My Postpartum Doula Origin Story
My own postpartum experiences were shaped by my mother, who modeled quiet, joyful, long-term postpartum support. Becoming a mother of two was a profound life change, and I deeply loved the season of young motherhood—the tenderness, intensity, and transformation it brings.
Once I found my footing with two children, I instinctively began showing up for other new mothers in the way my mother had shown up for me. I dropped off home-cooked meals, lactation cookies, flowers, and—most importantly—an open invitation to share their birth stories and talk about anything, anytime.
Our culture simply does not offer postpartum support in the way many other parts of the world do. Visiting friends during their postpartum, I quickly realized that a single visit was never enough. I fed new parents, cleaned kitchens, played with older children, encouraged laughter, normalized rest and self-care, celebrated mothers for their strength in labor and resilience through sleep deprivation—and always left another meal in the fridge, knowing how dark and difficult postpartum can be without support.
As an experienced mother, I became increasingly dismayed by how our consumer culture fixate baby showers and registries on so many products, while overlooking what mothers actually need: nourishing food, time to heal physical wounds, space to process emotional ones, meaningful rest, pelvic floor therapy, bodywork, mental health care, and help with older children. These supports should be planned and saved for, yet they’re rarely named—or worse, labeled a “luxury.” By the time these needs become urgent, families are often out of time, money, and already rushing back to work.
I was also struck by the stark contrast between how well women are supported during pregnancy and how abruptly that care ends after birth—often with just a single six-week postpartum checkup. Three out of five of my closest childhood friends experienced postpartum depression or anxiety in the years following birth, as did five out of twelve mothers in my local mom’s group. Sixteen months after my second child, I experienced a critical case of postpartum anxiety. We weren’t statistics—we were real women struggling simultaneously, yet alone. It felt like too many of us.
So instead of returning to my corporate career, I stepped into the vast gap where postpartum care should exist in this country. I trained with DONA International, the premier global doula organization, grounding my work in evidence-based postpartum and lactation support, and built a strong referral network with birth workers and maternal wellness providers across Fairfield County.
Today, I buoy new mothers as they recover. I traded corporate sales targets for human connection, and helping young families truly thrive is what fuels me.
