Frankie's Birth Story for the full, glorious version!

What an honor to walk with Nicole as she powerfully met Frankie in April. Her birth story is wonderfully crafted, and I hope it provides inspiration and support to any who need it.

'It felt like I had just unlocked a whole new set of arsenal to help me get through labor' - regarding hypnosis in birth

'I leaned over and gave Nate a big kiss. Partly because Ina May taught me kissing your partner produces oxytocin which helps labor and partly because I felt so in love and connected to him and excited that we were bringing a child into the world together.'

'It felt like surfing: intensity, a break to catch my breath and more intensity.'

“with each surge, I go deeper and deeper relaxed” and “I can allow strong sensations to run through me without resistance”

'After having gone through it I can say there is no way I would want to not have a water birth – it was so natural and really helped with...

Happy Early Easter! 

We would LOVE to see some Easter Basket / Bunny photos of all the wee ones we've met in 2018 

VBAC Class: 

May 5th we're offering a VBAC Class  - please join / share if you can!

One of our dear friends, Kimberly Bepler, created these amazing 7 Swaddles videos to walk families through seven swaddling methods that are also linked to developmental stages for babies. Who knew!

Kimberly is also one of my fellow CAPPA Faculty members, training for CAPPA.

6 Days Away! 

Add it to your calendar: the Neighborhood Parenting Network's ONLINE AUCTION starts April 24th through April 28th (just 4 days!). 

312Doulas of course has a discount up for auction, but some of the other great finds:

• Discount on Kid's Birthday Party @ FFC!!! (climbing walls, anyone?)
• Little Beans Playdate Pass
• TONS of Yoga/Fitness packages
• Dining discounts
• Acupuncture & Massage
• Shedd / Zoos / Museum discounts...

Heather & Victoria are also doing A LOT of...

SPRING! Wow, the last few days have felt just so lovely!

I'm guessing for those of you who've had their babies over the winter, it's been so fun to start walking outside and meeting all the other new babies + puppies in the neighborhood. It's a yummy time of year!

• No matter where you are in your parenting / postpartum journey, I wanted to make sure that the Neighborhood Parents Network Online Silent Auction was on your list of things to check out! Of course, @312doulas is represented (check out our new webpage also)! The NPN Online Auction runs from 5 am on 4/24 - 10 pm on 4/28. NPN is also a 501(c)3.

NEW! 312Doulas Homepage 

• We are also in love with this EmojiMom keyboard for apple & android. (you might guess, we get a.lot.of.use out of it!
  
   

• We are also thrilled to have another Spinning Babies Parent Class this coming SUNDAY April 14th from 10 - 1. 

Spinning Babies® Parent Class highlights your...

We see you, warriors! 

@312Doulas our work supporting birthing families.

Such an honor to hold your stories.

But we'd love to hear them from YOU.

For #worlddoulaweek, consider taking the time to share on FB, Google, DoulaMatch, or Yelp if you can.

Current (& future) Clients

One of the many ways fear can be reduced & confidence increased is through education. ALL of our clients have access to the Savvy Prenatal Visits from Evidence Based Birth®.

Learn more by watching the video - reach out if you need access of course!

Calling all BIRTH & BABY ADDICTS!

This week Heather is teaching BOTH the Labor Doula & Postpartum Doula Trainings for CAPPA - there is still time to register & join in, and would love to have you & your special gifts.

FYI - the world needs more doulas.

"Evidence suggests that, in addition to regular nursing care, continuous one-to-one emotional support provided by support personnel, such as a doula, is associated with...

I wearing (other people's) babies!

I've tried so many wraps, slings, & carriers, and I want to share with you some of my favorites.

This video is the first of 3 or 4, sharing the carriers I've used the most.

When supporting families as a postpartum doula, babies and moms can experience their deepest, most amazing rest (together OR separate, with the doula wearing baby or mom) when babies are close to a warm, beating heart.

