Author: Hillary

Our 5 Favorite FREE Places to Play in the Tristate

When I looked at the list of required preschool items for my daughter’s school in Berlin, Germany, I was surprised to see rain boots, rubber overalls, and a raincoat on it. The Germans have a saying, “Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur schlechte Kleidung.” (There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes.) Let me tell you from experience, they take this and the requirement for daily time outside in the fresh air VERY seriously, & it changed my life. Getting outside changes our moods and helps regulate our nervous systems. We <3 Evansville for so many reasons, but especially because of this areas great FREE outdoor areas to explore that are kid friendly! Here are our 5 favorites.

Mickey’s Kingdom Playground

If you haven’t explored this awesome accessible and fenced in playground on the Evansville riverfront, then what are you waiting for?? With an attached bathroom and lots of parking, this playground is so much fun. There is even an area for littler kids while your bigger kids run to the other side. If you are prone to anxiety when you can’t keep eyeballs on your kid, this might not be your cup of tea. The whole structure is parent accessible, so you can definitely chase your wild things all over too. Extra special bonus points: a giant T-rex statue, structures form recycled milk jugs, & the world’s largest solar powered CommuniTree too!

Smothers Park

With an into-the-woods theme and so many play structures to explore, this park right on the Owensboro riverfront is so much fun! In the summer there is a wet section that your kids will LOVE to get into, so don’t forget to bring some towels and maybe a change of clothes too. My kids LOVED to pretend they were hunting at this park, and crawling through the fishes mouth was always part of the agenda too. This park is not fenced in, so if you have a toddler that likes to run, you may want to bring a leash. (Zero judgement, a parent’s gotta do what a parent’s gotta do!) Smothers park is a perennial favorite of ours, and not just because the drive back to our house is about the perfect amount of time for a big kid quick nap.

Friedman Park

If your kids thrive in more wide open spaces, Friedman Park in Newburgh is the spot to check out! There is a trail through the grassland that that is beautiful and a fully paved path all the way around the park great for balance bikes & strollers alike. The playground isn’t fenced in and there are not too many places to hide from the sun, but this is a great spot for a spring picnic or water fowl watching on the nearby pond. Google will get you there fine, and yes, you do drive through a neighborhood to find it.

Burdette Park

There is so much to love about Burdette Park on the west side of Evansville. There are several play areas that aren’t so huge that you’ll spend your time searching for your kid while they’re on the structures. Short trails beckon if you are looking for just a little forest bathing to soothe your wanderlust another day. In the summer, the swimming area is super fun too. Did I mention the paved trail that goes from Burdette Park to USI? Its also relatively quiet, especially in the spring. Burdette has always been one of my favorite places to wear out the kids, and I’ve heard the chalets are pretty great to rent for overnights too.

Garvin Park

In the heart of Evansville, Garvin Park is one of my favorite places to wile away an afternoon outside with the kids. This park has multiple playgrounds with abundant shade. Parking has never been an issue for me, and there are always all kinds of events happening in this park during the warmer months. Garvin is right next to Bosse Field where the Evansville Otters play as well as next to Deaconess Aquatic Center. If you haven’t been to this park other than to drive around it at night around Christmas, then you really should come check it out during the day too!

These are our top 5 favorite FREE places to get outside with the kids in Evansville. Whether you are pushing your baby in a stroller or wrangling toddlers on leashes, getting outside, even when the April showers roll in, will help improve your mood. Don’t worry, you and your kids are washable! Grab some snacks and spend some time outside together this spring. It might just make you smile and wear your kids out too.

Meet Doula Courtney Winkle!

Here we grow again!

After living in Owensboro her whole life and working as a doula there since 2022, Courtney reached out to us when she recently moved even closer to Evansville. I was instantly charmed when we met for coffee, and that was definitely partly because she’s from south of the Ohio River , but also because she’s an incredibly genuine person who tells it like it is. Courtney has a great head on her shoulders and a low B.S. threshold, which of course endeared her to me too. I’m so excited to be able to welcome her as the newest team member here at Doula Group of Evansville!

