Hi! I miss you! If you miss me too, you can see a bit of what’s on my mind over on the Gather blog. Every week, I share tidbits from my life, a few photos, and links that caught my eye. See my Friday Finds posts here. Hope to see you there (and pop into the comments to let me know you’re reading if you’d like!). <3
Gather Birth Cooperative: a different kind of birth team /
Things have been quiet here on the blog since last fall, and it’s because I’ve been spending all my time working on building the Gather Birth website, occasionally running our Instagram account, and attending births as a Gather Birth team member! We’ve been blogging up a storm over there and I’d love if you’d check us out. We talk about doula support, lactation, birth and family photography, and so much more! Stop by to say hi, and stay for a while. There’s so much to see!
Born at Roots Community Birth Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota | Maitè's Birth Story in Photos | Meredith Westin Photography /
October 4, 2019 | 1:49 am
Welcome to the world, sweet girl! We are so glad that you are here!
One Day New | A Babe in Arms Session in the Twin Cities /
You may recognize this family from their gorgeous birth story. The Gather Birth Cooperative team went back before baby Crew reached his 48 hour milestone and did a little session with him and his parents. Enjoy!
Friday Finds: a funny test, daily uniforms, tasty treats, and more! /
Gather Birth Cooperative is launching our website on September 1, and I have been hard at work writing a few blog posts for our new business, writing copy, building webpages, and more! Because I’ve spent so much time working on the site, I haven’t had as much time to find links, but I managed to pull a few together for you. Enjoy!
This sucked up more of my time this week than I’m willing to admit
Questions you can ask instead of “how are you?”
A special edition Kånken made entirely from polyester recycled from plastic bottles
Have you considered a daily uniform?
Make these for me and I’ll love you forever
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Soul Lao: Lao food made with heart
Doula du Nord: an excellent postpartum doula who is now offering tuck-in support and evening support to families in the Twin Cities
Did you do anything fun this week? Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I’m hoping to get out on my bike or my kayak (or both!) for some time in this gorgeous late-summer air.
Friday Finds: the Amazon rainforest, Call-Out Culture, non-binary motherhood, and more! /
Gather Birth Cooperative is getting ready to launch our website and I have been hard at work entering in written content by one of my amazing partners and writing a few blogs! Speaking of blogs, a few of my favorite Real Postpartum moments were featured in this gorgeous roundup by Mother Mag! When I wasn’t glued to my computer working on the Gather site, I was stuck to my couch dealing with a pretty brutal summer cold. Scroll on for links!
First: The Amazon Rainforest is burning. The Amazon Rainforest provides 20% of the Earth’s oxygen, is home to more than 400 indigenous groups, and houses 30% of the world’s species. It’s currently burning at an unprecedented rate—up more than 80% from this time last year—thanks in large part to environmental deregulation that has encouraged deforestation.
Consider supporting Indigenous people and their fight to protect the Amazon rainforest by donating to Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).
Read more here about Indigenous activists working to save the Amazon Rainforest.
Purchase Rain Forest Alliance certified goods. Support companies that champion ethical rubber production. Consider the source of agricultural products like beef, soy, and palm oil, many of which rely on deforestation of the Amazon for production.
Now, my weekly links:
Life with Lyme Disease
Call-Out Culture: is it toxic?
An app that helps you avoid giving money to the bad guys
Simple steps to help you enjoy life
When marriage is war
“Lonely George died on New Year’s Day 2019. He was a Hawai‘ian tree snail…”
Do you know the most effective climate change solutions?
I would have LOVED to have been part of a dropping when I was younger. Still would, in fact!
Interested in living more consciously? Watch these movies to learn more
The funeral industry is worth $17 billion… Have you considered another option?
Finally, two older links that are still very relevant:
“10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You”
(I own several of these books and would be happy to lend any of them to you!)
