Your birth story is powerful, personal, and worth telling. Whether your journey went just as planned or took unexpected turns, writing about your experience can be a beautiful way to process, heal, and honor your story.

In this post, we share thoughtful prompts to help you capture the emotions, sensations, and meaningful moments from each stage of your labor, birth, and early postpartum. Every detail matters. Your story matters.

The Fourth Trimester is a tender and beautiful time. Developing a plan, preparing for gentleness, and gathering your support network are just a few things that could help you on this healing and bonding journey. The Co-founders of The Nurturing Company hope these suggestions will help you feel more prepared and supported during your postpartum period.

Choosing a doula can be one of the most empowering decisions you make during pregnancy—but how do you find someone who truly aligns with your needs, values, and birth vision? In this blog, we walk you through the key questions to ask, what to look for in a doula, and why they’re such an invaluable part of your birth team. With insights from Bri and Randi of The Nurturing Company, this post is your guide to building a birth experience rooted in trust, support, and informed care.

How Oxytocin and Endorphins Work Together

Here’s where the magic really happens:
As oxytocin ramps up contractions, the body releases endorphins to balance the intensity.

It’s a perfect feedback loop:

• Stronger contractions → more endorphins → better coping

• More endorphins → more relaxed body → more oxytocin

• More oxytocin → stronger labor → the cycle continues

This beautiful balance helps you stay present and grounded, even through the most intense waves.

A gorgeous, bright and colorful West Michigan homestead maternity family session by Randi Armstrong a birth photographer and doula with The Nurturing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This session has it all, goats, chickens, patterns, colors, popcorn, snuggles, and laughter. Check out what a full maternity session with The Nurturing Company can look like!

Music plays a big part in setting the tone in your labor space, picking the music that will support you can be a really fun way to prepare for your birth!

Randi Armstrongs Birth Story - Welcoming Juniper Prudence! A 2023 unmedicated hospital birth in Grand Rapids, Michigan supported by doula Hannah Dilly, birth photographer Emily Croff and midwife Sarah LaGrand.

Birth photographer and doula Brianna Trammell tells her second birth story—the birth of Harper. This birth was within her home and was the freeing, loving, and safe birth she needed. Follow along for this incredible and speedy redemptive birth story.

You have reached what feels like (or maybe should be) the end of your pregnancy. However, you are still pregnant. Here is a letter that you may need to read more than anything else today.

Love, The Doulas at The Nurturing Company.

Your feeding journey deserves celebration! What better way to mark a milestone than with timeless photography? Brianna Trammell discusses the beauty of latch photography sessions with The Nurturing Company. Check out this blog to learn more about them and why you might love them, too!

Carrying a baby in your womb for 40 weeks is hard work! Here are a few reminders that Randi Armstrong needed this week for her pregnancy journey, mindfulness, and personal encouragement.

We hope they inspire you to write out your own pregnancy affirmations to give yourself the pep talk you deserve, you amazing life giver!

The birth story of The Nurturing Company goes all the way back to 2022 and a cup of coffee. We’re excited to share our origin story with you and dream together about what the future might hold for the Grand Rapids birth scene and all of the sweet babies yet to be born.

Brianna Trammell’s first birth story, welcome sweet Harmony!

The story of how birth doula and photographer Randi Armstrong became a birth photographer. She details the first birth she ever attended and shows examples of her work changing over the years, through solo business ownership, joining Sprout and Blossom Birth and then co-founding The Nurturing Company with Brianna Trammell, it’s been an exciting few years!