Dragonfly Birth Belly

11/19/2025

08/04/2024

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07/08/2022

Here's why you'll never hear me use the term "bounce back"👇

Having a baby is life-changing. It's not just the birth of a new little one, it's the birth of a new part of YOU - and with that comes some amazing 'shape shifting' and new super powers.

But It's not always an easy road, and we may need to shed some old skin along the way.

With pregnancy and birth, your body naturally changes, as does so much of your life. It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed, exhausted and confused about mom life. And it's normal to carry some extra weight, for your belly to still have a pooch, and to have stretch marks.

Few people want to talk about these very real changes - and the very raw feelings that can accompany them - including feelings of loss that accompany body and life changes.

Instead we live in a culture where women feel pressured to 'bounce back' - a term historically used in the postpartum which I'm on a mission to change!

We don't just 'bounce back' to...
🔥 Our previous body shape
🔥 Our old routines
🔥 Our former social lives
🔥 Our awareness of only self
🔥 Our usual amount sleep

And more.

We transition into new routines, we come to love our powerful bodies , and you'll see that it's still you - but you've grown, shifted, stretched, and expanded in your capacity for wisdom, caring, creating.

So why is it our culture expects us to while hiding all physical evidence of going through the biggest shift of their life? We live in a patriarchy that values young, thin, Barbie-style women, and that devalues mothers' time to heal and be.

It's time to shift the narrative-postpartum isn't about the rush to 'bounce back.' It's a time to drink in rest, nesting, support, healing, self-care. And of course, a time to do YOU whatever that looks like - which could mean bringing your work or art into it.

It's not about:

⏰ Fitting back into your Size (___) jeans by a certain date - or ever
⏰ Getting back to work or your hard core exercise as fast as possible
⏰ Getting back into social activities before you're ready
⏰ Meeting social expectations of how fast you're "back in the world"

And each of us is different. So tune in mama, do YOU. And let's change the postpartum story together! If you find yourself in this space of overwhelm after baby, please join me in my support group for pregnant, birthing, and postpartum mamas. We're here to support you during this time ❤️.

What do you wish you had heard postpartum? What advice would you give other mothers to soothe their fear of not fitting society's expectations?

Photo of .ev.eve of

04/07/2022

c( • Y • )l fact. i’ve already met more pierced ni***es this year than in all of 2021. yeah, you can breastfeed with ni**le piercings, but piercing holes sometimes make latching a little more challenging for the baby at first. also the extra holes might lead to a faster, sloppier milk flow, but together we can work through it. reach out if you need any kind of b( • Y • )b support because i’m basically a b( . Y . )b detective and i heart your ni***es. ps. rihanna, call me.
☮️♥️( • Y • )🔍

03/12/2022

11/30/2021

As a midwife x over 35 years now and a mom of 4 kiddos ages 27 to 36, and a grandma of two littles, this post shares one of the truest truths I know: we do not make or break our children. They come with their own stories and journeys and our job is to be there with wisdom, love, understanding, and resilience to support them on that journey for a lifetime.

So yes - all the things- home birth, extended breastfeeding, deeply connected parenting, co-sleeping, homeschooling- whatever of it you choose- do it because it’s right for you and your child, because you love it, and because it works for you- not to cultivate a perfect person or to overcompensate for trauma you may have had. Pay attention to what each child needs because that’s different for each, too. I promise I’ve worked with families who did all the things and no there’s no perfect recipe for the ever happy ever healthy child or adult. Life is more complex than that.

And if your kids do have health challenges, need that antibiotic you worked so hard to avoid to help them have a healthy gut, breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned and you need to use a bottle and formula, you need to have a cesarean- it’s all okay. It’s life’s journey. It’s not your failing and littles are so resilient.

I’ve midwifed so many mamas going crazy trying to get it so right, trying to avoid recreating traumas or protecting our kids from so much of modern living. Yes let’s nourish snd protect our littles and our teens and our adult children of course. But also find the inner peace that you are doing your best and it not only doesn’t have to be perfect- it won’t be.

Allowing ourselves this grace makes the journey easier, more joyous, and allows us to see our children for who they are and what they need rather than just as products of what we do. It allows us to parent more authentically and vulnerably and be more in the intuitive moment.

And it allows us to truly see our children in their fullness and gives the@ permission also, not to be perfect, but instead to be self-loving, resilient humans who understand that we are all humans doing our best and not perfect beings.

Be easier on yourself, mama. Every single day.

09/20/2019

This largest ever study of neonatal microbiomes revealed that the microbiome of vaginally delivered newborns did not come from the mother’s vaginal bacteria, but from the mother’s gut. In contrast, babies born via caesarean section tended to have more...

09/11/2019

Your body is a miracle 💛

Wow, how amazing. Making milk for our babies takes more energy than keeping our heart pumping. 🤱🏽💖😍

For support in your gentle parenting journey pick up your copy of The Natural Parent magazine from supermarkets throughout NZ and newsagents throughout Australia!
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09/04/2019

By painting women as great multitaskers who are naturally wired to "do it all," society let itself off the hook when it comes to supporting moms. And that's not okay.