Abloom Birth

13/10/2021

The whole website got a facelift, plus ✨N E W✨ information added to it 💜 exciting things are going to be happening soon for Abloom Birth and you won’t want to miss it!

Check it out 👇

Striving to help expectant families achieve their ideal birth experience through hands-on and emotional support, education, and empowerment.

05/10/2021

🎀 Breast Cancer & Breast Feeding 🎀

October is officially breast cancer awareness month and those of you who have breastfed or are breastfeeding, know just how important those tatas really are!

While rare, breast cancer can develop in breastfeeding women. Because of the changes the breast tissue undergoes during breastfeeding, the cancer can be very hard to detect; however, here’s a couple of things breastfeeding women should be aware of:

✅ While breastfeeding, it’s normal for the breasts to feel lumpy and full, and appear swollen.
❌ Lumps that don’t go away, are painless, hard, grow, and/or fixed in the same place are of concern.
✅ While breastfeeding, it’s normal for veins to be very visible and give the skin a blue-ish hue.
❌ Skin that is puckered and resembles that of an orange peel is of concern.
✅ While breastfeeding, it’s normal for the ar**la and ni**le to be very dark and leak fluid.
❌ Ni***es that have an abnormal discharge, a new distorted shape to them, or develop a rash that does not go away are of concern.

👍The good news is that only 3% of women develop breast cancer while breastfeeding, but spreading awareness about what’s normal/abnormal can increase early detection rates and minimize the treatment needed.

Here’s some general facts about breast cancer:
👙1 in 8 women develop breast cancer
👙 40% of breast cancer is found via self breast exam
👙 Breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 60%
👙 85% of breast cancer diagnoses are made in women with no family history of breast cancer

Ladies, those are some B I G numbers! The key is early detection. Do your monthly self-breast exams, question anything suspicious, maintain your regular well check-ups with your doctor, and above all else - 👏 SHARE 👏 WHAT 👏 YOU 👏 KNOW!

💪 Let’s all work together to Save The Tatas 💪

21/09/2021

✨ Trust The Process ✨

During labor, the transition phase is the most intense. It is the final phase of labor just before birth and starts from the time you are 7cm dilated, up until full dilation of 10cm.

This is the shortest phase of labor, but contractions are lasting 60-90 seconds and only allowing about a 2 minute rest in between, and sometimes, can overlap.

This phase of labor often affects the mother’s psyche. Often times, this is when pain medication is wanted, this is the time the mother wants to give up, or feel as if they can’t possibly do this anymore - which is the same thing Aimee said to me right before I took this picture.

Several things can help make mama feel more empowered during this phase and can ease her through. As you can see in the picture, Aimee has her mouth open and her eyes closed. Focusing on breathing through this phase is HUGE! Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Whether you have a doula during labor or not, it’s extremely important that your support person coaches you through breathing. During a time of fear, self-doubt, intense pain, and sometimes chaos - breathing not only gives mama the sense of control, but also helps her relax which is when things begin to move quicker.

Breathing is the key in this phase 🔑
But other things that can help are…
👌 Re-Positioning
👌 Keeping cool with cold wash cloths or ice chips
👌 Sacral counter-pressure
👌 Moving around, if you’re able

Wanting a unmedicated birth? Don’t let the transition phase stop you! If you’ve made it through labor so far unmedicated, you can make it through transition unmedicated, too! Since transition occurs so late, your options for pain medication are very limited anyways. Support people - THIS is where you come in! Encourage, encourage, encourage… they can do it!

Trust the process. Last phase of labor means baby is coming SOON! You CAN do it 💪

“There is a phase in labor, appropriately called ‘transition’, where a woman will meet her breaking point. She’ll feel as though the just can’t go on, and she is right. The maiden in her is not strong enough for the task at hand. It’s during this time the maiden dies so that the woman can be reborn as a mother, with her child. A new, more capable version of herself with far more strength than she has ever known.” -Unknown 💜

09/09/2021

👃 Pregnancy Rhinitis 👃

Runny nose and congestion while pregnant? That’s actually a symptom of carrying your kiddo!

Affecting about 30% of women in the second and third trimester, pregnancy rhinitis is characterized by nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and postnasal drip.

