Pregnancy Support & Guidance
Congrats! You’re pregnant. What a beautiful, powerful and glorious time.
Now the real adventure begins.
If you are here, you probably want more from your birth experience than just surviving it. We have been sold this idea that there is only one way to have a baby (aka in a hospital, drugged, immobile and gripped with fear). We have been brainwashed into believing our pregnancies need to be managed, our bodies are defective, that we need to look outside ourselves to someone with "authority" to make decisions for us. That we can't be trusted. That we should just be happy if we make it out of alive. But if you are anything like me, you understand so clearly that the bar is just way too low.
But guess what? It's up to us to change that. By wanting more, doing things differently and not just being obedient good girls who follow what we are told we can begin to shift the landscape of birth. We can see through the nonsense of "standard prenatal care" and how much it is lacking. Remember - it's ok to want something more, to seek out what else might be available in this process and to choose another way.
Here is the truth, mama, in case no one has told you:
YOU ARE THE EXPERT.
I know it may sound crazy, overwhelming even. It may feel like a huge jump to make believing this, especially since we have been bombarded since childhood to believe we aren't good enough, smart enough, capable enough. When truly, you are all those things and more.
No one cares more about this than you. No one loves your baby more and no one is as connected and in tune with your body outside of you. It can be intense to do things differently, to seek out alternative paths, to even know what your options are. To go against the "norm." Because let's be real: most women don't even realize there are choices, and that you can actually opt out of anything that doesn't serve you, your baby or your vision for this birth.
This is where I come in.
Even though this is your unique journey, we are in this together. As your guide, we will look at all the different aspects of pregnancy so you can decide what feels best for you. It is a customized approach to explore anything and everything that is coming up, from untangling yourself from the medicalization of birth to learning how to hold boundaries when others criticize or judge your choices. You can choose what tests you may want to take (if any), what circles or ceremonies you may want to participate in (if any) and what kind of support you want at the birth (if any).
This is your creation as everything is up for YOUR CHOOSING. The practice is trusting you know best and unwiring all the beliefs that tell you otherwise. Remember, I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to hold both the space and the mirror for you to decide how you want to navigate your pregnancy, to answers your questions honestly and authentically, to offer my undivided attention and support and to be a sounding board for your fears, doubts and challenges.
This is a process of gaining self-trust, agency, clarity and confidence in yourself, your body, your baby and in your choices.
Let's also consider how much better equipped will you be for motherhood and postpartum if you do the work now during pregnancy and birth. There is so much noise, judgement, perspectives and "norms" around raising children but if you develop your true north now, if you cultivate your sense of inner knowing and intuition, if you walk into this knowing you are the best authority on your baby and your family, then you're going to have a much easier, smoother and peaceful time parenting.
Lastly, remember women used to give birth surrounded by the wisdom of other mothers, grandmothers, aunties and elders. Birth was women's work supported by authentic midwives, priestesses and medicine women. This has largely been lost alongside the erasure of the Sacred Feminine in our society. As a result, women walk this path alone, isolated and confused, with no real honoring or recognition. We use to mark pregnancy as a major life event with celebratory circles, blessings and ritual and now it's largely been reduced to a commercialized, one-size-fits-all approach that has created an epidemic of birth trauma. This doesn't have to be you. You get to write a different story.
Intuitively, you know this. You feel this and you are ready to step into radical responsibility. I can assure you, pregnancy is the greatest mystery, the most powerful journey, the deepest transformational and expansive experience. It can be spiritual and sacred, messy and ordinary, a prayer of devotion, a potent ceremony, simple and straightforward and ever so magical. I'm here to guide you on this path, walk you to the portal and be waiting for you on the other side as you welcome your baby and yourself, anew.
I see you.
I trust you.
And most of all, I believe in you.
Our work together can focus on any of the following:
- Optimal nutrition for pregnancy
- Prenatal movement and exercise
- The physiology of birth
- Options for care providers and birth locations
- Hard truths about hospital births
- Pros and cons of standard diagnostic tests
- Choices you have in childbirth
- Developing a birth plan and vision
- Involving your partner
- Preparing your relationship for baby
- Acknowledging, owning and releasing fears
- Creating a birth altar
- How to bring in ceremonies and rituals
- Cultivating a solid mindset
- Deciding what kind of support you want and need
- What to expect during labor
- Learning how to work with intense sensations and "pain"
- Establishing boundaries and navigating judgement
- Protecting your peace
- Structuring postpartum plans
- Creating your parenting philosophy
- Understanding the physiologic needs of newborns
- Early breastfeeding support
- Anything else in your heart and on your mind
This package includes:
- 10 coaching calls
- Grocery shopping list
- Book recommendations
- Birth Mantras and Affirmations
- Text and/or email support
*Add-on service: Amanda as your birth support or facilitator of a Mother's Blessing
* Pregnancy Coaching is a 3 month commitment
$2000 or 4 payments of $500
Single sessions (60 min) are available for any of the above topics as well as the following:
- Yoga + Meditation
- Life Coaching
- Birth + Pregnancy Consulting
- Parenting Philosophy
$175 or 3 session bundle for $450
She taught me so many things from boxing, strength training, nutrition, pregnancy/birthing, parenting techniques... When I’m with her it’s truly a judgement free zone where we can talk about anything.
- Carly M.