In integrated spaces, patterns of white dominance are inevitable. These patterns include things like being legitimized for using academic language, an expectation of “getting it right” (i.e., perfectionism), fear of open conflict, scapegoating those who cause discomfort, and a sense of urgency that takes precedence over inclusion.
These patterns happen even when white people are doing the work of examining their privilege. They can happen even when facilitators design and model more inclusive ways of being together. Why?
The values of whiteness are the water in which we all swim. No one is immune. Those values dictate who speaks, how loud, when, the words we use, what we don’t say, what is ignored, who is validated and who is not. Unless we are actively and persistently dismantling these constructs, we are abiding by them. In integrated spaces (where we are less likely to be ourselves given the divisions that white dominance has created), we fall into the roles society has assigned us. As a person of color, and perhaps the only one in the room, it’s exhausting to always be swimming upstream. To survive in this society, we learn to hold our tongue, to “code switch” to fit in. This is about survival and the basic human need to feel that we belong.
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Doula du Nord: an excellent postpartum doula who is now offering tuck-in support and evening support to families in the Twin Cities
Soul Lao: Lao food made with heart
Did you do anything fun this week? Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I’m hoping to get out on my bike or my kayak (or both!) for some time in this gorgeous late-summer air.
Friday Finds: pelvic floor health, body acceptance, circumcision, and more! /
We have been hard at work on Gather Birth Cooperative and we are so excited to be bringing doula support and birth photography to families in the Twin Cities! In between working on the website (launching soon!), meeting with my co-founders, and attending a funeral, I had the privilege of documenting this gorgeous birth. Scroll on for links!
I am not impressed by this response to a recent scandal in the birth community
Here’s why we need to preserve natural lands
Two of my favorite authors sat down to talk and…
The evidence and ethics on circumcision
Read this if your kids are on social media
How to give constructive criticism
Whoa! A photographer captured a near-miss on Lake Superior
“6 Ways to Talk to Your Kids About What’s Happening in America Right Now”
Need an icebreaker? Here! Have 200 of them
Let’s talk more about pelvic floor health
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Doula du Nord: an excellent postpartum doula who is now offering tuck-in support and evening support to families in the Twin Cities
Soul Lao: Lao food made with heart
Did you do anything fun this week? Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I’m shooting the wedding of a former birth client and I am so excited to be there with them as they celebrate this milestone! Gather is doing a special giveaway of some of my absolute favorite products, and you should enter! Visit this post and follow the prompts for your chance(s) to win! A winner will be drawn on Aug 17, so hurry!
Friday Finds: meal planning, secret talents, ethically responsible souvenirs, and more! /
Did you see my big announcement last week? Gather Birth is LIVE and we are so excited to be bringing doula support and birth photography to families in the Twin Cities and nearby in the rest of Minnesota! We’re doing a special giveaway of some of my absolute favorite products, and you should enter! Visit this post and follow the prompts for your chance(s) to win! Scroll on for links!
I am secretly good at and secretly not-so-good at the same as Jo is
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Doula du Nord: an excellent postpartum doula who is now offering tuck-in support and evening support to families in the Twin Cities
Soul Lao: Lao food made with heart
Did you do anything fun this week? Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I’m heading to the Hobo Convention, and rearranging some furniture at home. Have a great weekend!
Friday Finds: a big announcement, beautiful objects, a compelling essay, and more! /
WHAT. A. WEEK! It was a mad dash to the finish line as we worked hard to get everything ready for our big announcement: Gather Birth Cooperative. I’m joining forces with some AMAZING people and starting a new business. Gina, Emily, Brooke, and I are so excited, so proud, and so looking forward to sharing more with you soon. What’s the best way to support a small business? Comment on posts, like content, and brag about them on your own feed. Follow us on facebook, instagram, and check back on our website soon, if you like! Scroll on for a shorter version of my weekly links and one of my favorite photos from our headshot session a week ago. We really do have that much fun together and it’s the best. <3
I am always into Lizzo content. Have you seen her Tiny Desk Concert yet?
