Next up in our interactive resource list is a great chiropractor and just super nice dude, Dr, Jeff Langmaid! I had the pleasure of walking with Dr. Landmaid and his beautiful wife through the pregnancy and birth of their first daughter. It is so great to care for colleagues who really understand holistic wellness!  We recommend that all of our mamas see a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique throughout their pregnancies, then also have their babies seen soon after birth and throughout their lives for optimum wellness. Over the years, I have seen chiropractic care really change the course of pregnancies and births by allowing babies to get into the optimal position for delivery as well as helping newborns transition from womb to world. 

I had the honor to walk along side these ladies during their last pregnancies and attend Emily's home birth of her sweet boy Marlin. It is so special to see mamas get together and start something awesome! Even though I am a CLC myself- it can be difficult to provide the one on one lactation support a new mama can need when I am busy taking care of the midwifery side of things. These ladies have stepped up to the plate when our clients needed some extra support and we are so happy to share their talents with y'all! 

We are so excited to share - this is the first in a new blog series we are working on called Our (extended) Family!  We have decided to rid our website of our lackluster "referral" and "resource" lists for something much more thoughtful, interactive, and useful! We will be featuring our favorite local businesses, services, organizations, and people. Our (extended) family that we are constantly referring our families to. We want you to know who they are, what they stand for, and how they can actually help you!

If you know anyone who is featured here- please feel free to leave a comment telling everyone what your experience has been in working with them! We love building this big beautiful community with y'all! 

This first organization to kick off this series is one near and dear to our hearts. The Tampa Bay Birth Network is a local non-profit that aims to connect birth professionals with the families that need them!

We had a great (and HOT) time in the sunshine last weekend meeting people at the 2013 Tampa Bay Veg Fest! Some of the Barefoot Family Folks are long-time vegetarians (almost 20 years now for Mary Catherine! Oldie!) and all of us recognize the benefits of eating lots of plants during pregnancy and beyond so it was really nice to connect with families who are living consciously and to have a chance to sample all the delicious fare from local vegetarian restaurants.

Hi there!! My name is Patricia Cannon (Patty) I'm thrilled to be joining the Barefoot Birth family. I am a photographer who has a passion for capturing birth. Birth photography is what makes my heart happy.

I met Charlie almost a year ago when I was the photographer at a birth she was the student midwife for.

Here is my first birth captured while working with the beautiful Barefoot Birth team!! 

To celebrate Tampa Bay's newest midwife, Charlie Rae, we're offering special pricing on all photography booked in the month of October!

Maternity, lifestyle newborn, and family sessions booked in and shot in the month of October will have the opportunity to purchase the disc of high-resolution photos and print release for only $150 - that's a $350 savings! The standard $150 session fee will apply, bringing the entire cost to only $300 plus tax! 

Also, for a limited time, birth coverage with a high-resolution disc of images is available for only $700 plus tax! Email me at jeanine@barefootbirth.com to get started!

It is with great joy and excitement that we announce that Barefoot Birth is (FINALLY!!!) providing concierge home birth services and personalized prenatal care!  We are looking forward to preserving REAL home birth midwifery right here Tampa Bay!

Charlie and Jeanine recently attended the birth of baby A! Baby A's parents Ashlyn and Stephen had originally planned on a hospital birth, but transferred to Lakeland Midwifery Care at 36 weeks! We are all so happy that they did. Ashlyn was such a powerhouse birth goddess and Baby A's birth was absolutely beautiful. 

"...I think it’s time that we transfer your care.”

If you are planning an out of hospital birth, these are words you hoped you’d never hear, or thought wouldn't ever apply to your birth. I mean come on--you've eaten right, done all your prenatal yoga, read the latest Ina May book, and attended that 12 week long childbirth education class! You’ve done everything possible to prevent having to leave your intended birthing location. However, birth is unpredictable. As you and your labor partner prepare to transfer into uncharted waters, you’re feeling uneasy and wish that you would have hired a doula.

So many amazing families braved the heat to rally together to raise awareness about birth options today, and Barefoot Birth was proud to attend! We got to chat with mamas and papas while their kiddos colored our Barefoot Birth themed coloring book pages! 

As many of you know, Barefoot Birth began as a small little wish of myself and my best friend Megan. This past summer, I had the huge honor of attending Megan's first homebirth and welcoming her son earthside. Every birth is so special, but to walk with your best friend on one of their most vulnerable and important days is simply magical. 

These are two best friends who I had the honor of caring for simultaneously during their second pregnancies. Katie and Dana were due just days apart from one another. They became inseparable after meeting when they were teenagers. They put their story like this:

This story comes to us from a lovely family Charlie had the honor to walk with through their second birth journey as their doula. Sarah's stories are that of trauma, heartache, determination, and ultimately strength. Through everything, this family has navigated bumps in the road with so much knowledge and peace knowing that they were in control (even when they were not!)  We love to point out that this also shows that doula support is not just for unmedicated vaginal birth! Doulas support families through all sorts of events surrounding childbearing and parenthood.

Before I was even pregnant, I would drive by the birth center near my home and think “I need to have my baby there!”  I knew I didn’t want to have a hospital birth.  I had an irrational fear of having a cesarean.  It was a fear that became validated, but with time I’ve also come to understand the value of it as well.

Our Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for our Barefoot Bus has 24 more days and we are still not quite halfway to our goal. Though we are still very much in need of funds to get our Barefoot Bus supplied and ready to hit the road serving families in need this Fall, it hasn't stopped us from being hard at work at what we can.

We have been completely floored by what has come out of our (long awaited, painfully kept secret) announcement about the project. From people showing their support and excitement to the offers of help with the maintenance or day-to-day functioning of the bus. We have been so touched by generous donations, both monetary and of people's time. Some really amazing things have come out of the woodwork so far!

We have been so humbled and amazed at the outpouring of love and support from our beautiful community for our project! To everyone who has donated so far--THANK YOU! I feel like we cannot shout our thanks enough! The support we have received thus far has inspired us to give back in a fun way to those of YOU who are helping us out the most...That means it is contest time, y'all! 

My mantra along my path into birth work has been "let it happen." Birth work sought me out, wouldn't let me fight it off, and has thrown things in my lap along the way--beautiful, crazy, unbelievable things! I have been humbled beyond belief throughout the past five years with amazing opportunities, experiences, and the immense honor of witnessing such vulnerable experiences with the beautiful families I have served.  

As my formal midwifery training draws to a close, I asked the universe to just "let it happen" and tell me the direction my work should head in next. I never knew that the plan would not only make itself known, but then begin to happen right before my eyes. 

​We are so honored when our families share their birth stories here in this blog space, and we are honored to share another very important Birth Story with you that is being told through film.

​Like most birth workers, we love us some Ina May. For those of you who aren't familiar, she's known as the "mother of modern midwifery," a self-taught, straight-talking, gentle soul who isn't afraid to take on the establishment for the good of maternal health and better outcomes for birth.

This story comes to us from a beautiful client who is the mama to 3 precious girls. This was her 2nd homebirth. I love how calm she was even while cursing like a sailor to bring her baby earthside. I just adore this family and love that they have shared their story with the world! Enjoy! 

"On Nov 8, 2012 I was 41 weeks pregnant with my 3rd daughter Serenity River. I had a real urge to get some shopping done that evening, so after dinner I ran to Wal-Mart while Chris was home with the big girls. On my way to the store I started having back pain for the first time. So when I got back home, I ended up doing a "Bitch post" for the first time, complaining about my back hurting and was just DONE. I was ready for Serenity to come out and meet the world!  It was after we got the girls to bed that I realized this back pain was coming and going, which meant I was in early labor!! I called Gina and Charlie, my midwife and student midwife, to let them know what was going on. This is when Gina told me she was still not feeling well from being in the hospital sick for 5 days and that she couldn't come to my birth, she would have to send her back up Jill with Charlie.  I was really upset that she wasn't going to make it, but felt very comfortable with Charlie; I knew she was going to take great care of us.

"This story comes to us from a previous client who, despite several obstacles, had an amazing birth. This story highlights in detail what it is a doula ACTUALLY does. Stereotypes and preconceptions aside, this is how we as doulas help support families to feel confident in themselves. We are not there to do it for them, we CAN'T do it for them....we are there to make sure they are informed, loved, and feel heard every step of the way without our own agenda. Even when things don't go as planned, a doula helps you to find your path and feel confident in the decisions you're making."  

At the time, she was dubbed “Baby Poptart,” and no one but God and my very precocious 3 year old knew she was a girl. We were, of course, already in love with her, but worried a bit too. Not about her health, no, everything seemed on track and we had no reason to expect anything was off - and I’ll save you skipping to the end - nothing was, she was perfectly healthy. No, we were worried because we ended up in the middle of a situation in which we had far less control than we should have we had. Let me start at the beginning, 3 years prior.