It can be so different preparing to be a grandparent vs. the prep we did as new parents ourselves. We won’t be the main players in this game, so I think the preparation comes in about our own journey, our own expectations, and getting support for our own perspective.

Have new parents set boundaries around visiting hours, not kissing the baby, getting all vaccinations to limit exposure to the baby, strict guidelines about handwashing, and not sharing your opinions about baby care? Each family will come up with their own rules, but new grandparents often are mystified by how to support without being overbearing. Here's some winning approaches.

Our new program for families who find themselves in the NICU and wonder how to juggle it all. When they can’t meet all the needs and also see their newborns 24/7 because they are discharged and have to go home without their baby (or twins/triplets). When they are struggling to pump around the clock, eat enough, sleep, shower, and care for their home and pets, all the while they are trying to spend every waking minute in the hospital with their babies. It’s an impossible task, but one where a little bit of support can go a long way.

Breastfeeding rates are HIGH right now (83% across the US) but so are the options that parents have if it doesn't work as they intend. Pumps are provided to every family with insurance. Feeding is now a shared activity between parents, even when mom is breastfeeding. Many things have changed! This is what I think Grandparents can do to best support their kids feeding choices.

This is a quick doula meal I can make just about anywhere. Most families have eggs, and an assortment of tired looking veggies that were meant for something but got overlooked by a new baby in the house. This is a great way to build a whole meal out of a rag tag team of odds and ends, and give a new family something beautiful to eat that lasts beyond one meal.

More and more I see couples wanting to create a bubble of space away from their extended family and friends, especially when they welcome their new baby. Since the pandemic started I have seen these numbers increase and I am here to help you figure out your plan based on the many different ways our clients have found to protect their mental health—so you can find what might be the best for you when baby arrives.

We love our work with twins and triplets!

Yes, it is a bit more challenging from a doula’s perspective, but we know how much value parents get from the care we provide when we have babies in duplicate or triplicate. We have now supported 750 sets of twins and triplets (no quads or quints yet though!) and we have so much to share with families. Here are the brand new offerings for professionals who want to work with multiples and preemies!

After 25 years as a doula, 20 years as a doula trainer, and 15 years as an IBCLC, I have shifted my thinking. I have been working on a whole new approach to postpartum support! You may have heard that I am focusing on Grandparents now, and you would be RIGHT--because I have decided to work on the core of the postpartum problem of not enough support.

YES!! Services are covered prenatally for labor doulas, and postpartum up to 6 weeks for postpartum doulas. Doulas need to be certified and insured, which qualifies most of our ABC Doula team at this point and everyone in the future. If you have this benefit, let’s talk and find the perfect doula for you!

While many would say both (who wouldn’t want support with two life changing experiences?) I also know many parents have a limited budget and still want great support for their transitions to parenting.

New year, new vision! I need to do more. I need to shift my focus. We are calling grandparents to a new level of postpartum support that I used to reserve just for doulas. Introducing @newmamasmama…

Creating a postpartum plan? Does it include healing food and lactogenic meals? If your family isn’t already providing this nourishment, doulas can cook up a storm and be there to serve you all the nutrition, nurturing, and healing that home-prepared foods have to offer. If you have read THE FIRST 40 DAYS, you might be inspired to get the nest building support of a doula in the first month or so.

Students in our classes are very worried about sleep loss…and rightly so. Newborns wake up a lot at night, and it IS disruptive! Here is how you can avoid having to hire an overnight doula, if you have a few other pieces in place. It isn’t for everyone, and there are many ways to make it less necessary.

Are you a partner who wants to help but isn’t sure how? Consider her line of vision…what does she see, what is in front of her for HOURS every day while she is holding and feeding baby? This gives us a clue how to help…

The world needs more doulas! Career doulas, doulas who are trained and certified, doulas who work in the community! When we have more doulas, more people are ready to help.

So many moms have asked this question over the years, I thought I would collect some answers here that I have heard from moms group (and some I have tried myself) and see if they help out some new mamas.

Get out your calendars and let’s plan for baby’s early weeks!

BTW Good news, they start responsively smiling during this time and I’m pretty sure it was built into the design of babies to smile right before they get WAY harder!

Thought I might start this year with a blog about adding a new baby to the family. As we have welcomed so many new babies this season with older siblings, I thought it would be appropriate to share a few of the things we are learning from the families.

Professionals are available to answer your questions. Please call them! But when it comes to YOUR baby, your instinct matters! Don't feel like you need to have medical knowledge to know when something is wrong. Listen to your gut.

The phone rings. A new parent tries to hold their composure while I hear a baby crying in the background. They tell me they thought they had it all down, and then it just stopped working all of a sudden. Their baby is crying so much more, and they can't figure out why. They are trying everything, and wondering what is wrong.