Doula WOW

Keep going mama! 🤱🏾

It's World Breastfeeding Week! 🌎🤱

To all of the mamas out there on their own unique breastfeeding journeys, we support you 💛

This year marks the 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week , which is held from April 11-17, 2023!

In order to educate and uplift Black women and their families in our community the Mid-South BIPOC Birthworkers are hosting Black Maternal Health Resource Fair this Friday!

We will have tons of resources, giveaways, manicures for moms and even free childcare on site. EVERYTHING IS FREE!!! You don’t want to miss this!

This , we are claiming our right to bodily autonomy, and our right to live freely, safely, and joyfully --centering Black Joy and amplifying the movement for better maternal, reproductive and birth outcomes for Black Mamas.

FREE EVENT

Register here
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/606055427097

Did you know April is National Minority Health Month?

Did you know Black Maternal Health Week is April 11-17 2023?

Many still don't know. We need your help to spread awareness, the ask is

A. Tag a service provider or business that serves pregnant and postpartum families or

B. Share this with your network as we are ISO partners, vendors, and sponsors

I am partnering with Kaila Matthews, the owner of Whatthedoulaa, a local Doula committed to helping pregnant and postpartum families make informed choices in their respective journeys and a representative of The Mid-South BIPOC Birthworkers, http://www.midsouthbipocbirthworkers.com/

Our organization is organizing a series of digital and in-person community events that we would love for your organization to be a part of this as a Sponsor, Vendor, Participant, etc. Founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17 2023) is a week of awareness, activism, and community-building aimed at amplifying the voices of Black Mamas, and centering the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements. BMHW is held annually in April during National Minority Health Month. BMHW23 is, above all, a week dedicated to educating and advocating for Black Mamas. I am seeking your support for the Black Maternal Health Resource Fair being held on April 14th at 6pm at the Greenlaw Community Center.

Are you available to be a Sponsor, Vendor, Participant, etc?

If you are ready to commit, please take action and complete this form https://forms.gle/uknhU5orF659jBQN6?

If you need more information and want to chat, let’s connect ASAP here https://www.whatthedoula.com/service-page/connect-with-kaila

Mid-South Bipoc Birthworkers The Mid-South BIPOC Birthworkers is a group of like-minded birthworkers living in and supporting Memphis and the surrounding areas in support of connecting us and protecting us to improve maternal health outcomes. Our community consists of members who are Doulas, Midwives,OBGYNs, Pelvic Floor

April is for showers right?

Come out to the 2nd Annual community baby shower that will be hosted by CHOICES. There will be tons of resources, free food catered by Shef Katina Johnson, desserts catered by Calhoun's Sweet Treats, free gifts, giveaways and much more. This is a family friendly event. There will also be Prenatal Yoga and Dance Cardio by and so much more. Hope to see you there!!

Posting the registration link here:
https://forms.gle/9sD5dr1NSw7WbX5E6
And follow for more events

We invite all new and expecting parents to come out to our Raleigh Community Baby Shower.

https://facebook.com/events/s/raleigh-community-baby-shower/529493922654898/

We will have Food, Games, and Giveaways!

Please register using the QR Code or the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu17-2hat4mFIUYmpIi9YdAU3x6hApce8RpzMKXMT94A5YUg/viewform

ONLY REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR GIVEAWAYS

If you have any questions, please reach out to Nishelle with the contact information provided
Reposted from

Come out and bring the kids to a community resource fair! Free giveaways to registered attendees so be sure to sign up.

Register here https://www.eventbrite.com/.../black-maternal-health

Can't make it? Click here to donate to the cause of connecting us and protecting us! https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=FBXS62GH8U6GL

We are excited to invite you to our community Black Maternal Health Resource Fair! Access and awareness can be gsmechsngers to maternal health outcomes so pull up on us and get connected with some of the best supports the city had to offer.

Register via the link in our bio.
Interested in being a vendor? Email us at the address on the flyer or shoot us a DM.

Oh, to be held by Mother.

