Karter Beth's Birth Doula Services

Whether it was for a day, a week, a month or year! 🫶🏼

I was built to birth my baby💕

So important to remember this both at the end of AND in 🤰🏼

It is okay to have your baby earlier or later than
💜 your friend
💗 or your due date
💜 or when you thought you’d have your baby

Getting to your birth place sooner will not make your baby come faster.
Enjoy the early labor phase and think of it as time to connect with your baby and prepare to manage labor and with confidence 🤰🏽🙌🏿🤰🏻

If you’re able 💜💜💜

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Crazy idea, right? 😅

While a doula can (and should) help advocate for you if needed, we need to take a gigantic step back and ask why are we birthing in a place and with people where “advocacy” is even needed?!? How in the world did it become normal or right or part of God’s plan that a woman giving birth should feel like she won’t be listened to or that her basic human rights will not be respected? 😳

We have GOT to start questioning the idea and the safety of giving birth with strangers or with people who you’ve maybe only met a few times. We’ve got to stop choosing to birth with people and in places who hold fundamentally different ideas of the dignity of the human person, the process of birth, or where it is necessary to fight for your body, your baby, and this sacred time to be respected. The outcomes of the modern system don’t lie and they’re not good.

A doula should be there to serve the birth process and to serve the mother. And yes, while in rare cases that might mean having her speak up if a mother’s consent or wishes are being violated or ignored (or helping you to do so), that should be rare and NOT par for the course!

A doula cannot save you from a doctor, midwife, place, and system that you have chosen. This is true in moments of vulnerability those last few weeks of pregnancy and especially so during the intensity that is labor, times where true informed consent is not even possible and almost every woman will acquiesce to the “authority” in the room out of fear, out of worn down frustration, out of exhaustion, or out of a skewed sense of self-protection.

As much as possible, make choices about your birth where you *don’t* need a bodyguard 🤯 Make choices about your birth where a need to “advocate” would be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind because everyone there sits in a spirit of humble service to the great mystery and beauty unfolding before them in and through you, where the God-given authority of the mother and the design of birth is not only respected but revered.

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Research supports what we already know…eating and drinking in is safe and can improve our sense of satisfaction 👍🏼 🍉🌟🍜🥰

The foods above are just suggestions - eat what YOU want in 🤰🏿

What were your favorite labor foods? Tell us below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Looking for a great recipe for those dates from 36-40+ weeks? Look no further!

You could also try a pat of frozen butter placed in the middle of your split date or stuff your date with goat cheese and wrap in bacon and broil on both sides til bacon is done. Yum! 🥓🧈🧀

✨ Understanding OP (Occiput Posterior) Babies: Just Another Variation of Normal.

When it comes to childbirth, the position of the baby is a topic that often comes up. One position that can cause a bit of concern is the occiput posterior (OP) position. This is when the baby is head-down but facing the mama’s abdomen rather than her back. While this might sound unusual, it’s just another variation of normal.

OP babies are commonly referred to as “sunny side up” due to the way they face during the birth. This position can sometimes lead to longer labours and on some occasions more of a back labour for the mama, but it’s important to remember that it’s a completely natural position. Babies often rotate to the anterior position during labour, and even if they don’t you can still achieve a physiological birth.

Understanding that OP is just another variation of normal can help reduce anxiety for expectant parents. The human body is incredibly adaptable. Embracing the unpredictability of childbirth and trusting in the process can make the experience more positive and empowering.

So, to all the mama-to-be out there, remember: whether your baby is OP or not, it’s just one of the many ways your unique birthing journey can unfold.
✨ Has anyone experienced this variation in their birth?
Words
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Preparation for begins in and that means both thinking of caring for your and how you will obtain the support and care you need for yourself. 🤱🏿🤰🏼👩🏻‍🍼🫃🏻🫄🏾

We spend a lot of time while planning for the and planning for the baby but not enough time planning for ourselves.

