The Happy Mama Place

09/12/2026

A little breakfast and practicing at Something Special this morning. 🤍

Today’s focus was ICE, the foundation that brings the emotional, educational, and communication pieces of birth preparation together.

Because preparing for birth means preparing the whole person, not just the physical body. It also means preparing their partner, building confidence, understanding their options, and helping them feel ready to respond to whatever birth brings.

09/12/2026

I am so excited about this month’s topic! The nervous system plays such an important role in pregnancy and birth. It affects how we breathe, hold tension, feel safe, and respond when labor becomes intense.



This is why nervous-system preparation is woven throughout both Hypn
I am really looking forward to this conversation! 💜

We are excited for our next Bloom and Grow! We love supporting growing families in having healthy pregnancies and babies. This time around we will focus on the nervous system. This event is for all parents looking to connect and learn and providers too!

Join the conversation on Friday, September 25th at 5:30 PM. 💜

09/08/2026

Have you ever been so absorbed in something that you stopped thinking about what you were doing?

You weren’t watching the clock. You weren’t analyzing every move. You were just… in it.

That’s flow state.

And I’ve been thinking a lot about what this can mean for birth.

Flow doesn’t mean birth is easy. It doesn’t mean quiet, calm or pain free.

It means the challenge and the skills you have to meet that challenge are working together in a way that allows you to stay engaged instead of becoming overwhelmed.

And that’s where birth preparation gets really interesting to me.

We can’t know exactly what labor will ask of you.

But we CAN build skills before you get there.

Breathing. Movement. Relaxation. Understanding your body. Knowing your options. Communication. Partner support.

Not because we can control birth.

Because when the challenge changes, I want you to have somewhere to go.

This is one of the concepts I’ve been diving deeper into lately, and I have so much more I want to share about it. 🤍

09/07/2026

This is what preparing for birth can look like. 🤍

In HypnoBirthing®, we don’t just sit and talk about what might happen during labor. We practice.

We practice relaxation, breathing, movement, communication and advocacy. We learn how the nervous system responds and how creating safety can help you stay in that flow state during birth.

Because I don’t want you trying these things for the first time when you’re in labor. And I don’t want you memorizing a list of things you’re “supposed” to do.

I want them to feel familiar.

My next HypnoBirthing® series starts September 14 at Growing Oaks Chiropractic in Bloomsburg.

🤍 There’s still time to join us! Message me to grab your spot.

09/06/2026

Bloomsburg mamas, we’re getting close! 🤍

My next HypnoBirthing® class at Growin’ Oaks Chiropractic starts in a little over a week!

One of the things we spend a lot of time on in class is the nervous system and how it can influence the way we experience birth.

Our nervous system is constantly taking in information and responding to what’s happening around us. When we feel safe, supported, and prepared, it’s easier for the body to soften, let go, and stay in that flow state.

And this is why we don’t just talk about relaxation, breathing, movement, and communication in class. We practice it.

I don’t want you trying these things for the first time when you’re in labor, and I don’t want you trying to memorize a list of things you’re “supposed” to do. We practice so that these tools start to feel familiar to you and your partner before birth even begins.

If you’re pregnant and looking for more than just a basic childbirth class, I’d love to have you join us. 🤍

📍 Growin’ Oaks Chiropractic | Bloomsburg, PA
📅 HypnoBirthing® begins September 14
💌 Message me for details or to register

09/01/2026

Tonight’s doula consultation brought me somewhere new—and I’m so glad it did. 💜

Nettario’s Coffee & Tea in Tannersville was such a peaceful place to sit, connect, and talk about pregnancy, birth, and support.

The owner shared the meaningful story behind the name. Nettario’s is named in honor of Saint Nektarios of Aegina. During a wartime shortage, when the sisters at his monastery were running low on coffee and sugar, Saint Nektarios reportedly appeared in a ship captain’s dream and directed him to send coffee and sugar to the monastery.

I tried one of their teas, and it was so delicious that I bought a bag to enjoy at home. 🫖

Their grand opening is Saturday, September 19 at 2 PM at 246 Stadden Road in Tannersville, PA.

If you’re in the area, stop in, hear the story, and welcome this new local business!

09/01/2026

Sometimes the most important doula conversation happens before the provider walks into the room.

Recently, I supported a client who arrived at the hospital 6 cm dilated after days of prodromal labor.

Her cervix continued to change.

But her baby wasn't coming down.

As labor unfolded, I could anticipate conversations that were likely coming: another cervical check, contraction strength and spacing, internal monitoring, Pitocin, and what continuing labor might look like.

