My Philosophy
I believe that mothers are strong and courageous and put their heart and soul and body into making the best decisions for their babies. I believe that a mother has also been born, and she too needs some mothering as she learns to trust her instincts. I know that sometimes what a woman needs more than anything else is a sister to sit alongside her and reassure her that she is a good mother and she is not alone.
I believe that babies are smart and are born with incredible instincts to communicate their needs. I believe babies' native environment is their mother, and I encourage lots of skin-to-skin contact and bonding between mother and baby in the first weeks. I think mothers and fathers and babies all do better when they follow their instincts on soothing and sleeping and lay aside preconceived parenting expectations as much as possible during the fourth trimester. I do not believe you can spoil a newborn!
I believe that science helps us sift through the helpful and the less helpful advice we receive from our family, friends, culture and traditions to show us best practices for mothers and babies. I believe in holding our opinions up to the light of the evidence; in casting a broad net in reading and researching; in considering the specifics of a family's situation; and then making an informed decision. I believe informed decisions may look different in each family, and I support the new parents' chosen path.
What to Expect
During a postpartum visit, you can expect a nice long chat about how your night went or how your day went, and you can share your joys and frustrations. Together, we make a plan to achieve your goals for that day or that night. I suggest that you to keep a running list of questions for me that we can talk through during my visits. I am a safe place for you to talk about your childbirth recovery and ask questions. I pay careful attention to breastfeeding, if you are nursing, as the first two weeks are an especially important period in establishing the breastfeeding relationship. I assess your comfort and milk production and baby's comfort and position, answer questions and concerns, and can help you track baby's weight if required. I can reassure you that much of your physical recovery, your newborn's behavior, and what you are experiencing with breastfeeding is normal. Where there are concerns with either mother or baby, I provide information and referrals.
I always like to know if there are things in your living space which are causing you anxiety; I can help with baby's laundry, tidy up the kitchen, or prepare a nutritious snack, if that will relieve your stress. I can help you think through logistics for visitors, trips to the doctor, your partner's return to work, and plan healthy meals. If family members are at a loss on what needs to happen to keep the household running, I can help them prioritize and direct their energies to the most helpful tasks. I can soothe and snuggle baby while you rest if what you need most is a nap.
As a doula and CLC I do not provide medical advice; I will refer you to a pediatrician, midwife, obstetrician or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant if there are any medical concerns.
References
"Naomi’s support, along with a lactation consultant to which she referred us, enabled us to work out the issues we faced at the start of breastfeeding (milk coming in late, tongue-tie, infection, weight gain). Three months on I am certain that I owe our breastfeeding success to her expertise and personal attention to our questions along the way."
"Naomi brings a wealth of postnatal knowledge and expertise to the families she serves. But the warmth she brought to our household was the real treasure--it made the transition of welcoming another baby a thousand times easier and much more fun: the way it should be! I would ask her to act as postpartum doula again in a heartbeat."
"I am so grateful for the expertise and calm Naomi brought with her as she helped me navigate the mom journey. Nursing was something I struggled with and she was able to help me learn how to enjoy the process. I am so grateful for her gentle guidance and can say my postpartum transition was sweet and smooth with her by my side."