03Mar/17

Think before you speak and stare.

March 3, 2017Birth, Doula, Labor, Nonjudgmental Support, Postpartum Doula, Pregnant, UncategorizedAnimal Adventure Park, April the Giraffe, Birth, Birth Preferences, Birth Watch, blo-no, bloomington IL, Bloomington-Normal, C-Section, Central IL, champaign IL, childbirth class, childbirth education, Doula, epidural, Heartland Doulas, home birth, hospital birth, midwife, newborn, nonjudgmental support, Parenting, pekin IL, peoria IL, Postpartum, Postpartum doula, pregnancy, springfield IL, twinsStacy Ash

Stares and odd-ball comments that just make you shake your head. That’s what happens when you’re pregnant. April the giraffe knows what I’m talking about! I’m sure she is humming, “I alwaysRead More…

13Feb/17

Valentine baby and your love life

February 13, 2017Birth, New Baby, Parenting, Postpartum, Postpartum Doula, UncategorizedAfterbirth, Babymoon, Birth, blo-no, bloomington IL, Bloomington-Normal, C-Section, Central IL, champaign IL, Doula, Heartland Doulas, home birth, hospital birth, lamaze, midwife, nonjudgmental support, Postpartum, Postpartum doula, springfield IL, twinsStacy Ash

  So, you’re expecting your Valentine baby soon. Or maybe you’re cuddling your little one right now and are immersed in the fourth trimester known as postpartum. Either way, your brain mayRead More…

22Nov/16

Send Night Help!

November 22, 2016Doula, New Baby, Postpartum, Postpartum Doulabloomington IL, Bloomington-Normal, champaign IL, galesburg IL, Multiples, Night Help, Night Nanny, Night Nurse, pekin IL, peoria IL, Postpartum, Postpartum doula, Sleep, Sleep Training, springfield IL, twinskherzel

I remember the first night home with my first baby like it happened yesterday. I wish I could tell you that the memory is of staring fondly at my baby, feeding himRead More…

10Nov/16

Not the baby anymore.

November 10, 20165 Things, New Baby, Parenting, Postpartum Doula, SiblingBabymoon, bloomington IL, Central Illinois, champaign IL, childbirth education, Doula, Heartland Doulas, Parenting, pekin IL, peoria IL, Postpartum, Postpartum doula, springfield ILStacy Ash

Mom says she has a baby in her tummy and soon he will be here. She says I’m not going to be the baby anymore. This is all I have ever known.Read More…

20May/16

I Wish I Had a Doula for Our First Year of Marriage

May 20, 2016Birth Plan, Doula, Postpartum DoulaBirth Plan, bloomington IL, Bloomington-Normal, Doula, pekin IL, peoria ILkherzel

Just three months after we got married, I ran home over my lunch break to find a huge utility van in the parking lot with a big hose coming out of the backRead More…

12May/16

Do You Have a Labor Insurance Policy?

May 12, 2016Doula, Nonjudgmental Support, Postpartum DoulaBloomington, Bloomington-Normal, Central IL, Central Illinois, childbirth, Doula, Heartland Doulas, home birth, hospital birth, labor doula, natural birth, nonjudgmental support, VBAC, water birthkherzel

Imagine hiring a labor doula. You have built a bond over weeks or months and are looking forward to your doula being YOUR PERSON when you go into labor. You know youRead More…

04Feb/16

The uncensored truth for new parents

February 4, 2016Doula, New Baby, Parenting, Postpartum, Postpartum Doula, Uncategorizedbaby registry, Babymoon, Birth, Bloomington-Normal, Central IL, Doula, Heartland Doulas, newborn, Parenting, Pekin, Peoria, Postpartum, Postpartum doulaStacy Ash

You might want to sit down for this. You will never pee alone again. Say good-bye to snuggling. Hot meals? Forget it. Meet FROZEN LASAGNA, your new best friend. Laundry piles willRead More…

06Nov/15

Crunchy, Green, or In Between

November 6, 2015Doula, Nonjudgmental Support, Postpartum DoulaBloomington-Normal, Central IL, crunchy, Doula, epidural, Heartland Doulas, mainstream, nonjudgmental support, Pekin, Peoria, Postpartum doulakherzel

  Crunchy like granola. Many of us have heard it. Some of us have even said it. “Oh man, I let my kids eat McDonald’s today; I’m gonna get my crunchy cardRead More…

30Oct/15

Heartland Doulas, more than a name

October 30, 2015Birth, Childbirth Education, Doula, Placenta Encapsulation, Postpartum Doulababy, Babymoon, Birth, Birth Plan, Bloomington-Normal, Central Illinois, childbirth, Doula, midwife, Peoria, VBACStacy Ash

Heartland Doulas. We are here Central Illinois! Last night we celebrated our new agency, our new office, and the services we have already started offering in Bloomington, Peoria and surrounding areas. Doulas,Read More…

16Oct/15

An Open Letter to Clients Past, Present, and Future

October 16, 2015Doula, Postpartum, Postpartum DoulaBloomington, Central IL, Doula, Pekin, Peoria, Postpartum, Postpartum doulakherzel

Dear Past Clients: We failed you, my first certifying organization and I. All I learned in my labor doula trainings was that a postpartum doula does stuff after the baby is born.Read More…