My Doula Connie

11/08/2023

We had worked all night long on deepening this baby’s latch. After some much needed sleep, hydration and rest, we continued working- latching and de-latching , changing positions, deepening breath, taking sips of tea, bites of breakfast, breaks to soothe and sush and calm and encourage . It was 6am when baby finally latched and stayed latched. I will never forget this mother’s face, voice and guttural sigh of disbelief’s relief- after a solid minute of efficient suckling and swallowing she looked to her husband then look up and me and said “We’re doing it !!!”

district of We worked all night on latching and each feed -✨ “Connie was truly a savior for us. As first time parents we were trying to find our sea legs with our infant daughter. Connie transformed our lives and eliminated a huge amount of stress and anxiety not to mention gave us much needed rest & sleep. Connie was calm, extremely wise, supportive and reassuring, particularly for my wife who was breastfeeding. She massaged my wife while breastfeeding, gave her wonderful tips to help latch the baby. Her voice and technique was calm, super caring and during her time with us on each occasion she would always go over and above the call of duty. Could not recommend Connie enough as a doula. She was incredible!” ✨

09/30/2023

✨”As first time parents, I knew that we would benefit from the help and wisdom of a postpartum doula who has seen some things before. My family and friends were far, and so we signed on with Connie as our daytime doula for a few weeks after birth. We were dealt some challenges (preemie; hard to latch during breastfeeding; more fussy and crying than most, with digestive issues), and we found Connie’s guidance through these challenges invaluable. She checked in all the time, provided prompt and timely advice, was a support system that we didn’t know we needed but certainly did. Plus, she’s a great cook and she made sure we had some nutritious meals to keep us going through the tough times (that I still make now!). She’s also adaptable - I thought I wanted to breastfeed exclusively, which she was super supportive and helpful for. But after our baby was in the NICU and had a hard time latching as a preemie, and after she guided me to be able to pump enough (after surgeries no less!) to keep up with her, I decided I’d rather focus on exclusive pumping, and she was supportive of that decision immediately. Overall, I highly recommend Connie as your postpartum doula - you won’t regret it! Her value far exceeds any expense.” Tanya & Peter M ✨

09/29/2023

✨ “We hired Connie for a combination of day and night sessions because we were bringing home a newborn and had absolutely no idea how to take care of her. The knowledge she imparted upon us saved us probably many weeks of learning by trial and error. She taught us how to confidently take care of our baby from the minute she arrived. While we did not initially hire Connie thinking we would have many questions about lactation, it turned out that her lactation knowledge proved absolutely invaluable…I have no idea how our baby would have been fed if it was not for Connie. And in addition to all of the truly invaluable help that Connie provided for helping us care for our baby, her delicious cookies and stew, proactive approach to helping us with tasks around the apartment, and wonderful demeanor during this crazy time really made this transition for us a million times easier than it otherwise would have been. We could not recommend Connie highly enough, and there is nobody we could trust more with our precious baby than Connie.” -Christina & Matt W. ✨

07/31/2023

💕 ✨ Our experience with Connie has been truly remarkable. She has given us invaluable support, care, and relief when we most needed it. We booked her for overnight services and with our newborn baby, she was able to soothe and tend to her with ease - just like any baby nurse would. She also took care of our whole family unit by helping with household chores, playing with our older toddler, cooking delicious home meals, organizing closets and so much more. When she was here, I was able to get the ultimate rest! She taught me how to nurse while laying down, gave me massages, and was there to ensure the baby was nursing well and getting the most intake. It was the ultimate game changer and a whirl of a difference compared to our baby nurse experience with our first born. Connie is extremely compassionate and committed. We are so grateful and lucky to have had her as our doula! She was the best decision we have made for our new family of four and would recommend her 1000%! ✨ 💕 -Elaine

07/19/2023

✨ I am so grateful that Connie was there for me at my most vulnerable time at 1 month postpartum. She helped me tremendously to reduce my stress and anxiety that came after a traumatic birth, whether she was bringing a yummy stew, giving a relaxing massage, or texting me to remind me to eat or pump! She created such a safe space for me while I embraced my transformational journey into motherhood. She brings every family into her heart and having her by your side postpartum is truly a blessing! ✨

07/12/2023

9pm doula arrives. I wash my hands and immediately take baby while mom tends to toddler in their room.

9:20pm mom comes out of toddlers bedroom, baby is due for a feeding. I start making tea and check in on how the last 24hours have gone as well as needs/ goals for the night ahead while baby feeds on mom.

9:50 mom goes in to bedroom to get ready and go to bed. I finish burping baby, check on diaper, swaddle and soothe to sleep.

10:10 I lay baby in bassinet. I get my sleeping area settled then check in on the rest of the apartment— laundry that needs folding, if trash needs to be taken out in a.m., tidy up of toys, empty or fill dishwasher, sanitizing bottles/pump parts.

12pm baby wakes up to feed. I bring baby to mom, gently wake mom up with low light, and assist her in getting comfortable in side laying position. I massage moms neck, shoulder, back throughout feed. Switch sides and repeat. I let mom doze off as I will right there to make sure all is safe and baby is actively feeding.

12:40am I take baby into other room. I burp, change diaper, and begin to soothe back to sleep.

1:20am baby goes down. I set an alarm for next feed in case baby sleeps through. I finish any night time tasks then try to catch some 💤 myself.

3:05am alarm goes off. I start getting baby up. I change diaper and bring her into moms room. I wake mom up gently, turn on low light, and get baby set up for side lying position. I massage moms neck, shoulders, back while also rubbing baby’s toes to keep awake and feeding. Switch sides and repeat.

3:38am baby pops off second side. I take baby to other room with me to burp, swaddle and soothe back to sleep.

4:10am I lay baby in bassinet, set alarm for next feed and I try to get some 💤 myself.

5:50am baby wakes up on own. I change diaper and bring into mom to side lay feed. I massage, we switch sides and repeat.

6:32am I take baby into room to burp, swaddle and soothe to sleep. I prep coffee machine, lay out breakfast foods, put away dried dishes, bottles etc.

7:05am I wheel bassinet with sleeping babe into moms room. I let her know when baby is due for next feed, I say goodbye and leave.

04/17/2023

✨ “Miraculously, Connie made us into confident first-time parents within a matter of weeks.

Her visits were an oasis of calm and reassurance, lifting us out of the postpartum whirlwind and providing the space to rest, rejuvenate and reflect.

But with every visit, she also left us better equipped, with a clearer sense of our journey ahead, and more belief in our own ability to parent.

From lactation support, first baths and even laundry, to giving us time to catch up on sleep and work, navigating wider family dynamics around the baby, and feeding us her delicious home made meals. It’s an incredibly holistic and meticulously thoughtful package of support only such an intuitive and sincerely committed person as Connie would be able to adapt so perfectly around each family.” - Amy & Jaimie BG✨

03/28/2023

✨ In honor of World Doula Week ✨ Holding space for new parents in the postpartum realm is an experience that fills my heart time and time and time again. Grateful to my all my clients who have each made me a better doula in their own way and to my fellow doulas, especially at who continue to inspire, ground and support m e through this work ✨ What an incredible year 💕

24 Likes, 1 Comments - Connie Castanzo () on Instagram: "✨ In honor of World Doula Week ✨ Holding space for new parents in the postpartum realm is an ..."