Seattle Birth Co

03/05/2026

PLACENTA VARIATIONS 🤰🩺

The placenta is an amazing organ that feeds and protects your baby — but did you know it can have different types and positions?

✅ Anterior Placenta – Attaches to the front wall of the uterus
✅ Posterior Placenta – Attaches to the back wall (most common)
✅ Fundal Placenta – Sits at the top of the uterus
✅ Low-Lying Placenta – Near the cervix; may require monitoring
✅ Placenta Previa – Covers the cervix; often needs C-section delivery

✨ Your healthcare provider will track the placenta to ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery.

02/22/2026

After supporting hundreds of women in Birth… after my own births… after witnessing the beautiful, the chaotic, the sacred, and the heartbreaking — here’s what I know now:

• You cannot control birth. You can only embrace it.
• A calm nervous system in the room matters more than the perfect birth plan. - this!
• “Natural” does not automatically mean empowered.
• A respected cesarean can feel more powerful than a chaotic unmedicated birth.
• Doulas don’t save births. Women birth their babies.
• Experience changes how you hold space — you speak less and observe more.
• Fear is contagious. But so is steadiness.
• Hospitals are not the enemy. Egos and protocols are.
• Preparation is important. Surrender is essential.
• The birth itself is only the beginning — how a woman feels about her birth will stay with her forever.

Early in my career, I thought my job was to protect a vision.

Now I know my job is to protect the woman inside whatever unfolds.

Birth will humble you. Every time.
And if you let it — it will shape you into someone softer, wiser, steadier.

And motherhood?
It keeps teaching the same lessons.

🤍

02/20/2026

A birth that wrecked me.

Every doula has that client—the one who somehow slips past the thick, protective layers you’ve built around your heart and nests deep inside it. The ones who ask thoughtful, meaningful questions. The ones you feel safe being fully yourself with. The ones who do everything you advise —the nourishment, the movement, the body work, all of it—because they want a good birth so badly.

And then… they end up in the 30 - 39%.
The people who welcome their babies via C-section.
The one thing they tried to avoid.
The one thing you all worked so hard to avoid.

Hearing a doctor say, “We only push for two hours at this hospital,”
“The baby is not going to come out vaginally,”
“Your pelvis is too narrow”—
was heartbreaking and defeating. It knocked me off my feet so completely that weeks later, I’m still recovering.
My heart breaks for women who hear these words from the OBs….

Words like these are powerful.
And they are traumatic. They stay with the mother forever and they tell her “you failed, your body failed”.

This mama ultimately did have a C-section because she developed an infection—and it was absolutely the right call for her baby after more than three hours of pushing. She went all the way. She fought a good fight.

At a prenatal visit, she told me she felt cheated out of the experience—because she didn’t have a vaginal birth, she felt like she hadn’t really been welcomed into motherhood. She didn’t earn it.

And this is what I told her:

You labored for over 36 hours.
In countless positions.
You delayed pain management.
You pushed for more than three hours.
You advocated.

You fought for a vaginal birth—and you came so incredibly close.

In my eyes, you had two births.
You made it further than most mothers ever do—even those who end up with vaginal births.
You triumphed against the odds.
And you did it for your daughter.

Our eyes filled with tears.
There were no more words. Just hugs.

Birth changes people.
But please—I beg you—let it grow you, not destroy you.

That’s advice I’m giving myself today, too. 🤍

02/17/2026

A perfect birth does not exist!

I’ve supported births for over a decade… and I’ve had 4 of my own babies.
And I’ll tell you something that might surprise you:

Even when everything goes “right,” it still doesn’t feel perfect.

Because birth isn’t a performance.
It isn’t a test you pass.
It isn’t a checklist you complete successfully.
It’s not something your doula can do for you!

It cracks you open.

We try so hard to control it.
We write the plans. We take the classes. We research every possible scenario. We hire the team. We prepare our bodies. We prepare our minds.

And underneath all of it is this quiet fear:

“If I do this well enough… maybe I won’t get hurt.”

But birth doesn’t promise comfort.
It promises transformation.

And transformation is rarely neat.

I’ve seen women surrender into the most powerful physiological births… and still walk away processing parts of it.

I’ve seen cesarean births filled with so much reverence and respect that they felt sacred beyond words.

I’ve seen inductions that were calm and empowering.
And unmedicated births that were overwhelming and humbling.

There is no formula.

The only birth I believe in now is this:

A birth where mother and baby are healthy.
A birth where she was respected.
A birth where she was heard.
A birth where she wasn’t dismissed or silenced.

That’s it.

Everything else? It’s ego. It’s expectation. It’s the illusion that we can choreograph something that was always meant to shape us.

Birth will mold you.
It will humble you.
It will introduce you to a version of yourself you didn’t know existed.

And motherhood will continue that same lesson.

Surrender isn’t weakness.
It’s trust.

A perfect birth does not exist.
But a real one does.
A messy, powerful, stretching, unforgettable one.

And maybe that’s exactly what it was meant to be.

🤍

becomingmother

02/16/2026

Hard work requires grit and support.

My last January birth absolutely rocked me in so many ways. This mama did everything to support a physiological birth—she ate well, saw a chiropractor, worked with a pelvic floor therapist, received prenatal massage, chose an incredible care team, and advocated for herself every step of the way.

And yet… baby had her own plan.

