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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Deb Jimenez 6/16/26 Deb Jimenez 6/16/26

Beyond the 6-Week Checkup: Why Postpartum Healthcare Needs a Massive Rethink

If you’ve ever walked out of your six-week postpartum appointment thinking, Wait… that’s it?, you are absolutely not alone.

For many families in the perinatal period, postpartum care feels shockingly incomplete. You grow an entire human, give birth, survive sleep deprivation, hormone shifts, recovery, feeding challenges, and a complete identity transformation… and then the healthcare system basically says, “Okay, good luck out there!”

Maybe they check your bleeding. Maybe they ask if you’re crying too much. Maybe they clear you for exercise and sex.

Meanwhile, you’re sitting there with brain fog, exhaustion, anxiety, inflammation, nutrient depletion, pelvic floor symptoms, mood swings, and a nervous system hanging on by a thread wondering if this is all just “normal motherhood.”

Here’s the thing: common does not automatically mean healthy.

And postpartum women deserve better healthcare than a rushed mood-and-wound check.

Deb Jimenez 9/29/25 Deb Jimenez 9/29/25

When Worry Won’t Stop: Postpartum Anxiety & OCD Explained (Guests: Dr. Angie Maxwell, PT, DPT, WCS & Laura Meader, LICSW)

You’ve got the nursery organized, the baby clothes washed, and your hospital bag packed. You’ve probably read a million posts about the “baby blues” and postpartum depression. But let me ask you this: has anyone warned you about postpartum anxiety or postpartum OCD?

Deb Jimenez 9/1/25 Deb Jimenez 9/1/25

Feeding Your Baby Without Losing Your Sanity: A Shame-Free Guide for Expecting Moms

If you’re pregnant right now, chances are you’ve got a running mental list of all the “shoulds” you’ve heard about feeding your baby. You’ve probably read a few blog posts, had well-meaning friends share their “must-dos,” and maybe even found yourself deep in a late-night Google rabbit hole. And if you’re already feeling the pressure—before your baby is even here—you’re not alone.

Deb Jimenez 4/14/25 Deb Jimenez 4/14/25

In Flow: Reclaiming Your Rhythm, Redefining Productivity

Deb Jimenez 3/10/25 Deb Jimenez 3/10/25

Postpartum Recovery in Four Easy Steps!

Don’t get me wrong, postpartum recovery is NOT easy, BUT if you know what to expect and pace yourself, you’ll be feeling better faster! Please note, this is just an average on how to pace yourself and the best thing to do is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Do not move to the next week of recovery steps until you feel ready.

Deb Jimenez 2/17/25 Deb Jimenez 2/17/25

Preparing for Postpartum – The Five Essentials Every Mom Needs

Pregnancy is a transformative journey, but what happens after birth is just as important—if not more so. Yet, so many new mothers find themselves overwhelmed, exhausted, and under-supported during their postpartum recovery. The truth is, your body, mind, and spirit need care just as much as your newborn does.

Many cultures around the world honor postpartum as a sacred period, one where new mothers receive intentional care, rest, and nourishment. But in modern Western culture, the emphasis is often placed on "bouncing back" instead of healing deeply. What if we shifted the focus? What if postpartum was seen as a time to replenish, restore, and be nurtured?

Deb Jimenez 9/30/24 Deb Jimenez 9/30/24

Postpartum Recovery with Nutrition (Guest: Dr. Samantha Klim Naturopath)

Pregnancy is an exciting and transformative time, but as you get ready to meet your baby, it’s equally important to plan for what comes next—your postpartum recovery. Many new moms find themselves feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsupported after birth, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

The Complete Doula Talk Podcast Guide: Find an Episode by Topic

There are more than 60 episodes of Doula Talk, and you don't have to listen in order. Find the season you're in, start there, and skip whatever doesn't apply right now. Some episodes show up in more than one section on purpose, because real life doesn't fit into neat categories.

Doula Talk Is Taking a Break (And Where to Start in the Archive)

I have an announcement, and before anyone worries: nothing dramatic is happening. I'm okay, my family is okay, and my business isn't going anywhere. I've just reached a point where I need to make some intentional decisions about where my time and energy go.

You've heard me say it on this show a hundred times: we do not have unlimited capacity, and we can't keep adding things and expect to magically find more hours in the day. Apparently I have to take my own advice occasionally. It's rude, but true.