About Courtney

Courtney is a photographer, birth doula, and mom to two toddlers. She has been a doula for over two years, and is now working on her DONA certification. She has lived in Owensboro, KY nearly her whole life and has recently moved just outside the Evansville area. After the birth of her first child, Courtney truly realized how important birth support truly is. Courtney’s mission as a doula is to ensure that all of her clients feel informed, nurtured and safe throughout their birthing journey

In Her Own Words:

Why did you want to become a birth doula? After having my first child, I struggled deeply with postpartum depression due to lack of support. I quickly realized that I was not the only one. After lots of healing and inner work, I became a certified doula so I could be that support for the birthing people in my
community.


What do you love about living in Evansville? I love having so many activities for my kids to do! We spend a lot of time at the local museums, parks and zoo!


Where can we find you on a regular Saturday? Having family time outdoors!

Courtney is available!!

Courtney has already jumped into interviews with clients for DGoE & we’re so excited to have her as part of our team! Courtney’s summer is almost full so don’t wait if you’re due date is in July or August. Courtney is working to get all the paperwork finished to be on the list of approved birth doulas for The Women’s Hospital in Newburgh, and will of course be taking clients planning to give birth at Owensboro Regional Health Hospital, Ascension St. Vincent, Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, and everywhere else that DGoE doulas travel to support expecting families. Welcome to our team Courtney!!

We <3 Evansville!

I’m not from Evansville originally, so I will admit that a few things caught me by surprise when I moved here. The first time someone asked me where I went to school, my response was to say, “IU,” and they looked thoroughly confused. I was completely weirded out by someone actually wondering where I went to high school, because where I’m from your high school was easy to figure out if you knew where the person is from. BTW: I grew up in Yorktown, IN and went to Yorktown High School, in case you were wondering. I’ve lived in multiple states and even one foreign country, so many of my friends who live elsewhere have asked me why we chose to settle down in Evansville. The easy answer is that my husband’s family is here, but the actual answer has evolved the longer we live here. I’ve truly grown to love this little city, partly because of the awesome resources we have that I get to recommend to our clients all the time. Evansville is a little city, but we definitely have some great resources for expecting and growing families! Here are some of my favorites:

Chiropractic Care

Whether you are searching for a chiropractor to help you align your pelvis for birth, encourage your breech baby to flip, or to help with craniosacral therapy options, you are covered. We’re honestly really lucky to have outstanding chiropractic care in this area, with outstanding providers who I love talking to. Even 2 who will happily tell you all about their own home birth experiences!

Lactation

I LOVE how much help this area has for people who might be struggling to feed their baby human milk or even just looking to donate their own milk to NICU babies. Did you know you can do that at The Women’s Hospital? Yep! Both of our local Evansville Hospitals have lactation departments full of people ready to help you feed your baby! They will meet you by appointment, have weigh and stay groups, and are super knowledgeable about all things lactation with zero judgement. BTW: if anyone ever acts judgmental about how you feed your baby, smile, nod and ask them to leave. Even if you deliver your baby at home, you can go to see the lactation consultants at Ascension St. Vincent or Deaconess The Women’s Hospital. Don’t want to leave the house? Ground Works has an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant that will come to you!! How great is that??

Oral Issues

If your baby is having issues latching, you may want to have them assessed for possible tongue or buccal ties–tethered oral tissues that make it challenging for them to get milk out of your breast. We have 3 dentists within this area that can help with that: Dr. Hubert, Dr. Seng, & Dr. Hancock-Jones! Maybe your child has an oral issue that doesn’t require a laser revision, rather a gentler approach to release tightness or move things around. That’s when we would send you to see the experts at Functional Face. Craniosacral therapy can also help with this in case you didn’t know that, so you have all kinds of resources to explore!

