Tomorrow, my oldest daughter turns 5. As I lay awake tonight reflecting on her birth, I remember how very scared I was. I knew that I would give birth by caesarean the next morning, so it was not a surprise. Although I'd had time to prepare, there was nothing that could ease my nerves. I was happy and excited, certainly, but I had a lump in my throat so big I could hardly breathe.
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The term "caesarean secrion" likely conjures up some feelings for most moms and moms-to-be. It's the elephant in the room. The one thing most mothers are dead set against.

But sometimes, it happens. The Birth Fairy comes along and sprinkles her magic dust and decides that your baby needs to be born a different way.

It takes a lot of courage to give birth, no matter which way your baby comes. To give in the the unknown, to ride the waves when you don't know where they're taking you. So often, Mamas who have given birth by caesarean feel that they "gave up" or "took the easy way out." They say, "oh I didn't really give birth, it was a c-section. " YES, yes you did! Caesarean birth IS birth.

Be proud, mamas! It takes so much courage and trust to give birth by caesarean. To lay in a room full of strangers, allow them to hook you up to machines and wires, to numb your body and to cut you open. You are truly surrendering. Don't let anybody make you feel less than because mama, you are BRAVE.

So tomorrow, I will celebrate my sweet girl. But I will also celebrate myself. Because I am brave. I gave birth by caesarean and I am stronger for it.

This is part two in a series of blog posts featuring my Postpartum Bundles, complimentary for all Birth Doula clients! Check out the Services page for more info. 

Seasoned moms may be familiar with these, but for those who aren't, these bottles are simply the BEST! It's a very simple concept that provides a lot of relief after birth. These are soft squeeze bottles that you can fill up with warm water each time you pee. You squirt as you go, and it dilutes the urine and takes away the "sting" especially if you have any stitches! They're also great for rinsing away any blood, and I always recommend having white wash cloths nearby to pat dry. Keep a separate basket in the washroom and bleach the wash cloths as needed. 

Each Postpartum Bundle comes with a package of maternity pads. These are great because they're super absorbent without being huge and bulky, and they are plain cotton that won't irritate the area. When purchasing extra maternity pads, look for the most natural fibres, as some of the "leak proof" materials can stick to stiches- ouch!

I also provide a peri bottle filled with Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is great for postpartum healing as it's a natural astringent. It draws tissues together and constricts blood vessels, which lessens inflammation and pain. You can use it by squirting onto a fresh pad, or by making "pad-cicles" by squirting onto a pad and then freezing. If using pad-cicles, let them sit out of the freezer for a few minutes to soften before putting them near any sensitives bits! 

These are NOT like the mesh panties you might picture in a lingerie ad- they are far less cute and a lot more comfortable! Their elasticity is exceptional, so they are perfect for holding a maternity pad in place. They don't have any outer elastic bands on the legs or the top, so they don't give any pressure points and won't dig in anywhere. This is amazing for after a caesarean birth, as they won't bother the incision area at all. Whether you've had a caesarean or given birth vaginally, these are hands down the most comfortable underwear and you won't have to worry about wrecking them!

I provide 3 pairs in each Postpartum Bundle. They are a disposable item, however they can be gently hand washed and hung to dry, to use 2-3 times each. Trust me, once  you've worn them you're going to want to make them last!

These herbs are hand mixed in small batches based on a recipe by Aviva Romm, Doctor, Midwife, and Herbalist. I love making these for clients as they smell divine and I am luckily able to source all of the ingredients right here in Squamish at Health Food Heaven! ​​
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This herbal blend has astringent and antiseptic properties which promote healing, in addition to providing the comfort and pain relief of a warm sitz bath or compress. 

To brew your herbs, simply soak 1 cup of herbs in 1 litre of boiling water, preferably overnight. Then strain the herbs out of the water using a fine mesh strainer and discard. You now have a nice strong brew to use in a sitz bath, or on a compress. 

​Every client of Micheline Walkey, Birth Doula receives a bag of hand mixed herbs and a sitz bath in their complimentary Postpartum Bundle!

During pregnancy, many parents focus so much on labor & birth that preparing for postpartum can feel overwhelming.

