Essential Birth Co.

Weary of spirit and strength, she quietly asked if I would draw near to her and say a prayer over her. Together, we thanked our creator for the precious life working with her to be born. We thanked Him for his deep love for this new family, and asked Him mercifully for guidance and wisdom to all who would preside over this labor. In that moment, I truly saw a mother be born. She resigned her own will and gave trust and authority to Heavenly Father. While I have an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus, I honor and respect your deeply held personal beliefs. I will pray with you if you invite me to. Wherever you draw strength, I will fully support and hold that space for you.

Recently, I attended a birth where aromatherapy was largely used to support mom’s physical and mental state as well as encourage surges along. Homeopathic remedies are a great alternative to conventional medicine and may reduce or eliminate your need for certain minor interventions. Here’s a few that I keep in my doula bag in case laboring mom’s request the support. Luckily, our local hospital welcomes and encourages the use of aromatherapy. It’s a welcome change from the sterile medical aroma.

I know! You’re so tired and so eager to meet your baby! I can promise you this: your baby will be in your arms VERY soon. Trust that your body and your baby intuitively know that some last-minute preparations need to take place either in development or with the mindset of mama! Also remember, that due date is only a guess date and it’s common for first-time mamas to go 10 days past it. So if you’d like to see if you can help labor start, here are some tips from a licensed midwife. If you have any specific questions about inductions or delivering a post-date baby, send me a DM! Love your doula Ashley

Being a birth doula is the practice of totally and completely submerging myself in the physical, mental and spiritual journey beside birthing mothers. Now, submerged in a warm bath-reflecting… a new doula emerges.

As I prepare to support a family at the birth of their first baby, via belly birth, I thought I’d cover a question that I get a lot-and asked myself for a while! By providing emotional support, comfort, and advocacy, doulas can empower women to feel more in control of their birth, even during a C-section. Did you have a belly birth? How would a doula have supported you, your partner, and made postpartum recovery a better experience?

Research has shown that what happens during the first 60 minutes of a baby’s life, which is often referred to as “The Golden Hour, can maximize the bonding between mother and child, and stabilize the newborn coming out of utero. For baby, skin to skin with mom helps baby regulate temperature and stabilize blood sugar. For mom, it helps her produce hormones that help her to breastfeed as well as decrease stress, anxiety and depression for her. Even in cases where medical emergencies may change a family’s birth plan, it is possible to take advantage of bonding time in the first few minutes. If a baby needs medical attention or extra stimulation to start breathing, the baby can be moved from the exam table to the mother’s chest as soon as the baby is stabilized.

Women who have a planned or unplanned cesarean section may need to wait a few moments to be able to hold the baby. In most cases, after a quick assessment, nurses can move the baby to the mother’s chest. The baby can stay at her mother’s side until she is settled into the recovery room and ready to nurse.
Often there is less crying and fussiness with infants that have experienced the golden hour. Research shows these infants also have a history of better sleep quality, growth and breastfeeding rates.
So, talk to your care provider about your desire to experience the golden hour, skin to skin with your baby right after birth!

Incase you were wondering what a postpartum doula would be like in those early newborn days, it’s a little bit like a 🧚🏻‍♀️fairy godmother mixed with a baby whisperer.

BRAINS acronym is a stategy we like to give to mamas to promote a safe and satisfying birth experience for our clients. Oxytocin, prolactin, beta-endorphins are really important in having a progressive birth. When there is an intervention, it can create a hormonal gap-so to keep the environment feeling safe and secure, use the BRAINS stategy when you’re faced with a decision.

BRAINS acronym is a strategy we like to use in the doula world to promote a safe and satisfying birth experience for our clients. Oxytocin, prolactin, beta-endorphins are really important in having a progressive birth. When there is an intervention, it can create a hormonal gap-so to keep the environment feeling safe and secure, use the BRAINS strategy when you’re faced with a decision.

One of my postpartum clients has the cutest (and most relatable) candle by her kitchen sink!

