no two births or postpartum healing windows will ever be the same. You deserve a tailor-made plan for care that works for you and your family.
Quality care during the pregnancy and postpartum period are vital to the continuation of life. As we assist people with grounding into their new role as parents, we inherently heal generational wounds, while at the same time deepening roots of resilience for the future.
A doula's role is as old as birth itself; we have the knowledge of how to nurture people during this tender time. Our modern world is not always structured to support this essential care. This is the work of women across all cultures. It is both hyper-individual and sacredly universal.
2 prenatal visits to build our relationship and get grounded in birth preferences.
Text support from the time of hire through the postpartum period.
On-call availability from 2 weeks prior to estimated due date through the birth.
Continuous in-person support from active labor through delivery.
2 postpartum visits to process the birth, support initial feeding, and set into motion the postpartum plan.
Prenatally I will assist families in coming up with a birth plan (and subsequent plans as birth can take many unexpected turns!), help gather any information needed, assist in preparing the home and family members for the new baby, and help intentionally navigate conversations with medical providers if need be.
During labor and delivery, I provide continuous support to the birthing person, and any other support people present. Ensuring any birth partners feel engaged and included throughout the labor and delivery is of my utmost importance.
Though doulas are not authorized to perform any medical tasks (vaginal exams, taking vitals, prescribing treatment), I will offer continuous assistance with hands-on support such as massage, acupressure, and counter-pressure. As a former yoga instructor, I honor the power of the mind-body connection and will facilitate deep breathing and meditation techniques to stay present with the rhythms of your body in labor.
No matter how a person births, they enter into postpartum in a state of depletion. Much like how babies need meticulous care and time to navigate the womb-to-world transition, postpartum people need physical, emotional and rest support to recover from the birth and build back their vitality.
According to traditional postpartum care the 5 Pillars of Postpartum Fortitude are: nourishing food, rest, access to nature, loving touch and being witness. Through my offerings I do my best to incorporate each of these pillars into a session, to holistically care for all aspects of the clients wellbeing.
Verbal check in.
House and family maintenance (your YOU time!) can include laundry wash & fold or kitchen tidy, walk any fur babies/older sibling care, organize nursery & baby play area.
Answering questions around best practices in infant care and birth recovery. Connecting you with any additional resources in the area.
Meal prep.
Verbal check in.
Light housekeeping.
Feed and care for baby when they are awake.
Prepare breakfast and coffee.
On average, parents lose 700+ hours of sleep in within their child's first year of life. Sleep deprivation is a serious issue that affects physical, mental, emotional and relational health...but it doesn't have to last! Through my attachment-based sleep consulting method we will build a personalized plan for no-stress naps and restful nights of sleep, whether bed-sharing, body feeding or night weaning, and then put it into action to have you sleeping better in only 4 nights, guaranteed!
Postpartum belly binding is a traditional practice that assists with uterine involution and the repositioning of organs to their pre-pregnancy position. During this treatment, the postpartum person’s abdomen is oiled with an herbal infusion, lightly massaged, and wrapped with a cloth bandage.
The bandage is removable and reusable and can be reapplied throughout the first 3 weeks of postpartum. This therapy is most effective when performed within the first 24-72 hours after delivery. Please contact lily@bulbtobloomdoula.com directly with your EDD to schedule.
Moxibustion is an ancient Chinese medicine practice of hovering mugwort incense above the skin to stimulate acupuncture points. It has proven very helpful in the turning of breech babies, readying the body for effective labor and delivery, and aiding in postpartum recovery.
I regularly use moxibustion as a part of my postpartum bodywork offerings. To schedule a prenatal moxibustion therapy session please email lily@bulbtobloomdoula.com directly.