Niki Halverson: The Humble Honest Doula

12/04/2025

Want to prevent postpartum hemorrhage naturally?�Let’s dive in and tell you that many people don’t…

PPH is one of the most common birth issues, but worry fades when we understand the wisdom of our powerful bodies. Let me tell you what I’ve seen when the room is calm and baby has just been born. A mom is trembling with a new strength and holding her baby close without fear or disruption. And then, the placenta follows in its OWN time. No rushing!
This is how we prevent postpartum hemorrhage! By honoring our bodies given design.
Nourish and hydrate:
During pregnancy, labor and post partum.

Liquid chlorophyll (builds blood + oxygenation)

NORA tea (nettle, oatstraw, raspberry leaf, alfalfa). Drinking a quart daily in the last 6 weeks can support vitamin K (for clotting), blood volume, iron, and uterine tone.

DO NOT Rush the Placenta
Don’t pull on the cord! The #1 mistake I’ve seen is tugging or hurrying the placenta. Patience is powerful and hands-off work. You shouldn’t be working in this stage.

Skin-to-Skin with Baby
One of the best ways to prevent too much bleeding is to keep mother and baby together and skin-to-skin promoting oxytocin to continuously flow.

Breastfeeding or Ni**le Stimulation boosts oxytocin and supports strong, effective uterine contractions.

Avoid pitocin during Labor if possible because it is actually linked to increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Pitocin IS NOT self-regulating like your body’s oxytocin. When receptors are overstimulated by synthetic hormones, the uterus can become overworked making it harder for the uterus to contract well after birth.

Create a Calm, Safe Environment
Stress, fear, or adrenaline can block oxytocin and oxytocin is needed to contract the uterus. Say no to visitors for days to weeks and honor your peace.

Mama your body was created with intelligent design. Preventing postpartum hemorrhage isn’t just about avoiding complications. It’s about honoring the process and staying in alignment with the wisdom and design!

Every mama deserves to know this.

07/08/2025

Taking a moment to reflect on my first birth experience, 7 years ago my first daughter Karsyn was born and it was absolutely life changing and really made me want to learn more about birth and becoming a doula! One of the many reasons behind my “why” is her. I think every women deserves to have a supported and memorable experience they want to tell the world about, not one they are afraid to talk about, sad, or worked up about.This space is so sacred and I thank my daughter everyday for getting me to where I am today as a mom, but doula too 🤍 Happy birthday Karsyn! 🤍

05/08/2025

One of my biggest pet peeves in the last month of pregnancy is bothering a mom about her due date! As a doula you’ll actually see me ask majority of my questions early on and leave the final month up to you to reach out when you feel you need to other than my standard care of keeping you educated and comfortable. The last thing I want to do is make you feel more stressed about when baby will be coming, because, well, babies come when babies are ready and the body will connect with you mama! Trust the process—it’s just an estimation date not something that determines your when or why to anyone asking. 🤍

03/20/2025

Let’s talk about ✨ Prostaglandins ✨

What are they exactly?!

Prostaglandins are naturally produced by the uterine cells and are involved in the onset and progression of labor. They stimulate uterine contractions and help the cervix dilate (become wider). ✨

There’s actually TWO types:
E series prostaglandins are particularly important for cervical ripening, while
F series prostaglandins also play a role in uterine contraction.

Prostaglandins cause uterine contractions by altering membrane permeability and increasing intracellular calcium, promoting the formation of gap junctions that facilitate signal transmission throughout the myometrium.

Super cool, right?! But let’s look at the entire picture! Dilation is just a number, so remember effacement and station of your baby play a big role in this too! Don’t get caught up on a number! Trust your body mama!

01/26/2025

There’s no better feeling than being a women and stepping into motherhood! I am beyond grateful for so many amazing women I’ve worked with and the moms I’ll continue to as well, birth really is empowering and beautiful! 🤍

01/16/2025

Physiology of Labor......

As a pregnancy progresses into its final weeks, several physiological changes occur in response to hormones that trigger labor, lets talk about all of that!!

