaped by experiences, beliefs, and fears.

If my words unsettle you, I invite you to explore these emotions further. Instead of pushing them aside, lean into them. Understand their roots. Is it fear? Is it past trauma? Is it uncertainty about what unfolded in your birth?

Navigating these waters isn't easy, but it's a necessary step towards reclaiming your power, unpacking trauma, and rewriting your birth narrative.

No one can make you feel anything without your consent. Your emotions are yours, and yours alone. It's time to take responsibility and allow these feelings to guide you towards growth and understanding.

My commitment to sharing the unfiltered truth won't waver. Only some people are ready to hear it, and that's okay. I'm here for those ready to listen, to question, to grow. Is that you?

Reach out; let's walk this path together.

Address

71 Lovell Drive
Warragul, VIC
3820

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