Pelvic Health

We FIRMLY believe that everyone who gives birth would benefit from visiting a pelvic floor physical therapist! Your body goes through some MASSIVE changes through pregnancy and postpartum, and a physical therapist can help you feel better, deal with incontinence, heck, even just get reacquainted with the muscles you need to keep everything inside of you. Yes, seriously! We are soooo happy to be able to refer people to outstanding physical therapists at Forefront Therapy, Ascension St. Vincent, & Deaconess The Women’s Hospital too!

Prepped Food

Last but not least, one of our oh so Midwestern favorite traditions is to send food to help new families transition to having a new baby. I am not someone that loves to cook, and I am someone who has friends flung far and wide, so I always appreciate having local resources to send home cooked meals to my friends or family wherever they are. There are several businesses that specifically cater to this market, and special bonus points that two of these are for the VEGANS in your life that everyone seems frightened to cook for too.

This little city has some outstanding resources, and we LOVE sharing them with our clients and everyone we know. The awesome people are honestly part of why I love living here, and the resources that have grown in the last 10 years since I started as a doula here have really helped keep my family here too. Do you know of an amazing resource here that we missed? Let us know! we’d love to add it!!

We Care about our Statistics

We like transparency! 2023 was a weird year.

I like numbers, even though I’m really not that great at math to be honest. One of my favorite things to do every year is to look at how we as doulas are doing. Are we making difference for our clients? Does that difference show up in our outcomes in addition to what our clients say to us? Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they certainly tell part of it. Here is part of our story from 2023.

Primiparas rule!

Whether expecting their 1st or 6th, we served all kinds of clients, but 2023 was full of MANY 1st time parents (primapara). Maybe it is the fact that we offer access to a full online childbirth education and partner support class. Maybe it is the fact that our clients all recommend us to their friends? Maybe our group is the first to come up in a Google search and then we wow potential clients in the interview? Whatever it is, we’re here for it and look forward to continuing to serve as many families as will have us!

Inductions GALORE!

We go all kinds of places, but The Women’s Hospital in Newburgh seems to be the most common. Maybe because we’re all on the approved list of doulas there, so we don’t count as visitors? Maybe because many providers there recommend us to their patients? Maybe because 2/3 of people who give birth in our area, give birth there? We’re happy to serve our clients in all kinds of places, including in their homes with a qualified midwife in attendance too by the way. That induction percentage blew me away when I saw that come through too. So many thoughts on that, but still ruminating on it a bit.

Transparency

Did you know that your provider can find out ALL of their numbers and share them with you too? I think transparency would be a great way to possibly change the way things are done. Transparency in statistics like primary NSTV cesarean rate, episiotomy, VBAC, and so much more would help not only patients make informed decisions about choosing a provider, but would also help providers to hold themselves accountable with DATA rather than just feeling their way through the dark about how they actually practice not just how they feel that they probably practice. Accountability is key in reducing unnecessary interventions, as supported by reams of scientific literature.

I digress…just show us the provider specific numbers! I’ll be looking at the hospital specific ones and posting about those too soon.

As doulas, we don’t promise any outcomes, but we know from the scientific evidence that having a doula does improve some outcomes and definitely patient experiences! Our job is to support our clients no matter what their choices are for themselves. We make sure they have the best information possible and support your unconditionally and without judgement. Everyone deserves to have someone in their corner!

Cheers to 2024 and being able to continue to serve families as they move from expecting to beginning.

Resources for Black Families

Four resources by and for black families!

We’re celebrating a different type of Black Friday today by sharing four resources that we want ALL black families to know exist! With all the scary statistics about maternal and infant mortality and morbidity for black families here in the United States, we know that getting pregnant, giving birth, and getting through postpartum can be a stressful time. Honestly, the statistics that are constantly bantered around scare us too, but instead of focusing on the problem, we’d like to take the time to focus on solutions specifically developed by members of the black community for black families. Even if you don’t identify as black, you should honestly know about these resources too!

Irth App

Conceptualized by author and activist Kimberly Seals Allers, the Irth App aims to knock out racism in maternity care. Through reviews by black and brown families, you can search your area for providers from pregnancy through pediatrics. I love that they are also turning those reviews around to push for policy changes at the systemic level too. This tool is only as good as the information we give it, so if you have experienced racism in your care at a specific hospital or with a specific provider please share your experience in the app. This is a tool for disrupting the system that protects the powerful.

