Before and After Baby

Before and After Baby Facilitation services for personal and professional development through program management, community engagement and Co-parenting facilitation.

Before and After Baby offers co-parenting and parenting coaching/education, facilitation and training (in-person and virtually), program management including development, implementation and evaluation, specializing in non-profit or coalition capacity building and partnership development.

Coparenting is hard but making agreements about screen time should not be.
02/04/2026

Coparenting is hard but making agreements about screen time should not be.

02/01/2026

This.

12/25/2025

Christmas looks different when you’re a mom who has to share her kids.

It’s waking up on Christmas morning without little feet running into your room because this year, they’re not here yet.
Or packing up their favorite pajamas and a few presents so they can open them somewhere else first.
It’s celebrating on a different day, telling yourself “the date doesn’t matter,” while your heart quietly disagrees.

It’s the constant emotional math..
How much magic do I create when I only have half the time?
Do I overdo it to make up for what I’m missing?
Do they feel torn between two homes?

It’s smiling through drop offs while your chest feels heavy.
It’s pretending the silence doesn’t sting when the house feels too quiet.
It’s missing the parts of motherhood no one warns you about, the moments you don’t get simply because a relationship didn’t work out.

Christmas as a divorced or separated mom is learning how to grieve what you thought holidays would look like… while still showing up strong for your kids.

It’s learning that love doesn’t shrink just because time is divided.
That traditions can move dates and still mean everything.
That your kids can feel safe, loved, and celebrated in more than one place.

Some years you’ll get Christmas Eve.
Some years you’ll get Christmas morning.
Some years you’ll get December 27th and call it Christmas anyway because motherhood isn’t about the calendar, it’s about the love.

And if you’re that mom this season..
The one holding back tears while wrapping gifts alone,
The one counting down hours until it’s “your turn,”
The one missing your babies while pretending to be okay..You’re not bitter.You’re not weak.You’re not failing.

You’re a mother doing the hardest version of the holidays with grace most people will never see.

And one day, your kids will remember this, not the schedule, not the hand offs but the love you never stopped giving, no matter what day Christmas fell on.

Cel phones, tablets, computers/chromebooks. Develop family rules and hold them. They are the child, you are the adult. Y...
12/11/2025

Cel phones, tablets, computers/chromebooks. Develop family rules and hold them. They are the child, you are the adult. You may find benefit for yourself as well following suit!

11/19/2025

I could not agree more. Split holidays interrupt everything. Kids don’t settle, completely enjoy, and stress. Your split or divorce is on you, make it right for them.

10/31/2025

Equitable parenting is always the primary goal. Grieve the loss of what you had and adjust to what is now; SHARED parenting. Your solo control is now an illusion.

08/21/2025

You don’t need AI when you have a coparenting facilitator like me 🤷‍♀️

Validate. Be you.
08/05/2025

Validate. Be you.

Role model humility….parent effectively
07/29/2025

Role model humility….parent effectively

07/29/2025
If you are going to engage in a coparenting conversation, use some of these to help stay short, sweet, simple, and speci...
07/20/2025

If you are going to engage in a coparenting conversation, use some of these to help stay short, sweet, simple, and specific!

EXAMPLES OF AGREEING AND DISAGREEING POLITELY 📝🫶

Address

50 Alpine Drive
Merced, CA
95340

Telephone

(209) 631-8511

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Our Story

Before and After Baby began as a maternal child health education and support service in Merced County in 2006 with Emily Bernard. Emily received her Bachelors of Psychology with an emphasis in family counseling from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2004 with honors and continued on to complete her MA in Psychology with honors and received her certification as a Conscious Coparenting facilitator. Emily has been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 2008, offering unique perspective and experience for those who have or serve children.

She has worked in numerous settings as a facilitator and trainer and letures and on various topics across the nation and online. She enjoys assisting families through birth, breastfeeding and attachment as well as more difficult times through coparenting. She excels in supporting organizations who are developing to make a difference within their communities or businesses looking to grow their networks. She ensures her work focuses around partnerships, communication, collaboration and a high level of equitable care.

As a mother of three, who has coparented, she knows how hard it can be for parents to find resources and improve themselves for their children. She prides herself in assisting families and helping other organizations with their unique needs.