Doula Support Los Angeles

Catie Atkinson’s artwork is so beautiful . She made this painting to commemorate my home birth and I’m so in awe of her ability to show the dichotomy of the intensity of laboring and birth with the magic and lightness of birth all in one painting.

If you’re looking for a home birth doula - I’m your gal!

Happy Rosh Hashana ❤️ finding celebration and gratitude for a Jewish New Year. This year we were treated to fish soup with coconut rice made by Belinda to bring a little Papua New Guinea flavor to our home. So delicious and really highlighted the joys of finding and creating your family of choice. Grateful to have a few days “off call” to be able to just feel free and think and feel and experience a new way to celebrating Rosh Hashana for me.

Nursing my little guy as he grows. It’s a giant accomplishment for me and I’ve worked so hard to get here. It’s not easy! But it’s so rewarding for me and I love nursing him so much. Happy Labor Day - perfect time to find your doula 😆💕

I loved this quote. It so accurately describes motherhood for so many.

Quote

Birth is brutal. It’s beautiful, but it’s brutal. It pushes you beyond what you thought you could do, beyond your body’s capabilities. You break in half and leave your old self behind, someone new escaping. Even in the “perfect” birth (perfect = exactly what you were hoping for), there is a brutality to birth that we sometimes skip over while trying to tell others what an amazing experience our chosen birth path was.

So, when you watch elegant, calm, pretty births on Instagram, remember that all kinds of births are normal. You just have to make it through, and you can do that however works for you. Births with shouting, yelling, screaming; births with cursing (🙋🏼‍♀️), flailing, crying; births with begging and demanding to leave for the hospital or “just make it stop!!” are all normal too. Birth can be triumphant and beautiful and amazing while testing your limits. There is no “right” way to birth, just as there is no right way to exist.

Photo description: Chloë in the birth tub in labor, wailing and hitting the side of the pool to cope with a contraction. Antone is supporting her weight.

I encourage my moms to feel into it and allow the sensations to be part of their experience. Find your rhythm, feel the urgency and feel your true power to overcome and birth in full sensation. Pushing into the pain, accepting and surrender and working through the surges in a way of openness and allowing your power to grow in ways you didn’t believe it could. Allow your body to surprise your mind and psyche.

The quiet moments where the beauty is unfolding… soon will turn into noise of tears both joy and first cries. The ups and downs and loud and quiet. It fills my soul to walk this process with each and every family. As it’s born and as it manifests - surrendering control and allowing your inner knowing take the lead.

Photos of my family 💕 These kids are my life and my joy and my everything. They inspire me to keep going and keep giving and keep laughing and dancing. I also couldn’t do the work I do without my husbands full support. He’s the anchor behind it all. Gina - you did it! It easy to get such incredible photos with so many littles 🙏

Breastfeeding my little ones has been the biggest roller coaster. There are joys and then there are also struggles. It’s commitment like no other. And there’s something so special about that bonding with your baby. Knowing that you are their safe space and nourishment. All your baby needs is you. Make taking care of you the priority. A doula can be just that.

https://usafacts.org/articles/why-are-states-using-doulas-to-improve-birth-outcomes-and-maternal-health/

Celebrating one year with my little baby!

A first birthday is not about the baby as much as it about the motherhood journey. I made it to a year and that’s a milestone for me! One year of breastfeeding, one year of milestones, one year of growth and one year of healing postpartum.

Mindful Birthing is where it’s at. All modern medicine can’t take away the pressure, the deep intensity, the full body involvement and the pain often associated with childbirth. There is often that moment of “F*ck, I can’t!”. Yet you so can, Mama. You can be present and mindful and still cope with pain while facing it head on. Women are strong!! Often we think of pain as something we need to escape from… find a better way to distract or a better drug. In birth the pain is the path forwards and the only way is through. And through that pain you can get to the release, relief, love and connection.

Holiday togetherness, love and joy = September and October births ❤️

I just had to share this post. It really spoke to my experience with laboring Moms. Birth is not always the picture perfect but it’s always imperfectly perfect.
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Marissa Bergman | BSN, RN, Birth, & Postpartum Educator] I often wonder what kind of world my daughters will give birth in, if they ever become moms🤰🏼

✨I wonder if they will view birth as an exciting life event or as something to fear?

✨I wonder if more moms will choose homebirth or if hospital births will still be the vast majority.

✨I wonder if their first postpartum experience will be better than mine was?

✨I wonder how long it will take for our country to see that low risk pregnancies and birth are better left untouched?

When I chose to have an unmedicated birth with my second, my grandma tried to talk me out of it. And I understand why. She sees birth through the lens that she lived😞

My mom was very supportive and cheered on whatever decision I made (thanks, mom!) She wanted an unmedicated birth with her 2nd also, but the system wasn’t (and still isn’t) conducive to that.

The way we talk about birth to our daughters matters❗️

What do you remember being taught about birth? What do you hope to teach your daughters?

Follow for more 👉🏻Marissa Bergman | BSN, RN, Birth, & Postpartum Educator]

Hi! I’m Marissa. I’m a wife, girl mom, RN, and birth/postpartum educator. I’m doing all the things I said I’d never do–homeschooling, staying home, and turning crunchier by the day. Becoming a mom has left an imprint on me in more ways than one. My desire is to encourage all moms to educate and prepare themselves for the beautiful whirlwind that birth and postpartum can be. I’m in your corner!

Happy Labor Day. As a doula, I can’t help but think birth! This picture shows the beauty of sharing the labor process and birth with children. There is a surreal power in the witnessing of birth. Showing and sharing what birthing looks like with love and in all its messiness so that children are not afraid and can also feel an appreciation for the miracle of life. The intimate knowing and learning about their body and it’s beautiful capacity and potential. It is an invaluable gift to be able to pass to a child. ❤️