There's a lot to think about, including whether or not your partner will have time off work, what you need to get started with breastfeeding, preparing freezer meals, gathering clothing and baby care items, and of course: gathering supplies for postpartum care.
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I've been thinking a lot lately about what my clients really need in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Most of the time, it's for someone to take something off their plate. So, I've done just that and I'm now providing Postpartum Bundles packed full of the essentials for Postpartum perineal care & healing! Best of all, these Bundles are included for doula clients at no extra cost.

Here's a little sneak peak!

Most of these items can be purchased directly from www.midwiferysupplies.ca if you're not local to Squamish/Whistler/Pemberton/North Vancouver.

Stay tuned, over the next week I will be featuring some of these items including how to use them and how to set yourself up for a more comfortable postpartum!

**Disclaimer: These photos contain some nudity. If this makes you uncomfortable, kindly close the page and move on! Also, I apologize that this is LONG. There are so many details I want to share, and remember.

I gave birth to my first daughter, Taija, by planned caesarean birth.(Read her birth story here) Because of this, midwifery guidelines state that in order to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) at home, you must be within 30 minutes of a hospital with a surgical team on staff at all times in case of transfer. In Squamish, our hospital is not capable of this, so I needed to be closer to Lion’s Gate hospital in Vancouver. After spending many, many hours looking up vacation rental suites, hotels, and talking to other doulas trying to find a place to have a “home birth” we decided that a hotel room would be the easiest place. I gathered all my birth supplies and kept them in a blue Rubbermaid bin, ready to be packed into the car at a moments’ notice.

   Though I didn’t fully realize it until almost a week later, my birthing time began on a Monday. March 2nd, 2015. I began having contractions in the night, and though they weren’t painful the sensation was enough to keep me awake and prompt me to time them. They were around 7 minutes apart and 30-40 seconds each. After being awake all night, I was exhausted. Tuesday morning I woke with Taija, and by the time we’d had breakfast the contractions had stopped completely. I didn’t think much of it, and brushed it off as pre-labour. Taija was having a rough morning, and I remember sitting on the birth ball with her, bouncing and rocking. I was so exhausted from not sleeping well, I almost fell asleep right there with her in my arms.I saw the midwife that morning, and she told me it sounded like my body was starting to get ready, but cautioned me that it could still be days or even weeks. Wanting to keep distracted, I took Taija for a nice long walk. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we played at the park together. I was aware of some cramping, but it wasn’t painful. I took a lot of photos and tried to soak in as much of my sweet girl as I could, knowing it would likely be one of the last times it was just the two of us.

Wednesday night came, and with it more contractions- this time every 9 minutes or so. They continued through the night and again, I couldn’t sleep through them. I dozed in between but was aware that my body was starting to work. Through the day, they subsided again and I was beginning to wonder whether this was truly early labour, or simply a practice run. I was only 39 weeks, and had fully expected to go past my due date. I texted my doula Kaz, to check in because I was feeling the sensation very low down in my cervix, and right in front of my stomach where my caesarean birth scar is. I was feeling a bit worried as I had expected to feel them through my whole belly and wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. She reassured me that it was normal, even for mamas who hadn’t given birth by caesarean. I took a bath, hoping things would settle down enough to sleep. 

