Attuned Doula Services

11/07/2025

This is one of the perks of working with postpartum families all the way up to baby’s first birthday if they aren’t ready to say goodbye after the first few months. We get to have baby help us with everything we do for parents!

10/31/2025

Postpartum care in the U.S. is still lacking—but your story can be different. Let’s change what support looks like, one family at a time. 💙

A new poll provides insights into the postpartum care crisis in the U.S. Experts share the need for change and what parents can do. Tap the link in the first comment to read more. ⬇️

10/22/2025

✨ Mammogram hack: schedule your annual breast cancer screening for every October, when pink ribbons abound to remind you 💗
Treat yourself to peace of mind and a drive-thru run as a little reward after!

Friendly reminder from your favorite Doulas: Taking care of your body is part of showing up for your baby, your family, and YOU.

📅 Schedule your breast cancer screening.
🍪 Get yourself a little treat after.
💪 You deserve both.

10/08/2025

Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) is a condition that affects some breastfeeding mothers, characterized by negative emotions that occur just before or during milk letdown. Unlike postpartum depression or anxiety, D-MER is specifically linked to the physiological process of milk release. Understanding D-MER is important for providing support and effective management for affected mothers.

D-MER is a sudden and brief wave of negative emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, irritability, or even a sense of dread, that occurs just before the milk ejection reflex. These feelings typically last only a few minutes and resolve once milk flow begins

Symptoms of D-MER vary in intensity and nature but are generally negative and unpleasant. They can include:
- Sadness or Despair
- Anxiety or Panic
- Irritability or Anger
- Dread or Guilt
- Emotional Numbness
-Homesickness

D-MER is distinct from other emotional or psychological conditions like postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum anxiety (PPA):
- Timing: D-MER is closely linked to the act of breastfeeding and the letdown reflex, whereas PPD and PPA are more constant and pervasive
- Duration: The negative emotions in D-MER are short-lived, lasting only a few minutes during milk letdown
- Specificity: D-MER symptoms are specifically triggered by breastfeeding, not by other activities or events

10/05/2025

09/23/2025

We have seen this really help a few times!

This crazy-looking position is called Walcher’s and dates all the way back to 19th-century Germany and was first described by Gustav Adolf Walcher, a German obstetrician, in 1889.

The goal was to physiologically (naturally with no medicine) increase the anteroposterior (front-to-back and also medically known as the true conjugate) diameter of the pelvic inlet (top of the pelvis), potentially allowing the baby to descend and get into the pelvis. It can increase the pelvic inlet size by 1-2 cm!

This position is meant to be used if the baby is high in the pelvis, and you’ve tried everything else to help it get in (lower), especially if the pregnant person is very dilated but the baby is still high.

Nurses, you know those cervixes that are super dilated and stretchy and all that needs to happen is the baby drop and you’ve tried everything… consider Walcher’s!

Thank you for this incredible birth photo! Be sure to follow them!

Some Walcher’s tips to remember:

- You (nurse) needs to be there and make sure the sacrum is anchored on the top part of the bed.
- Lower the lower end of the bed first before you fully disconnect the bottom of the bed (you can see this here, the bed is broken in 2 pieces, so that you can assure that you or your patient doesn’t fall off!
- Do this for 3 contractions only. If you feel light-headed, let your nurse know and then readjust so they don’t pass out due to aortic compression.
- Be prepared that if it works and this was the reason baby wasn’t coming down, you may have an immenent birth!
- Expect the FHR (fetal heart rate) tracing to potentially have decels. It’s 3 contractions, ideally the reason is for rapid descent.
- This is NOT to be used as a routine position, but rather one as a back-pocket trick.

Have you tried this and seen it work?

Share your stories below for both families & nurses!

09/22/2025

ACOG reaffirms the safety and benefits of acetaminophen use during pregnancy.
More than two decades of research have found no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children. Acetaminophen continues to be an important and safe option for managing pain and fever in pregnancy—conditions that can pose serious risks to pregnant patients and their fetuses if left untreated. Learn more about acetaminophen use during pregnancy: https://bit.ly/4mqIzWr

09/16/2025

Trying to decide which car seat is best for your family? Let the experts do the heavy lifting. Jamie Grayson is our go-to online!

Child Passenger Safety Week is next week, but I will be on the road with Babies & Bumps events. Sooooo we are starting our yearly series of Car Seat Showdowns this Wednesday at 8 o’clock Eastern. Because there has been so much buzz about them, video one is going to cover baseless car seats. And this year, instead of doing lives here on Facebook, I will be broadcasting on YouTube. This way, the video can live on that channel so people will have access to car seat education with no paywall. Info and registration is at the Link. I will see you there.

 https://form.jotform.com/252578955448172

09/16/2025

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