Amy Perry Doula Services

If you could sit down with any expert in any field, who would you want to sit down with?! Has it been able to happen? For me, it isn’t even a competition. @brenebrown has spent her career studying vulnerability and it’s something I’m so fascinated with. I’ve been needing all the self given pep talks lately... but sometimes I just don’t even know what I need to tell myself. So I’ve been binging Brené’s new podcast she’s started during this pandemic. I honestly can’t tell ...you how many times I’ve been doing the dishes or putting away laundry while listening and just needed to stop, be still and listen because it was exactly the thing I needed to hear exactly in that moment. Rewind, listen to it again. Whoa. It’s called Unlocking Us and I listen to it on Spotify but I’m sure you can find it on most podcast apps... Hey, Brené! What book do I need to write to get to sit down with you for an hour?! (but actually, on my bucket list of dream goal, it’s officially manifested publicly!) So tell me, who is your bucket list expert interview and what is their area of expertise? See more

Because somebody sent me this at 1am and I’m obviously still awake. Enjoy. https://www.reddit.com//the_moment_he_sees_his_little_br/

Placenta Watercolour Art?! Whaaaaat is she talking about?! You read it right! Placenta watercolour art!! The fabulous Beth Murch (@beth_murch - go follow her) has shown me how to create a print of a placenta on paper with watercolour paint and now I’d like to try some on my own before offering this as a paid service for people. If you’d like, take a scroll to the right to see some of the results! But warning, one photo contains the placenta itself. If you’re currently ...expecting and would like a print like this then send me a message! The first 2 people will not be charged a penny, and yes, you can absolutely pick your colours. If you aren’t interested in a print but willing to donate your placenta for practice and education, please message me! This is absolutely a creative outlet for me but it’s also a way for me to further educate myself and become a better Doula within our community. See more

Once upon a time (when it wasn’t snowing out) I was walking around @stjacobsmarket and I thought, I wonder if there are people following my socials that need to know about the cabbage trick for breastfeeding?! So I took this picture to use for this message: When your breastmilk comes in, usually within a few days after your baby is born, your breasts will feel very swollen and engorged. Maybe even painful to touch. There are other ways to help this besides pumping, which wi...ll only cause you to create MORE milk. Instead to help yourself through the engorgement try hand expressing (lots of great videos on YouTube!) for comfort and then line the inside of your nursing bra with a piece of washed cabbage. I’m not kidding! To prepare it, cut the cabbage in half and pull off big leaves, giving each one a good wash to get any chemicals off, score out the core and the think centres of the leaves and stack in the fridge with a piece of paper towel between each piece. Store in a ziplock bag to keep fresh. When you go to use it pull 1-2 nice cold pieces out and wrap the pieces around your breasts, avoiding your nipple and areola. The sides of your breast will need it more and it’s best to avoid the area where baby’s mouth will be. Put your nursing bra (which should be a side or two bigger than your regular bra size) overtop of the cabbage to hold in place. After an hour or two the cabbage will be wilted. Just throw it out and repeat as needed! See more

Covid has restricted a lot for people choosing to birth in the hospital, including whether or not you can bring a Doula into your labour room for support for you and your partner. This means that a lot of doulas are offering virtual Doula services which includes birth prep and availability as much as needed virtually during labour. This does however come with one big advantage... you don’t have to be local to KW for virtual birth services! That beautiful woman in the pictu...re and I went to university in Toronto together and she shared her wonderful news with me early in her pregnancy. I had offered to help them find a Doula local to them in Ottawa when the time came. Then covid happened! I have to admit I was pretty excited when they came to me and said, Since our Doula has to be virtual anyways, we want you! So this will be my first virtual birth out of my service area. It’s sneaking up so quickly! Can’t wait for covid to be over so I can come visit and meet her in person! See more

TW: Loss, death, abortion, miscarriage, still birth, infant death. October 15 was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day but the loss of a pregnancy/child is most definitely not confined to October. When I started my Doula journey, I was so excited for babies and birth that I hadn’t yet connected that anytime you are working in birth, you are right alongside the realities of death and you have to be prepared for this at any time. I want you to know that no matter your typ...e of loss, or where along your journey you are, your feelings are valid. Loss can come out of the blue, it can be scheduled. It can give a person a sigh of relief, and it can burden a heart forever. It can make us angry, and heartbroken. But it can also give us elements of hope and strengthen religious faiths. It can rip families apart, and hold them together. Death can be horrific and it can be beautiful. You do not have to explain your well-being to anybody you don’t want to. You don’t have to try and convince people that what you are feeling makes sense. You are WORTHY of love, support and comfort whatever the situation. And that doesn’t change if your feelings about the situation evolve. Loss is not to be ranked, compared or downplayed. Sending love to every single person that has been touched by pregnancy or infant loss now and everyday. If you know of somebody that could use additional support through a loss, please reach out to me. I have resources to pass on, advice to give, answers to some questions you might have and the training to listen and physically and emotionally support. See more

People have been asking where I’m getting my masks from. Here it is!

On a Thanksgiving Sunday, not unlike this past Sunday, I held my second and last baby outside myself for the first time. My pumpkin baby celebrated her 5th birthday this past Sunday (the first time her birthday again fell on Thanksgiving Sunday). My planned induction took 23 hours before she made her way earth side and it gave us, and our doula, a Thanksgiving weekend we will never forget. Who else celebrates a birthday around thanksgiving? I love birthdays, tell me about yours!

Pandemic Check-In: How’s everybody doing? Real talk.. I’m exhausted! It’s been a whole lot of caffeine and chaos for me lately. But going into this long weekend, I’m feeling great joy and great anxiety. My kids are headed to their dad’s for 10 days (this doesn’t happen often) and I am looking forward to the opportunity to slow down just a little bit. Getting reorganized, and having a break from at-home schooling are both priorities. (Good luck dad!) But of course I will miss ...them so much! This week is also the last week of my 20’s. And although I’m not saying goodbye to my 20’s with the hoorah I was always hoping for (there’s a pandemic ya know) I am excited to go into my 30’s! My life is SO different when I was turning 20 and I am excited to see how it will change by the time I turn 40. (Eep!) So how are you doing? The second wave is here. How’s your family handling school? How’s your body handling the weather change? And do you have enough caffeine to make it through the upcoming time change? See more