Cassandra Miles Doula Services

12/18/2025

Dec. 23 update: On Dec. 17, 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson allocated $1 million for the Disaster Cash Assistance Program to help Washington residents impacted by the severe flooding in Washington. As of Tuesday morning, Dec. 23, those funds have been depleted, and DSHS can no longer approve applications.

As of Monday evening, Dec. 22, DSHS has provided critical support to more than 2,000 households.

Disaster Cash Assistance is available Dec. 17 to Jan. 15 for eligible households affected by flooding in specific counties. Those counties include Benton, Chelan, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Yakima and Whatcom.

To apply, call the Customer Service Contact Center at 877-501-2233 or visit your local Community Services Office between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Find more information about Disaster Cash Assistance on the DSHS website. https://www.dshs.wa.gov/alert/food-benefits-and-flooding

12/15/2025

While recent surges are occurring in countries and regions where children are less likely to die due to better nutrition and access to health care, those infected remain at risk of serious, lifelong complications such as:
👁️ blindness
🫁 pneumonia
🧠 encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling and potentially brain damage)

Fact sheet on measles: bit.ly/4iq4nkD

12/15/2025

A new CDC report reveals that pediatric flu deaths in the 2024-’25 season tied a record high. A newly reported death from last season brings the 2024-’25 total to 288, which is higher than any other regular flu season since tracking started in 2004. Last season’s pediatric deaths include at least 21 children who had a rare but severe neurological complication from the flu.

The first child death has also been reported for the current season. The death occurred in late November and was associated with influenza A, according to the CDC report. Read more in AAP News: https://bit.ly/494O6i5

12/13/2025

This week, the WA Department of Health released its new Maternal Mortality Review Panel Report, and it's a gut-wrenching look at how these highly avoidable deaths during the perinatal period are devastating our communities.

Some key findings:
🔴American Indian/Alaskan Native birthing people continue to experience the highest rate of maternal mortality: 7.3x the rate of pregnancy-related deaths of white people.
🔴Behavioral health-related deaths accounted for just under half (45%) of all pregnancy-related deaths, making it the single leading cause of death.
🔴Over 80% of the deaths were preventable.

The panel recommends:
🟢IMPROVE HEALTH CARE QUALITY AND ACCESS
Ensure Washingtonians have access to high-quality health care—including mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, and preventive care—throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum by strengthening and funding care coordination, improving communication and protocols, and ensuring providers have the skills, training, and professional support they need to provide high-quality care.

🟢STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
Invest in, develop, and expand comprehensive community support services that address essential needs during pregnancy and postpartum. These include strengthened home visiting programs, social work services, doula care, wraparound support for mental health and substance use disorder, and housing and food assistance.

🟢PROVIDE EQUITABLE, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CARE
Ensure care and services throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are culturally responsive, free from bias, grounded in trauma-informed practices, and actively address racial injustice.

🩵Through our open and accessible direct service programs, culturally matched peer support, provider trainings, and coordination with community partners, we are addressing all of these areas to save lives every day.🩵

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or emotional support during the perinatal period, please call or text the Warm Line at: 1-888-404-7763

Read the report:https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/141-253-MaternalMortalityReviewPanelReport-2025.pdf

11/06/2025

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10/23/2025

Breastfeeding has long been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer, but how it has this effect isn’t entirely clear. Now, scientists have found that women who have breastfed have more specialised immune cells in their breasts, which may keep malignant ones in check.

Previous research suggests that the risk of breast cancer – the second most common form of cancer in the world – is reduced by 4.3 per cent for every one year of breastfeeding, with the protective effects perhaps particularly benefitting older mothers.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2500663-breastfeeding-causes-a-surge-in-immune-cells-that-could-prevent-cancer/

Image: Svetlana Repnitskaya/Getty Images

10/12/2025

Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) received a second award of food funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, allowing us to maintain food benefits and our current 10-person state Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program team through the end of October. We will provide updates if this timeline changes.

More at https://doh.wa.gov/newsroom/washington-state-department-health-secures-usda-funding-maintain-wic-benefits-through-october

09/12/2025

AJOG Expert Review in Labor: Water birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis of maternal and neonatal outcomes https://ow.ly/nr7O50R9Nzi

08/29/2025

If you live in Washington State, you may qualify for this tax credit of up to $1,200. If you filed federal taxes for 2024, it only takes a few minutes to apply and find out if you qualify.

No waiting, no delays—access your funds right away! With the prepaid debit card, there's no need for a bank account or finding a place to cash your check. 

08/11/2025

We are so wonderfully made..

This illustration is a stylized and artistic depiction of pregnant individuals, showcasing the diversity of skin tones and fetal positions inside the womb.

Each figure highlights the anatomy of the pelvis with a fetus nestled within, emphasizing both biological structure and the beauty of pregnancy across different body types.

Some wombs also contain symbolic representations of hearts, possibly signifying love, life, or the emotional depth of motherhood. The image celebrates inclusivity, reproductive health, and the shared experience of pregnancy across diverse backgrounds.

08/02/2025

If you’re on Apple Health and need help finding a doula, use the HCA Find-a-Provider tool. In the specialty box, put “Doula.” You’ll find a list of Apple Health–enrolled birth doulas in your area. When you call them, be sure to ask if they’re taking new Washington Apple Health clients.

If you can’t find a doula in your county, search in nearby counties. Some doulas will travel up to one and a half hours based on where they live and what their clients need.

Find a provider now: https://loom.ly/_0M23WQ

07/24/2025

Midwives know.

AJOG Expert Review in Labor: A critical evaluation of the external and internal maneuvers for resolution of shoulder dystocia - All-fours position and knee-chest position
A, All-fours position (knee-hands position). The mother is supported by her hands and knees. The hips are semiflexed. The spine is horizontal. B, Knee-chest position. The mother is supported by her forearms and knees. Hence, the hips are more flexed to simulate a reverse McRoberts maneuver. The spine is downward toward the head. https://ow.ly/EJis50Rm3gE American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - ACOG Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine American College of Nurse-Midwives Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG