Ashleigh Jones Doula

Happy third birthday my baby boy.

You are chaos personified. The biggest personality in the littlest body with the chubbiest cheeks. You are smart, determined, loving, and caring beyond belief.

You’ve adjusted to such big changes and come out stronger and with a million times more personality.

I wish you’d stop trying to wrestle your brother for like thirty seconds a day, but I’m more proud of you than you’ll ever comprehend.

It sucks not waking up with you on your birthday, so I’m holding onto the memories from three years ago. A full moon. Between worlds with you. Leaving my body to retrieve your soul and bring us both back down to earth.

I love you Easton Wren, and I adore you more than you’ll ever know 💜

My first photoshoot with the Australian Breastfeeding Project popped up in my memories today.

I wanted so badly to just get one photo of Cohen directly feeding, and when I first received this photo I was devastated. But then I realised how perfectly it captured the struggles we were going through.

Cohen had severe oral restrictions when he was born.
In his second week of life I did what so many parents do, just one bottle of pumped breastmilk so that he could bond with his dad. I thought nothing of it.
That was the last day he directly fed from me.

His ties were so bad that he could hardly move his mouth, so when he was offered a bottle that was SO much easier to drink from, he didn’t want anything else.
He formed a total breast aversion almost immediately and would scream and cry anytime I tried to feed him from my breasts.

I had a dear friend organise for me to see an IBCLC, who I later found out was very “conservative” with oral tie assessments.
The one good thing she did was refer me to a chiropractor who, despite informing me she wasn’t qualified to asses for ties, urged me to see a reputable IBCLC asap.

I met Rebecca from shortly after and she assessed that he had very restrictive ties and that he could hardly move his mouth because it was so tight.

We had Cohen’s ties released (with Rebecca’s support) shortly after, but unfortunately he never went back to directly feeding from me.

I only pumped for 6 months. I say only because it never would have felt like enough. It would take up to an hour each pumping session to get the bare minimum that he needed. And I was pumping 6-8 times a day/night. It consumed me.

This whole experience was heartbreaking for me, but it changed everything. It led me on my path to become a doula, and it forced me to become informed so that I could anticipate any problems that might come up with breastfeeding another baby.

I never really spoke about Easton weaning, but my goal was always to have him self wean and get to at least two years. We got two years and 4 months before he decided to wean.

I just hope my struggles help others see that they aren’t alone, and that it will be okay 💜

On Monday morning I found this beautiful monarch butterfly in my house. Just sitting on the ground, not injured, just chilling inside!

It happily crawled onto my hand and explored before I released it outside and it flew off happily.

I sat there wondering what it meant, because butterflies have always shown up in my life at potent times. But never like this.

A couple of hours later my youngest returned a positive result for the spicy flu, and then it all made sense.

I adore my children more than anything, but the idea of being shut inside our home for ten days nearly broke me. They never stop, and I’m the only adult in the house. It has been, and will be, a lot to handle.

But a transformation awaits, as I navigate and confront my shadows and the dark parts of me that struggle with solo parenting. That struggle without alone time. That struggle with being the fun mum all the time.

I know so many people are going through this, but there’s no doubt it’s rough, regardless of your circumstances.

So I’m holding onto this positive sign from the universe, and I very much look forward to coming out the other side.

🦋

We went to today to celebrate Mum’s 61st lap around the sun 🌞

Babywearing the littles so that we can wrangle the big ones - it never lets me down.

Swipe for Easton in prime proud old dad mode 🤲🏻

Reminder - bookings will be available soon for my postpartum doula services!

Here’s a testimonial from a beautiful human who I supported during pregnancy and her postpartum 🥰

“How can I list the ways in which postpartum support from Ash helped me? Despite being my second pregnancy I had no clue how much more I needed a doula after the baby arrived. We had just moved to the state due to my husband's new job, borders closed suddenly and we had no family support anymore. Ash showed up, listened, held my baby so I could take a moment with my first. She cooked nourishing food to aid in my recovery and guided me in looking after myself when the system failed me. She encouraged me to take action, stand up and speak out for myself and my new baby. She was there when I needed to cry and needed someone to cheer me on. She gave me advice in how to use a ring sling so I could have two hands to use while keeping my baby snuggling closely. While this was my last baby I would not hesitate to hire Ash again if it wasn't, and I encourage everyone I know is pregnant to consider investing in postpartum doula care because it is a priceless service. Thank you for all that you did for me and my family.”

