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Metro Detroit Birth StoriesBirthing Without Fear, Living in Trust - Lauren's StorySend us a textIn this beautiful episode of Metro Detroit Birth Stories, Lauren shares the story of welcoming her daughter, her first child, and the final piece of her and her husband’s blended family.Unsure of how to begin planning for birth, Lauren found guidance and inspiration through a surprising connection with a previous guest, Elise, whose prenatal yoga classes opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities. Through Elise and her fellow prenatal yoga class attendees, Lauren learned about Hypnobirthing, midwives, prenatal massage, and—most importantly—how to advocat...2025-07-011h 13Metro Detroit Birth StoriesFrom Dismissed to Divine: Reclaiming My Power Through BirthSend us a text ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of obstetric trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, and infant illness. Please take care while listening and pause if needed. While the episode ends on a very positive and hopeful note—with both Elise and her children doing well—it may still bring up sensitive emotions for some listeners. In this deeply personal and empowering episode,my colleague Elise shares the transformative stories of her two births—one filled with unexpected trauma, and the other a healing, redemptive experience.Her first birth in 2009, which took place o...2025-05-311h 37Metro Detroit Birth StoriesA Redemptive Birth - From "Almost" to "Empowering"Send us a textIn this inspiring inaugural episode of Metro Detroit Birth Stories, Kristi shares her journey through two very different births—one that was almost what she hoped for, and one that was her dream, redemptive birth experience.Despite facing similar medical complications during her second pregnancy, Kristi was able to create a supportive care team, advocate for herself, and achieve a beautiful, empowering birth beyond what she even thought was possible. Along the way, she shares how crucial community, education, and trusted providers were in shaping her journey.✨ Me...2025-04-291h 13Metro Detroit Birth StoriesThe Road to Metro Detroit Birth Stories: Growth, Change & MilestonesSend us a textNew Intro and Outro Still to come:It’s been a journey! In the last several years, I launched Doula2Doula during the pandemic became a CBI trainer, navigated some major life changes, and finally decided to shift this podcast into a new format—this episode is all about growth, change, and what’s ahead.I’m sharing the highlights from the past few years—like my son’s wedding, the launch of Medicaid doula coverage, and my own professional milestones—plus the real reason I chose to transition...2025-03-3111 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesBig Changes! The Future of This Podcast & What’s NextSend us a textIt's been a minute since you've heard from us. This brief episode will catch you up on what's coming.I can't wait to hear what you think, so please message me on IG or email me.Tranquil Touch Birth & Women's WellnessBirth support services helping clients feel supported, cared for and confident about birth.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.I want to hear from...2025-03-1305 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesOur 2024 Return and Stat Q&ASend us a textTime - how does it get away from us so easily, and how have we come so far without even realizing it? In this episode, Ciana and I review how Doula2Doula has grown since its birth in 2020 and how we have been doing since our last episode (a mere 6 months ago 🫣)See my YouTube for video updates, including my home office transformationWe mention some amazing local businesses and encourage you to check them out:Blondie On a Budget Designs: Facebook or InstagramLeo...2024-03-121h 37Metro Detroit Birth StoriesThe Dynamic Duo is Back!Send us a textExie & Ciana are back together and catching up on all the things they've missed in each other's lives over the past several months. Trigger warning: Pet lossPoints of interest: Updates on our parenting journeys, work, home improvements, and moreTranquil Touch Birth & Women's WellnessBirth support services helping clients feel supported, cared for and confident about birth.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.I...2023-06-131h 07Metro Detroit Birth StoriesImproving Your Pregnancy with Functional Maternity CareSend us a text🎉It's 2023 and we're kicking the year off with an interview that can help you improve your pregnancy health.Sarah Thompson is a Functional Maternity Practitioner and author. She is sharing what she has learned during her decades of experience working alongside physicians to help improve the pregnancy care expectant parents are receiving. From preconception to postpartum, learn how addressing the needs of the mother as an individual can benefit the baby that will come. ▪️Learn more about how Sarah's Practice can help you▪️Get Sarah's Book: Functional M...2023-01-101h 17Metro Detroit Birth StoriesVaginal Twin Birth? Our First Listener Birth Story is a "Two-fer"Send us a textHave you ever wondered what it's like to be pregnant with twins? How about giving birth to or nursing twins? How about doing it all during a global pandemic with a toddler at home? In this episode, our first listener birth story is with Ashley Haupt, an aspiring doula, and mother of 3 boys. Join us as she recounts her journey of overcoming multiple challenges, twists, and turns to achieve her goal of a vaginal twin birth.