Mamma Mia Doula
Birth doula providing support for women in northern New Jersey and New York City. Birth and postpart Birth and Postpartum Doula in Bergen County, New Jersey.
I support families planning births in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Essex, Rockland, and Morris counties, as well as Manhattan. With specialized training in childbirth education, VBAC, lactation, and optimal fetal positioning, I offer information and support so that you can make the choices that are right for you, knowing that I'll be with you, every step of the way. As part of my doula services, I wil
22/04/2024
Life in a Luxury Hotel for New Moms and Babies My month of rest, relaxation, and regret at a Taiwanese postpartum-care center.
17/04/2024
For most, vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) carries lower risks than a repeat cesarean.
Every pregnancy is different and it is important to evaluate your situation carefully with a trusted healthcare provider.
Often when discussing a VBAC, uterine rupture is a specific risk mentioned. Uterine rupture occurs when there is a separation of the uterine wall. Having your uterus rupture can be life-threatening and serious, however, the risk of uterine rupture occurring is very rare, affecting less than 1% of those laboring after cesarean with a low transverse incision.
It is important for a birthing person to be well-educated and informed before making the choice to VBAC or to have a repeat cesarean.
29/09/2023
A little “light” reading…
22/09/2023
Doesn’t anyone appreciate my musical additions? (Although I’ll admit there’s nothing worse than scrolling through Instagram and having stupid songs start playing)
25/08/2023
A doula can provide physical, emotional, and informational support in many ways during childbirth. In our latest Expert View column, one ob-gyn explains why she had a doula help with the birth of her son: https://bit.ly/3YMBuVY
08/08/2023
How different would this world be❤️.
Gemma Douglas
22/06/2023
We can't wait to see you next Saturday from 9-12 at Van Saun!
Join us for a day of family fun and over 25 giveaways!!!
01/06/2023
Home sweet home birth. Here are our NJ providers!
🥰
27/04/2023
Happy to have been with Poppy since the beginning! 🥰
As the universe will have it, Poppy Seed Health turns T-W-O today, smack in the middle of Infertility Awareness Week. The idea for Poppy was born out of our founder's own journey through loss and infertility. Every day our mission is to emotionally support birthing people through the highs and lows of fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and loss—highs and lows that our founder, our team and our advocates know intimately well. We're with ALL of you on this journey. And as for Poppy? Let's just say "terrible twos" needs a rebrand because we are more energized than ever. 🧡 🚀
20/02/2023
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.
📸: This Mama Doodles
Words by: Living FULL
19/01/2023
MOTHER OF ALL CONTRADICTIONS
I’m so happy with my choices
Yet question them daily
I’ve never felt so accomplished
Then suddenly, failing
I’m excited for the future
Yet always looking back
I’m bursting at the seams
With all the things that I lack
I’m vacant
But always so full of you
I’ve learned so much
But still don’t have a clue
I’m close to my limit
But can’t get enough
I’m put upon, I’m passive
But undeniably tough
I’m gentle
But can’t help shouting
I’m certainly
Doubting
I’m oblivious
But care, so much, what you think
I’m the steady, stable one
Always teetering on the brink
I'm unemployed
Yet have never worked so bloody hard
I’m that happy smiling soul
Who’s full of mard
I’m permanently skint
But have never felt richer
I’m mindfully looking
At the bigger picture
I need a break
But always want you close
I’m invisible
But have never felt so exposed
I give others advice
I can’t seem to follow
I find yours, especially
Hard to swallow
I complain that I’m lonely
But just want to be alone
I’m positively grateful
But love a good moan
I’m absent
Yet ever-present
I’m dull
But effervescent
I’m tired
Yet enlivened
I’m loving this
But can’t abide it
I’m strong in my beliefs
Yet lack conviction
I’m reality TV
And a work of fiction
I’m the Mother
of all contradictions
-----------------------------------------------------------
Words: Karen McMillan ()
Image: This Mama Doodles
Words taken from "Mother Truths: Poems on Early Motherhood" which is available to buy: https://linktr.ee/mother_truths
19/01/2023
‘I Don’t Want to Die’: Fighting Maternal Mortality Among Black Women A St. Louis doula program, part of a nonprofit that received funding in the $1.7 trillion federal budget bill, looks for solutions in a benefit largely associated with affluent white women.
09/01/2023
Every surge brings you closer to meeting your baby ❤️
📸:
07/01/2023
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.
📸:
....................................................