I was focusing enough on the sensations now that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put Taija to sleep. I couldn’t even pick her up because it would bring on a contraction. Nick’s mom, Deb, to the rescue! She gave Taija a bath while I laid in bed with my TENS machine. Deb brought Taija in to me, and she snuggled up and fell asleep without any stories or interaction. She seemed to understand that I needed to rest. I was focusing on my contractions but I do remember her sweet little arms wrapping around my neck as she fell asleep. After an hour or two, I could no longer lay down.   I could not lie down, bend forward, or squat without “bringing on” a contraction and I really felt like I needed counter pressure on my tailbone to get through each one. Taija was sleeping happily in bed, while I tried to sit backwards on a kitchen chair, with a pillow to rest my head on. At the start of each contraction I would lean back and press my tailbone into the chair, and then try to rest again between. After a while, I texted Kaz again to check in. She suggested I take a bath, to see if things would slow enough for me to rest. I took the baby monitor with me, as Taija was still sleeping, and got in the tub. It felt so good to be in water, but with each contraction I tried to find a comfortable position, which was hard. It was almost unbearable to have my legs closed during contractions, which was quite difficult for a pregnant lady in a bathtub! I think I dozed a bit on and off. I remember grabbing my tank top off the floor and putting it behind my head as a pillow. The thought of getting out of the tub to get something more suitable, like a towel, was simply too much. By midnight, I was toning (moaning) with each contraction and they were close enough together that I knew there was no need to time them- active labor had arrived. I called my sister and birth photographer, Katia, to come over and get things ready to go and then booked a hotel room. I hoped and prayed I would not have a contraction while I was on the phone with the hotel, as I had no intention of telling them I’d be giving birth there! At 12:32, I texted Kaz and told her we were heading to the city, but I didn’t think she needed to come right away. She called to see how I was doing, and I think I had a few contractions while we were on the phone. I told her to leave maybe 30-40 minutes after us. My sister arrived, and I had her go upstairs to wake Deb up, so she could go in and sleep with Taija. I said I was going to stay in the bath until everything was packed into the car and then I would just get out and go. Ha, yeah right! I got out of the bath, and that was pretty much it. As soon as I stood up, the contractions were so much more  intense. I laboured on the toilet for a while, and eventually made my way back to the bedroom to try and get dressed. Once I was upright, my desire for counterpressure on my back was strong again. Each contraction brought me to sit and rock, pushing my tailbone into a kitchen chair as hard as I could. It took me over 35 minutes to get dressed, and put my TENS machine back on. When it came time to put socks on, I couldn’t do it myself. Katia clumsily tried to put them on for me, but I think in the end we gave up. The contractions were so intense, I realized there was no way I would be able to cope with them while sitting on a soft, cushy car seat. For a brief moment, the thought crossed my mind that I could bring a hard book to sit on so that I could still press my tailbone down as I had been doing with the kitchen chair. About 10 seconds after that thought, I decided I was NOT going anywhere. At 1:55am, I had Katia call Kaz and tell her to come over, because there was no way in hell I was getting the car to go to Vancouver.

I texted Nick, who was in Winnipeg, and said “fuck this, homebirth in Squamish!” and then called him shortly after that. It was around 2:00am, but I wanted him to know that I’d decided to stay home and that everything was going fine. At some point I had a contraction while on the phone, and I put it down… and then forgot he was on the line! Oops!

When Kaz arrived, I told her the plan: I was not getting in the car. I was coping well at home, and in my mind, laboring in the car was simply not an option. Especially since I get severely carsick. My contractions were still around 5 minutes apart, so it was not yet time to call the midwives. Prenatally, I had been told to call at "3-2-1" (contractions every 3 minutes, 1 minute long, for 2 hours). I had expressed worry that if I waited that long, I would not want to go to Vancouver. The midwife had said it was better to get checked at home before heading to the city, than to go too early and spend days there. My body had other plans! Already, I had waited too long, and now I was in the throes of labour. I truly believe there is nothing anyone could have said that would have made me leave my home. Kaz supported my choice, though she did let me know that the midwives would likely suggest a transfer. Soon after, I remember begging Kaz and Katia to set up the birth pool. I remembered what it was like to be in the bathtub, and I could NOT wait to be in water again. Kaz later told me that she had thought it was too early to get in the pool, but I'm glad she listened to me because Zephyra was born only 2 hours later. My legs began to shake, and I looked for reassurance. Kaz reminded me that it was totally normal and I was doing great. I went to the washroom and laboured again on the toilet for a while, this time seeing more bloody show. I had a moment of panic, thinking “oh shit, if I’m just having bloody show NOW, maybe things aren’t progressing as fast as I’d hoped.” I tried to just let it go, and focus on riding out each contraction.

