Joanne Hewitt - Postpartum Support

January 2023, I am so excited to be offering these groups again 💕

March is almost upon us - be sure to save the meeting dates of our upcoming Postpartum Support Circles for the new month! 🗓

Set your reminders and join us on alternating Thursdays in the month of March (the 3rd, 17th, & 31st) at Azikho in Salt Rock from 9AM-11AM.

Our Support Circle is a free chance to connect with a motherhood community and to find support through non-judgmental listening (with some good laughs thrown in)… If you’re a new mom (or are getting ready to become one), it’s also a great place to forge new friendships & connections, and to find out about what support is available to you on your postpartum journey.

I hope to see you there! 👋

All my love always,

Joanne

Just a friendly reminder to join us for our next Support Circle this Tuesday the 15th of Feb at in Salt Rock from 9AM-11AM: we’ll be joined by the lovely Venusha from who will be giving us insight into modern, reusable cloth nappies and alternatives to disposable diapers.

Our Support Circle is a free chance to connect with a motherhood community and to find support through non-judgmental listening (with some good laughs thrown in)… If you’re a new mom (or are getting ready to become one), it’s also a great place to forge new friendships & connections, and to find out about what support is available to you on your postpartum journey.

I hope to see you there! 👋

All my love always,

Joanne

Thank you to all the mammas who attended our last Support Circle: we were full to capacity and it was a smashing success! Our special guest Jacqui Lindsay (a Gentle Sleep Coach who helps families all over the world achieve healthy sleep habits) gave us a fascinating talk on the science of infant sleep cycles and how to optimise sleep for your family…🌛😴 Thank you for sharing, Jacqui!

Set your reminders and join us for our next Support Circle this Tuesday the 15th of Feb at in Salt Rock from 9AM-11AM: we’ll be joined by the lovely Venusha from who will be giving us insight into modern, reusable cloth nappies and alternatives to disposable diapers.

Our Support Circle is a free chance to connect with a motherhood community and to find support through non-judgmental listening (with some good laughs thrown in)… If you’re a new mom (or are getting ready to become one), it’s also a great place to forge new friendships & connections, and to find out about what support is available to you on your postpartum journey.

I hope to see you there! 👋

All my love always,

Joanne

This Tuesday 1st of Feb we’ll be joined by Jacqui Lindsay: a Gentle Sleep Coach who helps families all over the world achieve healthy sleep habits.🌛😴 Jacqui will be giving us an awesome free talk on infant sleep, so if you have a 0-6 month old baby, come and learn about developmental leaps and how they affect sleep, infant sleep cycles and how to optimise sleep for your family.

RSVP is essential for this one: please message me to let me know if you’re coming! 📲 071 586 9999.

I hope to see you there! 👋

All my love always,

Joanne

Just leaving this here… 📝 Beautiful words by talented artist reflecting on the “post-part-hummm” ✨❤️

Our Support Circle is back in session for 2022 with our first gathering happening on Tuesday the 25th of January! 🙌💕

Join us at Azikho in Salt Rock from 9AM-11AM for a free chance to connect with a motherhood community and to find support through non-judgmental listening (with some good laughs thrown in).

If you’re a new mom (or are getting ready to become one), it’s a great place to forge new friendships & connections, and to find out about what support is available to you on your postpartum journey.

I hope to see you there!

All my love always,

Joanne

For many new mums, the end of year holidays were anything but relaxing… 😰 The start of a new year can really be hampered by the lingering effects of postnatal burnout due to the demands of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, chronic sleep deprivation, multiple or closely spaced pregnancies and the daily demand of motherhood.

