Birthstone Doula Practice

09/23/2021

A reminder of how incredible women's bodies are!! 🤰

04/12/2021

“When can I come see the baby?”
A question new moms might hear over and over.
At least at first.
Sometimes before she has left the hospital.
Before she has had a chance to sleep.
Before she has even showered off the blood.
“When can I come see the baby?”
Her phone dings while she settles back in to her home with a brand new human - to her brand new normal.
Her estrogen and progesterone levels are plummeting from the highest they’ve ever been to the lowest. She is shaky and hot and cold and sweaty and weak.
Whether she chooses to breastfeed or not, her milk is coming in and she is sore and engorged.
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Whether she delivered vaginally or by c-section, her uterus will be contracting for days and weeks. Sometimes it’s as painful as labor.
She’s bleeding and will continue to bleed for up to six weeks post-delivery.
Her crotch is swollen and puffy and sore, or her incision is painful, or both.
She is struggling to go to the bathroom - and she p*es her pants (or pad) when she laughs, sneezes, and coughs.
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Her core muscles are weak, making lifting ANYthing hard.
She’s starving. Endlessly starving.
She has stretch marks and varicose veins, hair loss and acne, blurry vision and dry eyes. She sees a stranger in the mirror.
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She is totally and utterly exhausted. She hasn’t slept for more than an hour at a time in days or weeks.
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Any independence she had - to run errands, go to work, shower, eat, p*e, sleep - has been suspended for now.
So when you walk into her house, look at HER first.
Give her space to heal, to bond, and to rest if she needs it.
Be there if she needs it.
Offer to help her.
And then help her.
Admire the baby, sure.
But don’t forget to nurture the mother."
- Nicholle Godar Birth Doula

Come and join the Bumpnbub community on Instagram 💓

 https://instagram.com/bumpnbub?igshid=z77btflfanva

01/24/2021

Snap shot from my wonderful chat with the owners of Handwaves Birth Services!

01/23/2021

01/23/2021

03/17/2020

Read AWHONN’s statement about doulas with patient during COVID-19. Read more on our website http://bit.ly/2GrzCvi.

Thanks to AWHONN member Shirley Picard, BSN, RN for bringing this important issue to our attention!

07/27/2019

05/27/2019

At the alter of LIFE

🎨Moments In Time🎨

Sometimes there are photos of birth which take my breath away. Which literally cause me to pause, gasp, and take in the splendor that is our life-giving force.

This photo by Toowoomba-based Rockstar Photographer is one of them.

If you ever wondered if you were capable of incredible things. Of feats of magic. Of life-changing prowess.

This is your proof ☝🏼 Powerful. Intuitive. Brave. Unstoppable.

Just look at that dad kneeling at the altar of the divine. Forever changed by what just unfolded.

You will be a goddamn powerhouse in birth. You will ROOOOAR your baby out. Mark my words.

Thank you Amy for your art. Thank you to the family who’s moment in time you were able to share 🙏 Absolutely fu***ng breath-taking.

~ Shalome x