Pregnancy rhinitis is caused by:

🤰 Smoking before pregnancy predisposes women to experience pregnancy rhinitis.
🤰 Having additional fluid in the body. Unfortunately, swelling isn’t limited to the hands and feet. The blood vessels in your nasal passages can also swell.
🤰 The secretion of Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

As for treatment, there’s plenty of medical treatment options, such as nasal decongestants, but did you know that taking decongestants while pregnant could potentially lead to the risk of birth defects?
🛑 Always make sure to ask your doctor or midwife what is safe to take during pregnancy 🛑

Aside from medication, there are plenty of all natural remedies you can do to combat the symptoms of pregnancy rhinitis, including:

☀️ Stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids
☀️ Elevate the head of your bed with pillows while you sleep/lay down.
☀️ Use a humidifier
☀️ Inhale eucalyptus v***r
☀️ Saline irrigation (Neti pot)
☀️ Exercise
☀️ Vitamin C
☀️ Accupressure (bridge of nose)

Did you experience pregnancy rhinitis? How long did it last for you?

16/04/2021

🙏 Grieving the Experience 🙏

Having a baby is one of life’s most amazing and beautiful experiences, but it can also be traumatic and cause feelings of guilt when things don’t quite go as planned.

“Be glad you still have a beautiful baby”, “it’s childbirth. It never goes as planned.”, “you still got a healthy baby out of it”.

👆Those are just a FEW of the comments I’ve heard when women begin to talk about their birth experience.

Mamas, let me be very real with you. It’s OKAY to celebrate your new addition but grieve the experience you wanted. It’s okay to recognize that you would’ve done things differently. It’s okay to feel grateful you have a healthy baby, but also feel like their entrance could’ve been different. It’s okay to feel feelings of guilt.

I’m no therapist, but I truly believe that postpartum depression can stem from these feelings and from being repeatedly dismissed when trying to express them. Mamas, when you’re in those quiet moments - maybe in the shower, lying in bed, during a feeding - take the time to truly reflect on your experience. Take time to cry about it. Think about what you would’ve done differently. Write it in a journal, make notes in your phone, confide in a friend or your partner, pray about it. THAT is taking care of your mental health. THAT is an important part of recovery.

It’s true, birth doesn’t always go as planned. The goal is always healthy mama and baby and sometimes, things go a little wayward in order to meet that goal. As a society, we need to understand how shocking and traumatizing this can be and we need to listen without the commentary.

As a doula, my commitment to advocate for you and support you goes beyond the delivery room. Please reach out if you need someone to talk to! Your mental health matters... you aren’t alone, mama 💜

09/03/2021

A little validation for your Tuesday. This goes for ALL parents. ♥️
credit:

25/02/2021

🤝 Choosing Your Birth Team 🤝

Mamas-to-be, this one is important ‼️

I think anyone who has ever experienced labor can tell you about the physical aspect of it... am I right? But what people don’t tell you, is how much of a mental game it is. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve given birth five times, a new pregnancy typically requires new goals. The most important thing about labor is to stay focused on YOUR goals!

So, what do I mean by goals? Well, what is your desirable birth experience?

Some common goals include:
💪 An all-natural birth
💪 Waiting to get an epidural
💪 Use as little pain medicine as possible
💪 Walk around during labor
💪 Breastfeed after delivery
💪 Immediate skin-to-skin

No goal is too big or too small, and most of the time all goals are able to obtained... if you have a supportive birth team!

Getting side tracked from the goals you set for your birthing experience is super easy, especially when you don’t have a birth team backing you up and supporting you through it. Aside from choosing a great care provider who wants the same goals for you, it’s important for you to carefully choose who you want by your side as you enter into this new phase of motherhood.

I’m going to use my best friend, Maria, as an example. Maria took the time to carefully choose the members of her birth team. Aside from her husband, she chose her mother, her husband’s grandmother, and myself. She gave us the opportunity to learn her goals beforehand so we would be able to better support her when the time came for her to go into labor. Not only did she verbalize her goals, she wrote her expectations and birth preferences down for us and the medical staff to review. This allowed for us ALL to better support Maria, both emotionally and physically.

📎 Remember, the members of your birth team should not be there to WATCH - you are not entertainment- they should be willing to step in and support you.

When it came to caring for Maria, we took turns giving back rubs, holding her hands, holding her legs and feet, sitting at the foot of her bed so she wouldn’t slide down, giving her words of affirmation and encouragement- and that was just the beginning. My point is we all played a part, no one just sat and watched.

Tips:
📌 Choose birth team members you share common beliefs with (Typically, these are people you are very close to)
📌 Allow your birth team to review your birth plan/preferences
📌 Communicate your needs during labor with your birth team
📌 Set clear boundaries beforehand

Birth is an intimate experience, but it is not private, so be sure you choose team members who not only support you, but you are completely comfortable with. Don’t ever let anyone “bully” you into choosing who is by your side as you welcome your new baby. THIS IS YOUR BIRTH EXPERIENCE 💜

📸 I took this picture of Maria and her mom just a couple of hours before Baby K made his appearance. You can feel the love and emotion in the room 🥰

22/02/2021

PostPartum.
Some women bounce right back. Some women never do. Some women loose half the weight while the other weight just hangs out.