 It was at this point that I started having doubts, though I never voiced them. Each time I felt a contraction build, I would think “no, not another one! Not again! I can’t do this much longer.” I recognize now that I was probably in transition. Not long after those thoughts, I began involuntarily “grunting” in the middle of each contraction. Not pushing per se, but my body was starting to turn in on itself. I told Kaz I felt like I was pushing and she reassured me that I was only “feeling pushy” and that I would know when the real time to push came. She told me that since I was feeling pushy, it was likely a good time to call the midwives. I consented, and she spoke to the midwife over the phone.
It was Nicole, a midwife from the city whom I’d never met before. She was covering for the local midwife. Anna, a 4th year midwifery student would be the 2nd attendant. Nicole said that she wasn't going to rush over, as it was my first baby and we likely still had some time. She told Kaz to let her know if things changed.

At some point, Kaz went into the bedroom and got Taija. We had prepared her well and really wanted her to be there for the birth. I was so happy to see my sweet girl. She was amazing, staring at me in awe and helping to give me sips of water.

I was really feeling the urge to push now, but Nicole wanted to do a cervical check. I could have said no, but at this point I figured it couldn’t hurt. I knew everything was going fine and if it pleased the midwives to know that I was fully dilated, then that was a good thing. Of course, the baby’s head was already so low that I KNEW I was fully. It only took a second for Nicole to agree. I asked, “can I push now?” and was very relieved when she said yes. Pushing felt SO GOOD! I mean, it hurt, but it brought some welcome relief with each contraction, and it was amazing feeling the progress of the head moving down. Right before crowning, I could feel her head push under my pubic bone, and then slip back again when the contraction was over. I was grabbing onto a fold in the pool liner, using it for leverage. Each push got her head a little bit further, until finally I felt a “pop” as her head settled below the pubic bone. I was so excited, she was almost here!

As I got out of the birth pool, Taija immediately came to me and wanted to hold the baby. Once I was snuggled in on the couch, she climbed right up to see. She was SO in love with her baby sister. I will never forget those first few moments, with both of my sweet girls. I was in shock. Blissful shock, I couldn’t believe this was all really happening! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sad that Nick wasn’t there, but I truly believe things happened the way they were meant to. Maybe this was something I needed to do on my own. Once I was sure Nick would be finished with his interview, I called him. He didn’t answer, so I texted him (probably a thousand times) telling him to video call me ASAP.

Kaz made me a delicious breakfast, and I finally got ahold of Nick. He got his first look at his new daughter while sitting in Starbucks 3 provinces away. He was scheduled to fly home later that evening and I could NOT wait to see him!

Once the baby (she would be nameless for a few more days) had been weighed and everything was cleaned up, it was time for me to rest. Deb took Taija out of the house so I could try and nap. I tucked myself into bed and went to sleep, with my beautiful girl beside me.

As a last word, I need to say a HUGE, huge thank you to my birth team. Kaz, Katia, Deb, Taija (hehe), Nicole, and Anna- I was surrounded by amazing women, supported and encouraged. I am forever grateful.

The transition into motherhood is a truly magical time filled with love and wonder- but often washed in exhaustion and overwhelm. Here are 5 tips to help squeeze every drop of bliss out of your first weeks:

1. Plan a babymoon
Plan to hibernate for a predetermined amount of time after your little one is born. This can be days, or weeks- it's all up to you. Have your partner take time off work, and treat it like a vacation- no schedules, no plans. If you really want to be private, you can even unplug the phone and turn off the computer!

2.  Take care of the cooking ahead of time
Whether it means preparing freezer meals before the birth, having friends and family deliver some meals (Meal Train is a great website for organizing this!), or hiring a postpartum doula- make sure you don't have to cook much in those first few weeks. It'll give you more time to snuggle on the couch during your babymoon! 

3. Take an herbal bath (or two, or three!). 
A nice warm bath is a great way for a new mama to relax, with or without her baby- but adding some herbs can take it to the next level. Mama Goddess Birth Shop in North Vancouver (with local pickup or quick shipping to Squamish) sells a lovely perineal wash that makes a great herbal bath that smells lovely and helps with postpartum healing.

4. Have your placenta encapsulated
Don't let the "ew" factor put you off- when it is encapsulated, it is exactly like taking a pill. You will not taste it. It may seem a little hippy-dippy but I can assure you, it's worth it! Placenta encapsulation has been known to fight postpartum depression, among other benefits: increased prolaction (milk supply!), increased iron stores (more energy!), and decreases postpartum bleeding. You can read more about it here, in a great blog post by Marlo of Bunky Bambino. Marlo is located in North Vancouver BC and offers encapsulation, but if you're located in Squamish then Laura Michelle is your gal!

