Resources & Recommendations

People & Providers

Lactation

Lactation Consultant

Lin Cook, IBCLC of Mother’s Helper

Lin will come out to your house for breastfeeding help. Insurance should cover this! Everybody should see a consultant, especially if you have any pain or nipple trauma or are considering no longer breastfeeding, and I trust Lin. 

Breast Pump Rental

Lin Cook, IBCLC of Mother’s Helper

Pick up a top-of-the-line Medela Symphony breast pump from Lin for a monthly fee. Your insurance won’t cover this high quality pump! If the one you have is working well, great! If you need something more efficient, try this.

Milk Donation

Mother’s Milk Bank

If you have an overproduction of milk, you have more options than just creating a huge freezer stash. You could also make a difference for hospitalized pre-term babies at MUSC by donating your frozen milk! The process takes a month or two from initial contact until first donation, so go ahead and get started if you think you want to participate. 

 

 

Childbirth Education

Bradley Childbirth Class

Lin Cook, IBCLC of Mother’s Helper – Bradley Method

A 12-week Wednesday night course meeting at Lin’s house and/or on Zoom with a few other couples with you to make friends with. This course teaches what happens in and after childbirth, relaxation techniques with the help of the dad, and diet and exercise. 

Virtual Faith-Based Childbirth Class

Basic Decisions Birth Prep with Amanda Ostrum

This is a new self-paced class with three hours of content designed to help you be confident in your decisions about your birth, written from a Christian perspective. 

 

 

Alternative Care

Chiropractor (for mom or baby)

Foundation Family Chiropractic (Summerville, Mt Pleasant)

Foundation has the most Webster-certified doctors on staff of all the chiropractors in the area. They love to help with infants and children, too! Even infants will receive regular scans to see the progress being made. I’ve trusted them with my own newborn. Tell them you were recommended by Becca from the Professional Doulas of Charleston for a discount on your first visit. 

Cornerstone Chiropractic (Summerville)

Husband and wife duo Alec and Casey are trained in the Gonstead method, an effective method of chiropractic care that doesn't use the traditional clicky tables. They're also Webster-certified for top-notch prenatal care. Because they're a smaller office, each person feels listened to, with a real relationship with your chiropractor. This is where I currently go, so be sure to tell them I recommended you!

Prenatal massage

Knead Therapy (Summerville)

Catherine and her team provide a customized massage just for you and the things you’re dealing most with.  Your choice of essential oil scented coconut oil. I personally see Catherine (or Valerie if she's working when I'm available!) twice a month so be sure to tell them I recommended you!

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Rome Physical Therapy (Mt Pleasant, Summerville)

The birth center partners with Rome for a twofold reason: they’re both effective and personable. I’ve used them myself (Summerville office) and enjoyed the experience and results. They also have childbirth and postpartum courses available. 

Myofunctional Therapist

Functional Therapy Solutions

Alyssa Pitt, MS CCC-SLP, CMT is a feeding and speech specialist who sees all ages, but for babies, she can help with a variety of issues and weaknesses in the mouth and face of those struggling to nurse well. 

 

Postpartum Doula

Nanny/Newborn Care Specialist/Postpartum Doula

Childcare by Liz

Liz Hunter is a calm presence (and a Christian!) to help you in those first few days and nights to get your feet under you in learning to care for a sweet new baby so you can do it with more confidence (and more sleep!)

  

Safety

Car Seat Technicians

The Charleston fire department has multiple certified car seat technicians.

It is strongly recommended for first time parents to check if the car seat is installed correctly a few weeks before the baby comes. When we had ours done, the technician said only 1% of the seats she checks are completely correct.

 

 

Providers

Pediatrician

Neighbors Pediatrics (West Ashley, Goose Creek, Hanahan)

I don’t just take my kids here because I grew up going here. It’s also because I love the doctors, I love that you primarily see the same doctor every time the whole time you’re with them, I love that they let you be in the driver’s seat when it comes to vaccines for your kid, and I love that they are believers!

