The Parenthood Project USA

02/17/2026

You bought Taking Cara Babies. Watched the videos. Tried the method. It didn't work. And you thought YOU did something wrong.

You didn't. The method failed you.

Programs like TCB are built for a life that doesn't exist. Perfect flexibility. Textbook baby. No work travel. Infinite patience for crying.

They assume you can be home for every nap, your schedule never changes, your baby is textbook, you can handle hours of crying, you have support at home.

If ANY of these aren't true? The method breaks. And they blame YOU.

It's not built for single parents, inflexible jobs, babies with reflux or temperament differences, or real life that doesn't pause for "sleep training week."

When it doesn't work? You're alone. You bought videos. But when YOUR specific challenges show up? There's no one to troubleshoot with.

METHOD vs SUPPORT: A method gives you steps. Support helps you figure out what works for YOUR reality.

If TCB didn't work: You're not broken. Your baby's not broken. You weren't inconsistent. You needed something that fits your ACTUAL life.

Not a template. Not a guru. Support.

Start here: The Rested Parent Roadmap (0-4 months) or The Rested Rhythm Guide (4+ months) 🔗 below

02/14/2026

Every sleep coach needs an enemy. Mine is the cult of rigid methods.

I’m against programs that say there’s ONE right way. Gurus who blame YOU when their method fails. Rigid schedules that ignore your reality. Isolation disguised as “self-sufficiency.” Training babies to stop asking for help.

I’m against BOTH extremes:
Sleep training cult says: Train your baby to comply. Follow this schedule exactly. Let them cry it out. If it fails, you weren’t consistent.

Attachment cult says: Any sleep changes equal trauma. Contact naps forever. Your needs don’t matter. If you’re struggling, you’re selfish.

Both are cults. Both shame you. Both isolate you. Both profit off your exhaustion.

One says: Fix your baby.
The other says: Fix yourself.
Neither says: Let’s look at the system that created this.

Not just the external system (you can’t fix that alone). But the INTERNAL one - the beliefs you’ve absorbed about what “good parents” do, about independence, about asking for help, about your worth.

THAT system lives in you. And THAT’S where your power is.

I’m against parenting culture that makes everything tribal (Team This or Team That), turns exhausted parents into consumers, sells individual solutions to systemic problems, keeps you isolated so you stay desperate, and charges hundreds then leaves you alone.

I’m FOR flexible approaches that fit YOUR life, critical thinking (not blind following), community support (not isolation), both baby’s needs AND yours mattering, and building what works for YOUR family together.

If you’re exhausted by extremes, sick of guru worship, ready to think for yourself, and done with one-size-fits-all - you’re my people.

Welcome to the alternative.

Start here: The Rested Parent Roadmap (0-4 months) or The Rested Rhythm Guide (4+ months) 🔗 below

02/13/2026

Here's how the system works: It creates the problem. Then it sells you the solution.

You're isolated - no village, no community care, inadequate parental leave. You're told asking for help is weakness. You're doing this alone when humans were never designed to raise babies this way.

Then when you're drowning - haven't slept in months, desperate - the system sells you the fix. A program. A method. Your baby will sleep.

And it works - sort of. Your baby learns to stop crying. Because they've learned crying doesn't bring help.

We call this "sleep training." I call it compliance training.

We're teaching babies before their brains can even self-regulate that the system won't respond. So they better handle it themselves. Don't ask for too much. Figure it out alone. Be independent.

Sound familiar? This is how we reproduce the systems that broke us.

Now - let me be real: Not everyone can stay home for a year. A 10-month-old waking 4 times a night isn't sustainable when you have to work. You have to survive.

But surviving within a broken system doesn't mean the system is okay.

The real solution isn't a better sleep method. It's actual parental leave, community structures where overnight care is shared, a culture that supports parents, resources that don't require buying your way out.

The system strips away everything that makes parenting sustainable. Then sells you individual solutions to collective problems. And packages them as empowerment.

Meanwhile, the actual problem - isolation, lack of support, impossible expectations - remains untouched.

Because there's no money in community care. No profit in adequate leave. No market in mutual aid. But there's a whole industry built on selling exhausted parents the promise of sleep.

This is what I mean about parallel systems. The revolution isn't finding a gentler method. It's building communities where parents aren't so desperate they have to train babies to stop asking for help.

