Coming into your nests over the past 20 years has been an honor and a privilege, and these love notes continue to be one of the most meaningful gifts. We love being able to highlight on our social media pages the impact our doulas and families have on one another.
”My kids were infants when I started working with Pam. Not only did both kids sleep through the night by 11 weeks old, but now that they are 7 and 10, those healthy sleep habits have continued! They have always been able to put themselves back to sleep when they wake up, don’t want or need attention in the night (unless they are sick), and understand the importance of sleep (which means they let me sleep in on the weekends!). Working with First Daze got us off to a great start, and a decade later we are still seeing the benefits of working with them in those early days.
~ Andi
#inboxlove #lovenotes #loveletters #firstdazedoulas #postpartumdoula
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 — I started solo and quickly realized I could only help so many families on my own.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.
Erica worked of our doulas and sleep experts for a dozen years before she relocated with her family to Virginia. She started as a doula and left as a friend. Erica helped make the First Daze team the success it’s been. She was recognized as Cary Magazine’s Movers and Shakers in 2017. When asked about innovation, Erica responded with, “Working with a team of other skilled and intuitive women really helps. We problem solve and provide support to families as a team, with access to each doula’s special skill sets and experiences. Every family is unique, so our collective methods of support are always evolving.” Check out the full story from 2017. Link in bio.
#postpartumdoula #whatdoulasdo #firstdazedoulas
𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄: Flamingos — those colorful and graceful creatures in my logo — build their nests close to others to create a tight-knit community and practice dual-parenting, just like the work done between families and doulas.
My longtime doula and now dear friend Erica Aday created the logo images for me. It was a boon having an artist on the team. Many a client benefitted from her beautiful creations.
Thank you for 20 wonderful years!
#carync #womensupportingwomen #20thanniversary
First Daze & Nightzzz proudly celebrates 20 years of providing postpartum care and sleep support to Triangle families and beyond.
The story began in the mid-90s after I gave birth to my firstborn and hired a postpartum doula. She was an angel who helped me in those early weeks of adjusting to parenthood. The experience planted a seed for my future career. By the time my second child was in preschool, I was ready to launch into my professional adventure as a postpartum doula. That was March 2003, and 20 years later we have a talented team of passionate, skilled doulas who continue to guide and support growing families.
I offer sincere gratitude to our doulas, our families, and our partners in the community who’ve made it possible for us to serve our clients along this journey. Thank you for being part of our story.
Stay tuned throughout the month as we share memorable moments over the years in celebration of our 20th anniversary.
Pam Diamond, owner and founder of First Daze & Nightzzz
#20thanniversary #womanownedbusinesses #smallbusinessowner #supportlocal #ncsmallbusiness #celebrate #wesurvivedthepandemic
For more than 17 years, First Daze & Nightzzz has provided postpartum doula services and baby sleep consulting to the Triangle community. In that time we have met SO MANY AMAZING FAMILIES!! Musicians, teachers, athletes, doctors, attorneys, hair stylists, chefs, dentists, builders, soccer and basketball coaches, actors, professors, CEOs, therapists, gamers. The list goes on and on.
I am so deeply grateful for the connections we’ve made. I can say without a doubt that our hearts are full knowing the many lives we’ve touched and the differences we’ve made in their parenting journey.
I can also say that Covid-19 has been difficult for us. The work we typically do is very intimate and happens inside our clients’ homes. Learning how to do that safely and still provide high quality of care has been a challenge but one we have risen to and embraced. I’m happy to say that all of us (doulas/consultants) have stayed healthy as have all of the clients we continued to work with. New guidelines are in place so that we can work together with confidence that we will all stay healthy.
I suspect it will be a busy fall like always, and maybe even a wee bit busier. If we can help you with your postpartum needs, please contact us. In addition to in-home support, we are offering phone/virtual consults for issues around newborn and infant care, feeding, and sleep.
Photo: We often make lasting connections with our clients. What a gift to be able to splash in the waves (distantly, of course) with our newest one year old and her delightful mama. It took great restraint on my part not to grab them and squeeze them! 💕
Meet the newest member of the Diamond clan. As you can see, some of us aren’t concerned about viruses and running out of toilet paper. Our little ones can help us stay present and connected to what matters.
For those of you savvy enough to recognize the sound of a breast pump in the background, that’s because Mama is donating breastmilk to the milk bank. NICUs are busy!!
If you’d like to donate breast milk and aren’t sure how, send me a message and I’ll get you some information.
Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas
Happy Slurpy Saturday
A big bowl of pho and rice noodles is so satisfying FOR EVERYONE in the family. There’s no reason why your toddler won’t enjoy it, too. Chicken nuggets and fries, pouches and purées - these are not the only foods toddlers eat. Expose your little ones to a variety of foods - give them the foods 𝘺𝘰𝘶 like to eat. And let them feed themselves. Sure it means more laundry and baths but look at the skills and independence they master.
My niece said the new babysitter asked how she should feed Sam (my grandniece shown happily eating here) and she told her “you just put down the food and she feeds herself.” The babysitter was stunned. She said, “I have to spoon feed the other toddler I watch.”
Granted, they have a busy household of 4 children so fostering independence is a top priority. But Mom notes, “my kids want to do stuff on their own.” That’s an important observation on her part. She promotes rather than squelches that “I do it myself” mentality. Yes, you have to let go of control and perfectionism - not an easy thing for many parents!!
#leaveabigtip #watchSameat #watchJuneeat
Exercise with baby
How about some ideas for fitting in exercise after having a baby!?
Taking time for yourself to workout or get to a yoga class may be challenging when you have little ones at home. That’s what my friend and former client Anna has found. So she’s gotten creative with her workouts, and they usually involve the children, too.
Anna, who lives in Germany, is currently on vacation with her family. Keeping up with a baby and preschooler keeps her plenty active but she’s been including her little ones in her fitness routine. She lived in Florida when her first child was an infant and participated in an exercise class called Mommycise Fitness. The instructors said, your child is not an excuse not to exercise, she is your reason to exercise! I love that!!!
Anna learned some excellent movements to do with her baby from the class. We have similar options here in the Triangle through Fit4Mom, a great way to get fit after pregnancy and make new friends, too.
Anna says, “I feel like having kids is a full day workout anyway but it’s helpful to strengthen my muscles to make it easier to get through the day with the two of them!”
Read my blog on the website on how to fit in exercise with babies and young children.
One of my favorite ways to calm a fussy baby is with the doula hula. Yep, the #doulahula. I believe it was our former client Carl (may he rest in peace) who coined the phrase after witnessing us in action with his newborn twins.
There’s an important step that I like to take for most effective calming and that’s having one of baby’s ears pressed against my chest while I cover the outer ear firmly with my hand. This creates a white noise-type droning sound for baby that, in addition to the motion, calms him or her right down!
The rhythmic movement can also be done while wearing baby in a carrier like a Maya Wrap or Zambezi Exchange or Ergobaby or any number of other infant carriers. In fact, I recommend it.
A low hum in your throat can add another level of soothing if needed - more white noise sounds.
Another day in the life of a postpartum doula/parent coach/baby whisperer!
I admit it. Until now I’ve been a back whacker when it came to burping babies. Sure, I do some gentle rubbing but I would thwack away, too. My friend and supplier of baby models Sarah recently showed me a simple yet effective burping technique that she learned from Sophie Cachia. It’s similar to the technique I tend to use but instead of patting baby’s back you just let them be for a moment. Also, the legs are positioned a bit differently. Here’s what Sophie says: “This is my fool proof way I've burped both of my kids. I completely stumbled across it by pure accident with Bob, but it worked for him as a newborn, so I did the same method with Flossy. Simply [so it's definitely not always SIMPLE, sometimes they arch their back and you need to use some gentle-but-firm mummy/daddy love to hold them in place) sit them on your lap and bring their knees bent in like so, and lift their arms up to about 90 degree angle. I'm not sure if it's because it straightens their back or opens up their body more, but I find my kids have just magically burped this way.”
So Sarah let me try it with her new baby, Grey, after a feeding and guess what? It worked like a charm. Grey didn’t belch like a sailor so you can’t really hear it in the video but trust me when I tell you, he burped. And with no whacking.
This is good stuff, especially for those middle of the night feeds when you want to keep things calm and get baby back down to sleep quickly but don’t want him bothered by pesky air bubbles.
So try it. Let me know what you think. Maybe we will all be reformed whackers.
Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, helped design a natural garden for the Chelsea Garden Show with hopes of inspiring families to get outside and enjoy nature with their littles. Her son, Prince George, gave it a 20 out of 10. 😍 I couldn’t agree more. Do it!! Get out, get messy, get wet, play, explore. 🌾🌿🦜🦎🦗🕸🦆🐞🦋
#Repost @kensingtonroyal
・・・
How many marks out of 🔟 for the #RHSChelsea Back to Nature Garden, Prince George?
#getoutside #learningthroughplay #explore #momslife #dadslife
When your toddler wants to nurse and you’re not feeling it.
Photo courtesy of the fabulous Julie Vaughn Whitfield 😎
Compassionate guidance and in-home support from experienced doulas and sleep coaches. We help families fix what's not working and enjoy what is!
