#birthwork

[bellarad]

Man, people can be so rad

Another doula followed me on my birthworker insta who used a lot of like... woman-centric language. Which is fine, because most birthing folks are cis women and some people aren't totally like, aware if trans birth and gender variation of birthing folks. But the language she was using was pretty TERFy. Like, "we as women need to take back our sacred power of creation from the hands of men" type stuff. Very bioessentialist.

So I messaged her and was like, hey listen, I'm non-binary and a lot of the language you use sounds pretty terfy and if you are a terf I don't want you following me unless you're willing to learn from me thru a trans perspective.

She was like, "omg no I'm super okay with trans people and I don't want to be exclusive at all. I didn't realize my language would be taken that way - can you give me suggestions and feedback about how to change it?"

She took my feedback, she asked for more resources and instas to follow and she dug into what it means to be a TERF and how to be a good ally to trans folks - I was super impressed!

She just messaged me asking if I would give my perspective for a paper shes writing about the crunchy to alt-right pipeline in terms of how it affects trans folks and said that basically she was falling down that pipeline without realizing and me messaging her helped her backtrack and get out of it.

I think that a lot of times, talking to terfs isn't necessarily constructive and a lot of them are just so set in their ways that you cant reach them. But I think that feeling people out is important. I could've just blocked this person and been rid of her potential harmfulness, but instead I engaged her in a teaching moment and was able to help prevent further extremism from budding.

Give folks a chance ✌️

[kayandthegoldendays]

I think one day I’ll write about every family and every birth and how it stirred my heart awake but for now — it blows my mind how much I’m learning about surrender from these tiny souls.

Yesterday we had our first boy of the season match this little lady’s early arrival. BOTH births of the season were earlier than anticipated! I have a bit of whiplash but I’m going with it. I’m officially off call for quite a few weeks now and I’m savoring EVERY bit of it.

[sacredliminalspaces]

Current Offerings~

Birth Support & End of Life Care

Postpartum Nourishment, Healing, & Ritual

Womb Ceremony

•In person availability Mid-May ‘24 - July ‘24

•one-on-one online support reopens, 4/12/24

Consultation is free 🩵.. schedule here: https://calendly.com/halobirthsupport

or email, mamaruhalo@gmail.com, for more detailed information

[doulayogimama]

Did you know that librarians make bank????

I shit you not, this is my dream job that I was saving for when I was a bored older lady. But if they make that much, sign me TF up. That sounds so fun and relaxing. I brought it up in therapy today and I’m quite literally going to look up librarian jobs lolol

On another work note — my dream NYC Midwife that I’ve followed for 10+ years (her tumblr page is —> themidwifeisin) accepted my offer to share my services as a postpartum Doula and LC to their patients. They just shared it today and 2 people have reached out to me 🙏🏽 I’m setting up appointments for both of them in late April / early May 🙌🏽

I may not have a home of my own right now, but this nomadic life until we get pregnant again is pretty fun. I’m excited to get back to work as a Doula in NYC! 🫶🏽

[panb1mbo]

honestly one of my biggest career flex as a full spectrum doula is when i had a pregnant client about a month overdue. when they consented to receiving my help i found them a noninvasive induction method that fit their specifications (they wanted their definition of a natural birth, which to them, meant no induction via drugs) and within the hour of trying my suggestion she told me they were headed to the hospital bc her contractions had progressed enough for her to be admitted and she had her baby within the day and enjoyed the experience. and for that to be my first birth??? magic 🥺

[misschey2u]

What I wish Medical Providers Understood when meeting a Doula

“Chey, OMG! I know we spoke about this but why are providers so rude?! It was awful” ; I was driving home from seeing a client , my car is truly my office , I can’t tell you how much business I have conducted in there as a Doula. Taking time to reflect on a birth isn’t just a thing parents should be encouraged to do but Doulas and Birthworkers as well. I always make time and space to discuss a…

[realstrap]

‼️grocery ask‼️

09/18/2023

We're a disabled lesbian couple with no income, I'm a full time IT Student and my wife is undergoing a birthwork mentorship.

We need to restock on shelf stable groceries and get items that were missed last time

$0/250

CA: $grumblybear

VM: XochiRose

Dm for P@ypal

[pro-birth]

Getting frustrated that the only pro-lifers discussing medical malpractice by doctors refusing to treat specific miscarriage cases, are fellow birth justice advocates/birthworkers/nurses. Like we have clear cut cases of doctors LYING about their state’s abortion laws, knowing full well pro-life doctors have helped women well enough without abortion, and they just…get away with it. You would think AAPLOG and other associations would at least make a statement in it but nope. Not a peep about a single specific case; all the while their pro-choice counterparts are having the time of their careers scaremongering women through their abuse. And yes, I have contacted AALPOG already. No response. None. I don’t doubt the members are providing safe care for all but they need to be honest about the abusive system they work under.

Pro-life or pro-choice I guess medical associations just don’t give a fuck about women and their babies. Fuck.

