#birth preparation

[harmonyhealinghub]

Birth Doulas: Empowering Support for Expectant Families

Shaina Tranquilino

December 12, 2023

Bringing a new life into the world is an incredible journey filled with joy, anticipation, and sometimes, uncertainty. During this transformative time, many women seek additional support to ensure a positive birth experience. Enter birth doulas – compassionate professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational assistance before, during, and after childbirth. In this blog post, we will delve into what birth doulas are and explore their invaluable role in empowering expectant mothers.

Understanding Birth Doulas: A birth doula is a trained individual who offers non-medical support to expectant mothers throughout the entire childbirth process. These dedicated individuals are typically experienced in various birthing techniques and possess extensive knowledge of the physiological and emotional aspects of labour and delivery.

Their Role: 1. Emotional Support: Birth doulas provide unwavering emotional support during pregnancy, labour, and postpartum periods. They assist expectant mothers by actively listening to their concerns, fears, hopes, and dreams surrounding childbirth. By offering empathy and reassurance, these caring professionals help alleviate anxieties while fostering confidence.

2. Continuous Physical Comfort: Doulas employ an array of comfort measures to ease discomforts associated with labour pains such as massage techniques, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, positioning suggestions, and more. Their presence ensures that the mother's physical needs are addressed consistently throughout the birthing process.

3. Advocacy & Communication: One significant aspect of a birth doula's role is to act as an advocate for the mother's preferences and desires when communicating with healthcare providers or medical staff. This may include discussing pain management options or ensuring the mother has access to accurate information about procedures being performed.

4. Informational Support: Birth doulas empower expectant mothers by providing evidence-based information on various aspects of childbirth like different birthing positions or breastfeeding techniques. They ensure that the mother is well-informed, enabling her to make educated decisions regarding her birth plan.

5. Partner Support: Birth doulas also extend their support to partners or other family members involved in the birthing process. By guiding them on how best to assist and comfort the labouring mother, doulas help create a harmonious environment where everyone feels included and informed.

Benefits of Hiring a Birth Doula: The advantages of having a birth doula during childbirth are numerous:

1. Increased Satisfaction: Studies have shown that women who receive continuous support from a birth doula report higher levels of satisfaction with their birthing experience.

2. Reduced Interventions: Research indicates that with the presence of a doula, there is often a decrease in interventions like cesarean sections and epidurals, leading to more positive outcomes for both mother and baby.

3. Emotional Well-being: The emotional support provided by birth doulas significantly reduces stress levels for expectant mothers, promoting overall emotional well-being throughout pregnancy and beyond.

4. Lowered Risk of Postpartum Depression: Women supported by birth doulas tend to have lower rates of postpartum depression due to the consistent guidance and nurturing they receive during the vulnerable post-birth period.

Birth doulas play an essential role in ensuring positive experiences for expectant mothers during childbirth. Their unwavering support, knowledge, and advocacy empower women to navigate this transformative journey confidently. By providing physical comfort, emotional reassurance, informational assistance, and acting as an advocate, these dedicated professionals contribute significantly to creating fulfilling and empowering birthing experiences for all involved.

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: assumed death / assumed sibling death / assumed child death / solitude ]

Thinking about Leo being trapped in the Prison Dimension and keeping himself warm through the power of his own ninpo - this ability is shown to us as a flame, after all, so imagine if, when he lets his mystic energy run through him, it warms him up, just a little.

In this desolate place, all cold and alone, he focuses on that flame and leans into its warmth.

He relies on it, and he realizes it that he’d relied on it too much when it goes out, and he’s once again cold.

(In another dimension, the Hamatos believe they lost one of their own.)

