Life With A Newborn- Ways to Make it Easier

I have worked with new Mums for more than half of my life and as a Mum of three myself, I wish I had known what I now help new Mums understand. 

Life with a newborn tiny human is unpredictable. Let's face it- we leak from many orifices at one time, sleep is staggered, time takes on a whole new meaning, and we occupy a new space. In that new space, we struggle. Here are the top seven topics that we tend to struggle with:

1.) Not getting anything done. Wear your baby in a sling, a wrap, a carrier as you wash dishes, dust, make the bed or do laundry. Including your baby in tasks will allow you to relax (I didn't say sleep!) when your babe does. Then have something to eat or go pee on your own.

2.) Getting enough to eat or finding time to eat it. Have your partner put your lunch together before heading to work, make some overnight oats for the whole week, eat calorie dense foods, make muffins and freeze them. Look into an Instant Pot- game changer for so many families! Cook dinner together with you partner with the baby in a wrap or carrier. Feeding your baby can also be challenging- are they getting enough, are you feeding long enough, how often should you breastfeed? How do you deal with sore nipples and breast pain? We provide in home visits and breastfeeding clinics every Friday from 9:30-11:30 as well as Coffee Talk support every other Monday from 10-11:30. Each is a $10 drop in fee. 

3.) Having a shower- Bring your baby into the bathroom with you! Pop them in a bouncy chair, portable swing or bassinet. Then get in the shower and sing! Singing helps calm your nervous system, your baby will love it and combined with the sound of the running water and steam, your babe will probably love it or grow to love it! 

4.) Lack of sleep- Sleep is a struggle for so many of us. Napping during the day is something a lot of us are not really good at so at the very least try to rest. Netflix and snuggle on the couch, babe on your chest or close by. If you can nap during the day, consider asking a friend or relative to come and stay with your babe when you nap. Also consider hiring a postpartum doula. We come over and stay with your baby while you nap during the day and will also provide over night care. Sleep is crucial to our mental and emotional health. We have a great sleep foundations class to help you understand sleep from a biological, psychological, sociological perspective- not crying it out at all. You can reach Shannon at shannon.stark@sympatico.ca if you have questions about sleep or a postpartum doula. 

5.) Not able to share how you are feeling- You need to talk. To process your birth, to share your fears, to normalize your experiences. A safe person, who you can trust and will not offer unsolicited advice is golden. There are many great professionals services available to help you too. Email us here if you would like a referral.

6.) Afraid to ask your partner for help- Again, parenting is new territory! Oftentimes, the territory looks very different than the map! Unpacking helpful expectations will help you navigate this new journey, together with your partner. We have certified Becoming Us Family Professionals and Certified Relationship Coaches on staff to help you. Email us at kilty67@sympatico.ca for more information. 

7.) Having really high expectations for what life will look like postpartum- Be gentle with yourself. Nothing ever looks like we think it will. With the added pressures of social media we can feel even more isolated. We need each other in the postpartum maybe more than ever. What's really important is to focus on how you are FEELING in postpartum- and being able to share that. We have amazing Mom and Baby groups with Karen that deal with the realities and truths of parenting and our emotional health. You can reach her at gkruby@isp.ca for more info on the classes. 

We are here to help you through the whole journey. You are not alone. Reach out. 

Mama Healing Deep Dive- Owning Our Story to Parent More Peacefully Program

Owning our whole story and understanding why we are the way we are is the key to staying calm, loving and living  authentically, and being present and content with ourselves and our children.

The pressures on Mamas today is more than any other generation before us. We are scrutinized more than any other generation and are bombarded by so many mixed messages! We need to be able to stop comparisonitis, we need to stop focusing on what others are doing and we must come back to ourselves and excavate our true nature in order to live in authenticity. 

This program invites you to dive deep with other Mamas in a safe online environment to support each other, learn from each other and understand that we are all so much more alike- all the while embracing our differences. We will reveal our true selves and revel in it. 

This 3 month online program is based in content I have never released before- because I am always learning, taking courses, being coached by my coaches and by constantly investigating human nature. There are components of Calm Mum principles in this program and we build so high on that foundation! 

There will be daily Facebook live videos, a coming together every day for all of us, exercises, and one on one coaching. Each exercise, each video, each one on one experience will be a deep, safe dive into revealing who you really are- starting with "you are enough" and ending with "I feel deeply that I am so much more than enough!" 

This program is open today for registration and we roll out the program on June 1st. It will take us  right through until September 1st- a summer of learning, loving yourself and growing as a woman, partner, Mama and human. It will also be a huge pressure valve in your day- time and investment in you. Extreme self care. 

It is being offered at a fraction of our other coaching programs as it is the first roll out of the program. 

Open to 20 women for $200. 

