Why Prenatal Yoga?
During my last pregnancy, I attended prenatal yoga classes at Yoga Village in Safety Harbor and I was really happy that I did. I got more out of it than expected. Here are some reasons to consider prenatal yoga. 1. Relief from common pregnancy discomforts. As your body transforms, more weight and stress is put…
Chiropractic Care for a Healthier Pregnancy: The Webster Technique
[Updated 2025] Your back aches in ways you didn’t know were possible. Your hips feel like they’re being pulled apart, and that sharp, shooting pain down your leg? Let’s not even go there. Sound familiar? If you’re pregnant and finding that simple things—like getting out of bed or putting on shoes—feel impossible, you’re not alone.…
How Do I Get A Breast Pump From Insurance?
Updated for 2026! Expecting parents sometimes ask us how they can get a breast pump from their health insurance company. Whether you’re planning to return to work or not, a breast pump is handy to have available for those times when you can’t nurse your baby at your breast. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act,…
Partners Are Parents, Too! 3 Ways to Promote Bonding with Newborns
It’s a pretty common idea that a “great way” for partners/fathers to bond with your new baby is to express milk and let him/her feed the baby. And while it is a fun activity, pumping before your milk supply is well established by your baby, is not recommended. It’s best for your baby to nurse…
What Is A Gentle Cesarean?
Many families are interested in what is referred to as a ‘gentle cesarean’ or a ‘family centered cesarean.’ The purpose is to allow mothers and partners a more active role at the birth, create a peaceful and calm atmosphere and to emulate what happens during and after a vaginal birth. Let’s discuss the features that…
It’s Baby Time! When Should We Leave Home?
They say ‘timing is everything,’ and this is no less true in labor than other aspects of life. It does matter when you go to your birth location – you don’t want to be there too soon, and you probably don’t want to have your baby in the car! So when exactly is the right…
What Should You Do in the Early Labor Phase? (Netflix & Chill!)
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re going into labor. Discomfort is normal—but panic doesn’t have to be. Believe it or not, once early labor begins, you can just keep living your life. Yes, early labor is real labor—it counts! But it can also be calm, manageable, and even relaxing. In fact, the more relaxed…
Who Will Be in the Birth Room?
A new baby brings such joy, not only to her parents, but also to a gathering of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, neighbors, friends… the list goes on and on. And truly, as new parents, you’ll learn to rely on the support they’ll provide over your child’s life. Is there ever a time you won’t…
Doula Support Positively Affects Breastfeeding
Improved breastfeeding outcomes are not merely opinion. Research has concluded what many mothers and doulas know from personal experience. Having a doula not only improves the birth experience, it makes the transition to a new life with baby smoother. Plainly stated doula support has a positive affect on breastfeeding! One study was conducted with 724 first time mothers.…
7 Things About Writing a Birth Plan
Many expectant parents ask us about a birth plan – what should go on it, what shouldn’t? For most people, a birth plan is a good idea, when used as a communication tool. By this we mean, it communicates your preferences to your care providers in a clear, succinct fashion. Birth is unpredictable and there…
16 Reasons We Recommend Tampa General Hospital for Childbirth
{updated May 2021} We have had great experiences with the medical professionals of Tampa General Hospital. We’ve been toured through the entire labor and delivery ward and NICU. We’ve been invited numerous times to speak at their childbirth classes as a guest speaker and to help in teaching comfort techniques to their students. Establishing relationships…
The Problem With “Enjoy Them While They’re Little”
If you have children, you’ve surely received this bit of advice multiple times. It’s a favorite bon mot, offered usually from wiser, older, more experienced parents and grandparents. It has happened to me in a group on Facebook, a grocery store, a public building and sitting on a park bench; a well-meaning, grandmotherly-type woman observes me…
How Does a Doula Aid in Labor?
We’re often asked how a doula supports a laboring woman. The honest answer is: it depends. It depends on the woman, her needs, her birth style, and who else is in the room. No two births look the same, so what we do for one mom might look totally different for the next. Maybe she’s…
I’m Not Depressed – Why Do I Need a Postpartum Doula?
Are postpartum doulas only for people with postpartum depression? No, postpartum doulas are not postpartum depression doulas. Postpartum doulas support women after the birth of a child, period. From the Merriam-Websters online dictionary:postpartum:adjective | post·par·tum \ˌpōs(t)-ˈpär-təm\1. Relating to or happening in the period of time following the birth of a child. Women suffering from postpartum depression can…
The #1 Ingredient for VBAC Success
When considering a VBAC, (vaginal birth after cesarean) determining your best course of action depends on a variety of factors. This includes your risk factors, health history and your personal preferences. Having a sincerely supportive care provider is the top priority for your best chance at VBAC success. So, how do you find one? Let’s…
Do Doulas Replace Partners?
The answer is no, they do not. Partners are an extremely vital part of the birth team. Nobody knows you, your strengths, weaknesses, desires and the essence of what makes you unique, as well as your partner does. The connection and love between you and your partner is crucial during labor and birth. “A father’s…
Breastfeeding, Getting a Good Start with Skin-to-Skin
Last week myself and another postpartum doula on our team spent five long days learning about lactation at The Lactation Counselor Training Course through The Healthy Children Project. It was eye-opening in so many ways even after having breastfed my own children for a combined total of more than 5 ½ years. So, I wanted to share…
A Postpartum Doula Is…..What? (updated in 2022)
Many people are just learning what a doula is. Some people are familiar with the idea of what a birth doula is. (A birth doula is professional, trained and experienced in childbirth, and offers physical, emotional and educational support to women in pregnancy and during labor and delivery.) But did you know there are also…
What Does A Contraction Feel Like?
What does a contraction feel like? Will it hurt? You’re not the first one to ask these question. Every first time mom asks and many repeat mothers do, too! It’s very hard to imagine ahead of time what the physical sensation of a contraction feels like. Likewise, it is hard to remember what a contraction…
Letting Go, When Breastfeeding Comes to an End
When your breastfeeding relationship is coming to an end it can be a time of mixed emotions. You are not alone. While I was lying with my son tonight helping him go back to sleep (without offering the breast) I felt proud of both of us and yet a little bit sad. He is 2…
Lightning Crotch – What Is Effacement?
Recently, a laboring mother had us, her birth team, laughing and giggling with the words she used to describe the sensations she was having. A particularly funny phrase she kept using was “Lightning Crotch.” This is a stinging, burning, pins and needles type of feeling right in the crotch, not during a contraction but in between or…
My Pregnancy Loss
This is my personal story about pregnancy loss and it may be triggering for some. If you have experienced a loss and need support, please do join us for our free Tampa Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group. After my first son was born via emergency cesarean with a special scar, I longed for a VBAC…
Jack’s Homebirth – VBAC after Special Scar
On the third anniversary of my son Jack’s birth I decided to share some photos. I have yet to fully finish writing down his birth story in detail, but these photos say a lot. They also give an idea of what a homebirth can be like. Buddha Belly doulas support families in any location they choose to give birth whether it’s at home, a birth center…
Shane’s Birth Story
Eight years ago today I gave birth to my first son, Shane. I have never published his birth story and it seemed appropriate today to share it. (*This story may be triggering for some.) “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the most wonderful things that…
How Are You Choosing Your Hospital & Care Provider?
You will remember giving birth for the rest of your life. It is a sacred event that should be a loving and happy experience. There are many factors that will determine the outcome of your birth, including your health, genetics, any previous births, where you choose to give birth and who your care provider is.…
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