Before this new mama of twins retreated to her warm comfy bed to rest and recover from the day, and capture much needed sleep, she and I were chatting about what it means to have postpartum doula support. Her beautiful tired eyes sparkled once again, as it did when she spoke of her tiny babies, about how it feels to have someone listening, caring, nurturing, soothing, supporting her and the family. Her words were simple and genuine. I returned the affirmation, sharing that it is an absolute honor to serve her during this season of her life!

BUILDING SELF TRUST: When I became pregnant for the first time, I consumed so much information and sought out “the right way” to be a pregnant person and raise my baby. At times it became overwhelming and I was left feeling completely incompetent and inadequate.

Intuition/inner-knowing what is best for you and your baby can be very quiet in the beginning of your pregnancy/parenting journey (and that’s where doula support can be helpful to facilitate developing self-trust).

Here are four questions you can ask yourself for building self-trust:
1) What am I noticing right now? This question encourages parents to be aware of their feelings and instincts in any given moment, helping them tune into their inner knowing.

2) Am I allowing what I’m feeling to just be? It is essential not to judge or attach stories to the feelings experienced. By acknowledging and embracing these feelings without judgement, parents can honor their intuition.

3) What are these feelings trying to tell me? This gentle inquiry prompts parents to explore the deeper meaning behind their feelings and instincts. By understanding the message behind these emotions, parents can make more informed decisions. Learning to listen to ourselves is critical because it gives us confidence to decide what is best for us and our own families, particularly when there are other people/ books/ “experts” telling us otherwise.

4) How can I offer myself tenderness and compassion right now? Practicing self-compassion and self-care is crucial for building self-trust. By treating themselves with the same kindness and understanding they show others, parents can cultivate a nurturing relationship with themselves.

Author: Marisa Belger
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Episode 92

At Essential Birth Company, supporting you thoroughly from pregnancy to postpartum is our passion. We want this season as new parents to be an empowering one that you can reflect on with joy and confidence. We are blessed to have with us a highly skilled nurse and Lactation Consultant to support you as well! Brenda Rapp brings with her nearly forty years of experience working with mothers and babies-thirty three of them as an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). She is offering her skills to our in-house clients by way of virtual appointments, making it convenient to troubleshoot lactation from the comfort of your home!

I so appreciate you stopping by for a quick visit! My husband and I call Kansas our home state, but we’ve spent a good portion of time living in Emerald Isle, Sneads Ferry, and Hampstead, North Carolina, during my husband’s twelve year career in the Marine Corps. We have two daughters who absolutely love animals, being outside, and are natural little mamas-in-training. We love pouring our skills and talents into the community! My husband coaches womens and childrens jiu jitsu classes , and is an on-boarding specialist for a local Veteran-owned company called . Through fitness, discipline, belief and tribe, this men’s mentorship group is leveling up fathers and husbands to make positive change. I’ve been a doula since 2018 and also supported families in CA, OK, MO. Outside of doula work, I am studying to become a breastfeeding counselor. I’m also a passionate homemaker. I love making people feel comfortable and cozy when they enter our home and making food from scratch.

We spend at least nine months thinking and planning for our birth experience but how much time do we spend thinking and planning for postpartum? Who are our support people? How will you find ways to rest and recover while keeping up with the household? What will overnight feeding look like once you go back to work? These are topics that a postpartum doula can help you work through! We are trained in newborn care and feeding, and signs to look out for perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, just to name a few.

Story time!

Tell us about the moment your test showed “positive” or how you broke the news to our partner?

Essential Birth Company has been a dream for many years. Active duty military life, and raising littles kept this dream in the distance but now….

I am thrilled to announce, as my family gets settled back on the Carolina coast, we want to welcome you to EBC, serving pregnant and postpartum families!

With the help of Pro Doula, I am now a Certified Labor, Postpartum & Infant Care Doula

I’m ready to serve growing families in Surf City, Hampstead, Wilmington and surrounding areas.

Know someone who’s expecting? Has littles running around, no family around and going back to work in six weeks? I can help!

Essential Birth Co.

Essential Birth Co.'s cover photo