Those Cookies! And an Anniversary of Sorts ...

It is hard to believe that I have been baking and selling my lactation cookies for a year!

A year of late night measuring, mixing, baking, packaging and shipping cookies off all over the country ... I have sent orders to Alaska, Puerto Rico and Hawaii! It never fails to fill me with such join to print out an address label for a cookie order and image the home that the box will arrive at.

 Wow!

Just a quick update on the cookies ...

I will be taking a short break from baking cookies at the beginning of November; I will be taking them off eBay on the 31st of October, and plan to relist them a week later on the 7th of November. Even happy bakers need a little break from baking every now and then!

And then they will be back :)

I'm Back, with a Giveaway!

The past couple of weeks have been particularly busy ones, working with clients and their families,  and my out of town trip and all the busyness that that creates.But now I'm back and ready to get back to baking!

All my eBay listings for the Radiant Cookies and Radiant Tea are available on eBay again. And to celebrate being 'back', I think we should have a little giveaway.

I will be giving away two dozen Radiant Cookies and a package of Radiant Tea (shipping included, within the lower 48, if the lucky winner does not live in the Northern VA area!) Woo hoo!!

A Radiant Cookie, as enjoyed by my eldest kiddo!

Entering is super duper simple. Just subscribe to this blog (the SUBSCRIBE box is to the right of this page!), and then leave a comment on this post letting me know what cookie flavor is your favorite! Are you a chocolate chip person, snicker-doodle, cinnamon raisin? That's it! Couldn't be easier than that!
(Yes! - I'm planning to expand on my flavor options, and I'm curious to hear what some favorites are).

Entries must subscribe and leave a comment to be counted, and I'll be randomly drawing a winner on the evening of Thursday 2nd of April. Good luck!

Where Did the Cookies Go?

Don't worry! They will be back!

This busy mama is taking a little weekend break, and getting away - just with me (and a few friends!)

The cookies and tea will be back in a few days; and maybe, just maybe, we will have to mark their return with a bit of a give-away here on the Radiant Birth blog (check back next week for details!)

And in the meantime have a marvy-fab weekend.

The Radiant Birth Collection

Happy weekend everyone! And for the romantics and fellow love-fest folks, happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick note really, to let you all know that I have added a few things to my Radiant Birth eBay shop.

The Double Dozen: two dozen Radiant Cookies

The Post-Partum Collection: two dozen Radiant Cookies and one package of Radiant Tea

The Baby-Moon Collection: four dozen Radiant Cookies and two packages of Radiant Tea

 To check out the entire Radiant Birth Collection - click here!

Why I am a Post-Partum Doula

I'm asked this question a lot, by friends, by clients by random folks that I get chatting with - they 'why' question. Why be a Post-Partum Doula?

I think the concept of post-partum care really made sense to me in the heady days and weeks after my twins were born. Without a strong support system of family and friends around me, I floundered. I was completely overwhelmed between the demands of these two new babes, my busy toddler and a demanding job.

I remember thinking that I just wanted, needed, someone to come into my home and HELP! Help me rein in my dishwasher and laundry, help quell my fears and concerns, help me process the stress and anxiety of being a new mama to these two little ones.

Of course, I made it through that period. I started getting a little more sleep, developed systems to help with all the day to day minutiae of parenting and adjusted to the new normal of life as a mama to three Little Ones. But I never forgot the deep need I had for 'help', that ran much deeper than the need for visits from family and meals delivered by friends.

And over the years of processing what that 'help' might have looked like, I began to realize that I had a deep and profound desire to provide that help. It was a calling of sorts, to provide support and encouragement to women, and in particular to new mothers and their families.

And that help can look really different from one family to the next! Sometimes that help is sitting knee to knee with a new mother, and holding her hand as she weeps with the lack of sleep, the emotional overload of welcoming a new baby, the fears and steep learning curves.

Sometimes that help is completely practical; folding laundry, fixing snacks, refilling water bottles, making a run to the grocery store, tackling the dishwasher.

And sometimes that help is more hands on; helping with breastfeeding and eating issues, sleep questions and logistics, diaper changes and helping with baby and siblings so the mother can shower, nap, and eat a hot meal with both hands.

But through it all, is the support, the offer to 'help'. And how wonderful to know that there is help out there, that we are not alone.

Reasons to Celebrate - a Birthday and GIVEAWAY!

So, today is my birthday! That coupled with a sudden flurry of new likes on my Facebook page and a few ideas that I have been noodling around with  ... it seems like a good time to do a bit of a giveaway.

(And honestly, I'd love for this to be more than just a one off thing; because I love giving back, it makes me happy, and it's fun! And someone gets to win something, which is always nice too!)

So, most of you probably know by now that in addition to my Post-Partum Doula services, I also have a cookie and tea business, where I bake and distribute lactation tea and cookies, for nursing mamas. Those cookies are yummy, yes! a great snack, yes! AND support a nursing mama's milk supply. What's not to love?!

So to help celebrate my birthday today, I will be giving away two dozen Radiant Cookies and a package of Radiant Tea (shipping included, within the lower 48, if the lucky winner does not live in the NoVA area!) Woo hoo!!

Entering is super duper simple. Just subscribe to this blog, and then leave a comment on this post letting me know! That's it! Couldn't be easier than that!

I'll be randomly drawing a winner on the evening of Saturday the 7th of February. Good luck!

The Power of "You're Okay"

Having a child is terrifying.

There. I said it.

At least it was terrifying for me. When hubby and I left the hospital with our first child, aged two days, I know that we were both at least moderately terrified. Here we were, first-time parents and the kindly nurses and hospital staff were actually letting us leave the hospital with this precious baby. Alone. Without supervision. Gulp!!

Oh - those first days (weeks? months? years?? decades??!) When every new development with our child came with so many questions, so many concerns. Is this normal? Are we doing this right? Is he okay? Are we okay?!!

If you are anything like me, I had friendly friends and caring family who would pop in for visits, and the question I often heard was "Are you doing okay? Is the baby okay?"

How to answer!! I felt as though if I gave an honest response, I would have either burst into tears or bombard my poor guest with never-ending questions. So my general reply was something along the lines of "We're doing okay; just tired/adjusting/figuring things out".

Of course, I was just so utterly, utterly overwhelmed and exhausted, incapable of anything more than nursing and fretting, it was impossible for me process what I really wanted.

I just wanted to hear that I was doing okay. That my baby was okay. That we were doing everything we needed to, and that all would be okay.

"You're okay".

Because that's all we really need to hear. That we are doing alright, that this is normal, that we will muddle through, and the details will sort themselves out. We don't need advice, or horror stories, anecdotes about how little sleep they got in their own first days of parenthood, or how difficult it was to get a rhythm to their days. No parent with a brand new baby needs to hear those things! They just don't!!

So, there you go. That's what parents of new babes need. Gentle reassurance.

And a snack. And a hug. And a shower. And a nap.

But not necessarily in that order.