Common symptoms of postnatal burnout include:

✔️Exhaustion
✔️Depression
✔️Anxiety
✔️Brain fog
✔️Hormonal Imbalances
✔️Multiple Nutritional Deficiencies

If you’re starting the year feeling depleted and overwhelmed, there’s never been a better time to get postpartum support: as a Postpartum Doula, I offer postpartum planning & at-home support tailored to the unique needs and situation of each of my clients. Don’t hesitate to get in touch - I’m always open to chat & to figure out how I can best support you on your postpartum journey (and help you get your battery fully charged for 2022!) 💛🔋

Happy New Year! 🎊🍾 Here’s to a 2022 filled with blessings, abundance, the courage to ask for help, and the grace to receive it… ☺️

Wherever you are in your postpartum journey - I’m wishing you all the best for the year ahead. 💛✨
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Merry Christmas! 🎄✨ From my home to yours: wishing you and your family a restful, blessed & safe festive season. 💫
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As we reach the end of the year, you might be feeling like you’re just barely able to keep your head above water while juggling life over the manic Festive Season… Particularly if you’re entering Postpartum (or are preparing to), the reality of burnout and depletion can hit especially hard at this time of year.

What’s needed right now is nourishment in a holistic sense. While taking care of your nutritional needs is a big part of this, also never forget that a nourished postpartum includes JOY. ⁠
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As my doula friends at explain: “Caregiving can be HARD, night wake ups can feel like torture, and healing from birth can be a long road. These are all reasonable reactions to a challenging season of life. But we do have to, and WANT to, enjoy some moments! And sometimes we do have to fight for them, scavenge for them and uplift them for all to see. ⁠
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Joy is generative, joy is life giving, life saving! Joy is the oxytocin flow that binds us with love (and biologically facilitates the milk ejection reflex!) and helps us keep on keeping on. We need to tap into joy whenever it is available to us and/or we are available to it.“
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So as we get ready to wrap up this year and launch into 2022, here’s a though for you to ponder:⁠ What joy is available to you in the stage of parenting you are currently in? ⁠

As always, if you’re a new mama (or you’re getting ready to become one) and you’re feeling overwhelmed, depleted and in need of support (physical, mental or emotional) - don’t hesitate to reach out and get in touch with me… Let’s figure out how I can best support you and help you tap into joy on your postpartum journey. 💛

All aboard! 🚂 Frequent nourishing meals are essential during early postpartum to help with healing and recovery - which is why one of my favourite ways of supporting new mums is by setting up and coordinating a “meal train” with their family, friends and support circle.

Organising a meal train means that, whilst you’re resting & learning to feed and bond with your new baby, you can feel confident knowing you have a daily supply of home-cooked meals coming your way.

Here are my tips on how to organise a postpartum meal train (make sure you save this post for later and share with expectant mammas too)… ✨

1). Make a list of your favourite meals as well as any dietary requirements, allergies or food intolerances.

2). Ask a friend, family member, or postpartum doula (that’s me!) to coordinate the meal train and to act as the conductor by setting up a group chat or using a planning website like mealtrain.com to organise your chosen list of support people.

3). Set your schedule by telling your conductor what dates you want the meal train to start and end on, as well as how many meals per day you would need, what time of day you would like meals dropped off, and if you would like visitors or prefer meals left at the door.

Need help? This is my jam! Drop me a message and let’s start prepping to get your train on the tracks. 🛤🍽

More and more mothers are entering pregnancy already depleted from compounding nutritional deficiencies and chronic stress… Add in the demands of growing, birthing, feeding and nurturing your babies and - guess what? You are at a higher risk of being in an extremely depleted burnout state. 😞

A lot of the work I do focusses on giving women (and their partners) the support they need, along with knowledge and practical tools to help them heal and recover from exhaustion in these early years of motherhood. It’s never too late to ask for help - reach out and connect with me and let’s make sure you’re feeling nourished and supported for the journey ahead. 💛

Becoming a mother is a kind of birth in itself, and it’s okay if it takes time for you to get used to it.

The birth of a mother signifies an important rite of passage in a woman’s life - one that should be met with kindness, patience and loving support from all those around her.

