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?

postpartum doula

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Delicious & Nourishing Postpartum Meals Delivered to Your Door in Orange County

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The 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.

During this phase, your body craves nourishing, easy-to-digest foods that support healing and replenishment. Traditional postpartum cuisine, such as warm soups, stews, and broths, can provide the comfort and nutrition your body needs to recover from childbirth.

Ideally, you won’t be doing any cooking in the weeks after your baby arrives. Our hope is that you have a stash of freezer meals or have a meal train where friends and family can support you by dropping off nutritious food. If that’s not an option and if the thought of cooking feels overwhelming during those early days of exhaustion and adjustment, we have a great solution for you.

If you’ve been wondering if there’s a “postpartum meal service near me” - we’re here to tell you, yes there is! Mama Meals is a wonderful resource with their convenient postpartum meal delivery service in Orange County.

Mama Meals offers a selection of pre-made, nutritious dishes inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and the Weston A. Price philosophies. Each meal is carefully crafted using high-quality, whole-food ingredients, cooked to perfection, frozen for freshness, and delivered straight to your doorstep.

With Mama Meals, you can simply heat and serve, giving you more time to focus on rest, bonding with your baby, and adjusting to your new role as a parent.

Plus, as a special offer, use our affiliate code to receive $20 off your first order!

Remember, the best postpartum meals are those that are warm, soft, and easy-to-digest, providing clean, protein-rich nourishment to support your recovery. Stick to comforting options like soups, stews, porridge, and broths while avoiding cold, hard, or highly-processed foods that may hinder your healing process.

Take care of yourself, mama, and let Mama Meals take care of the cooking, so you can savor every moment with your precious newborn!

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Conquering Infant Colic the Doula Way

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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.

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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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Finding A Doula: What Sets Us Apart

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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.

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She Smiles: A Postpartum Support Story

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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.