Count the Kicks

Have you ever worried about your baby’s movements but counting them is confusing? Worried about your concerns being dismissed? Count the Kicks is an outstanding resource for ALL families that not only educates you about baby’s movements, but also documents them for you to be able to share with your provider or anyone caring for you in the healthcare system. This app will track the trends of your baby’s movement so that you have a record to be able to pull up to show anyone asking. I love this app especially for black families, because sadly the risk of you concerns being dismissed can become too real, and this helps you have a tool to point to data.

Reproductive Health Impact

Looking for resources on respectful maternity care and things to think about when you are building your maternity care team? Reproductive Health Impact has you covered! This outstanding non-profit is doing the work in not only advocacy but also capacity and power-building within the black community. Their work on reproductive health equity is widely celebrated, especially for their focus on black produced scholarship, activism, and experiences. If you work in healthcare, they are also developing tools to help reduce inequity and improve birth outcomes for black families. Check out their resources, and definitely keep them on your donation list!

Black Mamas Matter Alliance

Working to shift culture so that black families can THRIVE is what Black Mamas Matter Alliance is doing, and that is no easy task. Through advocacy, education, scholarship, and policy work BMMA places black voices and experiences at the center of their work. The resources & literature available on their website are helpful for all black families looking for how to navigate the healthcare system. If you are looking for how to not only come out alive but how to thrive, BMMA is a great place to start that journey by and for black families.

Being anti-racist in a capitalist patriarchy to us means being cautious about where we put our money, time, and all other types of support. There are plenty of other amazing resources out there too, 4Kira4Moms for example, and these four resources listed above could definitely send you down an entire rabbit-hole of information. These four resources specifically are by and for black families and help put tools in black families’ hands. We know that having someone on your team who understands your experience from the inside is invaluable, and these resources are excellent parts to add to that equation that can help your entire experience add up to one of JOY!

3 Things I Wish I Knew

Learning the hard way has always kinda been my thing. I have a kid who takes the same approach to life, and it is soo incredibly frustrating to witness. Looking back, there are several things I really wish I knew going into my first pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I really tried to inform myself as much as possible, and honestly I maybe read too much–partly reflected in the B I got in one of my grad school classes the semester I found out I was pregnant–though all the vomiting & napping surely didn’t help that either. Some of these hindsight observations might surprise you! 

Approach Matters

I wish I knew the difference between the obstetric & midwifery approaches to prenatal care. While my friends were getting 5-10 minutes with their OBs, I was getting 30 minute talks with my midwife about all of my worries so that they had a whole picture of my life and not just some measurements and numbers in a chart. My friends who had family practice doctors for their care had much more similar experiences to mine with the midwives too, and for low-risk pregnancies some family practice doctors are amazing. Finding a provider that you’re comfortable with and who you don’t dread seeing is probably the most important part though, regardless of what model of care they practice. 

Expectations?

I wish I knew that giving birth inside a hospital could be an amazing experience. I read and heard ALL the horror stories about getting run over by the system. I walked into my birth fully armed with all the information and ready for a fight to get the birth I wanted. I ended up having the most supportive team around me including my amazing nurse, my midwife, my doula, and even the supervising OB who stopped by for my whole pushing stage and whose words frankly got me through to the end. I will fully own my privilege and say that being a middle class presenting, white, fairly attractive & fit person (at the time anyway)–all of those things signaled different things to the people in the room on how to treat me. But I didn’t expect everyone to be so kind and supportive of my plan to give birth without medication or intervention in a hospital whose reputation is a “baby factory” known for high intervention rates in the area. The support afterwards with lactation was also so great. I wish more people would talk about their GREAT experiences too. 

Right Way?

