Postpartum is among the most challenging times in a familys life. Your body is healing, hormones are running wild, you’re more exhausted than you knew was possible, and in the midst of it all, you’re learning how to be a caregiver to the amazing little human you created. Even if you have not physically given birth, the early days of a new baby can be exhausting and scary, and finding time to care for yourself isn’t easy. Basically — it’s …
So What Exactly Does a Postpartum Doula Do?
What exactly a postpartum doula does is such a hard question to answer, because it is so uniquely tailored to our clients. All I can say is so many people enter a new parents’ home, and the focus is all on the baby. Even all the doctors and lactation consultant visits in the initial months focus almost solely on the baby. The birthing person gets ONE visit at 6 weeks. The Partner doesn’t get a check in. The main thread through everything …
3 Elements Every Parent Should Include in Their Nursery
Being an expectant parent comes with a pretty extensive to-do list. For one, you need to find the right support for the birth of your child, and Balanced Birth Support can provide this. You also need to make sure your home is a safe, warm, and welcoming space for that little one. It all starts with creating a comfortable and soothing nursery. Here’s what you will want to provide for both your baby and you in your nursery: Warmth Keeping …
Ways Birthing from Within Helps Parents
In our Birthing from Within childbirth education class you will… Explore the internal landscape for labor The internal landscape for labor relates to the emotional and mental journey – the internal experience. Regardless of how birth unfolds medically, the inner journey tends to have some common milestones. In addition to learning about anatomy, physical stages of labor, hormones and physiology, we go deep into the internal experience and also help parents prepare for and recognize some of those emotional guide posts …
Benefits of Yoni Steams
This blog post was adapted from the original post by Jasmine Mason of the J. Mason Foundation. What is a Yoni Steam? Vaginal steaming, sometimes shortened to V-steaming, and also known as yoni steaming, is an alternative health treatment whereby a woman squats or sits over steaming water containing herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, and basil. Sexual intercourse, mensuration, along with childbirth, can take a toll of the vagina and a Yoni Steam can assist with getting the …
How Smartphone Apps Can Assist First-Time Parents
Technology to the Rescue: How Smartphone Apps Can Assist First-Time ParentsWhen you become parents for the first time, life instantly becomes more challenging. That’s not to say that parenting isn’t full of joy as well, but it can definitely be chaotic. Fortunately, with a great support system in place and a little help from your smartphone, you can reduce the stress and increase the bliss in your life with your little one. Balanced Birth Support invites you to explore the …
5 Key Financial Planning Steps for Families
Daniel Sherwin is a single dad to 2 kids. Recognizing that there aren’t a lot of resources out there for single dads, he developed his website DadSolo to provide support and resources to single parents. For new parents, every day seems to bring new challenges. This is especially true when it’s time to pay bills. Even though most parents anticipate that a baby means added expenses, adding up all of the additional costs can be overwhelming at first. From paying …
10 Questions to Ask Your Provider about Pregnancy, Birth, & Postpartum from BBS Senior Doula Kerry Reynolds
Kerry Reynolds is a Balanced Birth Support Senior Doula serving Metro DC & Greater Maryland. She has been a birth doula for over a decade with tons of experience supporting all kinds of births including home birth, medicated and non–medicated hospital, cesarean birth, twin deliveries, LGBTQ families and VBAC deliveries. Learn more about Kerry by visiting her Balanced Birth Support profile. Getting to know your doctor or midwife is an important part of preparing for birth & postpartum. Its essential that …
How To Choose & Evaluate Reliable Sources As You Begin Your Parenting Journey
Ariel Rubin is a certified Lactation Counselor & Postpartum Doula. She is the mother of four children, including a set of twins! She is passionate about helping families during the postpartum period with a focus on feeding issues including breastfeeding, pumping, & bottle feeding. Contact her here! If I had to sum up all of the advice in the eight or so care of twins books I read, it would be easy: keep the babies on the same schedule. Feed …
A Note To New Parents: Your Health and Happiness Matter. Because YOU Matter.
The Tidal Wave of Complicated EmotionsA dear friend texted me last week, after coming home from a pediatrician appointment for her newborn daughter. When the pediatrician did the obligatory check-in on Mom’s mental health, my friend was honest and shared that she had been struggling, and experiencing some postpartum mood symptoms. The pediatrician responded: “You want to take care of yourself, because your mental health can have long term effects on the baby.” Last night, another friend texted me, …