No Greater Joy Doula Service

11/25/2019

“PIC: Scrubbing for an unplanned c-section for a momma that had every intention to birth naturally, drug free. Reason: “failure to progress”

Here’s the thing, natural minded mommas:
I know you think that the hospital is the safest place to give birth. I know you think that the doctors are there to save you when something goes wrong. I know you believe that continuous fetal monitoring is a good thing, that pitocin is a good thing, that antibiotics are a good thing. I know you want to be in a hospital setting “just in case”. But what if I told you that kind of thinking is so backwards it’s not even funny?

What if I told you that homebirth isn’t only an option for low-risk moms, but it’s actually safer & has better outcomes? Lower c-section rates. Higher satisfaction rates. Lower maternal death rates. Lower infant death rates. Lower PPD rates. Higher breastfeeding rates.

What if I told you that going into labor on your own WILL happen & that going past your due date is actually normal & expected?

What if I told you that women all over the world birth big babies & having a c-section for a big baby isn’t indicated?

What if I told you that “failure to progress” is a made up term meaning “failure to wait”?

What if I told you that “failure to descend” is actually just a positioning problem, not a broken body problem.

What if I told you that all of that pitocin will lead to an epidural, which will lead to fetal distress, which will land you in the OR to have your baby saved from a problem that the system created?

I get that there are real emergencies that happen & that’s exactly what hospitals are for. But birth is not an emergency. Birth should not be treated as anything other than a normal physiological process.

It’s time we start taking birth into our own hands. It’s time we start leading the way back to better birth. Back to patient centered care. It’s time we get informed. It’s time we stop trusting the system & start trusting our own bodies. It’s time to change our mindset around childbirth & around pain.“ credit: allie woods

07/10/2019

Amen to this. Your birth belongs to you!

04/16/2019

Beautiful and accurate explanation. ❤️
My last and 5th homebirth was a water born baby, and the most pleasant of all my births.

03/24/2019

❤️

😍

10/15/2018

Did you know...

03/06/2017

THIS 🙌🏼🙌🏼👇🏼

I regret not listening to the woman that urged me to research vaccines.
She came off strong.
She scared me.
She threw the autism word at me, and I ignored her.
She saw vaccine injury with her own eyes and wanted to save my baby.
She gave me her cell phone number and told me to call her even being on vacation if I had any questions.
She told me everything I needed to know that no one else told me.
She urged me not to give my baby Tylenol.
She explained everything.
She messaged me making sure my son was okay after seeing that he was sick.
She did exactly what I'm doing on Facebook.
She cared. She still cares.

I deleted her on Facebook and never spoke of any of it again.
Not until 6 years later when I suddenly became an antivaxxer.
My eyes were opened and I couldn't sleep.
I had to thank her for trying to save my child.
I found her on Facebook, opened up messenger to shoot a thank you text.
Our messages were still there.
My heart was shattered.
I wished I would of listened.
My son was vaccine injured and had I listened, his life would have been easier.

You may not hear my screams.
You may block me, mock me, laugh at me, but you won't silence me. 👆

All up in my feels today. Not all bad, not all good. But if you're reading my posts and still vaccinating your kids, you might just end up with this post as yours one day. You don't have to thank me. I'm doing this for your child, my child, and the next child that walks by. These babies have no voice. Me and thousands of others are trying to be theirs. 💖 Take it for what it's worth and run with it.

-- Erica Parkin ❤❤❤

02/06/2017

12/20/2016

Have you edited your birth or breastfeeding pics in the PicsArt app yet?? Share them in the comments! I'd love to see one done with a beautiful large pregnant belly!

12/02/2016

Pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, parenting...
These are the most important work as parents that we will ever do, so learn all you can, from every angle, make educated informed decisions, and know why you made the choices you did.

11/24/2016

Reposting on alcohol and breastfeeding. It's more ok than you've been told!! Happy holidays all!!!

Since the holidays are imminent, even started, many of you may want to have a couple of alcoholic drinks. You do not have to "pump and dump" (a terrible expression) afterwards and you don't have to wait a certain time after your more recent drink in order to restart breastfeeding. The amount of alcohol that gets into the milk is tiny and will not hurt the baby.