Birth Center

Charleston Birth Place

Midwives, relaxation, natural births. A roughly 85% rate of having a natural birth at the birth center. What's not to love?

Homebirth Midwives

Advanced Midwifery (Jessica Johnston)

$7500 total (as of 2025), based in Myrtle Beach, highly trained for VBAC, available to deliver breech or twins, not available for insulin-controlled diabetes or hypertension. Does not take insurance.

Flowertown Midwifery (Chloe Clauser)

$7500 total (as of 2025), based in Summerville, mom of 5, also has prenatal-only option available. Does not take insurance. 

 

 

Welfare

Financial Assistance

SC Healthy Connections Medicaid

You don’t have to meet the Federal Poverty Level to qualify for Medicaid if you are pregnant; it’s nearly double that line, meaning many more families qualify. Check here to see if you do. If you qualify and are planning on using the birth center, call the birth center to confirm which medicaid provider options they are currently accepting. Note that the birth center cannot charge Medicaid if you still have another insurance active, and that the deposit at the beginning of care is charged outside of insurance. 

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Half of South Carolina's women and young children qualify for WIC.  And if you qualify for Medicaid, you qualify for WIC! This makes the signup process easier as your Medicaid approval counts as your financial qualification for WIC. WIC provides a grocery stipend for specific items (this is accepted at about half of the area’s grocery stores) and farmers market stipend, plus education on nutrition for your family. 

 

 

Photography

Birth Photography

Melis Fialho

Melis is an on-call birth photographer. She’ll get to know your preferences before the birth and then provide over 100 digital images to help you document and share your baby’s birthday.

Online Resources

Name Database

Nameberry

Nameberry is the biggest name database out there. It's every name ever recorded in a census or popular fiction. But not in an overwhelming way! The advanced filter lets you sort through very specifically and the lists and suggestions similar to a name will help, too. The only downside is that it's such a massive site it sometimes runs slowly, especially without good wifi.

Vaccine Decisions

Physicians for Informed Consent

Physicians for Informed Consent pits each vaccine's risks with the risks of the thing they're protecting against. You are in charge of your own risk, for you and your child, so you should be empowered to make the right choice for you. This might be a helpful starting place or a conversation starter for you and your husband to be on the same page about your beliefs. 

Books

 

Childbirth

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Gaskin)

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (Simpkin)

The Birth Partner (Simpkin)

 

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Made Simple (Mohrbacher)

 

Biblical Motherhood

Entrusted with a Child’s Heart (Corning)

M is for Mama and Hard is not the Same as Bad (Halberstadt)

 

Pain Management Options

Labor Pain (Goer)

 

Baby & Child Sleep

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Weissbluth)

Biblical Kids Books

Tales that Tell the Truth series (various authors, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri) (comes in 15 hardbacks or 8 abridged board books)

The Biggest Story Bible storybook (DeYoung) (comes in full storybook, abridged 10 chapter hardback, or ABC board book)

Things

 

Sleepea Zip-up Swaddle 

Look for a hip-healthy swaddle so your baby's legs can relax properly when in a zip-up swaddle. I like that this one has an inner part that feels like a hug, it has ventilation for our hot summers, options to release the arms when you’re ready to make it a sleep sack, and it’s made from organic cotton!

 

Electric Nail File

Any electric nail file set will do. The safety of the nail file is well worth it until your baby is old enough to keep their hands still. Pro tip: use a fine tip sharpie to write the ages each piece is intended for on the back of the piece instead of keeping the paper guide. 

 

Avent Glass Bottles

Easy to find in stores as it’s a bestseller. Also comes in plastic for a more durable option, but warm milk in plastic probably isn’t quite as healthy. Other lead-free options (yeah this is an actual thing) are listed here. Always use the slowest nipples for the most natural feeding alternative. You can test this by filling the bottle with water, putting each nipple on one at a time, and turning it upside down over the sink. It should barely drip out of the bottle, if at all. 