📷:

You are a portal moma. This baby is between two worlds!

📸PhotoCred: on IG📸

Under normality, babies align their shoulders vertically to the pelvic outlet to assist with their own birth. More often than not, they need us to leave them alone so they can navigate the easiest pathway.

-Love,
Flor Cruz

Representation is everything! 🤱🏾✨

A postpartum doula can be the extra support you and your family needs during the beautiful transition of welcoming a new baby.💜✨

Hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
Because the baby’s being taken care of—⁣
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—⁣
by not only the mother,⁣
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.⁣
⁣
But the mother,⁣
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣
may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣
may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣
⁣
And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣
⁣
So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣
in the background, making it all happen:⁣
feeding her baby at all hours,⁣
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣
and being that baby’s everything.⁣
⁣
So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣
⁣
And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣
⁣
So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣
⁣
Because the mother needs to be held more.⁣

It’s Feeding a human from your body is so hard. Take a moment to celebrate it. ❤️

The more you know! 💜✨

𝚄𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙵𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜

📍
The umbilical cord contains 3 vessels.
📍
There are two arteries and one vein.
📍
A lot of people think it’s basically just a “tube” of sorts transporting nutrients to their baby. But, it’s so much more intricately designed than that!
📍
The vein carries oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to your baby, and the arteries carry the deoxygenated blood, waste products (such as carbon dioxide), and nutrient-depleted blood through the placenta and into your bloodstream to dispose of.
📍
After delivery, these vessels close by themselves. The arteries close first due to their muscular walls.
📍
The umbilical vein follows closely behind, allowing oxygenated blood to return to your baby from the placenta. 📍
At birth, the placenta contains 1/3 of your baby’s blood volume.
📍
By delaying cord clamping for several minutes, you are allowing that blood to be transferred to your baby where it belongs via the umbilical vein.
Photo Cred:

Here are a few ideas from Choices regarding recent events on reproductive health care.

Babies choose their birth date. Release your worry and trust your body. 💜✨

Due dates are really guess dates. There is some research out there that risks increase every so slightly as we gestate, but your body is smart. Trust it and release the date.

The power of a woman! ✨💜

✨Mother: on IG✨
⚡️Father: on IG⚡️
📸PhotoCred: on IG📸

🌿𝚄𝙽𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙴𝙲𝙷 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙱𝙸𝚁𝚃𝙷🌿

💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️The more you know—As you prepare for new life it’s important to be well informed about pregnancy and labor. 1 in 3 babies are born with the cord around their neck. In fact, the cord can be wrapped multiple times and knotted and it is still not a means for alarm. It is not an issue as long as the mom and cord are healthy. Staying hydrated is one simple way you can improve the hydration inside the belly to produce more Wharton Jelly. Read the information below for more details!

Fun fact about me: I was born with the cord wrapped multiple times!

Nope 👇

Some facts about nuchal cords:

🔆 Nuchal cords are incredibly common, occurring in an estimated 1 of 3 births.

🔆 They are very rarely dangerous.

🔆 Fetuses receive oxygen through the umbilical cord, not by breathing through the mouth or nose, so a cord around the neck is not cutting off their air like it would for you or me. If the cord is left in tact, the baby can still be receiving oxygen from the placenta for several minutes after birth.

🔆 Most babies with a nuchal cord have one that is very loose and it can be simply slipped over the head after birth. There is usually no indication of the nuchal cord at all.

🔆 The main way for a nuchal cord to be harmful (if the cord is healthy) is if it is wrapped multiple times and is so tight that it compresses itself, thereby decreasing blood flow inside, or if there is a true knot so tight that it does the same (rare). The cord would have to be extremely tight to cut off blood flow between the body and brain.

🔆 Nuchal cord is very difficult to identify before birth, even with ultrasound.

🔆 You do not need to have a c-section solely due to a suspected nuchal cord.

