Doulas of Empowerment LLC, D.O.E

11/04/2025

The Bridge project is for women that are 14 weeks pregnant or less. Please go to the website and see if you qualify you can receive $750 a month for 3 years.

11/03/2025

Bookings are closed until January.

11/01/2025

10/31/2025

🌿 Affirmation Friday:
“My body was made to birth this baby. I am calm, capable, and connected.”

Pregnancy isn’t about perfection, it’s about trusting the process.
Every stretch, every change, every kick is your body’s way of saying,
“Look at the miracle we’re creating together.” 💚

Take a deep breath today and remind yourself:
You are strong. You are growing life. You are enough, exactly as you are.

💬 Drop a 🌸 if you needed this reminder today.

10/23/2025

🩺 When childbirth becomes more than “just birth”: Understanding medical trauma in the delivery room

Childbirth is often portrayed as a joyful milestone, but for many birthing people, it can also be deeply traumatic. Medical trauma during childbirth occurs when the experience feels overwhelming, unsafe, or out of control, leaving lasting emotional effects long after physical healing.

🔍 What the research shows

Up to 1 in 3 birthing people describe their birth as psychologically traumatic.
(ScienceDirect, 2023)

Between 5–20% develop symptoms of childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD).
(Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health)

Triggers often include:
➤ Emergency or unplanned interventions
➤ Feeling ignored, dismissed, or powerless
➤ Separation from baby
➤ Intense pain or fear
➤ Poor communication from medical staff
➤ Previous trauma history
(Frontiers in Public Health, 2025)

💔 What birth trauma can look like

Even when everything looks “fine” medically, emotional wounds can linger. Birth trauma may show up as:

Flashbacks, nightmares, or avoidance of anything birth-related

Feeling detached from baby or partner

Intense guilt, anger, or shame

Panic, fear, or physical tension when thinking about birth

Difficulty sleeping or bonding

Avoiding medical settings or future pregnancies

If you’ve ever thought, “Everyone says I should be happy, but I just feel numb or angry,” that’s a signal to pause and give yourself compassion.

🤝 How doulas help reduce and support birth trauma

Continuous support: Unlike most hospital staff, doulas remain with you throughout labor — offering calm presence, comfort measures, and emotional grounding.

Advocacy & communication: Doulas help ensure your voice is heard and your preferences are respected, translating complex medical language into understanding.

Reducing fear: Evidence shows continuous doula support can lower rates of unplanned C-sections, shorten labor, and improve satisfaction with birth experiences.
(Cochrane Review, 2017)

Post-birth debriefing: Doulas create safe space to talk through your birth story, helping you process emotions and reconnect with your strength.

Referrals & resources: When trauma signs appear, a doula can gently connect you to therapists, p*er groups, and trauma-informed professionals for deeper healing.

Doulas don’t replace medical care, they complement it, ensuring compassion and presence stay at the heart of birth.

10/21/2025

📢 Important Maternal Health Alert

🔍 Did You Know?
According to the Society for Maternal‑Fetal Medicine (SMFM), the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum individuals in the United States is violent death—homicide and su***de combined.

⚠️ The Facts:

A national study reported that among ~20,400 maternal deaths between 2005-2022, 11% (≈2,293) were due to homicide or su***de.

Of those violent deaths, ~61% were homicides and ~39% su***des.

Fi****ms were involved in 55% of those violent deaths.

These outcomes underscore that maternal mortality isn’t only about medical or obstetric complications — it also involves violence and mental health.

📌 Why It’s Critical:

Pregnancy and the postpartum period bring dramatic physical, emotional, and social changes — stressors that can heighten vulnerability.

Recognizing homicide and su***de as leading causes helps spotlight prevention strategies beyond the delivery room.

SMFM emphasizes the need to address violence, mental health, access to care, and disparities in maternal health.

💡 What You Can Do:

1. Screen Early: If you’re pregnant or postpartum, ask about your emotional well-being, stress levels, and whether you feel safe at home.

2. Talk About It: Share concerns with your care-team (OB/GYN, midwife, MFM specialist) about mood, thoughts of harm, or unsafe environments.

