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 8/4/25 Deb Jimenez 8/4/25

Why Is My Newborn Crying?! Soothe with Intuition (Not Guilt)

Learn how to soothe a crying newborn with compassion and confidence. A gentle guide for pregnant and new parents navigating the fourth trimester, featuring intuitive tips, the 5 S’s, and more.

Deb Jimenez 3/31/25 Deb Jimenez 3/31/25

Birth Stories from Hawaii - Deb & Beth Share Their Wildly Different (But Equally Beautiful) Journeys

Pregnancy is one of the most personal, powerful, and unpredictable experiences we go through as human beings. Whether you’re preparing for your very first baby or adding another little love to your growing family, one truth always stands strong: every birth is different, and every parent deserves support through it.

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 2/3/25 Deb Jimenez 2/3/25

Why Prenatal and Postpartum Planning is Essential for Your Pregnancy Journey

Pregnancy can be an exciting, overwhelming, and life-changing experience, but the journey doesn't end with childbirth. While prenatal classes are a fantastic resource for first-time parents and seasoned pros alike, they often miss an essential component of preparing for parenthood: the postpartum period. If you're pregnant and seeking more support to prepare for what comes after your baby arrives, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into why postpartum preparation is just as important as prenatal education and how you can set yourself up for success in both stages of your parenting journey.

Deb Jimenez 12/23/24 Deb Jimenez 12/23/24

A Doula’s Touch: One Family’s Journey from Birth to Baby’s First Year - Part Two: Postpartum Support

Let’s set the scene: You’re finally home with your newborn, running on fumes and leftover adrenaline, surrounded by an endless pile of laundry, empty coffee cups, and baby gear you don’t know how to use. Sound familiar? Welcome to the postpartum period, my friend—aka, the fourth trimester.

Now, imagine having a calm, confident guide swoop in, help you tackle that mountain of chaos, and remind you that yes, you’re doing an amazing job. That’s what a postpartum doula does. And trust me, once you see what we bring to the table, you’ll be wondering how you ever thought you’d survive without one.

Deb Jimenez 12/9/24 Deb Jimenez 12/9/24

Building Your Dream Team: How to Prepare for Birth and Postpartum with Confidence and Support (Guest: Kristin Revere from Gold Coast Doulas)

Building Your Dream Team: How to Prepare for Birth and Postpartum with Confidence and Support

Let’s get real—pregnancy and postpartum can be wild. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of emotion, and if we’re being honest, a lot of stuff that no one prepares you for.

Deb Jimenez 10/14/24 Deb Jimenez 10/14/24

Navigating Postpartum: Holistic Support and Sleep Strategies (Guest: Tracy Awere from The Sankofa Birth Experience)

As a doula deeply committed to supporting families through the transformative experience of parenthood, I've come to understand that the journey doesn't end with childbirth. In fact, many parents find that the postpartum period can be even more challenging than they anticipated. Whether you're a first-time parent or adding a new member to your growing family, the reality of life after birth often comes with unexpected twists and turns.

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.