Indigo Forest

05/19/2026

Women sometimes agonize over whether to attempt a vaginal birth after they birthed surgically. Facts can be hard to come by, and fears can be complicated if there is unresolved trauma from the C-Section, extended families are scared, or your OB is under-informed.

It’s not as simple as “What are the risks of my scar opening during labor?” True informed consent MUST include the risk inherent in a (repeat) abdominal surgery, and the genuinely increased risks to future pregnancies as well. There is also the matter of the baby; under otherwise normal circumstances, vaginal birth is actually safer for them in the long run. (Yes, if the baby is experiencing some compromise, that is a different situation than a ‘planned C-Section’ for no other reason than the previous one. Armed with your questions to get lots of accurate information, mothers and families are empowered to make the best decision FOR THIS MOTHER & BABY.

The more information you have
The more support you have
The more you go into labor naturally (without induction)
The more you can move around in labor
The more nourished you are in pregnancy AND IN LABOR

The more safe you and your baby will be, and the most likely that you will have a safe and satisfying labor.

Comment “INFORMED” for the link to my informed consent blog to get the conversation started!

04/15/2026

Tornado warnings and premature contractions? It happens!

Do you have rescue remedy or homeopathic aconite in your grab and go kits? Aconite is a mainstay for every holistic Midwife, and it brings so many wonderful gift to the pregnant and birthing mama.

This October I’m teaching a live 2-day conference for midwives and doulas in Ann Arbor, MI filled with these naturopathic strategies that have helped to keep my clients safe for over 40 years of traditional midwifery care. Comment “Birth Bag” and I’ll DM you a link for all the info on The Holistic Birth Bag; Naturopathic Strategies for Labor and Birth. See you there! 🥰

04/15/2026

What do you think most helps you feel brave, informed, empowered?

Birth is made to work if no one‘s there.

For you to be here reading this, there are approximate 10,000 successful generations of birthing women before you, your ancestors.

Who managed to live long enough to birth a baby that live, who lived long enough to birth a baby that lived, that lived long enough to birth another baby that lived… You are the results of an unbroken line of 10,000 successfully birthing women.

You’ve got this.💗

04/14/2026

Contrary to popular belief, unrefined salt is ESSENTIAL for health, NOT linked to higher blood pressure, and A VITAL component to a healthy pregnancy.

💥Studies have repeatedly proven that there is no link between sodium intake and blood pressure! Mom’s blood needs to expand by 50% by mid-pregnancy, amniotic fluid is a sort of salty water, and adrenal glands MUST have unrefined salt to function properly.

💥 Salt is one of the most important, nourishing, dietary components for healthy pregnancy and birth. Studies often disregard the differences between kinds of salt. Healthy, nourishing salt is any brand of Celtic salt, or Redmond real salt. Refined sodium chloride, or table salt is not the same, and is missing over 70 trace minerals critical for human health!

“Studies have shown it’s impossible for pregnant women to eat too much salt.”
“Low sodium diet are a risk factor for toxemia.”
“Insufficient salt often leads to higher blood pressure and systemic edema.”

🌟These are all quotes from the resources mentioned in the reel. In my practice, nutritionally conscious mothers consistently say things like, “I did have a little edema, but I forgot to eat my salt- as soon as I did, everything was normal again in a few hours.”

Yet how many times have you heard exactly the opposite?!😬🧐🥰

03/16/2026

Midwife or doula? Don't miss this very special conference coming this Fall! https://www.facebook.com/share/14YTvYFjnmp/

Send a message to learn more

03/12/2026

🪷One of the most FRUSTRATING things in labor is when the whole things seems to slow down, stall, and just has energy like the day AFTER a party!

Holistic approaches offer a number of strategies that often work great depending on what might be going on - all without side effects or complications . Consider options like:
• all without side effects or complications
• Ignoring early labor until you can’t
• Nourishment and hydration
• Keep lights low to protect the hormonal cascade
• If baby appears to be a challenging position, mom moves to help baby move
• Use water for pain relief and physical support for positions
• Gentle conversations or thoughtful mixing up who’s there if psychological factors are affecting the landscape of birth
• Stay rested as an intentional priority - stamina is much of the game.

Having a creative and patient birth attendant can be a hugely positive force in having these sorts of stalled or delayed labors resolve well and without surgery.

Ask lots of questions during your prenatal appointments to get to know each other, and learn what techniques they bring to the table to help families prevent or handle this type of labor variation.

         

03/10/2026

The kick count is a wonderfully helpful, and empowering tool, for pregnant moms, and can be a powerful antidote for pregnancy anxiety. AND MOST DIRECTIONS MISS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!

