Meet Ariana Hurtado | Birth Keeper & Womb Wellness Guide

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ariana Hurtado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ariana, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Through Womb Bloom, I offer trauma informed full spectrum doula care, childbirth education, as well as womb wellness guidance throughout the reproductive continuum. Holistic womb wellness throughout the reproductive life span is a top priority for me as I educate and inspire my clients using nature’s medicine in herbs & nutritious foods coupled with movement, reflective shadow work, and so much more.

My role as a birth keeper:
My birth work is part of the movement that is returning birth back to the village from the tight grips of the medical industrial complex. I do this by helping support women and pregnant folks in dismantling common fears surrounding childbirth that have been strategically instilled in us by our overly medicalized culture. I’m passionate about guiding folks back into their bodies to trust in their innate & primal birthing abilities. I also help prepare families for a fruitful & restful postpartum period by preparing nutritious meals and herbal medicine with an emphasis on community care.

I followed the spark when it came to this work by following my curiosity on what MY future birth could be like and what it could FEEL like. As someone who has never been pregnant before, I have always felt so curious about this life changing rite of passage. I became so disheartened to learn about the reality of birthing in today’s modern society, governed by profit. I quickly learned that the prevalence of obstetrical abuse, birth traumas, and postpartum neglect, coupled with our disappointing maternal mortality rates in the U.S. requires a radical paradigm shift to begin the process of healing as a community.

Returning birth back to the village means remembering the ways in which our ancestors honored and viewed birth as a natural and safe rite of passage, rather than an illness that needs constant treating, handling, or managing every step of the way, thus disrupting the spiritual unfolding of someone’s sacred journey. Our ancestors also lovingly took great care of postpartum families through nutritious foods, loving touch, wisdom, and herbal blends to support the healing following childbirth, instead of isolating them and only checking in at the six-week mark. My postpartum work is deeply rooted in traditional, community-based care.

My role as a womb wellness guide & mentor:
The more I learned about the resilience & magic of wombs during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, the more I felt a calling to learn about my own womb’s role in my day to day life. This led me to learn about hormonal health and the ways in which I can harness my innate superpowers through cyclical living. The truth is that we are in the midst of a silent epidemic that is affecting over twenty million of us that is causing many womb related health issues such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), heavy and painful periods, irregular cycles, thyroid issues, adrenal issues, depression, anxiety, intense PMS, infertility, and so much more. Modern gynecological care simply cannot keep up with this vastly growing trend, as they usually only hold pharmaceuticals like synthetic birth control, hormone replacement therapy, or invasive surgeries like hysterectomies in their toolbox.

Similarly to our birthing experiences, our ancient and wise hormonal balancing system is under attack with our modern way of living. We no longer tap into our body’s wisdom by listening to its constant messages. We no longer look towards nature for healing. We blindly trust our medical doctors when they over-prescribe pharmaceuticals while not even making eye contact or asking us questions about our bodies first.

My 1:1 sessions as well as the courses I offer, provide a container for troubleshooting womb ailments to begin the process of healing through lifestyle changes using nature’s medicine in foods & herbs, movement, shadow work, and so much more.

My mission with Womb Bloom is to help guide womb bodied beings to remember their humanness and to deeply trust in their intelligent, ancient bodies throughout their womb’s monthly cycle, family planning, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am most excited about all the creative endeavors that come with owning my own business. I am weeks from launching my womb wellness course called the Womb Awakening Program (WAP), the first of many courses and community based projects that Womb Bloom will offer! This journey is certainly not easy and comes with many hardships such as needing to be my own boss and accountability coach, even when I don’t feel like it sometimes. When it comes to my birth work, holding space for women during this incredibly vulnerable and sensitive time comes with many emotional, spiritual, and physical challenges. Overtime, I’ve learned ways to protect my energy and my emotional & physical wellbeing to make sure I don’t burn out. Self care is essential for the kind of work I do. I strongly believe that I can only show up as good of a doula, as good as I take care of myself first. This means making sure I’m eating nutritious foods, moving my body intentionally, taking time for myself to unwind, taking time to process each birth, and so forth.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to my favorite nature spots like Biscayne Bay National Park, the Everglades, Patch of Heaven Sanctuary, and the beach of course! I also love Cauley Square as a little community filled with holistic & witchy shops, good food, thrift stores, and art displays! When it comes to eating, I love little local markets like Aguacate Sanctuary of Love, Robert is Here Fruit Stand, and Pinecrest Farmers’ Market.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is dedicated to all the powerful women in my life who have held space for me to unravel as a birth keeper, womb wellness guide, and overall business owner. I also couldn’t do what I do without my village, my family, my partner, and my magical nephew who brings out my inner child in the most healing way.

Website: www.wombbloom.org

Instagram: @wombbloom_