Springtime Note to Community
Happy Springtime to all! For my folks on the Central Coast — goodness, it’s like we hopped right on into mid-Summer with this heat & the ever-presence of the sun! I hope you all are keeping cool through this wave & that some gentler rhythms may arrive for us all soon enough. I’m writing to you to share some general updates & reflections after a restful (and also, generally full) Winter stretch.
I intended for Winter to be a quieter season, and it was that in some ways, and full, resounding, in others. Resounding like an echo in the forest — not overwhelming, but with a particular presence, a reminder that though it may feel like it’s just me & the trees, we’re all connected in subtlety, and we bounce off one another in ways that remain unseen, though certainly felt.
As the Monarchs arch across my backyard and the hummingbirds move to & from their nest in one of our native bushes right nearby the butterflies, I’m sat witnessing the day move through its motions as I tend to inner happenings in my living room. I’m in a part of my day that often feels liminal, Winter-like in nature, as I remain inside and tend to inner happenings, home needs, e-mails, scheduling, and the like, before I venture out into the world to meet with doula families, check on seeds, seedlings, and flowers at the farm, and eventually wander home for the day. These rhythms are so dear to me, and I intend to keep them gentle, soft as we wander into Spring. There is no rush.
In the past, Spring and Summer have overwhelmed me, particularly when I was in the depths of farming on the San Juan Islands. Nowadays, I try to mindfully curate my client loads, flower needs, and personal happenings so that frustration, anger, and overwhelm — markers of misalignment in Spring, generally speaking — don’t take hold and simmer into a boil by high Summer days. With that, I’ll share with you some self-tending rituals I’ve delved into to attune to these seasonal shifts (especially with the heated days already with us) —
• Movement and massage to tend to the lymphatic system, fascia, and strength training for bone/muscle/cardio health.
• Intentional nature walks & herbal harvests with community.
• Reading books not only related to midwifery, but the plant world, nutrition for my own self, and fictional reads to allow for some mental world-expansion outside of thinking about the childbearing years, maternal healthcare, & the like.
• Curating gatherings (such as this retreat with Hannah of Wild Trek Wellness in June) that truly feel of the heart and like my hands want to create them, tend them, bring them into being.
These are not constants, but they are guiding lights in my life, and especially grounding as I shift into warmer, lengthier days with more families in-dates, flowers asking for assistance, and community waking up to more social happenings and gatherings.
With all that in mind, I’m extending that intentionality into who is in my care and how many families I see per day and per month (for birth support). I am currently booked through September for birth support, with minimal postpartum / meal delivery support available throughout the Summertime.
I have selective availability going into the Autumn months and semi-regularly update my availability on my Doula Offerings page. Every so often, space opens up last minute, so please reach out if you are interested in receiving care. Worst case, I’ll refer you to another lovely SLO County Birth Doula!
As I’ve shared elsewhere on my site, I highly value longevity in relationship and some extension of continuity of care (as it’s created in the Midwifery Model of Care) in my doula services. Reaching out earlier on allows us to adequately grow our relationship and trust to optimize my offerings to you and your family throughout the entirety of your childbearing years. This is what doula work is all about — the knitty gritty community essence and work of it all — and I’m here for it. You deserve comprehensive, holistic, attuned, and informed care so you can feel embodied, empowered, and steady throughout the months & spirals of change, shift, blooming, shedding, and all the beauty & wild wonder of perinatal into birth into postpartum.
I’ll wrap this up as I have to boogie out the door shortly now — thank you for being here & welcoming me into the SLO Community so sweetly. It’s been a glorious 2+ years here & I cannot wait for all that’s to come. For now, though, I’m most grateful for this moment — birds chirping, dreams stirring, sun high in the sky, a light fog rolling in, and families down the road, waiting for me to arrive. Off I go!
Blessings to you — may your cup run over just enough so the rivers of self flow back to the sea that we all share.
Caroline
