Vanessa Valdes

Delivering placenta packages all summer long 💌

Year 2 Term 2 DONE! 🦋

I got some downtime this semester from births which allowed me to balance and purge in alllllll sorts of ways. Transitions can be so expansive and exhausting; here’s to doing the work and the finding radical acceptance that comes with rebirth and cycles.

Gearing up for what’s to come this next term, hopefully I’ll be able to encapsulate it all into words one day!

Baby wearing is hands down *wink* my favorite way to connect with little ones as we navigate the world together; in sync…heart to heart.

Missing my little babydoll Ellie!

This birth taught me that multips and castor oil mean you better be in the driveway! 🥲

I hustled from the grocery store, to drop off my dog at home and within 35 minutes a little one had joined the world. Racing to a birth reminds me to check in with my breathe, so that I can show up grounded in the present.

Six week postpartum visits can be bittersweet but in this case they have been savory & sweet! I was gifted some home made sourdough and delicious sweet treats.

Sentiments like these truly mean so much. LOVE MORE 🤍

To anyone who might be new to my page I am in my second year of midwifery school! Technically, I am half way thru the program (YAY) Although I am on my midwifery journey, I am still wearing my doula hat with limited availability monthly ✨

Being a student midwife has been a pillar of my growth as a human, providing me with the knowledge and experience to serve as an anchor for families navigating pregnancy, childbirth and the human experience.

It can be rough out here holding a container for the unexpected and the miraculous. Having the privilege of being a part of varied experiences has provided countless opportunities to offer support in creative new ways. My goal, is to help you expand and feel grounded in your knowing. To offer you education, validation and support when things suck. My job is not to fix your birth but to empower and walk alongside you!

You already have everything you need to bring your baby home, my job is to encourage, educate, support and foster a safe space for you to go inwards.

If you’re someone who is looking for a little extra education, guidance and TLC during your pregnancy, let’s connect and see if we’re a good match 💗

✨ AFFIRMATION FRIDAY ✨

Release all fear; learned fear of childbirth, fear of pain, fear of the unknown. Fully surrendering to the process can be so empowering.

Affirmation deck by

Starting the day with gratitude! Grateful for each and every family whose chosen me to me a part of their journey 🕯️

Smiling from ear to ear at a 6 week postpartum visit yesterday. Wishing my sweet friends Megan & Josh a lifetime of mountains, rivers and streams with their little bean 💗

*posted with parents permission*

There has been a whole lot of life happening the past few weeks. One thing is for sure… I can feel my midwife intuition growing. It’s taken me some time to shift from birth assistant mode to student midwife mode AND we are finally here. As a huge wave of belonging has settled in my spirit 💗

Along the way I have rediscovered my why and the reason I started birthwork. I am so privileged to be in this space to be safe to pursue my dreams. To shine my light. I have found myself so inspired time and time again by my mentors and their ability to pass down their love of midwifery. To top it all off I have an incredible cohort of student midwives who have believed in me and held me while I have been finding my way. I love this little life of mine!

In deep gratitude and reverence to be surrounded by strong, brave, courageous and resilient humans.

May peace, softness and tenderness wash over all those experiencing difficult times. 🍉

Holding space for the myriad of emotions that bubble up during birth is an honor. I am so proud of my sweet friend who tapped into her inner well of strength, softness and surrender.

Thankful my preceptor caught this moment of stillness between the waves ✨

I was gifted some arepas yesterday and let me telllll youuuuu I have been in heaven ✨☁️🌙

Being away from my family for the past five years has really allowed me to tap into other ways to feel at home. Food has definitely been a form of self care lately & after how giddy I got eating these arepas I forsee some serious jazz happening in the kitchen to recreate meals I grew up eating 🫶🏽

Everytime I would visit my Tia, she would rustle up some goodness in the kitchen for us.. whether it was pan con queso or toast up an arepa and make it extra crispy. Just the way I liked it. Her love for life and other was palpable, she had a way of making you feel safe and seen. Missing her laughter and smile today but I am transported back to sweet memories everytime I bite into an arepa 🌙☁️✨

This birth showed me the power of knowing when to stay and when to give space, we showed up and this family had all the support they needed (three generations of love!) It’s always a treat to see families curate their birth team where everyone plays a special role in supporting the parents 💗

After a bit of labor sitting, we stepped out while the parents did some active resting in bed. We got some midwife fuel and JUST as we were about to lay down to nap, the phone rang. We came back to a STRONG active labor pattern and welcomed a little one into the world.

