Brittany Cali Doula Services

06/17/2026

Things your midwife says in labor and what you actually hear:

"Just breathe through it. Blow out like you're blowing out a candle."

(Said while the baby is actively crowning. I am attempting to blow out a candle while what feels like a watermelon is exiting my bu****le. Breathing is not currently available to me.)

"Drop your shoulders and let everything from your head to your toes just loosen up."

(My insides are currently being squeezed in a mechanical vice. But sure. I'll just loosen up.)

"You're safe and you're doing such a great job."

(I am in fact not doing a great job. I am fairly certain I am dying. These feel like different things.)

"You CAN do this. You're almost there and the only way out now is through."

(At this point I have no choice. That's not encouragement, that's just math. And honestly? A little brutal.)

"This looks like early labor. The best thing you can do right now is rest."

(Said as my midwife tucked me into my own bed and handed me sleepy herbs. I'm sorry. EARLY? This cannot be early. I refuse to accept early. Early is not possible right now.)

"You really need to try and eat something to keep your energy up for pushing."

(The thought of eating anything ever again is offensive to me. I have decided this baby is never coming out and food is no longer part of my life.)

"Why don't you snuggle up with your husband and get some oxytocin flowing to help pick up those contractions?"

(Ma'am. Have you seen me? I am a sweaty, leaking, enormous human who currently feels the opposite of romantic. My husband is also a little scared of me right now. Snuggling is not on the table.)

"Your body was made for this."

(Cool. My body and I are having a serious conversation after this is over.)

"Every contraction is bringing your baby closer."

(This is technically true and also completely unhelpful right now.)

"You're almost there."

(You have said this four times in the last two hours. We need to discuss what almost means.)

And then the baby arrives.

And suddenly every single thing we said was true.

You were safe. You did do a great job. You could do it. You were almost there.

Your body WAS made for this.

And it was worth every single second.

05/05/2026

Happy International Day of the Midwife! 💕

This morning we had the privilege of being with a woman as she brought her baby earthside — what a beautiful way to start International Day of the Midwife!

I’ve worked alongside Heather in her practice for almost 5 years now, and I’ve gotten such a real glimpse into what it truly means to be a midwife. It’s not just catching babies and holding newborns (though that part is magic). It’s the sleepless nights, being glued to your phone 24/7, playing Tetris with the office schedule to reschedule clients when a birth comes up, missing family events and your kids’ milestones, going days without seeing your own people, and fighting like hell to help women get the births they envision. The sacrifice is no joke.

I’m not sure I’ll ever have what it takes to do what Heather and all midwives do… some days I seriously wonder. But I’m so thankful every single day for the heart and dedication they bring.

To Heather and every midwife out there — thank you. The world is steadier and kinder because of you. 🫶

05/04/2026

As a birth doula, I have the incredible privilege of supporting families during such special moments in their lives. Your stories and experiences mean the world to me, and sharing them can help other families find the support they need.

If you’ve ever worked with me and felt a positive impact, I would be so grateful if you could take a moment to leave a review on Google. Your kind words not only encourage me, but they also help my business grow and reach more wonderful families.

You can share your thoughts here:
https://g.page/r/CYaScuAB4bFAEBM/review

Thank you for being a part of my journey! Your support makes all the difference. 💖

04/28/2026

Support isn’t “Let me take the baby.”

Support is “What can I do so you can keep holding the baby?”

Because that’s the part she doesn’t need help with.
That’s the part she wants.

It’s everything else
that feels heavy.

The dishes.
The laundry.
The meals.
The mental load no one sees.

So if you really want to help a new mom,
don’t take her baby.

Take something off her plate
so she doesn’t have to put them down.

Be honest…what helped you most postpartum?

04/25/2026

“Nobody told me it could NOT work.”

She was in tears telling me about her first birth.

She’d planned for an epidural. Expected pain relief. The anesthesiologist placed it. She waited for the numbness, the relief, the ability to rest.

It never came.

The epidural failed.

She could still feel everything. Every contraction as intense as before. But now she also couldn’t move her legs. Couldn’t get out of bed. Couldn’t squat or sway or follow her body’s desperate instinct to MOVE.

She was trapped. In pain. Immobile. And completely unprepared because she’d been told “just get the epidural” without learning any other coping skills.
“It was the worst of both worlds,” she said. “All the restrictions with none of the relief.”

