Alicia & David

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10 questions to ask your home birth midwife… I

10 questions to ask your home birth midwife…

Is she trained to deliver breech and/or twin babies?

Will she enthusiastically support your informed decisions, like declining ultrasound scans, gestational diabetes and GBS screenings, frequent Doppler use, and genetic testing?

Does she know how to tend to a mother in birth without cervical checks and 24 hour time limits?

Is her hospital transfer rate less than 3-5%?

Will she wait on a baby who may take longer than 42 weeks to arrive?

Can she handle a high blood pressure reading? Guide you through hypertension prevention at home (after ruling out pre-eclampsia)? Can she teach you how to prevent both before conception?

Is she sovereign and free from birth center/hospital liability-driven standards and protocols?

Is she wholeheartedly devoted to informed consent?

What circumstance, if any, will risk you out of her care?

Does she trust you? Your body? God’s natural design for birth that almost always works best when it is unhindered and not interfered with?

Does she stand WITH WOMEN?

Traditional, sovereign, wise woman midwives are rare… but they are out there. Happy (belated) International Midwife Day 🦋 Learning about and experiencing midwifery care has changed my life for the better and has had a profound effect on how I mother my children. I hope and pray to be a midwife someday and serve women in this capacity, but until then I am learning everything I can from the best of them. @mothernurturebyemilyhovet

#internationalmidwivesday #birth #homebirth #waterbirth #pregnancy #midwife #midwifery #pregnant #freebirth #mom #momlife #baby #tampablogger #momsofIG

Motherhood completely redefines your life. With ea

Motherhood completely redefines your life. With each pregnancy comes physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation (losses included). Walking through pregnancy for the 3rd time and having our 2nd baby, I’m realizing just how much growth I still have ahead of me… but at the same time, things are so much easier this go around. ⁣
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I have 4 years of being a mom under my belt. I know how to soothe a crying baby. I’ve perfected side lying nursing in bed so I don’t have to sit up a single time for middle of the night wake ups. I know now how biologically normal and healthy it is to let my baby sleep on my chest or next to me in bed. I don’t stress about nap times or wake windows or why my baby hates being put into a straight jacket/“swaddle” or tracking the number of feeds or diapers in a given day. I am not nearly as upset by the girl I see in the mirror—the stretch marks, the extra weight, the new lines and creases, the plushier jaw line, the unwashed hair, the exhaustion in my eyes. I know it’s all for the best reasons, and honestly… I already found my person 15 years ago and he still finds me beautiful. The fourth trimester feels so much more free and special and joyful this second time experiencing it.
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I’m once again reminded that I was made for this. That God knew he would give me these two girls since the beginning of time, and every moment of my life was ordained for the purpose of me becoming their mom. It feels like a heavenly calling, like everything else is just background noise… at least for right now. My family is my primary ministry, the mission field I’ll never leave.

I can only pray to continue to grow in godly wisdom and strength to love and lead our children in this dark, lost, very confused world. May God grant us the grace to do so ❤️

IYKYK 🥲 I just came out of 2 weeks of having m

IYKYK 🥲

I just came out of 2 weeks of having migraine auras like this multiple times a day 😵‍💫 I couldn’t use my phone, watch TV, go outside, read, or drive… it was insane. After my concussion in 2022, I started getting these all. the. time. Usually paired with vertigo, brain fog, fatigue, and sometimes a horrible headache. For the most part they’re harmless, but the vision episodes have caused me so much anxiety over the years. I have spent probably one thousand hours googling and scouring Reddit to learn about these vision episodes that are really more related to the visual cortex of the brain than to the eyes. I’ve seen chiropractors, naturopaths, homeopaths, neurologists, eye doctors, psychologists, the list goes on.

I think for me they’re mostly hormonal (they really ticked up at the end of my pregnancy and the week following giving birth), but I take a ton of supplements now trying to keep them at bay 😅 The good news is I’m probably healthier than I’ve been in a long time haha. Bad news is our bank account is now funding long term investments of wild caught fish eggs, magnesium glycinate, symplex f, high dose b vitamins, electrolytes, and iodine. Limiting alcohol, gluten, and dairy doesn’t hurt either 🥲

If you’re a member of the migraine aura/ocular migraine club 🙋🏼‍♀️ You’re not alone. Actually I recently joined a very kind FB support group for people who live with these. Haha. The brain is fascinating. And our human bodies are clearly far from perfect. Learning to live with a new weird medical condition has been a spiritual journey for me but honestly I’m a better person for it! So grateful for my health and for every day that my eyes work properly 😂 Keep calm & carry on.

