Welcome to Lumos

"If you can make mothers whole and full, you’ll have a whole generation of kids who can solve problems." 🥺 💛

Normalize feeling like your newborn is an alien raisin!

I realized the only way I'll possibly be able to organize all my thoughts on parenthood is through a-lli-ter-a-tion ~ so welcome to: ! When I first gave birth there was this expectation that I would feel an immediate bond and love like I never had before. But I really felt more like, OK I know this little wrinkly-pink-bean is the most important thing in my life now, and I must protect and nourish it at all cost...but I really needed more time to get to know her to love her like I do.

How did you all feel when you gave birth? There's no wrong way to feel! Tell me your true stories 😍

Ha! Totally!!

How to tell a baby's age based on their clothing 🤣

May 5th is the National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 📷credit of the beautiful Kourtney from on IG

Stop just a moment. Yea - you. Take a minute with us. Start with feeling your butt or feet below you. Let your shoulders fall and your jaw relax. Take a big breath. And then find one thing around you that you are grateful for or find delight in or just really really love. Breathe into that feeling and let it spread all through you. And know that we are here rooting for you.

Tips for doulas: energy jelly beans!⁣
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One of the markers of active labor is the lessening of appetite for most folks. When a laboring person is hungry for/able to eat a full meal, it's one of those signs for us that they are likely still in early labor. The body is brilliant; as the work of labor ramps up, the body wants to focus on the work of labor and not on digestion - thus a lessening of appetite.⁣
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Aaaaaaand - the work of labor takes energy, even when folks aren't feeling so hungry. Small bites and foods that are easy to eat/digest (think fruit, crackers, toast, smoothies, applesauce) are sometimes do-able for folks (particularly earlier in active labor). ⁣
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And sometimes food is really just not doing it for folks. Juice, popsicles, broth, and honey sticks are options and many doulas also have energy goo of some kind in their bag (like what long distance athletes use - they've got carbs and electrolytes). But if you're not a long distance athlete, the texture of the goo can be off-putting.⁣
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Enter energy jelly beans. Jellybelly has jelly beans that are essentially goo in jelly bean form - folks know what to expect from a jelly bean, they can chew just a couple at a time and get some of what their body might be needing to carry on the work of labor.⁣
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You can even get ones that have a bit of caffeine in them - these are sometimes appreciated during pushing for an extra energy boost.⁣
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We just order small individual packets online in bulk.⁣
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And pssssst - you might appreciate them for yourself during a long birth. 💛