Doula Rose

04/07/2025

19/03/2025

Laurel Wilson
A new study from Denmark just uncovered yet another of human milk: The relationship between your baby’s gut microbiome, how long you provide human milk, and your child’s blood pressure at ages 3 and 6 is deeply intertwined.
Here’s the scoop:
Babies who were breastfed for at least 6 months and had higher levels of certain Bifidobacterium species (the "good guys" in the gut) had better blood pressure by the time they were preschoolers.
The presence of these beneficial bacteria within the first month of life seems to be critical—and human milk feeding plays a major role in feeding and nurturing those microbes through human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which provide food for the microbes.
Without enough of these key gut supporters (or without exposure to human milk), some bacteria shift gears. Instead of working with the body, they can start feeding on glycans in the mucin layer of the intestines, leading to increased inflammation, setting the stage for higher blood pressure and other health challenges.
They also spotted that early colonization with H. pylori (a bacteria you definitely don’t want hanging around in infancy) was linked to higher blood pressure down the road, too.
This study is such a powerful reminder that human milk feeding isn’t just nutrition, it’s a full-body system of communication, immune regulation, and lifelong health programming between parent and baby.
It’s also why honoring supporting lactation and creating real, tangible policies to make human milk feeding possible (hello, paid leave, workplace accommodations, and actual community care) is essential for public health.
Because this isn’t just about milk.
It’s about microbes.
It’s about metabolism.
It’s about heart health.
It’s about setting up the next generation for vitality from day one.
If you needed a reminder that the microbiome matters, here it is.
Liu, T., Stokholm, J., Zhang, M., Vinding, R., Sørensen, S. J., Zhao, N., & Mueller, N. T. (2024). Infant Gut Microbiota and Childhood Blood Pressure: Prospective Associations and the Modifying Role of Breastfeeding. Journal of the American Heart Association, e037447.

06/03/2023

“I Won’t Hold Your Baby

…unless you ask me to, in which case, I will snuggle and cuddle your baby as much as you want me to.

I never ask my clients if I can hold their baby. In fact, I rarely ever touch my client’s baby if I can help it. Sounds sort of like the opposite of what you might picture of a doula, right? We must all be birth crazy, baby obsessed women who just want to cover babies in kisses and love and get an emotional high from attending births?

Not this doula.

I LOVE attending births. Call me crazy, but getting those middle of the night calls is one of my favorite parts of this job. I get to listen to someone at their most vulnerable times - the excitement, the hesitation, the nervousness of the unknown. Being able to provide some comfort, reassurance and continuity of care to the people I work with is so important to me (and them!)

Rushing off in the night, quietly getting myself ready, getting in the car and heading off to their home or hospital makes me feel like I’m on a secret birth mission that nobody around me knows about. When I arrive I fall as seamlessly as I can into the rhythm of the birth and start supporting my clients in whatever way they need most.

When the baby arrives I step aside and leave room for the new parents to discover their baby. I try and grab some photos (I’m not a birth photographer though, so keep your expectations in check!) and then I only step in if my client needs me for some reason.

Why does that matter? Why won’t I ask to hold your baby? Simply because: they are yours, not mine. I want you to be able to hold your baby as close as you want, for as long as you want without anyone interrupting that time. There will be enough people coming along in the next few hours and weeks who need to take that baby out of your arms for whatever reason, and tons of friends and family who will offer help by “holding the baby”.

Instead, I want to hold you, whether that’s in my arms, in my heart or my thoughts. By supporting and “holding” you, I don’t need to hold your baby. But if you ask me to, I would LOVE to.”

Written by

26/07/2022

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=454158080049999&set=a.124265199705957&type=3&mibextid=2Sb5Jz&fs=e&s=cl

Scientists have discovered an odorless scent molecule called hexadecanal, or HEX, that is released by humans and impacts aggressive behavior. The HEX molecule is the most abundant molecule released on the newborn baby's head. The researchers found that this molecule reduced aggression in males (biologically important as infanticide is a relatively common event in the mammalian world) and increased aggression in females (key to infant protection). We have shared with parents that when they are skin to skin with their newborn they should remove the baby's hat to allow them to inhale the scent of their newborn as it elicits an entire range of activity in the parental brain. This is one more reason to take a deep sniff! (Mishor et al., 2022)

Source: Eva Mishor et al, Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530

04/07/2022

Babies are not rhubarb.

Unless there is imminent danger, let's consider not forcing babies to be born before their time. Just like rhubarb, forcing makes them more tender. But as we don't eat babies this is rarely advantageous.

Once babies are born, we could consider not forcing them ever onward to the next stage. Perhaps we could let them develop at their own pace, in their own sweet time, to their own wise calendar.

Babies are not rhubarb.

04/07/2022

22/06/2022

What does a doula do?⁠
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If someone hadn't heard of the role of the doula before, it could easily be assumed that the majority of the work a doula does takes place in the birth environment, during the hours of labour. ⁠
In reality, the majority of birth doulas also spend a large amount of their time helping women to prepare for and plan their birth. Helping a client to understand the physiology of birth, to trust their own body and to know their rights and options can play a huge factor in reducing fear around birth and helping them to have a positive and empowering birth experience. ⁠
By the time it comes to the birth, a doula can then have a deep understanding of their clients wishes and will work to ensure that the choices of their client are respected.⁠
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13/06/2022

Reposted from

Question: who do you think is really in charge of your birth?

Answer: YOU ARE

Unfortunately, society doesn’t view it that way and many of us feel like we have to do what we are told by doctors and health care professionals.

Let’s start changing that. Let’s take back control!

15/04/2022

You can’t teach your baby to self-soothe by leaving them to cry, not picking them up or avoiding feeding or not cuddling to sleep.

Leaving them to cry and avoiding contact at sleep time teaches them one thing only - that they can't rely on you to help them when they need you. Self soothing is a complex and mature skill that develops as the baby's brain and physical capabilities grow. This process can't be sped up by any form of sleep-training.

The best way to enable your baby to self Soothe as quickly as possible is to nurture them and meet their needs now. Nurturance grows brains and is the foundation of true emotional regulation 💕


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