Riverbend Birth

Riverbend Birth Providing birth and postpartum doula services, birth preparation classes, lactation support, and gent We love working with growing families in Pittsburgh, PA!

We offer meaningful birth and parenting preparation through private Birthing From Within classes, labor support through our birth doula services, and new baby help through our skilled lactation consults, sleep education, and postpartum doula support. Our care is compassionate and nonjudgmental. We view birth as a rite of passage, not a medical event, and are concerned with parents' emotional journeys as they welcome a little one.

✨ Our new parent support group is coming back! ✨Marlee ran this group in 2019 and 2020, but meetings tapered off in the ...
01/08/2023

✨ Our new parent support group is coming back! ✨

Marlee ran this group in 2019 and 2020, but meetings tapered off in the midst of the pandemic. Nearly all our recent clients have expressed a wish to connect with other people in a similar phase of parenthood, so we thought it was time to bring it back!

This will be a free monthly gathering, open to all new parents with little ones 12 months and under. Meeting virtually for now - click this link to learn more and sign up for the January meeting this Tuesday from 10am-12pm Eastern!

https://www.pittsburghbirthservices.com/pittsburgh-new-parent-support-group

🍓"What should I plan to eat or drink during labor?" 🥤This is one of the questions we hear the most during classes and pr...
12/23/2022

🍓"What should I plan to eat or drink during labor?" 🥤

This is one of the questions we hear the most during classes and prenatal visits. Even though these are fundamental things we do every day, somehow making the choice of what to eat during labor feels more loaded.

We finally got around to writing our answer to this question in the form of a guide. If this is something you're wondering about as you prepare for birth, we hope this blog post gives you a great starting point!

https://www.pittsburghbirthservices.com/blog/your-guide-to-eating-and-drinking-during-labor

😬💯🎯
11/19/2022

😬💯🎯

We always love meeting our clients in person for prenatal visits, but it's extra lovely when tea and fall leaves join th...
10/27/2022

We always love meeting our clients in person for prenatal visits, but it's extra lovely when tea and fall leaves join the party.

During a prenatal this week, we were reviewing birth plan options with a client (shout out to Motherboard Birth!). When ...
10/06/2022

During a prenatal this week, we were reviewing birth plan options with a client (shout out to Motherboard Birth!). When we got to the option called "humanizing birth," our client said, "I feel like we're doing that right now."

This is the power of doula support during pregnancy.

Even months before your baby arrives, we can help to set the stage for a more whole-person birth experience.

Humanizing birth doesn't mean choosing or avoiding specific "interventions" during labor.

It means surrounding yourself with people who help you feel like yourself, even in the midst of the sometimes disorienting events of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum time.

In a perinatal care system that emphasizes the "system" over the "care," let's add some human back into the process.

Shoutout to everyone doing the hard work of healing from trauma:It's tough.It's worth it.It's lonely.It's up and down.It...
09/24/2022

Shoutout to everyone doing the hard work of healing from trauma:

It's tough.

It's worth it.

It's lonely.

It's up and down.

It matters.

Thank you. Take care of yourself. 💜

Love this perspective from our friend Britta Bushnell, PhD.🔹🔹🔹I gotta tell you, the focus on being fearless irks the cra...
09/22/2022

Love this perspective from our friend Britta Bushnell, PhD.

🔹🔹🔹

I gotta tell you, the focus on being fearless irks the crap out of me. It’s bu****it to think that we, as human beings, can become fearless in the face of the unknown.

Giving birth is like an epic trek through a unknown and profound landscape. Fear often comes along. Rather than shame it or yourself for its presence, how might you extend your hand to the fear and say, “It’s ok that you’re here. I’m here for you. Let’s do this together.” Meet the feelings, all of them including fear, with understanding and compassion. That’s when they often stop fighting hard for your attention. This is what it truly means to be brave.

💜 Let's talk about mental health 💜Sometimes we can "do everything right" and still land in a period of depression, anxie...
09/20/2022

💜 Let's talk about mental health 💜

Sometimes we can "do everything right" and still land in a period of depression, anxiety, or other out-of-control feelings that affect our daily life.

When that happens, it can be SO. HARD. to know if/when/how medication might be helpful.

There can be concerns about side effects, concerns about safety during lactation, concerns about whether/how much a medication would even help and whether the benefits would outweigh the risks.

OOF. We feel this so hard.

If you're feeling stuck and are considering if mental health medication might be a helpful next step for you, we have a blog post to support your decision-making process: 10 steps you can take on the path to deciding whether medication is a resource you want to pursue.

Whether or not medication becomes part of your journey at this point:

🔹 You are not a burden.
🔹 You are deserving of love and care.
🔹 You are deserving of support as you move through this.
🔹 These feelings won't last forever.
🔹 You are enough.

https://www.pittsburghbirthservices.com/blog/strategies-for-deciding-if-mental-health-medication-is-right-for-you

One question we hear a lot from expecting families is how we support partners during labor.Of course we are there first ...
09/16/2022

One question we hear a lot from expecting families is how we support partners during labor.

Of course we are there first and foremost for the person in labor, but our work in the birth room definitely extends to partners as well!

So what does it look like to support a partner during labor too?

✅ Answering questions and helping you know what's going on (this is a big one!)

✅ Giving you ideas for ways you can support your person in the moment, if you want that extra guidance

✅ Making space for and validating big emotions that often arise while watching your person go through birth

✅ Helping to facilitate positive and effective communication with your care providers

✅ Giving you a break so you can get something to eat, squeeze in a quick nap, or otherwise take care of yourself while knowing your person is also being taken care of

When all is said and done, we usually hear that partners felt much more relaxed than they otherwise would have without a doula's presence.

We wrote a blog post with lots more detail, so if you want more info about how doulas support partners during labor, check it out!

https://www.pittsburghbirthservices.com/blog/how-birth-doulas-support-partners-during-labor

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Pittsburgh, PA
15222

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+14122066335

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