Our 10th Birthday! | A Doulas of Baltimore Recap

Doulas of Baltimore turned ten this year!For those outside of the industry, ten years in business might be notable but not exceptional. Ten years is a very long time in the Doula space.

The secret truth of the Doula industry is this: turnover rates are through the roof. Between poor business advice, lack of education on finances, and the general demanding nature of our role as support people for birthing families, burnout feels almost unavoidable. As we approached our big 1-0, we knew we needed to celebrate in a big way for a full decade of serving families in Baltimore.

Location

Our birthday party was held at UNION Craft Brewing in Baltimore.

When we decided to have a party, we knew it was a BIRTHday party! Our hearts are always with birthing families and we knew it wasn’t an anniversary event.

Floral arrangement at the Doulas of Baltimore ten year birthday party held at UNION craft brewing.

Doulas of Baltimore celebrates ten years of serving birthing families!

A food menu for the Doulas of Baltimore tenth birthday party held at UNION craft brewing!

Food

Food was an obvious, what’s a party without food? Since we wanted to be inclusive, we planned the menu to have options for everyone including anyone who was gluten-free! This included special, separate treats just for those with dietary restrictions.

Gluten-free treats featuring babies and bottles adorn the tables at the tenth birthday party for Doulas of Baltimore.

Cupcakes featuring various birth and parenting icons are displayed at Doulas of Baltimore's 10th birthday party.

Little Hands

As we serve families who often have little ones, we knew we needed a fun distraction. Our doula, Amanda, who helped us coordinate this whole party created some perfect sensory bins that our little attendees seemed to love.

Little ones play with sensory bins alongside their caregivers.

Favors

A party without favors? Not here! We had exclusive beer glasses made with our 10th birthday logo etched on them. The little guests had onesies and toddler t-shirts made with “Born to BMore” on them to make sure no attendee left empty-handed.

Party favors for a birthday party featuring a red bow and a tag that says "thank you!"

"Born to BMore" adorns onesies and shirts for toddlers.

A custom etched glass is featured alongside treat bags for the 10th birthday party of Doulas of Baltimore.

Community Care

Our Baltimore community is always at the forefront of what we do. Emily and Debbie wanted to find a way to be of service while also celebrating and we happened to learn that both ShareBaby and the Baltimore Hunger Project were also celebrating 10 years! We contacted them and ask what their most-needed items were and collected these with the help of our attendees.

ShareBaby and The Baltimore Hunger Project recieved gifts brought to our birthday party.

Donations for ShareBaby and The Baltimore Hunger Project

Community care for local charities the baltimore hunger project and sharebaby in baltimore maryland

We were so grateful for the help to support these important nonprofit organizations. Our guests showed up and had a great time alongside our doulas. We had a wonderful time laughing and remembering the births and postpartum experiences we had together.

Owner, Emily Pelton, joined by previous doula clients enjoys our 10th birthday party at UNION craft brewing.

A new parent holds their baby above their head playing a game with them.

Happy clients pose alongside Rae with Doulas of Baltimore.

Clients of Doulas of Baltimore enjoy food and fun at UNION craft brewing.

Professional Doulas of Doulas of Baltimore smile at the 10th Birthday Celebration.

We want to say THANK YOU to everyone who attended and helped us celebrate this milestone. We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the families of Baltimore for TEN years! Doulas of Baltimore is exceptionally proud of the hard work and dedication we’ve put in to get here. We’re looking forward to the future together with our team and you. Cheers, Baltimore!

Emily Pelton and Deborah (Debbie) Bailey smile at their 10th Birthday Celebration!

Read more about our thoughts on a decade of DOB in this interview with owners, Emily and Debbie, here!

Our Favorite Freezer Meals (plus tips!)

How can a family manage to feed themselves quality foods while also resting and bonding with their baby? Freezer meals!

Meal prepping food for the freezer specifically is excellent for filling in the gaps. Maybe you have loved ones who want to feed you through the week but you find yourselves on your own on the weekends. Maybe you have a meal train lined up for two weeks but it tapers off after that.

A day of simple planning and prep can help answer the question, “What’s for dinner?!” quickly and easily.

We have a few tips to successfully fill your freezer and a roundup of some freezer faves!

