DOC Team, Local OC Resources, Postpartum
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
Real Postpartum Care for San Diego Families

Postpartum is a threshold. It’s not just the weeks and months following birth, but a full-body, full-heart transformation. It’s where the real work of becoming a parent happens. There’s nothing linear or polished about it. Some days feel like honey and skin-to-skin bliss. Others feel like cracked nipples, too many half-drunk cups of coffee, and wondering if anyone remembered to eat.

This is the dance of early parenthood: fierce love mixed with sleep deprivation, identity shifts, and the kind of tired that seeps into your bones.

That’s where we come in.

At Doulas of Orange County, our postpartum doulas offer steady, evidence-based, deeply human support for families across San Diego County — whether you need help during the day, overnight, or 24/7 live-in care. We come in with warm hands, sharp instincts, and the experience to help your family soften into this new season.

Let’s talk about what postpartum care really looks like — and why it changes everything.

Real Postpartum Care for San Diego Families
Postpartum, Our Favorites, Motherhood, Newborns
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
Postpartum Recovery After Twins: What You Need ...

So, you’ve brought two babies into this world. First of all, you’re a superhero—no doubt about it. But let’s get real for a second: postpartum recovery after twins is not the same as recovering from a single birth. It’s double the diapers, double the feedings, double the sleepless nights—and sometimes, double the discomfort. Your body just did an incredible, exhausting, miraculous thing. Now, it's time to heal, recover, and find yourself again in the whirlwind of having two newborns at home.

It’s important to remember, you’re not just healing from birth. You’re also adjusting to a new life with two precious babies. And while there’s a lot of joy, there’s also a lot of messiness that nobody really prepares you for. Let’s break down what you really need to know about postpartum recovery after twins!

Postpartum Recovery After Twins: What You Need to Know
Local OC Resources, Our Favorites, Pregnancy
Lauren Foster, Co-Owner
Our Favorite Spots For a Pre-Baby Date Night in ...

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.

Our Favorite Spots For a Pre-Baby Date Night in Orange County
Motherhood, Newborns, Postpartum, DOC Team, Birth Planning
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
Pregnancy, Parenting, Newborns, Our Favorites, Birth Planning
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

Postpartum

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In The Spotlight: Lauren Slak, Orange County Midwife

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Orange County has the luxury of having a wide variety of birthing options. Based on your health & criteria you can have a hospital birth with an OB or a Midwife, a homebirth with an OB or a Midwife or a birth center birth with a Midwife. As Doulas, we don't take these options for granted and our team has the distinct privilege to be able to learn and support families at any number of these birthing locations with any number of care providers.

Call us biased, but one of our favorites in this group of esteemed care providers is Lauren Slak, owner of Wholistic Women's Healthcare and Licensed Midwife. Lauren sees her homebirth midwifery clients at our office in Costa Mesa, so we have the honor to collaborate with her and learn from her quite often. She provides compassionate midwifery care, pre-conception counseling, and nurturing support to families throughout Orange, San Diego, & Riverside counties. Her calm yet confident presence is so refreshing and her knowledge and passion for birth is inspiring. 

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Breastfeeding Ain't Easy

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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. 

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Lessons on Compassion from "Call the Midwife"

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There's nothing like a good Netflix binge to help calm the mind and reset the body for the week ahead. I've had a particularly rough week emotionally, so when Sunday rolled around with it's rainy OC weather and nothing on my to-do list, I figured what better time to catch up on "Call the Midwife!"

For those that are unfamiliar, "Call the Midwife" is a PBS show all about midwifery care in the 1950s and 60s. It is a beautiful show that portrays the dramatic ups and downs of midwifery, birth, life, and death in the impoverished East End of London. Each episode is guaranteed to tug at the heart strings. 

In episode two of the fifth season, there is an interesting commentary on breastfeeding vs. formula feeding with a beautiful lesson on listening to an individual mothers needs and desires.

Without going into too much detail (because really, if you aren't watching this show yet, you should!!) one of the midwives is extremely vocal of her disapproval of formula feeding. Keep in mind that formula was a new phenomenon in the 1960s and that some people could barely afford to put food on the table. Sister Evangelina, the notoriously vocal midwife touts the benefits of breast milk as being the perfect food for baby and bonus, it's free! 

As a Birth & Postpartum Doula, I of course, know her views to be valid and correct from a logical standpoint, but I cringed at the words she used and the attitude she portrayed, essentially poo-pooing anyone who dared challenge her expertise and views. 

