Loving My Pregnancy

04/29/2026

The most common thing I hear from women who got pregnant over 40:
“I feel like I should have this more figured out by now.”

You waited. You planned. You made this decision as carefully as any decision you have ever made.

And you are still allowed to be scared.
Still allowed to not have it figured out.
Still allowed to leave an appointment and cry in the car and go back to work and not tell anyone.

The competence is real. The fear is real. Both are allowed to exist at the same time — and you don’t have to choose which one to show.

If this landed — comment REMEMBER below or send me a DM. I’ll send you something that will begin to change everything. 💙

04/29/2026

04/27/2026

I need you to read this one carefully.

HELLP Syndrome is one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications we have. It is also one of the most commonly missed — because its symptoms look like something else entirely.

HELLP stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets. It is a severe form of preeclampsia. And it can develop rapidly — sometimes without high blood pressure ever appearing as a warning sign.

Here is what makes it so dangerous:
The hallmark symptom is pain in the upper right abdomen — just under the right rib cage. Persistent. Worsening. Often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or a severe headache.

And it gets dismissed. Over and over again. As heartburn. As indigestion. As normal pregnancy discomfort.

It is not always heartburn.

Here is how you tell the difference:
Heartburn responds to antacids and tends to come and go. HELLP pain is persistent, worsening, and located specifically under the right rib cage. It does not get better when you take Tums. It does not respond to position changes.

If you have pain in your upper right abdomen that:
– Is not improving with antacids
– Is getting worse not better
– Comes with nausea, vomiting, or severe headache
– Feels different from anything you have felt before

Do not wait until your next appointment. Call your provider today. And if you cannot reach them go to the ER.

You will never be overreacting for paying attention to your body. Never.

Two things I want you to do right now:
Comment KNOW below and I will send you my free 1-page self advocacy checklist – the warning signs every pregnant woman should have saved in her phone, including HELLP, preeclampsia, and more.

And if you want ongoing support from someone who will actually explain things, answer your questions, and make sure you never feel alone in this – DM me or comment SUPPORT and I will send you details on my free support group.

Save this. Share it. You never know whose life it reaches.

04/27/2026

You have eaten the dates. You have walked the miles. You have bounced on the ball, tried the pineapple, scheduled the membrane sweep, and googled “signs labor is near” approximately forty-seven times this week.

And your baby is still in there. Completely unbothered.

First – you are not doing anything wrong. And you are not broken.

Here is what I want you to hear after nearly 18 years of walking mamas through these final days:
The desperate doing is completely understandable. When you are uncomfortable, anxious, and ready – the urge to do something, anything, to move things along is powerful. I get it. Every midwife gets it.

But here is the truth that nobody says loudly enough:
Most of what you are doing to bring on labor will work – when your body is ready. Not before. And a body that is ready will often go into labor with very little prompting at all.

Your baby knows something you don’t yet. They are putting the finishing touches on lungs and brain and a nervous system that will carry them through a lifetime. The timing is not random. It is not punishment. It is not your body failing you.

It is your baby, becoming ready. And it is also your body becoming ready.

So here is my invitation for today – just today:
Put down the pineapple. Stop googling. Go do one thing that has nothing to do with starting labor.

Watch something that makes you laugh. Let someone take care of you. Rest in the strange, tender, unrepeatable space of being this close.

These are the last days of your baby’s life inside you. They will not come back.

Your body knows what it is doing. Your baby knows when it is time.
Trust it. 🌸

Comment or DM me the word STRETCH and I will send you my free Final Stretch Survival Guide – everything you need to rest well, prepare your body and mind, recognize early labor signs, and walk into birth feeling ready. It even has mantras for these final days and a whole section on connecting with your partner before everything changes.

04/26/2026

To the first-time mom who is three tabs deep at 2am convinced something is wrong –

I see you.

The anxiety you feel is not a flaw. It is not weakness. It is not a sign that something is wrong with you.

It is love. Love that doesn’t know what to do with itself yet. Love that has nowhere to land because your baby isn’t in your arms yet. Love that is already so fierce and so consuming that it keeps you awake and searching for reassurance at midnight.

That is not broken. That is a mother.

And here is something nobody talks about enough:
Nobody prepares first-time moms for how anxious early pregnancy can feel. It is not in the pamphlets. It is not what people mention when they congratulate you. And in those early weeks – sometimes months – before you even get to see a doctor or talk to a professional, your only answers are Google, pregnancy forums, and mom groups filled with other women who are just as scared as you are.

That is not a support system. That is a spiral with more people in it.
You deserve actual guidance. From someone who has walked alongside first-time moms for nearly 18 years and knows the difference between “I am anxious” and “something actually needs attention.”

That distinction – knowing which symptoms are worth a call and which ones are your nervous system being overly protective – is what turns the 2am spiral into something you can actually move through.

If you want that kind of support – a real space where your questions get real answers – comment or DM me the word SUPPORT and I will send you details on how to join my free support group.

You do not have to do this alone. And you do not have to do it with Google. 🌸

04/26/2026

Nearly 18 years of supporting women through labor taught me this:
Natural labor is 90% mental.

The women who move through it most powerfully are not the ones who are the strongest or the most prepared. They are the ones who learn to stop fighting.

Here is the shift that changes everything:
Work WITH your contractions. Not against them.

A contraction is not your enemy. It is your body doing the most extraordinary thing it will ever do. The moment you tighten against it, hold your breath, or try to control it – you feed it. You make it harder than it needs to be.

