Pregnancy Shouldn’t Be Painful
Gold Coast is thrilled to present a guest post by Sally Talbot, PT, Senior PT and co-owner of Health Motion Physical Therapy. Pregnancy is a wonderful and amazing time. However, creating a new life does create some major changes in the body. Pain in different areas during pregnancy is a common complaint. Physio–pedia.com states that back […]
Gold Coast Doulas 4th Annual Diaper Drive
Gold Coast Doulas is holding our 4th annual Diaper Drive from September 1st to October 1st, 2019. Giving back is an important foundation of our business; clean diapers make a huge impact on the heath of new families. Diaper need is something that goes almost completely unrecognized, but 1 in 3 babies suffer in dirty […]
Meet Your Gold Coast Doula-Lynnette
We love asking our Gold Coast Doulas questions so you can get to know them more. Meet our infant care specialist and postpartum doula, Lynnette Nichols and learn about her inspirations and background. 1) What did you do before you became a doula? Before I became a doula, I was the manager at Lemon Creek […]
Infant Massage Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Infant Massage Gold Coast Doulas is thrilled to present a Part 2 of the Infant Massage guest blog from Cristina Stauffer. Cristina Stauffer, LMSW, CEIM has been passionate about serving women and young children throughout her career. Pregnancy and early motherhood can be one of the most vulnerable times in a […]
Why is Infant Massage Good for Babies?
Why is Infant Massage Good for Babies? Gold Coast Doulas is thrilled to present a guest blog from Cristina Stauffer. Cristina Stauffer, LMSW, CEIM has been passionate about serving women and young children throughout her career. Pregnancy and early motherhood can be one of the most vulnerable times in a woman’s life. Cristina has been […]
Can My Body Make Enough Milk for My Baby?
We are pleased to present a guest blog by Shira Johnson, IBCLC. Can My Body Make Enough Milk for My Baby? Fact: Most breastfeeding mothers, at one time or another, worry about their milk supply. They wonder whether their body will make enough milk for their baby, if their supply will last. Not surprising, since […]
Why Take a Breastfeeding Class?
Why Take a Breastfeeding Class? We are pleased to present a guest blog by Shira Johnson, IBCLC . Breastfeeding is natural, right? Well, yes… But it doesn’t always come naturally! Just like parents educate themselves about pregnancy and birth, it’s valuable to have basic knowledge about breastfeeding before baby arrives (we don’t read up on […]
Meet Your Gold Coast Doula – Alyssa
We love asking our Gold Coast Doulas questions so you get to know them a bit more. Meet our co-owner, Alyssa Veneklase and learn about her inspirations and her travel adventures. 1) What did you do before you became a doula? For the past 15 years I was in the construction/real estate business doing everything […]
Tips for Camping with Children
We are pleased to present a guest blog with helpful tips for camping with kids from Courtney Garveink. Courtney was a birth doula with Gold Coast and a HypnoBirthing instructor. As I sit here now, my husband and two girls, ages 5 and 4, are in our garage working on our fishing boat. Well, my […]
Meet Your Babywearing Educator–Ashley Forton
Gold Coast Doulas is thrilled to feature Ashley Forton in our latest Q&A about her experiences with babywearing. Reach out if you are interested in booking a babywearing consult with Ashley. 1) What did you do before you became a babywearing educator, HypnoBirthing Instructor and Doula? I have a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from […]
Gold Coast Doulas Diaper Drive
Gold Coast Doulas is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 1 with a giveback event at Nestlings Diaper Bank located at 650 Riley Street, Ste. L in Holland. We are laughing the diaper drive with a free event is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children are welcome. There will be food, refreshments, a photo […]
Cesarean Birth Photography Tips
Gold Coast Doulas is pleased to present a guest blog from Bri Luginbill of the People Picture Company. Bri is a Grand Rapids photographer with a passion for photographing families, seniors, babies all of the people and events that enrich and define our lives. She also has years of experience photographing children with special needs. […]
Midwives and Doulas
Gold Coast Doulas is pleased to present a guest blog from Mandi Garvey She is a certified birth doula, Masters trained health educator, and EMT serving families in West Michigan in both clinical and non-clinical labor support roles. When she’s not at a birth in one capacity or another, she’s napping in preparation for the […]
What’s in my Doula Bag?
I often get asked about the contents of my doula bag by clients or other doulas. My bag happens to be a backpack. I have some mementos from my Sacred Doula training which remind me to breathe, be fully present for my clients and that I am fully supported by my peers. I always carry […]
What to pack in your birth bag
Clients often ask us what to pack in their birth bags during prenatal appointments. Here are our top 12 items to pack: Your birth plan or birth preference sheet. Our Gold Coast doulas can answer questions for you as you begin to create your plan. Charger for your phones. You don’t want to lose your […]
Meet Your Gold Coast Doulas – Ashley
1) What did you do before you became a doula? I have a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from GVSU. I have been a nanny, worked at an adult foster care home and currently work in the insurance industry.. 2) What inspired you to become a doula? When I was pregnant I had an incredible […]
Sick Day Doulas
I could have used sick day doulas when I had the stomach bug. I helped a friend out a couple of weeks ago and watched her babies while she was in the hospital. Her house had been hit with the stomach bug. I ended up getting it soon after I got home and my husband […]
Dads and Doulas
Let’s talk dads and doulas! I often see a look of relief on the face of the husband or partner when I explain that we never replace their role in birth! There is often a concern that they will be left out of the birth or that the experience will be less intimate. At Gold […]
Birth and Pregnancy Affirmations
I love affirmations! I utilized them daily during my second pregnancy as I had signs of getting pre-eclampsia again. I needed my thoughts to remain positive. In the end, I avoided getting pre-e and had a perfect pregnancy and beautiful birth. The Sacred Pregnancy book taught me about mantras and affirmations. I would hold my […]
We are Your Doulas!
We are your doulas! At Gold Coast we pride ourselves on our superior service and professionalism. We aim to be your one stop shop for all things pertaining to pregnancy, birth and the postpartum time. Looking for childbirth classes? We’ve got you covered with HypnoBirthing classes and will soon be releasing another option for Childbirth […]
12 Things To Do When You Are Overdue
It can be a struggle to get through the in-between time. Here are some things that West Michigan women can do in the final days of pregnancy. Please note–I did not contact businesses listed below in advance of this post. Here are 12 Things To Do When You Are Overdue: 1) Grab a smoothie or […]
Feeding the Monkeys
We are pleased to present a guest blog on feedings from Becky Antaya. Becky is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who has worked with women, infants and children for over 12 years. Through her experience educating moms and families about nutrition and breastfeeding she discovered a need for mothers to be nurtured and supported during […]
5 Quick Makeup Tips for New Mothers
Gold Coast Doulas is thrilled to present a guest blog from Christina Parrilla of Beauty by Christina. She is a self taught makeup artist and hair stylist. She started her business with the hope of creating incredible experiences for women of all ages, colors, and sizes. She feels that beauty is so much more than […]
Your Confusing Little Mammal
We are honored to feature a guest blog from Kelly Wysocki-Emery, RN, IBCLC from baby beloved, inc. Kelly went to college to become a psychologist, but after the experience of birthing and breastfeeding her first baby, she was “hooked” on the incredible miracle of it all. She decided that she wanted to help other mothers with […]