Freezer Meal Prep Tips

Tip 1: Variety

Repetition can get boring and make ordering in a bit more tempting. To combat this, we recommend having a few different types of meals in the freezer. Having a mix of “dump and go” meals, ready-to-eat sides, and marinated main courses gives a variety of textures and flavors that keeps things interesting and easy.

Tip 2: Types

You won’t just be eating dinner! Having a few easy breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner options ensures that you are well prepared for the weeks ahead.

Tip 3: Batching Freezer Meals

While prepping food for hours may seem daunting, if you set aside a day to get everything done you will find your kitchen overall more clean and your meal planning way simpler. Make a mess once, eat for weeks!

Tip 4: Protein Variation

It might get exhausting to eat Italian marinated chicken four times in a row but marinades can often be added to different proteins to offer variation. Make a big batch of a vinegar-based marinade and add it to three different freezer bags filled with chicken, pork, and tofu for variety without much effort.

Tip 5: Mix n Match Freezer Meals

Grab a fresh salad kit at the grocery store and pair it with one of your favorite slow cooker meals from the freezer for a changeup in texture and flavor and added veggies!

Here are few ideas to get you started planning your freezer meal day:

Freezer Meal Ideas

Breakfasts

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Vegan Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast Sandwiches

Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast Bowls

Lunches

Frozen Sandwiches

Chicken Fajitas

Ham and Potato Soup

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Dinners

How to Freeze Rice

Freezer Shrimp Fried Rice

Freezer Lasagna Roll Ups

Stir Fry Freezer Pack

A Week of Easy Instant Pot Dinners

Vegan Mac n Cheese

Snacks

Green Smoothie Packs

No Bake Tahini Protein Balls

Freeze Cookie Dough

Bonus Tip: Have your Postpartum Doula help you prep things!

If baby has already arrived and your freezers are bare, place a grocery order and have your Postpartum Doula prep a few freezer meals while they’re helping you around the house! This is a great way to ensure you’re cared for even after your doula is done with their shift for the day.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide | What Moms Really Want

Mother’s Day is almost here and every year we get to decide what to get the mothers in our lives. Something that complicates the decision? New moms might not know what they need! Flowers, candy, and cards are all lovely but sometimes you want to be the rockstar gift giver. If you have an expectant mother you love, we’ve compiled a list of perfect gift ideas in this Mother’s Day Gift Guide that they really want.

First Time Moms want:

 

A baby in a Mockingbird Stroller with Bassinet sleeps next to a table holding two drinks and a laptop. Mother's Day Gift Guide

  1. Mockingbird stroller with bassinet – This ingenious combo is a stroller that doubles as a safe sleep surface on the main level. Perfect for smaller living spaces, using this as a bassinet while in your living room allows you to go from working from home to out the door without delay.

A baby lies on a Hatch changing pad and scale while a caregiver smiles down at them. Mother's Day Gift Guide

  1. Hatch Grow Smart changing pad and scale– Another brilliant two-in-one, this changing pad offers a safe, elevated space to change a baby’s diaper and a scale all in one. Offering new moms peace of mind, tracking baby’s weight can ensure that they’re getting enough to eat and growing right on schedule.

Overnight doula care for a newborn baby who smiles on a mat. Mother's Day Gift Guide

  1. Overnight newborn care – the Ideal gift for any new parent, help support them during this season of tired! Giving new moms the gift of sleep is invaluable for more than just making them comfortable. Quality sleep is linked to mental and physical health and the value of it cannot be overstated.

 

Experienced Moms want: 

 

Nanit pro camera multi-pack

  1. Nanit Pro multi pack– Keep eyes on ALL the babies with this beloved monitor in a multi-pack.  Connect it to your phone and watch your new baby and their new sibling as they sleep peacefully. Monitor temperature, humidity, receive cry alerts, and enjoy a bird’s eye view in crisp 1080p. Nanit is a wildly popular monitor for a reason!

Chicco Fit 360 revolving carseat in the back seat of a car, caregiver is helping strap baby in properly

  1. Chicco Fit 360 revolving car seat– Keep your little ones rear facing longer and cut down on the struggle of getting into the car with more than one! The innovative Chicco Fit 360 rotates to allow babies to be buckled into their seat. Simply rotate back and lock into place and you’re all ready to roll.

