The Lifted Doula

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas everyone!!

12/25/2022

12/23/2022

Did you know?

12/21/2022

With each exhale, I breathe out tension and stress.

12/21/2022

A lot of times birthing positions are instinctual but when they aren’t your doula will know how to position your body for the best birth outcome!

What can you do if you are birthing a baby and the doctor or midwife says, ..."shoulder dystocia"... or "the head is out but the shoulders aren't coming"? Here's a birth position called *Running Start* to make room for baby's shoulders: All-fours, and flatten your lower back.

12/20/2022

OK: science post!

It can be hard to explain this simply, but basically there is an ingredient in breastmilk called FIL. (Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation. Inhibitor means it inhibits, stops or discourages lactation)

As the breast fills up with milk, FIL gets bossy AF and tells the milk production to slow down.
So the fuller your b**b, the SLOWER milk is being made.

ALSO, fat kind of clings to your milk ducts, so when your breast feels as flat as a pancake after 2 hours of cluster feeding and your baby is pulling on and off like they haven't eaten for weeks they are actually pulling out that really high fat milk. So it is fine and beneficial even if they aren't getting really high volumes of it.

THEN because the breast is really soft and FIL isn't really hanging around at this point, the breast speeds up production so you have lots more milk later.

Clever isn't it?

12/20/2022

"You can't have candy canes, or it will kill your supply!"

There are no published studies linking peppermint/menthol with loss of breastmilk supply. While there is anecdotal evidence that high doses of peppermint essential oils may affect nursing, no research has been done.

However, many families DO struggle with maintaining nursing frequency during the holidays. Try to keep baby close and milk flowing (with either baby or pump) even while traveling, shopping, or visiting family and friends.


[Image: Close up photo of peppermint candies. Text: Will peppermint candies kill your supply? Probably not. But infrequent nursing will. Keep baby close and nursing--even during the busy holidays.]

12/19/2022

Omg 😍😍😍

12/19/2022

There are many benefits to birthing in an upright position!

12/18/2022

Birth affirmations change your view!