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Kiara Selene

@kiara.selene

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📍NYC|BROOKLYN
Lifegiver 👩🏽‍🦱👦🏽👧🏽👶🏽
Birth Companion•Certified Holistic Doula
🌿Spiritual Herbalist•🙏🏽Reiki Sensei

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Looking for a doula like @kiara.selene? ⁠
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Head to the link in our bio to explore our full doula directory and find the right fit for you.⁠
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You don’t have to do this alone! We’re here to support you every step of the way.⁠
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#MeetTheDoula #NYCDoula #BirthSupport #PostpartumSupport #FindYourDoula by @kiara.selene

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a year ago

When I say I love midwives, I mean it from the depths of my soul.
I honor and appreciate every midwife who has crossed my path— for there has been a lesson in each encounter.
The path of the midwife is not for the faint of heart.
To the midwives who meet intensity with fierce, tender wisdom. The ones who honor the sovereignty of birth, quietly bearing witness as the life-giver rises in their power.
To the midwife who gently braided my client’s hair, countless hours into labor— with the patience only one who has held this kind of space many times before could embody.
To the midwives at the birth that lasted for days (😩😩), who held the energy high— never once doubting in the miracle of birth, or the strength and determination of that mother.
To those who remained alert, compassionate, unwavering— through every contraction, every moment of doubt, every whispered prayer.
We honor the midwife who didn’t flinch when things got intense— who trusted the process, trusted you, even when you weren’t sure you could go on.
To the midwife who sees you in your truest form— raw, radiant, unraveling— as you wander into the liminal space where one must go to meet their baby at the edge.
And who waits, ready to catch the life-giver as they return— falling into themselves and rising in their power.
To the midwife who sits on her hands so you can catch your own baby, but stays close—ready to catch you if you need.
This calling is sacred. And it’s hard. And still—midwives show up.
As I move deeper into this work, and reflect on my own path, I know this truth:
I would not still be here, answering this call into birthwork, were it not for you.
Thank you, midwives— for your hands, your hearts, your courage. For the quiet moments. The long nights. The cheerful giggles. The fierce advocacy. The warm embrace.
I love you. I honor you.
Happy International Day of the Midwife
#midwife #birth 🍃✨🌊 by @kiara.selene

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a year ago

Sixteen years ago, on Día de los Muertos, you came into my life and transformed it forever. You were my light as a young mother doing it alone— as we grew up together through every milestone, every challenge, every joy. You are the reason I know that I can do hard things, the light that pushes me to strive for a better version of myself. From such a young age, you’ve shown strength, talent, dedication, and unwavering discipline that fills us with pride. Watching you become this incredible young woman has been the greatest blessing! Happy sweet 16 Sage! Here’s to you, today and always. We love you!!🪴🧡✨ #sweet16 #dayofthedead #heartoutsidemychest #sagesupremacy by @kiara.selene

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2 years ago

I just burst into tears. It’s my baby’s bday!! How are you 14 already?? I’m immensely proud to be your mother. I can talk about how you get 95s and above on all of your classes. About how talented and athletic you are but that’s all just (really really great) stuff. What I cherish the most about you is how YOU you really are. 😂 How you are very vocal about your beliefs, how you don’t dim your shine for anyone, how you don’t bend to be what others would want you to conform to, how brave and outgoing you are. You’re the star and joy (but also the moody teenager) of this family. The world is such a better place with you in it. Love you CHILE. Thanks for being born.😘😘💙✨ by @kiara.selene

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4 years ago

Well take a look at that… blank slate ! by @kiara.selene

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4 years ago

It was my honor to support your family during this special time! 💙🙏🏽✨✨

Re- Posted @withregram

• @ayumiibarnett This is way overdue but today I wanna shout out our super doula Kiara!

We were so happy and lucky that she was our birth partner during pregnancy and at the birth time. Her doula wisdom and guidance were all greatly helpful and especially the timing she sent us to the hospital was perfect. She really helped us to be patient and avoid going too early. With her help I could give birth according to our plan. Birth experience is so complex and unpredictable, but I can’t appreciate enough for her support and the fate we found her.

She is @hypnobabiesofficial_ certified, which is a self-hypnosis birth program we were practicing and also Reiki master, which I have been studying since last year. On top of all that, she was so thoughtful, funny, down to earth and inspiring woman to be with. She made pills and art with my placenta, and made pot-pouri and anti-depression tincture with the umbilical cord. How incredible! I love them!