I love the idea of a “green legacy”
“…the ability to forget is crucial to how the brain works.”
“The tattoo doesn’t need to mean anything, unless I want it to.”
I made these for dinner one night this week and I’m adding them to the permanent rotation
Have you ever read a book about menopause?
Worth a read, and then another read
Do you hem and mend your own clothes? Here’s a tutorial
I loved seeing so many of my favorite ceramicists featured here
Speaking of beautiful objects, how GOOD are these!
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Doula du Nord: an excellent postpartum doula who is now offering tuck-in support and evening support to families in the Twin Cities
Tare Market: helping the planet by providing resources to reduce waste
On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Friday Finds: diverse toys, gorgeous travel photos, privilege, and more! /
Did you read last weeks’ post? I was wondering whether I’d hear from any of my July clients on Friday, and I did! All three of them, and I have to tell you how grateful I am for reliable and talented backup photographers. I feel so fortunate to have found a lovely community of wonderful and supportive birth workers who dropped their plans at the drop of a hat to help support my clients. Once I got over the chaos of the day, I realized … because I took a light load in August, I’m practically off call for the rest of the summer! Woo! Scroll on for links!
“In so many cases rapists have help in the moment and forever after, and the help is often so powerful, broad, and deep—well, that’s why we call it rape culture.”
The rise of coffee shaming
“Lord Almighty,” she says, “folks of privilege don’t understand how $17 can ruin you.”
On cultivating joy in the face of injustice
If men carried purses…
Diverse toys for the kiddos in your life (again, representation matters!)
Speaking of kids: be a sportscaster, not a referee
Here’s why you should read what your kids are reading
I look forward to these nature photos every year
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
Tare Market: helping the planet by providing resources to reduce waste
On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
The Birth Story of Otis | Born at Home in Plymouth, Minnesota | Birth Photography by Meredith Westin Photography /
July 19, 2019 | 2:15 pm
Welcome to the world, sweet boy! We’re so glad you’re here!
Friday Finds: jewelry for activists, traveling responsibly, the 3.5 rule, and more! /
What a week! Between the storms, the lunar eclipse, and the full moon, I was sure that my last three July clients would call me at some point but Nope! I didn’t hear from anyone until Thursday night! TBD on whether any of my clients give birth today. When I wasn’t waiting to be called to a birth, I was hard at work on some behind the scenes business stuff that I can’t announce quite yet that I’m SO EXCITED ABOUT. Check back in next week for more deets. Scroll on for links!
MightyNest is a company committed to helping households on the path toward living more sustainably at home
A necklace for activists
The God of Small Things is one of my all-time favorite books. This conversation with author Arundhati Roy is goooood stuff.
Myths about cast iron pans
Tips for traveling responsibly in an era of climate change
A good way to clean off sandy baby bums
Socially responsible investing
The 3.5 rule (and how a small minority can change the world)
What’s on your summer checklist?
Would you order your birth control online?
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
Tare Market: helping the planet by providing resources to reduce waste
On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Friday Finds: boundaries, beautiful birth photography, bad first dates, and more! /
In between being the photographer at a few births this past week, I found time to hang with friends, get some work done around the house, and bike around Minneapolis. I also found out that I picked up E. coli on Lake Minnetonka over the 4th! That explains why I was so unwell late last week. Friends, it was a pretty brutal few days and I am truly so glad to be feeling better! While I was laying low, I spent some time online. Keep scrolling to see a few of the links that resonated with me.
Children’s books about families crossing the border
On being the financial breadwinner
“Created in the anger-fueled, politically fiery months following the 2016 election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the Resistance Revival Chorus, and activist choirs like it, ask one question: can music be a tool for social change? The answer: absolutely.”
One of the most underrated ways to measure your professional success
We often say “yes,” when we should be saying “no” because we are concerned that we will hurt someone’s feelings.
