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.
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.
Hey there, mama. We see you.
We see you with your sore nipples trying to get your baby to latch, scrolling through KellyMom trying to figure out what's going on and how to make it work. We know it's hard and painful and exhausting. They told you your baby would feed every 2-3 hours, but how has it only been 45 minutes since your baby last fed and is now showing signs of hunger again?! Yeah, we see you.
Hello again! We are excited to shine this month's spotlight on Lauren Deliberato, mama, therapist and all-around amazing human! We met Lauren in 2016 over coffee in an effort to network and learn more about the incredible therapeutic she provides. It was at that first coffee date that we knew we wanted her to be involved in our own efforts to push the boundaries of what unconditional postpartum support looked like for new parents. It is no secret that postpartum support in our society is lacking and it is our desire to provide our community with resources, hands-on guidance, and non-judgmental information & support throughout the postpartum years. For us, Lauren was the perfect person to partner with in these efforts.
Lauren has an incredible capacity to make you feel safe and heard. Her understanding and compassion for the many challenges motherhood brings makes her an ideal therapist to lead our bi-monthly Postpartum Support Circle, Balance After Baby.
In today's feature, we asked Lauren to give us a glimpse into her own life and her own journey as a mother, as well as share some of her passion for self-care and mental health.