I wish I knew that there was no one right way to do all of this. My first time around, I was searching for what the RIGHT way to do things was. The lesson I continually come back to with parenting and birth and all of it, is that there is no one right way. I would have spent so much more time thinking about what was right for me and my family and my baby and the situation we were in at the time regarding finances, location, information, ability, capacity, etc. I stressed myself out to the point of exhaustion trying to find the “right” way, when I truly wish I had spent more time focusing inward and figuring out where & who to ask the questions when they came up later. 

When you look back on your pregnancy, birth, & postpartum, what did you learn through hindsight? Are there things that you would do differently? If this is your first time, I urge you to take the 20 years perspective and think about how important some things that you might be fighting for right now, might actually be in the grand scheme of things too. As a doula, I can say that how you remember this will stay with you for the rest of your life. Your experience matters, so find what is important to you and surround yourself with people who share your values and approach to things. What would you add? 

If you are wondering where to get started in your journey through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, we have a resource just for you! Grab our free EBook written to help take the worry out of the beginning. Ready to talk about adding a doula to your team? Book a FREE 30 minute call to talk about who on our team might be the right fit for you. We also offer a FREE Biweekly newsletter with ideas, news, & resources open to anyone. We truly do want our experience to help improve yours!

Meet Birth Doula Eliza Brock

Eliza is trained & ready to help you have your best birth!

My first impression of Eliza was a recognition of a kindred spirit. She is incredibly genuine and earnest, and smiles easily. She didn’t balk at all when I mentioned our non-negotiables and came to our first meeting with well thought-out questions, especially for someone who was brand new to doula stuff. She is thoughtful and observant, and all of these traits will serve her greatly in her new role as a birth doula on our team at Doula Group of Evansville.

Eliza has spent the last nine years growing up with her big family in Newburgh, Indiana. She currently still lives in Newburgh with her fiance and two cats. She has worked as a patient care technician in pediatrics and has a passion for working with families and their children. Working as a doula is a career that she knew she wanted to pursue when she took child development in high school. Learning about the intricacy of families and their birth experiences inspired her to apply her knowledge to help others in her community as a doula. With a little experience, she’s going to have even more insider information to share with the families in her care too!

Eliza Brock, birth doula

Why did you want to become a doula?

When I started babysitting at a young age I realized I wanted a career working with families and their children. When I took a child development class in high school that solidified my choice to be a birth doula!

What do you love about living in Evansville?

I love all the local events that happen here and bring the community together for a fun time!

Where can we find you on a regular Saturday?

When it’s warm outside I love being outdoors with my fiancé!

Eliza has completed her training and is now working toward her certification. To that end, she is offering 1/2 off her birth doula services for her first 3 clients! Don’t wait; these will surely go fast.

Click here to book now!

Welcome to the team Eliza! We’re so excited to help you get started on your doula journey. The best part of working on a team of doulas: you’re never alone just winging it trying to figure out all the things yourself. Eliza has the most experienced team of doulas behind her helping every step of the way. I know she’s going to be an AMAZING doula for every family she serves!!

Childbirth Education Promotes Partnership

A quality childbirth education class can help you have a more symbiotic relationship with your chosen birthing location.

In Finding Nemo, Marlin explains to his son Nemo that rubbing his body on the sea anemone that is their home helps make sure that the anemone won’t sting them when they go in and out of its tentacles. The anemone usually stings its prey before devouring it, but has a symbiotic (friendly) relationship with the clown fish that uses the anemone as their home. The clown fish get protected from other predators and the anemone gets some essential nutrients from the clown fish, all because they come together to change each others’ skin microbiome (read more science-y stuff here). What does this all have to do with learning about giving birth to human babies in childbirth education courses? I’ll tell you three ways!

1. Expectations

Knowing what to expect, especially from something that could sting you, really helps you be more satisfied with the process. Going into birth without knowing what to expect can set you up to get shocked by all the things that can and do happen. No matter where you are planning to give birth, setting your own expectations for how things could go is going to help you be better at going with the flow of birth. Taking a quality childbirth education course helps you and your partner work together better on the big day, and helps you partner with your provider because you anticipate what is coming next. Being knowledgeable about the process eases anxiety for some people too, and that’s a great thing.