Fast forward to a mom struggling to breastfeed and this same midwife (while encouraging her to keep trying), dismisses her fears and the pain breastfeeding was causing her. It took bleeding nipples and a full emotional breakdown for the midwife to finally admit that she was wrong and that formula was NOT, in fact, evil. 

Get Started With BabyWearing 101

Welcome to our first post in our series celebrating International Babywearing Week! In the words of Dr. William and Martha Sears, "Baby wearing does good things for babies, and it makes life easier for mothers." It's really quite simple as that!

So... where to start?

There are endless styles and types of carriers available to parents. It can definitely be overwhelming trying to choose the right one for you and making the financial investment. We recommend borrowing one from a friend or checking out your local babywearing lending library, they will have many to choose from!

When learning how to safely wear your baby carrier, don't underestimate the power of YouTube video tutorials or better yet, sign up for our Babywearing 101 workshop held every other month in Irvine.

Four Steps to Get Started Baby Wearing

1. Prepare Prenatally

We recommend an in-person class for hands on education and a chance to touch and feel all of the carriers before your little one arrives. Our workshop includes safety tips, the opportunity to see each carrier being worn and an optional add-on that allows you time with instructor & babywearing specialist, Ashley Mullen for hands on help!

2. Decide on the type(s) of Carrier to buy

Knit wraps are made of stretchy cotton or bamboo and geared towards 0-6 months of age depending on baby’s size and weight. Most can accommodate a baby up to 30lbs, but parents usually find them most comfortable during the newborn stage. Wraps are a wonderful addition to your babywearing stash because they allow for a very snug fit and are an easy way to get in skin-to-skin bonding during the 4th trimester. Some popular brands are Moby, Boba and Baby K’tan.  

Soft Structured Carriers distribute weight evenly to the hips and can be worn in a myriad of ways including facing inward on the front, back carry and hip carry. Some soft structured carriers (or SSCs) are set up to be worn with baby facing out in an ergonomic position such as the Ergobaby 360 model. SSCs are a very user friendly carrier with thick padded shoulder straps, a wide seat, buckle waist strap and a hood for sleeping and nursing on the go.  Some popular brands are ErgoBaby, Tula and Beco.

Ring Slings are a simple carrier that are quick and easy to use once you get the hang of it. They are made from one piece of fabric (typically linen, cotton, or silk) with two rings. The ring sling hangs like a sash over one shoulder and you tighten the fabric through the rings to create an appropriately tight and supportive fit around your baby. These are great for the newborn stage and like many of the other carriers can grow with your baby into toddlerhood. We adore the Sakura Bloom and Wildbird ring slings.

Woven wraps are extremely versatile and offer a wide variety of different carries for your baby from the newborn stage until 45-50 lbs. Machine or handwoven wraps provide a breathable and strong seat for your little one and come in an endless assortment of designs and colors. Since the wrap conforms perfectly to the wearer and baby, they are a perfect choice for both petite and plus size parents. The standard sizes come in 2-8.  Take a look at Kanthabae, Girasol and Risaroo wraps to get started.

There are also Mei Tei’s, Water Slings and External Frame Hiking Carriers available. All carriers have a learning curve and every parent/baby duo is different. Be patient with yourself and your baby as you learn. It will get easier and before you know it you’ll be wearing your baby like a pro!

3. Connect with other parents

Find a local or online group to connect with other babywearing families in your community. It’s a great way to meet other parents, gain insight on carriers and find your village. Babywearing LA aghas chapters all over Sourthern California, including a chapter in Orange County with meet ups often scheduled at local parks throughout the month. Babywearing International also has various groups and lending libraries.

4. Get Guidance from an Expert:

All of DOC's Postpartum Doulas are well-versed in the basics of babywearing and can help parents try on carriers and make sure baby is in a safe position and both are comfortable during your in-home care shifts.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post Happy Mom, Happy Baby about how babywearing encourages bonding, assists in soothing and promotes more skin-to-skin contact.

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The Benefits of Babywearing Blog Series

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International Babywearing Week is October 5th-10th and Doulas of OC is excited to celebrate with all of you. This week Tiff Delancy, Birth Doula & Babywearing Aficionado, is bringing you a series of posts dedicated to the joys and beauty of babywearing. She’ll touch on the physical and emotional benefits of wearing your baby as well as important safety tips to consider. Check back each day this week for a myriad of insight to the wonderful world of babywearing!

Stayed tuned this week for the following upcoming posts: 

October 6th - Getting Started Babywearing    
October 7th - Happy Mom, Happy Baby
October 8th - The Ease of Being Hands Free
October 9th - Developmental Benefits
October 10th - Grow & Explore Together