Serving Tomorrow Birth Services, LLC

2 is better than 1♥️

When you need all hands on deck: a partner to hold onto and dangle from but you also need those hips squeezed!

One person just can’t do it all, and you deserve all the support you can get!

Partners & doulas complement each other really well. I am not taking your partner’s place (that’s not even possible!). But I *am* helping him help you even better by giving him ideas and showing him some tricks.

PLUS when you get into positions like this, having the second person (me🙋🏻‍♀️) you get even more relief, even more support♥️

Dads often end up being the biggest advocates for doulas after they’ve experienced birth with one! I know that’s what happened to my husband for sure 😂

What did your partner think of having a doula in the birth space with you?! Tell me some experiences below 👇

One of the most common phrases (unfortunately) in the birth space:

❌“We’re just going to…”❌
👉… break your water to bring baby down
👉… check and see where you’re at
👉… start pitocin to move things along
👉… put baby on the monitor
👉… start your IV
👉… give you these antibiotics
👉… break down the bed

etc etc

If a phrase starts with “we’re just going to”, and you don’t say “no”, that DOESNT mean you gave consent for it.

Consent looks like:
✅”I’m thinking X might help here, can I share why I think that, and some of the potential outcomes that can happen, and then you let me know if you want to do this or not?”
✅”would you like to be checked now or are you good doing what you’re doing right now? It’s totally up to you”
✅”we typically would recommend antibiotics with your GBS status, here are the pros and cons of this, what would you like to do for your body & baby?”

Receiving consent starts with a question. Both informed consent AND informed refusal are valid.

If you feel icky, pressured, or like you’re only getting one side of the story… WAIT. You do not have to make a decision right when they’re asking.

Instead you can say “I’d like some time to think about that/discuss with my partner/see how things play out a bit longer before choosing” etc.

Take the time. YOU are the authority in the room. YOU are the expert in your body.

Regardless of what choices you make in your labor; it truly doesn’t matter what those choices are. What is the MOST important principle (that reduces birth trauma!!!) is how you FEEL when making those choices.

&btw- this is NOT restricted to hospital births or OBGYN. I have seen numerous times with birth centers, home births, midwives where they use similar language. It is SO important to be picky about who you birth with ♥️

Love you, always you’re cheerleader,
Emily

What was your favorite position in labor?!

For me, it was sitting in the shower for my first birth & sitting in the tub for my second (I sense a theme here 💦😍😅)

Tell me yours! 👇

Photo credit to the extraordinary for photos 1-4 & for photo 5 🥰♥️

Some of the incredible people involved in these births: .dfw .marie.seymour ♥️♥️♥️

A question came up in birth class last night… what does “physical grounding” mean?

Birth Partners, this is for you!

You have the ability to help mom feel calm, centered, and confident in her body. Even during intense and emotional moments of labor.

Don’t freeze, jump in with these simple techniques.

And to those doing the hard work of birthing your baby into the world: you have everything you need within yourself already to command peace over yourself. These techniques are simply to add to your layers of support that you deserve. But remember, it all comes down to *you*. And you are wildly capable to do finish what your body has started ♥️

& on this day, Valentine’s Day, full of love and appreciation… I promise, as your doula, I will hold you. Support you (with no judgement), encourage you, Silently or not, physically or verbally or emotionally, love you as you love and labor your child into this world. You are pure love, pure magic, and that is never lost on me. Every “birth day” is a “valentines day”. Sending soooo much love and light your way 💕✨

📸
Mom:
Birth center: .dfw

I help clients seek out & switch to their ideal birth location & attendant allllll the time! & swipe through for the top 5 reasons people choose their original OB or Midwife that’s 😬😬😬😬

So instead:
👍 seek out recommendations from people who have had the type of birth you are looking for.
👍 consider cash pay to access out of hospital options even if insurance doesn’t cover it.
👍 interview providers and be up front with your desires & expectations from the start.
👍 get a virtual consult from a local birthworker to talk in depth about the differences between locations in your area (& don’t forget to pay them for that labor as well😉)
👍don’t be afraid to switch! It’s never too late, and I promise, it’s not a big deal to the person you’re leaving.

