Grand Rapids Birth Collective

Such a great opportunity for any aspiring doulas in Michigan who wish to serve their communities!

Big news! The State of Michigan is fully funding 75 full scholarships, hotel allowance, and a $20/hour stipend for birth doulas at our next three workshops. Please apply soon if you're interested, we expect these scholarships to be allotted quickly. Thank you to the state for their dedication to Medicaid beneficiaries and doula coverage! 🥰🤩⚡️⭐️

https://heartsoulbirthpros.com/scholarship/

One of my favorite parts of my job as a doula is of course celebrating these little lives and their special mamas! Every birth is special and each little life is so cherished. This sweet boy is
🍀💚ONE💚🍀 year old today. Roscoe your entrance to this world was full of strength, grace and the presence of Jesus! You are a gift!

💓

Lactation Counseling Cards are done and going around town! Thank you 💕



LATCHED! LATCHED!A lactation consulting initiative. Get accessible and personalized lactation support in-person or virtually, from the comfort of your home. Our MissionTo provide family-centered, gentle care to all families. We aim to educate and assist anyone needing lactation support, to help achieve your....

This is such important information ♥️

Do you know a common reason parents quit breastfeeding? It's not what you think.

It's perceived low milk supply. Perceived. Not actual. And who can blame them? Stores sell 9oz bottles. Social media bombards us with ads for fancy drinks and cookies with pictures of happy moms and overflowing bottles of milk.

But we're here to tell you the real story. Your body is only supposed to produce an ounce of milk an hour. And that's both sides combined. After 4 weeks, your baby will take 20-30oz of milk for their first year. You never have to increase your supply again. The content of the milk changes over time, but the volume doesn't.

Milk has a circadian rhythm, meaning different amounts get made at different times of day. It's normal to pump much more in the morning than in the afternoon. That doesn't mean there's something wrong.

When you leave a bottle for your baby, leave 1-1.25oz/hr you'll be gone. Small, frequent bottles help keep your baby's expectations realistic. If they're getting two 5oz bottles in 8hrs, they're still getting 1.25oz/hr, but do you only nurse your baby twice in 8hrs? They'll start to expect large volumes from you, which can make them impatient or fussy. Some babies refuse to nurse and will only take bottles. Keeping the bottles realistic and having a clear understanding of a healthy milk supply will help you meet your feeding goals.

Save this so you can remember how much to leave in bottles, and to remind yourself you're doing a great job making milk!

🤰🏻✨
A year ago when I decided I wanted to pursue birthwork I was overwhelmed on where to start. After almost a decade of caring for kiddos and families as a professional nanny, I already knew that working with families is a huge part of my calling. Around this time last year I was reminded how quickly life can shift, and in that season of “shifting” in my personal life I was reminded that it takes only a moment for life to completely change. What is said and who is there in that moment of “in between” MATTERS. That’s how I see birth. Labor and delivery is a monumental shift in our reality. How you feel (Safe? Scared? Reassured? In control? Validated?) during that shift matters. Those moments of “shifting” stick with us because our mind, body, and spirit are all affected at once.
🌬 💭
At 19 years old, I had my first baby. (And then my second baby came in the beginning of a global pandemic after thinking we REALLY did a good job planning that one 😅 story for another day). I felt afraid, out of control, completely unknowledgeable, like I was being told what to do as if I were another number or statistic, and I immediately knew this couldn’t be the norm. Unfortunately, that is the norm for so many women and families. “Healthy mom, healthy baby” should not be the only goal, because it is the BARE MINIMUM. Everyone should be provided the safest possible birthing experience, and everyone should be given the space to create incredible memories in their moments of “shifting” seasons.
🌧 ☀️ 🌸 🍁
Over the past year I’ve walked alongside so many amazing families in birth and postpartum as their doula, and I don’t take a single opportunity for granted. As I continue pursuing my degree in Nurse-Midwifery, I get to continue working in the field I am so passionate about and it wouldn’t be possible without my wonderful clients. Thank you all so much for entrusting me to be there for you during the “in between” of seasons and during the shift of bringing new life into the world. So much love 💗✨


