Life Song Doula Care

08/07/2024

We talk about all of this and more in our initial intake form.

07/30/2024

Braxton Hicks are normal in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Magnesium and eating some good protein can also help settle them down. 🌸

07/15/2024

Did you know??

07/07/2024

It's summer! Take care of yourself!

☀️ Being pregnant during the summer can be uncomfortable, plus pregnancy can make you feel warmer than you usually would, making the summer months a bit of a slog.

Stay cool and comfortable with these tips:

⛱️ Stay hydrated: Keep a water bottle with you and drink plenty of water. A good rule of thumb? Your p*e should be pale yellow. Anything darker could mean you need more fluids.

⛱️ Wear light clothing: Lightweight and light-colored clothing in natural breathable materials such as cotton, linen, silk and merino wool (yes, wool!!) can keep you cool.

⛱️ Don’t overdo it: Whether you’re exercising or just running errands, take regular breaks and ensure to not exercise to the stage of overheating or feeling lightheaded.

⛱️ Avoid the sun: If you’re going to be outside for a long period, leave the house prepared. Take a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses(and remember the water!!).

⛱️ Put your feet up: Pregnancy and heat can make your feet swell. Try taking it easy for at least an hour a day with your feet resting higher than your heart (remembering to follow the sitting tips from our Daily Essentials or on our website).

https://www.spinningbabies.com/product/daily-essentials-video-digital-download/

What are some ways you beat the heat while pregnant?

06/30/2024

This. This is how I endeavor to serve you.

Your care — from providers to birth spaces to support people and beyond — should be prepared and able to see you, know you, and support and care for you in the fullness of who you are, with your unique experience in mind ❤️

06/27/2024

You are not doomed. Often we get messages that sound like "what are the odds of XYZ situation happening again in my next birth?!". Two things come to mind when we get these questions.

1. Sometimes research is limited on the recurrence of certain things. Like the odds of the baby being in the same (not ideal) position again. Sometimes we don't have a great data-backed answer to give you.

2. No matter what... you are not doomed to have history repeat itself. This birth WILL be different from your last birth. Maybe not in every way but this is a different baby, your body has grown and changed, and this is a different birth.

It's easy to get in our heads and start to feel that sense of dread. The sense of feeling out of control because we simply cannot control every aspect of birth. It's easy to fight surrendering to our story. But we encourage you to lean into that surrender. To lean into trusting that you are strong and capable of handling whatever birth throws your way. And to believe the TRUTH which is that this is a different pregnancy, a different baby, and it will be a different birth.

05/20/2024

My very first doula baby is 11 today! Happy birthday!

04/12/2024

In light of the steadily alarming rise of maternal mortality in the U.S., which recent data shows has been exacerbated by the pandemic; and amidst growing cases of neglect in care in hospital systems immediately after labor and delivery, Black Mamas Matter Alliance continues to highlight and center culturally-congruent practices with a focus on Black Midwifery care and full-spectrum Black-led Doula care as sound, evidence-based solutions. Most importantly, these are practices and solutions that incorporate the true needs, wants and desires of Black women and birthing people.

Held annually 11 – 17 April, Black Maternal Health Week is a campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance​ to build awareness, activism, and community-building​ to amplify ​the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people.

To support BMMA and its partners, visit:
https://blackmamasmatter.org/our-partners

04/07/2024

"When we ground and sustain our community care within a reproductive justice framework, we can begin to unlearn individualism and ego. While we still must operate under capitalism, navigating all of the wealth-hoarding, fame-and-glory-seeking, personal-achievement-obsessed traps it has set for us - and while we are all still human, with our lifelong need to be seen, heard, and understood for who we are as individuals - viewing abortion care or any other work through an RJ lens can show us, over and over again, that intersectionality means interdependence."
- You or Someone You Love by Hannah Matthews

03/25/2024

It's World Doula Week!

03/17/2024

Sharing this again! This is happening all through March!

03/09/2024

It's Women's History Month so how about a discount for caring for our future? If you donate period products to a school this month then you will get 20% off any of my doula services. These services can be for you or a friend or family member.

02/23/2024

Strong, competent, and capable all start with creating your {M}otherboard.

Check out MotherboardBirth.com for collaborative, evidence-based birth resources for parents and birth pros!