5. Trust your instincts
The early weeks with a new baby can be totally overwhelming, and everyone wants to help. Don't let the well-meaning "instructions" get to you. Trust your instincts and take care of yourself and your baby the way you want to. Trying to follow others' directions and going against your gut will only create internal stress, which isn't good for you or your baby. Smile, nod, and do as you please!

There are so many things I could say about this beautiful home birth, but I'd like to focus on one of them: delayed cord severance and burning. 

The video shows the baby being separated from the placenta well after the cord has stopped pulsing, and it is not clamped, or cut- but burned. I was very intrigued by this, as I have never heard of it before. It is such a beautiful way for the baby to be separated from the placenta, as you can see by the ritual manner in which it was done. 

First of all, there are many documented benefits to delaying cord severance. As long as the umbilical cord is pulsing, the placenta is providing nutrient and oxygen-filled blood to the baby. It can provide up to 30% more blood volume if left unclamped. This will give the baby a MUCH better store of iron to sustain the first months of life, and the continued flow of oxygenated blood allows the baby a much gentler transition to breathing on his own. This series of photos from Nurturing Hearts Birth Services shows the clear transition of the umbilical cord from being blood-rich and pulsing, to "empty". 

The difference is astonishing! You can clearly see that if the cord was cut and clamped right away, the baby would be missing out on a lot of blood and nutrients. 

Now, what really intrigued me was the burning. As I said, I have never seen it before and it is not common in Western culture. In the video shown above, the cord is stretched over a bowl (to keep the cord tight in place for burning, and to catch wax drippings). A foil pan is used to deflect heat away from the mother and baby. Later on, as dad is taking an herbal bath with the baby, you can see that the cord has been neatly wrapped in gauze to keep it from snagging on clothing.

What I love about cord burning is that it is a ritual. The people who supported the mother through the birth are the ones to sever the cord. In typical Western culture, it is one person who cuts the cord- usually the father, an older sibling, etc. Cord burning allows a group experience. I also loved the beauty of taking time. There is a website dedicated to the art of cord burning, which you can find here. The author of the website speaks beautifully when she says (of cord burning) "I have found it preferable to cutting because it is a more mindful act. Burning the cord takes time. Just as we did not rush the baby or the placenta so too do we not rush the separation of the baby from the source that nurtured it on the inside." 

The placenta has sustained the baby for the duration of his life so far- it seems rather ignorant that we would be in such a hurry to separate the two. I am now convinced that cord burning is something I would like to see done more often. I would love to incorporate it into my future births. Certainly though, it isn't for everyone. Would you consider cord burning? Why or why not?

I have been struggling for a long time to write this. I want this story to empower women to trust their bodies. I do not regret my decision, because at the time I was 100% confident that it was the right choice for me, my partner, and our baby. 

But the fact is, I had an elective cesarean section. 


Taija was in the breech position from the time I was 34 weeks on. Despite our best efforts through spinning babies techniques, acupuncture, moxibustion, and chiro... she remained breech. 

At 38 weeks, we decided to try an ECV. It was honestly the worst experience I have ever had in my life. It was very painful and my body had such an adverse reaction to the whole experience that the OBs performing it had never seen it happen- I tried to breathe slow and deep, but somehow depleted my body of CO2 and ended up going into tetany seizure. It started in my hands as they began to curl and tense up, and the sensation traveled up my arms into my neck and even my throat, where it reached a point where I almost couldn't speak. Taija's heart rate decelerated and the procedure stopped. It took a few minutes of oxygen for my body to unfurl (I literally could not move my hands or fingers at ALL). Once I had recovered, the OB decided to check the ultrasound one more time, to confirm what she suspected: that the umbilical cord was wrapped around Taija's neck. It was. She strongly discouraged us against trying a vaginal breech birth. She offered us an appointment with the Best Birth Clinic to have a consultation but told us "If it were me, I wouldn't even consider it. The cord is wrapped, and may be short. Judging by your baby's reaction to this procedure, vaginal birth could be very dangerous". Before the ECV, I was mentally preparing for a vaginal breech birth. I told myself that no matter what happened at the appointment, I would trust my body. My baby knew what she was doing, and if she wanted to come out bum first, I would let her. But crying in that hospital bed after a terrifying experience, and being told that I would put my baby in serious danger, I whispered into my partner's ear "I think I want a c-section".


