Birth announcement! Welcome baby Isla Grace 3/27/17

She is the kind of baby that makes you want to have another! This beautiful baby girl, Isla Grace, was born Monday afternoon via cesarean; all 11#13oz of her! Those squishy cheeks! Those beautiful puckered lips! She is darling.

Huge congratulations to first time parents Toni and Andy! They had been planning a natural birth with midwives, without the assistance of medical support. Armed with their doula (blushing, that's me), pregnancy chiropractor, acupuncturist, and lots of educated tips to encourage labor's commencement, baby Isla wanted to stay in her mama's belly a bit longer. As she grew, Toni and Andy received the news that she was a big baby; they got a second, third and fourth opinion and decided to wait for baby Isla to arrive. The days carried on, however, and Isla grew. After days of mindful meditations, poring over research, checking in with experts and more importantly their own intuition, they agreed to a gentle cesarean birth.

With a gentle cesarean, baby is place right on mom's chest after delivery. This allows for immediate skin to skin bonding, helps establish breastfeeding and is more gentle for both mom and baby. Toni and Andy were able to play their own music during delivery, and both were armed with essential oils of Toni's choosing. Their birth team honored countless other preferences, such as delayed cord clamping and saving the placenta for encapsulation. I am proud of them for making their wishes known! And much of the real work is the emotional component; it's not easy to change birth plans on a dime. Even through the difficulties, they used the skills they learned to keep their minds calm, disregard any outcomes and focus on the present moments.

They are thrilled with her arrival, and in trusting their instincts as they navigated some difficult decisions. Join me in welcoming this sweet soul, baby Isla Grace!

With love,

Chris