*Yes, we used “parents” because {M}otherboard was created to support and empower all people (mothers, fathers, and parents) throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

02/11/2024

02/02/2024

Hi all! I haven't posted much recently as I have been going through some big changes but I wanted to introduce myself to new folks and tell you where I am with my business these days.
I am Jamie Lake - wife of coming on 2 decades, mother of a teenager, classically trained soprano, community actor, avid reader, swimmer, and hiker. I have been a birth and postpartum doula for 11 years and don't believe that I will be stopping any time soon. I absolutely love watching a birthing person find their strength and power in whatever birth and journey they need to have.
I have lived with chronic pain for as long as I can remember and have, just recently, been diagnosed with a hyper mobility disorder, more specifically hypermoble Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It is wonderful to finally have an answer to all the strange things that have happened in my body over the years and now I can make a new management plan. This involves a little more healing and then a better exercise routine to develop and maintain strength and support. But don't worry! It isn't keeping me from my work! Sometimes I will need to modify something or have a partner do something while I sit for a few minutes but I will still support and care for you during birth and postpartum.
Now that I am spending less mental energy on figuring out what is going on with my body, I can embrace more things that I am passionate about. Most notably reproductive and social justice and end of life doula care. I wholeheartedly believe that EVERYONE should have all the information to make their own informed decisions about their own bodies throughout the whole life spectrum.
As your doula, I will meet you where you are and help you find the information you need to make these choices. I will champion you and your identity, beliefs, and ideals.
And, yes, I mentioned end of life doula care. I am almost finished with my training and will be ready to take clients later this year. I feel a strong calling to support families whose babies and children are dying. What an especially hard time. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone walk this path with you who can help you navigate the systems, help your child to have some agency in their death, and even help you with all the new funeral options?
That's about it. Again, I am working this year on better embodiment and self care so that I can support you in so many ways. Check out my website for all the options. And, if you need something slightly different, ask me! If I can't help you myself, I will point you in the right direction.
Thanks for reading all of this and being on this incredible journey with me! Remember that I support ALL births, ALL families, and ALL journeys.
www.lifesongdoulacare.com

01/25/2024

ETA: I am adding this to my many offerings. I will continue birth, postpartum, etc. support.
So I am almost through training to be an end of life doula. I started feeling nudges for this journey a couple of years ago but put it off as I have been calling myself a recovering death-phobe. 9 or 10 months ago, a church member called me up and said that, as part of her end of life doula training, her teacher had suggested that the students talk with a birth and/or postpartum doula to learn how they structured their business. We had a lovely talk and I learned a bit about EOL doulas. Then, I had the opportunity to join an area Threshold Choir (we sing at the bedside of folks who are ill and dying). Those were the final pushes and I signed up for my own training. 6 weeks of online classes (of which I had to miss 2 for my other doula work and will make up soon) with the incredible, inclusive and affirming The Dying Year. As one of my teachers said in our first class: look to your communities, that is where you will find your clients. So I feel like I am being particularly called to work with families whose babies and children are dying. Even the young should be able to die with some knowledge and dignity.

They go by many names — “death doula,” “departure doula,” “death midwife” — and they can assist with a variety of emotional and logistical needs.

01/15/2024

Today we celebrate the life of a great man whose life was cut too short because of hate and intolerance. I truly believe that peace begins at birth. The way a birthing person is treated can have so many positive or negative ripple effects. Too often people, especially people of color are discriminated against in the birth room and in their healthcare. This is why I do what I do and fight for the birthing person's rights. I try to show a little light and love.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Martin Luther King Jr.

01/06/2024

Black birthing people need to be seen and heard! I offer discounts to birthing people of color and I offer my doula mentorship program for free to BIPOC because representation matters.

Black women say doctors often dismiss concerns during pregnancy, harming mental health and spurring higher death rates. Doulas aim to change all that.

12/30/2023

So grateful for all of my amazing clients of 2023 who allowed me into their birthing and postpartum spaces! Here's to many more in 2024!

12/11/2023

This will be great! And it's free!

12/05/2023

11/29/2023

Did you know that I offer doula mentorship? AND right now I am offering the doula exploration (meeting and possible shadowing) for free through the end of the year! Have you thought about becoming a doula and want to see what it is all about? This is a great time to explore this amazing work.
https://www.lifesongdoulacare.com/doulamentor

11/28/2023

It was an honor to sit with Representatives Joanna King and Maureen Bauer and other birth professionals tonight to talk about what maternity care looks like locally and in the state of Indiana and what we think needs to happen to sustain midwives and doulas. I am incredibly passionate about this. Change needs to happen! Hopefully, good things will come from this.

11/19/2023

Did you know that inductions of labor spike dramatically on the days leading up to holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve? Your provider's dinner plans are not a good reason to interfere with the natural process of your birth. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

11/17/2023

Lovely gift from a client!

11/10/2023

Just received this brand new book in the mail! The story is lovely. It definitely will be in my postpartum/sibling bag!