Rosebud Doula Services, LLC

04/12/2024

For all the birth workers, we have lost a wonderful woman today. 💔😭

In Memoriam: Penny Simkin, PT

With profound sadness and a heavy heart, DONA International announces the passing of our esteemed co-founder, Penny Simkin, PT, after a brief battle with cancer. Her departure on April 11, 2024 marks a tremendous loss not only to our organization but to the global doula community, childbirth educators, perinatal researchers, families she supported, and the countless lives she touched through her pioneering work in childbirth and maternity care.

Penny's unwavering dedication to supporting families during one of the most significant moments of their lives has left an indelible mark on the field of labor support and childbirth education. Since 1968, Penny, a skilled physical therapist, embarked on a mission to transform the childbirth experience, making it more empowering, informed, and supported. Her tireless commitment to this cause led her to prepare over 15,000 individuals, couples, and siblings for childbirth, directly assist hundreds of families through labor as a doula, and author several influential books that have become staples in the field that have been translated into several languages.

Penny was a visionary and a luminary in every sense. Her work has paved the way for a new generation of doulas and childbirth educators, instilling in them the values of compassion, evidence-based practice, and relentless advocacy for birthing people and their families. Through her profound contributions and co-founding of DONA International, Penny has revolutionized doula care and childbirth education across the globe, leaving a legacy that will undoubtedly endure for generations to come.
Her book, The Birth Partner, remains a beloved resource for anyone involved in the childbirth process, illustrating her commitment to not only the physical but also the emotional well-being of doulas and families during childbirth.

Though she recently stepped back from her professional endeavors to focus on her family, Penny's legacy continues to thrive through the work of the many doulas she trained, the families she supported, and the impactful works she left behind. Her life was a testament to her passion for making childbirth a positive and supported experience for all.

Penny's life was rich not only in professional achievements but also in love and joy. She and her husband, Peter, were blessed with four grown children, eight grandchildren, four many grandchildren-in-law, four great-grandchildren, and a beloved dog, Casey. Her family was her pride and joy, and she cherished the time spent with her loved ones.

As we mourn the loss of Penny Simkin, we also celebrate her extraordinary life and the countless ways she has enriched ours. Her legacy will continue to inspire and guide us as we carry forward her mission to improve childbirth and support families around the world. Penny's spirit lives on in the work of DONA International, in the lives of the families she has touched, and in the hearts of the many who loved her.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to DONA International in Penny Simkin's memory, to continue her life's work of supporting and educating doulas and families. For more information on how to make a contribution, please visit https://www.dona.org/impactprogram/

We invite all who knew Penny, were touched by her work, or wish to share their thoughts and memories to do so by sending them to Penny@DONA.org. Your stories and memories will be a great comfort and a cherished collection for her family during this difficult time.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Penny's family, friends, and the many individuals whose lives she has touched. May her soul rest in peace, and may her legacy of love, support, and education continue to flourish in the years to come.

DONA International is committed to developing an organization that fosters anti-racism and cultural sensitivity for our members & the families and communities that we serve. To contribute to the many efforts to eradicate the perinatal mortality crisis in the U.S. we recognize an immediate need to he...

02/08/2024

Hey locals! We have another wonderful choice for Lactation Consultants If you are up in the Leesburg area contact Lilly! She is fantastic!!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556194467553&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Serving Loudoun County through Lactation Support as well as Health and Safety Education

03/29/2023

This is the BEST thing to do when labor gets going ( after you’ve rested of course). Asp if you are having back labor… the lift and tuck will be your new best friend!!

The Abdominal Lift and Tuck is one of the most effective early labor techniques for engaging the baby in the pelvis. This technique is to help the baby into the pelvis and through the pelvic brim (the baby may be -3 or -2 station).

The Abdominal Lift was introduced by Janie McCoy King, a Texas Engineer who wrote Back Labor No More. I learned it from Penny Simkin at her Birth Doula Training. I added the words “and tuck” to remind the user to tuck their pelvis. By this, I mean do a standing Posterior Pelvic Tilt (flatten the lower back).

Note: The Abdominal Lift and Tuck must be done during a contraction. You will want to move into position as soon as—but not before—the contraction starts. If you start too late it will be uncomfortable, so just wait to start with the following contraction.

