Happy World Doula Week 2022!
Written by Shay Gabriel
happy world doula week!
This World Doula Week, we have a lot to celebrate at Sprout and Blossom!
brianna trammell’s one year doula-versary
This past weekend marked one year since Bri began her doula training with DONA! Our clients have absolutely loved Bri from the start; she is a fast friend with a warm, welcoming, genuine heart and spunky spirit, and without a doubt, the world of birth work is better with Bri in it. Brianna has also recently added birth photography and postpartum doula care to her service options! We’re so lucky to have Bri on the Sprout & Blossom team, and so are the growing families in the Grand Rapids area.
2. Our growing support team now includes lactation counselor, Sarah Hill!
Have you heard!? We now offer lactation support in addition to birth and postpartum care! Sarah Hill joined the Sprout & Blossom team as a certified lactation counselor at the end of 2021. Sarah’s ultimate goal is to provide a safe, peaceful, and calming environment to parents as they navigate the challenges that can come with feeding their baby. She is committed to working around cost barriers and remaining accessible and approachable to any and all types of families. Sarah has already worked with several clients, including our birth doula clients and other lactating individuals who have reached out specifically for lactation support.
Learn more about Sarah and her lactation support services here!
3. Our evolving brand (& new logo!)
Annica and I spent quite some time mulling over the perfect image to represent the heart of Sprout & Blossom — the shorthand for what we’re now calling Sprout & Blossom Birth & Beyond. From the moment I shared this logo with Annica, there was no turning back. We were in love! To us, the new logo exudes the beautiful, wild, natural, transformative energy that is all things pregnancy, birth, and beyond. What do you think!?
Follow us on Instagram & Facebook, and join our Facebook group.
4. 5 years serving the birthing community
Annica is five years deep into supporting the birthing community here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Not only has Annica provided informational, physical, and emotional support in the form of birth doula care, but also she has helped many families treasure and process through their birth experiences with the support of birth photography; she has consciously crafted all sorts of botanical goodness to support changes throughout pregnancy and postpartum; and she is the reason why Sprout and Blossom has evolved into a team of four badass women striving to make a difference in the empowered birth world.
Annica was recently recognized as a Rising Star by VoyageMichigan — find the article here!
5. An ever-increasing list of empowered birthing persons
The reason why we do what we do(ula): all of you. Hear from these wonderful clients how doula support has made a difference in the lives of their growing families:
Bri was our saving grace during labor. I will remember the moments when I felt like I was unsure of myself and I would look up to get eye contact with her. It was her confidence in me that reflected in her eyes that gave me the strength to labor and ultimately deliver our daughter. Everyone deserves a Bri during one of the most transformative processes of their life. I will always love Bri for the love and support she showed our family.
-Amber Gort
I am so thankful to have had Annica by my side during my very long labor. I had hoped for an all natural hospital birth, but when my labor started with my water breaking, and then did not progress for over 24h, we had to make decisions regarding intervention. Ultimately I had a cesarean, but it was so helpful to have had the knowledge and calming presence of Annica by my side to help make those difficult decisions, when it was not what I wanted for myself or my baby. Although my baby did not arrive the way I had imagined, I felt comfort in knowing that we did everything we could have done naturally, before intervention. If Annica was not there to help, I am not sure I would have felt that way. She is SO passionate about what she does. She is such a strong advocate for birthing people and really opened my eyes during our initial consultation, I left feeling like I had just made an instant new friend! She really took the time to educate my husband and me, and provided resources to make the best decisions. I absolutely adore the photos she captured and I would recommend her to any pregnant person who is looking for the support of a doula.
-Hillary Roberson
want to learn more about doula support?
learn more throughout our wesbite
read more about labor prep on the blog
about the author
Shay Gabriel is the content director at Sprout and Blossom whose love of parenthood and psychology has merged into a super-obsession of all things birthy and baby. She believes an informed experience lends to an empowered experience, no matter where you are along the journey.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever drifted off to sleep while nursing baby in the middle of the night. Mine’s up! Yours too? I’m not surprised. I’d actually be quite surprised if anyone who nurses overnight didn’t raise their hand, because here’s the truth: Nighttime nursing is meant to make us fall asleep.