We’re here for you

We are on a mission to help new mothers have the best postpartum experience possible. Both of us were surprised, overwhelmed, and challenged by the transition into motherhood. We have had many conversations with the theme “we wish we knew.” We talk often about why this transition is so challenging and why no one prepares women for it. There seems to be great pressure to keep up a facade that becoming a mother and caring for a newborn is pure bliss and nothing else. We have developed a unique four-part approach to supporting you through your transition into motherhood. We have identified 4 ways to support new mothers and, by focusing on all 4 aspects across a variety of postpartum topics we provide well-rounded support for the newly postpartum mama. Our 4 aspects of postpartum support are:

• Sharing our own stories and the stories of all mothers
• Demystifying and normalizing the postpartum experience
• Identifying self-care strategies
• Explaining how to access the social support that you need

A little bit more about each aspect of our approach to postpartum support

Sharing stories

What we’ve heard from moms over and over again is that hearing each other’s stories is one of the most validating experiences as a new mother. We share a lot about ourselves in order to help you know you’re not alone. We will be cultivating a collection of your stories as well. New Mama Project is a place where mothers can share their postpartum stories, read others, and hopefully get a sense of universality, or the idea that what you’re experiencing is a shared, universal experience.

Demystifying & normalizing the postpartum experience

We are not medical experts. We are not the go to source for information on parenting or birth. We are two well-informed mothers and professionals. As a doula, Taylor is trained to provide postpartum doula support and stays up to date on the birth world. As a mental health counselor Fiona is trained to support women to manage a variety of challenging situations including postpartum adjustment and mental health issues. We will share evidence-based information and suggest resources to help you dig a little deeper. We want you to be empowered to make conscientious decisions about your and your family’s well-being.

Identifying self-care strategies

Self-care may be somewhat of a cliche these days, but there’s just no way around it. You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of a baby. This can mean anything from hiring a postpartum doula to help you in the early weeks, to simply eating a snack every day between lunch and dinner. We’ve got tons of self-care tips and we will share them all with you! We know you’ll find a self-care approach to fit your personality and lifestyle.

Accessing social support

Asking for and accepting help is often the biggest barrier to wellness for many moms. Here in the US our dominant cultural narrative tells us that to be strong, capable mothers, we need to be able to handle it all independently. It can be so very hard to admit we need help and to then take the steps necessary to get help. Knowing what you need and finding a person to ask for help are huge for the overwhelmed mom. We will help you figure out what kind of help you need, identify social support resources, and offer real-life tips for how to ask for support.

*New Mama Project is not intended to be a substitute for professional support if you are experiencing symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder.  We hope to encourage you to start sharing your struggles and seek mental health support if you need it.  If you think you might have symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder, please contact your care provider.