Belly & Beyond Holistic Wellness

07/27/2026

Fear is one of the most powerful influences on how women choose where to give birth.

And many of us were taught that if we're scared enough, the hospital automatically becomes the safer choice.

But fear doesn't disappear when you walk through hospital doors.

It doesn't magically appear when you choose to birth at home, either.

Fear exists in both places.

But fear isn't a measure of risk.

Fear doesn't change your health history. It doesn't change your baby's condition. It doesn't change the evidence surrounding different birth settings.

What fear can do is make you believe that feeling unsafe means you are unsafe.

And that directly impacts any decision you make throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.

——

Guided by wisdom. Rooted in grace.
Midwifery Care and Home Birth in North Texas.
kharismidwifery.com

🏷️ physiological birth | midwifery model of care | evidence-based birth | holistic maternity care | low-intervention labor | undisturbed birth | informed consent | water birth | personalized prenatal care | birth autonomy | vbac moms | north texas home birth | dallas

07/27/2026

Team Training: several members attended training this weekend for a mock search. The team split up to cover different trails using hasty search methods and practiced use of CalTopo taking photos of clues and adding them to the map while maintaining radio communication among the team. Our volunteer subject was found to be in good spirits, just a bit lost.

If this training sounds interesting and you’d like to make a difference in your community and Maine, consider becoming a certified ground searcher by joining one of MASAR’s certified teams. We serve under direction of the Warden Service and learn skills to improve chances of locating the lost, preserving evidence, and reducing risk of injury to ourselves in responding to an incident. Please check out aroostooksar.org to learn more.

07/25/2026

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Certified Professional Midwives(CPMs) and Traditional Midwives are the only maternity care professionals in the United States whose education is built specifically around physiologic, out-of-hospital birth. While some CNMs do search out training experiences in out of hospital settings, none are required for licensure.

Traditional midwifery isn't learned from a lecture hall alone.

It is learned through apprenticeship, standing beside experienced midwives, witnessing hundreds of births, recognizing subtle changes, developing calm clinical judgment, and learning when birth is unfolding normally... and when it is time to intervene or transfer.

Apprenticeship is not outdated.

It's how healthcare has always developed skilled clinicians.

For centuries, physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, and midwives all trained through apprenticeship. Even today, medical students don't become physicians after passing exams—they complete years of supervised clinical training through rotations and residency. Experience matters.

The CPM credential continues to require one of the oldest and most time-tested educational traditions in healthcare because birth is not just science—t is a clinical skill that must be lived, observed, and practiced under mentorship.

The goal of midwifery isn't to make birth more medical.

It's to protect the normal physiology of birth while recognizing early when something is no longer normal.

That is expertise.

That is why apprenticeship along with didactic training remains the foundation of traditional midwifery.

That is why CPMs are uniquely prepared to care for healthy women experiencing healthy pregnancies and physiologic birth.

Different professions have different expertise.

Obstetricians are experts in high-risk pregnancy, surgery, and medical complications.

Midwives are experts in normal, physiologic birth.

Photographer: Ollie Girl Birth Photography | Dallas, TX

Swiss Avenue Birth Midwives

07/25/2026

💛💛💛

I started my photography business for a reason that hits close to home🤍

As a mom, I realized I’m always the one behind the camera capturing the smiles, the giggles, the milestones but rarely in the photos myself. One day, I looked back and noticed there weren’t many memories of me in those moments with my babies and that didn’t sit right with me.

When was the last time you had photos done where you were able to be in them not taking them?

So I decided to change that not just for me, but for other moms too.

You deserve to be seen. You deserve to exist in your memories. You deserve photos where your love is felt, not just the one capturing it.

That’s why I’m so passionate about what I do. From pregnancy announcements, maternity, newborn snuggles, and “mom & me” minis to family sessions, your fur babies, and all of life’s in-between moments I’m here to capture it all.

Because these aren’t just photos they’re your memories, your story, your legacy. 🫶

Let me help you step in front of the camera you belong there. ✨

07/25/2026

The work of a midwife extends far beyond the day a baby is born.