The women I have watched move through labor most gracefully learned to ride the wave instead of brace for it. Loose jaw. Open hands. Breath moving down and through instead of caught and held.

Watch what you are saying inside your head.

This is the part nobody talks about. The internal narrative during a contraction matters enormously. “I can’t do this” and “my body knows what to do” create completely different physiological responses. One tightens. One opens.

You get to choose which voice you listen to.

Let go of control.

This is the hardest one. Especially for women who are used to being capable and in charge. Labor asks you to surrender to a process you cannot manage or schedule or think your way through. The women who fight that truth have a harder time.

The ones who release it – even imperfectly, even just for one contraction at a time – find something on the other side of the release that surprises them every time.

This is just the beginning of what I teach around labor preparation. More tips coming – follow along so you don’t miss them.

And if you want personalized support going into your birth – link in bio or DM me. 🌸

04/25/2026

This is what prenatal care should feel like. Not a luxury. Not luck. A standard.

If you have a provider like this — tell them. They deserve to hear it.

If you don’t — you deserve to know your options. And you deserve to know how to advocate for the care you deserve.

And if changing providers isn’t possible or isn’t what you want — that is okay too. That is exactly why a midwife pregnancy coach exists.

Not to replace your provider, but to give you the layer of support, education, and advocacy that your current care isn’t providing. Someone in your corner for every appointment, every question, every moment that needs more than a 12-minute visit can give.

That’s what I’m here for. Follow along. 🌸

04/25/2026

I was a brand new midwife when this happened. And I have never forgotten it.

She was a first time mom who had been in warm-up labor for days before real labor finally started.

And when it did, she was completely focused on one thing: contractions have to be five minutes
apart before this counts.

What she wasn’t paying attention to was that her contractions were lasting a full minute. And they
were getting stronger and stronger with every one.

Because the timing didn’t match what she had in her head, she didn’t believe she was really in
labor.

By the time they hit five minutes apart and she woke her husband up — she was almost about to
deliver.

Her husband called me. Contractions had been strong for 15-20 minutes.

First time mom — I thought, great, perfectly normal, I’ll throw some clothes on and head over.

Fifteen minutes later I am grabbing my keys.

Phone rings.
‘Liz. We are seeing some of the head.’

I was brand new. I had never heard those words on the phone. My response?

‘Are you sure?’

He paused. ‘Well. I don’t know what else it would be.’
Fair point.

I told him to get towels, turn on the heat, put me on speaker. I am getting in the car right now.

I hadn’t even pulled out of my driveway before I heard it. Mom pushing. Dad screaming. And then —
a baby crying.

She thought it was the most incredible experience of her life. The dad was a little freaked out.
Understandably.

Here is what I taught every mom after her:
Pay attention to how long your contractions last and whether they are getting stronger — not
just how far apart they are.

A contraction lasting a full minute that is building in intensity is telling you something — regardless of
the clock.

Save this if you are in your third trimester. And go follow for more of the things nobody tells you.🌸

04/24/2026

Stop scrolling. Take a breath. I need you to read this.

You just got your GBS results and now you are three hours deep into a Google spiral convincing yourself something is terribly wrong.

I know. I have sat with hundreds of mamas in exactly this moment over nearly 18 years.

So let me tell you what I wish someone had told you the minute that result came back.

GBS — Group B Streptococcus — is a bacteria that lives naturally in the body of approximately 1 in 4 pregnant women. It comes and goes. It is not an infection. It is not caused by anything you did or didn’t do. It is not a reflection of your health or your cleanliness.

It does not mean your pregnancy is high risk.
It does not mean your birth plan is ruined.
It does not mean your baby is in danger.

Here is what it actually means:
During labor, you will be offered IV antibiotics — penicillin is most common. The goal is at least 4 hours of antibiotics before your baby arrives. That protocol is highly effective. With it, the risk of GBS passing to your baby drops dramatically.

Your birth experience does not have to be hijacked by this result.
You can still move freely during labor.
You can still use a birthing ball, change positions, walk the halls. You can still labor in the shower or tub before delivery — the IV can be capped between doses. You can still have the birth you prepared for.

What I want you to do right now:
Close the forums. Close the Facebook groups. Close whatever website has you convinced of worst case scenarios written by people who are not your care team and do not know your full picture.

Then open this guide.

Comment KNOW below and I will send you my free guide – Know Before You Go:

What Every GBS Positive Mom Should Have in Place Before Labor Begins. It covers exactly what to say when you arrive at the hospital, when to head in, what questions to ask your provider, and what to watch for after your baby is born.

You are not broken. Your body is not broken.
You just needed someone to actually explain this to you. 🌸
Save this and send it to the pregnant friend who got this result and is spiraling tonight.

07/08/2025

📢 Exciting News! 📢

We have availability for clients with upcoming due dates! If you're expecting and looking for compassionate birth support, I'd love to help.

💜 Schedule a Free Consultation Today!💜

📞 Call: (575) 910-7274
📧 Email: sacredoaksbirth@gmail.com
💬 Message us on Facebook: Sacred Oak Birth Roswell, NM

✨ My Doula Services Include:✨
✔️ Two prenatal sessions
✔️ Birth plan design support
✔️ Emotional, physical & educational support during labor and up to 2 hours postpartum
✔️ Postpartum visits at 3 days & 1 week for newborn transition and lactation support

Your birth experience matters! Let’s create a supportive, empowered journey together. 💕