Some women deal with crazy emotions. Some women are chipper and happy. Some women cry every day.

Whatever it is. Know it’s a journey.

The women who lose the weight immediately, are probably dealing with crazy emotions. The women who don’t loose any of the weight could be feeling completely normal and happy.

There is no right or wrong to postpartum. So don’t compare yourself to others.

Happy Monday ♥️

16/02/2021

As many of you know, I’ve been a MIA over the past several months because of nursing school and I’ve had to step away from being a doula to focus on my studies.

That being said, I’m excited to announce that I’m beginning to accept clients who are due as early as ✨August✨
It’s never too early to start interviewing doulas and planning your support team!!

I look forward to serving you 💜

04/02/2021

✨ Liquid Gold ✨

Also known as breast milk. It’s known as liquid gold because well, to your baby and even to you, it is.

In terms of breastfeeding, what do you think these three images represent?

🧠 The Brain: the body’s area designated for any and all body movements, hormone production, learning, and development. If possible, it’s important for human babies to receive human milk because breastmilk contains specific vitamins and minerals that improve brain development and are specific to the way the human body grows and functions.

🥛 The Cups: The cup containing the yellow liquid represents colostrum, and the cup containing the white liquid represents mature milk. A woman begins producing colostrum during pregnancy. This is the first bit of “milk” that the baby receives in the first few days after being born. Among other things, Colostrum contains SEVERAL antibodies and white blood cells needed for a strong immune system. It helps create and promote good GI health, too. It is literally the superfood for a newborn baby. Mature milk will continue to provide baby with antibodies and nourishment for however long you decide to breastfeed. Mature milk is also specific to your baby’s needs and will provide what is needed for baby.

❤️ The Hearts: These represent bonding. When you breastfeed, your brain releases the hormone Oxytocin. This hormone promotes bonding and also helps the uterus to contract and control bleeding immediately after delivery. For this reason, it’s encouraged that the first feeding should take place ASAP after delivery. Breastfeeding is a beautiful and natural way to bond with your new bundle of joy!

10/10/2020

💙💗 October is the month when we remember the sweet souls we lost too soon, but I think it’s important we remember those mamas too.

To the mama who is trying for another baby.

To the mama who has spent a fortune on pregnancy tests just to see only one line.

To the mama who is happy 95% of the time.

To the mama still bargaining.

To the mama who wishes those expecting parents well, but desperately wishes it was her... again.

To the mama who isn’t quite ready to feel vulnerable again.

To the mama who attends every baby shower with a smile, but her heart is still breaking beneath the surface.

To the mama who is a mama to everyone else’s babies.

To the mama who has her hard days.

To the mama who feels out of place and like her pregnancy is forgotten and voided.

To the mama who knows and has accepted that the hole will never be filled.

I see you. I hear you. I am you.

Pregnancy loss affects 1 in 4 women. Yet, it’s still such a taboo subject. It’s uncomfortable, yes, but I promise it’s worse NOT to talk about it.

As a society, we have to do better. For the sake of some of the strongest mamas out there 💛

04/09/2020

✨The Dilation Station ✨

Can anyone guess where the best place to labor is???..If you guessed the 🚽 then you would be correct!

So what makes the toilet so incredible while laboring? Besides the obvious,

⭐️ Laboring on the toilet allows you be positioned in a supported squat - squatting opens up the pelvis by 30-40%, allowing baby to move easier through the birth canal.
⭐️ When we sit on the toilet, our pelvic floor naturally relaxes (go figure!) which again, allows baby to pass easier through the birth canal.
⭐️ GRAVITY — the most helpful tool during labor and delivery!
⭐️ The bathroom offers a quiet and private place.

🚽 The toilet = a quicker labor and delivery ⏰

Because the toilet allows your pelvis to open and pelvic floor to relax, this naturally will make contractions more intense (check out the picture below👇) That’s a good thing as it means baby is coming ‼️

💡TIP: You can sit backwards on the toilet with a pillow in front of you for extra support! Sitting backwards also allows for your doula or partner to do gentle massage to help relax you, which also aids in the process!

The best part 👀 THIS APPLIES TO ALL BIRTHS - not just home births or birthing centers! You CAN labor on the toilet in a hospital setting, just be sure to talk with your provider and the nursing staff so they can assist you as needed and also offer support!

🏷 Tag all of your expecting mama friends 🤗

DISCLAIMER: I do not own rights to the photo