Balanced Mama

06/03/2026

This first Thursday we’ll be down the street enjoying some summer bluegrass! Come join us!

and The Gravel Yard crew,
We’re going to be performing at Hillcrest First Thursday next Thursday, June 4th, 2026 at 5:30pm in front of Hillcrest Liquor and Fine Wines we’d love to see you there!!!

05/28/2026

THIS WEEKEND:

Come hang! ❣️ It’s the last weekend to support doulas and celebrate International Doula Month with our special ice cream from Loblolly!! We are closing out the month with another ice cream social at the SOMA locations, and we want to see all our doula sisters there!! The Doula Alliance of Arkansas will be sponsoring the first 50 scoops of Douladoo! Doulas, bring yourselves and your people and let’s hang out!

AND!

We have a few spots left for Camp Baby Prep! 🎉🥳

Birthing Time Basics is perfect for people who don’t have time to make it to our six week series or as a refresher for seasoned parents. You can expect to discuss how to physically prep for birth, emotional + mental prep for labor, partner support, comfort measures, decision making.

Balanced Baby sets you up to thrive postpartum! Topics include: sleep + self care, basics of breastfeeding, physical/emotional postpartum expectations, newborn behavior.

You’ll leave with a ton of resources, too!

Tickets available on our site. Half tickets also available for those that only need one session. Each ticket includes 2 attendees- partners are encouraged to join! Please reach out if you have any questions! ✨

05/26/2026

Doulas know how to pivot, and our little Balanced Mama family has certainly had some big practice in that this month.

A little over a week ago, our sweet Allison’s water broke at 29 weeks. She is having to pivot hard from the home birth she planned to working hard to stay pregnant while living in an antenatal room for the next several weeks.

This childbearing journey can be so very vulnerable and humbling, with so much out of our control. Support during this time is everything. We are here for it, and honored to support one of our own through this giant bass ackward pivot.

So here’s us at our monthly staff meeting, in Allison’s new quarters. We of course brought breakfast and coffee, and a few pints of from Loblolly for the nurses to show our appreciation for great care. We’ve been spending a LOT of time up there this month. 🙃😁

05/22/2026

Whewwww MAY is CRAY!!! We’ve gotten all of our kids through recitals, sports season wrap ups, school celebrations and graduations…and been douladooing it hard with allll the May babies!!

I’ll be celebrating big with some ice cream this holiday weekend. Don’t forget Douladoo and Due Date will be available until the end of May!! Cheers with us and tag us so we can see!!

05/20/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and partner mental health during pregnancy and postpartum matters too.

Pregnancy and bringing home a baby can impact the entire family emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. Partners can experience anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, trauma responses, and feelings of isolation during the perinatal period — yet their mental health is often overlooked.

Partner mental health struggles can look like:
• Feeling overwhelmed by new responsibilities
• Increased anxiety about providing or protecting the family
• Irritability, anger, or emotional withdrawal
• Trouble sleeping or constant stress
• Feeling disconnected from their partner, baby, or themselves
• Hiding struggles because they feel they “have to stay strong”

Partners may also carry the emotional weight of:
• Watching a loved one struggle physically or emotionally
• Fertility challenges or pregnancy loss
• Birth trauma or medical complications
• Sleep deprivation and major life adjustments

Mental health conditions during the perinatal period do not only affect the birthing parent. Support systems need support too.

Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder that caring for families means caring for everyone involved — including partners. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health and support postpartum, reach out to our doula team for help and connections to resources.

Checking in matters.
Asking for help matters.
Support matters.

05/16/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month…and mental health matters during pregnancy, too.
Perinatal mental health conditions can happen during pregnancy, not just after birth. Anxiety, depression, OCD, panic, and other mental health struggles can affect anyone during the prenatal period regardless of how wanted or loved the pregnancy is or if you had mental health struggles before then.
During pregnancy and postpartum the amygdala expands to help mamas be in tune with baby. This combined with rapid hormonal shifts can create the perfect storm for new and confusing feelings.
Perinatal anxiety can look like:
• Constant worry or racing thoughts
• Fear surrounding pregnancy, birth, mama’s health, or baby’s health
• Trouble sleeping
• Feeling on edge all the time
• Panic attacks or physical symptoms of anxiety
Perinatal depression can look like:
• Persistent sadness or numbness
• Feeling disconnected from the pregnancy
• Loss of motivation or interest in daily life
• Guilt, hopelessness, or feeling like you’re failing
• Difficulty caring for yourself
Perinatal OCD can include:
• Intrusive or unwanted thoughts
• Compulsive checking or reassurance-seeking
• Intense fears about safety, contamination, or harm
Pregnancy is often portrayed as a joyful time, but the reality is that many people struggle silently while feeling pressure to “enjoy every moment.”
Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder that maternal mental health deserves attention at every stage… including pregnancy.
You deserve support, rest, compassion, and care while growing a baby, too.
You do not have to wait until postpartum to ask for help. 🤍
If you or someone you know is struggling with perinatal anxiety, reach out to our doula team for help with finding resources to best support you. One major function of a birth doula is to provide emotional support to help calm fears and create a space to trust your body.
You are not alone.
1-833-TLC-MAMA - national maternal mental health hotline.
Call…text…chat…get help.

05/15/2026

2/2
Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency that can include:
• Hallucinations or delusions
• Confusion or paranoia
• Rapid mood swings
• Loss of touch with reality
If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of psychosis including hearing or seeing things that are not there, feeling like they are “out of body” and doing things that seem abnormal/unsafe, or are talking about things that do not seem to make sense or are real, seek emergency professional support immediately including but not limited to the nearest emergency room.
While it seems scary, this is a severe hormonal imbalance heightened by lack of sleep and other factors that needs professional support and monitoring.
Mental Health Awareness Month is about breaking stigma — especially around the parts of postpartum that people are often too afraid to talk about.
Parents deserve to know:
🤍 You are not alone
🤍 You are not “crazy” or broken
🤍 Help and treatment exist
🤍 Speaking up is a sign of strength, not failure
If you or someone you love is struggling postpartum, reaching out for support can be lifesaving. Contact our doula team for support if you need help finding resources.
We are here for you.
1-833-TLC-MAMA - national maternal mental health hotline.
Call…text…chat…get help.

05/15/2026

1/2
Mental Health Awareness Month includes a lot more that depression and anxiety.
Postpartum OCD, postpartum rage/anger, and postpartum psychosis are real mental health conditions that deserve more awareness and support.
Postpartum OCD can include:
• Intrusive, unwanted thoughts that feel scary or upsetting
• Compulsions or repetitive behaviors meant to reduce fear
• Intense fear of something happening to baby
• Constant checking, reassurance-seeking, or avoidance
Intrusive thoughts do NOT mean someone wants to harm their baby. These thoughts are so distressing because it goes against who they are. It is the brain working overdrive to protect baby and mama by offering every worst case scenario possible. This can look like “I cannot walk down stairs any more because my baby will fall”.
Postpartum anger or rage can include:
• Feeling overstimulated or constantly irritated
• Sudden outbursts of anger
• Feeling touched out, overwhelmed, or resentful
• Guilt or shame after reacting emotionally
Yelling or feeling irritated does NOT mean someone is just angry. It means the nervous system is tired and needs a break. The guilt and shame over losing temper comes from how upsetting this sudden personality shift is.