⚠️Trigger Warning: Some of Ashley's birth story may be difficult for some listeners to h...2022-11-081h 10Metro Detroit Birth Stories#28: Aftershock - Movie Review by 2 BIPOC DoulasSend us a textMOVIE: AFTERSHOCK on Hulu (check for region availability) Click for TrailerThis movie follows the journey of families who have experienced the death of a new mother during or after childbirthWhy is the US such a dangerous place to have a baby?Why do black mothers in America die at a rate of 3-4 times higher than others?What can all women do to improve their feelings of safety, autonomy, and agency when giving birth?Join us as we reflect on this movie, how maternity...2022-08-191h 27Metro Detroit Birth StoriesPassed! - Another Pandemic Parenting Schoolyear in the BooksSend us a textAnother school year of pandemic parenting is behind her and Ciana is sharing her reflections on how she and her kids successfully got through it. Both moms discuss some differences in their parenting journeys of school-aged children.Happy summer to all!!! 😎🌞🤷♀️ Confused about your options and how to plan for your baby's grand entrance? Schedule a Virtual Prep/Planning Session or a Birth Class (Virtual or In-Person)More info on all our services HereQuestions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula@tranquiltouchforwomen.comGet your Free B...2022-06-2145 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesLiving the On Call LifeSend us a textWe're pulling the curtain back on what it's like to live a life on call.Join us for a candid conversation that reveals the not-so-glamours part of being birthworkers. From keeping our cars filled with gas to whether or not we will buy event tickets, there is a lot about being birth doulas that have to be considered when thinking of going on call. 🤷♀️ Confused about your options and how to plan for your baby's grand entrance? Schedule a Virtual Prep/Planning Session or a Birth Class (Vir...2022-05-0348 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesHappy World Doula Week!!!!Send us a text🎉It's World Doula Week and we are together again!!! 👩🏽🤝👩🏿🥰In this episode, Exie & Ciana are celebrating doulas everywhere for World Doula Week, March 22-28, 2022.Recently there has been an increase in public appreciation for the work of doulas and the positive impact we can have on people during different life-changing events. We discuss some well-known and, perhaps lesser-known, ways doulas provide support. If you are an aspiring doula, listen for some important questions you can ask when evaluating and choosing your training.Also, the positive impact of doulas can exten...2022-03-2242 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesBooks & Birthwork - Good Reads in a "So-So" YearSend us a text🎶 "All by myself..." 🎶In this final episode of the mediocre year that was 2021, Exie shares her love of reading and some of the gems that helped her get through the last 11 months. If you are always on the lookout for good book recommendations, this might be the episode you've been waiting for. Exie will give a brief description of the books that left indelible marks on her and how she ties them into her work as a birth professional. Listen and see why you might want to add these books to...2021-12-1432 minMetro Detroit Birth Stories'Tis the Season...to Induce Labor???Send us a textHere in the US people are very busy making plans for the winter holidays and if you're due during this season (or at any other holiday time) you may face the possibility of labor induction. What should you do? What if the induction doesn't work? What if it does? In this episode, Exie is covering some interesting facts and considerations for anyone with babies due near a holiday date. As a mom who has experienced an induction that happened to land on a holiday and a birth professional who has supported...2021-11-1828 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesUntitled Our Pre-Pandemi-Fall EpisodeSend us a textWell, here we are...mid-August with the new school year knocking on Ciana's door. She's faced some tough decisions, as have many of you. Listen as she shares how she and her family are coping & planning for the new year.Also in this episode: Exie shares her 1st in-person doula support oopsieExciting news related to the work we love!Learn more about the Motherhood Expo coming to Detroit in October 2021 - tickets on sale nowAre you a Birth Pro in SEMI? Expo Sponsorship opportunities ar...2021-08-1734 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesDoula Training Never Really EndsSend us a textSo, you graduated from your birth doula program...Congratulations!!!Certificate & Badge in HandPhone ChargedDoula Bag PackedFirst Client BookedYou get the call and it's go time!Oh, wait...there's more.....In this episode, we're talking about the things we have learned while attending births. You may think you know what to expect, but Doula Training Never Really Ends!Questions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula@tranquiltouchforwomen.comGet your Tip Sheet to Build Your Birth RoomLearn more about Birth Services offeredFacebook...2021-07-2037 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesSelf-Care is Not Selfish - Here's why...Send us a textWhat does Self-Care mean to you? Is it selfish to do acts of Self-Care? This episode is a short one because we know that in order to keep taking care of all the people in our lives we care about, we need to focus on ourselves sometimes.5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life - Verywellmind.comArticle Quote IG post - The Motherhood CenterQuestions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula@tranquiltouchforwomen.comGet your Tip Sheet to Build Your Birth...2021-06-2220 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesThe Husbands & Our 1st Podcast-iversarySend us a textSit back and settle in, the husbands have joined us to celebrate - and almost hijacked our episode with their shenanigans! Get the guys' perspective on what it's been like to be a birth partner and doula spouse as we look back on the first year of Doula2Doula.Questions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula@tranquiltouchforwomen.comGet your Tip Sheet to Build Your Birth RoomLearn more about Birth Services offeredFacebook - Request to join our Pregnancy to Parenting Littles...2021-05-251h 21Metro Detroit Birth StoriesYour 1st Date with Your DoulaSend us a textThe Doula Consultation is usually the first time you will meet your potential birth doula. Just like a first date, this meeting will determine if your relationship might move to the next step.Here's a look at what we bring to the table and how you can make sure you get the most out of your 1st Doula Date.Questions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula@tranquiltouchforwomen.comGet your Tip Sheet to Build Your Birth RoomLearn more about Birth Services offered...2021-05-041h 00Metro Detroit Birth StoriesThis Oil's for You - Safe Use of Essential OilsSend us a textWe're talking essential oils and aromatherapy with a Certified Aromatherapist (can you guess who it is?)How can you choose a quality oil?How can oils be used?Who can use essential oils?They're natural, so they're always safe, right?Can essential oils be used during pregnancy, childbirth, or babies?We're sharing some valuable information to help you decide if, when, and how you might decide to use all those essential oils you've been buying and not knowing what to do with.Questions or Comments? Email us: doula2doula...2021-04-1349 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesA Revolution of SupportSend us a textIt's time for a Revolution of Support for anyone connected to pregnancy or birth!Join us for this conversation and learn how you can join the Revolution and make a difference in this generation and generations to come. We are excited and determined to change the way pregnancy, birth, and new parenting are experienced.Learn more about Be Her VillageListen to the Be Her Village PodcastVote for Be Her Village to receive the Fedex Grant by 3/24/2021Send an email about Be Her...2021-03-221h 18Metro Detroit Birth StoriesBirth Partners are the MVPs of your Birth BubbleSend us a text🥰 We're talking about our love for Birth Partners & how we work with them to create and maintain your Birth Bubble 💗Are you expecting a baby and wondering how to introduce your birth partner to the idea of a birth doula?Are you a birth partner who wants to be involved, but are feeling a little bit unsure about how you will be able to give effective support?In this episode, you will learn how much we love working with birth partners and why we believe they a...2021-03-0237 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesA Healthy Baby is Not All That MattersSend us a textSo you've had a baby - now what? Your baby is finally in your arms. You are getting congratulations and want to be happy... everyone else is happy...you smile and say "thank you", but inside, you are wondering what is wrong with you because you don't feel happy. You might even be feeling detached from everyone, including your baby - what's going on here?People ask you to share your birth story, but you don't want to...it makes you feel uncomfortable, so you...2021-02-0953 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesPandemic Birth = Traumatic Birth? How a Doula Can Make the DifferenceSend us a textSo you're having a "pandemic baby" and find that mixed with the excitement and joy is a new level of concern about how pandemic policies might affect your birth experience. Perhaps you have heard stories even before 2020 that made you wonder if birth is destined to be difficult, scary, or traumatic. Now, you're really starting to feel like you need some guidance and support.Take a deep breath, press play, and get ready to feel so much better.Your Doula2Doula team is here to help you with some t...2021-01-1945 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesHigh Points & High Hopes - Gifts from the Pandemic YearSend us a textIt's the end of December in the year of the Pandemic and we are all so ready for it to be over! But, as we reflected on the last 12 months and planned for our final episode of our very first season, we discovered some gifts we unexpectedly received. We also found ourselves looking forward to the new year with hopes to build on some of the good things 2020 gave us.Email us and share your unexpected gifts from 2020 and what you're hoping to see happen in 2021. It might just...2020-12-2957 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesYoga for The Rites of Passage with Sweet Momma YogaSend us a textOur very first guest!!!! Listen to this episode and enjoy a special offer just for you!On this episode, Exie is talking with Elise Bowerman, owner of Sweet Momma Yoga specializing in prenatal and postnatal yoga. Since 2009, Elise has been teaching yoga in Southeast Michigan and established Sweet Momma Yoga in 2014. She has a passion for working with birth-givers to help them gain increased