She spent most of labor in a direct OP position—“sunny side up”—facing her mama’s belly button. OP births are often longer, more intense, and significantly harder.

This is not a situation to fear when you have a skilled nurse, a supportive provider, and a doula. Together, we got to work.

I watched the nurse suggest so many amazing positions—some I had never seen before—and I loved learning from her during this birth. Later, I found out she’s the Spinning Babies instructor in our area, and I felt so honored to have attended a birth with her.

And the mama? She surrendered. She showed up. She trusted. She tried every suggestion, over and over again.

And in the end… this baby turned.

She was born beautifully into her mama’s arms, and the whole room rejoiced.

Spinning Babies works. Support works. Teamwork works.

This post is an honor song for this mama—because OP births are hard and so often end in cesarean sections. And it is also a deep gratitude post for Nurse Nicky at UWNW.

I am in awe of you. THANK YOU for all that you do for your patients. You are inspiring. Let’s do it again!

02/12/2026

02/07/2026

January was a beautiful month of births and loss 💔. So many powerful arrivals—four boys and one sweet girl—and one thing every mama had in common? They loved the TENS unit and used it as a powerful coping tool during their labors.

I got to honor a different kind of birth—one of profound love and grief. An angel baby was born far too soon, but never forgotten. It was an honor to witness such tenderness, strength, and surrender of his mama and be by her side. Every baby no matter how small matters and it is important to hold space and witness their births.

Here’s what January held:

✨ Unmedicated, successful VBAC at St. Joseph Medical Center.

✨ Powerful and swift first birth at Swedish First Hill—mama made it all the way to 7 cm before choosing an epidural.

✨ Unmedicated, beautiful physiological birth for a first-time mama at UW Montlake with the midwives. I even reunited with a nurse I used to work with in Idaho—such a fun surprise!

✨ Successful induction at 41+ weeks at Evergreen Hospital. This mama was an absolute trooper, reaching 8 cm and helping her baby find an optimal position through intentional movement during labor.

✨ Unmedicated birth of a second baby who was a little stubborn and required lots of Spinning Babies techniques—and plenty of grit from his mama. Born at UWNW.

✨ Powerful first birth for a single mama by choice. Her baby was direct OP and flipped beautifully thanks to Spinning Babies positions and movement once again. I worked alongside Spinning Babies instructor Nicky during this birth and learned so much.

✨ Unexpected loss of pregnancy for my repeat client.

January was filled with strong, determined mamas, and it was an honor to hold space, offer support, and squeeze many hips. This month especially reminded me of the power of intentional movement in labor—and how fragile life is ✨

Now let’s see what February has in store…
And the big question: will there be a Valentine’s Day birth for this doula? 💕✨

02/06/2026

Let’s talk about the Rhombus of Michaelis ✨

In active labor or transition, you may notice the mother’s sacrum starting to really stick out. This is the Rhombus of Michaelis becoming more pronounced as sacrum moves to accommodate the baby’s descend —and it’s a sign your pelvis is doing exactly what it’s meant to do.

As labor intensifies, the sacrum tips back, allowing the back of the pelvis to widen so baby can descend and rotate. This phase can feel intense, but it often signals deep progress.

✨ Movement matters, as it helped the sacrum to be flexible and move. Stuck sacrum = harder, longer birth!

Spinning Babies® positions, hands-and-knees, lunges, side-lying release, rebozo work, and hip squeezes support pelvic movement, help baby rotate, and bring relief.

Your body is amazing. It often guides you toward the movements you need—leaning, swaying, rocking, changing positions. A pronounced rhombus isn’t something to fix; it’s your body communicating and working with incredible wisdom. Check it out and feel it - you will be amazed!

🤍

02/05/2026

Over the last few months, I’ve had many conversations with providers, nurses, and fellow doulas—and they all keep pointing to the same thing: education.

Families today are lacking access to truly quality childbirth education. And honestly, I’ve been deeply disappointed in what is considered “mainstream” education in the Seattle area—especially hospital-based classes. Even when families attend these classes, the application piece is often missing.

On the big day, birthing parents go deep into labor land (as they should), and partners or support people suddenly forget everything that was taught—because it was never practiced.

So if I could give you one piece of advice for your birth prep, it would be this:
practice the application before birth.

Include your support people—partners, doulas, friends. Practice comfort measures. Practice communication. Practice decision-making under pressure. This matters. ❤️

At Seattle Birth Co, we dream of creating a space where families can experience childbirth education and hands-on application—together. We love preparing families for birth, and we love doing it as a team.

If this resonates with you, please reach out. We’d love to support you and help you learn, practice, and prepare with our doulas and providers.

✨ Birth education should prepare you for real labor—not just talk about it ✨

01/30/2026

The word doula comes from the Greek meaning “woman servant.”
But in truth, a doula is so much more.

Doulas master the art of presence — offering education, physical and emotional support, advocacy, and comfort to ease the journey of birth. We lovingly walk beside women through pregnancy, labor, and the sacred days that follow.

Doulas stand at the doorway of life.
We hold space as women soften, open, and transform — becoming vessels of creation.

While midwives and OBs safeguard the medical wellbeing of mother and baby, a doula tends to the whole: the mother, the partner, the family, the emotional and spiritual terrain of birth.

A doula mothers the mother.
And in doing so, helps welcome new life with tenderness, strength, and love. 🤍