So we talked about them before the care team came back into the room.

Not because I knew what she should choose.

I wanted her to understand what she might hear, think about her questions, and have time to process her options before being asked to make a decision.

An IUPC was eventually used to evaluate her contractions. She continued progressing to 9 cm, but baby still wasn't descending.

The hospital recommended Pitocin to bring her contractions closer together.

She listened. She asked questions. And she kept coming back to:

“There has to be a reason my baby isn't coming down.”

She had significant discomfort and tightness through her right hip. Something in her body was telling her this wasn't working.

She understood Pitocin was another option. She also understood it couldn't guarantee she wouldn't ultimately have a cesarean.

She told us she didn't have the mental capacity to keep adding interventions. Her baby had been doing beautifully.

She chose the C-section.

The hospital actually wanted her to continue laboring.

And this is something about advocacy we don't talk about enough.

Advocacy isn't always helping someone decline a C-section or convincing them to keep pursuing a vaginal birth.

Sometimes advocacy happens before the conversation begins.

My role was to help her understand the conversations happening around her so that when the moment came, she could speak for herself.

After birth, her baby had significant localized molding on her head, showing an area that had been under pressure. It couldn't tell us exactly why baby hadn't descended or rotated, but for this mother, seeing it mattered.

She had felt there was a reason. She listened to her body.

Informed consent doesn't have a predetermined outcome.

Sometimes it sounds like:

“I understand my options. I know what we could try next. And I don't want to continue.”

My job wasn't to choose for her.

It was to make sure she had the information, support, and space to choose for herself.

That is advocacy. That is informed decision-making. That is doula support. ❤️

08/27/2026

Just because something is routine in birth doesn’t mean it’s required.

There’s a big difference between “This is what we normally do” and “This is medically necessary for you and your baby right now.”

And “hospital policy” doesn’t take away your right to ask questions and give informed consent.

During labor, you may be offered cervical checks, continuous monitoring, an IV, Pitocin, breaking your water, or other interventions. Some may be helpful or recommended based on what is happening. But you still deserve to understand why something is being recommended.

You can ask:

What are the benefits?
What are the risks?
What are our alternatives?
What happens if we wait?
Is this necessary right now?

Informed consent isn’t about saying no to everything.

It’s about being part of the conversation about your own body and your own birth.

Routine care can have a place. Medical intervention can absolutely have a place.

And so does your voice. ❤️

DoulaSupport BirthPreparation

08/25/2026

Birth preparation is about so much more than learning what happens during labor.

It’s about preparing your mind and your body for an experience you’ve never had before. 🤍

One of the things I talk about often is how much our nervous system influences the way we respond during birth. When something feels unfamiliar, overwhelming, or scary, our body can respond accordingly.

That’s why I don’t want the first time you practice breathing, relaxation, movement, or working together as a couple to be while you’re in labor.

In HypnoBirthing, we practice.

We learn how fear can affect the body. We learn how to work with the nervous system instead of against it. We practice breathing and relaxation. Partners learn how to support instead of standing there wondering what to do.

And most importantly, we build confidence.

Because when labor begins, I don’t want you trying to remember a checklist.

I want you to have tools that already feel familiar.

My upcoming HypnoBirthing series will be held at Growing Oaks Family Chiropractic in Bloomsburg. This is one of my last class series of 2026, and I’m so excited to bring this work into the Bloomsburg community.

If you’re expecting this fall or winter, now is the time to start preparing. 🤍

Registration information will be in the comments.

08/25/2026

She asked me to record her while we were loading up for work because she had something she wanted to say. ❤️

“I want to be a doula because I want to help pregnant moms.”

Then she spent the next two days coming to work with me in her little Happy Mama Place shirt.

She came along for a consultation and quickly made friends with an 18 month old. She joined me for 36 week home visits, met first time parents, played with a 2 year old and 4 year old while I worked, and got to see a little bit of what supporting families actually looks like.

One of the couples had made one of our Happy Mama Place recipes and even shared a date with her. Of course, that may have been one of her favorite parts. 😂

But watching her these two days reminded me of something that has become really important to me.

There is so much about being a doula that you can't learn from a book or a certification alone.

You learn by being around families. By watching. By listening. By seeing how differently every family needs to be supported. By experiencing the work and having someone there to guide you through it.

That is a big part of why I created the training and mentorship program at The Happy Mama Place.

And apparently, I may already have my youngest future student. 😂❤️