[ladybugsimblr]

A funny thing happened at the doctor visit to check their fertility... Bailey and Quinton went in thinking they were planning ahead and getting prepared for the future. But the future popped up and knocked on their door just a little bit early. Ooops

[vimbry]

jumping off the back of the post about genres of song lyrics, another thing about tmbg's lyrics in particular is that even when they write about pleasant themes, they still manage to frequently do so through a sinister lens:

the experience of having children and looking after them:

a nice little nightlight protecting a child muses on the shortcomings it would have outside its assigned responsibility:

fantasising about getting high in the park with your crush:

[millidew]

maizuru and milsiril are my favorite fucked up dungeon meshi mother figures

[bobthedragon]

Birth???

just wanna say that this with the blurred image before I clicked accept was the most terrifying ask I have ever received in my 10 years of being here so thank you

[ladynicte]

Bianca and Nico being stillborns, because no matter how badly Hades wanted to actually be there for their birth, he just couldn't make it, so instead, the second they are born their souls get picked up by Thanatos, so Hades can see them.

It's only for a minute at most, where Maria cradles her children to her chest, and they don't cry or breathe, they are cold, and their hearts don't beat.

And then, just as quickly, their souls are returned to the world of the living, and they give their first cry of life.

Afterwards, when Maria is introducing her children to their father directly for the first time, and giving Hades the scolding of his inmortal life simultaneously, for scaring her like that, Hades doesn't really have anything to say on his defense, except that he just couldn't wait to meet his children.

And well, Nico takes after his father, Hazel learns that better than ever before, when her own child is a stillborn, and Nico's only defense is that he was way too excited to meet his little nephew, he just couldn't wait.

Hazel swears that if she didn't love her brother so much, she would kill him herself, just for scaring her like that.

[astro-vogue]

● I just saw another extremely problematic "astro-observations" post which one of my parents told me about yesterday.

⎯ I'm gonna add the [horrifying] things I've read on my "debunking observations" serie. I'm extremely cringed rn don't talk to me I may slap someone and call the Astrology Police.

[chemicalpink]

Jungkook's Updated Chart [2023]

Alright, alright, by now you’ve heard it, I’ve heard it, we’ve all heard it and it has caused a joyous moment for the bts astrologers. 

We’ve got in our hands Jungkook’s birth time (and while I really am not anticipating having to come back to the whole balance of opinions and general consensus of is it AM or PM) I am here to offer my two cents as a way to come back on here after a few too messy months. 

Let us start with the (probably) most pressing matter: the rising sign. While the general consensus before his live was a Libra Rising, we now find ourselves between a Capricorn or a Leo rising, I believe it is important to look at the Moon both of them carry. While Capricorn carries a Virgo Moon, Leo carries a Leo Moon, which was already the Moon sign that had been adapted to him before any type of confirmation. 

And while by general consensus Jungkook had been consensed as a day chart (which technically whether AM or PM he’s still a day inclined sect)  I’m inclined to give a PM chart a chance. Hear me out. 

Going by astrological knowledge, Jungkook’s chart continues to be a shady one even after we’ve been given his birth time in a general context. Say, a pretty easy way to tell if someone is an AM or PM chart, is by looking at the way that either the Sun or Moon resonates the most with the way one person is HOWEVER we love to complicate things in here so we’ll take the high road of looking at the malefic planets and their interactions within the chart according to the Hellenistic technique of sects. Say, either Mars or Saturn will play a major part of one’s life accordingly, and same applies to the benefits Jupiter and Venus. 

So let’s draw it out. 

Scorpio Mars in 4th or in 10th

Aries Saturn in 9th or in 3rd

Libra Venus in 3rd or in 9th

Aquarius Jupiter. In 7th or in 1st

A malefic Mars would be looking at someone that is filled with rage and aggression, while a Malefic Saturn is usually seen in people with Mercury-ruled Suns, such as Jungkook’s Virgo. Furthermore, Saturn never gives a malefic status when in houses 2,5,9,12. Now, I know we would love for the empowerment that a Scorpio Mars Jungkook would mean, however if you’ve been here for a while/ have read a bit on Scorpio Mars in general vs Scorpio Mars on Jungkook, you know already that it has been quite a wild ride between the empowered overly sexy go big or go home Scorpio Mars image and Jungkook’s very obvious downplay of said traits and leaning more towards a gentle, awkwardly flirty position; an Aries Saturn in his 3rd House would 100% explain the juxtaposition of it as Saturn would downplay his Scorpio Mars. 

