Ask the Doula

The Coloring of Motherhood By Leah Garner We recognize the outline. The actions and movements seem familiar. Seen from afar, or under a microscope of scrutiny. The emotions find empathy inside us, but perhaps in a different setting. A glimmer of something we dreamt, but we cannot quite touch in our waking moments. And then we cross over into our own motherhood. G oing from the world of instruction and paint by number, into an expansive palette of colors with the brushes in our hands. We think back on the Masters we admired and try to follow their strokes. Our hands hesitate to make a mark like those criticized for their art. A nd yet… W ith each stroke we find the colors dry different than when first applied. Sometimes the picture gets more complicated the harder that we try. Taking a step back helps us see a bigger picture; appreciate the unique colors for what they are. W e see our child. And our children hold brushes too, Pai...

As a new mother... or even a veteran mother you sometimes find yourselves feeling hungry at random times of the day.  For myself 10 o'clock in the morning is the time when I realize that while I did drink my coffee that morning, the toddler stole my breakfast and I never got anything else during the hustle and bustle of the morning.  Post Toddler Theft Count Chocula Cereal   This in between time where breakfast no longer sounds appealing but lunch seems too far away, I find myself glancing through the pantry for a suitable snack to tide me over. While I am reading some great books about healthy food options for pregnancy and postpartum, today I was looking for something purely comfort food based that would take little effort and time. As a result, I present to you Microwave Macaroni N Cheese ! The ingredients are pretty simple.  Macaroni noodles, water, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper Find your largest mug that is microwave safe. Inside add 1...

1 in 8 One in eight couples have made plans for a family. One in eight couples hope during a year of trying to start their family.   And yet, they still wait.   1 in 8 Infertility is a real and common occurrence affecting 1 in 8 couples.  An yet we don't here about it, because those experiencing these struggles often feel isolated in their experiences. The film One More Shot: A Film about Making Modern Families explores many of the different challenges, emotions, and approaches that are taken on the journey through infertility.    For those whom are going through this journey, this film offers a source of solidarity for those experiencing similar yet unique challenges.   Even for those who aren’t the 1 in 8, the film grants a perspective that will hopefully make you more compassionate to those struggling. 1 in 4 For those who do experience pregnancy, studies reveal that anywhere from 10-25% of all clinically recognize...

Support is more than just holding the baby Babies are cute.   There is no getting around the fact that their softness, new baby smell, soft fuzzy heads, sleepy coziness calls out to everyone around them.   It creates a desire to protect, hold, and cuddle that is definitely hard to ignore.   Just introduce a new baby to a group of adults or children and soon the requests to hold and touch the baby come forth.   Even when the baby is fussy, people are quick to offer to take baby out of mom’s arms in their offer to provide relief for mom. But, you will notice that I am not one of those people.   I won’t ask to hold your baby. When I am explaining my role as a doula, I often get one of two comments.   The first usually comes from the older generations exclaiming how they wished there were doulas available for them when they had their babies.   The other comment I get is how nice it would be to hold babies all the time.   They are...