“My best friend left her laptop to me in her will. Twenty years later, I turned it on and began my inquest.”
I’ve been managing the takeovers of the Birth Becomes Her instagram account and I’m so thrilled by the work the hosts have been putting in. If you don’t already follow BBH, click on through and press the Follow button. :D
Speaking of gorgeous birth photography, have you seen this photo? So serene and lovely!
Do you share finances with your partner?
Read the comments on this post for amazing terrible date stories!
If you’re in Minneapolis and St. Paul, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
Get Organized.: a non-judgmental Minneapolis-based professional organizer
On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Born at Health Foundations in St. Paul, Minnesota | Roman's Birth Story in Photographs /
July 9th, 2019 | 3:34 pm
When this strong mama reached out to me and Gina several months ago about booking our doula support + birth photography package, we were thrilled. Our meeting at a Starbucks in downtown St. Paul was full of laughs and I was able to look forward to capturing her birth in photographs for ages because she planned ahead and secured our services before we booked up. Smart mama! The day finally arrived and we met her at the birth center bright and early. When I walked in, I could hear the telltale signs of a woman in active labor. She powered through HOURS of labor and finally finally finally got to meet her baby in the middle of the afternoon after utilizing sterile water injections (twice!), the TENS machine, and all the doula tricks Gina could muster.
Doula: Gina of the sown seed
Welcome to the world, sweet boy! We are so glad you’re here!
A Speedy Third Labor and Delivery in Photos | Born at the Minnesota Birth Center In St. Paul, Minnesota /
July 7, 2019
Friday Finds: the World Cup, #plasticfreejuly, easy recipes, and more! /
Friends, I was AMBIVALENT about celebrating the 4th of July this year. Instead of focusing on the aspects of the holiday that didn’t sit well with me, I took the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, swim in a big, beautiful lake, and contribute to a few deserving organizations. I was also on call for a few births and got to do a postpartum session with one of my June families. Keep scrolling to see some of the links that resonated with me this week.
This is important: things you can do today to help children at the border
Is your favorite company greenwashing?
Living that zero waste life, or participating in #plasticfreejuly? I adore Ambatalia’s products and just added her Jar Tote to my wish list
“Here is what I know to be true about humans: We want to change; we want to be good, better, best.”
I really like these toys for kids
Related, one family’s methods for keeping toys under control at home
I’ll take one of each, please
The importance of empathy - with great links at the bottom of the article, too!
A stunning before and after by one of my favorite designers
Do you know about the Be My Eyes app? Sign up to receive video calls from blind and low-vision people when they need assistance with a task.
Three easy summer recipes
“Sometime on new year’s day, as the people of Hawaii recovered from a night of revelry, in a trailer on the outskirts of Kailua, Oahu, a 14-year-old snail named George died.”
You should grill heads of garlic
Did you watch the USNWT beat England on Tuesday? “They play the game as a form of incursion, as a battle for female sovereignty, and so the stakes have always been higher for them than just the final score.”
Advice for new parents
If you’re local, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
Hairy Poppins: a Dog Trainer Professional who geeks out on dog behavior and training. She uses evidence-based positive training techniques, and understands the importance of effective communication and consistency while working with and walking dogs. Serving South Minneapolis for walks and training.
Don’t forget to watch the World Cup final at 10 am on Sunday the 7th! Regardless of who you’re rooting for, supporting women’s sports is always a good call. On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Friday Finds: body positivity, travel plans, how to help at the border, and more! /
If last week was all about attending births, this week was all about catching up. Catching up on housework, catching up on me time, and catching up on editing birth sessions. Here are previews of a few of the births I documented last week: a second baby in St. Paul, a home birth in Minneapolis with Gail Tully, a speedy fifth time birth, and a remarkably serene first time birth. Of course I spent some time online in between editing sessions. Keep scrolling to see some of the links that resonated with me this week.