 

Hatch Rest 

Sound machine, night light, clock, and gentle alarm all in one. And it looks beautiful! Customize it on an app and adjust the settings as your kid grows. It’s a game-changer for sleep. Solves light sleepers and waking up too early, and gives consistent signals to baby/kid on when to go to sleep. It has a subscription option on the app, but you probably don’t need it.

 

Baby Wrap

Several brands are available in a wide range of colors; you can usually find a variety used, too. Baby can snuggle and look around or sleep in this from the start (just watch for head support when they’re still tiny). Here’s a great instructional video. They recommend doing it six times to feel confident in the wrap. Give it six tries! Your baby will be able to hear your heartbeat and feel your warmth similar to how they felt in the womb. Don’t be surprised to find it’s your baby’s favorite place to be!

 

Keababies Nursing Pads

Personally, I think “bra circles” would be a much more discreet name. Most mamas will let down with milk not only on the side the baby is latched onto, but the other side as well, releasing some milk and getting something wet. I hope it’s a bra circle and not your bra, your shirt…  the bed. Milk gets everywhere. Change them out when wet. Machine washable with whatever regular laundry; they’re really durable. 

 

Haakaa Manual Breast Pump

This handy vase-looking thing collects milk from the other side while your baby feeds on the first side, helping to increase your production and give you an easy boost to your stash of freezer milk. I recommend getting one with a suction cup base because these guys are easy to tip over. If you feel inflammation in your breast, the first response is to put hot water (not burning you) and epsom salt in this and, after a feed, let down as much as you can for about 15 minutes to empty the breast and then let it rest. 

 

Esembly Diaper System (also on Amazon)

I am such a fan of the cloth diaper! The cost over time, the environmental impact, the lack of chemicals, the cute designs, and potty training an average of 11 months sooner. This particular brand is cute, effective, easy to get used to, and has great customer communication. Fair warning that it’s one of the most expensive brands, but you can usually find at least size 1s if not also some size 2s for sale used. Esembly sells the whole package: the inners and outers of the diaper, fleece liners for before solids, disposable liners for after solids, laundry bags to put them in, powder detergent for them, laundry agitators to help them get clean and dry, and two strengths of cloth-diaper-safe rash creams. A full set, just as they recommend, is about two dozen inners of each size, plus 5-7 outers of each size. 

A Thousand Roses Teething Roller

Just as advertised, this roller would provide drug-free relief for my baby in just 10 minutes and would last about two hours. Not sure why they want you to buy multiples, though, because I've hardly made a dent in my roller even after almost a mouthful of teeth. (As with all essential oils, follow the instructions and decide your own risk-benefit if you trust this product as much as I do). Shipping is from Australia so be prepared to wait for it to come in. 

Songs

You’ll likely want to have at least two kinds of music ready for the big day: “dance mode” and “seriously calm.” It can be two separate playlists or one that flows from dance into calm. Dance mode helps you wiggle the baby out and calm music helps you focus when it’s time to get serious. 

My own birth playlist. This is worship & scripture and flows from upbeat into calm focus. You can use all or nothing from this. The end has songs about motherhood to listen to once the baby is here.

In case no one else tells you...

A list of dietary, postpartum, and baby care tips and tidbits I think you should know. I don't want you to be surprised!

What to Eat*

• Looking for nutrition advice? Especially regarding gestational diabetes? The leading expert is Lily Nichols. She's incredibly informative! She has a website, a book, and a strong social media presence.
• The Brewer Diet is interesting in that it doesn't have true scientific method studies behind it, so the scientific community discredits it. Yet Brewer did reduce pre-eclampsia to almost nothing in the mothers following his diet. In an age where pre-eclampsia is rising (rose 25% in the last 20 years to now affect up to 8% of moms) in the US, it's certainly worth considering!
• Both the Brewer Diet and Lily Nichols, you'll find, have an emphasis on eggs and sea salt. Moms need the protein, choline, and sodium!
• Postpartum women need more protein than professional atheletes at 1g per pound of body weight per day. More of most nutrients, really.
• You probably stopped losing your hair by third trimester. Beautiful! Sometime between 0-6 months postpartum, all the hair you should've lost normally comes out in one great shedding season. Yay. Adequate nutrition (protein, B vitamins, and more) can reduce this loss!