Thank you @kiara.selene 🧡

日本では聴き慣れないかもしれないけど、ドゥーラは基本的にお産パートナーとして妊婦に寄り添って妊娠中からアドバイスをくれたり一緒に出産計画を考えたりお産のときに立ち会ってサポートしてくれる存在。助産婦さんとは違います。こちらでは特に私の周りではできるだけ自然なかたちでのお産を望む人の間ではけっこうな確率でみんなドゥーラを雇ってる印象。
私たちが見つけたドューラ、キアラには本当に感謝。わからないことだらけで選択肢ばかりのこのイベントをあったかく見守りながら私たちの望む方向に導いてくれました。
産後には私の胎盤でピルとアートを、臍の緒でポプリと抗うつ作用のあるティンクチャーを作ってくれた🧡

#doula #doulasupport by @kiara.selene

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5 years ago

In honor of International Homebirth day here’s a repost from Gabby who rocked her homebirth!! 💙💙✨🙌🏽 YOU DID THAT!

Posted @withregram • @ogbbgabbs I started my contractions my due date which was April 11, however they didnt get intense until April 14, I had so many emotions that day, nervous, scared, excited! To meet my baby and be a new mom... i was in labor for 13 hours and it was honestly the most calming experience ever, in the far future i will definitely be doing a home birth again, my doula @kiara.selene helped me so much with the contractions and making me feel empowered, im not gonna lie there was some moments where i said “im not gonna be able to do this” and everyone was there telling me YES YOU CAN ! And i did ! At 521 pm my daughter Aries luna was born!! And i did it with no medication and no rips ! I want to give a big thanks to my birth team @tlcmidwifery even though ive thank you plenty of times you made my birth experience one of the most memorable moments in my life !! So many people doubted me in the process of this home birth, so many people told me i wouldnt be able to handle the pain, and in those very moments of pain all i kept thinking was IM GOING TO DO THIS AND PROVE EVERYONE WRONG ! and HERE I AM !! My daughter is now going to be 2 months and i love being a mommy and discovering new things with her !!

Im also very proud to say that i did not rip ! Which was one of my biggest fear and that also is thanks to my midwife who guided me on pushing and helped that big ass head get out my vagina 🤣🤣!! by @kiara.selene

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5 years ago

@birdsongbrooklyn #nourishedpostpartumchallenge DAY 4🌱 Recalibration of the Body/Mind/Self Call me extreme but a few months ago I rented out a bungalow to have a day at the beach. I knew that there was no way the long trek to the beach and back home would be feasible with two little ones. Not without exhaustion, not without some tantrums, not without causing me anxiety. And so, I did what I needed for my sanity. Taking care of the mind/body/self after a baby takes some well thought out planning. It takes creativity and an extra touch of love and compassion for your self. We had a beautiful time at the beach with family and I even got to do a new moon ritual by the ocean before leaving. By creatively finding a way to give myself what I wanted in the way that felt the most at ease for me, I was able to honor the mind/body/self. This continued honoring of my desires is what allows me to stay centered. You do not have to lose your self in postpartum. It is a time instead of rediscovery and even reinvention. #showupforpostpartum #postpartum by @kiara.selene

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7 years ago

Day 3: SLEEP If the mom is awake while everybody else sleeps, is she still a mother?
If you look through my camera roll you will discover that most of them are pictures of my sleeping family. I honestly didn’t know how I’d write about something I don’t get much of. I have not had a good night’s sleep since I became a mother nearly eleven years ago, more if you count that last month of pregnancy. With Sage I discovered that breastfeeding was better for my mental health since I didn’t have to get up every couple of hours to make bottles. It was a happy discovery because I didn’t have much help when I had her and she was a baby who cried a lot at night. I went seven months without any real sleep. Fast forward to 2017 Kyanite, much like his father loves his sleep and so he was one of those rare babies who slept through the night early on. But even so, I’d stay awake— too afraid to close my eyes, not trusting that something so fragile would be safe left unattended. Eventually the exhaustion got to me and I began to join him in his slumber. What about now? Now that I’ve added another baby to the bunch. I hear the familiar sound of my partner snoring... oooooh how I envied that sound when I’d have to nurse Kyanite through the night. Why don’t men lactate too? Make use of those nipples why dontcha!! Angelica Rose is latched and fast asleep while I write this out. She’s perfect, no complaints. She also loves her sleep. But my toddler... aww man! That perfect sleeping infant has turned into a toddler who absolutely refuses to sleep! Kyanite goes to sleep at around 4AM and I get up at 5:30 to make sure Sage gets ready for school. When do I sleep? Well, I get at least 3 solid hours somewhere throughout the day and a couple of cat naps. It has made being a functional being quite difficult. We get back on track— but then something will change in schedule. I’ll get called to a birth that takes me away from home for a couple of days and the cycle starts all over again. “Don’t let him nap during the day, wake him up early.” Yes, but sometimes I’m 2 exhausted to willingly wake up a toddler. Do you know how much energy they have? More than me by @kiara.selene

