List of the most popular hashtags for theme #PORTLANDDOULA

⁣ As a breastfeeding parent, all we ever wish for is to make “enough” milk for our child(ren). We’ve all dreamed of having an overabundant milk supply, but what really are the challenges associated with an oversupply?⁣ ⁣ In this week’s blog I’ll help to address oversupply complications and what to do about them, and how to seek support to more effectively regulate your milk supply to create a less painful breastfeeding experience. Check out the link in my bio for more!

This month I aim to feature unique birthing customs from different cultures all around the world. I invite readers and fellow birth workers to engage in this discussion by opening your mind and your heart to learning about what makes each of us unique, how we honor our ancestors in our careers and our journey of our own childbirthing experiences.⁣ ⁣ 1/12⁣ ⁣ & , ⁣ ⁣ refers to the culture surrounding the journey throughout preconception, conception, and pregnancy. Because of the heavy cultural emphasis on achieving healthy pregnancies, Japanese fertility tradition revolves around belly and ankle wrapping (to provide warmth to the womb), diet and exercise, honoring Chinese medicinal beliefs that all foods providing a “cooling effect” on the body be avoided, and cultivating tranquility and spirituality.⁣ ⁣ The amount of care the Japanese traditionally apply to this preconceptual period can feel unrealistic and painful as individuals experience loss and infertility, and global working cultures and expectations shift to include all genders. As more women become academically focused and career minded, pregnancies are happening later in life, as well as on their own terms.⁣ ⁣ is the process of peace, quiet, and pampering in the immediate postpartum period following birth. A new mother returns home to maximize Ansei for 30 days of relaxation, after which the birth of the baby will be celebrated. When a family is discharged from a hospital or their place of birth, they are given their child’s umbilical cord in a box that is kept to symbolize a wide range of meanings: a reminder of one’s birth on their birthdays, given away when the child leaves home or gets married to symbolize their separation, and holding the ultimate cure for illness.

Well, hello! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Photo by @theangrystag, found through @the.father.hood @fatherly @thefatherhoodaus

2/12⁣ ⁣ Omugwo, Nigeria⁣ ⁣ In Igbo, Omugwo refers to the ritual of care in the postpartum period where hot pepper soup is prepared for the mother, she receives hot water massages, and her belly is bound while a female relative comes to take over all of the household duties for up to 5 months. ⁣ ⁣ During Omugwo, the nursing mother only bathes, breastfeeds, eats, sleeps, and relaxes. It is customary for the father to thank the mother or mother in law with gifts, but this can be a financial hardship in Nigeria. Gifts such as fabric for making clothing, rice, salt, soap, and even new cars are part of the Omugwo tradition. ⁣ In the Annang tribe, it is customary to end this postpartum period with a special ceremony that returns the new mother to her husband and celebrates the coming together of a new family.⁣

Parenting is quite the wild ride, isn't it?! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Art by @lucyknisley found through @birtheducationcenter

Thank you for the acknowledgment! . . What a great support for this mom!But think about how much this nurse couldn’t do while doing counter pressure, what else she could be doing with the help of a doula! . . What if this nurse didn’t know how to do counter pressure? I was too busy too? . . Doulas help the team you! . . #doulasandnursesmakeagreatteam #doulas #portlanddoula #birthingstonedoula

Phone charger: check⁣ Clothes for the baby: check⁣ Birth plan: check⁣ My favorite pair of pants because I’m not taking them off: can I do that?⁣ ⁣ So maybe your birthing hospital isn’t ready to accept that not all patients want to be exposed and at the front and center of their birthing experience, but there are many ways to maintain your modesty and dignity during childbirth, and you shouldn’t be ashamed for wanting to hold these values close. In this week’s blog I wanted to touch on different scenarios during a typical hospital birthing experience that can bring about a variety of feelings, and how a doula can help you navigate these particular concerns both before and during your hospital birth. Birthing in a hospital does not mean that you are devoid of any individual identity both spiritually and personally. It is important to have a doula that is ready to hold this space close for you, so that you can focus on the real task at hand.

"Did you know that you can wear your twins, too?! How cozy does this look for your holiday get-togethers?!"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ : @laselcamille found through the wonderful @allbodiesbirth⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #twinning #babywearing #handsfree #bravebirthdoulacare #portlandbirth #portlanddoula #newparent #portlandparents #postpartum #postpartumdoula #birthdoula #labordoula #birthwithoutfear #portlandoregon #birth #labor #laboranddelivery #midwife #baby #obgyn #parenting #parenthood #takebackpostpartum #birthpartner #dontforgetdads #mom #dad #parents #lgbtqparents #queerparenting

Friday feels This fantastic brave babe reposted from @oprahmagazine ・・・ We don’t know what we love the most: The wind machine or the corn dog Live your best life, little one (: @breckenfowler)