She pushed her baby out in agony, unable to change positions, feeling like her body had betrayed her.
But her body didn’t betray her. The system did.

Nobody told her epidurals fail 5-15% of the time.

Nobody told her she might not be able to get one if her platelets were low or labor progressed too fast.

Nobody taught her ANY other coping skills because “you’re just going to get an epidural anyway.”

Nobody warned her about persistent back pain, headaches, or nerve issues some women experience.

Nobody prepared her for the possibility that the plan might not work.

This is a failure of informed consent.

Epidurals aren’t good or bad. They’re a tool.

Sometimes the right tool.

But women deserve to know:

The failure rate.
The situations where you can’t get one.
The risks beyond “you might not feel to push.”
The importance of having backup coping skills.

At Full Well Midwifery, we teach coping skills because at homebirth they’re not optional.

But honestly? EVERY pregnant woman should learn them. Even if you’re planning a hospital birth with an epidural.

Because what if it fails? What if labor is too fast? What if your platelets are too low?

You deserve to feel capable. You deserve tools that work regardless of location or medication.

Your body is designed for birth.

Epidural or not. Hospital or home. You’re capable of more than you know.

But you need to be PREPARED. You need INFORMED consent. You need OPTIONS.

Not just “get the epidural and you’ll be fine.”

Because sometimes the epidural isn’t fine. And you deserve to know that before labor starts.

02/07/2026

My first baby was 10.5lbs, and I don’t think that’s healthy.

Hot take: even though big babies born vaginally are celebrated in the holistic space, IMO babies over 10lbs aren’t necessarily “normal.”

My first baby was 10.5lbs, and I passed my gestational diabetes test at 28 weeks, so I assumed everything was fine. What I didn’t realize back then was that the gestational diabetes test is merely a single data point that is missing a LOT of context.

With my second pregnancy, I was seeing a homebirth midwife and she immediately raised concerns over the size of my firstborn, and how my blood sugar levels had almost certainly impacted that. That was news to me!

High blood sugar in mama = glucose crossing the placenta = baby’s pancreas releases extra insulin to handle the
glucose = insulin signals baby’s body to grow and store fat.

So, in the second pregnancy, I meticulously tracked my blood sugar levels with a glucometer (finger prick) and was aiming for the following numbers:

1. 100 fasting, 40+ point swing after breakfast, and often an even higher number an hour later.

So, what did I do? The following things helped me to get my blood sugar numbers into the optimal range, and my second baby ended up being 9lbs, not 10.5!! And I’m hoping for maybe an even smaller baby this time - we’ll see!! Here’s what I did:

- Avoiding literally all processed sugar. Yep, even during the holidays. Worth it.

- Never eating carbs by themself but always pairing with protein and fat, and ideally a fiber source too

- Eating a big protein-heavy snack right before bed around 9pm

- Hitting 120g of protein intake daily

- Walking after meals

- Avoiding screens before bed, or at least wearing blue light blocking glasses

If you want to read more about my experience with blood sugar and having big babies, see my “blood sugar” highlight on Instagram, and follow for more tips on holistically-minded pregnancy and birth!

02/01/2026

❤️

The first shower after birth isn’t about getting clean.

It’s about coming back to yourself.
The door finally closes.
The noise fades.

And for the first time since everything changed,
it’s just you… and the water.

It runs over a body that has been stretched, shaken, and transformed.

Washing away what the world doesn’t see—
the fear you swallowed,
the strength you borrowed,
the moments you almost broke but didn’t.

You look down and realize this body is unfamiliar now.
Not weaker.

Different.
Capable of things you never knew it could do.
In that quiet space, there’s no one asking anything of you.

No cries.
No instructions.
No expectations.
Just water falling gently,
as if to say, you survived something sacred.

That shower doesn’t restore the old you.
It welcomes the new one—
soft, exhausted, emotional, powerful.

A woman who crossed a threshold
and came back changed forever.

And that moment…
deserves reverence. 🤍

✍️Sarfaraz johan

01/27/2026

FACTS

01/26/2026

I am feeling so blessed reading these amazing Google reviews! Thank you so much for your kind words and support! 💖

If you’d like to share your experience and haven’t had a chance yet, here’s the link:

https://g.page/r/CYaScuAB4bFAEAE/review

I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

🌼 Brittany

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