Photo cred: APCO✨

Powerful reminder ♥️

It’s all fun and games
And s*xy breathing exercises for birth
And romantic plans about how he’ll take the baby
While you do yoga every day

Until you’re 10 days postpartum
Still bleeding and soaked in breastmilk
Riding a roller coaster of hormones and sleep deprivation
And your lovely partner forgets to pick up a smoothie
On his way home from the grocery store

And you lose your sh✨t
Like sobbing into the bathroom sink
Like cursing his mother
Like wondering why you ever procreated with someone capable of such unimaginable selfishness

And then, when the storm has passed,
And you’ve had a snack - you realize
Two shaky, raw, sleep deprived humans
Trying to be life rafts for one another
While sinking into the depths of exhaustion and stress
Keeping the tiniest, most fragile, precious being afloat
Is hard AF

We weren’t meant to do this alone
We were not meant to be sent out to sea
In a tiny little life boat with no map

Even the most loving, stable partnership can sink
Under the weight of operating in survival mode
While finding your footing as parents

So, if you’re out there, treading water
Buried in laundry and breastmilk
Surviving on freezer pizza and three hours of sleep
Thinking mildly unkind thoughts about the person you chose to parent with
Because he can’t seem to calm the baby
Or remember your smoothies
Or grasp the depths of the earth shaking
transition you’re navigating

You’re not alone
And it will get easier
One sleepy, shaky day at a time

Words and Art by Catie Atkinson
Spirit Y Sol
www.linktr.ee/spiritysol

I have a few openings this year for due dates in April, May, and June! I would be honored to walk alongside you in pregnancy and birth! 💗 If you are thinking about hiring a doula I would love to chat a bit about what I can offer you in your journey! Send me a message or head to my website and fill out the info under “schedule a consultation” ✨

www.chlothedoula.com

🤍 Informed decision making and consent is EXTRA important in the birth space. On the same hand but the other side, we understand there are more urgent situations that need emergency care and immediate attention. Making sure you understand why a procedure is being done can lead to more peace about your story no matter how the birth plays out. 🤍

Take for example an emergency c-section.

Mama you need to understand why the situation is emergent. It is still hard and there will still be trauma to work though, but you need to know why it’s the only option. You need reassurance from your provider, your care team, your doula and your partner that you are making the best decision. Mama you need to feel like you’re part of that decision being made regardless of how emergent the situation is. (There are always exceptions, but in a lot of cases there will still be a bit of time before you’re in surgery to ask a few questions)

We can talk about how these needs are met in these situations during our prenatal visits together if you’d like 💕

These situations are tough, but feeling like you understood why it happened before it happened can help you process it later. 💗

I hear often from expectant momma’s that they are nervous about labor and the delivery of babe. We can’t blame them of course! There are so many negative stories about the “intolerable” pain. I get the question “how can I prepare?” quite a bit!

There are many good ways, but I’m going to give a very practical way of preparing your mind for labor. It’s a simple, yet challenging exercise of the mind.

Ready for it?
Grab an ice cube 🧊. Hold it in your hand for 60 seconds. Compartmentalize the uncomfortable feeling and put it somewhere in your mind that makes it feel manageable. Breathe. Calmly.

Practice this throughout your pregnancy! Practice separating that feeling of discomfort from your initial reaction which will probably be along the lines of “I don’t like, I want it to stop”.

Maybe play your birth playlist or use a diffuser with calming scents (if you plan to incorporate essential oils into labor) during this time! Incorporate different senses so your mind is equipped with muscle memory.

Remember, an experience of one does not equate to an experience of another. Every birth is a uniquely different unfolding of a new life. Let’s leave fear out of the equation 💗

Sometimes we need to be reminded that pregnancy is not a disease and childbirth is not a medical emergency. While we all know that intervention is sometimes necessary, we can easily mix up “sometimes necessary” to “that will probably be my story”. You are allowed to be excited about your pregnancy and ignore the “but just wait for when….” comments. You are allowed to look forward to labor and delivery. Labor and delivery can be a very positive experience. I would be honored to walk alongside you, to be excited with you, and to support you through your journey to parenthood🤰🏻💕 send me a message and we can chat about what that looks like 🖤

I am excited to be booking births with due dates starting in September! If you’ve considered hiring a doula I would love to have a conversation and answer any questions you might have! Send me a message or email at [email protected], or call me at (989)370-2242. I work with a sliding scale for pricing in some situations. 🖤 I firmly believe everyone should have access to the birth support they deserve.