So Doula Talk is going to take a rest. I don't know exactly when I'll be back, and I'm not putting that pressure on myself right now. I love this podcast. I love the conversations with incredible guests, and I love turning what I see families wrestle with every day into episodes that hopefully make someone feel a little less confused or alone. This isn't goodbye. It's a pause.

Building Confidence in Baby Sleep: How to Make Baby Sleep Decisions Without Spiraling

If you've spent any time Googling baby sleep at 2 a.m., you already know the problem isn't a lack of information. It's too much of it, and none of it agrees.

One account says feed your baby to sleep. Another says never feed your baby to sleep. Someone says contact naps are biologically normal and beautiful. Someone else says they're creating bad habits you'll regret. One expert says sleep train immediately, and another makes it sound like a few minutes of fussing will require years of therapy.

Meanwhile, you're holding your phone six inches from your face at 2:14 a.m., praying your baby doesn't wake up again, wondering: Is my baby broken? Did I create this? Am I ruining sleep forever?

Here's what I want you to hear first: you're probably not doing nearly as badly as you think. Most of the exhausted, overwhelmed parents I work with haven't caused their baby's sleep challenges. They're just trying to make sense of conflicting information while caring for a baby who keeps changing on them.

Regulation Over Routines: Why Your Baby Doesn’t Need a Perfect Schedule

A mom told me recently that she spent three hours trying to decide between a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute wake window and a two-hour-and-thirty-minute one. By the end of the day, she was crying in the nursery because she couldn't tell if she was making everything worse.

That story broke my heart, not because she was doing anything wrong, but because she'd reached a point so many parents reach. She wasn't asking for a schedule anymore. She wanted someone to tell her she wasn't failing.

If that's you right now, I want you to hear this: after almost twenty years of supporting families, here's what I know. A schedule can support sleep. A schedule cannot create it, and you cannot force your baby to sleep. Before we ever talk about routines, we have to talk about regulation. That's the foundation everything else sits on.

Why Families Wait Too Long to Ask for Help (And What Support Actually Looks Like)

There’s something I hear from parents all the time: “I probably should have reached out sooner.”

Usually, they say it after we’ve spent some time talking through what’s happening with their baby. Maybe sleep has suddenly fallen apart. Maybe feeding feels confusing. Maybe they’re preparing to return to work. Or maybe nothing is terribly wrong, but every day feels harder than it needs to.

And almost every time, I tell them the same thing: I’m just glad you’re here now.

Because somewhere along the way, we created this idea that parents should be able to figure everything out on their own.

But you don’t have to be drowning before you deserve a life jacket.

Timing Is Everything: Why Your Baby Isn’t Fighting Sleep (Usually)

You’ve changed the diaper. Your baby has been fed. The room is dark. The sound machine is on. You’ve rocked, bounced, walked, shushed, and probably questioned every decision you’ve made since breakfast.

Your baby looks exhausted.

But they. Will. Not. Sleep.

If this sounds familiar, you may have found yourself Googling “Why is my baby fighting sleep?” while simultaneously trying to convince a very unhappy baby that sleep is, in fact, a wonderful thing.

But here’s something I want more parents to know:

Your baby probably isn’t fighting sleep. They’re communicating something.

And figuring out what they’re communicating can be much more helpful than immediately changing your entire routine or assuming you need sleep training.

Learning to See Yourself Differently: Pregnancy, Body Image, and the Sacred Transition into Motherhood (Guest: Caroline White)

Pregnancy has a way of changing everything.

Yes, your body changes. Your routines change. Your relationships shift. But perhaps the biggest transformation isn’t one you can see from the outside at all.

You’re becoming a mother.

That transition is beautiful, exciting, overwhelming, and sometimes surprisingly complicated. Many parents tell me they expected the physical changes of pregnancy, but they didn’t expect how much their relationship with their own body would change along the way.

On a recent podcast episode, I had the privilege of speaking with underwater maternity photographer Caroline White about the deeper meaning behind her incredible work. What started as a conversation about maternity photography quickly became something much bigger: a discussion about body image, self-compassion, and learning to honor the incredible work our bodies are doing.

It’s a conversation I think every expecting parent deserves to hear.