Creating a strong support network in preparation for your postpartum journey can make the world of difference in helping you navigate your transition into the role of motherhood…

As a Postpartum Doula, my mission (and my joy) is to offer postpartum planning & at-home support to new and expectant mothers, and to help them build circles of support through community & connection.

If this resonates with you, don’t be shy: get in touch with me and let’s chat about how I can best support you today on your postpartum journey. 💛

UPDATE: While we’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response in the lead-up to our planned event on the 4th of December (“3 Ladies & Your Babies”), we have had a lot of feedback from keen mamas who want to take part but just can’t attend at this time of the year due to the manic pace of life & other end-of-year commitments… We hear you, we see you, & we still want to connect with you (although we realise it’s maybe not a great time right now). 😅

We’ve therefore decided to postpone our event for the time-being and will announce a new date and details in the New Year… Thank you to everyone who has given us their honest feedback and who has shown interest in learning more about postpartum preparation, birth, breastfeeding & beyond. We look forward to sharing knowledge, starting conversations and building circles of support in 2022 (watch this space)! ☺️✨

Postpartum preparation means knowing what to expect and having realistic expectations and clear communication with your partner and family.

It means creating a support team and understanding what will help you to heal and recover during this time… This often includes deciding who you want as your support network and setting clear boundaries around visitors.

Also: knowing what foods help with postpartum recovery and how to stock your fridge and pantry; knowing what herbs help with healing and how to prepare remedies; knowing how to support breastfeeding, how to prioritise rest and so much more…

Let’s start the conversation and start raising awareness around what postpartum preparation actually means. 🤗

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” 👀

Through its highs and lows, postpartum brings with it new perspectives, as if you’re seeing things through new eyes and feeling emotions on a whole new level.

The postnatal hormone drop has been described as the most intense hormonal shift a woman will ever experience - even greater than during adolescence or menopause. No wonder those early weeks feel like an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions! 🎢

With cortisol and estrogen dropping in the days after birth and oxytocin and prolactin rising, the hormone shift can trigger tears, anxiety, moodiness and feelings of overwhelm.

Plenty of rest, realistic expectations, & support from family/friends or a postpartum doula can do a lot to help you through this important transition. 🙌

PS: Don’t forget to join me along with (Breastfeeding & Lactation Specialist) and (Childbirth Educator) on Saturday the 4th of December for a special full-morning workshop in Ballito (and online on Zoom)… “3 Ladies & Your Babies!” - Talking Birth, Breastfeeding and Beyond...

Tickets are R600 per person (+1 partner / support person free of charge) 🎟
Contact me for bookings on 071 586 9999 📲
We hope to see you there! 👋

Traditional approaches and attitudes to Postpartum are the way it’s always been across many different cultures for generations of mothers… The principles and practices are nothing new, but in recent times they have been eroded and lost in Westernised societies.

As a result, more and more new mothers in the modern world are struggling and left feeling unsupported and uneducated about this season of life.

My goal is to be a part of bringing back the timeless wisdom and nourishing practices of Traditional Postpartum approaches & combining them with the most integrated and holistic knowledge available in today’s age of information.

Don’t forget to join me along with (Breastfeeding & Lactation Specialist) and (Childbirth Educator) on Saturday the 4th of December for a special full-morning workshop in Ballito (and online on Zoom):
“3 Ladies & Your Babies!” - Talking Birth, Breastfeeding and Beyond...
Tickets are R600 per person (+1 partner / support person free of charge) 🎟
Contact me for bookings on 071 586 9999 📲
We hope to see you there! 👋

I love the work I do. I am so passionate about helping new families adjust to their new lives and seeing them find their feet. Serving new postpartum families is my absolute joy. 🥰

Please send a DM if you have any questions. 📲

I look forward to working with you!

With love,

Joanne
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Joining the team at Azikho has been one of my greatest joys this year (and we’ve still got some really cool things still in the works before the year is done)…

Please message, call or DM for an appointment - cannot wait to see you. ☺️

With love,

Jo

Joanne Hewitt - Postpartum Support updated their website address.