The Mindful Birth

08/30/2025

Hi 👋 Where are all our folks due November 2025?

Maybe you're thinking it's too late to find a doula, but you might be pleasantly surprised to find that many of us in RVA still have openings for families with November due dates!

Where ya at? 👀

Send me a DM or fill out an inquiry form on my website, link in bio - I've got a couple spots left and some of my colleagues do too, let's get you support! 💓

07/11/2025

What's a doula wear to a birth?

My answer for this has changed, changed and changed again over the years! ☺️ Births can be long so being comfortable but "tactical" can really help us stay at the ready to support our folks!

What I'm loving right now:
-a comfy tee (I need to pump while I'm away from my twins so something loose is 🙌) also gives my clients a soft landing for hugs 🤗
-been living in my high-waisted Zamora jogger scrubs lately, hello stretch and pockets for supplies; loveee this fun sunny orange color 🍊
- - they stay cool in the Summer, slip off easy and there's a lot of water use and things splashing in labor, these help 🫣
- watch, helpful for glancing down to easily time contractions, but I can also keep a pulse on what's happening in my personal life, with other clients and my inbox without having to spend time on my phone while someone's laboring 🙏

What's always in my pockets?
-phone for pictures (with permission✨)
-hair ties
-peppermint oil
-a comb, iykyk

Birth workers 📣 what are you all wearing to births lately?

07/03/2025

Today is my 9th Doula-versary!✨

In the best way it still feels like I just got started in birth work! Part of what I love about helping folks navigate birth is that every birth is different and there's always more to learn (coming up on 300 births attended and I'm still consistently surprised by things!) I still feel proud of myself for taking this leap, leaving a more predictable career behind to follow this heart-work and supporting my direct community in such a special way. I'm proud of figuring out how to make it work for my family and I for this long too. Being a doula keeps my cup so full and I know when I'm an (even) older lady I'll look back at these amazing years on call with so much pride and fulfillment. Maybe it'll be time to write a book by then? 🤗

So thank you all for that-
Thank you for inviting me into your most sacred spaces and allowing me to walk alongside your stories, it's an honor that's never lost on me. Witnessing you all in your utmost power as you navigate some of life's biggest moments is incredible, inspiring and I always leave births just bursting with pride knowing the hard work my folks have put in.

Few more shout outs:8 for believing in me from the jump, being an incredible business partner and even better best friend, I love you
+ for being the most supportive and patient when I run out the door with no notice and leave 4 kids behind
for always cheering me on, giving me a transitional job in her own business so I could make my dream happen too and birthing my first doula-babe 9 years ago today!
Doulas and Collective for always having my back and helping an entrepreneurial Mom feel way less alone in the world
My sweet kiddos who show me show much grace when I scoot out to come help you all meet your babies and greet me with the biggest cheers upon my return
All of my friends/neighbors/village who always let me RSVP: I'll be there, if I'm not at a birth; and still keep inviting me + loving me + jumping in at school pick up!

Here's to some more years, more births, more growth, more knowledge and a lot more love!
💓🙏✨🤗

*image shared with permission*

06/26/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/16UQonbyjj/

✨ Richmond mamas — mark your calendars! ✨
We’re bringing the deals INSIDE with our Indoor Sidewalk Sale! Swing by, shop, and snag some incredible steals. 🛍️

🛍 Monday, June 30
⏰ 11am–1pm & 5pm–7pm
📍 2939 Oak Lake Blvd. — right next to LM HQ!

05/31/2025

Birth + Postpartum circle is Tuesday!
6/3 | 9-11am | in our beautiful + cozy space within the Branch Museum: 2501 Monument Ave

10 Moons + Around the Sun is our free monthly support circle open to all! Pregnant folks and postpartum folks are encouraged to join each month! It doesn’t matter who your provider is, where you’re planning to deliver, how your birth went, who your doula is - anyone looking for community + connection during their pregnancy and postpartum period: this is for you! We know the benefits of hearing birth stories during the prenatal period and also what comfort gleaning insight from folks in similar seasons of life can bring so we hope you’ll come share with us!

The lovely Maria Adley will be facilitating the circle, but this space is yours! Bring your questions, bring your worries, bring your baby + a friend and join us monthly in this safe space to talk all things parenting, share birth stories, ask labor questions, decode infant feeding + sleeping, navigating boundaries, self-care techniques and more while being surrounded by love + support. We’ll also provide light refreshments, coffee + tea.

The Circle is reoccurring, the first Tuesday of each month, next Circle will be: Tuesday, July 1, 2025

🌙See you there!☀️

04/12/2025

Had to jump on this trend! 😊

*Placenta cooler and emesis bag included!*

12/28/2024

✨2024 TMB stats✨

It's been another busy + beautiful birth year! My heart is so full. There were breech babies, VBACs, vaginal deliveries, cesareans, unmedicated deliveries, homebirths, births with epidurals, long labors, short labors, and births with twists + turns!

