What happens when you're told you're going to be induced at 37 weeks?

For Alex, it didn't mean losing control of her birth.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with my former client Alex to talk about her positive induction experience — from preparing for an induction and asking questions, to making decisions about interventions, advocating for herself, and having a birth team that supported her choices.

We talk about:

🤰 Being induced at 37 weeks
💬 Asking questions and advocating for yourself
📝 Preparing for an induction and knowing your options
🤝 The importance of a supportive birth partner
🏥 Choosing providers you trust
💭 Staying flexible when birth doesn't go exactly according to plan
❤️ What made Alex's induction such a positive experience
💪 And why being induced doesn't mean giving up control of your birth

This isn't a story about a "perfect" birth. It's about being informed, prepared, supported, and involved in your own care.

If you're facing an induction — or the word induction makes you nervous — I really want you to hear Alex's story.

I'm Ally Raven, a certified birth doula, breastfeeding counselor, and childbirth educator serving families throughout the Triangle and beyond.

📸 Instagram: @allythedoula
🌐 Website: allyravendoula.com
🎙️ Podcast: Ally the Doula: Your Birth Bestie for Real Talk

Find my doula services, Birth Partner Crash Course, classes, resources, and more on my website.

And remember, you're doing much better than you think. ❤️

I'll talk to you soon.

This episode is sponsored by Ceres Chill

If you've been around here for a while, you know I'm already a huge fan of Ceres Chill and have used my Ceres Chill with all three of my kids.

Ceres Chill makes reusable breastmilk chillers and accessories designed to make pumping and storing breastmilk easier while you're living your actual life — whether you're at work, traveling, running errands, or just spending a long day away from home.

I love that this is a product I genuinely use and recommend to my clients, which makes partnering with them for the podcast extra special. ❤️

Want to check out Ceres Chill?

👉 Ceres Chill

Use code ALLYTHEDOULA for 15% off your purchase.

CONNECT WITH ALLY

I'm Ally Raven, a certified birth doula, breastfeeding counselor, and childbirth educator serving families throughout the Triangle and beyond.

📸 Instagram: @allythedoula
🌐 Website: allyravendoula.com
🎙️ Podcast: Ally the Doula: Your Birth Bestie for Real Talk

Find my doula services, Birth Partner Crash Course, classes, resources, and more on my website.

And remember, you're doing much better than you think. ❤️

I'll talk to you soon.

Okay besties, this is a GOOD one. 👀

Today I'm sitting down with Lisa Myers, founder and CEO of Ceres Chill, for a conversation about breastfeeding, pumping, motherhood, and what happens when a mom looks at a problem and thinks, there has to be a better way.

Lisa shares the story behind Ceres Chill — including her own breastfeeding journey, the challenges she faced as a working and pumping mom, and the frustration that ultimately led her to create a product that would make life easier for breastfeeding and pumping parents.

We talk about:

🤱 Breastfeeding and pumping in real life
💭 The pressure moms feel to "get it right"
💼 Returning to work while breastfeeding and pumping
🍼 Why pumping IS breastfeeding
👙 Flange sizing and why the standard flange isn't necessarily right for everyone
🏥 The importance of good lactation support and education
❤️ The emotional side of feeding your baby
🔥 The "mom rage" that sparked Ceres Chill
❄️ The Ceres Chill products and how they actually work
🚗 Pumping and storing milk while traveling, working, or spending long days away from home
🌎 The bigger mission behind Ceres Chill and supporting moms wherever life takes them

And honestly, we talk about SO much more.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing Lisa talk about the fact that moms shouldn't have to choose between feeding their babies and showing up for their families, careers, communities, and lives. Ceres Chill was created from her own experience — and that story is a huge part of why I love this company.

I also share my own experience using my Ceres Chill with all three of my kids and why it has become one of those things I genuinely don't want to leave the house without. 😂

Whether you're planning to breastfeed, currently breastfeeding or pumping, exclusively pumping, combo feeding, heading back to work, or just trying to figure out how the heck you're supposed to make all of this work...

This conversation is for you.

Want to check out Ceres Chill for yourself?

Ceres Chill makes reusable breastmilk chillers and accessories designed to make pumping and storing breastmilk easier while you're living your actual life.

And because I'm a Ceres Chill affiliate, you can use my code:

ALLYTHEDOULA

Use my code at checkout for 15% off!

👉 Ceres Chill: cereschill.com

I'm Ally Raven, a certified birth doula, breastfeeding counselor, and childbirth educator serving families throughout the Triangle and beyond.

If you're pregnant, preparing for birth, figuring out breastfeeding, or just want someone in your corner who will give you honest, real-life support — I'd love to connect.

📸 Instagram: @allythedoula
🌐 Website: allyravendoula.com
🎙️ Podcast: Ally the Doula: Your Birth Bestie for Real Talk

You can also find information about my doula services, Birth Partner Bootcamp, classes, resources, and more on my website.

And remember, you're doing much better than you think. ❤️

I'll talk to you soon.

🧊 SHOP CERES CHILL💕 CONNECT WITH ALLY

We just wrapped up the Build Your Birth Team series, so I thought it was time to give you a little peek at what happens on the other side of the doula-client relationship.

What is it actually like to be a birth doula when you're also a wife, a mom of three, and a small business owner?

In this episode, I'm talking about what being on call really looks like in my everyday life — from getting a client text while I'm at Target or nursing my baby, to figuring out childcare at 2 AM, to the mental load of always knowing that someone could call and say, "It's time."

I'm also talking about the parts of doula work that happen behind the scenes, why having a solid backup network is so important, how my family makes this job possible, and what my kids actually think I do for work. 😂

And if you're a doula, I have a little reminder for you at the end: you don't have to stop living your life just because you're on call. You can still see your friends, go to appointments, take your kids places, and be a whole human. Being available doesn't mean putting your entire life on pause.

This is a more personal, behind-the-scenes episode about life as a doula — the unpredictable parts, the funny parts, the hard parts, and why I genuinely love what I do.

Find me on Instagram: @allythedoula
Learn more about my doula services + Birth Partner Bootcamp: allyravendoula.com

And remember, you're doing much better than you think.