Amy Baker, Doula

04/05/2026

Wishing you a wonderful Easter! 🐣

04/03/2026

Have you ever heard of the term ‘shark music’? I hadn’t either, but it’s characterized by the circleofsecurity as the moment you react as a parent due to triggers from your past. In other words, an overreaction due to past baggage.

“Understanding Shark Music isn't about tracing everything back to your childhood and feeling worse. It's about creating just enough space in the present moment between the trigger and your automatic response to recognize, “I’m hearing Shark Music,” and with this awareness, you now have access to choice.”

This is a great article for parents to learn to recognize their own behaviors and how to retrain your reactions.

Shark Music: when a parent's past shapes their present response, it isn't a flaw. It's a signal worth learning to listen for.

04/03/2026

Listen all the way through, friends.

John Denver · John Denver's Greatest Hits · Song · 1973

04/03/2026

04/02/2026

How you labor matters. Having a IV placed has become a standard with hospital births. They are often set to continuously drip while in labor. These fluids don’t just hydrate you, they cross the placenta and also enter your baby. Why is this a big deal? Research suggests that these fluids can actually inflate your baby’s birth weight. They will p*e this fluid out, usually as the first day progresses. So why does that matter if they’re going to p*e it out anyway? Birth weight is the first data point used by healthcare providers to know if baby is feeding efficiently when feeding from the breast, since there are no markers on breast or baby telling us how much they get from feeding

It’s OK for babies to lose weight after birth!! Long standing research shows up to 7-8% of birth weight in the first few days after birth (while drinking the first milk, colostrum) is acceptable, and then once milk transitions they should regain back to birth weight by 10-14 days. We also expect only 1 (2 at the most) p*e diapers on their first day of life. If they are born with excessive fluids, their weight can be inflated and when they p*e this fluid off, the weight loss can be exaggerated. Once a baby loses 10%, supplementation is always recommended as the standard of care to ensure baby is getting the nutrients they need

This can lead to the assumption that baby isn’t feeding well even if they are. It also puts needless pressure for milk supply to “come in” or increase to volumes beyond what the body would typically make at that stage of lactation. Coincidentally, too much fluids can also delay colostrum transitioning to mature milk and increasing in volume as well as cause excessive swelling in the breasts which makes latch more challenging!! This also results in an increased chance of formula supplementation (with or without initiating pumping) which is often associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding than what was initially intended by the family

How you birth matters. Knowing what happens to your body and baby’s body is so important to help you figure out your journey

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Midwife pictured: the amazing

04/02/2026

“…what children encounter in their environment and when they encounter it interact with how their genes are expressed in powerfully connected ways.”

A fascinating article from developingchildharvard about the timing of children’s experiences as well as exposures interacts with their gene expression, potentially impacting their lifelong health and well-being.

03/31/2026

A HUGE step in the right direction for recognizing our place in maternal care and such a big win for everyone!

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/doulas-can-improve-health-outcomes-women-babies-insurers-are-taking-no-rcna263390

👏 👏 👏

While more Medicaid patients and even some on private plans have gained doula coverage in recent years, United is the first major insurer to begin rolling out the benefit nationwide.

03/31/2026

A HUGE step in the right direction, recognizing our place in maternal care. Clap 👏 👏 👏 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/doulas-can-improve-health-outcomes-women-babies-insurers-are-taking-no-rcna263390

03/30/2026

Did you know that as much as 70% of the time parents and children have a broken attachment? Simply meaning, they’re not on the same page and therefore the needs of our toddlers aren’t being met.

Listen below for ways to recognize this disconnect and how to repairs those moments for good.

✅ Get your free Toddler Cooperation Toolkit here: https://brightestbeginning.me/f5t02You snapped at your toddler. Now the guilt is setting in and you're won...

03/27/2026

Nursing and sleep issues? It can happen to the best of us! Thankfully, the experts at bostondoulacircle have you covered in their upcoming workshop.

Here’s the info:

Join BDC’s lactation specialists for our exclusive workshop on “Breast-sleeping”: Nursing and Sleep Issues for crib-sleeping and co-sleeping families!

We will be discussing these essential topics for new parents:
* The global tradition of postpartum as a time of rest and recovery
* Biologically normal infant sleep and feeding
* A positive perspective on sleep safety
* How new parents can actually get the sleep they need

Open to parents who are currently nursing and seeking solutions to feeding or sleep challenges, as well as expectant parents, doulas and birth professionals!

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breastfeeding-lactation-classes-by-donation-tickets-1976510865204?aff=erelexpmlt

03/27/2026

A really interesting study out of Cedar Sinai links the correlation between healthy eating with that of lower preeclampsia rates.

Add this to the many reasons why I love businesses such as Chiyo and Kitchen Doula. They make it easy to eat healthfully, while making it convenient and easy.

If you want 15% off your entire order from Kitchen Doula, simply use ‘Amy15’ at checkout. Now that’s a parent win!🏆

Study suggests diets high in solid fats, refined grains, and cheese increase preeclampsia risk, whereas diets rich in vegetables, oils, and fruits may prevent it, especially among low-income Hispanic/Latin women.

03/27/2026

An interesting study out of Cedar Sinai that links healthy eating with a reduction in preeclampsia rates.

Add this to the list of why I’m a huge proponent of companies like Chiyo and Kitchen Doula! They make healthy eating accessible, convenient, and tasty, too!

Study suggests diets high in solid fats, refined grains, and cheese increase preeclampsia risk, whereas diets rich in vegetables, oils, and fruits may prevent it, especially among low-income Hispanic/Latin women.