At the time, I was very new to being a doula. I had taken the DONA training and attended one birth, but the whole world of empowerment, information, informed consent, and courage was still very new to me. For a few days, I went back and forth in my mind. But time was ticking. If I were to have an elective cesarean, I knew I wanted a chance to meet the OB beforehand so that I could ask questions and make my wishes for the birth known. At almost 39 weeks pregnant, I needed to choose. Before the ECV when I was still considering a vaginal breech birth, nobody supported me. The response I got when I said she was breech was "Oh, so  you'll have to have a c-section". When I said no, I wanted to try breech birth I heard "You're crazy. That's dangerous".  The only people who truly supported me were my midwives. So I talked it over with my partner and in the end, fear won. Fear of traveling the Sea to Sky Highway in labor with a breech baby, fear of the hospital not having a breech friendly OB on call at the time I was birthing, fear of the cord around my baby's neck, fear of the unknown. 

8 months later, I can comfortably say that I am sad. Sad that fear of childbirth is so rampant in our culture that even as a doula, even knowing the risks of cesarean section, knowing that being born surgically would alter my baby's digestive flora, could affect her breathing, and would certainly affect my future pregnancies... I still couldn't trust my body. I chose to extend my postpartum healing by more than 6 weeks, chose to deprive my baby of the beneficial labor hormones, because I was scared. 

Now, months later when I have read many triumphant stories of breech birth, seen countless videos, and done much more research... I am sure that I could have done it. I know in my heart that breech is just a variation of normal- my body didn't know any different. 

Today I look at my daughter who is the absolute joy of my life, and I am sad that she didn't get the best I could have given her, simply because I couldn't shake the deep-seeded (and yet unfounded) fear. 

Mamas, I beg you. Don't let this culture of fear live any longer. Our daughters will soon be mothers, and they deserve better. Trust yourselves, your babies, and your bodies. If not for your own benefit, for the benefit of future birthing generations.


**Special thanks to the Birth Without Fear movement for inspiring me to be honest with myself, and to share it here.

Many people, when they hear about doulas think "Isn't that what my husband/partner/sister/mom" is for? Most can't imagine what use an extra person could be at their birth. The truth is, a doula's role will not take away from the support of your chosen birth team. Her support will enhance your birthing experience and help your other partners to support you in the best way they can.

"Doula" is an ancient Greek word for "female servant". A doula is there for you throughout your entire birth. She is a calm, informative presence that can relieve your other support persons, offer massage and many other comfort techniques, help you to make decisions when medical interventions come up, help you remember the plan and vision you had for your birth... and so much more.

The value in having someone there for you who is not a doctor, nurse, or partner has been proven in a study by Hodnett, et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21328263). In the study, women who received continuous support from a doula were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births and less likely to have epidurals, pain medication, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesarean births. Their labors were also shorter by about 1 hour and their babies were less likely to have low Apgar scores at birth. 

What does this mean? It means that if you have continuous labor support (that is, someone who never leaves your side), you and your baby are statistically more likely to have better outcomes! The researchers also looked to see if the type of support made a difference. They wanted to know—does it matter who you choose for your continuous support? Does it matter if it is a midwife, doula, or partner? They looked at this question for 6 outcomes: use of pain medication, use of Pitocin during labor, spontaneous vaginal birth, cesarean birth, admission to special care nursery after birth, and negative ratings of birth experience. For 4 of these 6 outcomes the best results occurred when woman had continuous labor support from a doula– someone who was NOT a staff member at the hospital and who was NOT part of the woman’s social network. When continuous labor support was provided by a doula, there was a 40% decrease in the use of Pitocin, a 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth, a 28% decrease in the risk of C-section, and 34% decrease in dissatisfaction with the birth experience. These outcomes were better than all the other types of continuous support that were studied.