Shelly Paskowitz - Doula & lactation support

I made a BIG move. To the East coast.
Relocated my family to be closer to family, and to my son headed to college.
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🌺 I had started my Doula & Lactation business from the ground up and have met and made so many amazing connections in the Orange County birth community over the course of 6 years. It’s tough to leave~ but there is excitement in new adventures, and growth in learning about my new birth community.
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Taking all the knowledge gained from working alongside some of the best perinatal professionals in OC.
🌟 When you find a group of like minded professionals and work together to create a space that supports families from the very beginning and sees them through to the very end of their journey everyone thrives. The families get everything they need education, support, reassurance and we get so much fulfillment in seeing them thrive and just doing what we are passionate about.
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♥️The memories of the families I have supported fill my heart with so much love and gratitude. I am thankful to each and everyone of you.
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🫶🏼Excited to take my experiences, knowledge and add to it even more as I see what the Raleigh birth community holds for me.
•Thank you to everyone as we held space for one another. ♥️♥️

Transition can look like this ✨ Laboring at home, calm, quiet environment, going inward to find that place of peace in body and mind. Closing off the world around them, knowing they have their support team at arms reach. Your doula sitting beside anticipating your needs in this moment and the next, knowing when to not disturb unnecessarily.
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Everyone labors to their own beat. It can be calm and quiet or lots of movement and music. When the birth environment is safe and supported the mother can listen to her instincts, not hold back, allowing the flow of communication between body and baby. ✨
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This warrior mama was very inspiring to me. I learned so much from her labor & birth. Doulas are always learning and growing from every family they support.

I am passionate about breastfeeding and helping women to achieve their breastfeeding goals. ✨
With guidance and knowledge of what to expect from the early days to weeks in, you can have a beautiful breastfeeding relationship with your baby. An important and crucial part of this journey is trusting in the process and your ability to nourish your baby.
🤱This class is scheduled to meet at or around 37 weeks in pregnancy. It is an in home or virtual class where you will learn all about what to expect, how to best prepare, common concerns with breastfeeding and more.
🤱 Once vou are home and settled with vour new babv we will schedule your in home lactation assessment. In this visit I will listen, observe, offer support with latch & positioning, discuss any issues affecting your breastfeeding sessions, whether its schedules, sleepy baby, discomfort, resistance of, etc.
This class is designed to instill confidence in yourself and guide you on your unique breastfeeding journey with the comfort of knowing you have support in place once home with baby.
Reach out to schedule your class and assessment today ✨
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A beautiful, empowering birth with a wonderfully supportive midwife and team of nurses at Providence Little Company of Mary in Torrance.
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With compassion and a calm presence provided care with such a gentle approach and so respectfully as nature unfolded.
Thank you Julie for all you do for the birth community. It was an honor.

•Ask to see your placenta, ask for a placenta tour so you can acknowledge and thank this amazing organ your body created to grow, nourish and sustain your baby throughout their life thus far.
~The placenta develops quickly in the beginning of pregnancy because it has to do the jobs of developing organs until they become fully functional—like the liver, metabolizes nutrients; the lungs, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide; the kidneys, excreting wastes.
It is a beautiful process in birth, as if your placenta hands over the life sustaining role of your baby straight into your hands, detaching from your uterus as its job is complete.

Where does your microbiome come from?
You probably recall from sixth grade biology that you inherit your genes from your parents. But did you know that your mother passes you your microbiome too? The process of receiving these foundational microbes is called seeding.
It's generally regarded to start at birth (though new research is starting to propose that microbial transmission could occur in the womb via the placenta), through the vaginal canal, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding. Eventually, the surrounding environment-other moms, dads, siblings, dogs, the ground, nature-continues to
contribute to this microbial biodiversity.
These first microbes colonize your gastrointestinal system and form the foundation of your immune system, serving as the instructors of what's dangerous and what's not. By the first few years of life, they stabilize into what is called the steady-state microbiome, resembling more or less what your adult microbiome would look like.
This is your nature.
The momentum of millions of choices that followed are your nuture. ~ More than
ever, we are coming to understand that they go hand in hand.