Take the time to understand what the physical healing process looks like (yep! We have a free webinar on that!) and you will have a better understanding of the type of support you will need in your 👩🏽‍🍼🤱🏼👩🏻‍🍼🤱🏿

Embracing the Midwifery Model of Care

At the heart of the midwifery model is a profound respect for the natural process of childbirth. This holistic approach prioritizes personalized care, informed choices, and the overall well-being of the mother and baby.

-Individualized Care: Tailored support and guidance for each unique journey.
-Informed Choices: Empowering clients with comprehensive information to make the best decisions for their self and their baby.
-Holistic Approach: Focusing on physical, emotional, and psychological health.

We understand each family and journey is unique. 🫶🏻

I start my journey as a student Midwife next month. 🥳 (a long road ahead)

With that being said, YES! I am still taking on birth, and postpartum clients. I will still in no way be preforming medical, or clinical tasks as a doula as it is out of my scope of practice.
I can’t wait to provide Western Oklahoma a way to birth at home!! 🏠👩🏼‍🍼

This awesome is a win for transition and (although of course you could do it anytime!). 🌟

I’ve found this to also be a really instinctive position during these phases. Sometimes people use a version of this when they are catching their own babies! 👶🏻

And yes - most people with an could do this leaning over the back of the hospital bed (instead of the ball). 👍🏽

And guess what else? You always have the right to change your mind 🙌🏽

Informed decision making is a process that must always be revisited. Saying yes once doesn’t mean you are continuing to say yes (here’s another one of those “birth skills are life skills moments” 😉)

Become well educated during (and before if possible!), develop the skills and practice asking questions and gathering information, and figure out what’s important to YOU. Then you’re on the road to a 🥰

Happy Mother’s Day to all my sweet clients 🩵

Hang in there Mama 🫶🏼

Midwifery Can be a Trauma Response

Sharing My Story

Choosing midwifery as a path *can be* a trauma response.

That’s my story but first; I believe it’s accurate to say that all women that come to birth work have a REASON for doing so. This is something we encourage our doula and midwifery students to consider, and then to do a deep dive into it.

One reason is not “better” than another.

Some women enter into birth work because they had a traumatic birth and want to save women from that (super common).
Other women haven’t birthed themselves yet, but are led to birth work maybe through a desire for feminine power, or because their own birth as a baby impacted them (also super common).
Some women enter birth work because they really want a baby themselves.

While no reason is good or bad, all reasons have an origin story. I pretty firmly believe that very few women just wake up one day wanting to be doulas or midwives, without a deeper emotional or spiritual motivation.

It happens, but is rare and my guess is with some digging, every single woman on the birth worker path can uncover their “why”.

Sometimes there isn’t a clear “why” until farther down the path, or the “why” expands and becomes even deeper and more complicated than initially thought.

I’ll share my experience. I came to birth work after my first home birth; my first birth was an average hospital birth, and I simply wanted more for women. I wanted them to feel powerful, like I had, and that’s been my “guiding light” for the last 15 years.

Literally LAST WEEK; during a somatic session where I got to be the client; I found myself physically holding postures from my own birth as a baby. I sat on my office chair, with my head down, all curled up in a sort of fetal position, with my hands shielding my head. It was an intuitive response, but one I had never felt before or re-inacted before.

Tears began as well; and the sensations of grief, of being left alone after birth, scared to be in all of those bright lights and cold room, so vulnerable. I wanted to curl back up and go back inside my mom’s womb.

This all makes sense because I was a preemie; born at 34 weeks, I didn’t get to be touched by my mom or held by her. I was kept in the hospital ALONE in a box for over a month.

Deep breath.

Re-inacting these deep somatic sensations that my body has always held helped me so immensely. I’ve known this story for my whole life, so my brain didn’t need this.

My body did.

AND OMG THE LIGHTBULBS THAT WENT OFF…..