[halleehalfgallon]

I made this. and while I’m sharing it with you I just want to say that no matter who you are, you can:

• wear long dresses that you like and still fight for human rights

• start a family and not believe it’s every uterus-yielding person’s duty to do the same

• be a homemaker if that’s what you delight in

•choose what you want to be

…no matter who you are.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

freedom to choose is not “freedom to go from the old path to the new path or else you don’t value choice”. it is freedom to go whichever way you are called by your own heart to go, regardless of which way that is or if there even is a path already.

you’re not a bad feminist because you like your hair long. it’s not your job to uphold an idea of what a feminist looks like. there is no such look.

there are two major things that have both angered and saddened me since announcing my pregnancy with my son back in 2020:

1. the assumption that I have given up on any and all career goals I have set for myself (namely music and birthwork) by reproducing, and that by keeping a garden and mainly staying home with my son I have let the patriarchy sort of “win me over”.

2. the amount of tradwives and tradfems who have reblogged and reposted my content (outfits, observations on parenthood, photos of my home and gardens, the list goes on) to perpetuate their own agenda, often using me as a “positive” example of what a woman’s “rightful place” is.

these are both wrong.

if you believe I am an example of a failed feminist simply for marrying, having a child and keeping a goddang garden, you need to sort out why you feel that way. I would like to know: do you feel the same way about your ancestors?

if you believe that women belong at home, having babies and sweeping the floor of dirt from their husband’s boots, the end, then I do not know why you think my corner of the internet is a space for you.

I posted this same rant to my ig story and have been blown away by the positive response. why, if so many people agree, does it feel like we as a culture are handing traditional/simple-living off to the sorts of people romanticizing a Gilead sort of world when you can make bread and move mountains and fight for human rights at the same damn time?

[voxceleste]

I know that this is like The Antinatalist Website but every time I see that post about how people should be told about how awful pregnancy is and how it fucks up your body so they can decide for themselves if they want to put themselves through that etc the way it's written rubs me the wrong way, not because any of the information in it is factually wrong it just seems like... Idk. Sometimes on here it feels like there's a real lack of empathy for people who do have interest in childbearing including people for whom accessing perinatal care is difficult and fraught for whatever reasons... I know that what people are responding to explicitly in that post is active efforts to occlude the risks and dangers associated with pregnancy so this might all sound like hairsplitting on my part but I don't think the answer to that issue is "freak people out by presenting an intentionally selected horror show clip reel of all the things that can go wrong." That's not good care... Like. Many people are going to continue to want to have babies even though it's dangerous, this is just a fact, so perhaps a wraparound informed consent approach focusing on supplying people with as much information and options as they need to make the decisions that are right for them while working to minimize harm to the greatest degree is better... Idk... I think what is actually bothering me is that I think putting energy into antioppressive birthwork/midwifery is going to have a much more tangible effect on the quality of life of people who give birth than "make sure they know all of the gruesome ways they might die in labour" ??? Who does this help

[butchniqabi]

if anyone's interested i have a small folder of doula/birthwork related pdfs including "supporting survivors". theres only 9 books and i havent made my way through all of them, but if you are interested lmk

[piscaprio]

I’m not going to lie, I feel so hurt, by so much and so many people. This healing journey has been tough, on my spirit. I’m processing so much in such a small time frame. I’m really not okay.

Speaking of time, it appears that everything is so time sensitive. From things within motherhood, birthwork, how quickly I’m tending to my wounds, the ones that inflicted the wounds, feel/behave like since they’re over it, i should be too. idk so much

Im just feeling my feels. Journaling these past 48 hours has been helpful.

[kayandthegoldendays]

baby blanket progress • I knit on the train, before bed, when in between client sessions, and let me tell you guys how happy it makes me (!!!!).

I’ve also befriended the most unlikely of pals who hold the same love for knitting which has been a pleasant surprise in this new hobby. Everyone says to crotchet next and that I’ll love it but I’m unsure (?!) if it’ll be something I pick up as easily…. I’ll take my time before trying.

I had the busiest past week and it ended with a group of birthworkers sitting in a circle munching on Indian food after a yoga session and I felt for the first time like someone “got” it. My work is so unorthodox that it’s difficult to compare to “normal” ones. Then I went to see a performance at Lincoln Center! I was jumping up and down with the rest of the kids and picked up gummy bears too. I was over the moon.

This week will hopefully be slower but there’s travel involved again! But it ends with hugs upon arrival so there’s that. Lately, I feel like the luckiest human and I think it’s only going to get better.

[panb1mbo]

probably one of my fave facts i learned as a birthworker is that anyone can lactate regardless of gender, even people who have had top surgery!! humans r just so neat :)

[lokita-erica]

I’ve been out of the workforce for about 5 years. I have a BA in Sociology, experience in non-profit work, youth development and programs, youth mental health, psychosocial rehabilitation, I’m a self taught artist, and I have also experience in birthwork as a doula and placenta encapsulation specialist. Due to my CPTSD and some income I receive monthly as a widow (survivor’s benefits) I don’t need to work but when those benefits run their course in however many years I literally don’t know what I’m going to do with my life lol. I’ve thrown myself into my role as a mother as well as gotten so much out of therapy and daily rest but like what else do I do? I may qualify for disability as my CPTSD symptoms can sometimes be debilitating but I’m not sure. Luckily I’m just not there yet. I’m worried the time will fly too fast and I’ll wake and actually be there though.