As your due date nears, the reality of impending parenthood can be both exciting and overwhelming. You may be getting nervous or have anxiety around when you’ll go into labor. You may be stressing about getting the nursery ready or finalizing details for your maternity leave. That’s why planning and enjoying a big night out can provide a special opportunity to unwind, connect, and relish your partner’s company before your baby’s arrival takes center stage. I always encourage clients to schedule a “no holds barred” date night around 37 or 38 weeks - it’s a chance to take a deep breath, enjoy some quality time together, and remind yourselves why you’re a great team. Orange County offers an array of high-end, memorable spots to make this final pre-baby date night one for the books.
In the quiet hush of the labor & delivery room, where the air is charged with anticipation and the scent of earthiness and birthyness, a new chapter in your life unfolds. The rhythmic cadence of your breath is mirrored by the gentle whispers of your doula, a reassuring presence in this oh so sacred moment. The culmination of nine months… maybe more, leads to this: the first hour with your newborn.
When I was selecting items for my baby registry, it was really important to me to not go overboard. As a doula of 14 years, I’ve seen families get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in their homes and nurseries and I knew I wanted to keep things on the simpler side. I also wanted to be mindful of the impact on not only the environment, but also my baby’s microbiome - which meant finding a lot of eco-friendly products to keep waste down and keep our home as “low tox” as possible. Here you’ll find some of my favorite sustainable and most useful items that I registered for.
he postpartum period or what we like to call “the fourth trimester” is an incredibly sacred and special time in your life. It is a crucial time for rest, recovery, and bonding with your newborn. As you embrace those precious moments with your sweet baby, it's essential to prioritize your own well-being, and nutrition plays a key role in your postpartum recovery.
A colleague and I talked about soothing babies with colic over iced coffees at Kean Coffee last week. Both of us are currently working with families who have fussy babies, her as a newborn care specialist and me as a postpartum doula. We both noted how much more difficult colic is to cope with in the midst of and in the aftermath of Covid. Parents are having a more challenging time getting support from friends and family.
The pandemic baby boom has hit and it’s safe to say that doulas everywhere are busier than ever! That is certainly the case here at Doulas of Orange County - so much so that we’ve added more doulas and newborn care specialists to our team and are expanding our service area!
So whether you’re looking for overnight support to help you with your new twins or you’re seeking an amazing birth doula to be your guide at your homebirth… or any other scenario in between… basically if you need support through trying to conceive and the childbearing years, we’re here to help!
We can match you with fertility, prenatal, birth or postpartum care throughout Southern California. From San Bernadino to Long Beach, from Santa Clarita to Chula Vista! Our pre-vetted, professional, compassionate team is available to all SoCal families!
Postpartum Doula & Newborn Care Specialists
And if you’re open to a Virtual Doula, we can provide support for you anywhere in the world!
We’re proud to have served Orange County families since 2014 and are even more proud to have the ability to reach more families throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. We believe that everyone deserves the support of a doula and are excited to hear from you!
If you’ve stumbled upon us, but are outside of our immediate service area, visit our parent company National Baby Co. which serves all of the United States. if we don’t have a provider in your area, we’d be happy to help you in your search!
When we first started considering phasing out our agency and transitioning to a doula matching service, we had a lot of questions about how it would work and if it would be sustainable. One of the biggest joys in running our doula agency was having the opportunity to get to know our clients and support them through their entire journey. And while we knew we weren’t the first doula agency to have to pivot after independent contractor laws changed (nor would we be the last!) ultimately it was important to us that we didn’t lose the opportunity to connect with those searching for a doula in Orange County.
One of the biggest things that sets us apart from referral services is that personal connection that makes finding a doula so important. That is why we strive to get to know you, not only because we love hearing about you and what you want out of your birth/postpartum experience, but because it helps us make those matches made in doula heaven. By learning more about you and your care needs we can confidently match you with doulas who’ll you have good chemistry with (‘cause let’s face it, finding a doula is kind of like dating) and who will be able to support you in the ways that you need and want.
It is seven o'clock. Her babies will not stop crying. As soon as she gets one of her twins settled, the other baby starts fussing. Laundry and receiving blankets draped over all the furniture, a bottle sticking out from between the couch cushions, and the sink is overflowing with dishes. She needs to make supper, but over the crying and through the fog of exhaustion, she cannot think of what to make.
She sits on the sofa, rocking the twin that she can't seem to soothe; the other sleeps in the bassinette beside her. She lets the tears flow. Postpartum was not supposed to be like this. She thought it would be different. She is not the woman who allows her house to get out of control. She is not the woman that does not shower in... how many days? But tomorrow is going to be different. Through her tears...
She smiles.
Today she called Doulas of Orange County. Tomorrow her postpartum doula is coming—just one more night of take-out, and tears, and tired.
…
It was a long night.
Or a short night. It depends on how you look at it.
She dresses. Rather, she changes into more presentable pajamas. The phone rings! Her postpartum doula wants to know if she needs anything from the shops. Milk, diapers... She peers into the almost empty fridge. Everything? No problem. Her postpartum doula will help her with a meal plan and the shopping.
Soon after, her postpartum doula arrives. Both babies are adored, and she heads to the bath for a much-needed soak. She luxuriates in the silence. Just water swishing. She conditions her hair and soaks away the tension. When she is finished in the tub, she takes her time, dressing, styling her hair, a little mascara. She feels human again.
In the kitchen, her postpartum doula has loaded the dishwasher, wiped all the counters, and banished the piles of pizza boxes. There is a pot of tea steeping on the counter and a plate of toast. It is for her. The babies who never sleep at the same time are magically content in their swings, so she curls up in her favorite chair and just watches them be.
Her postpartum doula sits down beside her, and together they plan meals based on family preferences. Her doula will whip up a few things for today from what is left in the house, and tomorrow she will pick up the groceries on her way.
One baby is hungry, and she is more than ready to be close to them again. With her postpartum doula's assistance, she tries a new breastfeeding position. While she feeds her baby, her postpartum doula gathers the laundry, sorts it, and starts the wash. She can do this. She knows it now.
That evening she puts her twins into her carrier the way her postpartum doula showed her. Her husband comes in and is blown away by the difference in her. Somehow, she became even more beautiful the day she became the mother of his children. She serves the stew from the slow cooker, and with the babies in their bassinettes nearby, they watch a movie while they eat.
She looks at her little family. She looks around at the house she has made a home. This is her life. Her beautiful life. This moment is perfect. It is everything she dreamed it would be.
She smiles.