Think of it this way, in most jurisdictions, you are too impaired to drive if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood. Alcohol appears in the milk in the same concentration as in the blood. Thus if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood you will have 0.05% alcohol in your milk and as it decreases in your blood, it will decrease in your milk. Even de-alcoholized beer sold in my local store has 0.6% alcohol, more than 10x more than the breastmilk will contain if it contains 0.05% alcohol.

I am not saying it's fine to get falling down drunk because if you are breastfeeding, you must not drop the baby, but the problem is your coordination not the amount of alcohol in the milk.

Also from last year:

The following is from a blog by a mother who tested her milk for alcohol. Not one of those useless kits that you can buy at various stores, but tested at a toxicology laboratory. I will copy from her blog the method she used and the results. I think this puts the lie to the notion that women should not drink while breastfeeding or need to "pump and dump" (an appalling term) after having even one drink. The following is an exact quote from her blog:

Method:
First I took a sample of my milk (about 1 mL) prior to drinking any alcoholic beverage. I expressed the milk mid-nursing session to ensure I had a goodly portion of fore & hind milk. After completing the nursing session, I mixed myself an alcoholic beverage consisting of 2 oz of 80 proof (40%) vodka in 10 oz of soda (Sprite). I proceeded to drink the entire 12 oz in about 30 minutes. About 30 minutes after finishing (1 hour after beginning to drink), I expressed some milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it 'immediate'. I then waited 1 hour and expressed more milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it '2 hours'. In the 2 hours (from the beginning), I did not drink any more alcoholic beverages, drink other beverages, or eat any other foods. Another day, 1/2 of a beer (4.3% alcohol) and 2-6 oz glasses of wine were consumed within 1.5 hours. About an hour from the beginning of the last drink, a milk sample (about 1 mL) was taken. This sample was labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks'. Another sample was taken about an hour after that (2 hours after the beginning of the last drink). This sample was labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks'.

The samples were stored in the refrigerator until processing. An Agilent headspace instrument was used to run the tests. Propanol and ethanol standards were also tested to ensure the instrument was within limits. The instrument is maintained by the KSP Lab Toxicology Section and used in forensic determinations of blood and urine alcohol content.

Results:
The sample labeled as 'immediate' registered as 0.1370 mg/mL which correlates to 0.01370% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours' registered as 0.0000 mg/ml which correlates to 0.0000%. The sample labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks' registered as 0.3749 mg/mL which correlates to 0.03749% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks' registered as 0.0629 mg/mL which correlates to 0.00629% alcohol in the sample.

Conclusion:
The alcohol content in breast milk immediately after drinking is equivalent to a 0.0274 proof beverage. That's like mixing 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) with 2919 oz of mixer . By the way, 2919 oz is over 70 liters. Two hours after drinking one (strong) drink the alcohol has disappeared from the sample. Completely harmless to the nursing infant. Drinking about 3 drinks in 1.5 hours resulted in higher numbers, but still negligible amounts of alcohol would be transferred to the child. One hour after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was the equivalent of 0.07498 proof beverage. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) to 1066 oz of mixer (1066 oz is over 26 liters). Two hours after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was 0.01258 proof. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka to 3179 oz of mixer (over almost 80 liters). So, even though an infant has much less body weight, any of these percentage of alcohol in breast milk is unlikely to adversely affect the baby.

11/02/2016

Appointment today with a 2nd time amish mama, shes due in two weeks. It was nice to hear why she thought I was so necessary to have again at her birth, and how it made such a difference the first time around.💜💜💜 Moms need support!! Do you agree?

I love what I do.

10/07/2016

What a neat and relaxing past time to work on during your pregnancy!

Bringing Baby Earthside was created with the expecting mama in mind. It features 11 unique coloring pages, each one exploring a different birth affirmation and stage of pregnancy and birth. Our coloring book allows mothers to creatively meditate on positive feelings, while mentally preparing affirma...

