asking for help

Asking for Help: Five Tips to Make it Easier for Parents During Pregnancy and Postpartum

By Nikki Shaheed | Dec 1, 2020

Dear parents, Asking for help can be a big challenge for parents, even though pregnancy and birth are natural times to need some extra support. Let’s take a look at…

Guest Post: How Can a Doula Support You? | Amanda Reyna

By Nikki Shaheed | Aug 19, 2020

How can a doula can support you (and a partner)? As you prepare for birth, you’re likely reading a book or a few, attending provider appointments, washing some small sized…

Heart Centered Pregnancy Deck

10 Ways for Birth Professionals to Use Heart Centered Pregnancy Deck

By Nikki Shaheed | Aug 3, 2020

I’m so excited to share that the Heart Centered Pregnancy Deck is here! This interactive card deck offers 35 reflections related to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, including… Self-Acceptance Patience Exploring…

covid-19

Triggers, Joy, and Grief Contractions. And That Was Just Wednesday.

By Nikki Shaheed | Apr 3, 2020

In a recent conversation with social justice trainer Aimee Brill, she talked about how intense conversations lead us to move from a triggered space to an open space, back and…

fear and birth

How to Interact with Fears in a Productive and Caring Way

By Nikki Shaheed | Mar 16, 2020

In a birth culture filled with messages that plant seeds of doubt about birth in expecting parents’ minds, it’s easy to understand how fear has come to have an unfavorable…

Slower is Faster

By Nikki Shaheed | Nov 23, 2019

A few months ago my friend Abu Bakr, a highly skilled martial artist told me about a saying from Tai Chi – “slower is faster.” He explained that instead of…

Helping My Kids Have a More Gender Equitable Future

By Nikki Shaheed | Oct 20, 2019

In the last ten days I’ve had two life-changing events. The first was an anti-racism training with Aimee Brill from Village Birth International. This two-day training helped the Birthing From…

self compassion

Finding My Way with a Broken Compass

By Nikki Shaheed | Sep 17, 2019

When I was young, I was a competitive figure skater. Some days I would wake up at 4:30 am to practice, and other days I would get off the ice…

birth story

How to Listen to a Birth Story with Compassion

By Nikki Shaheed | Jun 29, 2019

Parents often share birth stories with one another in parenting groups, on playgrounds, or on coffee dates. Without guidance or modeling on how to deeply listen to another person’s story…

cesarean birth

Fostering Connection and Resilience in a Cesarean Birth

By Nikki Shaheed | Apr 13, 2019

While most people refer to this type of birth as a c-section, in Birthing from Within we prefer the term Cesarean Birth. By shifting our language, we acknowledge that no…