Birth Plan, Doulas, Motherhood, Newborns, Postpartum
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
The Magical Golden Hour

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.

The Magical Golden Hour
Decision Making, Pregnancy, Parenting, Newborns, Our Favorites
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
A Doula's Eco Friendly Baby Registry

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.

A Doula's Eco Friendly Baby Registry
Community, Doulas, Doulas of Orange County, Local OC Resources, Our Team
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
Calling all amazing Doulas & Newborn Care ...
Calling all amazing Doulas & Newborn Care Specialists!
Birth Plan, Decision Making, Newborns, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy
National Baby Co
Early Signs That You are Pregnant with Twins ...
Early Signs That You are Pregnant with Twins or Multiples
Newborns, Motherhood, Parenting, Postpartum, Postpartum Doula, Baby Sleep
National Baby Co
Are My Twins Too Old For Postpartum Doula Care?

The Doulas of Orange County office phone rings.


I pick up. “Hello! Doulas of Orange County. Lauren speaking.”

A strained voice sounds relieved to hear me, and it sounds like she has been crying. She’s an exhausted new mom of 12-week old twins and a 20-month-old toddler (who won’t let her out of his sight). She’s drained from her twin pregnancy, a difficult birth, and breastfeeding challenges. She struggles to keep up with laundry and wash enough dishes to have plates for the next meal. Her partner has been trying to feed the baby at night, but she’s still waking up to pump for multiples and can’t help but feel guilty about how tired her partner will be at work the next day. She really needs a postpartum doula in Irvine, CA.

“Can you help me, even though my babies are so old?” She asks.

Are My Twins Too Old For Postpartum Doula Care?

OC sleep consultant

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Now Serving All of Southern California!

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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!

We are excited to share that we’re now available to work with families throughout Los Angeles, San Diego and the Inland Empire!

 
doula in san diego, doula in los angeles, doula inland empire
 

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!

Find more information about the services we provide below:

Birth Doula

Postpartum Doula & Newborn Care Specialists

Sleep Training

Placenta Encapsulation

Lactation Consultations

And if you’re open to a Virtual Doula, we can provide support for you anywhere in the world!

You can fill out a care questionnaire here and we’ll get started with matching you with providers who meet your birth and postpartum care requests. Have questions before getting started? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about are matching process and get information on costs of services.

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!

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Daylight Savings Time: Tips to "Spring Forward"

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Daylight Savings Time: Tips to "Spring Forward"

As the time change approaches, more and more parents are reaching out to us to chat about how to get their baby or toddler to easily adjust to “springing forward.” It’s my opinion that this is the easier of the two time changes, especially when you have kiddos! Despite it being easier than “falling back”, it can still be helpful to have a plan in place to minimize disruptions and keep your day-to-day schedule flowing nicely.

These are general tips that will work for most families with babies 4+ months through adolescence. If you’re interested in a personalized sleep assessment with clear goals to stick to as we approach the time change, you can schedule a 90-minute video call with me here to assess your baby’s sleep.

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Why is it ok to shame sleep training?

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It never fails... 

We post about sleep training on social media and the questions or accusations come pouring in. 

"Don't you know that babies are biologically designed to wake during the night?"
"A parent shouldn't ignore their baby."
"Why have a baby anyway if you can't handle the sleep deprivation."

My goodness you would have thought we had specifically promoted starving a child, ignoring a child, or putting your needs as a parent before your child. But we didn't mention any of those things. 

So why the shame? Why the judgmental comments? Why all the questions?

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3 Sleep Training Myths Debunked

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So. You're tired and considering getting some help getting your baby to sleep... but you have some hesitations. I get it. There are a lot of beliefs surrounding sleep training your baby, some of which sound pretty scary. 

My intention for sharing the following information is not to "talk you into" sleep training your baby. If what you're doing is working for you and your family, then sleep training may not be for you. But if you're feeling depleted, worn down, at your limit or if your baby's sleep is a constant source of stress, I want you to have some more information to make a confident decision for your family.

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Sleep Trainer or Sleep Consultant... which one is right for me?

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Sleep Coaching, Sleep Training, Sleep Consulting... so many terms that essentially all mean the same thing, right?

Not always.

After extensive research and trainings to learn about the science of infant sleep, I've come to realize that while the terms may be intermixed, they don't always describe the same service. And because I believe in full transparency, I want to share a bit more about the differences in approach and what makes our in-home program so unique.