I once had a mom say that she was going in for frequent ultrasounds “to make sure her baby was alive.” Whew. 🥰 She was a little startled when I started showing her how much information she already had about her baby independently. The PROPERLY DONE kick test towards the end of pregnancy provides a lot of useful information about how your baby is doing on a day-to-day basis!

1. Pick a time when the baby tends to be active, like after dinner. NOTE the time.
2. From that time, count all intentional movements (kick, roll, punch, flutter- NOT hiccups)
3. Stop clock when you get to 10 movements, or 60 minutes has passed - WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
4. 10 movements in 60 min or less is a ‘pass’ for the day. If this does not happen, DO NOT ADJUST THE TIME, start over. Faster is not ‘better’, 5 or 55 min, all good.
5. A pass on the 2nd hour is a pass. NOT getting 10 movements in 60 minutes two hours in a row - recommendation is to go in for a non-stress test (or at least call your midwife).

I encourage you to sweetly communicate with your little one in this window, great time to connect!

If you’d like the full blog to get all the details or as a resource for your clients, just comment ‘KICK TEST’ and I’ll DM you the link. 🍃

02/19/2026

Truly.

♥️

02/16/2026

🍃The birth of the placenta is a highly charged topic, but first time moms don’t realize it. They tend to be focused on the birth of the baby, while the midwife or doctor’s attention is often immediately on the placenta. Traditionally homebirth and medical attendants have had wildly different approaches to this time.

🍃Shortly after birth of the baby, the placenta releases from the wall of the uterus and comes out (ie. ‘birthed’.)  The uterus continues to firmly clamp down; it’s round and firm in the abdomen, and now the birth is officially complete.  THIS IS THE ‘3rd STAGE’ of LABOR. I would argue that women are done a major disservice by not being educated on this wonderful and essential part of the birth. I have found over the years that things go much smoother when moms understand the biology, and also have their head in the game to be engaged and responsible for getting out their placenta as they often are with the baby.

🍃The surprise for many is the aggressive nature of ‘routine’ treatment after the baby, especially medically, when it’s very likely a nurse or assistant begins roughly rubbing your uterus seemingly out of no where.

🍃The issue is that this is the window in which there may be bleeding, and it’s become an intense focus for attendants. The synthetic hormone (Pitocin here in the US) that is now routinely injected has its own issues. It’s not as simple as ‘don’t do anything’, because if a mom has been induced, for instance, with that Pit, her receptor sites are often flooded and she may indeed need even more to get her uterus to now clamp down after the birth.

🍃This is a holistic conversation - one that ideally begins prenatally, during care and educating ourselves. So much more than a soundbite conversation.  Talk to your doula or childbirth education teacher, they are likely to have a lot of info and insight for you.

 

01/27/2026

♥️ THERE IS NO GOOD REASON TO CUT THE CORD RIGHT AWAY.
* AND MANY REASONS TO LEAVE IT ATTACHED LONGER!
* Bare minimum - For the first 5 breaths the baby takes
* At least - 10-20 minutes
* Even better- 1-2+ hours when mom & baby are both ready

Cutting the cord too quickly deprives the newborn of millions of its own healing stem cells, along with critical portions of their own blood supply!

♥️ Before birth, the baby’s entire blood supply moves between their body and placenta for oxygenation, via their cord. Term babies have around 30-40% of their blood in their placenta at any one time. This is not excess blood, just like 30% of your blood is not excess. It also plays an absolutely essential role in helping the baby to adapt to life outside the womb, when parts of their body need more blood than it did when they were in utero.

For the baby’s first breath to be successful without stress, the lungs must immediately get an extra 1.5+ oz of blood, in order to come online for the first time. Without it, the needed blood will be borrowed from vital organs, such as the brain and heart. So sadly, cutting the cord to “work on the baby to breathe”, can unfortunately cause some of the same damage that we’re working to prevent. (Resuscitating a baby with their cord. attached brings far better results; intact cords are the norm at home births, but rarely even considered in US medical settings.)

♥️ ALL babies benefit from keeping their entire blood supply at birth! Evidence points to needing an intact cord for an absolute minimum of 1-3 minutes, which allows for primary transfer of blood from the baby’s placenta back into their body; or a minimum of five good breaths. 1-3 is ideal & safe even in most cesarean births. LONGER IS BETTER! I personally think 10-20 min should be the routine minimum at vaginal births. At home we respect mom and baby’s timing - in my practice we averaged 1-2 hours. Often the mom felt ready after coming back from her first p*e, and then we ALWAYS asked the baby if they were ready (yes, out loud). ♥️