"What is it you do again?"
"I support women and families during pregnancy, labor and well into postpartum and parenthood." "Women need support during labor? What do you do for them?" "Well support looks different for each woman. But some of the things that are generally the same are us meeting atleast twice before their estimated due date, a lot of birth talk along with affirmations, education and discovering their power, we write birth preferences, we do some prenatal stretches and prepping with the birth ball, we talk about fears and excitements, and most importantly (in my opinion) we talk about the 4th trimester. Beyond that my work is tailored to each woman. Some like massage, some like words, some just like me to be present." "Do you only do homebirths?" "I mostly do hospital births, I love home births and attended many but most of my current clients are choosing to birth in the hospital." "Hmmm that sounds nice, I would have loved to have that during my pregnancy and birth." "Me too, thats why I do this work." ____________________ "Oh so you're a baby nurse?" "Im not a baby nurse, there is a common misconception about the baby nurse title. Most of the time when people are asking or refering to my profession it can be seen as that. I am a postpartum doula and a newborn care specialist. Being a postpartum doula refers to taking care of the family as a whole, with special attention on mom and baby. newborn care specialist is primarily baby care." "So....what do you do?" ''Just like with birth the care is tailored to each family. But, the premise of care is that the mom is supported, in her self care and baby care. Things like breastfeeding, sleeping (both mom and baby), showering, preparing meals, snacks, things like that." "Wow..If only I had that." "Exactly, thats why I do this work now." Did you know what a doula is? What we offer? When/how did you learn what a doula is? Did you use a doula? Education is power. Sharing is caring. YOU ARE LOVE(D) xoxox ERICA
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Hi! Come in, lets talk and have some champagne!
It's my first blog post, 5 years in the making, I believe in perfect timing though! I admit I let fear and inexperience with writing get the best of me. Im an amazing doula, and on a good day Im a great mom and wife, but writer I am not, until I decided I was! Get in here, make yourself at home. Just a little intro about me and my purpose here. I am a Michigan girl living her dream life in Los Angeles, CA. And, no my dream is not to be an actor, although I have been on a reality show (more about that later) AND sometimes I moonlight as a props/set decorator (same, later!) I AM A DOULA. I am a birth and postpartum doula, and a newborn care specialist. I also do placenta encapsulation, Reiki, healing spiritual and energy, belly binding, and nursery design. Im in the kitchen preparing everything from food to herbal blends. I do store runs and run herbal baths in candle lit bathrooms. All of this for new moms needing a moment to slow down and one less thing on their 'to do' list. I'm here to tell you that being a doula, this is the real dream. My husband, my 2 children and I, along with our small zoo have lived in the Midwest, in the suburbs of Atlanta and now the west coast. We have definitely found where we want to spend the next season of our life, this is our place. We have a !4 year old son and our daughter is 12. I have to remind myself daily to stay in the moment with them, I find myself longing for the days when they were babies, wanting to keep them close and protected. We are all artists in this family. My husband and son are writers, music producers and performers and my daughter, is a crafter at heart and a baker. You will hear about them here and there, because this mom has some stories to tell, believe me you will never feel alone here. Help me create a familiar space to share our truths our triumphs and troubles. My goal is to build a community for us to run too for resources and recipes. A place to sidle up too for support and of course a little sarcasm, a place to drop all the knowledge, tips and tricks so everyone can be in the know and have options to find what works best for them. Thats how we spread love and take care of one another. WE BELONG TO EACHOTHER LOOK FOR THE LINK Im going to be on Sobre Mesa's (around the table) podcast coming up this month. We are talking mothers day, motherhood and mother shaming. You don't want to miss it. For funsies lets challenge ourselves to keep our hearts and minds feeling gratitude as much as possible for the next 7 days. Thursday to Thursday. When you catch yourself, take a minute to feel true gratitude and set some intention, manifest your life! Is that possible? We can totally do this. YOU ARE LOVE(D) xoxox Erica |