JayBird Doula Services

01/14/2023

Some sound advice from a pelvic floor PT!

01/13/2023

Let’s discuss cervical checks. In a healthy pregnancy, I recommend avoiding them before - and even during - labor. Why? Because we tend to look at the cervix as a crystal ball, as if it can predict when the baby will arrive. But the truth is, not only can two different providers give you two different answers on how your cervix feels to them, but your dilation has no bearing on how long labor will take (the idea that it does is based on a study that is incredibly flawed and very outdated). In addition, it’s an easy way to introduce bacteria into your body, which can then lead to an infection.

During labor, interrupting your primal brain to get back into your logic brain can slow you down and make it more difficult to get back into the zone again. The bottom line is, between the person laboring who knows their body, and a good provider/doula/team who are watching you closely and paying attention, there are other ways to tell what “stage” of labor you’re in. You won’t miss the birth of your baby, I promise.

So the moral of the story here is that you can say NO to cervical checks in pregnancy and labor, even when it’s “standard protocol.” Hold your power. You can be an active participant in your birth, not just a patient who has procedures done to them because it’s hospital policy. You deserve to birth with dignity and autonomy.🖤

01/12/2023

I’ve been in a period of change lately. Something is brewing… I don’t know exactly what, yet. But I’ve been trying to pay more attention to what my body needs, and what my soul craves. That looks like lots of books about birth and spirituality, mixed in with some yoga and time spent under the sky. I’m trying to write my thoughts down more often, and be mindfully in my body in the moment.

I’m wrestling with what it means to be feminine, to be a birth worker, to be an advocate in our current system… to be me. I’m a bit of an eclectic mashup of all sorts of personality traits and personal preferences, and I’m learning to lean into the fact that I just don’t quite fit anywhere. Maybe that’s ok, maybe I was meant to stand out.

In any case, I’m in a state of flux right now and I’m honoring that by being still and paying attention. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD after having it brushed off as anxiety my whole life, and maybe that’s been part of what’s pulled me inward. But whatever it is… I’m enjoying the journey. So this space may start to look more like a lot of musings on birth and life more often, as I grow into my voice as a birth worker and flex my writing muscles again. 🖤

01/11/2023

01/11/2023

12/31/2022

After spending many months soul searching over the last year and a half, I finally “re-opened for business” in April with no real goals or expectations for the year. I just wanted to test the waters and see if there was space for me in the birth community here in Richmond. Birth work is my passion, and I am lucky enough to be able to chase that passion as my job… but I had no idea just how fast and hard I would fall in love with my community — of people to serve, of people to teach me to serve better or differently, of people to serve with — and the impact it would have on me.
I’m looking back on this past year in absolute awe and gratitude. I have learned SO much about birth and about myself; I’ve found myself and learned to really love her. And I’m so excited for 2023 and to be able to spend more time looking outward instead of inward… but always learning more and growing my village. THANK YOU to each family who trusted me to be in their birth space, and thank you to all of my fellow doulas who let me cry on your shoulder and who pushed me to be better. I have big goals for this next year and I’m so excited to see them come to fruition!

12/27/2022

Try something with me, would you? Close your eyes for a minute and picture the birth of your baby. What does it look like? How does it feel? What are some of the words that come to mind to describe it? Now open your eyes and let me let you in on a little secret: you’re allowed to want things for your birth. You’re allowed to want more out of it than just a healthy baby! Your initiation into parenthood (for the first, second, or tenth time) matters. It deserves - even demands - to be celebrated. Coming away from your experience with your health and your baby’s health should be a given. There can be so much more to it than that! So tell me… what does your birth look like when you allow yourself the space to want more than just a healthy baby?

12/25/2022

I’ve seen this beautiful depiction of Mary giving birth, by , going around on social media today, and it just really struck a chord with me. 7 years ago, I was 9 months pregnant on Christmas… and something about that experience just really drew me in to Mary’s story like never before. Whether or not you’re religious, there’s power in connecting to the universal transformation of birth. Mary did it alone in a stable. She dug deep within and did the work. How amazing it is that all these years later, although birthing circumstances usually look somewhat different, so much of it is still the same?

Anyway, I wanted to wish all my doula families and doula friends a very Merry Christmas to you and your family from me and mine. Thank you for allowing me to dive deep into birth work this year… thank you for trusting me to be part of the process. Thank you for letting me learn from you. And here’s to an amazing year of birth work next year!