Oshun Birth & Lactation LLC

04/01/2023

Do you like amazing news? Because we have amazing news!!! M2MG BFinCB’s very own Director of Advocacy, Kelly Quinn Bell, a nurse in the US Army Reserve, has played a major role in advocating for the rights surrounding birth for military service members. In doing so, she has helped, alongside many others, to spearhead for change to military policies, specifically ones surrounding birth and breastfeeding! Thank you so so so much to all those involved in this incredibly taxing and intricate process!

‼️‼️‼️All parents in the military services will now get a minimum of 12 weeks of parental leave. The birthparent will get 18 weeks.‼️‼️‼️

Directive-type Memorandum 23-001 – “Expansion of the Military Parental Leave Program” (4 JAN 2023)

It is important for the development of military families that members be able to care for their newborn, adopted, or placed child or children, all of whom are referred to in this DTM as “child.” Unit commanders must balance the needs of the unit with the needs of the member to maximize opportunity to use parental leave.

📍Members who give birth will be authorized 12 weeks of parental leave following a period of convalescence to care for the child.

📍 Members who are the non-birth parent will be authorized 12 weeks of parental leave following the birth of their child to care for the child.

📍Members who adopt a minor child or who have a minor child placed for adoption or long-term foster care with them will be authorized 12 weeks of parental leave to care for the child.

APPLICABILITY: Active Component Service members; Reserve Component Service members performing Active Guard and Reserve duty or full-time National Guard Duty for more than 12 months consecutively; and Reserve Component Service members performing duty under a call or order to active service for more than 12 months consecutively

✅EFFECTIVE: For any of the above-mentioned events that occurred on or after December 27, 2022. Also applies to members who have unused caregiver leave or maternity convalescent leave by December 27, 2022, if such unused leave was authorized by the March 23, 2018 USD(P&R) Memorandum. In such cases, the member is authorized a total of 12 weeks of parental leave.

🛑🛑🛑 HQDA needs to publish additional guidance prior to this being actioned upon.

Read the memo here:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dtm/DTM%2023-001.PDF?ver=MNugpajQ7C-GC455Y4HNqA%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR3rOXF-yXI00xFLXwv6koqIIDVoCP_zDvtNPhoQc7cC26COa_rQr4jTj6M&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The Army Mom Life Admin Team
Mom2Mom Global Breastfeeding in Combat Boots
DAF Women’s Initiative Team (WIT)

26/10/2022

23/10/2022

Did you know that your baby’s umbilical cord could be shaped and dried along with the placenta? It makes a gorgeous keepsake perfect for baby books and shadow boxes 🤍

Some of my favorite things to do is spell out ‘L-O-V-E’ if baby has a cord that’s longer or make an adorable heart. If baby has a shorter cord I like to make cute little spirals 🌀

23/10/2022

Did you know that your baby’s um I am cord could be shaped and dried along with the placenta? It makes a gorgeous keepsake perfect for baby books and shadow boxes 🤍

22/10/2022

FUN fact: I used to work in an art gallery and once upon a time I majored in art history! I have always had a love for the arts and in my free time (which isn’t often) I enjoy painting with my kids.

These days my time is spent studying the HEALING arts as a student midwife and by supporting families through birth work as a doula, a lactation counselor, and a placenta encapsulation specialist. I absolutely love when I have the opportunity and honor to create something beautiful and sacred to commentate the placenta ✨

Here is one of the gorgeous placenta prints I was able to create recently 💕

17/10/2022

17/10/2022

I am always looking for ways to better support my birth clients as a whole. So I spent the weekend with an amazing group of massage therapist, birth workers, midwives, and doulas from New York to the Netherlands for a Hawaiian pregnancy massage class! It was so much fun learning about the different ways in which massage is so beneficial for our bodies—especially during and after pregnancy. I cannot wait to practice and perfect this new skill to help relieve some of the common discomforts we may experience as the body changes to accommodate new life. I even learned some natural, safe, and effective ways to get labor started when it needs a little jumpstart or when the oxytocin needs a boost if labor stalls ✨

09/10/2021

Before the week is out it is important that we acknowledge the future of midwifery. These two promised midwives are also amazing doulas in our Community Based Doula Program. As we honor those who came before and those that are doing it now, it is important to support and uplift those who are on the journey to become midwives. We need more midwives, especially midwives of color. We are here to support more BIPOC midwives in all the ways. So shout out to and . We see you and honor you!!

15/09/2021

We can learn so much from babies, they are so intuitive and wise. ✨Every time I have the honor of supporting their families as they welcome them earth side I can’t help but to be amazed at the big lesspns we can learn from such beings.🧚🏽‍♀️ They arrive with reminders to be patient, loving, honor our intuition, to leave spaces brighter than we found them, and even when we feel small to never be afraid to say— even SCREAM what we need, and lastly to tell our story as, babies often do if you listen. 💕

I was able to perform the newborn exam with this gorgeous family, where we measure, weigh, listen and check baby out from head to toe and learn just how perfect they truly are 🦋

02/09/2021

“Birth is an opportunity to transcend. To rise above what we are accustomed to, reach deeper inside ourselves than we are familiar with, and to see not only what we are truly made of, but the strength we can access in and through birth."

—Marcie Macari

Thank you for the opportunity to support you on this amazing and beautiful journey ✨

📸

26/08/2021

Happy Black Breastfeeding Week 🤱🏽🤱🏾🤱🏿