Less stress, more joy
by Andrea Stainbrook For many pregnant women there comes a point where you are ready to be done being pregnant. You want to meet your baby! Sometimes it is out of eagerness, or sometimes it's because you have been past your due date...for a while. Sometimes your doctor lets you know a medical induction will [...]
by Andrea Stainbrook Love and labor go to together. Common questions doulas are asked are: "How do I get labor started?" "What keeps a labor going?" "What can help me in labor?" These are all fabulous questions. Some are surprised to hear our answer for all of these questions is love. What's that? Love?! Yes. Let's [...]
By Andrea Stainbrook An outing with your baby doesn't have to be hard! Babies are squishy and adorable and well frankly a lot of work! Normal outings like heading to the grocery store, or to shop for some new clothes can feel like daunting tasks. I know I sometimes rather wait for my hubby to [...]
If you are pregnant, or if you have been pregnant before, you have probably heard of preeclampsia. It’s a condition that can occur during pregnancy and maybe you or someone you love had it. Preeclampsia can be an extremely serious pregnancy condition that can happen at any time. There are usually warning signs, however, and [...]
Did you watch the Disney movie "Inside Out"? There is one scene that as a doula resonates with me. The character Sadness sits down next to Bing Bong after his magical rocket is lost forever. Bing Bong is clearly upset. Joy tries to cheer him up. But Sadness... Sadness listens to him. Just listens. She [...]
From the moment you get a positive test, your dreams and hopes for this new baby comes to life in thoughts of the future, planning, and expectation. On the other side, you may never get a positive test, or you have had children and now it isn't working; that all comes with it's own weight [...]
"You have done this before. You know what you are doing!" Anyone who has given birth once and is now preparing to birth baby number 2, or 3, or 10 has probably heard someone say this. Maybe you feel like, "Heck ya I got this!" Or you maybe you want to reply, "Do I know what I'm doing? Is it too late to back out?"
The weeks of pregnancy are coming and going. Soon you find yourself nearing the end of gestation. You are close to your estimated due date. Every pregnant person wonders how will I know if I am in labor? Ask around and you are sure to hear the advice of, "you'll just know." How helpful [...]
It is amazing to witness a birth. Seeing a human enter the world is a beautiful and spiritual thing. Watching animals birth is equally awe-inspiring. How they seem to just know exactly how to move and where to go. Miss April the Giraffe is about to give birth. She's a Giraffe in New York anxiously [...]
Would I ever be comfortable in my own skin? Not only did I gain weight, but I didn’t recognize my postpartum body at all.