It begins with listening, educating, and building trust during pregnancy. It continues through labor with skilled, attentive care. And it carries into the postpartum period, offering guidance, encouragement, and support as families adjust to life with a new baby.

Midwifery is about forming relationships that honor each family's unique needs, values, and goals. It's about empowering parents with knowledge, providing evidence-informed care, and being a steady presence through moments of joy, uncertainty, and transformation.

At ATMMTP, we prepare future midwives to care not only for the clinical aspects of pregnancy and birth, but for the people at the heart of every experience. Through education, hands-on training, and mentorship, our students learn that exceptional midwifery is rooted in both clinical excellence and compassionate connection.

Because the most meaningful care isn't measured by a single birth—it's measured by the relationships built along the journey.

07/24/2026

What kind of midwife am I?

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately.
The truth is… I’m probably not what most people picture when they hear the word midwife.

The answer isn’t found in my certifications or the letters after my name.
It’s found in moments like this.
A quiet smile.
A hand to hold.
Teaching while still learning.
Passing on wisdom while remaining humble enough to receive it.

Being fully present with another human being.
Because to me, being a midwife isn’t just about catching babies.
It’s about serving families.
It’s about building community.
It’s about helping raise the next generation of birth workers.

Yes, I’m academically educated but I’m classically trained in traditional midwifery. I continue to study anatomy, women’s health, physiology, evidence, emergency skills, and the art of birth because I believe knowledge matters.

I believe science matters.
I believe wisdom matters.
I believe experience matters.
But I also believe birth is more than protocols.
Birth is deeply human.
Birth is powerful.
Birth is sacred.
I believe pregnancy isn’t something that automatically needs to be managed—it’s something to be understood.

I believe intuition has a place alongside education.
I believe evidence and tradition can walk hand in hand.
I believe women deserve informed choices, not fear.
I believe families deserve someone who walks beside them, not above them.

I’m the kind of midwife who pauses before walking through the door and whispers a prayer.
The kind who asks God to guide my hands, calm my heart, and fill the room with peace before I ever speak a word.
I’m the kind who quietly blesses the home before I leave.
Who prays over the parents as they begin a new chapter.
Who thanks God for safe arrivals, for strength through the hard moments, and for the miracle that just unfolded.

Because while I deeply value education, there are moments in birth that remind me I’m witnessing something far greater than myself.

I’m not here to convince anyone to have a home birth.
I’m not here to convince anyone to birth in a hospital.
I’m not here to tell anyone what is “right.”
I’m here to educate.
To listen.
To ask questions.
To support.
To help families understand their options.
And to walk beside them while they make the decisions that are right for them.

Some families choose home birth.
Some choose the hospital.
Some choose a path entirely their own.
Every family deserves dignity.
Every family deserves respect.
Every family deserves to feel heard.

The longer I do this work, the less I feel the need to prove myself.
I simply want to love people well.
To leave families feeling seen.
To leave mothers feeling stronger than they realized they were.
To leave fathers feeling included.
To leave babies welcomed with gentleness.
To leave students with more confidence than when they arrived.

Because if birth is going to change, it won’t happen because of one person.
It will happen because we choose to teach, to mentor, to share what we’ve learned, and to raise up one another instead of competing.

I’m still a student.
I’ll always be a student.
Every birth teaches me something.
Every family teaches me something.
Every mentor teaches me something.
And sometimes…
My students teach me something too.

So…
What kind of midwife am I?

The kind who believes compassion matters just as much as competence.
The kind who values education without losing sight of humanity.
The kind who honors tradition while embracing lifelong learning.
The kind who trusts physiology but prepares for the unexpected.
The kind who believes intuition and evidence don’t have to compete—they can work together.
The kind who prays before she enters.
The kind who blesses the home before she leaves.
The kind who believes every woman deserves to be heard.
The kind who believes every birth belongs to the family—not the provider.
The kind who teaches because knowledge should never be hoarded.
The kind who learns because humility is part of good care.
The kind who will never stop serving, never stop growing, and never stop standing in awe of the miracle of birth.

