Doula Talk Blog & Podcast
Welcome. This is a space for thoughtful guidance, honest conversations, and practical insight for the postpartum period and first year.
Here you’ll find blog posts and podcast episodes that help you make sense of sleep, feeding, recovery, and the emotional load of early parenthood. My goal is not to give you more rules to follow, but to help you understand what’s happening beneath the surface so you can respond with clarity and confidence.
Whether you’re navigating sleep disruptions, feeding challenges, or simply trying to feel more steady in your role as a parent, these resources offer evidence-informed perspective, real-world context, and support you can return to whenever you need it.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
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The Taboo Conversation: Cannabis, Women’s Health, and Making Informed Choices (Guest: Dr. Amanda Reiman, Founder Personal Plants)
If you’ve used cannabis before pregnancy, you’re not alone. This is especially common in states where it's legally available.
For many people, cannabis is already part of their life before pregnancy, whether that’s for sleep, anxiety, chronic pain, or simply as a way to unwind at the end of the day.
And then pregnancy happens.
Or postpartum hits.
And suddenly, something that once felt normal or supportive becomes confusing, stigmatized, or even scary to talk about.
The messaging tends to shift quickly into black-and-white: Just stop. Don’t use anything. Don’t ask questions.
But real life is rarely that simple.
So instead of shutting the conversation down, what if we approached it differently?
What if we looked at cannabis use during the perinatal period through a harm reduction lens, one that prioritizes safety, informed decision-making, and honest conversations?
When Feeding Feels Hard: What Actually Helps (and What Quietly Makes It Worse)
Feeding a baby is often described as something that should feel natural and instinctive. But for many families, feeding can quickly become one of the most stressful parts of the day.
Maybe your baby feeds constantly but still seems unsettled.
Maybe every feed feels like a guessing game.
Maybe you’ve tried adjusting wake windows, spacing feeds, or following a schedule, and nothing seems to make things easier.
If feeding feels harder than you expected, you’re not alone. Many families reach a point where they realize they’re trying everything they’ve been told to do, yet the system still feels tense, exhausting, or confusing.
The good news is that feeding challenges are often less about doing the wrong things and more about doing things before the system is ready.
Understanding how feeding rhythms actually develop can take a huge amount of pressure off both parents and babies.
When Feeding Feels Hard: Why It’s Not Just About the Bottle
If feeding your baby feels harder than you expected, you are not alone.
For many parents, feeding starts as something neutral or even grounding. Then suddenly it feels charged. Every feed comes with tension. You find yourself bracing your shoulders, holding your breath, watching the clock, or panicking when your baby cries, arches, or refuses again.
And almost inevitably, the questions start.
Is it reflux?
Is it the bottle?
Is it the formula?
Is it my fault?
Here is what I want you to hear clearly.
When feeding feels hard, it is rarely just about the bottle.
Navigating the Fourth Trimester: Adjusting to Life with a Newborn
If you’ve ever found yourself awake at 3 a.m., holding your baby and wondering if you’re doing something wrong… you’re not alone.
In fact, that moment is one of the most defining experiences of the fourth trimester.
The house is quiet. Your baby won’t settle. You’re exhausted. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering if everyone else somehow knows something you don’t.
Here’s the truth most parents aren’t told clearly enough:
What you’re experiencing is incredibly normal.
And also… it can feel really hard.
The fourth trimester, or the first 12 weeks after your baby is born, is a time of massive transition. Not just for your baby, but for you too. Understanding what’s actually happening during this stage can shift everything from panic to perspective.
When Newborn Patterns Shift: Growth Spurts, Illness, and Why Postpartum Support Matters More Than You Think
One of the most disorienting moments in early postpartum happens like this.
You start to recognize your baby’s rhythm. You can roughly anticipate when feeds cluster, when sleep tends to happen, and how evenings usually unfold. It’s not perfect, but it feels familiar enough to breathe a little.
And then suddenly, everything shifts.
Sleep looks different. Feeding feels harder. The rhythm you were starting to understand feels fuzzy again. Many parents describe this moment as unsettling, not because things are objectively terrible, but because they thought they were finally finding their footing.
This is often when families begin searching for postpartum support, not because something is “wrong,” but because the constant change starts to feel heavy to hold alone.
Understanding why newborn patterns shift, and how to respond without scrambling to fix everything, can make the postpartum period feel steadier and more supported.
Finding the Rhythm in the First Weeks: Sleep, Feeding, and Why Postpartum Support Matters
The early weeks with a newborn can feel deceptively intense. Days and nights blur together, sleep comes in short bursts, feeding feels constant, and just when something starts to make sense, it seems to change again.
For many families, this isn’t the moment of panic people often talk about. It’s quieter than that. It’s the feeling of holding a lot, all the time, without quite knowing how to interpret what’s happening.
This is often when families begin looking for postpartum support. Not because something is “wrong,” but because the mental load of figuring everything out alone starts to feel heavy.
Understanding how newborn sleep, feeding, and wake windows actually work in the first weeks can make this season feel steadier and far less overwhelming.
Before the Release: What Parents Need to Know Before Saying Yes (Guest: Carissa Guiley)
If you’ve recently had a baby and feeding has turned into a whole emotional roller coaster, first of all… I’m sending you the biggest, gentlest hug. Because when newborn feeding doesn’t go the way you thought it would, it can shake you to your core. Breastfeeding or bottle feeding is so much more than nutrition. It’s connection. Comfort. Safety. And when something feels “off” but you can’t quite fix it, that pressure builds fast.
So let’s talk about something that comes up constantly in postpartum support: tongue ties. And more importantly… what happens before a tongue tie release.
Is This Just Normal… or Is It Time to Get Sleep Support?
If you're here, you’re probably running on fumes. Maybe you're clutching your coffee like a lifeline, Googling “why won’t my baby sleep” at 2am, or whispering to yourself, “this can’t be normal, right?”