Inner Circle Doula

06/11/2018

With Father's Day approaching I'd like to acknowlage all the Dads who play an integral role in the lives of their children. Whether it began with pregnancy and birth support, adoption, fostering or step-parenting, thank you for the love you freely give to your kids.
Here are some beautiful Birth Moments with Dads.💕💕

“This dad had been emotional from the moment the midwife told his partner it was time to push. He supported her through every second of her painful labor — and two epidurals. There was so much anticipation and lead-up to this moment that when the time came, his emotions utterly overwhelmed him i...

04/24/2018

I love it! Work that baby down!❤

04/23/2018

"Studies show the calming presence and supportive reinforcement of doulas can help increase birth outcomes and reduce birth complications for the mother and the baby."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a series of initiatives aimed at addressing a disturbingly high rate of maternal mortality among black women.

10/25/2017

Wonderful article!

The Tongue is the Motor for Normal Breastfeeding

After years of giving conferences, explaining to practitioners via email, and teaching people in person the nature of how tongue tie impacts breastfeeding, I have come to conclusion that the fundamental misunderstanding of how tongue tie negatively impacts breastfeeding is that people do not understand that the tongue is what drives normal milk extraction. For the tongue to appropriately remove milk from the breast, it must have contact with the breast. If, for whatever reason, the baby has a very shallow latch, then the tongue is not touching the breast at all. This is the fundamental part of tongue tie that most people do not understand.

If the tongue does not touch the breast, then any vacuum generation is done using compensatory muscles that are typically used during chewing. This results in a baby who will bite and gum rather than suck appropriately. If the tongue cannot hold the seal on the breast, then the lips will, and that can force the shallow latch.

What happens? If the muscles of facial movement and chewing (mastication) are responsible for holding the seal and generating a vacuum, dominos start to fall - the baby fatigues, mom feel discomfort, the breast doesn’t get emptied, etc etc.

Does every baby with a shallow latch have a tongue tie? Absolutely not. Does every baby with a shallow latch use muscular compensations to extract milk? Most definitely yes. If the lactation consultant cannot use positioning and different latch techniques with success to improve latch depth, it behooves us as medical professionals to try and figure out why instead of slapping a bandaid on the problem.

Here’s a profound statement for you all: If your baby has a congenital anatomical problem that is limiting their ability to breastfeed normally, it is not a stretch to expect the baby to have problems later, whether it’s with solid foods, speech, or craniofacial development. Let’s start focusing on the problem earlier to fix breastfeeding problems now.

01/08/2017

Wonderful article! So much fear is placed on 10 month mamas.

Carrying a baby to 42 weeks and beyond has become such a big deal in our culture.  In a healthy pregnancy, carrying the baby longer is a good sign and results in a baby that sucks well and is ready…

12/21/2016

These images are stunning! Thanking my 2016 clients for allowing me to be part of their experience seems inadequate. I look forward with anticipation with my 2017 families, and all the beautiful, breathtakingly powerful moments they will bring. ❤

Emotions for days.

12/09/2016

I love this!

'I wanted to try and show a different image to the word Mother.'

12/05/2016

This is so amazing! I was lucky to be present for one of these gentle adjustments, and babe reacted the same way. Poor babe must have been so uncomfortable.

11/25/2016

After a successful pilot program, Covenant Health's Grey Nuns Community Hospital, the Misericordia Community Hospital and the Bonnyville Health Centre are offering parents of C-section newborns the chance to do skin to skin.

08/04/2016

Happy National Breastfeeding Week! These pics are precious ❤

New photo series sheds light on how dads view breastfeeding.

07/25/2016

This!!

If you’re thinking about (or have started) nursing a young child, you’ve probably heard all about the benefits of breastfeeding. You’ve probably also heard plenty of common myths about breastfeeding, possibly without even knowing it, that may make nursing seem excessively difficult or inconvenient.

07/19/2016