As a former Waldorf childcare provider for 10 years, seasoned parent of 21 years, mother to four miscarried babies, and on a consistent path of growth with my life partner of 38 years, I truly know and understand both the joys of marriage, motherhood, parenthood and the floods of sweat, tears, and overwhelm that pour in. Even with abundant love and commitment, the early stages of parenthood can feel terrifying and lonely. Sleep deprivation feels like a spell that plays yoyo with your emotions and threatens to disorient you from yourself. After a beautiful home birth, breastfeeding challenges and mastitis burst my bubble for several weeks, but we got through it, yet I recognized later the core issue was never resolved until a pre and perinatal specialist asked me about it and solved the mystery. Attempting to balance parenting children, nurturing a relationship, staying true to yourself, and everything else in life is an acrobatic feat that constantly demands ongoing improvement and record-breaking. To sum it up, family life repeatedly challenges everyone’s capacity to connect when not actually feeling centred and grounded. My whole life and some of my family history have certainly shaped why I’m committed to tuning in to your needs and goals and to offering warm, non-judgmental family support from preconception through childhood.

Your journey is your journey, and yet it also exists within your family constellation and community. Who would you name as part of your circles of support? How will you create circles of support if you have arrived to a new community? Who will support and guide you to feel meaningfully prepared, to develop strong attunement skills, and help you build more resilience as you step through this life-changing portal? These are just small examples of questions and thoughts to reflect upon. When you authentically share what’s coming up for you, even when you may have trouble identifying it fully and clearly, you’re creating a channel for insights to flow and feel welcomed. Ideally, naming what is true for you should help the people in your circles of support create what you need to thrive as a family.

Conscious preparation starts early, not last minute, especially when you’re about to journey where you’ve never journeyed before. If you’re not preparing, I encourage you to get curious about why you’re not or why you’re delaying it. If you’ve already begun, ask yourself what or who prompted you and why. Remember, thinking about your goals and wishes, doing research, and taking action in advance means you're developing tools and putting strategies in place so that, instead of reacting or disappearing emotionally, you can respond and stay connected to each other and your baby. That’s what babies want most—their parents to be aligned and have each other’s backs. I know this from both a personal and professional lens. I have clients who can attest to noticing an immediate shift in their newborn when they re-orient to each other, speak kindly and patiently, have check-ins, and sort out tension dynamics after taking a pause. Ask yourself, “When I’m at my most vulnerable, what do I need to feel understood, protected, safe, secure, loved, confident and free to be honest?” and “What preparation is essential to navigate and manage unexpected turbulence when I’m at my most vulnerable?” You’re always rewarded for doing the preparation work because it means you’re capable of navigating and steering through unexpected storms and remaining connected without panicking. It noticeably pays off, too, when you’ve equipped yourself to reduce and manage the multitude of stressors that escalate when families are caught off guard by crisis. And yes, healing is absolutely possible at any stage, but be aware that the longer you wait, the heavier and more exhausting the emotional toll on everyone becomes.

My wish for you is to lay a strong, secure foundation early on. By placing secure attachment, nervous system care, and relational attunement at the centre of your parenting experience, life’s inevitable challenges begin to feel like an invitation to know yourself better and to grow closer together as you manage the hard chapters with trust and confidence in yourselves and each other.