Our Favourite Things

The vast array of options for everything from cribs and car seats to maternity clothes and breast pads can be overwhelming! 
​Hopefully this list will help you narrow down your list of "to do's" and "to get's". 
These items have the Cowichan Doula stamp of approval and, when bought through the Amazon links below,
​help us continue to provide services to families in need with no additional cost to you!

Books

"The Birth Partner" By Penny Simkin
This book serves as both a fantastic resource for prenatal preparation for parents in addition to doulas! You will find that Kaya, Meg, or Rhondda have a well-worn copy of this close at hand in the course of their work. 
"The First Forty Days" By Heng Ou, Amely Greeven, and Marisa Belger
A beautiful book with recipes for healing and nourishing your mind and body after birth. Focusing on celebrating your baby's birth and honouring your new role 
"How to Catch A Star" By Oliver Jeffers
A story about perseverance, ingenuity, and patience. This is one of Kaya's favourite children's stories! 

Baby Gear

Bedside Bassinet
Looking for a safe sleep space that keeps your little one close to you? This is a great bassinet to use for those first months while you and baby are trying to maximize rest and sleeping in the same room. This has a relatively small footprint making it ideal to tuck beside your bed!
Muslin Swaddle Blankets
These super breathable, super soft blankets are some of the most versatile baby things you'll buy. From draping over baby's stroller and car seat, catching and wiping up puddles of spit up, swaddling baby for bedtime, and incredibly soft security blankets for your one-day toddler these do it all and more. Bonus points as this is a Canadian business!
Swaddlers
Swaddling is often the easiest way to soothe and settle a new baby. For the first eight weeks (or until your baby can roll over) wrapping your baby up snugly with their arms inside can help settle their startle reflex and hopefully buy you a few extra moments of sleep! ​These swaddlers make it a breeze at 3am to bundle-up your little burrito baby and help them drift back to sleep.
White Noise Machine
While there are plenty of phone apps that offer a selection of white noise options to drown out the sounds of your older children (or dogs...) gleefully doing their best to wake up their new sibling, you may want your phone to scroll through Facebook while your baby snoozes. This machine has several settings to choose from and knocks both babies and doulas out! 

Postpartum

New Mama Bottom Spray
Need to soothe a tender bottom after birth? This spray can help take the stinging and soreness out of your postpartum and help you focus on other things (like sleeping while your baby sleeps...). This also gets bonus points for being a terrific sunburn healer!
Reusable Breast Pads
Leaking breasts can be uncomfortable and contribute to the laundry piling up unnecessarily quickly. These reusable, incredibly soft, bamboo nursing pads can help catch the leaks before they soak through your clothes and bedding. These often are more comfortable on sore nipples than their disposable cousins as well. 
Disposable Underwear
When you're sore and exhausted the last thing you're going to want to think about is a leaky pad. Wearing these underwear for the first week or so can help cut down on the laundry and worry. You can also place frozen pads inside these with much less mess and fuss than layering them on top of traditional underwear (1 part witch hazel and 1 part aloe vera gel spread on an opened period pad and frozen is heavenly on tender bottoms!).
Silver Nipple Cups
In those early days sore and chapped nipples are common while you and baby learn how to work together. These little cups can be a huge life-saver by instantly reducing friction of clothing and breast pads against tender skin and reducing pain while promoting healing. These are definitely pricey but can easily be passed on or saved for future use. 

Feeding

Silicone Breastpump
It's hard to beat the price, usefulness, and function of this little guy. A one piece breast pump that is comfortable and easy to clean is a lifesaver for leaking parents who want to catch every drop. Bonus points for being dishwasher safe and easy to use!
Dr. Brown's Bottles
When you have a gassy little one on your hands and whether you are feeding your little one breastmilk or formula by bottle these may help your little one feel more comfortable. The unique mechanism of these bottles prevents air flow through the nipple and helps prevent gas and tummy pains in babies.