#tampablogger #tampaphotographer #disneyphotographer #floridablogger #momlife #migraine #migraineaura #ocularmigraine

Happy 4th Birthday to our spunky, sassy, super sma

Happy 4th Birthday to our spunky, sassy, super smart social butterfly of a daughter! 🥹💕 Everyone who meets you loves you, Heidi! You’ve never met a stranger 😅 and you make everyone who’s with you feel so special. Your silliness keeps us laughing 24/7. Your kind and thoughtful personality is an inspiration to me. The way you talk about how much you love Jesus and can’t wait to hug him makes my heart explode. I love how excited you still get for Disney World even though we’ve been there 100 times. 😂 I never want to forget this season. You love the color purple, spending as much time outside or at the beach as possible, going to church, gymnastics, Cubbies, dancing, and any and all animals! You have always LOVED reading your books and that hasn’t changed a bit. I think I could read you a million books and it wouldn’t be enough! You love bedtime because it means getting to read the Bible and pray together. And of course you love your baby sister. 🥹 You are such a help to mommy and daddy. You bring sunshine to every day! We love you beyond words and you continue to amaze us with how intelligent you are in more ways than one. Happy birthday Heidi!! Can’t wait to celebrate you at the beach in a few weeks! 💕

#MamaLife #LifestyleBlogger #MomLife #FloridaBlogger #TampaBlogger #TampaBayBlogger #MomsofIG #IGMotherhood #BabiesDontKeep #MomTogs #HonestMotherhood #ThatsDarling #MobilePresets #MomsofInstagram #PursuePretty #christianmom #TampaPhotographer #DisneyPhotographer #OrlandoPhotographer

3 years since we moved to Florida (!!!) in the mid

3 years since we moved to Florida (!!!) in the midst of major job uncertainties (and quite a bit political unrest 😅). We left DC in February 2021 and never looked back. Now we have a Taylor Swift song about leaving your hometown to move to Florida and start anew 🥹🌴🌺 This gorgeous state did not need any more positive PR, but here we are. Tampa is still one of the top cities Americans are moving to and to me, there’s no question why 🥺💕 The white sand Gulf beaches, the proximity to world class entertainment (lookin at you, Disney World), and sunshine year round truly make our home feel like paradise. Thank you Taylor, and thank you Florida. Best decision of our lives.

My friend Skyler and my midwife were there by 11pm

My friend Skyler and my midwife were there by 11pm. We watched a @stoolpresidente one bite pizza review and I made a PB+J sandwich. Justin set up beds for them. It felt like a slumber party 🤪

I had the songs “Amber” by 311 and “His Mercy Is More” stuck in my head all 10 hours of labor. It’s a wonder I didn’t name her Amber. 🤣⁣
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At one point my midwife asked if I wanted to go see the moon shining over the pond in our backyard. I experienced a couple of strong contractions out there under the moonlight. If it wasn’t for the neighbors I think I would have birthed out there.⁣🤪
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The positions I felt the most progress from were side lying with pillows between my knees and kneeling at the foot of our bed. I was upright for transition and I felt her descend so quickly. I started saying “No no no” from the intensity but quickly changed my words to “Yes yes yes!” 🙌🏼 ⁣
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I had thought she was coming around 5am and called my midwife and Skyler into the room. Suddenly I just felt like I was being watched. Sure enough, my labor stalled. Contraction intensity quickly dwindled. Once Justin and I were left in the room alone for an hour, things picked back up and she was here soon after!⁣
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The last hour of labor as the sun was coming up, Justin and I were so exhausted that we were sleeping through the 3 minutes in between contractions. Like full on snoring and drooling. It’s truly amazing that the body can do this. 😂⁣
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I wanted so badly to be able to describe what the pain during delivery feels like. I can never recall the sensation afterwards or even bring a tiny bit of it to mind. So immediately after birth I made sure to tell Justin, “It felt my pelvis was being both pulled apart and squeezed together to its breaking point at the same time.” Pain free birth moms… I have no clue how you get there. 😂 I’ve accepted that feeling the pain of childbirth is my lot in life. I don’t mind it. Actually, it has grown me spiritually more than anything else has in my life. More on that later. ⁣
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When Addison arrived, Heidi said “Awww! She’s so tiny! Look at her tiny ears and her tiny pinky toe!” By far the most special and magical moment of my life. When can we do this again?!

International Wedding Photographer based in tampa Florida for the elegant, head-over-heels in love bride who loves romantic details & daring adventures

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