Innate Doula Services with Erica

07/28/2025

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The term “high risk” gets thrown around a lot in the birth world! But did you know there’s no actual definition of it? It’s become an unhelpful catch phrase, soaking women in fear (and often complete lies) to persuade a particular course of action. High risk = whatever that “expert” is uncomfortable with.

High is subjective. Risk is subjective. Higher than what? Risk of what?

Sister, YOU are the one who determines what risks you will take. There is no life without risk. There is no birth without risk. The more we intervene to mitigate *some* risks, the more we introduce other ones.

⚠️High risk...how much?
•How often does that feared thing occur?
•What exactly do you mean by “high”? All? Some? One percent? Less than 1%? Is that actually “high”?
•How often does that thing NOT occur?

⚠️High risk...of what?
•What *exactly* is the risk we are worried about and why?

⚠️High risk...with what type of care?
•Do other providers address this completely differently?
•Would another OB or midwife give completely different advice?
•Would this have been treated differently just a few years ago or in a few years time when protocols and recommendations change yet again?

⚠️Who’s the one who should ultimately be weighing and deciding what risks she is comfortable with in her own situation for herself and her baby?

We need to consider that in way too many cases the high risk label and the recommendations because of it actually can *create more* risk for many women than the actual thing that is of potential concern 😳

If this term starts getting thrown around, don’t be afraid to question it, challenge it, dig into it, or even walk right away from it.

👉🏼👉🏼What’s more high risk than anything is being afraid to take ownership of your health and not questioning the same system that has failed women and babies over and over again.👈🏼👈🏼

🤍

07/20/2025

You'll never know that vaginal breech birth is possible if you never see it. And if your providers tell you it's not possible.

-Love,
Flor Cruz
Badassmotherbirther

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

06/05/2025

In our Lakota lifeways, giving birth was never treated like an emergency or a sickness. It was a sacred transition—one that connected a woman to the spirit world and marked her as powerful, not fragile.

💛 After birth, a woman wasn’t expected to return to daily tasks.
She was honored and given rest. Her healing time was protected.
She was cared for by a circle of women—her mother, grandmothers, aunties, and midwives—who fed her, cared for her baby, tended the home, and wrapped her in support.

🌿 Nourishment & Medicine
New mothers were given warm broths, bison marrow soups, and teas made from sacred plants like:

Wíyaŋ čhaŋ (Red raspberry leaf) – for womb healing

Ȟaŋté čhaŋȟlóǧa (Yarrow) – to slow bleeding

Sage, wild mint, cedar – to cleanse and restore balance

Sweet clover and comfrey – used as compresses or poultices

🌿🦬Check out our Pejuta Winyan Tea or Tinctures on my website www.lakotamade.com 🦬🌿

Warmth & Womb Healing

Bellies were gently wrapped in cloth or hides, keeping the womb supported.

Herbal steams may have been used to aid recovery and cleansing.

Binding and light massage helped reposition the uterus and soothe the body.

Ceremony & Spiritual Support

Women were seen as walking between worlds after birth—their dreams and visions were listened to.

The birth space was blessed, songs were sung, and prayers were offered.

This wasn’t isolation—it was sacred solitude for bonding and healing.

The baby was seen as sacred, a gift from the spirit world.

Naming ceremonies and blessings welcomed the child into the community.

🧡 It Took a Village
Caring for a new mother wasn’t just the family’s job—it was the community’s responsibility.
She was never left alone to “figure it out.” She was held, nourished, loved.

Colonization disrupted these lifeways.
But our teachings are still here.
They live in our memories, in our blood, in the stories our grandmothers passed down.

Let’s remember that true postpartum care is ceremonial, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Let’s return to the circle.
Let’s honor our Wíŋyaŋ for the life-bringers they are.

05/06/2025