EP6: McLean McGown on Postpartum Doulas, Postpartum Care, and Mothering the Mother
When we recorded this episode she is 1 day shy of 40 weeks! Her daughter, Goldy Wolf, was born three days after we talked.
McLean McGown is a mother, wife, Postpartum Doula, Yoga & Pilates teacher, Nutritionist, Buddhist and yoga practitioner living in Los Angeles. Through her own pregnancy and birth experiences, McLean started learning about the birth world and happened upon a career that she never saw coming. Becoming a postpartum doula led her to her truest passion- to support women during one of their most vulnerable times in life and bear witness to their rite of passage into motherhood.
“It takes a village to raise a mother, not just a child”
In this episode, McLean shares:
- What a postpartum doula is
- Her personal struggle after the birth of her first daughter
- Feminine model of working
- Why breastfeeding is so hard
- How it’s normal to hate your husband
- How McLean went from "one-and-done" to a second baby
What You’ll Hear:
- Difference between lactation educator/counselor and lactation consultant (1:45)
- What is the postpartum period- how long is it? (7:50)
- What is a postpartum doula (8:40)
- How does it work hiring a postpartum doula? (17:30)
- A day in the life of a postpartum visit (18:00)
- Financial planning for birth- prioritizing (26:00)
- Her first postpartum birth experience--driving 2 days postpartum (31:00)
- Your version of a 40 day lie-in (32:30)
- What no one tells you (40:40)
- When you hate your husband… (44:40)
- What our moms experienced (50:25)
- How to deal with the last days of pregnancy (52:30)
- How she went from hashtagging #oneanddone to two (54:00)
- Her own postpartum plan second time around (57:40)
