Mothering the Mother in the Fourth Trimester
Photo by Claudia Fimian Photography
As your Postpartum Doula, I will coach and mentor you with best practices for:
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Feeding including breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle-feeding
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Building a personalized routine for your baby including best practices for sleeping, feeding, and stimulation
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Basic infant care including product recommendations and proper use of equipment
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Light housekeeping, meal preparation, household organization
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Family support and coordination, including support with siblings
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Emotional support and empowering you to be the best mom to your baby
David, Dani, baby Micah, Allie, Don, Emma, me, Brittany, & Patrick
My highest calling is to be the best wife and mother. After 33 years of marriage and raising three children, I have learned--sometimes the hard way--I must trust the Lord for their physical, spiritual, and emotional growth. By the grace of God, today, our son Patrick is a pilot in the US Air Force. He and his wife Brittany currently live in Oklahoma where he is a flight instructor. Our oldest daughter Allie is a Registered ICU Nurse at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Our youngest, Dani works with me as my assistant and she and her husband David have given us two wonderful grandchildren. My husband Don and I are so blessed and enjoy sharing our dream beach home with each of them.
We are a mother daughter team working together to support families during the transition to life with a new baby. We love that we are able to offer something unique to our in-person clients in the Hampton Roads area and our virtual clients all over the US.
I, Laurie Ann, am a certified Postpartum Doula and Lactation Educator. For more than 20 years I have been passionate about serving moms. My goal is to give the new family the confidence to parent; working myself out of a job. I like to say, don’t doula this alone; women need other women especially after giving birth. As a caring professional, I share techniques, tools, and personalized recommendations, to support families emotionally and physically as they transition to life with a newborn.
Dani is a new mom herself with a 3 year old daughter and infant son. She has been able to really connect with our clients because she has recently (and currently) been in their shoes. We are also proud to be up to date on our product and vendor recommendations because we have personally utilized these products and services. We are better together! This is Mothering the Mother in the Fourth Trimester.
*We have experience supporting families of multiples, rainbow babies, military families, and IVF families.
Certified Lactation Educator CLE (CAPPA)
M.A. Organizational Leadership
Concentration: Coaching and Mentoring
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA 2015
B. A. Infant and Toddler Development
Wheelock College, Boston, MA 1989
January 2019 - Completed 20 hours of breastfeeding education as a comprehensive training program endorsed by UVA School of Medicine, VA Department of Health, and The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
March 2019 - Earned a certificate in support for new moms struggling with anxiety and mood disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
Photo by Claudia Fimian Photography
A postpartum doula is not a medical professional. I will not administer, prescribe or direct any medical treatment. However, I am there to nurture, educate, assess, and refer you to other professionals, in order for you to have the most success as a new mom.