"Even though recovery is a major part of, most women just do not plan for it. It is, therefore, no coincidence that post-pregnancy disorders are the most common complication after childbirth. Thus, the well being and healthy recovery of a woman after childbirth should be just as important of a priority, as taking care of a newborn child." These words are from Valerie Lynn's book The Mommy Plan. Tonight we will discuss natural ways to care for oneself post partum. What happens when we don't and why as a cuture we really haven't/do not ..read more

Robin Grille is the author of Parenting for a Peaceful World and Heart to Heart Parenting.  He is coming to the United States for a Parenting for a Peaceful World Tour in December.    Robin Grille is a father, a psychologist in private practice with twenty years' experience, and a parenting educator. His articles on parenting and child development have been widely published in Australia and overseas. Robin's first book: 'Parenting for a Peaceful World' (2005) has received international acclaim and led to speaking engagements around Australia, USA and New Zealand. 'Hear ..read more

Giving Austin Labor Support (GALS) brings another exciting documentary to the Austin community. BREASTMILK is the latest film from Executive Producers Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, the creative minds behind The Business of Being Born (2008). Why do breasts and breastfeeding excite such interest, controversy, rage and passion? Breastfeeding has made a lot of headlines lately – from the controversial photo on the cover of Time magazine toWhoopi Goldberg’s public bashing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, to m ..read more

This is a quate I came across on Instagram by @charlottedoula :"it must be a privileg to disqualify doulas from being able to support birthing bodies, by incorperating PAID vendor systems involving Doulas in Charlotte, North Carolina to pay in order to be listed as a doula for families to choose from. Novant Health is creating a statistical bias that their hospital approved vendor doulas are more qualified, when in actuality they are reaping the benefit of being paid to advertise. If this doesn't define systematic, I don't know what does." Today I will be speaking with doulas from Charlotte. K ..read more

From Womb to World, the journey that shapes our life” Everything that happened before we took your very first breath, plays a part in shaping the present, and is the starting-point in creating our future. Participants will learn how conception, prenatal and birth experiences create lasting effects in all areas of our life, emotionally, physically, psychologically and relationally. By being able to identify these effects in their personal and professional lives doulas can play a major role in their clients' birth experiences and how babies are welcomed in to world consciously ..read more

Guest Description:Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPAKathleen Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Psychological Trauma and was Founding Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation, a position she held for 11 years. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of APA’s Pu ..read more

My guest today:  Jatesha “Jaye” Madden-Wilson is a Mom, Serial Entrepreneur, Social Impact Speaker and Activist, Maternal Health Advocate and Self-sufficiency Coach. Her connection to maternal health advocacy began with her journey from womanhood to motherhood.   Through her own personal transitions from marriage to divorce, she redefined single motherhood by creating a community of support that changed the narrative of motherhood, sisterhood and womanhood with her women-empowerment organization, Melinated Moms. S​ he developed Melinated Moms to be the advocacy voice of women across ..read more

Jessie Spivey is our guet today and we will be discussing lots of doula topics! and finding our crew, our people to help us on the journey of sitting at the feet of birth. More on Jessie from Jessie: I was born and raised in Sacramento, Ca. My mother is a Birthworker and inspired me to become a Doula. The vision behind the creation of The Doudad started with my desire to contribute to the decrease in the mortality rates of POC women and children. I want to make sure no one ever feels like an actual doodad…a “thing or unspecified gadget, device or part often used to describe something whose nam ..read more

Nici Shipway CD(DONA), is a mother of two, a certified birth doula and an experienced Surrogate. Nici has worked as a program director and CCO at two other Surrogacy agencies in Canada and in June 2020 opened her own Surrogacy agency named Hive Surrogacy. She has spoken at international Surrogacy conferences as well as planned and executed events around the world for both Intended Parents and Surrogates. These experiences along with supporting hundreds of people through the Surrogacy process have given Nici the opportunity to see how to support these journeys in the birthing room as well and h ..read more

Sophie Messager has a PhD in physiology of reproduction and is a doula, perinatal educator and healer based in Cambridge, UK. Sophie left her native France in 1997 to pursue postdoctoral studies as a biology research scientist, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she met her Hong Kong-born husband, Chi. They moved to Cambridge in 2001, had two children and Sophie retrained to be a doula, antenatal teacher and babywearing instructor. Sophie is a birth geek and knowledge junkie but has a more spiritual side too, so she also trained as a Reiki and Reiki Drum practitioner and teacher. Training and person ..read more