Balance Massage and Doula
138 Tenon Drive B4E3J5 Halifax, NS, Canada

And also recognizing the strength it takes some days to simply roll over in bed

Big news coming out of the IWK! https://youriwk.com//iwk-to-open-first-multidisciplinary/

Reposted from @thevbaclink Great info from one of our #VBACdoula’s on pelvis size and birth! We’re you told your pelvis was too small? Did you go on to birth vaginally?... Repost @blossomandbirth Sometimes women are told that they have cephalopelvic disproportion (shortened as CPD) - meaning their pelvis isn’t the right size or shape for birthing their baby. It's a common reason given for c-sections. Here are a few things you should know about this diagnosis, though: -It used to be considerably more common than it is now because diseases like rickets & polio used to be more common (thank goodness for modern medicine!) -It is incredibly rare today & often misdiagnosed. How? For starters: we give women too little time for labor & we have them push in one position only. . First of all, the shape of your pelvis is not like the shape of a basketball hoop, fixed & immovable. It’s connected with ligaments plus it has a great deal of flexibility thanks to the hormone relaxin. Upright positions and squatting or being on hands & knees can make 15-30% more room in the pelvis than just lying on a bed. Why wouldn’t we give our babies as much room as possible in birth? . 2nd: - not allowing enough time for labor. ACOG revised their standards for considering labor stalled after reviewing research on over 62,000 women (that’s a lot!). Based on an outdated curve, the expectation used to be that woman would dilate 1.2-1.5 cm/hour. But when they looked at hardcore data, the rate was actually 0.5-0.7 cm/hour for first time moms and 0.5-1.3 cm/hour for moms who have given birth before. So let’s do the math - 10 cm to dilation ~ at .5 cm an hour, a normal labor could take 20 hours just to reach full dilation! (don’t get discouraged! Early, latent labor is magical stuff!). . Birth is a marathon & all too often we treat it as a sprint, declaring a woman's body a failure when it's working hard to preserve her strength and stamina for the whooooole process. . #vbac #vbacdoula #halifaxdoula #halifax #novascotiadoula #knowtheevidence #yourbodyiscapableofamazingthings

Women with COVID-19 can breastfeed. They should: Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub frequently Wear a medical mask during any cont...act with the baby Sneeze or cough into a tissue Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces touched See more

Reposted from @soula_doula#Repost @trusteddoulascarlett How true!!! This is so true, apart from everyone's perception of pain being different, how informed, prepared and calm you are, how much you trust your body and trust in the birth process, it is hugely important to be with people that you know and trust, people who make you feel safe, respect your choices and are not afraid of birth themselves!... Be informed, learn about birth physiology and the hormones of labour. Both birth and sex produce huge amounts of oxytocin when people are unobserved, feel safe and respected. Place of birth is really important, home is usually a much more relaxed, safe and calm environment (I know it is not right for everyone and hospital might be the safest place for people with health concerns or issues with their babies) It has been proved time and time again that continuity of care makes a huge difference in maternity care, sadly not many care providers can provide this. It is much more likely to happen with home births, or at least be a small team of midwives that you can meet before you give birth... #yourbirth #birthdoula #halifaxdoula #birthingspace #wearecavemammals #orgasmicbirthanyone?

Corkum Labs at Dalhousie University is looking for a few more parents to test the ABCs of SLEEPING for Babies mobile app. If you are a Canadian parent whose ...6- to 12-month-old baby is developing typically, but having trouble falling or staying asleep, consider joining our research study! The ABCs of SLEEPING for Babies is a mobile app program that provides parents with customized sleep tips for improving the sleep of their baby. Study participants will receive access to the ABCs of SLEEPING for Babies app for 4 weeks. Before you receive access to the ABCs of SLEEPING app, you will be asked to complete an online survey, as well as a one-week sleep diary while your baby wears a small device designed to measure their sleep (an actigraph). We will ask you to repeat this after you have had access to the app for 4-weeks. While you are using the app, we will ask you to complete a short weekly survey to see how it is going. If you complete the entire study, you will receive a $20 gift certificate. If you are interested in participating, click here to see if you are eligible: https://redcap.its.dal.ca/surveys/?s=EYW9R7XFA4 For more information, please email [email protected] Ethics for this project has been obtained by the IWK Health Centre.