Thank you for your beautiful words Jos 💜

What a fkn year 🙃

2021 was a year of LEARNING and GROWTH!

Just a few things I’m grateful for:
-My beautiful niece was born
-I witnessed the most amazing birth and was able to support this incredible family and watch them grow
-I found the strength within me to be a single mum, when I didn’t think I could
-I became absolute best friends with my bestie’s other half, and then I helped her pick out an engagement ring
-I learnt to let go of toxic relationships, and then I finally learnt to love myself
-I met the most beautiful human and legitimate love of my life, when I least expected it
-I watched my boys grow from such babies into incredible little humans, with understanding, empathy and emotional intelligence far beyond what I thought possible
-I spent time with family that taught me so much
-I gave myself permission to be me, a me no one has ever known, because she’s been shying away and keeping the peace

This has been the most challenging and painful year of my life, but the last few months made up for it in such a huge way.

I’m genuinely so happy right now, and after the depths of hell that I visited this year (last year 🤔) that’s such an incredible feeling.

I hope each and every one of you starts and spends this year loving yourselves, speaking your truth, and chasing happiness beyond your wildest dreams.

Big love 💜

A testimonial from this beautiful woman who gave me a birthday twin 💕
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Having Ash around regularly after birth was such a relief and blessing in my early sleep deprived days. Nothing was too hard for her! She always came bearing gifts whether it was food, bath salts, bits and pieces for baby. Ash is a wealth of knowledge and her calm and nurturing style was just what we needed to keep our little newborn bubble sacred. I treasure the memories I have of my early days in motherhood and Ash is an indelible part of those memories.
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I’m sharing these testimonials ahead of opening my books for postpartum doula support in the new year.
People often feel that doula support is a luxury that’s beyond their reach, but I want you to hear first hand the difference it can make.
In years to come you won’t think of the money you spent, but the love and support that you received in this precious time when you needed it most✨

A testimonial from one of the most beautiful humans alive. I was definitely sobbing after reading this 😭💜
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After journeying with us through my incredible second birth, Ash stayed on to support us through early postpartum.
Each visit she came with delicious snacks, a nourishing dinner and a big, warm hug. Having her there to talk through the transition in to mother of two was invaluable. Ash listened, held space and encouraged me to ask for what I was needing, something that doesn’t come easy to this little people pleaser. No request felt too much.
With my first I felt so anxious with others holding my baby, but i felt at ease having Ash take the baby for a walk, snuggled up in the carrier to give me time with my 2 year old, knowing that she would be straight back to me when I was needed.
She is honest, smart, bold and caring, she takes supporting you seriously, with a sense of humour.
Investing in Ashleigh’s service was an investment in myself and our family. I truly believe having beautiful support second time around helped keep my anxiety in check and set me up to thrive in new motherhood ♥️

My favourite time of year 🎄🎅

Very excited to share that I’ll be offering postpartum doula support in the new year!

Due to increasing demand I’ve decided to open my books three days a week for postpartum support, and more importantly, by the hour!

This means no signing up for big packages that include things you don’t need, instead getting exactly what you need in the hours you want and can afford.

Every postpartum visit I do looks different, but some of the services I offer include:
- breastfeeding support
- babywearing advice and education
- cooking and meal prep
- light cleaning
- running errands
- adult conversation and human connection amongst the chaos of parenthood!

Your postpartum care is what you need it to be, and I’ll tailor my support to suit your needs and circumstances.

I’ll have three days available each week for visits, but the number of visits will depend on my client needs and bookings. I’ll have an online booking system available soon, but please reach out before then if you’d like to book in or know more!

I’ll be sharing some beautiful testimonials over the coming days, to give some insight into how beneficial postpartum doula support is.

Ash ✨