*Not medical advice. Just pointing you in some directions to consider!

Postpartum and Breastfeeding

• You'll have a big squishy belly after pregnancy. The first week your belly will tighten and shrink quite a bit, and over the next six months, quite a bit more!
• Full-time breastfeeding means nursing the baby "every three hours." When you hear this phrase, know that it means up to three hours from start time to start time. Baby might get hungry and need fed sooner. A hungry baby is looking for something to out in her mouth (rooting) and generally acting dissatisfied. Some babies nurse for as little as 5-10 minutes and some need long sessions over 30 minutes. Both are normal and neither is a sign of poor production.
• Breastmilk is a "the more you take, the more you make" thing. Basic supply and demand. The best way to produce more is to ask your body for more (by nursing and pumping) and the way to ask your body for less (for weaning or oversupply) is to stretch out time between asking your body for milk.
• You can sleep train without letting your baby go hungry! Milk is important.
• Choosing a wearable vs. plug-in breast pump? The wearable ones are more convenient, not as efficient, while the traditional plug-in ones are more efficient.
• Your breast pump might say the silicone pieces are dishwasher safe. I don't believe it. The dishwasher may warp it just enough for you to have to replace the pieces more frequently.
• Full-time breastfeeding can act as birth control, but a finicky one! This is only for full-time, exclusive breastfeeding: every three hours, feeding overnight, and only for the first six months. You ovulate two weeks before your period so you won't know when your fertility returns until it's already happened.
• Fertility can return in as little as a month or as long as two years! Breastfeeding does affect this but it's not a predictable thing.
• It takes 18-24 months for your body to fully regain all the nutrients it had before your pregnancy, which is why your provider probably wants you to space out your kids. God is a good God in control regardless!
• The FDA recommends 12+ months of breastfeeding, but the WHO recommends at least 24. Set your own goal and celebrate when you crush it! Every bit of milk is a gift.

Babies

• Babies lose weight the first few days and then regain rapidly. If you had IV fluids, especially for a long time, babies may lose water weight and appear to be losing too much.
• Babies' skulls shift and bend to get out of the birth canal. Unless you have a Cesarean, your baby's head might be weirdly pointy. Don't worry! It will settle into a normal shape over the first few days.
• You don't actually have to wipe after every pee. Pee doesn't have pathogens (bad germs) and wipes can cause irritation with overuse. Save money and reduce diaper rash.
• Newborn size clothes and 0-3m clothes are not the same, 0-3 is bigger. And if clothes only have one age on them, it's the older one. So a 3m outfit is essentially the same as a 0-3m one, maybe a teeny tiny bit roomier.
• Babies grow at different sizes. There's a wide range of healthy weights and shapes! Don't expect your baby's clothing sizes to always match their age.
• If a baby is 5+ months and goes from one poop per day to suddenly 3 or more, baby might be teething! Related, getting the first tooth is normally roughly 6 months, but each tooth has wide timelines and each baby is different. It's not an exact schedule to worry about.
• Babies who don't start solids until six months have a better time digesting them. They need iron from real food at six months but there's no rush to start earlier.
• No birthday? No honey. None. You want to avoid infant botulism in babies younger than one year.
• The FDA recommends no added sugars for kids under 2, no more than 25g/day for ages 2-18, and no more than 50g for adults. Sugar that was not added (like in fruit) does not count against this. Zero is hard, but its a helpful goal. Yogurt/yogurt drops are a sneaky source of sugar.
• Those jumping baby activity centers are great fun! But they're not good for babies' hips and knees. Limit time in them to 15 minutes twice a day max and follow instructions for height adjustments to keep your baby's legs healthy. Similar things like jumpers attached to doorframes are worse and should be avoided.