The story of your pregnancy and birth deserves to be counted. Was your birth care respectful and supportive? Or did you experience disrespect, discrimination, o...r mistreatment? This survey is a part of a first-ever project where community members shaped the research questions. Researchers hope this information will help improve the quality of care of Canadian birthing people. Learn more and complete the survey here: www.respcct.ca See more

Reposted from @doulaviewllc THE DILATION STATION Aka the "Get it done position." Most of my clients know that I love using the toilet for labor. It's the best way to release a pelvic floor and help a baby descend into the pelvis. The contractions are super intense on the potty, but that's because they are super productive! Trust me when I tell you, this is one of the all time best labor positions! you are naturally prone to relaxing your pelvic floor and perineum while s...itting on the toilet. the bathroom is a place of privacy and solitude and you are used to relaxing in this room. you are using gravity you are opening your pelvis. you are allowing your baby lots of room to rotate and navigate the birth canal. you can also turn around and straddle the toilet with a pillow in front of you for comfort. We call it the dilation station for a reason. I’ve encouraged many mommies to spend some time laboring on the toilet. It’s not uncommon for baby to come rather quickly after that : @northdallasdoulas @sandsmama #halifaxdoula #squattyonthepotty #pelvicfloor #birthdoula

Been meaning to use that massage coverage? Now is the time to put your wellness as top priority, so don’t delay! Offering experienced and effective Massage Therapy in a comfortable home based practice. Located in Sackville and Direct Billing available for many insurance companies. Call Jenny at 902-440-8109 or email [email protected]

Did that just happen? Was this past year even real??? So many ups and downs throughout the year that I am reflecting on how this year has fortified me. I will take all the good out of this past year and move forward with optimism for good health, strong family relationships, business growth and more FUN! Thank you to all who supported my business this past year. I have been so honoured to have had such a great year helping families welcome new little love’s into the world and growing my home massage business. Happy New Year! #bringon2021 #halifaxdoula #newyear #theheckwithnewyearsresolutions #mompreneur

This is what I do and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Christmas joy!!! An extra support person is allowed back into the IWK!! http://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/COVID-19

Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible! The Nova Scotia Doula Association was able to donate 220lbs of food to Feed NS! #doulasmakeadifference to the families we support and our communities we serve:)

Thanks for all the feels this morning Lindsey Gore! , . My children were insistent they... could walk, that they didn’t need the sled, however I pulled it anyway. And initially, they had boundless energy. They ran through the snow, laughed and chased each other and their laughter was musical. And even though they didn’t seem to need it, I still pulled the sled. It felt light and it wasn’t that hard to pull. After we walked a bit longer, one of my girls tripped and fell. She didn’t hurt herself, but she was upset. She climbed in the sled for a minute and I kept pulling. But she didn’t need it for long, and she hopped back out. I was happy I’d brought the sled to help her when she needed a break. By the later part of our walk, they grew tired. With the fatigue came the emotions and the meltdowns began. Do you want to climb in the sled? I asked. They both did. And I pulled them. And sometimes we went downhill and it felt easy. And sometimes we went up hills and it was heavy and hard, and I was sweating and feeling tired. And when I was sweating and feeling tired, almost resentful about the weight of them, I would stop, pause and breathe. And sometimes they climbed out, feeling that they didn’t need the sled again, and would walk a little bit more, explore a bit further. But they always returned to the sled. And I always kept pulling it. . We keep pulling the sled of support. Even when they don’t need it, we are there to help them keep going. When they do need it, we pull them through. There are some days it feels light and all downhill, and pulling them, supporting them feels easy. There are days it is all uphill and pulling them is so hard, and so exhausting. When we’re tired from their weight and from our own fatigue, we pull them. So Mama, if your sled feels heavy today, pause and breathe. You are working hard. This job isn’t easy. There will be days when they won’t need you to pull them, and it will get easier. . -Carly Crewe

I wouldn’t say that this is generally true, but if the shoe fits!!!!!???