Hey there. I’m Erin. I’m a mamma of two sweet and wildly different kiddos, Emmett (4) & Iris (1.5). I’m a wife to my amazing husband who is a hands on Dad and Mr. can fix anything around the house. I am a full-time production manager at an ad agency - which basically means I wear the pants in the creative department. And in a previous life (pre-kiddos) I was a stage actress where I got to play dress up and make believe all day long. 

And now I’m a doula. A postpartum doula. I know what you may be thinking. How did a theater chic end up here? Well, because after having my son 4 years ago, I realized something. Something pretty big. The postpartum care in the United States is failing new moms. And I want to start to change that. I am someone who is so fortunate in this life to have amazing support through my husband, my family, and friends. I found the first year of my son’s life to be crazy hard in ways I didn’t expect. And yes, having a baby does change you and your family, and your body, a whole lot, but I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

We don’t talk about what that postpartum period looks like enough. It goes beyond just the “4th trimester” (the first 3 months post baby) - I think postpartum care needs to extend to at least the first six months and probably the first year after having your baby. I didn’t feel 100% myself until my son turned one. I dealt with multiple emotional traumas from a difficult birth that left me sad and confused and had a tremendously hard time breastfeeding that left me with immense guilt and bleeding nipples. And don’t get me wrong, there are beautiful moments in that first year of babies life, and yes, being a mom is worth it (it really is), but sometimes it’s hard to see the beautiful moments and feel the joy if we don’t have the support to process and reflect on our emotional well being or allow ourselves time and grace to deal with physical pain post baby. 

I want to change the way we think about postpartum care in this country. We spend so much time focusing on caring for a mom through her pregnancy, then once she has the baby she only gets ONE 6-week postpartum check up where most of the time the doctor doesn’t even do an internal exam. That’s it. One appointment after you just birthed a tiny human from your body. Many postpartum issues may not even present themselves by six weeks. Postpartum depression can creep in anytime in the first year post baby and many women think it’s normal to pee a little when they laugh or that they should immediately feel connected to their baby when they are born. Guess what? Peeing when you laugh is actually not normal, common, but not normal. And bonding with your baby may happen the first minute for some, but for many it can take 2-3 months to 2-3 years, or longer. As women we don’t prioritize ourselves, hardly ever.

We are expected to juggle maintaining our relationships, keeping up with the house, being a mother, and partner and a friend all at the same time. It’s easy to lose sight of ourselves when we have nothing left to give. You matter. Your body matters. Your joy and happiness matter.