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.
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.
You've taken the classes, you've read the books and you have created a birth plan complete with your personal preferences for your baby's birth. But as we all know, things don't always go as planned. And while we are big proponents of doing your research to establish some expectations, we also recognize that birth can be unpredictable.
Because of this unpredictability, we believe in the importance of being aware of your options as well as your right to informed consent and refusal.
You may have heard by now that Doulas of Orange County has moved to Irvine! Our bigger, more accessible class space provides the perfect setting for Parenting & Childbirth Education, Yoga, Play Groups and more!
We are proud to offer a full schedule for the month of August with additional classes being added to the calendar in September!
Weekly yoga classes are the newest addition to our calendar! Taught by co-owner and yoga instructor, Lauren Jacobs, our weekly prenatal yoga class gives you regular opportunities to relax, stretch, and bond with your baby as your nurture your pregnant or postpartum body. Classes begin late August! Registration is now available!
Michelle Swaney of The Potty School is now teaching regular classes at our office in Irvine as well! Featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, and MSN, Michelle's expertise and techniques are a must have for all parents looking to gently and effectively teach their children how to potty train. Classes are appropriate for ages from 0-18+ months and include Elimination Communication, Potty Training 101 and Parent+Me Potty Training. Classes begin August 28th!
We've had the joy and delight to meet many of you at our weekly New Mama Cafe gathering on Tuesdays! We always love seeing your smiling faces and watching your sweet babies grow week by week. As the weeks & months have gone by, we know that some of you have returned to work or varying nap times make it a challenge to come to the Tuesday mom & baby group, so we are excited to announce a monthly gathering for new moms in OC. We call it the Weekend Edition of New Mama Cafe!
Held on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 9:30am at Tewinkle Park in Costa Mesa, this group offers an opportunity to meet other new moms and share the ups and downs of mom life! Check out the Dad version held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at Mariners Park in Newport Beach!
Doulas of Orange County offers the largest variety of prenatal & parenting programming in all of Orange County. Our monthly classes include Babywearing 101, Breastfeeding 101, and Baby Care Basics. Other classes, such as our Confident Birth 4-week series and Comfort Measures workshop are offered every other month.
With curriculums developed by DOC owners, Lauren and Chelsea, these informative and enjoyable classes provide you with all the knowledge and skill you need to walk into your birth & parenting journey with confidence! Group classes are great for those that are interested in creating community and meeting new parent friends, while Private classes are fully customizable for those that want to focus on the topics that matter most to you!
Check out our Classes & Workshops page for more information and to register!
This is just a glimpse of what August holds here at Doulas of Orange County! Stay tuned for more offerings in September like Infant Massage, Infant & Family CPR, movie screenings and more!
We hear a lot about how wonderful and magical and beautiful breastfeeding is. We hear about the benefits to mom and baby, the cost effectiveness, and the incredible bond it can form.
What we don't often hear about or talk about is how challenging it can really be. We don't hear about the sleepless nights, the cracked nipples, being attached to your kid 24/7 through a growth spurt.
We believe and amplify the glamour, but shy away from the messy.
Well, I'm here to tell you that if breastfeeding was or is a challenge for you, you are not alone!
Doulas of Orange County recently posted the following picture on our Instagram feed and the response was surprising to say the least.
When you think of birth classes what automatically comes to mind?
Maybe you picture a bunch of pregnant women and their partners sitting on the floor with pillows doing their "hee-hee hoos." Maybe the word "Lamaze" pops into your head. Maybe you think of watching a graphic video of childbirth.
The idea of a group of expectant couples gathered to breathe, watch birth videos and talk about their fears and feelings could bring anyone to a halt when registering for a class. It's something that a lot of people reluctantly sign up for simply because it's recommended by their OBGYN or because they themselves consider it some sort of "rite of passage."
I can see why people might feel this way. These are some of the same thoughts I had before becoming a Childbirth Educator. I couldn't understand what the value of childbirth class was, especially when based on my own experiences as a Doula, each birth is so different. How could one class prepare each individual person for the type of birth they wanted or envisioned?
My tune changed pretty quickly after becoming a Childbirth Educator and I started to teach classes of my own. My goal in becoming an educator in the first place was not only to add to my skills as a professional Doula, but so I could help educate my clients and community in an unbiased way.
Too often I had clients come to me with misinformation or information clearly biased towards unmedicated birth. Too often did I have women feeling embarrassed or shamed by the choices they had made for their birth. Too often was their a feeling of disappointment in the room when the birth didn't unfold perfectly like the birth plan dictated.