I share these statistics annually because in most things, and birth especially, knowledge is power. It's important to me for birthing folks, providers + beyond to understand how Doulas can impact these statistics and see a super localized snapshot of the landscape. None of these births are right or wrong, they were all miraculous and the strength I get to witness is pure magic. My hope is always just that with good support birthing folks will feel powerful, proud, knowledgeable, loved and respected throughout their journey.

Thank you to my wonderful client families for inviting me into your most precious spaces. It is truly such an honor to be a small part of such a big moment in your lives and having your trust through the journey is immeasurable. I just love y'all! 💓

Thank you to my amazing team of Doulas for always having my back, cheering each other on, sharing ideas + resources. Together we continue to make such an impact on birth in our city and I'm endlessly proud of all of us- over 300 births attended as a team this year!!!💪

And a BIG thank you to my own family who continues to support me in supporting you all. They so selflessly roll with the punches whenever Mom dashes out the door at a moment's notice or in the middle of the night. I hope when they are bigger my kiddos will see the deep value in my work but for now they love meeting all Mom's "doula babes" out in the community. I love you M, S, L, L + G ❤️

I am already booking into August so it's shaping up to be another bright + beautiful birth year! If you're thinking about doula support reach out sooner than later - I'm looking forward to welcoming all the 2025 babes with you all! 👏🙏🙌☀️✨

11/22/2024

2025 Availability Update:

I'm all booked up for April + May but I've still got space for 2 later March due date families + 3 June due date families! Reach out soon if that's you or someone you know thinking about doula support- let's chat! 💛

08/22/2024

Hey families, just touching base with some transparency and a plea to plan ahead from your Doula! 🤗

The reality of supporting folks through a 10 month process is that I'm already looking ahead to 2025 and planning my return to birthwork, behind my own maternity leave, with intention. As we are doubling our kiddo headcount over here I am expecting a need to pull back from supporting as many families as I have in the past each month. This is me *attempting* to practice what I often preach, finding balance and making sure I can be fully present for my client families and in all the important areas of my life! I'll also still be running backend logistics as the Collective Coordinator and a Co-owner of as we continue to grow and expand support there!☀️

So, what does this all mean for you all:

Reach out sooner than later!

I LOVE to support my repeat families + will always try to give priority there but I've got to hear from you early on! And spurred on by my own personal experience and years of practice I'd love to focus in on supporting: folks planning vbac's, families expecting multiples, clients who've been labeled "advanced maternal age", multips, and families that have navigated infertility and/or used reproductive technology.
If any of this speaks to you, let's talk! And if you know an expecting person looking for a doula these months ⬆️ connect us asap! 💓

07/26/2024

👋 An exciting update on me:
I'm expecting right alongside you all this year - we're due this Winter, with twins! Eeee! 💓💓

This won't be my first rodeo doula'ing while pregnant and I really enjoy being on the journey alongside my clients- it always brings me right "back to basics" and to a place of deep empathy for how it all feels (the good + the challenges) and walking the path together always feels really special!
My families are always so open in sharing their stories with me and the story of us building our family has been unpredictable and not exactly linear so I deeply appreciate the space they are holding for me too, as well as our greater birth community, as we work together over the next few months! I'm definitely feeling the love 💕

As always, I'm so lucky and thankful to have our amazing team of doulas behind me cheering me on all along the way too, what a gift!

Booking:
My 2024 books are full + closed as I taper down toward the end of the year to prepare my own nest. I anticipate being ready to accept families again in March 2025 and beyond so reach out to me early about those Spring babes once they're on the way! And please let me know what I can help with until then especially if it's helping connect you with an available doula! ❤️

Thank you all for the continued deep honor of welcoming me into your birth stories + sharing in this joy with me too✨

06/19/2024

Exciting announcement:

We're realigning + ever changing to respond to your needs so we're opening up our existing postpartum circle as a birth circle too!

🌙10 Moons + Around the Sun ☀️
Will now be a birth + postpartum circle + we're moving!

So what does this mean for you?

10 Moons + Around the Sun is our free monthly support circle open to all! Pregnant folks and postpartum folks are encouraged to join each month! It doesn't matter who your provider is, where you're planning to deliver, how your birth went, who your doula is - anyone looking for community + connection during their pregnancy and postpartum period: this is for you! We know the benefits of hearing birth stories during the prenatal period and also what comfort gleaning insight from folks in similar seasons of life can bring so we hope you'll come share with us!

Bring your questions, bring your worries, bring your baby + a friend and join us monthly in this safe space to talk all things parenting, share birth stories, decode infant feeding + sleeping, navigating boundaries, self-care techniques and more while being surrounded by love + support. We'll also provide light refreshments, coffee + tea.

Our wonderful Postpartum + Birth Doula Maria Adley   or another Doula from our team will be facilitating the circle each month, but this space is yours!

The Circle is reoccurring, the first Tuesday of each month;
9-11am - in our beautiful + cozy new space within the Branch Museum:
2501 Monument Ave

Upcoming Dates for 2024:
July 2, Aug 6, Sept 3, Oct 1, Nov 5, Dec 3

🌙See you there!☀️

03/28/2024

🎉🎉🎉