Want to walk through your prenatal care knowing exactly what’s coming up next & your options in everything? (PS- being open to alternatives, options, and declining is a great sign of a supportive provider!!!)

📍Download the Free Prenatal Visit Guidebook! 🔗in bio or shoot me a DM & I’ll send it on over 😍

I feel like the BRAINED method can use some more context - so here it is!

P.S-> slide 5 is the one I feel makes the biggest different in real life scenarios.

Need ideas for situations where you can practice this during your prenatal care to strengthen your self advocacy muscle for labor?

👉 then download your free prenatal visit guide found in the first 🔗 in bio to get started!

2022 Doula Recap🥂🎉♥️

These numbers represent incredibly brave, powerful, intelligent, intuitive, determined, funny, joyful, transformed families♥️

& I couldn’t be prouder of them.

THANK YOU to each family who has allowed me to walk alongside them in this experience. I don’t take that privilege lightly ♥️

Onto 2023, with big business changes & even more Serving Tomorrow families♥️

Grateful for the DFW birth community, way too many to tag, some big shout outs to , , and ♥️ and photo credits on the front page to and

Let’s talk pushing with an epidural!

‼️Myth- epidurals mean you can only be on your back

Heck no! Especially not with me as your doula 😉

Swipe through these photos to see a progression of all the ways this strong woman brought her baby down and pushed!

It takes some coordination & creativity to help find the best position that you’re most effective pushing in.

(& just like the rest of your labor) ✨motion is lotion✨ changing positions and pelvic shape totally benefit your pushing experience!

🥜 Also- PEANUT BALLS! I have advanced peanut ball skills training through & love breaking out these positions with my clients!

👍side lying
👍hands and knees
👍squat bar
👍semi reclined
👍tug of war
👍closed knee
👍whatever position feels best for you!!!

Now the caveat here- dense epidurals will not allow you to get on hands and knees, so talk with your anesthesia provider prior to placement requesting a dose that will help you retain mobility & control♥️

It was such an honor to backup for this beautiful birth!

Photos by
Strong Mom

Are you surprised by any of these positions? What questions do you have about epidurals?

January’s group childbirth Ed series is open for registration!!!🎉

There are so many options for childbirth classes, so how do you choose? Bradley, Lamaze, Hypnobirthing, o my! So many options!

Non-medicated or maybe you want all the interventions? Waiting to go into labor naturally or maybe the plan is to induce...

The point is... you shouldn't have to choose one type of class and hope you chose well. You need to know everything before you can make those decisions. This is where we step in!

A comprehensive birth class that dives into everything about later pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the early post-partum, including walking you through all the interventions offered by most hospital systems.

We talk the mechanics of labor, pain intervention strategies (both medical and not), and even how to make sure you know how to protect your pelvic floor.

This class is not limited to those birthing in a hospital. This class is for those who want a well rounded, non biased look into birthing.

Sign up today for in person (limited to 10 couples) or join us virtually Thursday evenings from anywhere in the country!

Co-taught by me and Dr Stefanie Long of .therapy - we can’t wait to see you there!

Doulas talk a lot about “holding space” .. but we also are there to literally hold *you*… or am emesis bag…. Or quick facts to help when decisions arrive.. Or your hips… or your water… holding all the things so you can simply focus on riding the waves, feeling your power, and experiencing this life giving event.

Support looks different for each person, but I promise you this: I will be there to hold whatever needs held. You are never alone.

Supporting a beautiful friend in her first birth was an honor .weyermuller with midwife Olivia and images caught by

& spoiler alert, her precious daughter was worth every second.



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Tips for Induction of Labor:

With more & more people inducing labor, here are some of my top tips.

Now whether or not induction of labor is beneficial for the percentage of people being induced is another conversation; but they are definitely common and sometimes super necessary!

An average first time induction can be anywhere from 24-48 hrs depending on your Bishop Score and steps taken to prep your cervix and induce labor.

What tips do you have from your induction experience? Or what questions about the induction process do you want answered?

Happy birthing!