Going virtual - if it wasn't something you were doing before, chances are 2020 pushed you into this new avenue to support your clients.

Maybe you're doing virtual client consults because of the pandemic.

Maybe you're offering new and creative virtual options to meet your client needs.

Maybe you've been offering virtual services for some time but you want to upscale that client experience.

When you aren't meeting your clients face-to-face, all of your digital actions become that much more important. 

What are you communicating to your clients about who you are and how you value you them in your digital interactions?

And, at the very least, you  likely wonder - how do I upscale that experience and make it personal to each client while ALSO maintaining my sanity and not spending my entire life crafting individual forms and emails?

Dubsado is a client management system that combines power, flexibility, and ease of use into one wonderful package - perfect for doulas or other small business owners.

Here are five (of MANY) ways Dubsado allows you to upscale virtual client experience!

• Canned Emails - Do you often respond to the same queries over and over? Using Dubsado's canned emails you can added these to Workflows but set them to require you approve them first.  This upscales any email interactions by allowing you to take a few minutes and personalize the canned email (which saves you time) and connect with the client.
• Video Conferencing Integration - This one saves me so much time AND makes for a well-designed client experience.  Dubsado interfaces with popular video conferencing platforms.  This allows me to simply check a box and schedule a video conference for consultations and client support calls.  By using Dubsado's Smart Fields, I can then added that unique link to my Canned Emails confirming client appointments or reminding them of an upcoming appointment. 
• Workflows - My work with virtual clients often includes an in-depth consultation where I ask them to complete an intake form or other document ahead of time.  With these forms loaded as Dubsado Templates, I can create seamless workflows that save me time and make sure I can juggle all my clients at once.
• Customization - With Dubsado's easy to use drag and drop builder, you can create contracts, forms, proposals, and lead captures in just a few minutes.  If and when you decide you are ready to customize these to upscale your client interactions, Dubsado is a powerhouse of flexibility.  Adding custom graphics from Canva makes branding a snap.  Or, add code block and make the form your own.  Not ready to do that all independently? Check out these gorgeous and easy to implement templates from Forms and Flows.  What this means for you, as a the business owner, is that you don't have to worry that you'll outgrow the platform or run into issues as you develop your brand in the long-term.  The tools are all there for whenever you want to use them.
• Support - Dubsado is committed to helping you maximize their platform and make it work for you.  I've used their chat box many times and always received a prompt and helpful answer - sometimes I've simply sent them a link to my issue and they've fixed it for me! They care deeply that this work for you and it shows. So, as work to upscale your client experience, you'll know you have the tools you need and the support behind you to make it so.

I'm grateful EVERY DAY for the way Dubsado allows me to balance supporting my clients and the busy life of a homeschooling parent.  What will Dubsado help you do?

True confession time - I never thought I'd pursue working with families and sleep as part of my business.

Why was that?

Well, my own journey with my children and sleep didn't fit nice and tidy into mainstream sleep training approaches.  In fact, I found those approaches increased my anxiety and didn't work for our family. I never dreamed that there was a professional training to support families in the way I had desperately needed with my first kiddo.

I stumbled upon Bebo Mia's Infant Sleep Educator Program while researching doula certifications.  Immediately, I bookmarked the page and promised myself I would do the course when time and finances allowed.  Later that year, I signed up for the original version of the course. That original version gave me the framework I needed to add a heart-centered, holistic approach to sleep as part of my business.

When Bebo Mia announced they were completely revamping the course under neuroscientist Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum, I knew  I had to jump in and take the updated version that puts the science of maternal and infant well-being at the center.  

While much of mainstream sleep discourse relies on behaviorism, the foundation of Bebo Mia's approach to infant sleep is what neuroscience tells us about biologically normal infant needs. Instead of approaching babies by thinking about what adults want them to be, this course takes babies needs as valid in and of themselves.  But, it doesn't neglect the importance of caregiver physical and mental well-being - the course makes supporting the caregivers a central focus, as well.

Things I love about Bebo Mia's updated Infant Sleep Educator Certification:

• My clients value evidence-based information.  The ISE course prepares you to identify and share evidence-based resources about infant sleep with your clients.  This is great if you want to offer sleep support as a stand alone service, but it is also an incredible value-add to work as a postpartum doula or a childbirth/new parent educator.
• The course is PACKED with information and resources.  The video lectures and corresponding manual make it easy to learn no matter your learning style. In addition to the core course lectures for each module, the course includes interviews with many experts whose field overlaps in the care and welling being of infants and toddlers.  These additional interviews are so valuable in helping you get a full understanding of factors that play into infant sleep. They also give you a framework for identifying practitioners to connect with in your area so you can connect your clients with the resources they need.
• Bebo Mia's intentional course design means that the assignments you are asked to complete in pursuit of your education actually build your skills and knowledge such that you are ready to work with clients upon completion.  This, to me, is a hallmark of all the Bebo Mia courses I've taken and one of the reasons I so often recommend them.  I've seen colleagues in other programs stuck with assignments and requirements that don't help propel them to the point of opening their own business. With Bebo Mia's thoughtful course design and business support, you are equipped to do this work as a professional upon certification.

