Erin Krakow and Ashley Williams’ friendship off-screen is the perfect example of why the Hallmark Channel offers feel-good moments even from behind the scenes!
With Krakow’s due date quickly approaching for her and Ben Rosenbaum’s first baby, the “When Calls the Heart” star is utilizing Williams’ skillset as a retired doula to practice her birthing techniques.
In a playful photo shared on Krakow’s Instagram, she and Williams are seen enjoying an afternoon outside as they both lean over to imitate a technique used to prepare one’s body for giving birth.
Erin Krakow & Ashley Williams Prep for Delivery
“Adoulable,” Krakow captioned her photo.
In the comments, a fan asked Williams if she was Krakow’s doula, to which the Hallmark star responded, “I’m not but I doula my friends whether they like it or not 😂.”
As a former professional doula, Williams was available to offer support to pregnant women before, after and during childbirth. Doulas are equipped with helpful information, including prenatal care, personalized birth plans, postpartum care and so much more. They can offer advice and training based on specific needs and desires. Doulas are also expected to make doctors aware of the birth plan and advocate for a woman’s best interest.
As a doula herself, the “How I Met Your Mother” star opened up in a personal essay with People about who she handpicked to depend on when she was pregnant with her and Neal Dodson’s son, Gus, 11. She and Dodson also welcomed their second son, Odie Sal, in 2017, People reported.
“I chose a birthing ‘team’ of people I respect to take care of me and my baby during labor, birth and immediate postpartum,” Williams wrote. “I decided I needed a midwife, a doula and my (amazing) husband. I also had my chiropractor come just for a few hours. (I had a fear that the baby would get stuck and Dr. Elliot Berlin is considered a ‘baby spinner.’).”
Ashley Williams Describes Herself as a ‘Lion’ in Powerful Birthing Story
Williams gave birth to Gus in the comfort of her home. In her personal essay, she wrote a powerful, in-depth description of the 17 hours it took for her to finally deliver her son.
“While in the throes of these excruciating 17 hours, one thought carried me. My body won’t generate more pain than I can handle. It wouldn’t kill me, this pain. It was real. Radical. Deep. MINE,” she explained. “As my body generated pain levels higher than I could have ever imagined, I met it with my whole heart. In my head I said, ‘YES. GET IN THERE,’ as I greeted this pain with an open, relaxed jaw and let it enter my bones, skin, hair and teeth. Then I dug in, shaking my head back and forth the way a lion would tear into its prey.”
“Speaking of lions, I roared like one. Seriously,” Williams continued. “I was told later that neighbors could hear me from next door. I’ve never been more of my purest, animalistic self. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Although Krakow is approximately one month away from her due date, she’s been coy about her birth plans. She and Rosenbaum have also kept the gender of their child a secret, and it is unknown if they are aware of the baby’s gender or will be finding out upon delivery.
The happy couple has been living it up before their little one arrives, though. Just recently, Krakow and Rosenbaum enjoyed a babymoon at the Ojai Valley Inn on the mountainside of California. Krakow shared photos on Instagram of their getaway, leaving fans even more excited about the couple welcoming their bundle of joy.