As a contraction begins, link your fingers and lift your belly about two inches.
Bring your belly in (towards your spine) by one or two inches, depending on your size. Try to be as comfortable as possible.
At the same time, flatten your lower back. Your knees should be bent. Bending the knees, even just a little, is necessary to do a Posterior Pelvic Tilt.
Hold your belly up through the entire contraction. It’s okay to sway or rock a little on your legs during the contraction, but hold your belly in one place to avoid being uncomfortable.
When the contraction ends, lean forward slightly and slowly let go of your abdomen. Move your legs to encourage circulation.
Repeat the Abdominal Lift for ten contractions in a row, resting in between and circling your wrists and ankles for circulation.

Want to learn more? Head to the link: https://www.spinningbabies.com/pregnancy-birth/techniques/abdominal-lift-tuck/

02/14/2023

02/14/2023

🤣

08/17/2022

Wait ‘til it’s WHITE!
Leave the cord alone. Don’t clamp it until it becomes WHITE. Oh just let the placenta deliver then clamp it. Leave it alone! Let the baby get its blood.

𝚄𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙵𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜

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The umbilical cord contains 3 vessels.
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There are two arteries and one vein.
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A lot of people think it’s basically just a “tube” of sorts transporting nutrients to their baby. But, it’s so much more intricately designed than that!
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The vein carries oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to your baby, and the arteries carry the deoxygenated blood, waste products (such as carbon dioxide), and nutrient-depleted blood through the placenta and into your bloodstream to dispose of.
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After delivery, these vessels close by themselves. The arteries close first due to their muscular walls.
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The umbilical vein follows closely behind, allowing oxygenated blood to return to your baby from the placenta.
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At birth, the placenta contains 1/3 of your baby’s blood volume.
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By delaying cord clamping for several minutes, you are allowing that blood to be transferred to your baby where it belongs via the umbilical vein.
Photo Cred:

08/11/2022

OK Facebook universe this is going to all of my friends, my prayer warrior buddies, my friends of great faith, my birthie buddies, my pro-life buddies and all the naysayers that think being “pro life” means just get the baby born and drop the mom and or the baby like a hot potato and never think about them again. For my birthie community, my friend is a labor doula. She is also the one that took my pictures I used for part of my peanut ball pages.
I’m asking for your help to be a part of an incredible blessing! Your prayers are so important in this journey. It wouldn’t be where it is now if not for all the prayers. I’ve posted many times about my friend but due to security concerns was not able to mention who this was. I am putting a link here so that you can read all about this amazing family, where they’ve been and where they are now. All of the back story and current story is in the link. https://www.sunshineforsubie.com/home
My friend now has guardianship over her little niece Subie for the purpose of being her to the United States for life saving medical treatment. Subie has a heart problem and needs major medical care from the doctors in the United States. It is a life and death situation. They are not able to offer the life-saving care Subie needs in Nepal. So here’s how you can help.
1. pray please please pray
2. Click on the donation button and make a generous financial donation. They have found some wonderful and very generous doctors willing to help care for her medical needs. But so much will not be covered. There will be medical expenses, as well as gas expenses, and food expenses. They will have a two hour long road trip back and forth to the hospital and for all the medical tests and appointments and surgery’s when she is strong enough to have them.
3. Please share the story to help bring more help. All of us together can make a difference in this one little child’s life. Thank you! Thank You!! THANK YOU and God bless you in a mighty way.

Hola, namaste, hi, hello! Julio and I have decided to create this page for our sweet girl Subie! So who are we? We are a family of 5 that started back in 2011 when two insane teenagers decided to start our life together. J works in the IT field and I am a homeschooling mom and nighttime student fini...

08/11/2022

And if you run out of books to read, check out the library!

Then ask your legislators to support libraries in your state - action.everylibrary.org/emailreps

07/22/2022

Smell that baby!!!!
And I’m pretty sure that smell of a new born can be smelled by all females that have birthed a child until the end of her life.

Scientists have discovered an odorless scent molecule called hexadecanal, or HEX, that is released by humans and impacts aggressive behavior. The HEX molecule is the most abundant molecule released on the newborn baby's head. The researchers found that this molecule reduced aggression in males (biologically important as infanticide is a relatively common event in the mammalian world) and increased aggression in females (key to infant protection). We have shared with parents that when they are skin to skin with their newborn they should remove the baby's hat to allow them to inhale the scent of their newborn as it elicits an entire range of activity in the parental brain. This is one more reason to take a deep sniff! (Mishor et al., 2022)

Source: Eva Mishor et al, Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530