If one day people remember me as someone who loved deeply, served humbly, taught generously, and left every family—and every student—feeling more seen, more confident, and more at peace than when I arrived…
That will be enough🤍

07/24/2026

🤰🏾🔮Birth Balls By 🔮🧘🏽‍♀️

Do you use Birth Balls in your hospital?

📖 Positive effects of birthing balls supported by studies -

1. Reduction in labour pain (subjective experience)

• Some systematic reviews and trials also support a statistically significant decrease in pain during the active stage of labour when a birth ball is used.
• A trial among primigravidae (first-time mothers) reported lower VAS pain scores in those who used birthing ball exercises versus controls.
• Another RCT found that birth ball use improved childbirth self-efficacy (i.e. confidence in coping) and reduced pain.

2. Shortening of labour / improved labour progression

• Several studies report that use of a birth ball is associated with shorter first-stage labour, faster cervical dilation, or faster descent of the fetal head.
• A recent meta-analysis (2025) concluded that birthing ball exercises reduce cesarean rates, alleviate labour pain, and shorten the first stage of labour.

3. Increased maternal satisfaction, sense of control, and psychological benefits

• Several studies report that women using a birth ball report greater satisfaction, less anxiety, more sense of control, and empowerment in labour.
• The self-efficacy study (Gau et al.) showed improved confidence in ability to cope with labour.

4. Potential effect on cesarean delivery rates / mode of delivery.

• A 2025 meta-analysis suggests that birth ball exercises may reduce cesarean section rates.

5. Safety and no obvious adverse effects

• Meta-analyses and systematic reviews, generally report no increased risk of adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes associated with birth ball use.

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07/24/2026

✨💆🏽‍♀️Perinatal Massage By 💆🏼‍♀️✨

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07/23/2026

The older I get, the more I realize that health isn’t something we find after we’re sick.
It’s something we cultivate every single day.

For so long, I think many of us were taught that medicine is something we turn to when our bodies are already asking for help. But what if medicine existed long before that?

What if medicine was found in the way we choose to live?
In the food that nourishes us.
In movement that reminds us we’re alive.
In laughter that lightens our hearts.
In deep, restorative sleep.
In clean water.
In meaningful conversations.
In cooking meals from scratch.
In creating art.
In traveling to places that awaken our souls.
In time spent in nature.
In quiet moments.
In connection.
In love.

The deeper I step into holistic wellness, the more I realize that we are not just physical bodies.
Our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health are deeply connected. When one suffers, they all feel it. When one begins to heal, they all begin to heal.

When families are in my care, they don’t see me reaching for a prescription pad. They see conversations about nourishment. They see us looking at the whole person. We talk about foods that support the body, hydration, rest, movement, stress, herbal preparations when appropriate, time in nature, and the small, intentional habits that help the body function the way it was designed to. We ask, “How can we support the body?” before asking, “How do we silence the symptom?”

This isn’t a new idea. For generations, cultures around the world have understood that health is influenced by daily living, community, nutrition, traditional healing practices, and our relationship with the natural world. While modern medicine has brought incredible advances, many societies continue to value both conventional healthcare and the wisdom of practices that have been passed down for centuries.

This journey has taught me to stop chasing quick fixes and start asking different questions.
What is my body trying to tell me?
What does it truly need?
How can I support it instead of simply silencing it?

Do I believe modern medicine has a place? Absolutely. There are moments when pharmaceuticals, surgery, and emergency medicine save lives, and I am deeply grateful for them.

But I also believe we’ve forgotten that some of the most powerful medicine has always been available to us.
Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it’s alternative.
Because it’s foundational.

Holistic wellness isn’t about rejecting modern medicine. It’s about remembering that healing is bigger than treating symptoms. It’s about honoring the whole person and creating a life that supports health before illness asks us to pay attention.

This isn’t just the work I do.
It’s the way I’m choosing to live.

Every day, I’m learning to slow down. To listen more. To reconnect with the rhythms of nature, with my community, and with myself.
Because maybe the greatest medicine isn’t something we can buy.

Maybe it’s the life we choose to create.
One intentional choice at a time. 🌿🤍