Raw Postpartum emotion. Birthing a baby is a transformative experience where you birth a new version of yourself. Here are my own ramblings of raw postpartum emotion:

Sleepless nights. Newborn cries. Swollen feet. I hear myself asking who am I, aren’t I me?
I am not her. What I used to be.
When I see my reflection, it’s foreign to me.
It started at just weeks after she was conceived.
My body was changing, my thoughts pacing, who am I?
A baby is a blessing and I’m not second guessing but is it fair to miss who I used to be?
The guilt that comes with this....new me... a new me?
Isn’t that what I always wanted to be?
I’d go on a new diet or get a new hair cut and hashtag a picture “new year new me”.
Had I ever been who I wanted to be?
Honestly, no.
But this change is scary. I’m no longer in charge of just a new me, but a new LIFE.
One that isn’t even mine.
That’s when my heart skips a beat.
How do I become me when I’m focused on a baby?
I’m overwhelmed and underprepared.
No one told me I’d be so stressed I’d literally lose hair.
“Rest when the baby is sleeping” but how can I do that when I don’t know if she’s breathing?
I get up from the bed I’d been in for days lost in thought, my head in clouds of newborn-haze.
My body, it hurts.
The pain from birth is still fresh.
Leaking breasts and panties made of mesh.
My body has an internal gaping wound and yet I have no time to heal because the pressure to bounce back is pressing.
I’m bleeding. I’m hurting. I’m tired. I’m empty.
I can’t do this, can I?
Who am I?
I look in the mirror and the reflection is foreign.
I look at her and I see, me?
Postpartum is a season.
When I birthed her, I birthed a new me.
A mother.
“Be gentle with her.”
A reminder I tell my reflection as I get to know her, as me.
-Chloe Rutkowski

An important step in giving informed consent is first having space to make an informed decision.

"I'm going to check you"⁠
"I'm just going to break your water" ⁠
"We're going to start an IV antibiotic" ⁠
"You really need to do this right now"⁠
“You’re not allowed to (walk around, eat, fill in the blank…)"⁠
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None of these are examples of informed consent. ⁠
Informed consent is a legal, human, and ethical right - established by law.⁠
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It’s a discussion that includes:⁠
1️⃣ risks (including future potential risks, i.e. repeat cesareans, post-episiotomy pain, impacting s*x life)⁠
2️⃣ benefits⁠
3️⃣ alternatives⁠
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Informed consent also includes the right to INFORMED REFUSAL.⁠
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That means you have a legal right to say NO at your birth to anything you believe is not in your and baby's best interest.⁠
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Your voice counts and what you say matters.⁠
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Being guilted into something or otherwise psychologically pressured is a violation of informed consent.⁠
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But violations are common and accepted. It’s common for a practitioner to say something like: ‘a good mom would do this’ and ‘you wouldn’t want to harm your baby’ or “I know this is what you want, but my job is to look out for your baby.” Legally YOU are the one who gets to choose for you and baby and LEGALLY that should be without repercussions to you regardless of outcome. YOU get to make the risk-benefit analysis, but that means getting educated ahead of time. And that’s what I’m here to help you do.⁠
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If you want to learn what your birth rights are, the difference between birth rights and hospital policy, and more on how to be your own advocate, I invite you to join my FREE pregnancy, birth, and postpartum course via the link in bio.⁠
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Once you join, you'll have access to the previously recorded videos (including the one on advocacy), in addition to supplemental PDFs and guided videos - and all of the ongoing classes coming up, plus the ongoing weekly support group.⁠
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Speaking up for ourselves, and speaking our truth makes a difference. It’s how every change in healthcare has actually occurred. And never doubt what s group of committed women can do!

Have you considered hiring a doula for your birth? I would love to chat with you about all of the ins and outs of what hiring a doula would look like for you and your family. Let's make your birthing experience a positive one!