If you are looking for an evidence-based alternative to mainstream sleep training, I highly recommend Bebo Mia's Infant Sleep Educator Certification.

 Let's face it - there are no shortage of "miracle" items targeting you, the sleepless parent, with the promise of more sleep for you and your little ones.

As ironic as it may sound coming from someone whose business centers on supporting families as they deal with the tricky stages and transitions of infant and toddler sleep, I am always VERY leery of anything that suggests it can help little ones sleep longer.

Why is that? Well, any quick look into the scientific literature on infant sleep tells us that waking at night in search of parental reassurance - whether for food or a snuggle - is normal. 

That said, as I often share with clients, just knowing it is normal doesn't automatically make it easy to navigate on your own.

Enter the lovey - a strategy parents often turn to as they seek to make transitions from one means of nighttime soothing to another. Sometimes, presenting a child with a lovey results in interest that grows to attachment and the child finds comfort with the lovey. Sometimes, you give your kid a lovey and they decide that some other household object - a dump truck, a scrap of fabric, or something else - fits the role of beloved comfort object much better.

While we cannot always predict what object our little ones will deem "perfect" and worthy of lovey status, we can be thoughtful and intentional in the objects we offer and facilitate their introduction with care.

I found myself pondering this as we considered Christmas gifts for our then 3 month old.  As baby #4, our littlest has no shortage of hand-me-down blankets and plushies and other typical lovey choices. 

At this young age, I was looking for a lovey that could be used primarily as a source of comfort while in the car seat.  I wanted something soft, sweet, and washable.

So why Lulla?

At this age, my primary objective was to get a sense of familiarity with an object that could offer comfort while we traveled in the car.

Not only is Lulla cute and cuddly, the doll also offers a soothing pairing of heartbeat and breathing sounds.  Designed to help NICU babies who are separated from caregivers yet need the soothing sense of presence, Lulla offers an approximation (note, not replacement for) the reassurance of a caregiver's heart and breathing.

Because spit up and, well, life require all things be washable, I love how easily the outer stuffier portion removes for cleaning.  No stress there!

If I'm honest, I find a lot of the musical variety lovies more grating than soothing, so the simple white noise offered by Lulla is a welcome alternative.

We know that adding anything to baby's sleep surface is not recommend, and Lulla acknowledges this,  providing means to attach to the outside of a crib and thus still provide white noise during sleep.

For us, Lulla became a tool to make car travel easier on everyone.  And, when little one is ready grab a lovey and snuggle it to bed, he'll have a friend he's known a long time in Lulla!

It's World Breastfeeding Week! I'm thrilled to partner with Covenant Family Solutions to share a guest blog on how and where to get the support you need for your breastfeeding journey. 

​Head on over to Covenant Family Solutions Blog to read on!

If you anything like me, you came to doula work because you felt called to support parents and families in and around birth.

But, the running a business part - that part was COMPLETELY foreign to me.

Today, I'm going to share a bit with you about a tool I've found so helpful in keeping my little business running smoothly - Dubsado.*

Now when I say tool, you could think of, say, a can opener or a power saw, and Dubsado is most certainly the latter.

So what is Dubsado? Dubsado is a client management system that seamlessly puts together client inquiries, intake forms (they call these questionnaires), service selections (they call these proposals), contracts, invoicing, and scheduling.

Do you struggle with getting contracts signed, consults scheduled, or invoices paid? Dubsado can significantly lighten your load, allowing you to automate your workflows. The path from scheduling a consult, filling an intake form, selecting a package, signing a contract, and paying an invoice can all flow automatically.

Do you spend significant time crafting emails that essentially say the same thing again and again? Dubsado's canned email feature can save you a ton of time. You still have the option to customize and edit before one goes out, but having a blueprint to follow can be an amazing help.

Do you want to keep all your client information organized and easily accessible no matter where you are? Dubsado makes that possible keeping all client emails, forms, appointments, and payments together in one tidy and easy to navigate client file. I love that I can access it on the go, no matter where I am, making it easy to pull up my appointment schedule, a client's preferences for in-home overnight support, and more.

Do you want to streamline communication with your clients and make it easy for them to access all client materials? You guessed it - Dubsado does that, too.  The client portal feature give clients a clean, professional user interface to represent your brand.

