Howell’s Doula Services

06/09/2026

Debating on having an induction? Know the long term risks as well.

“In women with uncomplicated pregnancies at term, consistently, at every week of gestation from 37 to 41 weeks, induction of labor is associated with lower offspring school performance at age 12 and lower secondary school level compared with non‐intervention, although residual confounding may remain. These long‐term effects of induction of labor should be incorporated in counseling and decision making.”

The incidence of induction of labor, for both medical reasons and as an elective procedure, has been rising and a further increase in induction of labor following the ARRIVE trial may be expected. The effects of induction of labor at term on ...

03/13/2026

Breastmilk is so much more than just food. 🤍

It’s complex and dynamic providing baby with what they need in that moment.

✨ Oxytocin helps calm and comfort when baby is upset.
✨ Tryptophan helps start the sleep process.
✨ Endorphins help relieve pain.

Breastmilk adapts, which is why it can soothe, comfort and support in so many ways.

And remember: you can’t overfeed a breastfed baby directly from the breast.

03/13/2026

Homebirth isn’t the fad.
Hospital birth is.

Birth didn’t start in a hospital.
It was moved there.

In the last hundred years we turned a physiological process into a managed event.
Clocks replaced intuition.
Policies replaced autonomy.
Beds replaced movement.

Yes, hospitals save lives when things go wrong.
No one disputes that.

But the idea that birth must happen in a hospital for everyone, every time?
That’s historically brand new.

Maybe what we’re calling a “trend” is actually a return…

03/12/2026

Newborn male circumcision rates in the U.S. have fallen below 50%, with a study published in JAMA Pediatrics in September 2025 finding the rate dropped from 54.1% in 2012 to 49.3% in 2022. This decline is driven by reduced rates among white families, lower-income areas, and shifting cultural influences, with rates remaining highest in the Midwest/Northeast and lowest in the West.
--Johns Hopkins Medicine

02/23/2026

Saying the breast is “full of milk” is like saying lungs are full of air. It sounds right, but it is physiologically wrong.

The breast is not a storage bag. It is a living organ with blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, and milk making tissue. Milk is produced continuously in the alveoli in response to hormones and milk removal. It is not “sitting around” waiting in ducts like liquid in a bottle.

That’s why engorgement is not just milk “backed up in ducts.” Engorgement involves vascular congestion, interstitial edema, and lymphatic compression. The swelling you feel is largely fluid and tissue pressure, not simply just milk volume. This is also why cold therapy works. Cold reduces blood flow and inflammation. If engorgement were only milk sitting in ducts, cold would do nothing. Relief would come only from emptying. But clinically, we know cold decreases pain and swelling even before milk is removed. Milk removal helps, yes. But it helps by reducing pressure and improving circulation and drainage, not because pus or inflammation is being “released.”

Language matters because it shapes care. When we reduce the breast to a container, we miss the biology and we give the wrong solutions. Physiology deserves more than shortcuts. 😮‍💨🤷🏼‍♀️💗

02/23/2026

Just a gentle reminder from one mom to another 💛

Not every breastfeeding image or reel you see online is accurate. AI has gotten incredibly good at generating beautiful, convincing visuals but some of the anatomy is flat-out wrong. Milk ducts drawn like straws. Ni***es positioned unrealistically. Babies latched in ways that would never transfer milk. And sometimes it’s less about education and more about engagement.

While AI can sometimes be easy to spot, other information can feel true and like it needs to apply to every mom: like the ridiculously high volume pump and pour videos from “influencers”. Yes they are really women with real milk supplies, but their volumes are unrealistic and not often biologically typical. Judging when applies to you can be difficult when you’re surrounded by videos and images that don’t match your journey. If you’re struggling with feeding your baby, reach out for individual, in person help from a lactation consultant.

02/09/2026

When your provider says:
“We are going to…” 🚩
“Would you like to…?” ✅