Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Adams
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After my first birth I felt disconnected from my body and baby. Birth felt like something that happened to me without my active participation. The narrative of a healthy mom, healthy baby repeated over and over in my head as though that was all that mattered.
I found myself entering motherhood feeling anxious, inadequate, and defeated.
Eight months later I got pregnant with our second child.I got flashbacks of my first birth and was scared of a similar experience. Throughout my second pregnancy I just went through the motions. I wished for an unmedicated birth and by the grace of God I was able to achieve it. After birth I found myself feeling more empowered and intune with my body and baby.
Fast forward 4 years and I found myself pregnant with my 3rd baby. This time I decided to look into hiring a midwife and birthing at a local birth center.
Through my research of the midwifery model of care I discovered what a doula was. Instantly I had this flashback to being eight years old, sitting on the couch, watching TLC’s A Baby Story, and being filled with so much interest. I had an ah ha moment. This was my divine calling – to serve fellow women during birth as an emotional supporter, spiritual guide, informational facilitator, and physical comforter.
As I gained more knowledge of birth I learned about informed decision making and women centered care. During my 1st and 2nd pregnancies I didn’t know I could opt out of certain tests or interventions.
Getting prenatal care from my midwife was a greatly different experience. My appointments were 30 minutes or longer, she would ask me questions to get to know me better. My midwife asked me what I wanted and didn’t want to experience during birth. My midwife would remind me that everything is optional and if I’d like an alternative to a certain test she’s more than happy to provide it.
I felt empowered throughout my pregnancy and was actually looking forward to giving birth.
In June of 2019 with my midwife, husband, and doula by my side I experienced a beautifully blissful birth center birth. My first daughter’s labor fully ignited my passion to step into being a birth doula.
I believe serving women during birth is intimately woven into my existence – as a woman. Throughout history women in labor were often surrounded by fellow women in their community. If we look back far enough – I’m sure we’d all find at least one midwife or doula in our lineage.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Full transparency: In the first 2 and a half years of stepping into birth work I had two babies. So my journey has been filled with peaks and valleys. At the beginning it was challenging finding a flow in raising four babies, being a wife, and a birth doula. I had to figure out how to weave everything together so I could wear multiple hats. Often I’m asked how I manage being a birth doula and mother of four.
Here’s 4 contributing factors:
1. Having a 2-3 clients a month maximum
2. Support from my family & friends
3. A fiery passion for serving women & their families
4. My faith
Now back to the struggles, because life isn’t exciting without experiencing a few forks in the road.
During the first year of being a doula I struggled with imposter syndrome. Sometimes self doubt would creep in and I’d have thoughts that I’m not qualified enough or deserving of gaining clients. I had to dig deep and work on healing parts of myself so that I didn’t feel held back by negative self talk. Acknowledging my feelings, seeking support by connecting with other doulas, reflecting on achievements, committing to continuously learning, accepting feedback, and self compassion have assisted in diminishing the imposter syndrome.
In spite of the challenges, I have found peace by relying on God and trusting in His plan for Root n’ Bloom Birth Services.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Root n’ Bloom Birth came from the idea that if we Root in our divine feminine wisdom, we will Bloom in motherhood.
Rooting in feminine wisdom involves trusting these deeper, often softer forms of knowing, valuing care and connection, and embracing life’s cycles. It calls for a return to authenticity, allowing women to be guided by a divine sense of inner wisdom.
Have you heard someone say they had a ‘gut feeling’ about something? We are all gifted an inner guide, often referred to as our intuition. Pregnancy is a transformative time that often fine-tunes and heightens a woman’s intuition. In motherhood our intuition acts as a maternal compass guiding us to a decision that is best for our children.
The way women give birth impacts how they enter into motherhood.
Societal narratives often emphasize the pain and challenges associated with childbirth, which can create a sense of fear around the experience. This portrayal can overshadow the empowering and transformative aspects of birth.
Birth should be seen as a foundational memory of a mother’s life. That first time holding their baby, assessing who the baby looks more like, or even seeing that little smile when they fart. Root n’ bloom is passionate about informed decision-making and centering pregnant moms as the authority of their pregnancy & birth choices. Each doula has training, personal experiences, and values that make them uniquely fit to support pregnant women in their community. Personally I’ve experienced birth four times: two hospital births, one birth center birth, and one homebirth. Those individual experiences, thousands of hours of research, two birth doula trainings, and hands-on knowledge as a practicing birth worker have prepared me to serve expecting women in my community. Root n’ Bloom specializes in supporting expecting women who desire unmedicated hospital birth, birth center, & homebirth.
Currently Root n’ Bloom Birth Services offers in-person birth doula support. Some women choose to add Root n’ Bloom to their birth team the minute they see a positive pregnancy test, while others decide a few months before their estimated due date. Throughout pregnancy, I meet with clients in person 3-4 times to: personally customize birth desires, demonstrate various methods of hands on support, fear clearing, mechanics of labor, comfort tools like breathing techniques, and more. Once a baby’s birth day comes, Root n’ Bloom Birth provides continuous labor support, which can look like: assisting with labor positions changes, advocating for birth choices, holding a hand, saying a prayer, diffusing essential oils, hip squeezes, and more. In the immediate postpartum Root n’ Bloom provides advocacy and breastfeeding assistance. Several days after birth I drop off homemade nutritious meals to the postpartum mom and her family. Root n’ Bloom Birth Services offers 1-2 postpartum visits where we assimilate the birth story, breastfeeding support, light housekeeping, and provide any references that are needed for extended care.
Root n’ Bloom Birth’s mission is to encourage, inform, and guide women on their sacred journey into motherhood.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rootnbloombirth.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootnbloomdoula/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootnbloombirth
Image Credits
Emily Adams
