Tess Foster- Certified Birth Doula/DONA

21/11/2025

A little humor with a lot of truth for this Friday morning.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1GwHMjgRfd/?mibextid=KsPBc6&startTimeMs=3000

05/11/2025

30/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DCKRHBPsR/?mibextid=WC7FNe

23/10/2025

The 2025 Cochrane review on immediate and early skin-to-skin contact after birth highlights that further randomized controlled trials comparing skin-to-skin contact with ‘usual care’ are no longer ethical.

The findings show there is now enough evidence to make immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth the global standard of care, and as WHO already recommends skin-to-skin the standard of care, the authors argue that randomizing the separation of mother and newborn may no longer be justifiable.

Read more:
https://centerforbreastfeeding.org/cochrane-review-2025

29/09/2025

This. Exactly. Having someone who will whisper strength into your ears and care for your body while you labor can make all the difference.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19ZbGepmgj/?mibextid=WC7FNe

12/09/2025

This is an oldie, but still relevant, and funny!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GaVDTN8DT/?mibextid=KsPBc6

09/09/2025

09/08/2025

What Do Doulas Really Do? by Penny Simkin
These events, combined with my own early experience as a childbirth educator attending the labors of some of my students, helped me see how different women are during labor than how they are in daily life. The more I witnessed this, the more curious I became. Having now attended hundreds of births as a doula, I have thought a lot about the unique role of doulas compared to others who attend births. I want to share those thoughts in this paper.
https://www.midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/what-do-doulas-really-do/

06/08/2025

This made me laugh!

24/07/2025

So true

“We were never meant to live like this.

Want to know why you’re so tired?

It’s not just because your baby wakes all night. It’s not just because you’re nursing 24/7. It’s not because of your baby’s biological needs.

It’s because we were never meant to live like this. In so much isolation. So alone.

We were meant for a village. We were meant to lay in bed for weeks/months feeding and sleeping on and off with our new baby while our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, neighbors, and friends helped out.

But there is no mother bringing us food and water. No grandma cooking the meals. No sisters playing with the other children. No cousins folding the laundry. No neighbors taking care of the house, and no friends providing support.

Modern life is in constant conflict with childrearing and our biological needs.

From returning to work at 6 weeks postpartum to little to no support in the postpartum period.

The truth is many of us are just lucky enough to have someone drop a meal off but not lucky enough to have them actually come inside. And it’s not their fault. They don’t have a village either.

There’s never been a mother to bring them food and water.

Never a grandma to cook their meals. Never sisters playing with their other children. Never cousins folding the laundry. Never neighbors taking care of the house and never friends providing support.

Our babies are biologically designed to wake often and eat often. We are biologically designed for a village. Be easy on yourself and your baby. We were never meant to live like this.”

Gorgeous, honest post by

17/07/2025

Ever wondered where the word “doula” comes from?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18W9wQbsrw/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Have you ever wondered where the word doula comes from?💡

Its roots trace back to ancient Greece, where it originally meant “a woman who serves.

Though the word has ancient origins, it was historically not applied to what we now recognize as the doula role! In the 1970s, medical anthropologist Dana Raphael popularized the term to describe someone who supports mothers through breastfeeding and postpartum recovery. Since then, the definition has expanded to include birth doulas, postpartum doulas, full-spectrum doulas, and even end-of-life doulas, each offering non-medical, emotional, physical, and informational support during some of life’s most transformative moments.💪🏽

It’s important to acknowledge that this term was historically associated with servitude and, at times, slavery. In modern Greek, the word still literally translates to “slave.” While the term today has been redefined to reflect care, support, and strength, it’s worth acknowledging the complexity of its roots and it reminds us to be thoughtful about the words we use and their histories.

Additionally, the doula’s role today is deeply modern: centering the person, holding space, advocating for dignity, walking alongside families with compassion and purpose, and practiced as a profession rather than a social expectation.🙏🏽

We also recognize that not all doulas are women! We have many wonderful men who work as doulas.

Know someone who could learn from this? Share it with a friend and help spread the word about what doulas really do. You can also read more about it here from our Greek DONA trainer Maria Andreoulaki: https://bit.ly/4kuPrkR

11/05/2025

To all of your mamas who have honored me by allowing me to be part of your birth journey, happy Mother’s Day!