Use what you need to survive. I'm not here to shame survival strategies. But don't mistake those strategies for solutions. And don't let anyone profit off your desperation without naming what created it.

FREE RESOURCES: The Rested Parent Roadmap (0-4 months newborns) or The Rested Rhythm Guide (4+ months). Linked below.

02/11/2026

Starting something new here.

I'm Jen - sleep coach and doula at The Parenthood Project. I help parents navigate sleep and the systems that make parenting so incredibly hard.

I'm not here to sell you THE method or make you follow some guru's rules. I'm here to help you build what works for YOUR family - with support, not isolation.

No extremes. No cults. No pretending this work isn't political.

I talk about sleep. I also talk about the systems that fail parents, collective liberation, mutual aid, and why your exhaustion isn't a personal failure - it's a systemic problem.

My values will show up everywhere: solidarity economy (those with resources subsidize those without), community care over individual solutions, building parallel systems instead of waiting for broken ones to fix themselves. You don't have to share all of these values, but you do have to be open to them.

If you're exhausted, isolated, sick of being told there's only one right way, or ready to question everything - you're in the right place.

Let's figure it out together.

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:
The Rested Parent Roadmap (for newborns 0-4 months)
The Rested Rhythm Guide (for 4+ months when sleep starts shifting)
Both available linked below

07/17/2025

BIRTH TRAUMA AWARENESS WEEK
Let’s talk about one of the biggest sources of trauma:

👉🏽 Fear disguised as safety.

“You should stay at the hospital — just in case.”
“We’d better induce — just in case something’s wrong.”
“We’ll prep for a cesarean — just in case.”

The problem is:
Most women want to do the right thing.
They want to keep their baby safe.
They don’t want to be the one who said no if something was wrong.

But this fear is so potent that it silences our inner voice.

💔 And when the interventions pile up — when birth becomes something done to us instead of created by us — we’re left holding trauma no one warned us about.

The truth?
• Slight dips in baby’s heart rate are often normal.
• Labor usually progresses better at home.
• Hospital protocols often serve policy, not physiology.
• Interventions can be lifesaving — but they’re often used preemptively, not based on true need.

You deserve better than “just in case” care.
You deserve evidence, informed choice, and unwavering support in your power.

💬 Comment “VOICE” to receive info about our free upcoming circle:
Voice & Presence: Speaking Up in Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond
Let’s reclaim birth — and our voices.

07/16/2025

You cannot gaslight your nervous system.
Not in birth. Not in postpartum. Not ever.

You can tell yourself:
🩺 “The hospital is the safest place.”
👨‍⚕️ “There’s a NICU just in case.”
🔒 “A surgeon is nearby, so I’ll be protected.”

But your nervous system doesn’t listen to logic — it listens to felt sense.
To energy.
To what’s unsaid but all around you.

When your birth space is filled with people trained to manage and control your body — instead of honoring it — your body picks up the signal:
“This is dangerous.”

And it does exactly what it’s meant to do.
It guards.
It tightens.
It shuts down the process of birth.

You may stall.
You may freeze.
You may feel like you disappeared from your own experience.

That isn’t your failure.
That’s your nervous system doing its best to protect you — in a place it didn’t feel safe.

⸻

💔 During Birth Trauma Awareness Week, I invite you to reflect on this:

✨ What if your body never failed you?
✨ What if your nervous system was speaking truth the whole time?
✨ What if reclaiming your voice is the first step toward healing?

Join me for Voice & Presence Circle — a space to reconnect with your body, your voice, and your power through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

🌀 We speak.
🌀 We heal.
🌀 We reclaim.

💬 Comment VOICE below and I’ll send you the details.

08/03/2024

Discover Bump, Brunch and Baby OC!

Step into a day of celebration and connection at The Parenthood Project OC's signature event, Bump, Brunch and Baby OC!

Immerse yourself in insightful workshops, indulge in delicious brunch, and connect with a supportive community of parents and experts.

Save the date for November 17, 2024 at The Montage Laguna Beach and join us for an unforgettable experience!

Register now to secure your spot!

https://theparenthoodprojectoc.com/bbboc/index.html

Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate parenthood with us.

Follow on IG for more updates and details. See you there!