This wrap technique I learned when I was just a baby midwife. It's not a method I've seen in videos (though I'm sure they are out there), and I personally felt that it was the easiest to use in the beginning, and secured baby so well I was confident!

I hope you find this helpful - shout out or share your successes or tips you have!

Warmly,

Heather

312Doulas & HMBirth.com

Interested in learning ways to support new families?

March CAPPA Trainings

• Lactation Educator Training March 21, 22, 23 (4 more spots)
• Birth Doula (2 more spots) March 27th...

An Evidence Based Birth® L&D Comfort Measures workshop is coming to your area - and time is running out to register at the early bird price! This is a great opportunity to cover a vital subject - and earn nursing contact hours. Space is limited. Here are the details:

• When: Sunday, March 31, 2019 - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Central
• Where: HMBirth Office, 522 Kedzie Street, Evanston, IL

Pricing and benefit levels (minimal registration fees also apply):

• Basic Ticket - audit only, no contact hours - $97
• Professional Ticket - certificate for 3 nursing contact hours - $127
• Super User Ticket - certificate for 3 nursing contact hours, Comfort Measures Teaching Toolkit with instructions and permission to teach lessons to your peers, one month free Professional Membership to Evidence Based Birth® with access to 24 additional contact hours - $147

Get the early bird registration rates listed above until THIS SATURDAY, March 2! After that, prices will...

“Honey, can you take a look at this?” Unless our partners have already shown us THEIRS, we’re not going to be too excited showing OURS.

Hemorrhoids & varicose veins go hand in hand. Both are visible / palpable symptoms of vein health. Or rather, vein walls that aren’t able to provide the support we wish they would.

Most common for the first time birthing person are hemorrhoids after birth. Even with gentle, exhale-breath pushing, the process itself can create hemorrhoids.

Great! Now we get to sit on our butt and breastfeed for weeks...the joy!

For those with familial history of varicose veins, not only are hemorrhoids more likely, but a hidden suprise - VAGINAL varicosities or LABIAL varicosities . You’ve got to be kidding, right?

I get so many txt messages from clients who find someTHING where nothing should be. It can also be a vein that partners can’t see due to the location.

SOLUTIONS

• Overall vein health for every.body.
  • Essential Fatty...

Wow! Breech feels like an epidemic right now! We see you, mamas! 

Just last night an amazing first time mom, thanks to her health, coping tools & the 312Doulas Secret QUICKLY got to 10 cm...and then her provider discovered the baby had flipped to BREECH in the last week! With the support of her amazing midwives, she was able to have a spectacular family-centered cesarean birth

We’d love to hear from any of you (or if you can share on our FB pg) what your experiences were of breech pregnancy, version, or birth (we’ve even had a few accidental breech births ;)

What the heck! There is only ONE provider in Chicagoland who is a breech expert + will catch first time mama breech babies. She is Dr. Alfreda Hampton @ Mercy hospital. She’s amazing, and provides a consult to walk through all the options.

Dr. Hampton is also GREAT at VERSION - the manual turning of a baby. 

(Side note: I used to do versions at the birth center in Portland)

• What can we do for ...

'Coyote Midwives' is the culmination of the MFA thesis work of filmmaker Ellen Esling.

This documentary is about the birth workers who are leading alternative maternity care and reproductive justice in the state of Illinois. The film examines the medicalization of labor and delivery, the patriarchal norms that constitute a threat to a birthing parent’s health, and the structure in place to ensure that birth remains exclusively physician-controlled. Coyote Midwives captures the energy, spirit, and empowering potential of birth, the negotiation and compromise of “professionalizing” midwives, and the networks of black market, yet safe maternity care that persevere despite the illegalities.

I was so honored to be interviewed for this film! It's been such a huge part of my story - being a Certified Professional Midwife in Illinois, which currently does not offer a license to practice for CPMs. (Many of you are wondering - can I have a midwife or a homebirth in Chicago?)...

It was such an honor (and terrifying and humbling) to have the opportunity to be interviewed by Voyage Magazine of Chicago.

Check it out, and let us know your thoughts!