Holistic care for an informed and empowered fourth trimester

Born & Held was created to nourish new parents and guide them through the profound and often overwhelming transformation of matrescence: the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social shift into motherhood.

Rooted in evidence-based care and a holistic, personalized approach, I offer a calm, non-judgmental presence and practical household support tailored to your needs. In this sacred window, my work is to hold the newborn parent. Through encouragement, connection, reflection, nervous system regulation, and sustainable self-care practices, I support you in building resilience that lasts far beyond the first forty days. Maybe I care for baby as you rest, serve a nourishing meal, or gently untangle fears and expectations. I’ll meet you where you are and offer one-on-one guidance.

The wellbeing of the parent is essential to the wellbeing of the newborn. Your body is their home, their climate. Motherhood asks us to give so much of ourselves in caring for a newborn, but postpartum doula support redirects the focus back to you: your rest, your nourishment, and your recovery. This is how you emerge from the journey not depleted, but replenished, confident, grounded, and deeply attuned to your intuition.

The slowness of new motherhood can feel like a stark contrast in a culture wired for constant productivity. I'm here to remind you that healing takes time and you are worthy of it. I see the postpartum period as a rite of passage, one that deserves to be honored. This foundational time invites you to embrace your shifting identity and set the tone for version of you that will emerge.

Togetherness is at the heart of my work. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. With nurturing support, you can create your own rhythm to thrive as a new family. My practical care gives you the space to rest, heal, and savor the small joys of early parenthood.

Postpartum doula support to mother the mother

What does postpartum doula support include?

How I Support You

My goal is to be a steady and warm presence as you find your footing in early parenthood.
I’m here to walk alongside you with care that meets you where you are.

    • Personalized, practical support for the postpartum parent

    • Non-judgmental emotional and mental support

    • Birth story processing

    • Meal preparation focused on postpartum healing and nourishment

    • Light housekeeping (laundry, dishwashing, organization)

    • Grocery shopping and meal planning

    • Infant care while you rest

    • Newborn soothing techniques

    • Infant feeding support (breast, bottle, and formula)

    • Babywearing education and demonstration

    • Comfort measures (herbal sitz baths, foot soaks, gentle massage)

    • Cesarean recovery care

    • Holistic family support, including care for partners, older siblings, or pets

    • Referrals and resources for additional support when needed

    • Outline ways to support nourishment, rest, physical recovery, community, ceremony, and mental well-being

    • Highlight and strengthen your inner resources

    • Compile additional resources you may need postpartum so you have their contacts at the ready

    • Develop accessible self-care and coping tools

    • Prepare and organize your living space for baby’s arrival

    • Set realistic expectations for newborn behavior

    • Normalize the physiological, emotional, hormonal, and social changes during postpartum

connection, presence, compassion, and care

Meet your doula

Hej! I’m Stephanie.

I'm a trained postpartum doula and mother of two, based in Copenhagen. I support families during pregnancy and the early days of parenthood through postpartum preparation, practical in-home care, and offer nurturing, personalized guidance for recovery and adjustment in the first weeks with your new baby.

  • What if women were received into motherhood knowing that it would shift the tectonic plates of their lives and that it’s supposed to? That it’s normal to feel lost, unsure of who you are anymore, ambivalent sometimes, angry or sad sometimes, and that all of these feelings are okay, can be supported with resources and guidance and will end (but not quickly)?

    Jessie Harrold, Mothershift: Reclaiming Motherhood as a Rite of Passage (2024)

  • Everyone knows adolescents are uncomfortable and awkward because they are going through extreme mental and bodily changes, but, when they have a baby, women are expected to transition with ease—to breeze into a completely new self, a new role, at one of the most perilous and sensitive times in the life course.

    Lucy Jones, Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood (2023)

  • Childbirth brings about a series of very dramatic changes in the new mother’s physical being, in her emotional life, in her status within the group, even in her own female identity. I distinguish this period of transition from others by terming it matrescence to emphasize the mother and to focus on her new life style.

    Dana Raphael, Ph.D., The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding (1976)

  • Women who transition through preconception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy or adoption, to the postnatal period and beyond, experience a acceleration in multiple domains true of any developmental push: bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual. A theory of matrescence provides a destigmatizing and agentic lens for mothers of all kinds to identify, explore, cope with, and shape their destinies according to their own individual differences.

    Aurelie Athan, Ph.D., Matrescence: the emerging mother (2019)

Contact Me

I’d love to connect. Fill out the form to schedule a free exploratory call and see how we can build your fourth trimester support program.