beginning of the journey​

I am so honored to join you on this exciting journey! I believe that midwifery care is far more than just seeing you a few times and helping you "catch" your baby. I truly believe it is about trust, compassion, grace, and community. I also believe deeply in providing you with information that will answer many of your questions or give you ideas on ones to ask. I want you to know that all of this, while important, may not be able to be implemented from the beginning. You can read over the page, make a list of questions, and let me know what you can do right now to help give you the best pregnancy & birth possible. 

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The Action Items from today’s appointments are listed here:

• Diet Worksheet: Please download this food journal. Record everything you eat and drink for 7 days. Please upload your completed diet worksheet to your portal in the message center.
• Begin taking a prenatal vitamin, probiotics, and omega 3 supplements. At the top, under client resources, you will find a list of supplements I love. 
• Begin working on the "Five Things You Can Do For A Better Birth". (Read below)
• Give some thought to whether you want to find out if you’re having a boy or a girl right away.
• Follow Kharis Midwifery Care on Facebook & Instagram
• Download and keep this file on "When & How to Contact Your Midwife".

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Five Things You Can Do For A Better Birth:

1. Nutrition

   • Food, hydration, and supplements provide adequate nutrition for our bodies during pregnancy and are among the most crucial aspects of providing a better birth. Nutrition is not just about getting in enough macros. It is about building the foundation needed to help mom recover from blood loss, energy loss, and the hormone dump that will occur during labor.

   • My favorite books about nutrition in pregnancy are Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.

   • You can find a list of my favorite supplements on the supplement recommendations listed under client resources at the top of the page.

2. Mindfulness

   • Each of us has a way that we become mindful of our thoughts and actions. For some, it is prayer, and for others, it is meditation and/or relaxation techniques. Do what works for you and fits within your belief system. Learning and practicing what works for you now will allow you to use those tools during the hard work of labor.

3. Support

   • Support comes in many ways, but in the aspects of birth, we are talking about the people you allow into your space during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We highly encourage every woman to have a doula. We also encourage those who will be with you at your birth to read some encouraging books to help them begin to see their role and how they can best support you doing labor.

   • My favorite book for them is The Birth Partner, but many are listed on the recommended reading page.

   • To help you find a great doula, I have a list of my favorite doulas under client resources. 

4. Education

   • Even the most experienced of us desire education. For many of us, it is just hearing what we already know to be true, while for others, it is learning something new for the first time. Childbirth classes are the best way to learn from someone who has been there and a fantastic way for you to share your experiences with others. Taking the time to become educated on what is best for you and your pregnancy is one way to become empowered to stand firm during stressful and hard times. I have my favorite childbirth educators listed under client resources. 

   • You can also find quite a few books for reading under the recommended reading page. 

5. Exercise

   • Many of us think of exercise as spending hours at the gym, working up a hard sweat. We do not have to spend hours doing exercises to see the benefit during birth. Just a 30-minute brisk every day that gets your heart pumping and arms moving is the very best thing you can do. Another very beneficial exercise is doorway squats.

   • Chiropractic care is also a form of exercise that your pregnant body needs. While physical activity keeps your muscles and joints limber and in motion, chiropractic care keeps them where they belong. You can find my favorite chiropractors listed under the client resources above.

   • My favorite resource for exercises while pregnant is Train for Pregnancy.