In today’s episode of The Wise Doula Podcast, we are discussing a very special home birth. It is quite the story and perhaps the most interesting thing is that my husband supported me during this home birth. He ended up playing the role of a doula  and midwife more than myself. 

During this homebirth we were faced with a lot of new and unexpected factors and a very particular mama. All the preparation in the world didn't fully prepare us. There was fear sprinkled here and there, but thankfully all went well. I can’t wait to share the story with you and the things we learned about the importance of respecting Mother nature and letting things flow. And of course, about the power of awesome teamwork. 

This episode wraps up season two of our podcast. We want to thank all of you, our listeners, for your support and appreciation during these two seasons. Your comments, reviews and messages make all the difference.

  We will be  back with season 3 in the new year!!  See you soon! 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

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In this episode I invite you to step  behind the scenes and get an intimate look at the podcast and at my life as an entrepreneur. Aside from the polished and bubbly look you get to enjoy in my episodes, what else is brewing in my particular fire?  What ingredients do I mix to prepare my signature "Wise Doula Podcast" sauce?  Although it might seem glamorous, there is a lot of life and emotions happening around being your own boss. There's fear and doubt but also a lot of joy, and I think that is worth sharing with you, my listeners. How about you step inside and I tell you all about it?

Intro Music Credit:  Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this week's episode, join me for a fun time and a good bit of storytelling, as I share with you my adventures attending a content creation festival for the first time. It was a physical journey but also a journey in my mind. I am not kidding, I almost told myself that I didn't belong there but in the end I told myself a big, resounding yes. I think all of us have that moment of doubt when we are about to tackle something new and scary. And many times we abandon ship before trying. But what if, we tell ourselves to try it anyway?  I could have said no but I said a big yes. It was a really unique experience with lots of moments and tiny lightbulbs here and there. And I love to share with you the lessons and the pearls I discovered about life and business in this episode.

Get comfortable, grab your favorite drink and join me inside. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

My guest today is Jill Kottmeier,  registered nurse and thanatologist. Jill is the director of Well-being and Bereavement Services at Endeavor Health Northwest Community Hospital in Illinois. For more than 2 decades, Jill has been supporting families at her hospital and accompanying them through the difficult process of having to say goodbye to their baby too soon. Her mission is two-fold, to support parents experiencing the loss of their baby and to support hospital staff so they can better care for families going through loss. This is a support that starts as soon as they get the news that their baby is not alive, but continues well after families have left the hospital. 

It is an honor to have her on the podcast today, and hear all the insights that she’s gonna bring to us, the learning experiences and the wisdom accumulated while working with hundreds of babies and families at their most difficult time. It is my hope that this interview gives  you a deeper inside into the world of perinatal loss, and gives you effective tools on how to  nurture and support  family, friends or clients going through this experience. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

Connect with Jill Kottmeier:

Linkedin 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-kottmeier-88419789

Endeavor Health Northwest Community Health Website 

https://www.eehealth.org/blog/authors/jill-kottmeier/

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram:  The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook and Instagram (@lovingbellydoula)

In this new episode, we talk about supporting our friends, family, and clients at a time when the unexpected happens. A time when the  perfect idea of pregnancy disappears and we are faced with perinatal loss and saying goodbye to our baby. 

This is a difficult subject and we often don’t know how to react when somebody close to us or a client experiences it.  Often we shy away from helping because we’re worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. In this episode, I will share what I have learned as a bereavement doula on how to support families during loss, and give you some useful tools so you can do the same. Whether you are a birth professional, a relative or just a friend, You can make a world of difference by walking with families at this difficult time. 

I understand this is a sensitive topic that might be triggering for some listeners. If you feel that this is an intense topic for you and prefer to skip it, we understand. If you know somebody who could benefit from learning more about this topic, please share the episode with them. 

See you inside and thank you for your support. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this episode, we talk about baby showers and how they are source of joy for the general population, but they can be really challenging for bereaved families or families that are still in the middle of their fertility journey. We discuss what makes baby showers so tough and how grief can show up at the most unexpected times. How do we validate our feelings and communicate our needs? How can you be respectful and kind towards families on this journey? You always have options when it comes to a baby shower invitation and we will explore those options together. If you have never experienced a tough journey around pregnancy, this episode is for you too, because it can help you support friends and family members when they need it most. 

Join me inside and we will talk about this and more. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this weeks episode, I want to do a bit of storytelling and share with you my recent visit to a local lactation fair, celebrated as part of World Breastfeeding Week. Come hear the stories of the parents that stopped by my table, their lactation journeys,  their hopes and dreams for the new baby. A simple invitation to play a lactation game with me led to deep stories, questions and rich learning happening both ways. The families I met at the fair enriched me as a human being, and a professional. I will share some of those lessons with you during this episode. I hope that this episode inspires you to learn more about lactation and to support the breast-feeding journeys of the people you love.

I can't wait to see you inside!!

For daily words of affirmation for breast-feeding mothers, please visit https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/words-affirmation-mothers

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this episode, we talk about comparison and how it affects us. Comparison has been part of our lives since childhood, and it was often used to make us work harder. But now, as adults, comparison is a normal part of our thoughts and actions. We sometimes ask for help and end up feeling compared to others. This can be especially tought when it happens during pregnancy, after having a baby, or when we're taking care of a newborn. Comparison can make us feel bad about ourselves as new parents and unsure of our abilities. By understanding comparison and dealing with it, we can find joy in our own experiences and be happier. Join us inside to talk more about comparison in parenting and what we can do about it. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this episode, we talk about how important it is to lean on the people around us during our parenting journey, and build our tribe of helpers, our support team that will help us get Olympic gold. 

So many times we feel vulnerable and raw when it comes to asking for help, almost as if accepting we need support made us weaker. Actually, there is strength to be found in asking for help. In connection with that, we will talk about how to find the “natural healers” in your life and how to use them as part of your team as you embark in this journey to Parent land. We are all together in this life journey. How about we find ways to help and support one another? How about ways to support our peers who are becoming parents?

Join me inside for this conversation. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram    

In this episode I invite you to learn more about labels. They are all around us and physical labels have a purpose. They help us identify and find things. However, what happens with invisible labels, such as the ones we get growing up? We might think we shook them off overtime, but they stay with us and influence the way we see the world, and the way we approach pregnancy and postpartum. These labels sometime come from society. Other times, from our medical provider, creating a lot of emotions and impacting our pregnancy. We will discuss ways to accept these labels with kindness, but also learn to take care of ourselves and grow in confidence towards birth, in spite of the labels given to us. 

I can't wait to see you inside and tell you more about it. 

Intro Music Credit: Oleksii Holubiev - Pixabay

• Connect with our Podcast on Instagram: The Wise Doula Podcast

• You can find our podcast on: 

      Apple, Spotify ,YouTube and your favorite plattforms.

• The Wise Doula Podcast is made possible by:

      Loving Belly Doula Services LLC

     Facebook

     Instagram