That said, Dubsado does require some time and effort on your part to set up forms and workflows - but these are infinitely customizable so they can truly reflect your brand.  And, they offer tutorials as well as extremely responsive customer service, so if you find yourself a bit confused, help is just a chat box away.

Want to give it a whirl? When you sign up, Dubsado let's you experiment with three client leads for FREE without a time limit.  That means you can take your time setting things up and exploring the platform before you commit.  And, when you are ready, you can use my affiliate code nestedmama to save 20%.

All in all, Dubsado let's me spend less time on the mundane business aspects and MORE time with client support - and isn't that what we all want in the end?

Sometimes, early pregnancy can feel really lonely. 

You've taken a test. Maybe you feel elated. Maybe you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you feel worried. Maybe you feel all those things and more - all at once.

Ooof. It's a lot. 

Do you wish you could talk to someone and be completely honest about all these feelings, someone who really gets it?

Enter Prenatal Doula Support for early pregnancy.

The first trimester of any pregnancy can be hard as hormones increase dramatically and the pregnant person's body experiences changes.  Add in other factors like previous experiences with loss, fertility challenges, pregnancy that came sooner (or much later) than expected, big feelings from a previous pregnancy or birth, or any number of things, and these early days and weeks can feel tremendously hard.

Here at Nested Mama you'll find Prenatal Doula support designed with you in mind. Online packages offer emotional and informational support no matter where you are, and if you are local to me, you can pair this with In-Home visits when you need a helping hand.

Curious about Early Pregnancy Support? Schedule a free Discovery Call with Nested Mama.

My Reaction:
There is much to appreciate about what Jones and Hudson offer in this weighty book. When we found out we were having our first child, it inspired us to take a serious look at our eating habits and learn more about optimal nutrition and how we could make that more of a priority for our family.  I love that the recipe section includes easy to read labeling for those looking for gluten-free meals or vegan meals or several other dietary concerns.

Though this newest edition advertises itself as "completely revised and updated," the discussion of alcohol and breastfeeding could use an evidence-based update.  And, in the discussion of the difficulties of life after baby, more talk of reaching out for professional help if possible would make this book even more comprehensive. I do note, however, that having a chapter on postpartum mental health in this nutrition book was unexpected and much appreciated!

If you are a reader who has a history of disordered eating or struggles with body image, I would caution against the opening and closing sections of the book.  With its emphasis on calorie discussion and "ideal" weight gain, the early chapters may be less rather than more helpful for some readers.  Similarly, the discussion of dieting in the later chapters, while gentle, still uses a lot of the mainstream language common in diet culture and may be triggering for some readers.

My takeaway:
If you'd like a helping hand exploring new recipes and emphasizing whole food habits as you gestate your sweet babe, the thoughtful month-by-month layout of this book may work well for you.  But, please be gentle to yourself and understanding of your own relationship with food as you approach the opening and closing sections of the book.

Real talk time.  One of the hardest aspects for me as I move through pregnancy and postpartum comes from my changing body.

While I deeply respect and understand the work my body does during the childbearing year, I'm also a person who struggles with transition.  And, the constant transitions of my body are hard on me both physically and mentally.

After finding out I was expecting baby #4, I vowed to be even more intentional this go-round in how I prepared my body for the work of carrying this baby and giving birth.

Then first trimester exhaustion plus the work of keeping up with my trio of kiddos, homeschooling, and business hit me like a truck - survival became the name of the game.

As I emerged (finally) from the fog of that rough trimester, I found myself with energy again (yay!) and the desire to put it to good use.  Looking around at the options for prenatal fitness, I knew that in this incredibly busy season that found me solo parenting and juggling all the things while also growing this baby, I would be squeezing anything into the nooks and crannies of my days.

Perhaps even more importantly, I needed a program that would help me turn my focus away from the noise and the numbers of my changing body and instead toward meeting my needs for support with understanding and gentleness toward myself.

A chance recommendation in a local parenting group led me to find my way to MommaStrong.  Immediately, I was drawn to the message of MommaStrong, a message that eschewed the narratives of "transformation" so popular in the fitness industry writ large for one of function, strength, and treating yourself with kindness as you navigate the tricky seasons of growing and raising tiny humans.

The first video I clicked on discussed the way in which our culture has normalized incontinence after birth - a normalization that does not equal the health or wellness for those who deal with this issue.  As a postpartum doula, I found myself nodding and yelling "yes!" at that video, pretty much sold at that point.

I signed up early in the second trimester and have been "showing up" regularly to my mat now for several months.  Below are some of the many reasons MommaStrong has been such an important part of this pregnancy.

