MUMS Doula and Lactation LLC

Pepita is handing out stickers, temp tattoos, and candy for my witchy self just stirred up a batch of witches brew stew guaranteed to boost postpartum recovery, milk supply, and keep the monsters at bay! Swipe to see more.. happy haunting!! 🎃 🧙 🐈‍⬛ 👻

If anyone is able to join a meal train for a family who got launched into a shocking transition postpartum, we would love all of the support we can get. Family of 4, baby is in the nicu currently, and we are unsure what the future holds. We were lucky baby was able to be resuscitated at birth, but so much is still unknown. Mom will be discharged on Tuesday, and the family feels very lost. Any help is appreciated.

Meal Train for The Vangsness Family Please join me in supporting this amazing family as they transition into a very unexpected and challenging new life. This family’s newest member’s future is hanging in the balance currently. We still don’t have answers for what is to come, but we can support mom, dad, and big sister as they tr...

My guy got to come with me to a work event almost immediately following a birth and also leading up to another birth! Cmon Virgo babies!!!!

I’m so fortunate. My kids love what I do, and they cheer all of my clients on from afar. I’m a lucky mama.

breastfeeding is not for everyone, and the benefits of breastmilk can’t be denied. It can be both.

Facts aren’t attacks. 🙌🏽

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It’s not often that I get to spend the whole time holding the newbie, but when it happens, it’s bliss!

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Always worth the reshare!

5 years from now, the baby will not remember who held them. But the mother will forever remember who held her.
Don't forget to hold the mother as much as you hold the baby.❤️

These are your people in postpartum ❤️🥰

When my mom came to visit . . .

She cooked all of my favorite meals.

She spent hours playing with my kids.

She went to the store and stocked us up on laundry detergent and toilet paper and paper towel.

She took our dog for a walk.

And somehow the house was completely spotless.

My mom always makes it look so . . . easy.

Every single time she visits.

Not only does she do it all, but she does it with so much JOY.

I won’t lie—at first I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Was I missing something? Why couldn’t I take care of my family the way my mom took care of my family?

I think I said something along those lines to her once, out of incredulity and a little bit of envy, when she turned to me and stopped me right there.

This is the difference, she reminded me, between mothering a child, and mothering a mom.

Right now, I’m smack dab in the middle of mothering children. Every day is devoted to caring for them and making sure they are happy and healthy and safe. Every day I get them up, get them dressed, get them fed, get them to school, get them to appointments, get them to activities, get them to do their homework, get them ready for bed. Every day I am responsible for not only their physical needs, but their mental and emotional ones—I help them regulate their feelings, soothe their worries and fears, mediate their disagreements, teach them boundaries, and show them how to interact with the world around them.

On top of all the other things I have to do just to keep our household going.

My mom is done mothering this way.

It’s why she gets to do the fun stuff. It’s why my own kids can get away with things I never would have dreamed of doing. It’s why she can shower them effusively with affection and gifts and overlook all of their quirks and faults and have energy left over to take care of everything else, too.

Because she’s not the one responsible for making sure they eat their vegetables. She doesn’t have to be the disciplinarian. She doesn’t have to clean my house or cook all the meals. She doesn’t have to fulfill every one of my children’s physical and emotional needs every single day.

So when she comes to visit, she does all the things for us.

Joyfully.

Because she remembers so vividly what it was like to be a busy mom to little children and how demanding that could be. She remembers how hard it felt, how long the days were, how exhausting it was. So if she can ease that burden for me even a little bit, she won’t hesitate.

And because, well . . . it’s easier to do it all when you don’t have to do it all, all the time.

But MOST of all, I know it’s because she loves me so very, very much.

And even though she may be done mothering children, now she gets to mother a mom.

❤️🥰

YUP. As your doula, we are besties forever! I like to hear and see all of the things. I love to be your sounding board and safe landing space. I love to provide you with EVIDENCE BASED accurate information that is geared for YOU, your body, your family, and your journey. Messages like this bring me LIFE. I love you all ❤️🥰🙌

Oh my friends if I could tell you how common this is… 🥰❤️ no shade ever from over here!!! Snuggle that nugget!

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One of my former clients is up for her next boss level challenge of running the 2024 Chicago marathon! Here is a link to her fundraising page if anyone is interested in supporting this BAMF! There’s nothing this woman can’t do.

Fundraising Page for Ambrea Avery for 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon I am running the 2024 Chicago Marathon and supporting the Chicago Parks Foundation!!  Did you know that there are over 600 parks, 8,500 acres of public green space, 230 field houses, and 26 miles of lakefront in Chicago?!  The Chicago Parks Foundation is the 501c3 partner ...

Say less. the baby is fine. Hone in on mama. That also benefits baby.

Shout out to on Southport for their toilet hospitality 😁🙌 I ducked in during Southport trick or treat for their free cone with signature purchase with my family. As a menstruating person, there is nothing that ruins your day more than AF arriving at an inopportune and unexpected time, and then having to quietly hunt down supplies needed so that the show can go on — we struggle enough in this life, and hunting down hygiene products for natural bodily processes shouldn’t add to that. I love when I come across places that are welcoming and accommodating to people in endless ways. It’s the little things 😁🤷‍♀️

**birthing people are all powerful**

I am continually stunned and impressed by .fulghum, and what an honor it was to work along side her and as they welcomed their sweet baby into the world. They did ALL of the things for preparation and leading up to labor and delivery. Andrea, I’ll never let you live down the phone call I received at 7:30pm — “hey. Uhm. Marg is making me call you” — interesting … tell me more 😁 full consistent waves of powerful surges took over, and you rode every one so gracefully. As an observer, your birth seemed peaceful as well as powerful, and you seemed in control of every breath, position change, and transition. I tell everyone that birth doesn’t come with a trophy — the trophy is the baby. You deserve a trophy for this one, sister! Thank you for letting me journey along with you, I can’t wait to see what life has in store for you three!!

A special shout out to for the incredible photos that captured the intensity of every moment flawlessly!

**PSA TO ALL OF MY BIRTHERS OUT HERE LOOKING FOR WHAT IFS AND COULD HAVE BEENS**

Many of us relive our birth stories in a haze of what had been and what could have been, especially if your birth story is far and away from what was envisioned. The fact of the matter is that you did the best with what you could do at the time, and speculating and living in hind sight cannot change the outcome. We could never know if the outcome would have been different or better had we made different decisions.

For myself, I will share that I did process my first birth story to its full extent before attempting a second journey, and healing helped. I was able to identify parts of the process that I could definitely own more control for example, being in control of my glucose and insulin during labor and delivery as a type on diabetic, and hiring a doula to help me advocate for myself and support me through the process. I am grateful to have two beautiful and healthy children and also to have had two very different but very successful births ❤️ I have learned so much to be able to provide informed support to dozens of families and counting!

Own your births. Own your journeys. We are all success stories!

That's true ☺️