Today we connected with Stephanie LaDuke of Grounding Wellness. She helps families create and implement a whole family wellness plan around postpartum. I've been honored to know Stephanie and her familiy for many years and am excited to have her share a little of what she does with you!
Stephanie, tell us a little about yourself and what you do? I'm a Holistic Wellness Practitioner. Meaning-I focus on the Whole You. I use a variety of methods that all integrate nicely together to best support you on your healing journey. I am here for those who feel anxious, isolated, and try to juggle all the things, so they can find calm, connection, and be productive in healthy ways. I especially enjoy working with those experiencing baby blues & perinatal mood & anxiety disorder.
What called you to focusing on families postpartum? I dealt with postpartum depression, OCD, and anxiety after the birth of my first child and I felt really lost and hopeless. I didn't know what I was feeling, I couldn't find someone who understood me, and when I finally took action it still took a long time to find support and resources. I also felt let down by the traditional medical system in some ways and I started exploring and studying integrative approaches to help me heal. I started doing this work to help other parents so they wouldn't have to figure out what they're feeling, find someone that understood them, or look for resources. My business focuses on the wellness of parents through coaching, energy work, and in-home services so they can express how they're feeling, heal, and have other resources at their fingertips. We need to do better for our perinatal community and that means being proactive and getting information and resources to clients while they're pregnant so they can have better postpartum outcomes.
What is your favorite part of what you do? No day is the same with any client. I may be folding laundry, or sipping tea
as they share some of their fears around the postpartum phase and we work together to find what best supports and heals them. I love the variety of services I offer to meet the client's needs and lifestyle.
We need to do better for our perinatal community and that means being proactive and getting information and resources to clients while they're pregnant so they can have better postpartum outcomes.
What are the top 5 recommendations for new parents?
1. Register or Request gift cards that focus on your wellness: there are sites like behervillage that let you add items such as a postpartum doula, pelvic PT, and other services. Gift cards for food/restaurants are a life saver after the meal trains end and visitors stop coming by.
2. Be proactive in your care and take care of you starting while pregnant:
a. seeing a pelvic PT to potentially improve labor & birth, and resume postpartum for faster recovery
b. having a few counselor/therapist names lined up
c. interviewing some doulas/postpartum doulas
3. Becoming a parent is a new identity and most of us are not trained for that new role. And I don't mean in the sense of how to change diapers, for example. Our minds still think we can do certain things a certain way. But caring for a new human being definitely changes all that and we need to prepare for those shifts. Working with a counselor coach prenatally can help you work through fears and anxieties and have plans in place for the postpartum period. For example, how will you shower, eat a real meal with nourishing foods, how will you get proper rest? I'm not trying to scare new parents, but I really want to help you feel prepared
4. To go along with #3 I can't tell you how many times I've heard from postpartum clients: I wish I would've known about...
a. Lactation
b. C-section info
c. what the postpartum period is really like, especially on mental health & relationships
Let's help our parents-to-be, decrease overwhelm and offer better preparation at all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
5. It's ok to get 2nd opinions whether prenatally, for pediatric care, to change providers last minute, etc. This birth and parenting journey is about you, and you need to feel like you're being heard, cared for and will have a great team to support you at all phases.
As a reminder, my services work to help parents on these various issues like anxiety, overwhelm, uncertainty, healing at all the levels, and more. Instead of you doing 'so many of the things', let me help you take the load off.
Families can find Stephanie:
Stephanie LaDuke | Grounding Wellness: A Holistic & Integrative Approach To Improve Your Postpartum Experience | 425-470-3365 | https://ladukesl.wixsite.com/website-1 | groundingwellness21@gmail.com
FB: Grounding Wellness | IG: groundingwellness_stephanie