Working as a Postpartum Doula, I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds 
of new parents and babies. My passion and excitement grows stronger with each 
new family. I love every step of this journey as it enables me to become part of a 
family. There is pleasure in both nurturing the mother and child as well as becoming 
a confidante and a friend. I take delight in the more practical everyday necessities 
like cooking and teaching newborn care. It is the total and complete care of the 
family, that fills me with joy.
 

After spending time with me and learning the many techniques I teach, parents find that their babies respond in the same way to them as they did with me. The babies cry less; their sleeping and eating patterns greatly improve. Ultimately this leads to increased confidence, competence and independence in early childhood, now that is a positive thing!

It is my hope that by sharing my knowledge and experience, I can help ease parents’ fears by educating them on the behaviors of their new baby.  By doing so, future generations of parents will learn how to raise the baby to become  more confident children and adults.

Three Tips to Help You Get to Know Your Newborn Baby:

1. TOUCH:  The newborn brain is made up of millions of brain cells connected by branches of fibers called dendrites.  Dendrites are created by stimulation. What better stimulation is there for your newborn then the human touch? Human touch is critical for brain development in a newborn baby. I encourage new parents to put their newborns on them skin to skin as much as possible during the first days and weeks of life.  This skin to skin contact is called Kangaroo Care and allows a newborn to thrive!

2. SMELL:  A sense of smell is one of the first steps toward human bonding.  Newborns quickly learn and prefer the scent of their own mother or other caregiver.  Nursing babies have the richest olfactory experience, smelling their mother’s milk. Bottle-fed babies also can learn their parents’ scents rather rapidly, depending on the amount and closeness of their contact.  When feeding your baby, hold them close to your body.

3. BREATHE:  If they are inexperienced with newborns, parents can feel an incredible amount of anxiety after the birth. Parents feel pressure to ‘do all the right things’ with their babies. However, because newborns sense anxiety, a nervous parent can lead the baby to feel unsafe. When a baby feels insecure it can lead to an escalating of crying which then begins a long cycle of anxious parents...causing an anxious baby. Remember this: You are in charge, if you concentrate on your breathing and RELAX so will your baby. This is miracle stuff here. It really works!

Kathleen Sullivan is a licensed postpartum doula working in southern California .  Her website is www.softslumbers.com