Doula Jennie

03/31/2024

It is often said that the first sound we hear in the womb is our mother's heartbeat. Actually, the first sound to vibrate our newly developed hearing apparatus is the pulse of our mother's blood through her veins and arteries.

We vibrate to that primordial rhythm even before we have ears to hear. Before we were conceived, we existed in part as an egg in our mother's o***y.

All the eggs a woman will ever carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old fetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother.

Each of us spent five months in our grandmother's womb and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother.

We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother's blood before she herself is born. And this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother.

We all share the blood of the first mother.
We are truly children of one blood.

~ Layne Redmond, “When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm”
www.layneredmond.com

Art by Lucy Pierce- Artist and Wordsmith,
www.etsy.com/shop/lucypierce

04/08/2023

02/24/2023

Women's bodies have been over-medicalized, over-treated, and discounted for far too long. We've been taught to ignore our symptoms, to ignore our intuition, and to listen to doctors over our own knowing. And too often are told there's nothing that can be done so just 'take the Pill," "have that hysterectomy," or " it's time for a cesarean because labor is stalled," etc. ⁠
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While I'm so grateful to be a physician and bring that whole world of science and medicine to my patients and to you, as a physician I also want to let you in on a secret too many women have forgotten: there is an innate intelligence within our bodies. She is your inner wise woman, your inner healer. And we need to remember her in order to claim more sovereignty over our health, and peace with our bodies.⁠
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It is a recovery of women’s wisdom about healing - and our power to question, trust ourselves, and tap into a wider range of options than most doctors are taught in medical training. ⁠
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I’ve seen so many times how cultivating this mindset can unleash a powerful internal force that activates the body’s healing responses. One study showed, for example, that in women with endometriosis, the act of simply becoming more empowered about their bodies led to mild to moderate symptom reduction - and even if just mild - most women I know with endo would happily take that win! ⁠
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As we repair our bodies, we have an opportunity to repair aspects of our inner landscape as women toward reclaiming body literacy and body confidence.⁠
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It may at times require being a warrior for your own health—a bit defiant and non-conformist, being willing to break taboos and question the gospel that conventional medicine is the only reliable, effective, or even the safest first option, and having a fierce belief in the power of your own body.⁠
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I welcome you to break the spell of seeing doctors as gods having greater power over or wisdom about your body than you do, and I welcome you back to your own inner healer. Believing in her and your own ability to heal is the very first and most important step to empowered health ❤️

01/31/2023

What if we told women the truth about birth?
We’d have to tell them that contractions will probably be more than “surges” or “sensations.”
That they’ll probably rock your world and leave you begging for salvation as you clutch the edge of the tub or the hospital linens.
That your gentle breathing exercises and your Spotify soundtrack will be left in the dust as you sweat and pant and sway and swear your way through it
That you’ll trip harder than any mushroom you ever did in college and vomit with the same ferocity and travel to places deep within yourself that you didn’t know existed.
That you’ll float above your body and simultaneously be trapped in it with an intensity you’ve never tasted.
And in that intensity,
in the sweating and the swearing
and the swaying and the vomiting
and the endless hours of contractions crashing down upon you ...
You’ll find your strength.
You’ll find a resilience you’ve never known.
You’ll find the power you need for the journey of Motherhood ahead.
In the messy humanity of it all,
you’ll find that you are holy.
A portal to the divine.
Capable of indescribable miracles.
A vessel of sacred life.
What if we told women the truth about birth?
We’d have to tell them they are capable of anything.
Worthy of being treated like goddesses.
Made to walk through the flames,
surf the tidal waves,
dive into the underworld
And come out alive.
Not unscathed.
Not unchanged.
But whole
and healed
and ready to take on the world.
If we told women the truth about birth,
we’d have to admit that we’ve lied about everything else,
and that they are more powerful,
more fierce,
more capable,
more beautiful,
than we’ve ever let on.
If we told the truth about birth?
We’d shatter the world.
-Words by Catie Atkinson
-photo by Amy Meilen

01/12/2023

Hold the mother, not the baby.⁣⁣
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Because the baby’s being taken care of—⁣⁣
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—⁣⁣
by not only the mother,⁣⁣
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.⁣⁣
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But the mother,⁣⁣
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣⁣
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣⁣
may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣⁣
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣⁣
may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣⁣
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣⁣
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And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣⁣
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So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣⁣
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A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣⁣
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣⁣
in the background, making it all happen:⁣⁣
feeding her baby at all hours,⁣⁣
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣⁣
and being that baby’s everything.⁣⁣
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So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣⁣
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And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣⁣
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So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣⁣
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣⁣
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Because the mother needs to be held more.⁣⁣
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📸:
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My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc

12/30/2022

Qigong class with Debbie now on Tuesday’s at 6pm!

At Una Vida, Niwot (across from Niwot Market)
Dropin or register at: unavidaniwot.com
Each class includes:
Nourishing Breathwork
Gentle movements for whole body health
Guided meditation for relaxation and inner-balance.

It is open to all of the community, and will focus on grounding and support of pregnancy when mommas come.

Welcome to Una Vida! Want to book Una Vida for your workshop or event? Email us HERE. Winter 2023 ScheduleJan 1 - March 31 Thanks to our community! "The Una Vida Modulo de Fundamentos class offered exactly what I hoped it would, and I highly recommend the experience. In the past, I have had trouble....

10/14/2022

Calling out to all pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy in the future 📣
My colleague, Jessica Van Antwerp and I will be hosting a FREE Zoom class about how essential oils can help support you during this transformative time. There is no pressure to buy anything 😉 Come for the free information and bring questions for me! We will have a Q&A at the end which I’m happy to answer any pregnancy/birthing related topics that you’d like more information about.

05/12/2022

Prenatal nutrition is so important, here is a podcast with some of my favorite providers discussing things in detail.