🔆 Medications given during a birth induction/augmentation can cause erratic & extra strong contractions, causing heart decelerations in the fetus. If a c-section is performed and a nuchal cord is discovered, it is frequently blamed (though the cause was more likely the induction meds). This can lead the mother to feel her baby was "saved" by the hospital staff, when they may have actually been the ones to CAUSE the issues the baby was "saved" from.

🔆 A healthy umbilical cord is filled with a gelatinous substance called Wharton's Jelly that protects the cord vessels as a fetus twists and turns its way inside the uterus.

If you want to read up on the evidence on nuchal cord, visit my Instagram account () and scroll back to my post of that name.

Big things are happening surrounding maternal health in our community! This is awesome!

BEAM's Black Birth Wellness Grant BEAM partnered with Healthline Media and Peake Wellness to offer a Black Birth Wellness grant. Here's more about it.

Check out these opportunities for FREE breastfeeding classes!

Memphis moms or honestly anyone, Here is list of FREE upcoming breastfeeding classes!

💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️Did you know postpartum healing takes more than 6 weeks?

Both modern and ancient wisdom support the idea that it takes the body at least 40 days to fully return to its pre- pregnancy state. However, this idea may be a bit misleading. Although your uterus may have returned to its normal size and stopped bleeding, there is still plenty of room for healing to be done. Your body is recovering from nearly a year of growing a human being, and your ligaments and joints are still adjusting from pregnancy. If you experienced a cesarean or birth trauma, those six weeks become a minimum of eight. Expect to take years before your body feels like it has fully recovered.

💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️

You have everything you need to care for your newborn. You know what your baby needs. You do not need to seek advice or opinions from outside yourself. Your baby chose you to be their Mama. Trust that. Let that be your inner compass.

Once we get out of our conditioned way and quiet the mind, Mothering is instinctual. It's in our blood and bones. It's an ancient remembering. Society wants us to question our intuition because a powerful Mother not relying on the system is not profitable. But a Mother who follows her intuition and does what she knows is best for her child is the greatest act of resistance.

Trust your instincts mama.

-cosmicmamamedicine

💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️

Postpartum mothers experience physical changes that effect their ability to digest foods. If moms aren’t eating foods that contribute to their healing, we set them up for chronic health issues that can linger years after childbirth.

Immediately postpartum is not the time for a bunch of pastas, conventional items (like dairy, packaged foods, etc.) The first ten days should even look much differently then 2-6 weeks postpartum.

Ingredients should be specific to help mothers replenish the key nutrients that are stripped from the body. The lack of replenishment is why the majority of mothers experience symptoms of depletion within months of having their babies.

The recipes should be formulated with these key things in mind! A postpartum doula can support you in this area. 💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️

💜✨The 5 love languages: Postpartum Edition

Love Language- Gifts🎁:
-“Push Present” immediately after giving birth
-A gift card to a needed service: postpartum doula, cleaning, food delivery, grocery delivery

Love Language- Words if Affirmation☺️:
-“Thank you for making this sacrifice for our family”
-“I’ve never been more attracted to you”
-“I see how much you do for our family”
-“You’re doing an incredible job”
-“I will never take you for granted”

Love Language- Acts of Service 🏃🏾:
-Keep her water bottle filled
-Run her a healing herbal bath
-Keep the house free of clutter
-Serve her tea and herbal infusions
-Prepare her soups that she can grab easily throughout the day
-Do household chores

Love Language- Quality Time ⏰:
-Get up with her while she feeds the baby
-Make preparations to stay at home for as long as possible
-Carve out time at the end of the day to talk with her and genuinely understand what she’s going through

Love Language-Physical Touch 💆🏾‍♀️:
-Rub her swollen feet
-Massage any part of her body—this helps with blood flow and furthers healing too!
-Rub her head
-Hold her hands
-Kiss her head
-Respect when she is “touched out”

Postpartum can be a tough transition. Stay in tune with your partner and use this time to strengthen your connection. This is also relevant for family members who are supporting a newly postpartum mama. Do you know your love language(s)? Do you know your loved ones love language? Which of these suggestions resonate with you? 💜✨🧘🏾‍♀️