Happy family with baby smiles

  1. Daytime doula support– Gift an extra set of hands who knows exactly what needs to be done. When parents have daytime support, they can focus on resting, healing, and nourishing themselves while easing into their new normal. 

 

Loving the beautiful moms in our lives doesn’t have to be challenging! Getting gifts for new moms is a beautiful thing. You’re sure to “win” Mother’s Day with any of these ideas.

Doulas of Baltimore 2021 Year in Review

As we approach the end of 2021, we wanted to reflect back. This year was definitely different from 2020, and we feel like we are getting into a new normal.

We are truly grateful for all of you: our clients, Baltimore area care providers, birth worker colleagues and our friends. Although the pandemic continues to place challenges on all of us, we have been able to help 57 families welcome 57 babies, hold 42 classes and welcome 4 new doulas to the Doulas of Baltimore team.

In the spring, we made the transition from 15 months of nearly exclusively virtual support to supporting families masked face to masked face! Since May, we have seen clients in their homes and in hospitals across Baltimore–while still offering virtual support and virtual  Childbirth Education Classes. December marked the return to in-person, group workshops at our beautiful studio in The Cedarcroft Center. And this coming spring (after flu season), we will resume in person classes with Baby 101, Birth Basics, and Comfort Measures for Labor. We imagine that we’ll always offer virtual classes from now on (they’ve been so popular with busy parents-to-be).

While doula support and group classes may have filled for this year, we are honoring 2021 pricing for all  contracts signed by December 31 for doula support or registrations for CBE workshops in 2022! Our 2022 classes are filling up quickly, so reach out now if you are interested in more information.

We wish you a continued happy holiday season and a wonderful new year.

-Debbie & Emily

3 Family-Supporting Nonprofits We Love

 

Welcoming a new baby is a profound change in your life. The first of our mission at Doulas of Baltimore is to make sure that change isn’t stressful, overwhelming or full of uncertainty. The second part is serving our community. This Giving Tuesday, we wanted to highlight three local nonprofits that we love. They are doing this same work–making sure new parents are supported and have the resources they need.

The Family Tree

The Family Tree’s is for all children to be safe and supported, and is the leading authority in Maryland for the prevention of child abuse. In 1997, Parents Anonymous® of Maryland and the Child Abuse Prevention Center merge to form The Family Tree. They have served 300,000 families in Maryland. Their services include counseling and parenting classes, a 24/7 help line, community outreach, and policy and advocacy work. Our last in-person event in February 2020, Mead the Doulas with Charm City Meadworks, was a fundraiser for The Family Tree. 

 

Our Mead the Doulas event to benefit The Family Tree.

Every holiday season, they also offer a free holiday shop to parents. They are currently accepting donations until December 3rd of new, unwrapped toys and presents for children ages 0-18. You can learn more here. They also accept monetary donations any time of year, and have volunteer opportunities. 

ShareBaby

We all know how important diapers and essentials are when baby arrives. We also know that you go through a lot of diapers, and it can be a big expense. ShareBaby is a Baltimore nonprofit that provides diapers and essential items to new parents. They write that this helps “reduce stress, depression, and barriers to work for families,” and provides peace of mind for the families in need. In the past, we’ve done diaper drives for ShareBaby and plan to do more in the future. Together with their partners, they deliver 200,000 diapers a month to more than 15,000 children across Baltimore. 

This GivingTuesday, they are also collecting coats for babies and children, which can be purchased online and shipped to the warehouse or dropped off directly. You can find out more here. 

Rainbow Families

Rainbow Families is a DC-and Baltimore-area nonprofit that educates, connects, and supports LGBTQ+ families and parents-to-be. They offer virtual support programs for new parents, as well as families going through the processes of adoption or assisted conception. Their “Maybe Baby” course offers a chance for people to explore questions of parenthood and building a family. They also provide opportunities for parents to connect in the Washington, DC and Baltimore regions through events, a camp weekend, and get-togethers. We provide ongoing support to Rainbow Families and are part of their directory of service providers. 

We hope you consider supporting these nonprofits this Giving Tuesday.