I’ll keep this story there for now except to share that my body remembered that as a newborn, I was desperately requiring (not just craving) touch and nervous system/emotional regulation that I did not get.

When we do not get what we need (especially as babies), we tend to seek out what would help us feel “complete” when we meet circumstances in life that might feel like that missing piece.

That’s all to say that in that session I realized that coming to midwifery was actually a trauma reaction from my body.

I found a way to get what I needed. Which was, as a midwife, SEEING and FEELING babies GET this emotional stability which I had been denied. All this years I thought it was about women. And while it is that in part, it’s actually about holding space for babies to come in peacefully and connected and loved in a way I was not.

When I am part of a physiological, magical, spiritual birth, a part of my own Soul gets healed when that baby is respected, handled and spoken to with love.

I have no judgement on myself or on this reason for wanting to be a midwife. It has served me well in so many ways, and now that I am aware, I see my path open up to all the new and beautiful ways that my body will show me now that this wound has been revealed.

I love sharing these kinds of things because they are real and deep.

Reacting from trauma is not “bad”; it’s when we remain unaware that we continue to live from that unconscious place.

I am excited for myself because this means when I return to serving women in this role it will be from a more pure and aligned place. I won't "need" this; even though I will still love witnessing baby bliss.

This is the work I believe we are all here to do. No apologies for our sad stories, but living and embracing them so fully that we can’t help but to expose the shadow to light.

We'll be holding space for all the feelings around birth work in my next Beyond the Mind.

PS; Our free Sacred Birth Initiation Ceremony (virtual, and next week) is a great place to absorb some good vibes. RSVP required. --> https://indiebirth.org/ceremony

oxoxox
Maryn

Plus! Beyond the Mind starts soon! --> https://indiebirth.org/beyondthemind

I became a Still Birthday Doula after I attended my first birth where the parents lost their little one and it really opened my eyes to overwhelming grief and how much families really want acknowledgement of their loss. For the families I’ve walked alongside on this heartbreaking journey, I hold their names in my heart and in my life everyday 🤍
Words

Say their name today
Say their name tomorrow
Say their name everyday

Nerida Rosenthal laboured for 18 hours to deliver her stillborn baby Mia (Pictured, Image via )

The loss of a child is one of the most devastating experiences any parent can endure. Yet, the grief surrounding stillbirth—the loss of a baby at any stage of pregnancy before or during birth—is often compounded by the silence and the lack of acknowledgment.

Acknowledging stillborn children and the pain their families endure is not only essential for the healing process but also for breaking the stigma surrounding this heart-breaking reality.

So here at the Australian Doula College, we say their name today, tomorrow and everyday. Because Say Their Name Day is EVERYDAY.

Losing a baby or child has a profound impact on parents and families. The dreams, hopes, and expectations for the future are shattered with this loss. Acknowledging this loss validates the parents’ grief and affirms the significance of their child’s existence, no matter how brief.





🤍 Powerful words by
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Image via / https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-to-support-parents-of-stillborn-children/11610972

‘When Souls Align’

💙💙💙trimester.wellness

Leonardo Da Vinci’s studies of a fetus in the womb, ca. 1510. This was one of the most accurate sketches of a fetus and uterus done up to this time; many doctors believed that the uterus had multiple chambers, but Da Vinci understood that there was just one. His drawings were based on dissected cadavers, which had been banned in Europe for much of the middle ages.

Happy World Doula Day!!!🤰🏼🥳

Thank you to all my sweet clients for allowing me to serve you during your special time. I’m so thankful I put in the hard work to become a doula.

At the start of this last week of Black History Month, Midwife Asia discusses why she became a midwife:

Black women dying at 3-4xs the rate of their white counterparts sent me looking for OOH (out of hospital) care for my own delivery with my first baby. Midwives had better outcomes for black women out of the hospital. After my homebirth, I knew midwifery was it for me.
Helping families navigate the most important decisions in their lives but also having them be in control of their care.
-Midwife Asia, CPM, LM

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