Looking back at all the moments that made up this past year, I am overflowing with gratitude for the folks that have allowed me to witness their expansion. It has been a true treasure.

May 2024 continue to lead me to serve my community with an open heart and an open mind.

🕯️Vanessa

Wishing everyone a Merry & Bright 2024 💗

Notes from my 2023 reflections:

-Be scared and do it anyway.
-The purest form of love can only come from within.
-Being authentic is less exhausting.
-Believing in the inherent goodness of the world is my resistance.
-Listening to your inner voice enough makes it easier to hear.
-Be a goldfish.
-What if it all works out.

Wishing everyone a deeper connection to the people and experiences that money can’t buy 💗

-Vanessa

Going to start up a little tradition of posting about my midwifery education and the ways in which these experiences impact me and the midwife I am becoming.

Yesterday I attended my 12th birth in the capacity of a student midwife. I had the honor to accompany my dear friends throughout their care from their first appointment to their birth. What an honor! It reminded me of our collective capacity to hold onto hope amidst the unknown. To embrace change with open arms. To be courageous. It taught me the importance of curiosity in difficult conversations. It was such a gift to be able to witness this new light enter the world! 🤍

Acupuncture is an incredible complementary medicine to incorporate into your life and especially during pregnancy. Irina is a wealth of knowledge in Chinese medicine, maternal health and overall well being.

So excited that she is offering her resources now in Gainesville and Ocala !

📣 o f f e r i n g * update *⁣
love beams. acupuncture & traditional Chinese medicine offerings update!!

please spread the word ::
MonkeyMind Wellness is now in GAINESVILLE!

acupuncture clinic appointments available on *Mondays*
at Her Healing Arts
{ 900 NW 8th Ave. Gainesville Fl }

we will continue to serve the OCALA area as always with our partnership with In Full Bloom Midwifery
{ 2010 NE 14th St Suite 300 Ocala FL 34470 }

specialties include fertility * womb health * reproductive support including IVF & IUI * pregnancy * postpartum * cycle health & so so much more.

reach out for a free consult today ⚡️
in love and gratitude
i r i n a

I’m currently teaching my child birth education series in small groups or private workshops in the comfort of your own home!

Currently filling up classes until the end of the year for November and December.

The more I learn in midwifery school the juicier these classes get, I’m so excited to continue to change the way I teach and empower families during pregnancy 🍒

Year One of Midwifery School ✅

This past year was the hardest I’ve ever worked towards anything. Not only academically but interpersonally, spiritually and emotionally. I learned that in order to show up authentically, I must go inward. I wouldn’t be here today without the support of everyone who has uplifted me and offered me a listening ear. Who helped me remember that the work isn’t just midwifery. It’s showing up for yourself in the same ways that you care for others. Its learning to fill your cup and pour from your excess. It’s remembering that we are stewards of the most mysterious and transformative acts of life.

On top of all of this, I learned lots about how to shift from being a doula/birth assistant to a student midwife 🥲

I learned how to:
🪷perform a head to toe physical exam for clients entering care.
🪷Palpate bellies in prenatals to track fetal wellbeing via leopolds maneuvers, fundal height and heart tones.
🪷thoroughly do a client intake and review their risk assessment to ensure they are a good candidate for homebirth aka low risk and healthy.
🪷 draw blood 🩸. I’m currently getting VERY good at this skill and it’s been incredible to fine tune this skills with time. (Thank you to everyone who let me practice on you 😅)
🪷place a urinary catheter
🪷place an IV ( more practice on that to come *)
🪷draw up meds in the case of an emergency and for the newborn
🪷I learned so much it’s actually hard to put into words but the fun continues for year TWO.

Most of all, I am eternally grateful for all the families that have let me learn from them. Teaching me about the ways they are navigating change in their families, bodies and pregnancy. I am so thankful x 1000

In gratitude,
Vanessa

birth undisturbed

To some this dream becomes a reality spontaneously and for others it is the result of intention & preparation.