2. Needs

The clown fish and anemone each give something needed to each other in their partnership; it benefits them both. Understanding the needs that you will have in labor and how the people around you can help meet them is part of any great childbirth education class. How do you like to be touched during stressful times if at all? How do you communicate your needs to your partner when you can’t speak? What are the needs of your hospital/birth center/birth team when you arrive as far as paperwork, blood work, exams, etc? Knowing before you go or before your team arrives to your house for your delivery, helps everyone be on the same page. The better the understanding of needs for everyone in the room, the better the partnership. An excellent childbirth education course can help everyone get their needs met when it comes to the big day, and even afterwards

3. Learn from Others’ Experience

How do clown fish learn to rub themselves on the anemone to not get stung? They learn from other fishes experience. (Though clearly someone had to be the first fish to figure this out and also first human to give birth, but I think you get what I’m trying to say here.) Certified childbirth educators are experienced not only in teaching childbirth education, but also in adult learning principles and techniques. Having taught both children and adults, I can say that without a doubt, they are NOT the same! Learning from an experienced and independent childbirth educator means that their content is not only evidence-based but they can also teach you about ALL the options, even those that aren’t as common (or even offered) in different birthing locations or with different providers.

When you are expecting a baby, taking a quality childbirth education course is a real must. Taking a childbirth education class promotes a lovely symbiotic relationship & helps you know who to navigate the twists and turns of labor and delivery together. In 2024, the Doula Group of Evansville will be offering in-person childbirth education courses again!! I’ll be announcing dates soon, so be on the lookout!!

Your Feelings Matter for Birth & Postpartum

Your feelings during labor and delivery make a difference not only on the big day, but also in how you remember your birth experience.

Our thinking brains like to imagine that our hearts and feelings don’t influence the way our body or brain works, but it is so wrong. Your emotions affect so many things, and keeping that in mind when you are going through pregnancy, labor, delivery, & all throughout postpartum can be a little daunting. For me, protecting my emotional health during that time felt like one more thing that I didn’t have time to worry about really. First, let’s talk about why your emotions matter and a few things that may challenge you during this time. I promise, this blog post is going to end with some helpful ways to keep your peaceful mindset, because we all need some extra tools to handle this whole wildly human experience.

Because of Hormones

Your hormones are little messengers that run around your body telling it what to do. They are really important for pregnancy, labor & delivery, & postpartum for so many reasons, but I’m going to outline two big ones here. The first thing they do for you in labor and postpartum is they keep things going. Anxiety & stress produce hormones that make your labor slow or even stop, and does the same for your milk production. The giant flood of hormones you get during labor and early postpartum also means we remember MORE and in greater detail. Seriously, ask anyone who has given birth about their story, and they will share far more details than you can even imagine even MANY years later. There are all kinds of evolutionary reasons that our bodies have adapted to do this by the way, because we’re mammals. Anxiety & stress produce these hormones because if we were an animal giving birth in the wild and a predator started stalking us, then we would WANT our bodies to stop labor so we could get up and run away. (Also a reason for animals to eat their placentas–to hide the evidence.) The distinctly human part of this is that our anxiety & stress can be triggered by all kinds of things, including just thoughts inside our amazing brains or even just a sideways look from someone.

Challenges

There are all kinds of things that can increase our likelihood of our anxiety and stress being triggered in labor, delivery, and early postpartum. Things like a lack of privacy & interruptions in your flow can inhibit your ability to relax and for your body to make the hormones to keep your contractions going. People with a history of abuse, assault, or other trauma can really feel their stress hormones escalate in labor and delivery, which is another reason that trauma informed care is sooo very important. Bright lights, strange noises, & smells can all bring those stress hormones whooshing around our bodies. No matter what your specific challenges are to keeping calm and relaxed, developing the tools you need before you have to use them will help you meet any challenges that might arise!