This is important: things you can do today to help children at the border
I’m heading to Portugal in the fall and I’ve started researching what to do while I’m there. This, this, and this were at the top of the search results. Have you been? I’d love to hear from you! So far, all I know is that we’re flying in and out of Lisbon.
While we’re in Portugal, we might also dip down to Morocco for a few days! I’ve been browsing gorgeous photos on Instagram tagged with different cities in Morocco. I’m obsessed with the idea of visiting Chefchaouen. Doesn’t it look amazing?
Karl Lagerfeld’s library is WOW
“We're waking up to talking about the uncomfortable things and sharing what really matters. We're moving towards a more emotionally intelligent world where people get that YOU CAN FEEL MORE THAN ONE THING and that tending to our tender little hearts as much as we tend to these squishy, amazing bods is important and life-giving.” An amazing Ted Talk by my first birth client!
Stylish tabletop items for kids
Would you like to have a bunch of extra money? This shit works, dude.
Data bias against women
Old but good: “Hair removal, at its core, is a form of gendered social control.”
Body positivity in the Twin Cities
From Wear Your Voice: the list of companies profiting from detaining migrants at the US border.
If you’re local, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
Hairy Poppins: a Dog Trainer Professional who geeks out on dog behavior and training. She uses evidence-based positive training techniques, and understands the importance of effective communication and consistency while working with and walking dogs. Serving South Minneapolis for walks and training.
On a personal note, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Born at the Minnesota Birth Center in St. Paul, Minnesota | Abigail's Birth Story in Photos + A Family Mini! /
June 22, 2019 | 3:32 am
Welcome to the world, sweet girl. We’re so glad you're here!
Friday Finds: great links, local businesses worth supporting, gorgeous birth photos and more! /
I am nearing the end of my June client load. I had the honor of witnessing two families welcome a new baby into their lives on Father’s Day - one in St. Paul and one in Minneapolis - and I got to be on the welcoming committee for yet another baby the next day! What a whirlwind. Here are a few links that resonated with me this week while I spent some time online in between photographing births, spending time with loved ones, and editing birth sessions.
Why apologies matter
I’ve had this recipe pulled up for weeks but I still haven’t made it. It’s time!
A new natural deodorant with refills
What is this thing we call meaning, and why might we need it so badly?
I’ve been a fan of David Sedaris since middle school and I just added his new book to my wishlist
One of the most influential public health officials in the world said last week that he will no longer speak on scientific panels if they don't include women
Yum!
Ways to help out a new mom
The scary future has already arrived. Here’s why people don’t care.
I’m digging this new home accessories line
Being present requires singular focus
“…the placenta might hold the key to one of the most enduring mysteries in human medicine: Why do women suffer much higher rates of autoimmune disease than men do?“
101 simple ways to fight climate change
Here’s why Juneteenth should be a national holiday
What is the most common language in your state (other than English or Spanish)?
If you’re in the Twin Cities, check out these fantastic businesses:
Hairy Poppins: a Dog Trainer Professional who geeks out on dog behavior and training. She uses evidence-based positive training techniques, and understands the importance of effective communication and consistency while working with and walking dogs. Serving South Minneapolis for walks and training.
Hola Postpartum: a fantastic postpartum meal delivery service
Northern Natural Gardens: a sustainable landscape company specializing in native plants, pollinator gardens, and invasive plant removal and I am so stoked about their mission
On a personal note, I spent some time with a different kind of client this week doing a Website Review. If you are a doula, birth photographer, or other kind of birth worker in Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the surrounding areas and you’d like to grow your business, get in touch! Also, I’m offering a special on my intimate Real Postpartum sessions in celebration of the upcoming World Breastfeeding Week. I’d love it if you’d spread the word! Have a great weekend!
Born at the Minnesota Birth Center | A Preview of Jonas's Birth Story in Photographs /
June 17, 2019 | 1:57 pm
Welcome to the world, sweet boy! We’re so glad you’re here!