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7 years ago

Day Two✨NOURISHMENT✨ Ooh did I fool myself when it came to nourishment! I thought that I would spend the week prior to my due date preparing ALL of my meals to be stored and frozen in Mason Jars. I had my books ready, I was near a supermarket, this would be easy! But nope.. That didn’t happen— at all!
This is where my COMMUNITY showed all the way out.
Giving Thanks for everyone who took part in making sure I was nourished and fed post baby. For those who thought to create a meal train, those who participated in the meal train through donation, sending gift cards, or coming to bring hugs, love, tea and homemade fooood! 🤗🤗🤗
Giving thanks to my doula kin who brought me the most amazing soup and homebaked goods (I still fantasize about that meal). Much love to those friends who filled my cravings for things like chocolate covered pretzels or chocolate pizza with marshmallows, bananas and nuts!
Thanks to these lovely people I didn’t have to stress out about how/what I would feed myself post baby and neither did my partner. This was the first time I have EVER been so nourished during postpartum and it is all thanks to community. I am someone who has never learned to ask for help and so I am very grateful to have been surrounded by such cognizance.
My favorite thing to eat was my mother’s Sancoho. Sancocho is Dominican soup consisting of different meats (she used beef and chicken), yucca, platanos, auyama, y recao.
A nice hot Dominican avena (oatmeal) also always felt really good on its way down.

My go to when I needed something quick was a smoothie I obsessed over. It consisted of a nut milk base, bananas, nut butter (sunflower was preferred), cacao nibs, sunflower lecithin, and extras such as açaí or mixed berries. It’s simple to customize! && of course I drank tea religiously! At least 3x a day.

Physical nourishment post birth is something that I strongly believe is pertinent for optimal healing. It should be pre planned and not treated as an after thought. Make frozen meals, create a meal train, hire a postpartum doula! #nourishedpostpartumchallenge #postpartum by @kiara.selene

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7 years ago

Day One — Physical Healing
I want to post about my birth story and what better way to begin the conversation than with @birdsongbrooklyn #showupforpostpartum challenge

I really wanted to show up for myself during my postpartum period with Angelica Rose. I wanted to honor my body, the work that it had gone through, and my Ancestors by observing my cuarentena. My heritage is based from the Dominican Republic and for us the cuarentena is a period of 40 days where the new mother stays home, rests, and bonds with her baby. We are to abstain from sexual activities, refrain from washing our hair and make sure never to walk barefoot on the floor. This stems from the belief that our pores are open after birth and we must protect ourselves during this vulnerable time. Some families take it as far as covering of the head, which I would’ve done if I didn’t have faux locs in. There’s also a list of foods to be avoided *like pork* and others that are to be eaten to increase milk production *like bacalao.* A few days after my birth I began taking my herbal baths. Herbal baths are therapeutic for both mom and baby (it’s a great place to try for a latch if you’ve been having difficulties). The baths help reduce perineal swelling, heals lacerations, and helps with hemorrhoids. You can also use the herbs in a sitz bath.

When I transitioned from my birthing location to my home, I began belly binding. Traditionally Dominicanas use fajas, which is a girdle that goes around the midsection of the body but I knew that I could benefit more from the Malaysian Bengkung binding technique that I learned in trainings. The bengkung bind begins at the hips and works its way up to right beneath the breast. I had diastasis recti *still do* and this binding technique helps with assisting the muscles with fusing back together along with helping to close the hips, and providing postural support especially while breastfeeding. This was probably the most frustrating part of the process. There was a learning curve for me— doing it on my newly plush belly, trying to get enough energy, desire, and time away from baby to wrap myself... CONTINUED BELOW 🌱 by @kiara.selene

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7 years ago

My love, my princess, my firstborn babygirl... I am immensely proud of you! As I’ve said, “you’ve got me beat” making it into the G&T program at such a young age. Your academic accomplishments have always been impressive but what’s most important to me is that you continue to grow into the kind hearted and compassionate person that I know you are. May Universe and discernment deter you from distractions while guiding you towards making wise decisions. Know that you have a community of people who love you unconditionally and are here for you. Know that when you need a hand to hold, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to lean on— I am here for you even though you will have to bend a bit to get there now. Giving Thanks to family who have been here for us on this journey. I am always so grateful for every positive influence and impact.
Congratulations Kiarysel Sage! 🎉🎓 Here’s to our journey to middle school! May we all rise to the occasion to continue ensuring you are raised in a spirit of Excellence! 😉 👯‍♀️ by @kiara.selene

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7 years ago