Tools to Help

Don’t be shy about asking for what you need to feel better during labor and postpartum. Keeping the lights low in your room can be really helpful for decreasing anxiety & making a space more cozy. Some people bring twinkle lights to hang up or a tapestry to hang to make the space more their own too. You can even bring a sleep mask and earplugs if they help you. I always suggest packing your own pillow and blanket to make the space smell and feel more like home too, and keeping your partner close definitely helps some people relax more. You can make a sign for the door to remind people who enter to please use hushed voices and respect the energy in the room. Nothing ruins your flow more than someone walking in and talking loudly while you’re just trying to get through your contractions or trying to get your fussy baby to latch. Protect your space and communicate your needs, and if you need some help with that, a doula might be someone to consider adding to your birth or postpartum team.

You can’t live in a bubble, but you can hold space for yourself for this profoundly human experience of bringing a new baby into the world. Developing tools such as breathing techniques, body awareness, meditation, self-hypnosis, & grounding techniques can help you not only stay calm for labor and delivery, but also for postpartum. Psst, these techniques even work for parents to teenagers—ask me how I know. With 20 minutes a day of calming practice, you can learn to bring your nervous system back to calm and keep those good hormones flowing. Your feelings matter!

Something Stinks!

Do you have a super sniffer during pregnancy? Why? How do you cope with it?

Pregnancy can be really challenging when all of a sudden your sense of smell seems to be supercharged. For many people, super-smell is one of the first symptoms that they notice in their first trimester. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had an immediate reaction if anyone in my midwife’s waiting room was wearing perfume. YUCK! All of a sudden my husband smelled like he was a bathing in sausage water and walking into our pantry would instantly make me run to the sink. When my husband brought me a beautiful bouquet of stargazer lilies that I used to LOVE, I couldn’t even walk into the house with them there. Your sense of smell makes a huge difference in what you eat and how well you can keep the contents of your stomach inside of you too.

Why??

I found this article that reviewed all the scientific evidence about pregnancy and the sense of smell. What we know from science is that most people (90%) report having a sudden repulsion to certain smells, while only 10% find any smells better than when they weren’t pregnant. There are several theories as to why, the leading one which seems to be that it possibly helps you avoid toxins to protect the growing baby inside of you. They even gave people pregnancy hormones to try to see if it was hormonally related, and the results weren’t very conclusive. Another study summarized there didn’t find any heightened sense of smell in their participants between first trimester and postpartum. The author of course also adamantly notes that an abundance of anecdotal evidence exists to support increased olfactory senses during pregnancy, and suggests further research into the phenomenon. There are plenty of other theories, but no true abundance of evidence points to one simple explanation why 2/3 of people report super-smellers during pregnancy.

What Can You Do?

Stink happens, but how can you really deal with ALL the smells that make you want to hold your nose? I personally took a page out of the Victorian era playbook: I kept something good smelling in my pocket. This could be a favorite lip balm, a handkerchief with some essential oils on it, or even a vapor inhaler if that menthol smell is still appealing to you. Wearing a tight fitting N95 mask is another option that we should all be familiar with now too. I knew one friend who suffered so much with Hyperemesis Gravidarum that she actually kept alcohol wipes in her pocket in case a wave of nausea overtook her. Trying to keep track of all the smells that are terrible isn’t honestly worth your time though, because they could change and you’re sure to encounter some unexpectedly. Be prepared, and don’t be shy about keeping emesis bags in your car and purse in case you need them. Maybe your super sniffer would feel better going to somewhere that will 100% smell good, like a spa?

Rest assured, most people report that their super sniffer skills fade when they aren’t pregnant anymore. I promise you that my husband doesn’t still smell like he’s sweating sausage water and grandma perfume doesn’t make me instantly hurl anymore. Some aversions might stick with you, like I still can’t smell stargazer lilies, despite the fact that I really do think they are beautiful. I also can’t eat saltines anymore, but that has nothing to do with smell and more to do with the memory associated with eating far too many in my first trimester. You may be too busy changing diapers to even notice when your sense of smell goes back to normal, but you will 100% appreciate that fact when your baby starts eating solids and their poo changes smells again.