Heart & Hands Doula

11/21/2025

My first true knot to tie up my 2025 births 🪢

A “true knot” in the umbilical cord is a rare occurrence happening in less than 1% of births. While many knots are loose and cause no harm, a very tight knot can compress the umbilical cord, which can cause distress in labor due to decreased oxygen flow.

But many cultures and religions believe the rare occurrence of a true knot is a good omen for the child that indicates a strong, unbreaking bond between them and their family. It’s also seen as a sign of protection and good luck. 🍀

I’ve been fortunate to support 14 births this year and learned something from each of them. Thank you to each of my client families for trusting me to be your doula—you’re the best! Wishing you a special holiday season and protection & luck in the new year. ✨

09/29/2025

Awesome afternoon at IBCLC Laura Dearman’s new office space for her workshop “It’s Not Magic, It’s Reflexes!” She provided such great information about the benefits of letting newborns rely on their reflexes to latch. Laura is pictured here demonstrating laidback breastfeeding, which is a great immediate postpartum position to support reflexive self-latching. 💯

If your goal is to breastfeed, I would highly recommend booking a prenatal appointment with Laura to learn about reflexive self-latching and to create a personalized breastfeeding plan. Not only is she super knowledgeable and a great teacher, she’s also so kind and down to earth. 👌 Health and Lactation, LLC

09/26/2025

Yesterday was National Daughter’s Day and also my daughter’s birthday. ✨ Six years ago, our world was changed forever when she was born and we discovered we had a daughter. My dream come true, my sunshine Sadie girl ☀️🩷 I am forever grateful.

09/20/2025

Two homebirths in two days with this same team 🤝 And this was my first time supporting a FIFTH time mom! It was an honor to be a part of her team, along with Midwife Tanashia Huff, LM, CPM & Sweet Magnolia Birth Services- LeAnn Lett, Doula (serving as a birth assistant), for her long-awaited first homebirth—an HBAC after 3 VBACS to be exact. 🙌

08/20/2025

Awesome new offering for expectant families in Tallahassee! 🙌🧡

🌱My teacher heart is SO EXCITED to announce my first prenatal breastfeeding series class! I’ve put this class on hold until I really felt like I understood local challenges specific to Tallahassee — now that I’m more than 2 years into practice, I definitely understand what local families need to set them up for breastfeeding success 🙌🙌🙌🙌

🌱From your baby’s first latch to navigating cluster feeds, this class covers everything you need to feel confident, prepared, and supported for the first week of breastfeeding your new baby. We’ll cover prenatal colostrum expression, activating your baby’s reflexes for a comfortable deep latch, safe sleep, building your “nest” for a restful first week land more.

🌱Whether you are a first time parent or struggled to meet your breastfeeding goals with your older children, this class will teach you to breastfeed your newborn with confidence and provide practical information for common problems during the first week.

🌱 This is a 3 class series, for a total of 6 hours of prenatal education which allows plenty of time for questions.

🌱 This class is appropriate for all stages of pregnancy!

🌱 Your spouse / partner / support person is welcome to attend with you.

🌱 The full class fee of $200 is due at time of booking.

🌱 Visit my website for more info and online booking.

🌱 As always, reach out if you have questions or need support ❤️❤️❤️

08/14/2025

I was so honored to support this sweet family again—almost 3 years to the day later! 🙃 This birth was similar to their first but even faster. That afternoon the mama was texting me that she wasn’t sure if she was in labor—fast forward 4 hours later and baby girl was here! We made it to the hospital only 40 minutes before she was born, but it was perfect. My client declined to have her bag of waters broken as she was pushing, and baby girl was born totally en caul. It was the first fully en caul birth I’ve seen, and it was incredible! So thankful to be this sweet family’s doula 🥰

06/22/2025

Sunrise after a beautiful birth (and my first at Archbold Memorial in Thomasville, GA) ☀️
Welcome summer and ♋️ season!

04/15/2025

People > policies ✌️ I saw a funny video last week of a comedian who said doulas are like “rent-a-hippie.” Where’s the lie? 😆 But this home-birthing hippie is also an attorney and an advocate, and I don’t play when it comes to my clients.

To be frank, I was really disappointed in TMH during a birth I attended there last week. One (of the many) issues was that the nurses were not permitting me to go back to the PACU (the room where families go to recover after a caesarean birth). I spoke to the charge nurse (and about 10 other nurses who were sitting at the nurses’ station), and they were all adamant that hospital policy only allows one support person in the PACU. When I asked why I had been admitted back numerous times before (and as recently as last November), they seemed to imply that other nurses must have been violating the policy.

I finally asked to speak to the Nurse Leader (like a manager). She was wonderful. She immediately assured me I would be going back to the PACU. She explained that, although hospital policy does permit only one “support person,” doulas are excluded from that category as they are considered part of the healthcare team. As part of the healthcare team (and not a lay “support person”), doulas should always be permitted in triage (this is sometimes still an issue) and the PACU. She said she would make sure the nurses were informed of this distinction, but I wanted to share this information here in case it’s helpful to other doulas in gaining access to triage or the PACU with your clients.

Pictured: Tired doula in my cool new birth shirt made by 🌱

03/27/2025

It’s World Doula Week! ✨ I’ve been a doula for 5 years now and am still blown away by the amazing strength of women. It’s an honor to witness at every single birth and a privilege to be invited into that sacred space.

Birth Becomes You made this great post answering the question, “What is a doula?” It really resonated with me, and I wanted to share it. Doulas are doing the important work of continuing to humanize birth in an increasingly dehumanizing society. In a world that venerates information and technology (shout out to ), doulas continue to center people in the birth experience. Doula work could never be done by AI. It is beautiful, messy, uplifting, exhausting, exciting, fulfilling work, and I am so thankful to each family who has allowed me to be a part of their birth story.

📷: Rare photo of me holding a fresh baby of dear friends & my first repeat clients
🧡

02/28/2025

Baby boy born on this beautiful last day of February 🩵✨ Midwife Tanashia Huff, LM, CPM

08/23/2024

It was such an honor to serve as these sweet friends’ doula for the second time. My first repeat family! 🥰 A big storm brought on this mama’s labor in the night, but she got to meet her perfect baby GIRL on a beautiful, sunny day the next morning. The calm after the storm 🕊️ So happy for this special family!

05/16/2024

Recertified! 🙌 I’ve officially been a certified birth doula for 3 years. In that time, I’ve been able to work with around 40 families. Each of my clients hold a special place in my heart—thank you for allowing me to be your doula!

Serving families as they go through the transformative time of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a calling, an honor, and a joy. I’m happy to be recertified to continue this heart work for another 3 years! 🧡

Yours truly,
Hannah Monroe, CD(DONA)