As a professional who works with families before and after baby, I love being able to refer clients to this fabulous resource.  And, MommaStrong has a specific section dedicated to clinicians, so if you are a doula or birth professional, check this out!

So far I've seen the benefits of MommaStrong, but I'm excited to see how it impacts life after baby - I'll be sure to follow up with a blog on that in the coming months.

Last month I shared a bit about the awesome client management system Dubsado, and all that it can do to help your business run better.

But, if you are just starting to build your business, you may not feel ready to make the leap into a paid system or platform until you know just what you need.

I've been there, too. So, today I'm sharing with you a list of FREE tools that I've personally used and leveraged to build my business until I felt ready to make that jump.

PleaseFor client intake forms:
As a doula, you need to keep track of your client's preferences, information, and more. Here, Google Forms is your friend. This free option allows some degree of customization in terms of color and an image at the top. And, the drag and drop form builder is super straightforward.

For online invoicing:
Wave allows you to invoice clients, collect payment via credit card or bank transfer, and includes accounting options as well. While other invoicing options have some bells and whistles, Wave is perfect if you intend to primarily utilize invoicing, and the processing fees are straightforwad.

For digital contracts:
Sign Request (affiliate link)* offers a free plan that can get you started with 15 free signed documents. If you'd like to upgrade to a paid plan their are lots of additional add-ons, but the free plan is enough to get your business up and making getting contracts signed quick and easy.

​For scheduling:
If you'd like to avoid the back and forth email train of trying to set a time for initial consult or prenatal meetings or postpartum visits, a scheduling tool like Calendly can make it a snap to streamline the process.  Again, the free plan gives you all you need to get up and running, with the option to add more paid features later.

Video consults
Do you want to offer clients the option to video chat for initial consults? Zoom offers a free plan that includes unlimited time limits for one-on-one video chats, and a 40 min time limit for meetings that include more users.

For graphic design
Looking to create social graphics, brochures, business cards, and more? Canva is an awesome free tool to create beautiful branding for your business. Their graphic and photo library includes images you can use for free as well as those you can purchase a license for or upgrade to their Pro account for even more options.

For stock photos:
Unsplash has a library of gorgeous photos. While you may eventually want to pay for photos more tailored specifically to your brand, this is a great first resource as you start to create graphics and materials.

For social media scheduling:
​Later offers a free plan that can you get started streamlining your social media posts. While the free plan limits you in the number of posts scheduled per month as well as scaled back features, it can be enough to help you sort out that piece of the business in a more efficient manner.

I hope this gives you some tools to jump into your business and feel confident moving forward.  Did I miss one of your favorites? Please share in the comments!

​*Affiliate links provide a small commission - these commissions help keep the Nested Mama blog up and running. Thank you for your support!

Are you looking for affordable, eco-friendly solutions for everyday cleaning? Maybe you'd like to involve your children in family cleaning, but you don't feel comfortable with the products you are using?

I'm with you. Having my kiddos made me take much more pause before grabbing a cleaner off the store shelf and toting it home to use.

But, I also need convenience.  Anything I make has to be quick and easy.

And, I confess, I do love the convenience of any kind of wipes - no spraying or soaping - just open and go.

Today, I'm sharing with  you a super simple cleaning recipe I've used for several years. While it takes a few minutes to make, the end result is easy-peasy like those store-bought wipes. But, with confidence in the ingredients and a reusable wipe - woohoo!

 Supplies Needed:
-washcloths or rags (I use about 12 washcloths for this recipe myself - you may like more or less depending on how damp you'd like them to be.)
- container that will hold your rags + solution
- 1 c. distilled water (or water you've boiled for 10 minutes)
- 1 c. white vinegar
- 2 TB vodka
(While some add essential oils to these types of recipes, I'm pretty cautious with any EO usage because of babes/toddlers/kids/pets.)

To make:
Combine all ingredients in the bottom of whatever container will fit your rags. (I use a container I saved from the recycling.) Roll cloth wipes and stand upright in solution. Close lid and give a little shake.  The cloth wipes will naturally soak up the solution and be damp when you pull one out to use.

To use:
Open container and pull out wipe. Clean. Toss in laundry. When container is empty, it is time to make another batch!

While I can imagine these wipes fulfilling several jobs, they are our go to for wiping down bathroom sinks, counters, and the outside of toilet bowls. I've found that a deep clean may be expecting too much from my kiddos, but they are all capable of a daily wipe down.

And, a daily wipe down to their standards is much better than waiting until I have the chance and need for a *deep* clean.

​Happy eco-baby living!

Looking for other Eco Baby friendly recipes and projects? Check out all the Nested Mama Blogs on this topic here!