First off state that progesterone inhibits uterine contractions throughout the first several months of pregnancy. As the pregnancy enters its seventh month, progesterone levels plateau and then drop. Estrogen levels, however, continue to rise in the maternal circulation, your body simply knows what it is doing! The increasing ratio of estrogen to progesterone makes the myometrium (the uterine smooth muscle) more sensitive to stimuli that promote contractions (because progesterone no longer stops them). Then, in the eighth month of pregnancy, fetal cortisol rises, which boosts estrogen secretion by the placenta and further overpowers the uterine-calming effects of progesterone. Some women may feel the result of the decreasing levels of progesterone in late pregnancy as weak and irregular peristaltic Braxton Hicks contractions, also called false labor. These contractions can often be relieved with rest or hydration. If you ever get a reminder in the last four weeks from me to drink more water, this is why!
A common sign that labor will be short is the so-called “bloody show.” During pregnancy, a plug of mucus accumulates in the cervical canal, blocking the entrance to the uterus. Usually 1–2 days prior to the onset of true labor, this plug loosens and is expelled, along with a small amount of blood! Every mama is different and some it will happen hours after and others day, so give your body patience and grace!

Meanwhile, the posterior pituitary has been boosting its secretion of oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates the contractions of labor. At the same time, the myometrium increases its sensitivity to oxytocin by expressing more receptors for this hormone. As labor nears, oxytocin begins to stimulate stronger, more painful uterine contractions, which—in a positive feedback loop—stimulate the secretion of prostaglandins from fetal membranes. Like oxytocin, prostaglandins also enhance uterine contractile strength. The fetal pituitary also secretes oxytocin, which increases prostaglandins even further!

Finally, stretching of the myometrium and cervix by a full-term fetus in the vertex (head-down) position is regarded as a stimulant to uterine contractions. The sum of these changes initiates the regular contractions known as true labor, which become more powerful and more frequent with time. The pain of labor is attributed to myometrial hypoxia during uterine contractions! This is where the work throughout your pregnancy and all of the small workshops we do monthly come into play—breathing, hypnobirthing, positioning, trusting your body physically and mentally, and most importantly knowing your rights to say what you want and need or simply saying NO.

12/30/2024

Hope you all had a great Christmas filled with love and support around your families! Emails will be getting sent on Tuesday to those waiting on a response, I’ve been busy, but took the weekend off and tomorrow to celebrate my son’s birthday and just catch up on life! But ready soon to dive back into educating and empowering 🤍

11/15/2024

09/23/2024

Catecholamines!

These are our stress hormones released during a fight-or-flight response. Important towards the end of labor as a woman is getting ready to push and birth her baby, and tend to be peaked during transition (~8-10cm of dilation). These hormones are important to help baby transition from one environment (the womb) to a completely different one (the world); these hormones hype baby up so that they can breathe, regulate their own blood sugars and body temperature, and so much more! We ask a lot of these little humans in a very short period of time. These hormones help them make this transition a little bit smoother!

These hormones are why transition can be more chaotic, confusing, or filled with anxiety or doubt. High levels of this hormone in the last part of labor can contribute towards the fetal ejection reflex, where the mother bears down powerfully and spontaneously pushes her baby out. These levels tend to rise normally, and optimally, in birth that is fairly uninterrupted where the mother feels safe and supported.

If the mother feels unsafe, it can contribute towards a fight or flight response and increase the release of these hormones too soon that may stall labor and stop contractions. If you watch an animal give birth that thought it was unobserved. Once the animal notices someone, it stops labor and runs away to safety.

The use of pain medication or an epidural may inhibit the release of this hormone, so the fetal ejection reflex may not be overwhelmingly strong. However, in my experience, even mothers with epidurals still feel some sensation of bearing down or pushing when they are 10cm and baby is low, but it is definitely not as a strong of a sensation as a mother who is unmedicated.

There are several hormones that influence labor progress: oxytocin initiates labor, causing the uterus to contract, which then causes prostaglandins to be released that soften the cervix and cause more contractions. This positive feedback loop gradually increases the presence of both hormones, causing contractions to build in intensity over the duration of labor. Beta-endorphins are released to help with pain tolerance in response to stress, but too much could inhibit labor by causing too much “numbing.” Catecholamines peak in the last portion of labor prior to pushing, helping the baby transition from womb to world, and contributes towards the powerful fetal ejection reflex.

We can enhance the release of most of these hormones by supporting the mother in a safe environment that is fairly calm and nonintrusive. She should be supported in the birth of her choosing, surrounded by a team that truly believes in her power to birth her baby in the way she desires.

09/08/2024

09/04/2024

One birth at a time, standing firmly in my beliefs and working for the families who have asked me to join their team. Because birth is vulnerable and you deserve someone who will hold your hand, make you feel safe, secure, informed, and confident in your birth. It’s YOUR birth and no one should ever take that from you.

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