08/03/2024

09/05/2023

Hi! Let’s embark on a captivating journey into the realm of belly binding—an ancient practice revered across diverse cultures throughout history. Whether you're on the cusp of parenthood, an expert in birthing, or someone with an interest in holistic well-being, I’m thrilled to offer you a glimpse into the advantages, methodologies, and thoughtful reflections that encompass the world of belly binding.

Belly binding is a practice that nurtures both body and soul during the precious postpartum period. My Fourth Trimester Workshop also covers everything about belly binding - from coaching practices to practicals. Send a DM to book a spot of visit my website. Link in bio.

09/05/2023

Saoirse’s Birth Story - Part 15

In the weeks leading up to Saoirse’s birth I had focused on releasing any fears through the amazing guided meditations of by taking time daily to accept that things may not go how I had imagined and by getting deeply in touch with my anxieties and being gentle on myself.

I used my journal and the workbooks I had created to keep my mind focused and centered.

I had my nightly bath rituals and my daily body practices to keep my head clear and to keep my body balanced.

This prepared me well for when labor began to pick up its intensity.

I began timing my surges and found them to be fairly consistent and moving closer together and gathering strength as the waves ebbed and flowed through my body. This excited me and I knew we were getting somewhere. I could feel that the moment had finally arrived.

With each wave, I began to surrender deeper into my process…

I called my doula and let her know I would soon be needing her presence so I could surrender even deeper…

By that point labor had intensified to the point I knew that resting wasn’t going to happen.

When my doula arrived i was transitioning into active labor and her presence allowed me to feel safer to trust the process, my body and its urges and to lean into each wave that arose.

We labored for a few hours in my bedroom as I began to lose some of my mucous plug and the surges intensified.

Around 1 or 2 in the morning I began to feel the urge to push. I remember feeling confused as I had not had my show yet and felt I had some ways to go.

But it was soooo strong… and my doula encouraged me to call my midwife.

I remember being nervous, not sure about how far I had progressed but the urge to push was so strong. My midwife answered the call and told me she would be there shortly.

I knew I could surrender deeper and that I no longer had to hold on…

Things were happening whether I believed they would or not…

08/30/2023

Saoirse’s Birth Story - Part 14

My space was set… I had everything I needed surrounding me and it felt like the sacred space I had always imagined in my mind and in my heart.

I had spent 5 years attending other’s as they birthed their children into this world in many different ways, and it was finally my turn to have the birth I had always dreamed of.

My son Miles’ birth left me feeling alone and like something deep was taken from me… this one was going to be different and I felt safe enough to go deeper into the realms of birthing surrounded by my support team, and all the mothers who had come before me.

I could feel their presence surrounding me and giving me strength.

The birth affirmations and sacred objects of significance that were important to me graced my space snd would keep me going when I didn’t feel I had the strength left.

I woke up Sunday morning feeling the same… my surges were pretty spaced out and the waves were still easy and manageable.

I did my best to take it easy and go about my day.

As the evening approached I could feel things starting to shift… and this time I felt prepared and ready to receive the intensity that was surely right around the corner.

I began to detach from the outside world and as the waves came closer together I knew that any last minute fears would have to be released. It was time to birth my baby into this world… in our own way and in our own time. She was ready.

To be continued…

📸

08/28/2023

Saoirse’s Birth Story Part 13 -

On a Saturday morning, 5 days past my “due date” I woke up feeling like something had shifted and things were getting close.

My body began to show some signs of things loosening up. I had a light pink tinge when I went to the bathroom and I began to have some light cramping that came and went…

Having had days of prodromal and early labor with my son Miles, I had anticipated this labor to be similar…

Luckily I had the mindset strategies and knowledge to be at ease and peace with my slower progression of labor and had time to adjust to what was near.

I wanted to keep myself somewhat distracted since I knew we still had some time.

We went down to the pool for a few hours and I breathed through the early surges and contractions my body was experiencing…

The water felt good on my body and I enjoyed the feeling of being weightless as the weight of 41 weeks of pregnancy was taking its toll on my body.

Things stayed pretty much the same throughout the day and in the evening I decided to let my midwife know that I was experiencing some early labor symptoms.

I made sure to go to bed early and allow my body to do its thing in its own time.

I got some decent sleep and as I experienced the baby waves, I allowed them to move through my body using my breath and a light moan to move through the sensations…

I was feeling resilient and excited to welcome my baby but had no idea when things would start to pick up…

To be continued…