The Happy Mama Place

02/03/2026

Sometimes the work is already done.
All that’s left is rest.

02/02/2026

You don’t always need a table or a treatment room.
Sometimes support looks like sitting across from each other at breakfast.
She was approaching 42 weeks.
Her care was changing.
She was being transferred from a low-intervention midwife model to a high-risk teaching hospital.
And the pressure was loud.
Her first birth had been an induction with an epidural.
This time, she wanted something different.
But wanting something different doesn’t always feel steady when decisions start stacking up.
So we slowed things down.
We talked through what her body was doing.
What fear can do to flow.
What helps the nervous system soften instead of brace.
A few days later, her body went into labor on its own.
She used the tub.
No epidural.
Under four hours.
This is what flow looks like when the body feels supported, not rushed.
When trust is protected.
When preparation includes the nervous system, not just the plan.

01/28/2026

This twin placenta helps explain why breaking the water matters.

As a placenta encapsulator, I don’t just process tissue. I slow down and study how each baby was supported.

This placenta was especially meaningful.
As I held it, I was holding the amniotic sac that once separated Baby A and Baby B. The thin, delicate membrane that allowed two babies to grow side by side, each with their own space, rhythm, and blood supply.

Both umbilical cords had marginal insertions, attaching along the edge of the placenta rather than the center. On the left, several blood vessels traveled through the bag of waters before entering the placental tissue. Strong, well-developed vessels that relied on the protection of that fluid-filled space.

Why this matters anatomically:
When blood vessels run through the bag of waters, they are not protected by placental tissue or Wharton’s jelly. If the water is broken before those vessels are well supported or if traction is applied to a marginal cord. Those vessels can be compressed, stretched, or torn. In certain situations, this kind of anatomy can require more thoughtful, careful support, as vessel injury may affect blood flow to the baby or lead to sudden bleeding.

Seeing this anatomy up close is a powerful reminder that some placentas require extra care, patience, and individualized decision-making during labor and birth.

Every placenta tells a story.
This one speaks of balance, separation, connection and the importance of honoring anatomy and timing.

01/27/2026

This may look like a simple side-lying pelvic tuck.

But this mother lived in an anterior pelvic tilt in her daily life.
That pattern didn’t start in labor. It showed up long before.

This birth was an induction at 37 weeks due to special circumstances, and it moved quickly, under five hours.
What made the difference wasn’t just this position in the moment.

It was the work done during pregnancy.
Bodywork.
Creating awareness.
Helping her body learn how to access different pelvic patterns ahead of time.

Yes, I could have placed her here during labor.
But without that preparation, her body might have only responded briefly.

Because we worked with these patterns in pregnancy, her body responded fully when it mattered most.

This is why preparation isn’t about memorizing positions.
It’s about teaching the body how to respond when the time comes.

01/26/2026

She turns 7 today 🤍

Seven years ago, I imagined giving birth in our gazebo,
heat lamps glowing,
the world quiet,
fresh untouched snow outside.

That was the vision.

Instead, I had complete placenta previa, and a cesarean was the safest path.
No storm. No emergency.
Just a moment where the plan changed.

My oldest was right there with us that day, plans shifted in more ways than one.

Today, seven years later, a snowstorm rolls in and a state of emergency is declared.

It feels like a quiet reminder of something birth taught me early:
we can hold a vision and release it, without loss, without shame.

Happy birthday, my girl 🤍

01/24/2026

Before the room fills.
Before anyone is asked to do anything.

The body is already being supported.

01/23/2026

Most birth preparation focuses on mindset.

I help prepare the body too.
These moments matter.
When bodies learn how to soften, yield, and respond before labor, birth stops feeling like something that just happens to you.

This is what preparation looks like in my work:

• hands-on guidance
• movement that creates space
• partners learning how to support
• skills that live in the body, not just the mind

If you’re pregnant and want birth preparation that goes deeper than surface-level techniques, you’re in the right place.

—Doula Jessica Ann

01/22/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AXsss8XT4/

Grief can feel so isolating… especially when the world keeps moving.

Still With Me 🤍
A pregnancy & infant loss workshop series meant to give a space for grief, meaning-making, and what it can look like to carry love forward.

🗓 Biweekly Sundays | Feb 22 – April 26 (5 workshops)
⏰ 1–3 PM
📍 Wyomissing Office
💗 Free to attend
👥 Facilitated by Taylor Schmittzeh

Whether your loss was recent or years ago, you don’t have to hold it alone. You are welcome exactly as you are.

484-706-9465
Care@everlastingwellnesscounseling.com

01/22/2026

Today was Tools Time.

Not flashy.
Not loud.
Just learning, observing, and refining how bodies move through pregnancy and birth.

I’m always paying attention to patterns. How posture, tension, and positioning show up in real life, not just in theory.
Because what we notice before labor often shapes how labor unfolds.

This kind of work doesn’t always make it onto social.
But it’s a big part of how I support families behind the scenes.

01/18/2026

Dora Tsiattalos is an amazing instructor

Pumping doesn’t have to feel overwhelming 💛

Join us for an in-person pumping class designed to help breastfeeding parents troubleshoot common challenges and feel more confident feeding their babies. Bring your pump and parts with you so we can help you with sizing and fl**ge parts.

📅 January 22
⏰ 10:30 AM
📍 In person
💲 $25

Spots are limited — reserve yours today using the link below!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980644266318?aff=oddtdtcreator

01/17/2026

This is unwinding.

Lowered lights.
Quiet presence.
Fewer words.
A nervous system that finally feels safe enough to soften.

Unwinding isn’t something I “do” to someone.
It’s something the body remembers how to do when the space feels right.

Whether it’s pregnancy, labor, or postpartum.

This kind of environment changes everything.

This is the work beneath the work.

01/16/2026

Another awesome workshop and collaboration coming up next month! 😍

Join our infant expert and Certified Infant Massage Instructor, Mary Vanesko, along with our friends at Webb Chiropractic Center Wyoming Pa for an informational class on infant torticollis on February 5th! This FREE workshop will cover all the basics about torticollis and how to get your baby to meet their developmental milestones 👶 Email allisons@well-nurtured.com to reserve your spot!!