self-awareness and peace during pregnancy in preparation for meeting their babies, as well as helping them adjust to the transition of the postpartum ti...2020-12-0858 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesProdromal LaborSend us a textHave you ever wondered:How does a birth-giver really know labor is starting? What if it's (the dreaded) "False Labor"??"Why isn't my body doing what it's supposed to do?"Is there something wrong when labor doesn't seem to start the way birth class explained it?Everybody talks about the physical aspects of active labor. Birth-givers and their families are often waiting for and focused on 2 signs: either water breaking or contractions.But what if contractions do come...and then stop...and then start again...and on and on? W...2020-11-1758 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesPandemic Check-InSend us a textUggghhhh...Pandemic Fatigue...The struggle is real people!We are venting - like many of you, after 7 months of dealing with this pandemic, we are suffering from the fatigue and needed to get it out. While we are grateful that our immediate families have stayed healthy, the mental stress and anxiety of adjusting to how things are now...and the struggle to maintain hope for the future is getting to us.Ciana shares how virtual schooling has been going and the changes that her kids' school is...2020-10-2745 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesOctober Awareness MonthSend us a textIt's October and the kids are still in school (virtually) with Ciana crushing the new routine! Exie faced the 2 year mark of her sister's death and made some new discoveries about herself and what happened. This episode, we are opening up about trauma and what we are hoping to bring awareness to this month. Join us as we open our hearts to each other and share with you.Learn more aboutDr Gabor MateDr Lissa RankinLinks to resources for supportPregnancy...2020-10-0649 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesParenting School-Aged Children During The PandemicSend us a textWe held off for a week so that Ciana could get her kids started on the new school year and have some nuggets to share with you and things she has already learned about this strange, pandemic school year. She has some fantastic tips and tricks that we both hope will help make your kids' school year as easy on you as possible. Together, we can all support each other and help the kids have what they need for success.Resources mentioned in this episode:Stress in Children and T...2020-09-151h 05Metro Detroit Birth StoriesPostpartum Recovery is Not About the BabySend us a textSo you had a baby...now what?It's been a rough week for Exie and as you will hear immediately, it will be for a while. You can read more about why on her Facebook post and Instagram Fortunately, Ciana knew just what to say to cheer Exie up and together we had a good time talking about postpartum recovery.That being said, show notes will be made more complete with links to some of the things we talk about very soon. So please save this episode...2020-08-1858 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesOur 2nd Babies' Induction Birth StoriesSend us a textIn this episode we are sharing the stories of our 2nd babies' births. Both began as inductions...One took an unexpected turn...Both left us feeling empowered...and when we look back on them, we can see how information and good support contributed to us both feeling really happy with our experiences. Join us as we talk about our 2nd births and maybe gain a different perspective on inductions.For more information about Exie's birth services click hereTranquil Touch Birth & Women's Wellness...2020-07-2850 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesInduction MethodsSend us a textIn this episode we are discussing both natural and pharmaceutical induction methods. Everyone knows someone, or is that someone, who has been induced or tried to naturally induce themselves. Maybe you are pregnant and wondering if induction is the right choice for you and your baby. We explore some of those options and the reasons why inductions may be chosen, as well as some caution when induction is being considered.Referenced in this episode: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/?s=natural+induction https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources...2020-07-0746 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesOur 1st Birth StoriesSend us a textIn this episode, we recount the events surrounding the births of our first children, Exie's in 1995 and Ciana's in 2010.Join us on a walk down memory lane that includes a spontaneous breaking of water, a humorous warning about the effects of castor oil, and how access to information impacted our babies' births.We have a good laugh at ourselves and discuss how our own experiences affect how we approach birth now as doulas.Tranquil Touch Birth & Women's WellnessBirth support services helping clients feel supported...2020-06-1642 minMetro Detroit Birth StoriesWhat is a Doula?Send us a textWelcome back for our first full-length episode of Doula2Doula.Have you ever wondered what a doula is and if you would want to have one, or even become one?Today, we answer the question: What is a Doula? We will touch on the roles and responsibilities of a doula and how having a doula can really make a difference, both in the birthing room and in a virtual way, as well as after birth. You will also get a brief peek into both Ciana and Exie's...2020-05-2625 min