Drinking all the cups of coffee. Sharing all the drops of bliss. Creator of a cozy home & mama village.
My postpartum room was eerily quiet as I held up one of the tiny preemie onesies and name placard up against the streaming sunlight of my window, snapping a photo. A photo without my baby. My body had labored through the night and desperately craved sleep. But all I could think about was that my... Continue Reading →
As I emerged from the fog of Abby's preemie days, I remember several things quite clearly. First, I felt very alone. Second, I had no idea what I was doing. Third, my tired brain no longer related to most humans in the same way. I mean, with 45-minute chunks of sleep between pumping, bottle feeding... Continue Reading →
Nights full of broken sleep. Coffee. Sore boobs. Half-finished sentences. Healing foods, supplements, and essential oils. Coffee. Newborn snuggles. Sibling snuggles. Coffee. Soaked nursing pads. Changing diapers. More coffee. These are a few of the things that currently fill my days and nights. But, it was not so very long ago that my sweet Micah... Continue Reading →
I won't share details from the past 24 hours because I vehemently guard my doula clients' privacy, yet I can say that I today I was stretched in this calling. Today a baby's first breathe was indescribably precious. Today, I've never been more grateful for the strength of prayers prayed for "tiny, but mighty" infants.... Continue Reading →
As you all probably know, I am a birth doula. I hold a bachelor's in journalism. A master's in curriculum and instruction. Six+ years as a middle school teacher. But, yes, I call myself primarily neither teacher nor writer, but rather doula. In the Greek, "A woman's servant." Emotional and physical support. A nurturer. Someone... Continue Reading →
“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” murmured a soon-to-be-dad, as he watched his fatigued wife briefly resting hours after her water broke. His wife had fought hard and long for her natural birth, laboring through transition-like contractions induced by Pitocin before finally needing something to take the edge off. Through those intense hours,... Continue Reading →
Abby, I've been up since about 1:15 am wondering what this weekend will bring. You are wiggling inside of me, and I'm having mild contractions every so often. Eventually, at 3 am I decided that a bowl of cereal might help. Now, it's 3:30 am, and I'm pacing. Preparing. Being. Within about 48 hours, you... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, shivers made merry with the glorious reds and yellows outside my living room windows. A summer hold-out finally gave in to the claim of lingering frost, green leaves transforming themselves into their pre-winter wardrobe. Today, reds and yellows curled into brokens and browns, dropping away with the wind. Beauty. Here for a day. Now... Continue Reading →
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