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When someone asks your “due date” give them a due month instead!

It goes like this…

Them: “Congratulations! When is your baby due?”

You: “Thank you. The baby is due sometime in October.”

That’s all you need to say.

✔️Half of you will give birth by 285 days after your last menstrual period (if your cycles are regular) or by 40 weeks and 5 days.

✔️The other half of you will give birth sometime after 40+5.

There’s no such thing as a due date. It is a window of time two weeks before and two weeks after your estimated “due date,” and for most of us it will be AFTER that date.

Just 4% of babies are actually born on the assigned “due date.”

👏Do yourself a favor and think due month instead!

Data from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777570/

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Wonderful connecting with my local birth community🤰 Amazing~fun~informative~ hypnobirthing class from
✨thank you Nicolle for sharing your knowledge, getting us together and creating a safe place for us to share and learn 💕

Fear based decision making:
•you feel powerless
•any sort of control you felt is now gone
•You are in fight or flight mode hindering the progress of labor and causing you to second guess choices you have made up until that point.

Intense emotions and feelings surround this type of decision making. Pushing past the fear, identifying what you do know will be less frightening than living with a feeling of helplessness.

Making decisions where you feel control is still an element in the process you are able to feel at peace and release into the moment with that support.

•Take a step back, pause and recognize the wisdom you have in this moment.
•How is the choice going to impact yourself, your baby and your hopes for this experience.

✨Person centered decision making, respectful communication should always be the standard.
✨Did I receive all the information and support at that time to make an informed decision?
HOPE ALL MAMAS ARE MADE TO FEEL EMPOWERED TO CHOOSE.

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Your baby has been nursing around the clock, and cries as soon as you put her down. It seems like she’s starving, even though you’ve just fed her. Is she getting enough milk? You haven’t slept yet, and you’re starting to wonder what’s happening. It wasn’t like this last night! What is going wrong?!!!

The second night is so common they called it, “Second night syndrome”. It is a perfectly normal response to being born, and most babies experience a bit of fussiness on their second night of life. It can feel overwhelming, but here are some things you can do to help survive the night!

▶️ Expect what’s coming. Many new parents don’t know what’s happening or why. You may feel confused and concerned with the sudden change in their baby’s mood. If you expect it and understand what’s happening on your baby’s second night, you’ll be better able to meet your baby’s needs- and your own- during it!

▶️Snuggle your baby. Not only does this help your baby figure out breastfeeding, but it helps calm them, too. Do lots of skin-to-skin and hold your baby close. It’s SO normal for your baby to refuse to sleep in their bassinet, and you’re NOT spoiling them or creating bad habits. Trade off baby-holding responsibilities with your partner so you can both nap/take a break.

▶️Your baby isn’t starving. Unless you’re really struggling with breastfeeding, chances are your baby isn’t starving- even if they’re acting like it. Remember that nursing is about so much more than just milk! To your baby, breastfeeding is the safest place they can be. Let your baby feed as much as they want during the second night- it will help to bring in your milk and boost your supply!

It is important to know that your baby is completely dependent on you for survival. So let your little one snuggle at your breast and feed as much as they want. You can take turns with your partner, holding baby skin to skin, which will help with the transition into the world. These nights are really tough but serve a greater biological purpose, including helping your colostrum transition to mature milk. 💛
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“The Forward-leaning Inversion potentially makes room for a good fetal position by untwisting any ligaments to the lower uterus and cervix that may be wound up from sudden stops or a twisted posture.
The cervix may become less tipped or tight and then be able to let the baby’s head position better, and the cervix to dilate in labor more easily.
This technique may also reduce back pain, hip pain, or tailbone pain. Improved fetal positioning does occur too. It is a very worthwhile activity because simply turning the baby’s head down is a notable achievement in and of itself.”
~spinning babies

✨Here's a little inside peek at what we're doing when we invert.
Those orange, purple, and turquoise arrows show how ligaments in the pelvis are gently stretched and softened by reversing the pull of gravity. This makes more space in your pelvis in a balanced way!

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