Email Carol at kilty67@sympatico.ca. When the class is full, one lucky registrant will receive a full reimbursement on their program fee as a thank you. I cannot wait to work with, grow with and support you. xoxo 

MamaNurture- Our Postpartum Support Service

We wish that in North America brand new parents were embraced and taken care of the way they are in other cultures. 

In other cultures, women are cared for, tended to and cherished for 40 days postpartum. The village is there for them and walks with them through the first weeks of motherhood. We believe every family needs and deserves this!

We have worked as birth and postpartum doulas for a quarter of a century. We see the value and the enrichment in caring for families as they navigate the territory of parenthood, which is very often very different than the "map" they thought would lead them into this new world! 

We are offering 3 or 4 hour care packages. These packages include:

Newborn care education

Breastfeeding support

Sleep support

light housekeeping (not full on vacuuming, cleaning toilets, washing windows) like tidying up and helping with baby's laundry 

Holding babe while you eat, sleep, shower

Normalizing your experiences

Providing additional professional support and resources if needed

What we come with:

Newborn diapers, MamaNurture bath bombs, homemade soup and a lot of love. 

This service is offered at $22 an hour. 

Gift certificates can be purchased for new families.

All of our practitioners are Certified Perinatal Support Practitioners, have completed Mothering The Mother, Minding The Mind emotional health well being training and are Mothers themselves.

For more information, to purchase a gift certificate or to register yourself for this program, email Carol at kilty67@sympatico.ca 

We so look forward to working with you. xoxo

Palliative Care Support Practitioner Program

As a society, we are not comfortable speaking about or discussing death. For many, there is little to no preparation in the eventuality of death. Our Palliative Care Support Practitioner Program is designed to help families with an eventual death in the home and how to navigate all of the required steps that need to be taken. The program's focus is on the emotional support of the person transitioning to death and their family as well as guiding them through the important "what ifs and how to's" of end of life care.

Co-facilitated by a Registered Nurse in palliative care (who is also a doula) and a birth/death doula, this program will include input from specialists in end of life care. Students will learn from various community based guest speakers about the community standards, policies and procedures and the scope of practice of support practitioners in end of life care. Students will also learn how to set up a support based business through the course.

The program will take place over 7 in class days. Once the students have been selected for the program, the group will co-operatively pick the remaining six days for the class after the initial start of January 21st 2017. Because we understand that most people work full time, the program will run on either a Saturday or Sunday from January until May. If a student must miss a class they will be brought up to speed on the curriculum by one of the instructors. Because we know life is messy and busy!  The program will run out of Babies Naturally, 1124 Gainsborough Rd. London Ontario.

There will be required readings and at home study as well as an online component of the class which will involve video learning and assignments to give the class a total compounded learning of 80 hours.

The cost of the class will be $1000.00 with a non refundable deposit of $250 hours once acceptance into the program is extended. The remaining fee is due the first day of class.

The class is open to 14 students. For more information or for enquiries, please contact Carol at kilty67@sympatico.ca

Advanced Postpartum Doula Training Online! Filling In the Huge Gaps in Postpartum Care

In over 25 years of working with families, I have noticed (as I am sure all of you have!) that the support we offer families in the postpartum is sadly lacking. We don't prepare families for the massive new journey they are on and we certainly don't take care of the emotional, mental and spiritual health of women! We truly are a birth centred culture and we do not understand the importance of encouraging families to have a solid postpartum care plan. I found in my postpartum doula training that there was no solid training in the emotional and mental health care for families. Neuroscience tells us that our brains change in pregnancy and after we give birth and we can use these changes to our advantage, educate our clients on them and help them benefit from the way we should be feeling in the postpartum! The neuroplasticity of the brain and the changes the brain goes through can be utilized to help make postpartum easier-with a full understanding of this and with support and guidance! Birth is not only about babies-it is about making Mums too! For years there have been gaps in the knowledge about postpartum-but with new neuroscience we can help families bond more deeply, as well as restore age old traditions and implement practical ways to support families for a much more relaxed and less anxiety ridden postpartum. 

We are thrilled to be offering an online postpartum doula training program! This program will be delivered in 7 modules, is self-paced learning and will help you fill in those gaps for the families you work with. Help Mums find the joy more readily in postpartum, embrace what the postpartum physiology of the brain and body are meant to do and nurture the families you work with! I cannot tell you the difference this has made in the families I am working with after learning this information over the past three years. I am so excited to share it with you so you in turn can share it with your clients! 

The course is open now for registration and will be offered at an introductory price of $375. You will receive an advanced postpartum doula training certificate upon completion and will have 20 hours of credit for continuing education. 

To register or if you have any questions, please contact Carol at kilty67@sympatico.ca

I look forward to working with you!