Conscious Birth Manila

05/05/2026

May 5 — International Day of the Midwife 🫶💗🫶

Today I’m holding deep gratitude for three remarkable midwives from Marikina Maternity Lying-In .cares with whom I have the privilege of walking this gentle birth path again and again.

Midwife Aileen — our Inang
Nearly a decade ago, I watched you step into the world of home birth with a quiet courage that spoke volumes. At a time when very few dared to do so, you answered the call wholeheartedly and made it your life’s mission — one gentle birth at a time, whether at home, in the clinic, or in the hospital. You have been a steady light for so many families, and a guiding force for those of us who walk alongside you. Your strength is matched only by your compassion.

Midwife Alaina
I’ve witnessed your journey from a new assistant midwife into a confident, deeply skilled practitioner. Growing beside Inang, your partnership has become something truly special. The way you both hold space, especially in water births, reflects a level of trust, intuition, and expertise that is rare and deeply inspiring. You carry this work with such grace and quiet mastery.

Midwife Krisette
A top graduate stepping into a path not often taught within the walls of the academe, yet you chose to open your heart to it fully. I still remember your tears as you witnessed your very first gentle home water birth — a moment that said everything about the kind of midwife you are becoming. May you always stay rooted in that sense of wonder and reverence for birth.

To all three of you — you are doing sacred work.
Thank you for the hands that serve, the hearts that hold, and the courage to honor birth in its most gentle and powerful form.

May you always be protected, guided, and abundantly blessed. ✨

26/03/2026

There is something profoundly sacred about time spent with a postpartum mother 🧡

The Birth Sealing ritual is more than a practice — it is a gentle unfolding. A space where stories are spoken, where the birth journey is revisited, and often where deeper life experiences find their voice and begin to soften.

Through warming rituals — vaginal steaming and hot stone therapy — the body is invited to release, to soften, to come back home to itself.
A floral bath follows, cleansing not only the skin but the spirit, holding her in stillness and care.

Wrapped in the embrace of the rebozo, the body is slowly and intentionally closed — physically, emotionally, energetically. A return to wholeness. A quiet gathering of all that has expanded.

This is healing through deep rest.
This is honouring the mother — her strength, her transformation, her becoming.

A sacred pause… before she rises again ✨

24/03/2026

When placenta is used for keepsakes only:

🌺 placenta art
🌺 placenta charm
🌺 umbilical cord coil

Lovely mementos ❤️

05/02/2026

This is Denerie with her third baby — and finally, the birth she dreamed of and prayed for. ✨💧

Her first birth ended in a cesarean, with no clear medical indication — a decision that felt more about convenience than care.

Her second pregnancy unfolded during the pandemic. That’s when we first connected through my online Birthing Gently course, and Denerie went on to achieve a hospital VBAC. While she was grateful for a vaginal birth, in hindsight the experience fell short in many ways: no continuous support, no partner present, induced labor, fundal pressure, episiotomy, and a lack of basic human freedoms like movement and nourishment. The strength was there — but so was the longing for something more respectful, more whole.

When we reunited for her third pregnancy, the vision was clear. With more options available and the full support of her husband, Denerie was drawn to the Marikina Maternity Lying-in team — a place known for truly family-centered, gentle, and supportive care, and with an incredible track record of beautiful water births.

And here she is. You can see it in her face — the disbelief, the triumph, the gratitude, and that powerful post-birth hormonal rush — all shining through her eyes.

What an honour and a joy to walk this journey with you, Denerie. 🤍

Sometimes it takes lived experience and deep reflection to crystallize the vision for something better — and then, to finally claim it. 🌊✨

P.S. Baby was born en caul — still inside the intact amniotic sac. This happens in roughly 1 in 80,000 births. Truly rare. Truly special. 💫💧

16/12/2025

As a doula, I’ve had the quiet privilege of witnessing many women cross the sacred threshold from maiden to mother. In the moment of birth, something subtle yet unmistakable shifts — a veil lifts. It is the same woman, and yet entirely new.

Her face softens and deepens all at once, carrying the weight of what has just been endured and the wonder of what has just begun. In her eyes live a million future possibilities, while her body and spirit are utterly anchored in the present moment. Time seems to pause here.

There is no other moment like this — raw, disarming, luminous — a living testament to the transformative power of birth and the quiet, enduring strength of motherhood. 🫶🫶🫶

18/11/2025

It was an honour to guest on The Daily Dish by Bilyonaryo News Channel today and share about gentle birth advocacy!

I realised how challenging it is to compress a decade’s worth of birth insights and experiences into single-thought sound bites.

I also encouraged the hosts and the network to continue inviting professionals from the gentle birth community—so we can keep this important conversation alive and growing. 🌿💛

Meet Irina Otmakhova, a birth doula who believes peace begins at birth. She shares why natural birth is more than an option — it’s a transformative experienc...

05/11/2025

Scenes from home births
Moments like this — quiet, focused, full of care. ❤️

❓How would you caption this picture ⁉️