06/08/2016

Have you ever seen a baby with a mis-shaped, or flat head?? The back is perfectly flat as if a board has been strapped to the babies head, and I always assumed this happened because babies spent too much time lying on thier backs. Even as a little girl i would notice this and be disturbed by it, kidding it's not right.
This article is so informative about how lying babies on thier backs for hours at a time during the day or night, has Ill effects to thier health, physically, and emotionally! Carry your babies more, there's good reason to!
http://www.boba.com/Strollers-baby-carriers-and-infant-stress

Strollers, Baby Carriers and Infant Stress

09/24/2015

07/23/2015

First time using a Baltic Amber teething necklace on one of my babies! Supposed to help with the pain and inflamation from teething! We shall see how we like it! 😊
Anyone else use one? What was your experience?

07/07/2015

Beautiful photography of the breastfeeding relationship between mom and baby. ❤
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/06/breastfeeding-goddesses-enchanting-images-of-motherhood/

Although breast feed is highly encouraged and promoted worldwide by health organisations, it is often discouraged and looked down upon when it

06/21/2015

Happy fathers day to all the men that I've had the honor of witnessing thier first moment as a dad!! You make a difference!!

06/17/2015

Is there anything sweeter?? Sleeping baby butt. 😊❤

06/02/2015

Placenta prints from my last birth! A beautiful baby boys "tree of life" ❤

05/19/2015

If your care provider says they will or will not "allow" you to do something. Its definitely time to question and clarify that YOU are still in control of your body, baby and birth, and maybe even find a new care provider. Birth belongs to us, the women that carry our babies in our bellies, love them before they are even visible, have to birth them from our bodies, and ultimately know what is best for ourselves and our babies!

The legal authority in childbirth lies with the woman giving birth, not the providers of care. Our words should reflect that.

05/12/2015

This is one of the most amazing qualities to breastfeeding! (And there are hundreds!) When my baby is sick, what his body needs most is my breastmilk, and time at the breast! His body communicates with mine so that i can provide exactly what he needs! You cant get that out of a bottle...

05/11/2015

A due date is an estimate, not a deadline, or an eviction notice, or that you are now going to have a baby too big for your body to birth, it doesn't necessarily mean you're "overdue" if you are still pregnant past your due date. But it does mean that baby is not ready yet, maybe your baby is not in an ideal position for birth, or maybe you were a little off on dates, maybe your body naturally gestates to 41, 42, 43 weeks! Your due date is a safe haven, a place halfway between the allotted time that you could birth your baby, it safely gives you two weeks before and two weeks after your "due" date when you could possibly give birth. So relax mama's, baby is not quite ready, thier birthday hasn't arrived yet, and no, you will not be pregnant forever! 😘

05/10/2015

Happy mother's day, to all the women of whom I've had the honor of attending in birth, the very moment they became Mother's.
Babies are born, mother's are made, joy is felt, love is complete.

05/09/2015

A doula...

05/05/2015

Do you need a doula? Read this article, then answer that question. Is your partner not sure a doula is really necessary? Have him read this article too! You've had previous births and never hired a doula, so why would you need one now? Why wouldn't you need one now?! First time mom? Planned C-section? Homebirth, hospital birth? Yes, a doula is helpful at any kind of birth, not just for mom, but for dad too! Read on...

Sometimes called a labor assistant, a doula is person who assists a woman in labor.  In recent years, doulas have become more popular and widespread.  Research and personal experience show that a doula can be an integral part of a woman's birth team, not only during labor but before and after.  What…

05/04/2015

This is absolutely adorable, the husband's expression will pull at your heart strings! Praying for a healthy pregnancy and great labor for this couple!

He didn't think she was capable of this.

05/04/2015

It's never too late to switch to a better provider, be that doctor or midwife, your birth experience depends on it.

05/04/2015

And if you have a doula at your homebirth...these numbers are even better! 😉

05/03/2015

As a doula i offer my services to women throughout thier pregnancy, and during labor, and postpartum. Quite often tho i get to "Doula" someone through fb messaging, over the phone, by text, or meeting them at the store, and i love doing that! Never be afraid to ask a few questions, I'm doing what i love, and always grateful to help! Thank YOU, for trusting me with your concerns!! 💜

04/30/2015

This is something I've noticed myself, and settled on the same conclusion. What do you think?

Scientists claim that Autism has been around for over 1000 years and has remained consistently as prevalent as it is today - with 1 in every 166 in the U.S. being born