Also just as a personal note, I find it funny (see: funny as an expression, it curious at most) that a usual way to contradict a malefic Saturn in your chart is to have/care for 3 dogs (ahem Bam, Song and Paeng) then again, just a personal side note. 

Either way, if Jungkook were to have a malefic Saturn, it would make him a PM chart/ night sect. 

So onto the benefics, a Libra Venus benefic is usually seen with either a Capricorn or an Aquarius Rising however, if Jungkook were to have an Aquarius Jupiter benefic, it would solidify the tendency towards his expansion as an artist, along with the way that it would be a great placement for his success. 

Messy, I told you. If we were to look at it in a simpler way, just by the semantics of “Which placements seem more impactful on Jungkook?” it would look like this:

An Aries Saturn is a sign of a generation’s leader, a little too competitive person that other peers find it hard to keep up with. 

A Scorpio Mars is someone that does things their own way not giving a second thought to disappoint, yet very reality-driven when it comes to other people. 

A Libra Venus benefits, amongst others, look a lot like obtaining luxuries in life and economic progress. 

An Aquarius Jupiter benefits include rising academically and leading a very intellectually-driven life while receiving support from their superiors. 

Without much thought into it, choosing one every two affirmations (say: 1 vs 2 and 3 vs 4) if you were to say hey, I think Jungkook’s Aries Saturn and Libra Venus sound a lot like what we’ve been able to see of him. We would be guessing a PM chart/ Night sect. 

If you were to say Nah, I think his Scorpio Mars and Aquarius Jupiter are pretty evident. We would be guessing an AM chart/Light sect. 

Now, NOW I KNOWWWW I’ve seen the discourse. 

Oh Jungkook being a Leo rising and Leo Moon makes so much sense. But does it? 

Sure, Leo risings are absolutely magnetic, mesmerising even; they are very aware of the image they want to project. There’s a lot of an “on-stage” vibe 24/7 with them (I’m looking at your karaoke at home, JK) They make rash decisions and are pretty well known for their lifelong temper tantrums as well as their idealism that tends to keep them out of trouble. It would 100% fit the marketing fairy image of his as Leo risings are great promoters. However (and not really counting the interactions a Leo rising would have with a Virgo Sun in the chart) Leo risings tend to live on a separate reality, almost fictional, and are driven by drama, pretty much blind to facts around them. I’ll give it to the allegations though, Leo risings are kids at heart, always fun loving and with wonder-filled eyes. 

Leo Moon (yay double whammies) this is where it gets interesting. A normally reserved but not uncomfortable with the spotlight when needed to be, sounds a lot like Jungkook. There’s this thing with Leo Moons where they feel a need to control people around them, even if not really out there. It is a very creative placement that gives people a need to entertain, if only a bit lazy about it. Sulking is a big thing for them because they need a lot of love and care from the people surrounding them.  

And if Jungkook truly is like that (because then again, we are only analysing a mere fraction of a true multifaceted human being while staying in our fan lane) we love to see it! However, it seems to me like it is more- of a description of Jungkook of BTS and his image when truly on stage. 

 Now, up for consideration:

Virgo Moons, the masters of pouting and nagging to get their way, as an underlying way to ask for care and attention from those around them. Prone to stress and pressure, most Virgo Moons are quick to rank themselves  as “underachievers” in mostly academic terms , if only because they usually find other non academic/non traditional subjects to overachieve on. Very jealous of their own space in which they must develop themselves. Often shy when around new people and pretty chaotic with people they’re comfortable with. Self-critical but with a lot of bodily control that could make them excel in art forms that require spatial cognition such as dancing and tend to have plenty of “little hobbies” or stuff they try out and excel at. 

Capricorn Rising (I know I know, sounds so out of it bc how could we even consider an Earth Sun and Earth Rising well-) perfectionists at their finest. A phrase that is always on the tip of their tongues “I will work harder” If you’re looking for someone that just naturally looks competent at whatever they do, it’s them. Often had to take on more responsibility than others at a younger age. Hard-working and driven personality thats makes it look easy to obtain their success levels. Epitomes of success stories in their own fields. Capricorn Risings are often quite mature and grown up when young due to having to grow up quickly and then loosen up and live a rather unique and free spirited way. 

