The best of 2024: top 12 posts for postpartum professionals
Dive into our top 12 of 2024. This is a mix of your favourites and ours—some oldies but goodies, some brand-new gems, and a few hidden treasures we think deserve a little extra love. Whether you’re just starting out in postpartum care, building your business, or supporting new parents, there’s something here for you.
2024 holiday gift guide for newborn mothers
As the holiday season rolls around, are you wondering what gifts to buy for the mothers in your life? Or maybe you want to treat a fellow postpartum doula or birthworker - or even yourself. This 2024 gift guide is centred around the idea of deep rest and community support.
How I wrote a bestselling book for mothers
Learn how a busy mum wrote and published a bestselling book! We peek behind the curtain at Julia’s journey from multi-tasking mum to bestselling author. Learn how crowdfunding works, where to source artwork for a book cover, and why self-funding publication turned out to be the best possible path.
Alloparenting: the hunter-gatherer way of caring for babies
Learn how babies evolved to require an entire team of carers, not just one frazzled and exhausted mum! We dig deep into human evolution to understand why support is essential for new parents, and what we can to rebuild the village of support that has been eroded by the modern nuclear family structure.
Mythbusting: Are women’s hips too small for childbirth?
Did you know that it’s a myth that women’s hips are too small? Find out what the scientific evidence really says about why human babies are born so small and helpless. Explore the history of human development to understand why intensive support is essential for new parents. What can we do to rebuild the village of support for newborn mothers?
Are humans mothering in captivity?
Have you ever wondered why postpartum mothers feel so alone and exhausted? Do you worry that postpartum depression rates are on the rise in industrialised countries? In this blog post we explore how the loss of a supportive community impacts mothers and babies. Find out what human mothers today have in common with a mother gorilla in an Ohio Zoo…
My husband won’t let me start a postpartum care business
Do you want to start a successful postpartum care business, but your husband isn’t completely on board? Discover how you can discuss the pros and cons of becoming a postnatal support professional, without it ending in divorce or tears! Find out how to take your husband from unsupportive to being your biggest cheerleader, so you can succeed in business and help families thrive.
How failing fast led to a six-figure business
After 15 years in the maternal care industry, I’m noticing an exciting shift. Services and products that were once quite niche are moving into the mainstream. The needs of lactating breasts and bleeding uteruses are becoming more visible rather than being hidden away like something shameful. Have you noticed this too?
3 simple ways to make your business more eco-friendly
Learn how to create a more eco-friendly business with these green tips. Here are some practical resources to help you tidy up your finances, use cleaner energy and look at ways to limit air travel. Find out how to run your postpartum business in a way that's not only economically sustainable but environmentally sustainable too, even if you're a small business with no employees!
How becoming a doula may be your best career move yet
Becoming a postpartum doula allows you to care for new parents while enjoying a healthy work-life balance. Discover the 5 steps to make postpartum work a full-time occupation. Find out what to wear as a doula, what to call yourself, and why this role is so vital to the health of mothers and their families.
Changing careers in your 40s, 50s, and 60s
Did you know that older entrepreneurs are more likely to be successful than younger ones?
Cooking scares me! And other questions from our FAQs file
This blog unpacks the top 10 questions from our last webinar about working in postpartum care, as well as the Postpartum Education and Care Training. Julia answers questions about postpartum care and education: learn how to become a doula even if you hate cooking, find out if you need business insurance, and discover how to market yourself and get your first postpartum client. We’ve loosely edited the transcript for clarity.
Instagram is not a business plan
Hands down, the biggest worry many of my students have when launching their own business is social media.
What is a doula?
This blog explores the different types of doulas - birth, postpartum, adoption, grief and loss, and how it works in relation to services, costs, qualifications and regulations.
The soundtrack of matrescence
Julia Jones chats with singer-songwriter Claire Tonti. They explore the power of creativity to share the collective story of motherhood. They discuss Claire’s experience of matrescence, creativity as a window to ourselves, and reclaiming artistry as mothers.
Learning how menstrual cycles impact creativity, power, and social change
Julia Jones chats with Lucy Peach, author of Period Queen. They explore the power of the menstrual cycle. They discuss periods, creativity and inclusive workplaces.
How you can support normal breastfeeding, even if you don’t have medical training
This blog explores ways a postpartum professional can provide valuable support to a breastfeeding parent. Focusing on the breastfeeding observation component, this blog outlines who can observe and assess a breastfeeding session, what’s included in a non-clinicial breastfeeding assessment and how to use the results of the breastfeeding assessment to provide good support.
Trauma-sensitive care for survivors of abuse
Julia Jones chats with Dusk Liney, a trauma-sensitive birth and postpartum professional, on the importance of trauma-sensitive care and how to support survivors to create safer postpartum experiences. They reflect on Dusk’s own story of navigating motherhood as a survivor of abuse and the broader themes that people who have experienced trauma face within motherhood.
From patchwork career to postpartum care professional
A blog by Antonia Anderson on how her existing skills and training carried over from previous jobs into postpartum care work, why it’s okay not to feel fulfilled by motherhood and how you can funnel your passion for helping mothers into a sustainable career. Reflect on how your unique life and work experience might help you excel at running a postpartum care business.
Supporting plus size pregnancy in a fatphobic world
Julia Jones chats with Stephanie O'Brien from Postpartum with Steph. They explore how postpartum care providers can better support plus-size women. They discuss why BMI shouldn’t be used as a sole indicator of health, what it’s like navigating the hospital system as a plus-size woman, and how Steph’s personal experience led her to become a postpartum doula.