When body, mind & soul surrender to the wonders of birth.

This miracle is never lost on me.🕯️

NICO AUGUSTINE
Born on 3/8 at 10:50pm

Nico made a speedy entrance into the world at 37 weeks exactly. He was born gently into warm water, received by his mom’s hands and brought directly to her chest. His siblings, dad and grandma were all there to meet him and revel in his every little detail as soon as he came earthside. Mom was intentional throughout her whole pregnancy and worked so hard for her HBAC, and she did it!

It’s always special getting to serve other birth workers. Rosalie and Nico’s mom attended doula training together almost 6 years ago. Getting to be part of this experience together felt like a full circle moment for them both. 🤍

Nico weighed 7lbs 3 oz, making him his mom’s earliest and biggest baby! Welcome to the world sweet boy! ✨

IYKYK.

Doulas are an intervention like ANYTHING else in pregnancy. YES, that means anything you do in pregnancy is an intervention. Drinking red raspberry leaf tea, eating dates, the miles circuit, herbal tinctures, having s*x are all ways to induce your body into labor when it is just NOT ready.

Doulas HAVE shown efficacy in reducing unwanted birth events through education and increasing desired birth outcomes. Hopefully with the addition of them to your team you feel informed, empowered and encouraged to handle any situation that you encounter during your pregnancy and labor. Remember to always ask questions about your options with providers and lean into your instincts. Your body will always tell you what it needs.

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Reposted from the wonderful world of Facebook.

HOLDING SPACE 🕯

✨To tune in.
✨To create a safe space
✨ To serve from a place of trust in the physiological process of birth.
✨To surrender to the ebbs and flows.
✨To embrace change with loving awareness.
✨To embody love & light.

I am forever thankful for the ability to walk alongside families in the liminal space of pregnancy and birth.

Holding space requires continual growth and grace.

Every single experience requires me to check myself at the door. To leave my problems, worries and fears behind. So that I can serve from a place of knowing and tune in to the language of birth.

Your tenacity and love inspires me to be a better person.

Love is always the answer❤️✨

❤️

Sweet words from a sweet family ✨

In honoring my efforts to be vulnerable and transparent, I wanted to share my morning meditation.

I am the first to admit a mistake and I consistently look for constructive criticism to improve. This is my way of navigating liminal spaces where growth is measured by success and productivity.

This pattern of inadequacy has its cost, learning new things is always a full force endeavor for me. I strive to learn as much as I can from anyone / anywhere willing to pour into me.

( Bless my sweet mentors who love me and support me. )

But alas, striving for perfection from a place of feeling unworthy is a slippery slope.

External validation and perfectionism can only be fulfilling to a certain extent.

It’s taught me that loving all the imperfect parts of myself unconditionally are a part of my personal growth.

It’s forced me to incorporate rest, play and laughter.

Life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time!

My biggest lesson has been forgiving myself and accepting the person I am, not the person I one day might be.

Good things are coming, stay the course and trust in the eternal goodness of your intentions.

Practicing being back IN my body.

Experiencing the joys, trials and lessons that this work calls for.

The extreme tenderness and vulnerability of walking alongside someone as they met a new version of themselves.

While I continue to meet a new version of myself, with open arms!

May we all believe in our hearts, that we are all worthy of goodness and love.

XO, Vanessa

Updated for my availability for the next six months.

I’m currently offering a birth doula package that includes birth education for an autonomous and empowered birth experience. Along with my support during pregnancy, labor and postpartum.

For those of you looking for birth education on how to birth on your terms, I provide personalized resources to meet you where you are. To dispel any myths, fears and concerns that you may have, so your experience is UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOURS.

Lastly, for families looking for some help postpartum. I offer in home care where I support you & your baby. My goal is to provide the space for you to settle into a state of peace and calm to recalibrate OR sleep. Hopefully, both of those happen! I provide light house cleaning and I’ll do what I can to make you feel better than when I first arrived. This includes sanitizing baby bottles, washing & folding baby laundry, reorganizing your fridge, tidying up & making sure your nourished and hydrated.

I’ll have some very exciting news to share soon.

If you have any questions about how I can serve you and your family, I’d love to chat ❤️

XO, Vanessa