Personal note on that one, Capricorn Risings are often referred to as “karma tokens” if you were to cross them for whatever reason, be sure that it’ll get back to you. 

Also, Capricorn Rising with Virgo Suns are often times delicate in terms of their skin and digestive system (which would make sense with Jungkook’s no gluten rule as of lately and his usual assortment of specialised personal care along with the aversion of dying his hair because of a delicate scalp) 

A Cap rising would also make so much sense in terms of his relationships with the other members. 

Capricorn Rising Virgo Suns have the best understanding with other Virgos and Capricorns (Namjoon and Taehyung) 

There’s a lot of tenderness and admiration for Pisceans (Yoongi)

Plenty of childish disagreements and bickering with Sagittarius while Sag would 100% help them come out of their shell and learn to loosen up and embrace a more childish way of living towards happiness (Seokjin)

Prone to be pretty close with Libras and Aquarians (Jimin and Hoseok) 

One way or another, the general consensus will come our way and as a BTS astrologer we shall respect the voice of the people, however I hope you enjoyed this food for thought, at the end of the day, and I shall keep repeating it, until we know for sure first hand if it is AM or PM, the only person that can and should resonate with it regardless of the exact time is the person to who the chart belongs to, which in this case is Jungkook. 

Nevertheless, I am a 15:23 advocate. If only because when looking at his chart’s universal time, being born at 3:23PM would make him a light sect with a 6:23 AM hour (which again, I find funny numerology-wise cause 2x3=6 and that’s the whole universal time of birth for him) 

[claudiatherelentless]

Episode where Tariq and his new girlfriend have a Pregnancy Scare that ends on the punchline of Janine detailing her Extensive Birth Control Efforts during that relationship.

[groovyace]

"Take that fellow over in the corner; Aziraphale could only wonder at what dark deeds he'd committed. He was leaning back at a table in the corner, hat drawn over his face to conceal himself. There was something familiar about the dark clothes he was dressed in, and as the stranger tilted his hat back just a bit, Aziraphale caught sight of a pair of dark glasses—

Oh, good Lord.

Crowey seemed to notice his presence from across the room, and broke into a grin."

My illustration for the first chapter of Hand for Hand , the Good Omens cowboy fic I just know we've all been waiting for.

This fic has truly been a labor of love. Everybody better go show @twoheadedoddity some love for their incredible writing.

[toxycodone]

Bruh when you lay eggs in someone like. What is even the purpose

is kabru carrying these full term. What will they even hatch into. What if they hatch into little parasites with blue eyes PLEASSSESE IM CRYIN??

[rottiens]

Did you ever self-insert into SnK? If yes, what was your backstory? What was your rank? What was your casual outfit like? And who was your bae? 👀

[thedisablednaturalist]

Banning LGBTQ+ content and people from the public view kills children

Refusing to teach comprehensive sex education kills children

Refusing to put limits on firearms/assault weapons kills children

Defunding social safety nets kills children

Homeschooling with no oversight kills children

Punishing staying home when sick kills children

Not masking in public kills children

Sweatshops and exploitative farming kills children

Lack of universal healthcare kills children

Banning the use of puberty blockers kills children

Forced birth kills children

Crumbling infrastructure especially in underfunded schools due to income tax cuts for the wealthy kills children

Environmental racism, climate change, and pollution kill children

Antivaxxers kill children

War kills children

Displacement kills children

Homelessness kills children

Genital mutilation of intersex babies kills children

Nuclear weapons kill children

Genocide kills children

Industrial deregulation kills children

Naturalization/assimilation kills children

Denial of amnesty kills children

Separation from family kills children

Antisemitism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and racism kills children

Why do you only care about kids when they aren't born yet?

I know, it's because you'd rather your kid be dead than possibly go against your personal beliefs.

I know, because only certain groups of kids are dying

[awholefuckinglifetimeofthis]

It's my 20th birthday today <3

[scary-white]

CARRIE'S BIRTHDAY IS IN A MONTH