3. Build Support: Connect with trusted friends/family, join prenatal/postpartum support groups, and ask for help when you need it.

4. Safety Planning: If you’re in a relationship where you feel unsafe, let your provider know — let’s make a plan together.

5. Mental Health Matters: Depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts — these are valid medical concerns. Prompt care can save lives.

👉 Let’s Raise Awareness
Pregnancy should be a time of hope and anticipation, not fear. By sharing this fact, you help someone feel less alone and more empowered to speak up

Sources:
SMFM “New National Study Finds Homicide and Su***de is the #1 Cause of Maternal Death in the U.S

Feel free to share this post broadly. The more we talk about it, the more lives we can protect. 💙

10/21/2025

Celebrating my 1st year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

10/20/2025

If you receive the Maysville living check out this month's article.
I was asked to write an article for this month as it is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.

In 2014, I experienced a traumatic miscarriage and following that is when I had my rainbow baby born in 2017.

1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss

1 in 160 babies are born still

24,00 infants die each year

No one needs to go through it alone!

10/14/2025

What is one thing you didn't expect about pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum?

Share below👇🏽 you never know if your story can help someone.

10/06/2025

Not only is Santa 🎅 coming in December, but BABIES too!! 🤰🏽

🔆My December books are full!!! I still have availability for November and January! 🔆

10/04/2025

🌸 Did You Know? 🌸
You don’t always have to push the moment you reach 10 cm (fully dilated).

This option is called “delayed pushing” or “laboring down.”
Instead of jumping straight into active pushing, some birthing people rest and let contractions + gravity help baby move down naturally first.

✨ Why Some Families Consider It

Conserve energy before the hard work of pushing 🧘‍♀️

Allow baby more time to descend naturally 👶

Reduce the time spent actively pushing

⚠️ What the Research Shows (ACOG & others)

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) explains that delayed pushing has not been proven to increase vaginal birth rates for first-time parents with an epidural.

Large studies (including one published in JAMA) found that while delayed pushing meant less time actively pushing, it also meant longer overall labor — and sometimes increased risks like infection or heavier bleeding.

Because of this, many hospitals now encourage pushing once you’re fully dilated, unless your care team sees a reason to wait.

💡 What This Means for You
Every birth is unique! As your doula, I’ll help you:
✔️ Understand your options clearly
✔️ Talk through your hospital or provider’s policies
✔️ Find positions and comfort techniques to support descent naturally
✔️ Advocate for what feels right for your body and baby

🌼 Delayed pushing can sound appealing, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Knowing the evidence helps you feel confident and empowered in making decisions during your birth journey.

💬 Would you consider laboring down? Drop your thoughts or questions below 👇🏽

10/02/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Jr7vhJe6K/?mibextid=wwXIfr

.
🔄𝐓𝐇𝐄 “𝐓𝐎𝐏-𝐎𝐅𝐅” 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏🔄
✦
Lactating parents often wonder if their baby is getting enough milk while nursing.
✦
Especially when their baby is nursing around the clock and it seems like they are never satisfied.
✦
This may alarm the parents and they begin to “top-off” their baby.
✦
This can begin a cycle that may ultimately lead your body to actually making less milk.
✦
Why?
Topping of leaves baby extra full
⬇️
Baby sleeps longer
⬇️
Baby nurses less
⬇️
Body is signaled to decrease milk
✦
Also, the amount of milk you can pump is not an indication of how much milk your baby is getting.......it’s an indication of how much you can pump. The pump should not be used as a measuring tool. It can lead to the parent being in distress if they are not able to pump lots of milk.
✦
Things to look for instead:
💕Baby gaining weight
💕Lots of p*e diapers
💕Poop diapers *babies who are nursed may p**p less often, refer back to looking for weight gain”
✦
Babies fuss for many reasons and it can feel like they are not satisfied while nursing but keep in mind that babies cluster feed for so many reasons and it is normal.
✦
Seek the help of your local lactation consultant if you need confirmation that your baby is doing well or indeed needs help.
✦
Your pediatrician is NOT your best bet for help in this area.
✦
-Love,
Flor Cruz
/ .like.a.badass

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, & 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭!