Samantha Ashley, Doula Mae Birth Services

Samantha Ashley, Doula Mae Birth Services Virtual birth coaching and education rooted in clarity, body alignment, and intuition.

With 10 years of experience, I empower parents through an intentional birth framework and community support via the Doula Mae Collective. Our passion is to help others build confidence, openly communicate, and achieve their goals. We strive to provide evidence based knowledge, effective techniques, and other tools and resources for our clients to make informed decisions best for their family.

08/19/2026

The reason you're second-guessing yourself isn't because you aren't prepared...

It's usually because of a well-meaning relative, an social media group, or scrolling late at night.

That sudden self-doubt comes from one thing:
🔊 THE NOISE

When you find out you're pregnant outside opinions, get the loudest, making it hard to hear your own voice. That's why the very first pillar of my Intentional Birth Framework is CLARITY.

When you have clarity, the noise fades.
You go from feeling overwhelmed by everyone else's ideas to feeling completely steady in your choices.

👉🏻 Want to filter out the noise?
Head to the link in my bio to read my latest blog 'Finding Clarity in Your Birth Choices'

Ready for personalized support? Comment CONNECT or DM me to grab your free 20-minute call

What does "Clarity" in birth prep actually look like for you? ⤵️When you find out you’re pregnant, outside opinions get ...
08/19/2026

What does "Clarity" in birth prep actually look like for you? ⤵️

When you find out you’re pregnant, outside opinions get loud fast. Without a clear foundation, it is so easy to second-guess your choices after every conversation or late-night scrolling session.

Finding clarity changes the entire tone of your pregnancy. It allows you to walk into appointments with calm confidence and stay focused on what truly matters to your family.

💻 Want to learn how to build this foundation? Head to the link in my bio to read Pillar 1 of my Intentional Birth framework on the blog!

✨ Ready for personalized support right from your couch? Comment CONNECT or DM me to schedule a free 20-minute connection call with me today!

💪 44% of a toddler’s daily protein can come from breast milk.Many people think nursing after age one is useless, but hum...
08/12/2026

💪 44% of a toddler’s daily protein can come from breast milk.

Many people think nursing after age one is useless, but human milk actually changes to become more nutrient-rich during a child's second year.

The idea that breast milk loses its power at twelve months is common, but human biology shows something else. At two years old, breast milk still gives active toddlers key vitamins, custom immune support, and needed comfort.

If anyone has made you doubt your choice to nurse past year one, let the facts give you peace. You are caring for your child based on facts, love, and what works best for your family.

Swipe through to see what science really says about toddler breast milk. ➡️

📌 Save this post to use next time you need the facts, and share it to your stories for !

08/12/2026

"Too old."

That was the comment left on my video about surviving a rare metabolic scare to save our breastfeeding journey.

After everything we went through at four days postpartum; the galactosemia scare, pumping around the clock, and fighting to protect my supply, seeing extended nursing dismissed so easily hit a nerve.

In our culture, seeing a toddler nurse can feel unusual even though global health organizations like the WHO recommend breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond.

Since August is National Breastfeeding Month, it’s a good time to remember that normal human biology doesn't stop at an arbitrary 12-month mark.

Before I break down the exact nutrition numbers in my next post, I'm curious... What are your thoughts on breastfeeding?

Drop your thoughts or nursing milestone below! 👇

We were told my milk could permanently harm our baby. 💔It has taken over 2 years to finally write this down. 5 days post...
08/08/2026

We were told my milk could permanently harm our baby. 💔

It has taken over 2 years to finally write this down.

5 days postpartum, on a Friday afternoon, our midwife called our newborn's screening flagged for galactosemia— A rare condition where milk causes life-threatening damage.

Her instructions: stop breastfeeding immediately‼️

In an instant, our peaceful home birth turned into total panic.

Tears, buying formula in a daze, pumping around the clock to save my supply, and waiting out a silent weekend for labs to open.

My husband and I co-wrote the full story on the blog today — The terrifying phone calls, what the specialist actually told us the emotional roller coaster of that week, and the moment he finally latched right back on.

🤍 If you are waiting on a scary test result, you're not alone.

Read our full story at the link in my bio.

07/21/2026

Recording the final lessons for the digital toolkit today brought up so many thoughts about how we prepare for birth.

We are so often handed long lists of rules, rigid expectations, and pressure to "do birth right." But real preparation isn't about memorizing a script or treating your body like a container to manage. It’s about learning to trust your physical wisdom, creating intentional space, and giving yourself full permission to slow down.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all the "shoulds" of pregnancy lately, consider this your gentle reminder to take a deep breath and let go of what doesn't serve you.

What is one piece of birth advice or expectation you are choosing to let go of right now? Tell me in the comments below! 👇

07/01/2026

At 12:48 PM, I let out a roar, swore like a sailor, and caught my own son in the water. 🌊

But the unscripted moments didn't stop there.
When Jarrod asked if he could feel our baby's head, I practically pulled him into the water—shoulder-deep. Minutes later, kneeling in a lunge, the ring of fire hit, and Beckett slipped into the world.

He was quiet and needed a little time to transition, so following my midwife's guidance, I gently gave him a few breaths, mouth-to-mouth, until he let out his first sweet cry.

From there, the raw, beautiful reality of home birth kept unfolding:
💖 Jarrod cutting the umbilical cord at the foot of our bed with dull medical scissors.
💖 Our son weighed in at a lanky 6 lbs 4 oz in a tiny crochet cocoon—my fisherman husband’s "personal best."
💖 Drinking a fresh placenta smoothie right there in my own bed.
💖 Realizing he was born on June 17th, joining a long line of major life milestones that have all happened to us on the 17th.

My son’s birth didn't go beautifully because I got lucky. It went beautifully because I didn't rely on a rigid birth plan that breaks at the first unpredictable shift.

I relied on a framework.
1️⃣ Clarity kept me calm through a 5-day water leak.
2️⃣ Intuition allowed me to silence my analytical brain. And
3️⃣ Functional Alignment gave my pelvis the structural space to open efficiently without interventions.

This is exactly why I built the Intentional Birth Framework. Birth is beautifully unpredictable, but your preparation shouldn't be.

✨ WORK WITH ME: If you are ready to stop winging your birth prep and want a grounded, body-based framework that prepares both your mind and your pelvis for labor, my summer calendar is officially open for virtual support.

👇 Comment READY below and I’ll send you the details to help you build your own intuitive, body-based birth preparation roadmap.

06/24/2026

"Samantha, that’s your baby’s head." 🤯

At 8:30 AM, I sat in my dark bathroom, reached down to check my own cervix, and felt something completely unexpected. I wasn't fully confident in what I was feeling, so I asked my midwives for help.

They asked two simple questions, smiled, and dropped that bomb.

In less than three hours, my cervix was completely gone.
But being fully dilated didn't mean my baby was just going to slide out. We weren't on a lightning-fast racetrack—our bodies still needed deep, intentional time to mold, stretch, and move together. The real work of descent was just beginning.

By 10:30 AM, I was resting on my side in bed with my husband, refueling with honey and sea salt. As my team went to grab pillows, I called out that we had a peanut ball in the other room. Someone laughed: “Oh yeah, this is a doula's house.”

We stayed there for an hour, but to us, it felt like minutes. I wasn't overthinking positions because I had spent months balancing my pelvis and practicing functional movement. I knew my body was structurally ready, so I just let myself rest.

This is the power of Functional Alignment. When you prepare your body's soft tissue and pelvis before labor, you give your baby the physical space they need to navigate down smoothly, even when the work takes hours.

By 11:30 AM, I was ready to get back into the tub and meet my baby.

✨ THE FINALE IS LIVE RIGHT NOW: The crowning, the raw intensity, the moment I unexpectedly pulled my husband shoulder-deep into the water, and his "personal best" announcement are all happening on my Stories today. Head to my profile to watch Part 4 before it disappears!

👇 Let’s talk pelvic prep: Comment READY below if you want to learn how to physically open and balance your pelvis for an intentional, functional birth.

05/14/2026

Most birth prep focuses on what happens to you. We focus on what your body is capable of.

When we align the physical with the instinctive, we move away from fear and toward functional power. This is the heart of my Intentional Birth Framework and it’s exactly what we explore when we work together.

Are you ready to see if this approach is the right fit for your birth? I’d love to connect.

✨ DM me the word ‘CONNECT’ and I’ll send you the link to grab a spot for a free Intentional Connection Call.

Address

Monticello, MN
55362

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 3pm
Friday 8:30am - 3pm

Telephone

+17634981098

Website

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