My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc
16/12/2022
Photo Credit 📷
27/11/2022
😭😭😭
30/09/2022
28/09/2022
YAY, Poppyseed Health!
"Anne Schuchman, who has been a doula for 10 years, sees Poppy Seed as an extension of her practice. She takes on additional cases through the platform, which, she says, gives her the opportunity to be someone’s support when they need it most.
The app functions a bit like a ride-hailing app, with users matched to an available doula or midwife in real time.
“I might get that chat at 11:30 at night with someone who has had a miscarriage,” Ms. Schuchman said. “They may even have a supportive partner and a provider is giving them medical support, but an important part of being a doula is that we offer emotional support while being detached, in a healthy way.”
Can a Telehealth Start-Up Add a Layer of Support to Pregnancy Care? The goal of Poppy Seed Health is to connect underserved pregnant women to nurses, midwives and doulas who can offer on-demand assistance.
28/09/2022
As we remember
NICU families and journeys,
We also sit with the givers
Who held and wanted to
Love those that were to come,
The loss
And grief we hold
Reminds us of the love
left to give 🧡
Today we hold space for all the babies that didn't make it out of the NICU. If you or someone close to you has experienced a loss in the NICU, we are here 24/7 to support you xo
26/09/2022
"This is what unfiltered postpartum life looks like: lots of sitz baths, lots of mesh underwear, lots of on-demand breastfeeding, lots of swelling, and lots of adjusting to having two kids who seem to need you at all times.
What's a sitz bath, you ask? It's cool; I didn't know about it until after Gia was born. It is basically a salt soak that promotes vaginal healing. I'm doing one that is inserted on top of the toilet as this moment was captured.
What's mesh underwear, you ask? It's cool; I didn't know about them until after Gia was born. A pair is on the floor in this pic, and it's what they give you in the hospital to wear. I find it very comfy postpartum as mom diapers are a thing.
What's on-demand breastfeeding? Literally, it says the kid demands to eat, and you feed them. Any time, anywhere, anyway. Marco is a hungry growing baby and likes to eat sometimes every 90mins, sometimes every 3 hours. So my sleep is limited to little naps for now.
The insane swelling on my legs and feet has luckily nearly gone away. Adjusting to two humans in constant need of a mom has only grown. This is the picture of motherhood, less than three weeks with Marco."
Post from
01/09/2022
Laughing Gas During Labor Is Becoming More Popular Among Women in the United States Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is self-administered and can reduce anxiety and pain during childbirth
28/07/2022
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.
📸: This Mama Doodles
....................................................
My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc
09/07/2022
When your active labor is less than 1 hour…you give birth upright in the hospital…you get to help catch your own baby…and you learn you have a beautiful baby girl. Absolutely magical. Hospital birth can look like this!
Image and words by our Co-Founder Monet Nicole - Birthing Stories
29/06/2022
He's off to work
Bearing the weight of the bills
Her indoors
With twelve hours to fill
And up six times in the night, still
Each thinking that the other
Has struck the better deal
Casting up
And putting down
Petty remarks
And resentments abound
So much more
To disagree about now
Negotiating lie-ins
That were once spent together
Taking turns
When one is under the weather
Tag-teaming
Ships in the night
That never-ending
Relay race
Passing the baton
For another hour
Right, it's your turn
I'm off for a shower
But when all's said and done
If I could choose anyone to
Navigate through
This parenthood
It would always
Be you
Eavesdropping and smiling
At the little chats you have
Remembering that actually
You're a bloody good dad
But oh remember
That bloated adolescence of ours?
Carefree and easy
Doing nothing for hours
And of course, I wouldn't change it
It's better now we've him
I guess what I'm saying is
I miss you
A bit
Words by Karen McMillan
https://www.instagram.com/mother_truths/?hl=en
Art:
Follow for more: https://www.instagram.com/themotherhoodprojectnz/?hl=en
20/06/2022
Many women struggle to breastfeed. Scientists are starting to ask why. We know more about cow’s milk than human milk. But new research about the makeup of breast milk and the factors influencing its production could change the lives of millions.
31/05/2022
As many as 3 in every 4 women will have short periods of feeling sad, crying, or feeling cranky or restless during the first few weeks after giving birth. This may be normal. Babies are fed every few hours, and you will not get a full night of sleep in those first weeks. Also, your body and hormones go through many changes after you give birth. Women who have the baby blues often say they feel like crying but don't know why. Baby blues usually happen in the first or second week postpartum (after you give birth) and last less than a week. If your sadness lasts 2 weeks or more, call your health care provider!