ABC Doula & Newborn Care

25/06/2025

My colleague took some behind the scenes shots while I was visiting AM NW show last week. I thought it was fun to see the camera views!

I talked to host Helen Raptis about welcoming a grandbaby, and the focus of caring for our grown babies while they care for their babies. And showed off one of my favorite tools, the Air carrier.

I haven't been on live TV before so I was a little nervous but they did a great job to help me focus under the lights and cameras. And we even got more people in our grandparenting class who had seen the show!

20/06/2025

Such a fun time talking grandparent classes with AM NW morning show host Helen today!
Representing to let everyone know we have fun classes designed just for grandparents. 💕

We have spots open for the class this weekend Sunday 9-12:30. Links will be in stories.

19/06/2025

We love to teach parents and grandparents all about what babies are trying to say--and we know a LOT more about their cues in the past 30+ years!
We also know that research shows we don't have to get it all right when we are trying to read babies. Babies just need us to get it right some of the time in order to be bonded to us, trust us, and grow their brain optimally.

Check out our classes for parents at www.abcdoula.com.
Check out our classes for grandparents at www.grandparentdoula.com

02/06/2025

https://www.morethangrand.com/blog/postpartum-care-for-moms-what-grandparents-can-do
Had a fun collab with DeeDee Morris of More than Grand, and here is the blog she put together.
We covered a lot of ground so look for more to come as we had so many topics we didn't get to in this one! You will be able to find them on the www.abcdoula.com page too. 🙂

Postpartum care for moms: Learn how grandparents can help with recovery needs, postpartum gifts, and support that truly matters.

22/04/2025

Teaching grandparents challenges me frequently, especially when they ask really earnest questions, like what happens when they want their kids to breastfeed their babies and they end up formula feeding? Or what if they decide to bottle feed and pump their milk instead of just feeding them directly from the breast? Or if they fed them formula, why go to all the effort to work through breastfeeding challenges? It doesn't make sense to them.

And I get it. Especially with the first grandbaby, it can feel like the decision reflects on your choices, and can feel like judgement. But honestly, it isn't at all about what grandparents did--it all hinges on the experience parents are having! As a lactation consultant, I see them struggling with these decisions, and also trying to play out their goals, which are a lot more complicated than they look.

Breastfeeding rates are HIGH right now (83% across the US) but so are the options that parents have if it doesn't work as they intend. Pumps are provided to every family with insurance. Feeding is now a shared activity, even with breastfeeding. Things have really changed! This is one reason we built a class for grandparents with all the updates!

This is what I believe Grandparents can do to best support their kids feeding choices.

11/04/2025

Getting a lot of requests to use Carrot Fertility benefits for doula services, and happy to answer that YES, doula services are covered for Carrot members! While the coverage varies, generally both birth and postpartum doulas are covered with full reimbursement if they are certified by a body that Carrot recognizes. We have had multiple Carrot reimbursed clients just in the last year and it has worked out really well!

This means that many of the families that couldn't have had a doula now get to have one (or two if they do both birth and postpartum)! What an amazing benefit to have doula services included to help heal, recover, bond, and adjust to life with a newborn.

Have you talked to HR about your benefits to see if doula services are covered? Find out early so you can book a doula before your perfect match books up.

More info on the blog: https://www.abcdoula.com/blog/2024/5/22/can-i-use-my-carrot-benefits-to-pay-for-a-doula

03/04/2025

I built a workbook for families to use together when they are expecting a baby. It's called MAPPING OUT A PEACEFUL POSTPARTUM and I decided to make it FREE. I wanted it in the hands of as many people as possible and want to see this communication tool making a difference for families!
Who needs this? If you are expecting a baby (or have a very new baby) and have people in your life that want to help, this tool is for you. It helps you say things that can be hard to heart but are important about how you want to be cared for.
If you are a grandparent, and want to help but aren't sure how, this is for you. It will help you figure out how you want to help, and overlay that with what the new parents want.
If you love someone who is having a baby, and you want to help, this is for you. You may have ideas about what is helpful, and this will give the new parents an easy way to communicate what is important to them.
It probably won't be as effective if you share it with family that doesn't want to help you, but it paves the way for some honest conversations and hopefully will set the tone for a peaceful time after baby arrives!
If you are a professional, check it out and see if it might be good for you personally or professionally.
I only ask that you use this link to share it, rather than print it and send it out. It helps me track who is using it, allows people to reach out to me personally if they have questions, and it honor the heart and work I put into it. 🙂
https://www.grandparentdoula.com/pl/2148652239

28/03/2025

Making a double batch of these for my incoming grandbaby and my DIL's recovery (baby is coming in the next couple weeks--or sooner hopefully!) and I thought I should add this to the blog for all my doula colleagues and client families as I get requests on repeat for these. I know many of you make them already, but I thought it might be a recipe to reference that is a winner and really easy to make!
Recipe added to the blog today. 🙂

Postpartum doulas make food for new moms and one of the easiest dishes to make is egg bites that add protein and nutrients to build up parents after birth. This is an easy recipe base with many variations to allow doulas to adjust to each family's preferences.

21/02/2025

New on the blog! My best pros and cons list for including others in your postpartum bubble.
What do you think? Keep it to just the 2 of you, or expand and allows others to be a part of your bubble?

Keep your circle small or welcome others to help you after baby comes? Let's look into the ways to optimize your recovery, get the support you need, while still keeping a net gain when helpers and visitors want to be included in your baby bubble.

19/02/2025

Had a delightful time learning from . Emily Spaeth of with some of our ABC Doula team. While many of our hardworking doulas were still sleeping away their overnight recovery, we had a sweet time together learning about hypertension in pregnancy and how to manage things better with nutrition. We also talked a bit about how to support clients after that "6 weeks all clear" visit from their Dr, and managing fears about resuming intimacy. Very thankful for Dr. Emily's dual focus of Physical Therapy and Lactation with her respective degrees. We loved connecting!

13/02/2025

For partners.
For grandparents.
For besties.
For doulas.

Postpartum is not an easy time, but we can make it easier with our care.

You have to have a bit of a tough shell especially in that first week or two as a postpartum helper. But it's absolutely worth it!

12/02/2025

Just finished my last postpartum doula training in January (what an awesome group!) and as usual got some requests to train right after we ended. Normally I get folks signed up for the next one...but now I recommend this for any future doulas who are looking to get certified, particularly if you want to certify quickly in order to qualify for reimbursement programs like Carrot.
Laura Nance Education and Coaching has been a trusted colleague and friend for over 20 years, and has dedicated her professional life to supporting postpartum doulas and other birth related arenas like pelvic floor recovery and lactation. If you want a training that covers the essentials of starting as a postpartum doula, find it right here. And if you want an in person training, I have several colleagues who will be offering those as well, depending on the local area--dm me for recs! There are many choices for training, and so many directions you can go. This one gets my vote.
https://laurananceeducation.teachable.com/p/professional-postpartum-doula?affcode=943941_tyagri5w

She has a training coming up Feb 21-23, and more in the works.

Professional Postpartum Doula training